Daily Briefing: Pro-Khalistan posters not free speech, govt tells foreign govts; latest on Uniform Civil Code; and more

Amid the renewed attention on the Uniform Civil Code, sources told The Indian Express that personal laws that clash with the constitutional mandate of gender equality will be examined and addressed in the proposed law. We take a look at the various debates on the contours of the proposed code.

⚡ Only in Express

Ahead of the upcoming West Bengal panchayat elections, The Indian Express meets two strongmen, one of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the other of the BJP, as they gather men, money and might as the polling day approaches on July 8. 

📰 From the Front Page

A Bench of the Bombay High Court questioned the Centre’s silence on the need for amended Information Technology Rules that empower it to identify “fake news” on social media platforms through the Fact Check Unit (FCU). Find out more from the Court’s final hearing on the pleas challenging the Rules here. 

“In the name of freedom of expression, we should not be giving space to those who advocate violence or propagate separatism or legitimise terrorism…”: This is what the MEA told foreign governments on posters by pro-Khalistan groups inciting violence against senior Indian diplomats.

Next week, Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, former Minister for Justice of Saudi Arabia and a leading global voice on moderate Islam, is scheduled to visit India. From a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to an Agra trip, find out what’s on his itinerary and agenda.

After J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha took ‘serious note’ of 11 men allegedly not rising for the national anthem at a June 25 event, an executive magistrate in Srinagar sent them to jail this week. Read more here

👩‍💻 Must read

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s announcement that all bunkers built by Meiteis and Kukis to defend their villages would be destroyed has left a large section of the security establishment sceptical. They wonder how this would be achieved given that violence continues unabated.

In its centenary year, Gita Press, a landmark publishing house in Gorakhpur since 1923, was unanimously selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 by a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently. Ahead of Modi’s expected visit to Gita Press on July 7, The Indian Express visits the now one of ‘world’s largest publishers of Hindu religious books’. Here’s what it finds

In our opinion section today, SERB National Science Chair Deepak Pental writes on National Research Foundation’s vision: “If funding through a competitive grant system is so prevalent worldwide, why does it constitute such a low percentage of public funding on R&D in India?”

⌛ And finally

On Day 1 of the Ashes, two comeback men – Mark Wood and Mitchell Marsh – forever languishing in the shadows of legends and greats, shone brightly on a grimy, supersonic day when every action and reaction unfolded frenetically, at Leeds. Here’s the report

Delhi confidential: Nearly two years after he joined the Congress, former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar has finally got a full-time organisational responsibility in the party. He was made in-charge of NSUI, the party’s students’ wing which he fought against as a political rival in JNU. 

In today’s episode of our ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the evolving political crisis in Maharashtra and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s remarks on the Uniform Civil Code, while we also give you a quick update on India’s lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3. 

PS:- The Indian Express is now on Threads! Follow us here https://www.threads.net/@indianexpress

Until next time,

Anamni Gupta and Arushi Bhaskar