Daily briefing: LS passes Delhi services Bill; laptop imports will now require licence; and more

The Opposition warned the Centre against giving unbridled powers to bureaucrats, and said this would derail the well-established system of checks and balances. They also argued that the Bill goes against federal principles envisaged in the Constitution and questioned the legislative competence of Parliament to enact it.

⚡ Only in Express

Before the video capturing the stripping and sexual assault of three Kuki-Zomi women in Manipur on May 4 became viral, there was a concerted effort to get Yumlembam Jiban – the 18-year-old who had shot it – to delete it from his phone, The Indian Express has learnt.

Meanwhile, the Centre is planning financial assistance schemes for the thousands affected by the ethnic violence in Manipur. These include a one-time financial assistance for clothing and personal belongings to those living in relief camps, a package for farmers, temporary housing, television sets for relief camps and computer centres in districts affected by the violence. Read report by Amrita Nayak Dutta

📰 From the Front Page

Clearing the decks for a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex by the Archaeological Survey of India, the Allahabad High Court Thursday dismissed a challenge by mosque caretaker Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee. Within hours of the High Court order, the mosque committee approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing. 

The Union government has restricted imports of personal computers, laptops, palmtops, automatic data processing machines, microcomputer/ processors and large/ mainframe computers with immediate effect. The move seems to be aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing, and probably targeted at China since more than 75 per cent of India’s total imports of laptops and personal computers in 2022-23 was from the neighbouring country.

On the second day of the hearing on a clutch of petitions against the move to end J&K’s special status under Article 370, the Supreme Court had a question for the petitioners: “You are saying, therefore, that there is a provision of the Constitution which lies even beyond the amending power of Parliament. So we are then creating a new category, apart from Basic Structure, and Article 370 belongs to that?”

“There were murmurs of ‘goli chali’ in the coach… I was shocked when I saw that a RPF man had killed his colleague.” “I was sleeping when I suddenly heard the loud sound of firing. It was very similar to that of a firecracker… Other passengers told me to hide under the blanket until it’s over.”

These are some of the details from the July 31 Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express shooting that have emerged from a series of phone conversations that The Indian Express had with passengers who were in the coaches where the killings took place. Find out more here

👩‍💻 Must read

✍️ In our Opinion section today, Sanjay Srivastava writes on the recent communal violence witnessed in Gurgaon: “There is another Gurugram story. One that is also about the silent refashioning of an urban space of mono-religiosity.”

Being a nuclear power has given strength and autonomy to India’s strategic policies. Today, it has the leverage and moral stature to take the lead in working with the international community to reduce the risk of use of nuclear weapons — something to which India’s leaders have always been committed. We take a deep dive into India’s relationship with nuclear weapons

⭐ Bonus read: Matrimonial advertisements in newspapers and social media groups such as “IELTS & NRI Rishtey” and “IELTS Punjabi rishtey” point to a broader trend in Punjab — of young men attempting to hitch a ride on the IELTS score of their prospective brides as a ticket to foreign destinations such as Canada. We take a closer look at this phenomenon

⌛ And finally

♟️ For the first time in 36 years, 5-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will not be the top Indian when FIDE, the global governing body of chess, publishes its monthly rankings at the end of August. His own protege, Gukesh D (17), has ensured a spot at the top with his 2-0 victory over Mistradin Iskandrov in the second round of the FIDE World Cup on Thursday. 

🤫 Find out why Opposition MPs were heard thanking BJP leader Rajendra Agrawal, who assumed the Speaker’s Chair ahead of the Question Hour on Thursday, only in today’s Delhi Confidential!

🎧 In the latest episode of the 3 Things podcast, we discuss the Supreme Court’s hearing on Article 370, political row over Haryana communal clashes, and the government restricting the import of certain devices.

Until next time,

Anamni Gupta and Arushi Bhaskar