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Never directed to end Dallewal’s hunger strike: SC on farmers’ protest

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New Delhi, Jan 2: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it has never directed to end the hunger strike of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast unto death, but is only concerned with his health.

“There appears to be a deliberate attempt in the entire media where state government officers (of Punjab) are trying to create an impression that there is a persuasion by this court to Mr. Dallewal to break his fast. Our directions were not to break his fast. We only said that let his health be taken care of and he can continue his peaceful protest even when he is hospitalised,” a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant told Punjab’s Advocate General (AG) Gurminder Singh.

The Bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, said that shifting Dallewal to the hospital should not mean that he will not continue his fast but the medical facilities which will ensure that no harm is caused to his life.

In response, AG Gurminder Singh submitted that the state government officials tried to convince Dallewal to take medical aid in terms of the apex court order.

However, Dallewal remained firm that he would take medical aid only if the Union government was ready for talks.

At this, the Justice Kant-led Bench remarked, “Please don’t force us to say many things. Your attitude is that there should be no reconciliation. That is the whole problem”.

Further, the apex court expressed anguish at the “irresponsible statements” being made by “so-called farmers leaders to complicate things”.

It cautioned that if the Punjab government keeps failing to implement its order regarding hospitalisation of Dallewal, the apex court will seek intervention of the Centre.

The 70-year-old cancer patient has been fasting at Khanauri, the border point between Punjab and Haryana, since November 26 in support of their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, loan waiver and reforms to improve conditions in the agricultural sector.

The matter will be heard next on January 6.

On Tuesday, the top court deferred till January 2 the hearing on a contempt plea seeking action against the Chief Secretary of Punjab over non-hospitalisation of Dallewal.

In that hearing, the Punjab government sought additional time to comply with its December 20 decision, where it was directed to ensure the stable health condition of Dallewal.

“It is entirely the responsibility of the State of Punjab to ensure the stable health condition of Mr Jagjit Singh Dallewal, for which if he requires hospitalisation, the authorities must ensure to do so. The State Government, therefore, will take a call as to whether Mr Dallewal can be shifted to the makeshift hospital (temporary hospital, which is said to have been set up at a distance of 700 metres from the site) or to any other well-equipped hospital,” the SC had ordered.

Crime

Ulhasnagar Woman Harassed in Divyang Coach Of Mumbai Local Train; 2 Arrested

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Kalyan: In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman from Ulhasnagar was allegedly harassed in the Divyang coach of a Mumbai local train on December 2. The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 2, at around 8.15 pm.

In the video shared by, while returning from work in Thane, she boarded the Central Railways Thane-Kalyan train. After the train crossed Dombivali, the woman argued with the accused, identified as Anup Surendra Singh, and Abhilasha Arjun Nayar regarding the Divyang pass. The woman alleged that after she had a heated argument, the two accused caught her hand and even eve-teased her.

When they got down at Ulhasnagar station, all three, along with another eyewitness, had a huge argument at the station. Railway Police soon reached the platform, where several women intervened and confronted the officers about the incident. The police then later moved the accused to the Kalyan Railway Police Station, and based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Both the accused have been arrested.

Meanwhile, last month, a 25-year-old transgender person was arrested by the Vashi Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly molesting a 28-year-old woman aboard a Panvel to CSMT local train on 2 November. The incident occurred around 12.10 pm when the train was nearing Nerul station. The accused, when he boarded the general compartment of the harbour line train, was seeking alms from passengers. When the train crossed Seawoods station, an argument broke out between the accused and a male passenger who refused to give money.

The man, accompanied by a female friend, asked the accused to move ahead, leading to a heated verbal exchange. During the confrontation, the accused allegedly abused the man and touched the woman on her shoulder, which made her uncomfortable. A complaint was filed and the accused was taken into custody by the Vashi GRP.

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Business

India-AI Impact Summit 2026 to generate actionable recommendations: Minister

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New Delhi, Dec 3: Reflecting India’s growing role in global AI discussions, the country will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 here from February 16–20, the government said on Wednesday.

For the first time, the global AI summit series will take place in the Global South and the shift signals a broader move toward a more inclusive global AI dialogue, said Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, in Lok Sabha.

“In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the government is democratising the development and usage of technology. The focus is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for solving real-world problems and ultimately improving lives across various sectors,” said the minister.

In this regard, the government has taken an inclusive and innovation-friendly approach to AI governance. India’s AI strategy has been formed after studying legal frameworks around the world and extensive consultation with stakeholders. A key pillar of India’s AI strategy is its balanced and pragmatic techno-legal approach to regulation.

The summit reflects India’s growing role in global AI discussions. It follows the UK AI Safety Summit, AI Seoul Summit, Paris AI Action Summit (which India co-chaired), and the Global AI Summit on Africa.

This demonstrates that the Summit is situated within a broader global discourse and seeks to contribute to harmonised international cooperation on responsible AI development, said the minister.

The thematic priorities of the Summit, referred to as the seven ‘Chakras’, underline its key objectives. These include Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, Democratizing AI Resources, and AI for Economic Development and Social Good.

These thematic areas encompass issues such as AI safety, data governance, transparency, human-centred development and accountability frameworks. These discussions are aligned to drive the strategic direction of the Summit’s events and deliberations.

The Summit is intended to generate actionable recommendations that contribute to long-term AI governance objectives rather than framing immediate binding regulations.

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National News

Maha Legislature’s winter session from December 8 to 14

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Mumbai, Dec 3: Amid local body polls, the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature will be held from December 8 to 14 in Nagpur.

The schedule was finalised on Wednesday at the meetings of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the state Assembly and Council held at Vidhan Bhavan.

The winter session duration was earlier announced from December 8 to 19, when both Houses were prorogued after the conclusion of the monsoon session held in July.

However, the winter session duration has been curtailed as polling during the second phase of the Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections is slated for December 20 and counting on December 21.

Speaker Rahul Narwekar chaired the BAC meeting of the state Assembly, while state council Chairman Ram Shinde presided over the BAC meeting of the upper house.

The opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP(SP), during the BAC meetings strongly demanded that the duration of the winter session should be not less than three weeks.

They also demanded that the appointment of leaders of the opposition in the state council and Assembly, respectively, should be done without further delays.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab confirmed that he and Congress legislator Satej Patil met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding the appointment of leaders of the opposition.

“It is unconstitutional to hold winter session of the state legislature in the absence of the leaders of the opposition,” he said.

He added that the Chief Minister assured them they would “consider the matter positively.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Bhaskar Jadhav criticised the government’s “dilly-dallying” over the appointment of leaders of the opposition in the state Council and Assembly, saying that the government fears the opposition’s presence.

“They (ministers) are not brave enough to face the opposition’s barrage of questions,” he claimed. Jadhav slammed the state government for “curtailing” the winter session, demanding that its duration should have been three weeks.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab attributed the short duration of the winter session to the impending Municipal Corporation elections in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and other major cities, suggesting the government is reluctant to address issues comprehensively before the polls.

“A one-week session is not enough to raise all of Maharashtra’s issues. We only hope that at least Vidarbha’s core issues can be addressed since the session is in Nagpur,” he remarked.

Bhaskar Jadhav argued that the government is “not prepared to extend the session” because, despite having a large majority, “they do not have answers to the torrent of questions from the opposition”.

Bhaskar Jadhav launched a scathing attack on the State Election Commission (SEC) for its alleged inaction on pre-election financial schemes.

“The current State Election Commission seems to be blind, mute, and deaf and working for a political party. Previously, the SEC used to immediately stay financial schemes announced just before elections. But this commission is watching with open eyes while government money is being distributed to buy people’s votes,” he commented.

In a sharp counterattack, BJP legislator Ram Kadam dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the session duration.

“These are the same people who used to wrap up the session in two or three days when they were in power. They are now teaching us how long a session should be,” he retorted.

“These frustrated people need medical treatment,” he said.

Kadam affirmed that the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were fully prepared to answer all the opposition’s questions and that the BJP does not work based on election schedules, as elections are a matter for the State Election Commission.

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