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Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra Public Security Bill: Vague and dangerous for civil liberties
'When I use a word,' says Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carol's Through the Looking Glass, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.' However, when words are used in a piece of legislation, they cannot mean what the party in power wants them to. After all, vagueness is a legitimate ground for striking down a piece of legislation if it violates equality before the law and equal protection. Consider this: In the new Maharashtra Public Security Bill, an unlawful activity, defined under Section 2(f), targets a wide range of activities. They include, 'acts which constitute a danger or menace to public order, peace and tranquility; or (an act) which interferes or tends to interfere with maintenance of public order; or interferes or tends to interfere with the administration of law or its established institutions and personnel, which is designed to overawe by criminal force or show of criminal force or otherwise to any public servant including the Forces of the State Government or the Central Government in exercise of the lawful powers of such public servant and Forces; or of indulging in or propagating, acts of violence, vandalism or other acts generating fear and apprehension in the public, or indulging in or encouraging, the use of firearms, explosives or other devices or disrupting communications by rail, road, air or water; or of encouraging or preaching disobedience to established law and its institutions; of collecting money or goods to carry out any one or more of the unlawful activities mentioned above'. In another piece of criminal legislation, the same term is defined 'as an act (whether by committing an act or by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise) which is intended, or supports any claim, to bring about, on any ground whatsoever, the cession of a part of the territory of India or the secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union, or which incites any individual or group of individuals to bring about such cession or secession; or which disclaims, questions, disrupts or is intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India; or which causes or is intended to cause disaffection against India'. We now have an interesting conundrum. The term, 'unlawful activity', for the purposes of criminal law, therefore, has two different meanings under two different statutes. But the definition of an unlawful activity is so vague and broad that any person who chooses to oppose, for whatsoever reason or motivation, any act of the government can be jailed. Under the law, for example, Mahatma Gandhi could be jailed for carrying out the Salt Satyagraha. So can the participants of the Swadeshi Movement. B R Ambedkar could be jailed for burning the Manusmriti. Under the same law, peaceful protests could be criminalised, and protestors jailed for years without trial. The definition of an unlawful act has several vague terms designed for misuse and to strike at the core of liberty of the citizen to oppose and protest state action. For example, instead of the word 'abetting', which is commonly used in criminal law, the new law uses the word encouraging. What amounts to abetting a crime is well-known and settled jurisprudence. However, the word 'encouraging' is alien to criminal law and thus susceptible to widespread misuse. In the Assembly, the Chief Minister assured the state that he will not allow for misuse of the law while he himself has, in the past, claimed that Urban Naxals joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In the Chief Minister's view, therefore, jailing the members of the Bharat Jodo Yatra would not amount to a misuse of the law, and thus, make all of them liable criminally under this new law. For far too long, the ghost of another term, 'Urban Naxal' has continued to haunt activists like Stan Swamy and Rona Wilson, academics like Shoma Sen, lawyers like Surendra Gadling. Indeed, the blatant misuse of the UAPA against civilians began in Maharashtra in 2018 by imprisoning 16 academics, out of whom eight are out on bail, and Stan Swamy in jail. Some like Mahesh Raut continue to languish in jail. What this Bill provides us with is a Faustian bargain of security at the cost of liberty. Ultimately, as we well know with UAPA, we will be left with neither. As citizens, we must be resolute that a free people can never be truly secure without the unwavering protection of their fundamental rights. The writer is a lawyer practicing in Delhi who has appeared for some of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case
News18
10-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Why F-35B's Kerala Monsoon Holiday is Embarrassing
Buying F-35s will make India heavily dependent on the US goodwill for spares, etc. And the jet does seem to have its share of inexplicable glitches Imagine if a state-of-the-art, wildly expensive, imported fighter jet of the Indian Air Force had to force-land in another country that is outside its 'comfort zone', could not take off again despite multiple repair efforts and therefore had to be carted back home in pieces…. There would have been derisive noises from around the world, led by the Western media and amplified by the local press, and memes about bullock carts would have flown thick and fast. And yet, a fighter aircraft fitting that description—the F-35B Lightning—of the UK's Royal Air Force landed in Thiruvananthapuram on June 14 and languished there for nearly a month, not responding to the ministrations of British engineers brought in from near and far. Now it has been towed into a hangar at that very airport for more intensive examination and may well be flown back to UK. Could the much-touted jet have a more ignominious Indian holiday? It was clever of the Kerala Tourism department to take advantage of Britain's embarrassment by putting out an ad showing the fighter jet enjoying its holiday in 'God's Own Country". All the critiques were in good humour; there were no derisive remarks, at least from Indians on social media, about the state of UK's armed forces' engineering and repair capabilities. The reaction to an IAF fighter jet being grounded anywhere would not have been as genteel. More so as mystery shrouds why the F-35B had to land on terra firma in Kerala in the first place, rather than returning to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince Of Wales, the Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy—its most prestigious vessel. The plane and ship were part of the UK's naval Strike Group carrying out joint exercises with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea on June 9-10, 2025. The initial reason given was quite innocuous: it was running 'low on fuel". But that was obviously not the real reason as the Indian government's permission and a bowser of fuel could have sent the fighter jet on its way in a matter of hours. So the explanation then put out was 'adverse weather conditions"; being monsoon season it sounded perfectly plausible too. Except that the $115 million aircraft continued to sit on the tarmac of Thiruvananthapuram Airport far longer than any monsoon downpour would mandate even at its peak. Finally, the UK authorities trotted out yet another anodyne term for the aircraft's extended Kerala sojourn: a 'technical issue". But 25 days on, like ol' Humpty Dumpty, 'all the king's horses and all the king's men" could not put it back together again, metaphorically speaking. Multiple teams of military engineering personnel arrived to attempt to make the aircraft airworthy again and failed to do so. There should have been an uproar. Curiously, there wasn't. Only the Conservative MP for Huntingdon and former soldier, Ben Obese-Jecty asked the government in the House of Commons 'What steps are the Government is taking to recover the plane, how much longer will that take, and how will the Government ensure the security of protected technologies on the jet while it is in the hangar and out of view?" No truly candid answer would have been anything other than very embarrassing for the former colonial power. Because, just this May, the Royal Air Force announced on X, 'After a long journey from @LockheedMartin in Fort Worth Texas, two new F-35B Lightning jets have arrived @RAF_Marham. Supported by an @RAFBrizeNorton Voyager, they represent the UK's ongoing effort to maintain advanced air power and an important step in the F-35 program." If American spellings by a British handle was not bad enough, an F-35B was soon grounded in Kerala. Even more intriguingly, even as one of its F-35Bs stood languishing in the Kerala rain and heat, the UK government announced on June 25 the purchase of 12 new F-35A fighter jets that have the option to carry nuclear bombs. These longer range fighters would be based at RAF Marham as, unlike the short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs, they need conventional runways. Britain also stated it would buy 15 more F-35B and 12 F-35A fighters in the second phase. So, it was not surprising that in reply to MP Obese-Jecty's question, the Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said, 'We continue to work with our Indian friends who provided first-class support when the F-35B was unable to return to the Prince of Wales when on a flight mission," asserting that 'the security of the jet is in good hands because RAF crew are with it at all times." He did not address why just a 'technical issue" continues to confound the RAF. Though the fifth generation Lockheed Martin fighter is the most advanced combat aircraft in UK's armed forces and crucial for its carrier strike capability, and yet there are no robust calls for clarity on the persistence of this 'technical issue" and its ramifications the security of the jet's technology even if India (not being a NATO partner) was unlikely to spy on it! The UK government's reticence and the international media subdued interest is very curious indeed. The British High Commission's terse statement on Sunday said that the UK team sent to 'assess and repair" the F-35B carried 'specialist equipment" for its movement and repair. All of the F-35's rivals in the international defence aviation sector would want to be flies on the wall of that hangar in Thiruvananthapuram Airport this week as the fighter jet is examined closely by, presumably, not just RAF engineers flown in from the UK but also Lockheed Martin. Charges for the F-35B's embarrassing sojourn on the Thiruvananthapuram Airport tarmac for 26 days have been estimated to be Rs 5,77,742 at the rate of Rs 26,261 per day. That is rather reasonable given that comparable charges for an IAF fighter aircraft chilling, say, at Heathrow Airport for the same amount of time would have meant forking out approximately the pound sterling equivalent of Rs 2,66,527 per day. But maybe India will not press for payment! top videos View all Meanwhile India will be watching—albeit from afar—as US President Donald Trump had grandiosely offered F-35s during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in February. That was, of course, before the Pahalgam massacre, India's Operation Sindoor retaliation and Trump's astonishing re-hypenation of India and Pakistan. Buying F-35s will make India heavily dependent on the US goodwill for spares, etc. And the jet does seem to have its share of inexplicable glitches… The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 10, 2025, 15:41 IST News opinion Opinion | Why F-35B's Kerala Monsoon Holiday is Embarrassing Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Herald Scotland
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
10 exhibitions to see this month from Dali to Alexander Goudie
The second chapter in the Scottish Gallery's celebration of Alexander Goudie's life and work explores the two studios of the artist located in Glasgow and Brittany. The studios formed the creative focal points of his entire career with the exhibition featuring several of the sunlit seascapes and landscapes from his French studio as well as elegant still lifes and portraits produced in Glasgow. Humpty Dumpty 5 July-5 October. Entry free. Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF. British artist Mike Nelson is known for immersive, absorbing installations that transform the spaces they inhabit. Nelson uses the Fruitmarket's warehouse as the driving force for a major new installation that extends across all three spaces of the gallery which is built around two sets of photographs taken in London and a city in Eastern Turkey between 2010 and 2014. Since the start of May, the artist has transformed the warehouse into both a site of production and part of the setting for his work. Wael Shawky 5 July-28 September. Entry free. Talbot Rice Gallery, The University of Edinburgh, EH8 9YL. To celebrate Talbot Rice Gallery's 50th anniversary, they're hosting a solo exhibition of Egyptian artist Wael Shawky across their contemporary and neoclassical galleries. Shawky's film installations explore histories that have shaped our world and utilise intricately created sets and painted environments to host exquisitely crafted and costumed characters who perform versions of history connected to conflicts that continue to rage around us. Salvage 5-30 July. Entry free. &Gallery, 3 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QG. Salvage by Karen Stamper (Image: Karen Stamper) After first introducing her work during &Gallery's inaugural open call, Karen Stamper returns with her latest body of work - a bold and playful series of collage paintings that move beyond their original inspiration. In this series, marks and edges are no longer incidental - they become the subject themselves with each kink, curve and blemish heightened and celebrated. Shipshape 5-26 July. Entry from £5. Strathnaver Museum, Clachan, Bettyhill, Thurso, KW14 7SS. Research based visual artist Joanne B. Kaar explores the heritage of traditional boat building in her exciting new exhibition. As part of Strathaven Museum's Artist Residency programme, Kaar explores traditional boat building skills and tools using a variety of printmaking techniques. Inspired by Strathnaver Museum's community boat building project, the artist worked with local boat builders seeking to preserve the intangible cultural heritage around traditional boat building techniques and tools at risk of being lost. Odysseys Through the Storm 8-12 July. Entry free. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, EH6 8RG. Catch this captivating exhibition showcasing the work of art psychotherapy graduates from Queen Margaret University. Explore the profound personal and collective journeys of the students' training, navigated through creativity and self-expression, where each work tells a story of resilience, discovery and the power of visual storytelling in navigating life's challenges. Inches Carr Award Showcase 5-6 July. Entry free. Dundas Street Gallery, 6A Dundas Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6HZ. The Inches Carr Craft Development Award Showcase exhibition highlights extraordinary creativity, technical skill and original design from a breadth of disciplines across Scottish applied arts. The shortlist of 16 crafters and makers have put together the exhibition with a body of 2D and 3D artworks. Glasgow Scribes Exhibition - Calligraphy: The Art and Craft of Beautiful Writing 5-14 July. Entry free. Cass Art, 63-67 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3EN. Members of Glasgow Scribes will be displaying a wide range of calligraphy items and writing as part of their end of year annual exhibition. The scribes' best calligraphy pieces will once again be on display for members of the public to view. Dali Day at Kelvingrove 9 July. Entry free. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8AG. Dali Day at Kelvingrove (Image: unknown) Discover more about celebrated artist Salvador Dali at Kelvingrove. There's short talks, family activities and a chance to share your thoughts on the museum's Dali painting. Some of the talks include: 'Buying and Art Event - the controversial purchase' and 'How Dali created Christ of Saint John of the Cross'. Reachout - The Art of Us 5-26 July. Entry free. Tolbooth Gallery, Jail Wynd, Stirling, FK8 1DE. Established in 1993, Reachout is an innovative and inclusive award-winning charity based in Alloa that facilitates high quality creative opportunities to improve wellbeing. This exhibition showcases a small selection of artforms undertaken in the charity's studio.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How AI is helping solve an ancient mystery from the Roman Empire
Artificial intelligence is helping to solve an ancient mystery from the Roman Empire involving scrolls from a library that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79 not only wiped out Pompeii, but also the nearby town of Herculaneum. Deep beneath the surface where a villa previously existed, archaeologists in the 18th century found 1,800 papyrus scrolls in the only ancient library in the world that is still intact. Attempts to unravel some of the scrolls ended in ashes as the library was carbonized, Brent Seales, a computer scientist from the University of Kentucky, explained. "People didn't understand what they had. So, some scrolls were actually thrown away or burned and you can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again," Seales said. But thanks to 21st-century technology, experts are now able to examine those still intact. That technology involved a particle accelerator in England. Scientists produced light that was 10 billion times brighter than the sun, much like an X-ray. AI was then used to identify ink, no matter how faint. "I thought to myself, if you can use that technology to see non-invasively inside a human body, why can't we see everything inside an artifact like a scroll?" Seales said. Deciphering the scroll They still needed humans to decipher what the letters mean. So Seales launched the Vesuvius Challenge, a global competition offering $700,000 in prize money. Three college students took it home, making history by being the first to extract words from a carbonized scroll, nearly 2,000 years old, that had been virtually unwrapped. With hundreds more scrolls to go, Seales has launched a second phase of the competition. "With AI-inspired methods that are going to usher in, you know, new results that we've not dreamed of, I don't think renaissance is too strong a word," he said. Seales said he believes there could be more scrolls out there as archaeologists are just beginning to scratch the surface. "I believe the Villa of the Papyri, which has not been fully excavated, stands a really high chance of producing more books," he said. "So much remains for us to discover." Young Cuban girl asks Trump to lift travel ban stopping her from joining mom in U.S. Planning details revealed in U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear targets White House says no date set for Iran meeting
Business Recorder
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PARTLY FACETIOUS: Theatre is not always make believe
'So Tarar says during meetings of standing committees as well as in parliament the Opposition keeps on seeking a meeting or bail or release of The Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless – forums that are not empowered to take these decisions and…' 'Even after the implementation of the twenty-sixth or was it twenty seventh constitutional amendment.' 'Hey shut up, do not, I repeat, do not turn the page.' 'I am too down the ladder - I can't even get a view of the book, leave alone be able to turn a page, for Pete's sake!' 'That I knew, but you know as well as I, that it's precisely the people who are way down the ladder with no knowledge of the location of the book who make these unconscionable forays into the realm of…of…' 'Theatre?' 'It's not theatre, not make believe, it's the realm of muscle.' 'Well, theatre is not always make believe – I mean, there are some plays based on true events of the past…' 'Lord, you are stupid. This is not theatre., let me see if I can come up with a description that someone like you can relate to– it's more like….like…reality television, it's all real time and so the historical play has yet to be written.' 'Reality television as in our state run television that the taxpayers'…..' 'Oh that brings me back to what I began by saying – the Tarar who made these remarks in the assembly was not the bearded man with a piercing voice but the Law Minister and for your information they are not related.' 'I know that, the Law Minister reckons he is on reality television, but the Information Tarar knows he is on a recorded programme.' 'That's because the former writes his own script, while the latter follows the script that is given to him.' 'Hmmmm.' 'Please for your sake and mine let that pass, don't dissect it or…' 'Gotcha, one question: do you think the current dispensation is here to stay?' 'That's the plan my friend – and…and the answer will only be revealed when….when…' 'Humpty Dumpty falls on the ground.' 'A nursery rhyme not quoted much, as in our realm the Humpty Dumptys are easily put together again.' 'Don't be facetious.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
