
Daily Briefing: V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns; behind 2006 Mumbai blasts case acquittals
In a late evening surprise, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar announced that he was stepping down from his post to 'prioritise healthcare and abide by medical advice'. In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, he said the resignation was effective immediately. The announcement came just hours after what turned out to be his final sitting as the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Monday.
Dhankhar took charge of the V-P office in August 2022, setting off a turbulent journey. So far, he's the only V-P against whom the Opposition brought a notice of removal for 'partisan' conduct as the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
The Opposition has raised questions over the abrupt resignation, given that there were no indications during the day or before the start of Parliament's Monsoon Session. Many have wondered if there is more to it than meets the eye. Dhankhar had been hospitalised earlier this year for a procedure after complaining of uneasiness, but has been back to official duty since then.
A BJP source told The Indian Express that the government was left 'embarrassed' after Dhankhar moved the Opposition's motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma in the Upper House on Monday just as the government was preparing to bring its own motion in the Lok Sabha. Dhankhar was caught in a bind since the Opposition had enough numbers and he could not reject them. Some BJP leaders have also opined that the party was unhappy with Dhankhar's frequent run-ins with the judiciary.
So, what's next? The Constitution has no set deadline for filling in a vacant V-P position. However, elections are to be held 'as soon as possible'. Here's what that will entail.
On that note, let's get to the rest of the day's headlines.
Nearly two decades ago, on July 11, 2006, Mumbai was struck with one of the most devastating terror attacks in the country's history. A series of blasts ripped through seven Mumbai local train coaches, killing 189 commuters and injuring 824 others. On Monday, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 men convicted in the case, noting that the prosecution had 'utterly failed to establish offences beyond reasonable doubt against the accused'.
How the case fell: The court has questioned the 'genuineness' of the accused's confessions, given that they were identical to each other, though different DCPs recorded them. The court also noted allegations of custodial torture. It also flagged gaps in witness statements. For instance, it observed that taxi drivers who gave the statement that two accused travelled in their taxis were silent for 100 days after the incident, and that there was no special reason to trigger their memory about the faces and description of the accused after such a long period. My colleagues Omkar Gokhale and Apurva Vishvanath explain in detail.
The accused: Charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA), five of the accused were handed death sentences and seven were given life terms. Hours after the Monday verdict, eight accused were released from different jails. Two continue to be held due to pending cases against them, while another was already released on parole. One of them died due to Covid-19 in 2021. The accused had filed '20-25 RTI applications a day' to seek information about police logbooks, hospital records and investigators' records to build the defence.
Also read: 17 yrs ago, gaps in probe, question mark over identity of accused
Foolproof: The Election Commission (EC) has refused to accept the Supreme Court's suggestion to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards for its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. However, it noted that it was its 'Constitutional authority' to determine whether the requirement of citizenship is fulfilled by electors. Still, an individual's citizenship will 'not terminate' on account of being held ineligible as an elector. It also gave reasons for not accepting the SC's suggestion. Read.
A third black box? In the aftermath of the Air India plane crash, one question has sparked intense speculation globally: What happened inside the cockpit? In its wake, another debate has resurfaced: Should aircraft cockpits have a video recorder? While investigators have long demanded a third black box, which could help bring more clarity, pilot unions have strongly pushed back against the idea.
The fatal bite: The recent death of 42-year-old Deepak Mahawar, a popular snake rescuer from Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, has put a spotlight on the long list of such casualties. He is not an isolated case. Jay Mazoomdaar looks at the gaps in this informal industry, which has both social media influencers earning a following for 'snake stunts' and expert handlers, who may play by the book but still face significant dangers on the job.
🤘🎸 Is rock and roll dying? The early 2000s saw Indians obsessed with rock and roll. And as the independent music scene burst onto the scene, local bands emerged. They may have started with covers of Led Zeppelin or The Beatles, but went on to find their sound. It seemed that the thirst for rock could never be satiated — until today, when the craze appears to have died down. Rock and roll may be losing the battle to the algorithm, but veteran musicians like Parikrama's founder, Subir Malik, say the live event space may save the genre.
🎧 Before you go, do tune in to the latest '3 Things' podcast episode. Today's lineup: Why Gurgaon floods, measuring India's inequality, and VS Achuthanandan's passing.
That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
... Read More
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Congress slams govt for ‘institutional sabotage' over Justice Yashwant Varma impeachment
New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused the government of " institutional sabotage " for refusing to admit the Opposition-backed impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha , while proceeding with a similar motion in the Lok Sabha signed by both ruling and Opposition MPs. Senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said the Centre had ignored former RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's move to make the Opposition motion "property of the House" before his resignation. He warned that the government's conduct could give Justice Varma procedural grounds to challenge the impeachment. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Operations Management Product Management healthcare PGDM Finance Public Policy Leadership Healthcare others Data Science CXO Technology Degree Digital Marketing Management MBA Data Analytics Data Science MCA Project Management Cybersecurity Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Others Skills you'll gain: Quality Management & Lean Six Sigma Analytical Tools Supply Chain Management & Strategies Service Operations Management Duration: 10 Months IIM Lucknow IIML Executive Programme in Strategic Operations Management & Supply Chain Analytics Starts on Jan 27, 2024 Get Details Rejecting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju 's claim that the RS motion was never admitted, Singhvi asked: "Didn't Chairman Dhankhar, by his words, make the issue property of the House? If not, why did he consult the law minister on introducing similar motions in both Houses?" by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want to know more? click here Undo Singhvi said instead of appreciating bipartisan cooperation on Justice Varma's impeachment, the ruling party was treating it as "a race to show who did it first," displaying "ego and invincibility notions." He also linked the episode to Dhankhar's abrupt resignation, questioning if he was forced out and if MPs were pressured to sign additional papers. Singhvi added that the Congress had first raised corruption allegations in the Varma case, while the BJP was silent. Live Events Singhvi further alleged double standards, pointing to the government's inaction on a pending impeachment notice against Justice Shekhar Yadav over hate speech. He said the AICC legal department would hold a conference on August 2 on challenges to the Constitution.


Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Assembly, LS polls may be held after delimitation exercise: Ex-MP
Hyderabad: Former MP and BRS leader B Vinod Kumar has predicted that the Telangana assembly elections in 2028 and the Lok Sabha elections in 2029 will be held with enhanced seats after the delimitation of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He also said that women's reservation will be implemented in the next elections. Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, Vinod Kumar dismissed rumours that there would not be a delimitation of seats in Telangana in the wake of the Supreme Court's dismissal of a petition seeking the delimitation exercise in the state on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. As per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Telangana assembly seats should be increased to 153 from the present 119, while AP seats to 225 from the current 175 seats. "As per Article 170 sub-clause 3 of the Constitution, the delimitation exercise should be taken up in 2026. The SC dismissed the petition filed by one Purushottam Reddy a couple of days ago. But SC delivered the judgment as per Section 26 of the AP Reorganisation Act, subject to the provisions of Article 170," the ex-MP said. In the AP Reorganisation Act, instead of 'subject to' it should have been 'notwithstanding' to take up the delimitation of seats in both Telangana and AP 10 years ago. This issue was brought to the notice of the then UPA govt and also the Modi govt, but it was not taken up by both the govts, Vinod Kumar said. On women's reservations in legislative assemblies and Parliament, the BRS leader said the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in both Houses and would come into effect only after the completion of the Census.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Assam former MP Kamalendu Bhattacharjee dies at 80
Silchar: Kamalendu Bhattacharjee, former Rajya Sabha member from Assam, an educationist and writer, passed away in Kolkata on Saturday following age-related ailments. He was 80, reports BB Goswami. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. A respected figure in Barak Valley's academic and political circles, Bhattacharjee began his career as a lecturer in English Literature at Silchar's Guru Charan College. His foray into politics saw him nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1984, where he served a six-year term till 1990 as a Congress representative. He remained a senior leader of the Congress for decades before briefly joining the AIUDF in 2006. He, however, returned to the Congress fold in 2009. His funeral will be held in Silchar on Sunday.