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The Big Story
The row over a viral video of Delhi minister Satyendar Jain getting a massage in jail took a new turn with sources in the Tihar jail saying that the massuer is not a physiotherapist, but a “prisoner in a rape case”.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party had claimed that the minister was undergoing physiotherapy and not getting a massage.
Medical records accessed by The Indian Express show Jain had a fall in the bathroom of Tihar jail in June which ostensibly necessitated two procedures to administer transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI) for back pain. Subsequently, Jain was recommended physiotherapy by the hospital.
A Tihar official said that a committee will look into the matter and decide if action should be taken or not. Officials added that undertrial prisoners are not allowed to do such personal labour.
Only in the Express
In Gujarat, the same electorate that wants the BJP to remain in office also yearns for a “chakachak vipaksh”, or an effective Opposition. Dismissing the Congress party, a Bhavnagar resident says it “stands discredited”. This might as well be the defining story of Gujarat 2022 — a diminished Congress struggling to retain its core support base, threatened by plucky new entrant AAP.
In various memorandums submitted to the Railways, sources told The Indian Express, loco pilots have flagged over 80 cases of goods trains jumping signals over the past one year at least because of an erratic brakes system — the Bogie Mounted Brake System (BMBS). Last Friday, the Chief Loco Inspectors’ body held a workshop to discuss the “braking issue”, with the aim to work out a solution.
From the Front Page
Six persons, including an Assam Forest Guard, were killed in a clash between the Assam Police and a mob over an alleged timber-smuggling attempt near a village in Meghalaya. The incident comes ahead of the second round of talks scheduled for this month-end between the two states to resolve their boundary dispute.
The Supreme Court has mooted the idea of including the Chief Justice of India in the appointment committee of the Chief Election Commissioner to ensure “neutrality”. In appointing the CEC, “what is important is that you need someone with character, someone who does not allow himself to be bulldozed,” the court said.
Must Read
After two years of the pandemic, data shows that in Maharashtra, for every child who lost their mother to Covid, nine lost their fathers. Since March 2020, 28,938 children in the state have lost either of their parents to the infection — of those who died, 2,919 were mothers and 25,883 fathers. This gap in mortality by gender suggests that the pandemic may have pushed many families – especially those in which the men were the sole breadwinners – into financial instability.
In our opinion section today, Arshad Khan writes about the fierce opposition met by the film ‘Joyland’ in Pakistan. “Those calling for a boycott do not care about the lives of LGBTQIA folks. They want to maintain a fraudulent culture of piety where people are forced underground, sexual abuse runs rampant and any conversation around sex or sexual awareness is suppressed”.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has sprung back from two slow years of pandemic. On Saturday it will undertake its fifth launch mission for the year. The space organisation has also entered the commercial market, filling in the void created by Russia due to the war. Here’s all that’s lined up for ISRO.
Bharti Airtel has hiked its entry-level tariff in Haryana and Odisha circles by as much as 57 per cent. In these circles, Airtel has decided to scrap its cheapest Rs 99 plan. The telco’s move could prompt other operators, especially cash-strapped Vodafone Idea, to undertake similar tariff hikes. We explain why Airtel’s move is significant and what it means for the sector.
And Finally…
Football fans across the globe were taken by surprise when the Saudis Tuesday managed to upset tournament favourites Argentina 2-1, after rallying from a one-goal deficit and listlessness in the first half. The Indian Express reports from Qatar on how the Saudis’ win would define the rest of their lives and make them immortal in footballing lore.
Delhi Confidential: CJI D Y Chandrachud has announced the return of a special bench to hear taxation cases in the Supreme Court. In 2015-16, a tax bench comprising Justices Rohinton Nariman and A K Sikri used to sit and help in speedy disposal of tax cases. However, successive CJIs disbanded such special benches.
🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 things’ podcast, we talk in depth about the recently concluded COP27 summit, and the debate around loss and damage.
Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta and Anandu Suresh
