14 JULY 2016

Ø  A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously quashed Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa’s order to advance the Assembly session from January 14, 2016 to December 16, 2015, a gubernatorial move which triggered a political crisis in the sensitive border State and culminated in the declaration of President’s rule on January 26. A five-judge Bench, led by Justice J.S. Khehar, directed status quo ante as on December 15, 2015. This means that the Supreme Court has in unequivocal terms shown the door to the BJP-propped government of Kalikho Pul. The Bench, in three judgments separately authored by Justices Khehar, Dipak Misra and Madan B. Lokur, paved the way for the return of the Congress-led Nabam Tuki government to power. Hours after the verdict, Mr. Tuki took charge as Chief Minister at Arunachal Bhavan here, PTI reported. “Tomorrow I am going to Itanagar. I will convene a meeting of the Council of Ministers. Subsequently, I will also convene a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party. My government will give priority to the welfare of the people,” Mr. Tuki said. While Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi acknowledged that Mr. Tuki’s government stood restored after the judgment, the Centre is likely to move the Supreme Court on Thursday for a clarification on whether a floor test would be the order of the day at the Assembly.  This judgment is unprecedented in that it is the first time the apex court used its powers of judicial review to restore a government when its successor government is still in place.

Ø  The Department of Post is planning to set up an independent company for its philately business with an aim to boost revenues from the sale of collectible stamps. India Post Philately Company is proposed as a public limited company, fully owned by the government, with an authorised capital of Rs. 100 crore. “The proposed company will be a service-based one, which will not only sell its products to existing customers —collectors and philatelists — but will also try to attract new ones. It will focus on promotion of philately, mainly among the younger generation,” a senior official told The Hindu.

Ø  The NDA government appointed a serving Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ashok Patnaik as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), one of the most ambitious intelligence projects, which failed to take off during United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule. The appointment of Mr. Patnaik, a 1983-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, who also happens to be the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being seen as the government’s effort to revive the project, which was conceived in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The NATGRID is a centralised agency which stores sensitive personal information on citizens from almost two dozen agencies to be made available for counter-terror investigations. Mr. Patnaik is currently serving as Additional Director in the IB and he will continue to hold this post till his superannuation in 2018. While the clearance for Rs. 3,400-crore project from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) came in 2011, execution of the project slowed down after the exit of Home Minister P. Chidambaram in July 2012. There are around 70 personnel, drawn from both the government and private sectors, in the NATGRID.

Ø  Air India will lose its monopoly as the sole carrier of government employees who get leave travel concession (LTC). A note sent on Tuesday by the Ministry of Personnel to all Ministries and departments on “Irregularities and misuse in availing Leave Travel Concession: Guidelines to be followed” gives details of the changes in the offing.