Domestic Politics
On Monday, the Lahore High Court revoked and nullified the death sentence handed down to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf by a special court in December. Musharraf was sentenced to death in absentia on charges stemming from his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007. The high court declared that the formation of the special court that sentenced him was unconstitutional. Reuters
The Kerala state government filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India against the Citizenship Amendment Bill on Tuesday stating that the law violates the secular nature of India’s Constitution. The state became the first to legally challenge the law that has triggered nationwide demonstrations. Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have also rejected the law. The Diplomat
On Tuesday, the Jammu & Kashmir administration decided to restore broadband services in all government offices, tourism-related establishments and institutions offering essential services such as hospitals and banks. There will be a complete ban on social media applications, though. The move came after the Supreme Court directed the state administration to review the orders suspending Internet services. The Indian Express
International Relations
On Tuesday, All India Radio inaugurated a content sharing program with Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh’s state-owned radio public broadcaster. The inauguration of the program took place during the Information and Broadcasting Ministers Meet 2020. An MoU between the National Film Development Corporation of India and Film Development Corporation of Bangladesh was also signed. Wion
Society
Niti Aayog released its SDG Index for 2019-20. The report says that every fifth Indian lives below the poverty line and that the country is far from achieving its goal of eradicating poverty by 2030. Asia Times
Environment
Avalanches hit Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing at least 55, while countless others are missing. Officials said that many villagers are still stranded in the Neelum valley following heavy rains that also triggered landslides. Aljazeera
Business
Top10VPN, a London-based organization, published a report on Internet shutdowns. According to the report, the impact of internet shutdowns on the Indian economy is likely to be higher than US$ 1.3 billion. India was placed third after Iraq and Sudan in terms of such losses incurred. India was also placed third in the duration of Internet blackouts — a total of 4,196 hours. The report also pointed out that India imposes Internet restrictions more often than any other country. The Straits Times
Gender
According to the annual crime report released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, one woman reported a rape every 15 minutes on an average in India in 2018. Women reported almost 34,000 rapes in 2018; 85% of these reports led to charges, and 27% led to convictions. Reuters
Image Source: India Today