Latest news with #Statute
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Sikh girl not allowed to take exam for wearing ‘kada', Badal writes to PM
Chandigarh: Expressing grave concern over "growing incidents of disrespect and discrimination against the sacred symbols of the Sikh religion", Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "intervene directly to put an end to this painful chain of events in the country". Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a letter to the Prime Minister, Badal sought to draw the PM's attention to an incident on Sunday in which a baptised Sikh girl, from Tarn Taran district, was reportedly stopped from entering the examination centre as a candidate for the Rajasthan Judicial Services at Poornima University, Jaipur, on the plea that she was wearing her sacred articles of faith – 'kada' and 'kirpan'. "This was a gross violation of her constitutional rights guaranteed under Article 25 of the Statute, and it denied her fundamental right to practise her religion. Article 25 of the Constitution specifically mentions 'kirpan' among other symbols of the Sikh religion, which are exempt from any bar even on flights," Badal said. He added in the letter to the PM, "It is shocking that rules, if any, are framed by lower authorities flouting the sacred Constitution of India. The govt of India should issue -- or, if necessary -- re-issue clear-cut guidelines to all states and Union Territories about the exemption to the inseparable articles of faith." Badal stated that it was "not a one-off incident but part of the ever-increasing number of examples of religious intolerance towards the uniqueness of Sikh identity. In a similar incident last year, two Sikh girls were stopped from appearing for Rajasthan Judicial Services (RJS) in an exam centre in Jodhpur." "Sikhs and their identity are inseparable, and this was duly acknowledged and constitutionally mandated for compliance for all purposes in the country by the Founding Fathers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But some officials at lower rungs deem themselves even above the Constitution. This must stop as this vitiates communal harmony in the country," Badal wrote in the letter to the PM. "You are personally aware of the profound spiritual and emotional significance of the Sikh religious symbols and what these mean to our devoutly religious and fiercely patriotic community. I request you to issue immediate directions for compliance to ensure full respect to these symbols at all levels across the country," the letter read. Badal also urged the Rajasthan high court to provide the victimised Sikh girl, Gurpreet Kaur, a special opportunity to appear for the RJS examination, ensuring her right to uphold her faith is respected. Earlier in the morning, the SAD president had taken to X, asking Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal to take strict action against the guilty officials to ensure such incidents were not repeated in his state. Will Raise Issue in Parliament: Harsimrat Kaur Badal SAD MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, while condemning the incident as "unfortunate and discriminatory" and demanding strict action against officials who "barred" the girl from appearing in the examination, took to X and wrote, "I will definitely raise this issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen with our Sikh children in the future and a permanent solution is found."
Filipino Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Duterte's legal team again rejects ICC jurisdiction, demands immediate release
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's legal counsel has once again challenged the International Criminal Court's (ICC) jurisdiction over drug war-related killings during his term. In a statement dated July 10, 2025, filed with the ICC, his defense team argued that the Court has no authority to proceed since the Philippines was no longer a member of the Rome Statute when the jurisdiction was asserted. The filing asserts that any steps taken during the preliminary examination are invalid if a country is not a State Party at that time. They dismissed the Prosecution's interpretation of Article 12(2) of the Statute as misleading and overly semantic. They further argued that the Rome Statute should be interpreted in 'common sense' terms—meaning ICC jurisdiction is only valid while the nation is a signatory. The defense criticized the Prosecution for allegedly using the 'fight against impunity' as a reason to extend ICC reach despite legal inconsistencies. The legal team emphasized that Duterte has never avoided accountability, citing his statement: 'Prosecute me in Philippine courts, with Filipino judges, and I will allow myself to be jailed in my own nation.' They also blamed the Prosecution for not formally launching an investigation before the Philippines' ICC withdrawal became effective in 2019, calling the delay a critical legal flaw. Citing dissenting ICC opinions, the defense urged the court to drop the case and release Duterte without conditions.
India Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders in Afghanistan over gender crimes
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 8 issued arrest warrants against the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the Chief Justice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The two de facto rulers are accused of crimes against humanity — specifically gender-based persecution targeting Afghan women, girls, and others defying Taliban gender ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II found "reasonable grounds to believe" that the Taliban leaders "committed -- by ordering, inducing or soliciting -- the crime against humanity of persecution" under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. These acts, the court said, were based both on gender and perceived political is the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrants against Taliban leadership, marking a major development in global efforts to hold Afghanistan's rulers accountable for human rights violations. The crimes, which span from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, until at least January 20, 2025, are believed to include murder, imprisonment, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances, particularly targeting women and girls."The Taliban have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the court stated, citing decrees and edicts that severely curtailed the rights to education, freedom of movement, privacy, and religious Chamber also noted that others -- described as "allies of girls and women" -- were persecuted for supporting gender rights or opposing the Taliban's restrictive policies, even if only ICC emphasised that gender persecution includes not just physical violence, but "systemic and institutionalised forms of harm," including discriminatory policies and enforced societal the warrants remain sealed to protect victims and witnesses, the Chamber decided to publicly disclose their existence to "contribute to the prevention of the further commission of these crimes.""This provision reflects the Statute's broader aim to protect civilian populations from serious and systemic violations of fundamental rights, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups," the Chamber noted.- EndsTrending Reel
The Star
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
ICC junks former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's plea to disqualify two of judges hearing his case
Former president Rodrigo Duterte's legal team has taken a step to formally challenge the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over his arrest for alleged crimes against humanity. - File photo MANILA: All the 18 elected judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) concurred in rejecting former president Rodrigo Duterte's plea to disqualify two of the judges hearing his crimes against humanity case because his arguments were incorrect, legally untenable and may cause delay. In a 13-page ruling dated July 3, the ICC said the decision on the disqualification plea was reached by the plenary of judges, as required by ICC rules, consisting of 18 judges elected by the Assembly of States Parties, composed of 125 countries excluding the Philippines and Burundi, under the Rome Statute that created the ICC. ICC judges—all respected lawyers in their home countries—are elected to nine-year terms and any finding of partiality against any of them is sufficient cause for removal from the court. No two judges come from the same country in the current batch of judges. Duterte's plea But in the case of Duterte's plea, the plenary of judges unanimously decided that there were no grounds that raise actual nor reasonable apprehensions of bias against Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Socorro Flores y Liera of Mexico. 'The plenary of judges considers that the judges acted, at all times, in accordance with the judicial duties assigned to them under the [Rome] Statute,' the ruling read. 'As judges of Pre-trial Chamber I, they issued the Authorisation Decision pursuant to article 15(4) of the Statute, which provides for the power of a pre-trial chamber to authorise an investigation proprio motu, if it considers that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation and that the case appears to fall within the jurisdiction of the Court,' it added. Legally untenable Duterte sought the excusal of Alapini-Gansou and Flores because of their previous rulings on Duterte's earlier petition questioning ICC jurisdiction, because the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 when the ICC started investigating the charges against him while he was still president. But the charges that were filed against Duterte covered a period starting from when he was mayor of Davao City until the time the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute. Duterte did not include Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc of Romania because she was not yet part of the pretrial chamber when it ruled on the jurisdiction appeal. But the plenary of judges ruled that 'there are no grounds to doubt their impartiality in the current case and none of the criteria established.' 'The judges considered that the proposition of the applicant is incorrect and legally untenable, and has the potential to cause delay,' the document reads. 'They noted that, when Pre-trial Chamber I, in a former composition, addressed the issue of jurisdiction in the Situation in the Philippines, it did so in accordance with its duties and limited mandate under article 15(4) of the Statute, without prejudice to any future determinations on the same issue,' it further states. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
04-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
ICC plenary: No bias found in 2 judges Duterte sought to disqualify
The International Criminal Court plenary of judges found that no bias arises in respect of the two judges that the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte sought to disqualify from his crimes against humanity case. In the full decision published on July 3, the plenary said that Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera acted in accordance with their duties at all times. 'Accordingly, the plenary of judges, acting unanimously, considers that the Rome Statute recognises that Judges Alapini-Gansou and Flores may exercise the functions assigned to them,' it said. It said that it found that 'no appearance of bias or lack of impartiality arise from the ordinary exercise by the judges of legal functions assigned to them under the Statute in respect of two separate legal decisions.' The plenary rejected Duterte camp's disqualification request in June. The full copy of the decision was published on the ICC website on July 3. Duterte previously requested that Alapini-Sansou and Flores be disqualified from adjudicating on the issue of jurisdiction, saying this will ensure the autonomy and irreproachability of the judges as well as the efficient conduct of the proceedings Duterte is currently under the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands. The confirmation of charges will take place on September 23, 2025. In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, CenterLaw Executive Director and ICC accredited counsel Gilbert Andres said that the ICC will also release the filing of the document containing charges (DCC) today. He said this is similar to the 'information' filed when charging individuals before Philippine courts. 'Dito po natin malalaman kung 'yung crimes of humanity laban kay Mr. Duterte ay does it include murder lang o meron ba 'yung tinatawag na imprisonment? 'Yung mga arbitrary detentions,' he said. (This is where we will find out whether the crimes against humanity against Mr. Duterte include only murder or if they also involve what we call imprisonment? The arbitrary detentions.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News
