Daily Briefing: Chamoli administration steps up door-to-door survey in Joshimath; Law Ministry flags lack of diversity among HC judges; and more

With each passing day, the number of houses developing cracks due to land subsidence is increasing in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath. But the writing was on the wall — as early as almost half a century ago, when an 18-member committee learned that the town is “geologically unstable”. The report flagged recurring landslides, for which it blamed heavy construction and the process of hill wash. It also suggested several remedial measures, some of which were also suggested by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami this week. 

Meanwhile, the Chamoli district administration has intensified its door-to-door survey of the houses and shifting of the families living in danger zones. According to data provided by the administration, cracks have so far developed in 678 houses and 81 families have been relocated. 

Only in the Express 

Underlining that the onus of ensuring diversity on the bench is on the judiciary, the Union Law Ministry has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice that 79 per cent of all High Court judges appointed in the last five years were from the upper caste (general category). The Ministry’s Department of Justice is learnt to have made a presentation in this regard before the panel headed by BJP MP Sushil Modi.

For Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, parents of 17-year-old Unnati and 13-year-old Ujjwal, who died in Delhi’s Uphaar Cinema fire in June 1997, the road to justice has been long and arduous. Twenty-six years on, the tragedy that claimed 59 lives and injured over a hundred has found its way to screens around the world. Based on their 2016 book Trial By Fire, the Netflix series, the couple hope, will illustrate the truth of the tragedy to generations who have only read or heard of it.

From the Front Page

Nearly 22 months after the Supreme Court issued notice to it in the matter, the Centre sought more time to present its stand on petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, saying it is “consulting” on the issue and “the process” is on. The court gave the Centre time “till February end”.

The simmering face-off between the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and Governor R N Ravi hit a new low Monday with the Governor omitting key portions of the speech prepared for him to mark a new Assembly session, including references to Dr B R Ambedkar and Thanthai Periyar. Ravi then walked out even as CM MK Stalin moved a resolution demanding only the original printed speech in Tamil be put in records.

Must Read 

Streetlights that are either switched off or non-functional, vast stretches in key parts of the national capital in complete darkness, and dense fog making matters worse — a spot check of prominent roads in Delhi has exposed the sorry state of affairs. The issue is also closely tied to the safety of Delhiites, particularly women. Starting today, The Indian Express travels on prominent roads in Delhi at night to shed light on the dark spots. Part 1 of the series is out now!

PM Narendra Modi Monday termed Indians living overseas as “brand ambassadors” of the country on foreign soil. From indentured labourers in the mid-1800s to highly qualified professionals now, the Pravasi Bhartiyas have come a long way, sending back massive remittances and gaining increasing political significance, at home and abroad. From their various classifications to involvement in politics and geographical spread, we explain the story of the Indian diaspora. 

In our Opinion section today, C Raj Kumar writes on why India should not outsource higher education to foreign universities: “India has an extraordinary opportunity to be an aspiring nation for students worldwide. Instead of enabling the creation of international campuses of universities from developed countries, it must focus on becoming a global higher education destination in its own right.”

And Finally 

Just a week after the Indian cricket board added Jasprit Bumrah to the team for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, stressing in a press release that he was declared fit by the NCA, India’s No.1 pacer was withdrawn from the squad Monday on the eve of the first ODI, reportedly due to stiffness in his back. Sources, meanwhile, said that he will not be seen as an all-format player this year. There was no word on his participation in the April-May IPL, where he plays for Mumbai Indians.

Until tomorrow,

Rahel Philipose and Anandu Suresh