Jammu, Feb 11: Two soldiers including an officer were killed on Tuesday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during patrolling near the Line of Control (LoC) fence in J&K’s Akhnoor sector.

A Defence Ministry Spokesman said that the suspected improvised explosive device blast was reported in Lalaeli in the Akhnoor sector during a fence patrol resulting in two fatalities.

“Troops are dominating the area and search operations are underway. White Knight Corps salutes and pays tribute to the supreme sacrifice by two gallant soldiers,” said the Spokesperson.

He added that a captain rank officer is also among the two martyred soldiers.

“It was not immediately known whether the IED had been planted by the terrorists or was it due to the accidental stepping on an anti-infiltration landline planted by the army close to the LoC fence that resulted in the tragedy,” he said.

The Spokesperson said that last week, five terrorists were killed in a landmine explosion when they tried to infiltrate into the Indian side of the LoC in Rajouri district.

“One of the infiltrating terrorists stepped on an anti-infiltration landmine in the area close to the LoC fence. The landmine had exploded killing all the five Pakistani terrorists,” he said.

He further added that in another incident last week in Poonch district, terrorists from across the LoC fired at the patrolling soldiers after which the alert soldiers returned the fire thereby thwarting another infiltration attempt.

He said that Patrolling by the army near the LoC and by the security forces in the hinterland has been further intensified after a top-level security review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week.

The Union Home Minister directed that the security forces should ensure zero infiltration and zero tolerance towards terrorists in J&K.

The Spokesperson said that there are reports that because of less snowfall this winter, all the infiltration routes of the terrorists are open and this has necessitated heightened vigil by the army deployed along the LoC.

New Delhi, Feb 11: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said “Skill India Mission” is just a hollow slogan, claiming that in the name of skilled workers, the government has pushed the youth towards becoming delivery persons.

Opposing the Union Budget 2025-26 during a discussion in Lok Sabha, the Kannauj MP said there is an absence of appropriated environment for investment that is the only key for true “Vikas”.

Raising issues like the drop in the country’s position in the hunger index and cut in the education budget, Yadav said the government is dreaming of making India the food basket of the world but it will remain to be ‘jumlebazi’ (hollow slogan) unless it first feeds the hungry in the country.

“The hunger index figures are exposing the hollow progress being claimed by the government,” he said, hitting out at the lack of efforts to control price rise.

He also slammed the Budget for not proposing measures to remove poverty, provide good education and health services and create jobs.

“There is no road map for progress in the Budget,” he said, alleging concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, the widening of disparity in society, the infringement of tribals’ rights and the crying need for reforms in the financial sector.

“Asli traqi hai wohi jo har farq mitati hai, jo har tarf khushhali ke gul failati hai (True progress is the one which brings about all-around prosperity and removes disparity), ” he said.

“Real development is the one which diminishes disparity, and an ideal Budget is the one which is democratic and paves the way for overall development and empowers the last person in line,” he said.

Slamming the poor performance of the economy, he said the government’s claim that the Budget is focused on pushing up the rate of progress exposes the fact that the rate of growth has been sluggish over the past 11 years due to lack of investment.

Yadav also decried the dependence of the Indian stock market on foreign investors’ investments.

He said the BJP government’s latest Budget has nothing to offer for the development of the country or for the progress of people.

“There is no special assistance or reference to MSMEs in the Budget,” said Yadav, saying most of such units are not benefitting from its schemes as only a fraction of them were registered with the government.

He also called for special schemes for farmers and waiving their loans, providing them MSP while taking measures to protect crops from stray cattle.

He also sought measures to stop fake news, alleging that the government was busy highlighting its achievement but, in the process, ending up defaming the rivals.

Yadav described demonetisation and the introduction of GST as the biggest economic disasters in the country.

He also cited the case of a boy who was born while his mother was standing in a bank during demonetisation and urged the government to adopt him. “We had named him khazanchi (treasurer) and he has now grown up to cycle around,” he said.

New Delhi, Feb 11: The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of a PIL seeking directions to DGPs of states to take immediate action in lynching and mob violence cases in accordance with the directions of the apex court and added that the directions in the Tehseen Poonawalla vs. Union of India case were binding on all authorities across India.

A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.Vinod Chandran opined that sitting in the national Capital, it cannot monitor incidents in different areas of different states across the country.

“Sitting in Delhi, we cannot monitor incidents in different areas of the country and in our view such micromanagement would not be feasible,” said the Justice Gavai-led Bench.

It added that the directions laid down by the top court in the case of Tehseen Poonawalla vs. Union of India, are binding on all authorities across the country under Article 141 of the Constitution.

In its 2018 judgment in the Poonawalla case, the Supreme Court had directed designation of nodal officer in each district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching.

“The Director General of Police/the Secretary, Home Department of the concerned states shall take regular review meetings (at least once a quarter) with all the Nodal Officers and State Police Intelligence heads,” it had ordered.

In its order, the Justice Gavai-led Bench stated that an aggrieved person can always seek remedy in accordance with the law, clarifying that the apex court cannot lay down any uniform criteria for the grant of compensation to the victims of mob lynching incidents since the quantum of compensation ought to be decided on a case to case basis.

Further, the apex court refused to examine the validity of cow protection laws introduced in several states, suggesting the litigants to approach the jurisdictional High Court.

“It will be appropriate that persons who are aggrieved approach jurisdictional High Courts to challenge the vires of the legislations/notifications,” the SC said.

During the course of hearing, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, the second-highest law officer of the Centre, submitted that mob lynching is a distinct offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and if there is any violation, the law will take its own course.

In an earlier hearing, the top court had pulled up the state governments of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Bihar for not filing their counter-affidavits.

“We clarify that in the event counter affidavits are not filed by the above-mentioned states, the Chief Secretaries of the said states shall remain personally present in the court on the next date of hearing to show cause as to why an action should not be taken against them for non-compliance of the orders of the court,” it had said in an order passed on November 5, 2024.

Earlier in April last year, the apex court had granted six weeks to various state governments to file their reply detailing the action taken in cases of lynchings and mob violence.

“It was expected of the state governments to at least respond and give details as to what action has been taken in respect of the said instances (of lynchings and mob violence). We, therefore, grant six weeks’ time to all the state governments – who have not yet filed their affidavits – to file their counter-reply and give an explanation as to what action has been taken by the states in respect of incidents mentioned in the writ petition or interlocutory applications,” the SC had said.

In July 2023, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Maharashtra governments. Later, all state governments were added as parties in the PIL on an application moved by Islamic clerics’ organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. The plea prayed for a minimum uniform compensation to be determined by the court that should be granted to the victims or their families in addition to the amount determined by the authorities.

“In most cases, minimal action of merely registering FIRs is the only thing that is done by the authorities which seems to be more of a formality than any genuine initiation of the criminal machinery,” the plea said.