Latest news with #K.Somashekar
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Trade unions take out rally in Ballari, demand rollback of labour codes
The Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU) of Ballari took out a rally from Gandhi Bhavan to the Deputy Commissioner's office in that city on Wednesday, as part of a nation-wide protest against the Centre's labour policies and privatisation push. The agitating activists demanded the withdrawal of the four labour codes, halting of privatisation of public sector undertakings such as insurance, banking and railways and rolling back of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022. The protest also called for the regularisation of ASHAs, anganwadi and mid-day meal workers as government employees, abolition of the contract system, fixing of minimum wages at ₹36,000, implementation of an eight-hour workday, legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers and curbing inflation. Following the rally, a protest meeting was held in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office. Leaders from various trade unions and mass organisations, including K. Somashekar (State AITUC president), J. Satyababu ( CITU district president), H.A. Adimurthy (AITUC district president) and representatives from insurance, banking, ASHAs, anganwadi, mid-day meal workers unions and farmers associations, addressed the gathering. In their speeches, the union leaders criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for what they termed 'anti-worker' and 'pro-corporate' policies. They said that by pushing the four labour codes, the Central government is dismantling the existing protection for workers, including rights related to working hours, wages, social security, unionisation, collective bargaining and protest. While workers fighting for their rights are criminalised, corporate violators of labour laws are being encouraged in the name of ease of doing business, they said. They also criticised the Congress-led government in the State for continuing anti-farmer policies of the previous administration and for facilitating land acquisition in the name of development. Proposed amendments to the Factories Act, including lifting restrictions on night shifts and hazardous work for women, were also condemned. Speakers stressed that both Central and State governments have failed to control price rise and called for stronger, united struggles by workers and farmers to get pro-corporate policies rolled back.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manipur High Court asks NIA to submit progress report on Jiribam abduction, killing of women and children
The Manipur High Court has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a detailed progress report on the investigation into the abduction and killing of six women and children from the Meitei community amidst the flare-up in the ethnic conflict seen in Manipur's Jiribam district last November. Also read: Why is Manipur's Jiribam district on edge? | Explained This came up when a Bench of Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the office-bearers of the civil society organisation Uripok Apunba Lup, a conglomerate of dozens of local clubs in the Uripok area. The petitioners had called for detailed records of the case, and prayed for directions to arrest those involved in the crime, and a speedy and time-bound probe into the case. In a July 7 order of the Bench, the High Court said it had almost been seven months since the incident and 'no progress report is submitted by the NIA'. The court said the NIA's advocate had sought additional time to come back to it with a detailed progress report 'in terms of the chargesheet'. The court went on to direct the NIA to submit the 'detailed progress report in terms of chargesheet before the concerned court of Law'. 'If chargesheet is not filed, this matter should be viewed seriously,' the court added. The High Court has listed the matter for the next hearing on July 24. After the November flare-up in the ethnic conflict in Manipur's Jiribam district, the NIA had taken up two other cases for investigation, apart from the abduction and killing of the six women and children from the Meitei community. One was for the alleged rape and burning alive of a Kuki-Zo woman, Zosangkim (31), in Jiribam on November 7; and the alleged attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) post in Jiribam's Borobekra on November 11, in which 10 armed militants were gunned down. Earlier, in the hearing of this PIL, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had filed an affidavit before the court, arguing that since the Jiribam cases were a matter of 'law and order, they fall under the State government'. This statement had come even after the NIA, a central agency, had taken over the cases. Since this affidavit of the MHA, however, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned, and Manipur was placed under President's Rule.
