National News
Look at the kind of authority you wield in terms of dominance: SC to Google
The Supreme Court on Thursday orally told Google’s counsel to look at the kind of authority it wields in terms of dominance, while hearing the tech giant’s plea on seeking a stay on a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a Rs 1,337 crore penalty on it.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud told senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, representing Google, said: “Dr Singhvi, all that you gave us in terms of data in fact militates against your argument.”
“Look at the kind of authority which you wield in terms of dominance data indicates 15,000 Android models, 500 million compatible devices 1500 OEMs. When you have that kind of market penetration, then by insisting you necessarily have my bouquet you directly affecting… What the OEM does, impact upon the ultimate consumer,” the Chief Justice said.
Singhvi submitted: “I am one of the players in this ecosystem, and people choose Google Play Store due to its excellence and not because of dominance.”
He queried that had there been no Android, “would this revolution in telephony had taken place?”
Singhvi further argued that in Korea, there is a different user and pressed that Google is there due to excellence and not due to dominance.
“Where it is voluntary, non-imposed. It is free, non exclusive, what more you can do?”.
The bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, will continue to hear arguments in the matter in the afternoon.
On January 11, the Supreme Court had agreed to examine an appeal by Google against a decision by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), declining to stay a Rs 1,337.76 crore penalty imposed on it by the CCI for alleged anti-competitive practices.
Google moved the apex court after the setback at NCLAT, which did not stay the CCI order on abuse of dominant position in multiple markets in the Android mobile device ecosystem case.
Earlier this month, the NCLAT did not find any urgency to pass an interim order, after noting that Google filed the appeal in December last year, though the CCI passed the order in October.
It directed Google to deposit 10 per cent of the fine amount.
The tribunal had said that there was no urgency shown in the filing of the appeal, therefore Google could not be allowed to press for interim relief.
In October last year, the CCI had imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices.
The CCI also imposed a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.
National News
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Hands Over 8.5 Lakh Govt Appointment Letters At 14th Rozgar Mela In Gandhinagar
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday distributed job appointment letters for government positions during the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela held at the BSF campus in Gandhinagar.
The Union Minister said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, a new India is emerging, with new employment opportunities being created in both the government and private sectors and job placements being done. I am happy that in the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela, 8.5 lakh job appointment letters have been given.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits through video conferencing. Addressing the occasion, PM Modi extended wishes to the new recruits.”I have had many professional discussions with the youth of India in Kuwait.
After coming here, my first program is with the youth of the country. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the youth and their families,” he said.He emphasized that the government’s top priority is to make full use of the potential and talent of India’s youth.”Through Rozgar Mela, we are continuously working in this direction.
“For the past 10 years, there has been a campaign in various government ministries, departments, and institutions to provide government jobs. Even today, over 71,000 youth have been appointed. In the last 1.5 years, our government has provided permanent government jobs to nearly 10 lakh youth. This is a massive record in itself,” PM Modi said.
“In previous governments, no such initiative to provide permanent government jobs to youth in mission mode existed, but today, not only are millions of youth getting jobs in the country but these jobs are being provided with complete honesty and transparency,” he highlighted.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that the development of any country happens through the strength and leadership of its youth.
“Everyone has taken a pledge to build a developed India by 2047. We believe in this pledge because at the heart of every policy and decision in India is the talented youth of the country. Look at the policies of the past decade–Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Startup India, Standup India, Digital India–each of these programs was designed with the youth at the centre. India has changed its policies in the space sector, boosted manufacturing in the defence sector, and the biggest beneficiaries of these changes are the youth,” PM Modi said.
Rozgar Mela is a step to provide meaningful opportunities to the youth for their participation in nation-building and self-empowerment.
National News
Delhi BJP releases ‘chargesheet’ against Kejriwal, AAP govt
New Delhi, Dec 23: The Delhi BJP on Monday released a political “chargesheet” against AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his party, enlisting alleged failures of the Delhi government over the last 10 years and instances of corruption involving ministers.
Releasing the “chargesheet” or “Aarop Patra” ahead of Assembly elections, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, “About Rs 52 crore of public money was wasted on Kejriwal’s luxurious Sheeshmahal (official residence). The AAP promised to clean Yamuna by 2025, but it turned into a toxic sewer filled with poisonous foam.”
He said that during the 10 years of “misgovernance,” Delhi turned into a “corruption capital.”
“Eight AAP ministers, 15 legislators and an MP have been jailed in these years,” he said, pointing to the liquor policy scam and slamming Kejriwal’s promise of ridding the city of corruption.
The BJP MP also targeted the AAP government for ignoring women’s safety, alleging that it failed to utilise the Nirbhaya Fund or build promised fast-track courts.
Kejriwal’s promises of fighting pollution, improving the quality of education and ending the tanker mafia have not been fulfilled in 10 years, said Thakur.
“The AQI once crossed 1,200, and even today it is over 500,” he said, adding that Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, who took a dip in the Yamuna, would be able to give a first-hand account of how polluted the river was despite tall claims by the AAP government.
“Delhi’s air pollution equals smoking 50 cigarettes a day. AAP failed to take action. The city is now home to the world’s tallest garbage mountain due to the AAP government’s mismanagement,” he said.
The BJP “chargesheet” also alleged that fake medicines distributed in Mohalla Clinics claimed lives, exposing AAP’s “world-class health model.” Thakur alleged that Rs 1,125 crore were wasted on incomplete ICU hospitals.
Delhi’s youth were betrayed by the AAP government as 29 Pratibha schools were shut under it, depriving students of quality education, he said.
Referring to the tanker mafia, Thakur said Rs 28,400 crore was allocated to the Delhi Jal Board, yet residents rely on tankers for water.
While the AAP promised free water, it has supplied only dirty, toxic water, risking public health, he said.
The former Union Minister said the AAP government’s promises of giving a “world-class drainage system” have been exposed by water-logging and monsoon deaths.
He added that the cost of water is the highest in the city.
Later, speaking to the reporters, Thakur said, “Arvind Kejriwal is the culprit behind the problems of Delhi residents. The infection of lungs in 22 lakh children is due to Delhi’s pollution and dirty water, which is the result of the failures of Kejriwal’s government.”
“They couldn’t utilise the Nirbhaya Fund, and the initiative to provide Rs 6,000 each to pregnant women was left incomplete. Now, after 10 years, they talk of distributing money. Where was Kejriwal’s government all this time? Where was the respect for women?” he questioned.
Criticising the management of the national capital’s finances, Thakur said, “Despite thousands of crores in Delhi’s treasury, the government is under debt. They talk about good education, yet one-and-a-half lakh students in classes 9 and 11 failed. Crores are spent on advertisements, but their sports university exists only on paper, and their skill and entrepreneurship universities remain under-utilised.”
He also accused the AAP government of doing disservice to the poor by denying them access to healthcare by not implementing the Central government’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
“By refusing to implement the scheme, they have taken away the right of the poor to avail medical insurance for treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. Whether it’s clean water, free treatment, good education, better roads, or a pollution-free environment, the common citizen of Delhi feels betrayed,” Thakur said, calling Kejriwal the “biggest cheater.”
National News
‘Congress Remembers Dalits Only In Bad Times,’ Says BSP Chief Mayawati, Slamming Rahul Gandhi’s Parbhani Visit
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his visit to violence-hit Parbhani in Maharashtra. She said he was going there only to shed crocodile tears and accused the Congress of historically adopting a casteist and contemptuous attitude toward Dalits and backward classes.
Taking to X on Monday, Mayawati wrote, “Unfortunate incidents like Parbhani happened as a result of disrespect/insult towards the original architect of the Indian Constitution, the most revered Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and the feeling of inferiority towards his crores of followers. It is proved that Congress and BJP are not their true well-wishers, everyone’s intentions and policies are flawed.”
BSP Chief Mayawati On Rahul Gandhi’s Visit
Referring to Gandhi’s visit, Mayawati said, “The Congress leader’s visit today to Parbhani is nothing more than shedding crocodile tears because the Congress’ attitude towards the interests and welfare of Babasaheb and his followers has always been casteist and contemptuous, both during his lifetime and after his death. They remember the Dalits and backward classes only in their bad times.”
About Rahul Gandhi’s Visit To Parbhani
Rahul Gandhi, during his brief visit to Parbhani, will meet the bereaved families of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, 35, who was studying his LlB, and another Dalit social worker Vijay Wakode, who suffered a heart attack and succumbed while attempting to control the rampaging mobs on December 11-12.
BSP Chief Calls For A Peacefl Nationwide Demonstration
The BSP chief also called for a peaceful nationwide demonstration at district headquarters to demand the withdrawal of alleged anti-Ambedkar remarks made in Parliament. “The entire society should unite and make these protests successful,” she urged, cautioning against “deceptive politics” carried out in the name of Ambedkar.
Mayawati reiterated her party’s commitment to its Ambedkarite mission, stating, “The BSP’s self-respect movement aims to empower the ‘Bahujan Samaj’ politically, while other parties merely pretend to champion Ambedkar’s legacy for political gains. Their actions are duplicitous — Ram on their lips, but a knife under their arm.”
The BSP has announced a nationwide agitation on December 24 to protest against Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial remarks about Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in Parliament, which they claim disrespected the architect of India’s Constitution.
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