New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday expressed serious apprehension over allowing individuals to challenge religious practices and said it would break every religion and the constitutional court as thousands of people would clog the courts with PILs to quash customs and norms based on self-assessment of these customs. The remarks came from a bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justices BV Nagarathna, MM Sundaresh, A Amanullah, Arvind Kumar, AG Masih, PB Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, when senior lawyer Raju Ramachandran said that since the Constitution focuses on protecting the fundamental rights of an individual, the constitutional courts must step in if any religious custom or practice violates the rights of an individual. Justice Nagarathna said, “If every person is free to approach the constitutional court to question or challenge religious practices and customs, what will happen to our civilization, which is intrinsically linked to religion?” Justice Sundaresh said, “In such a scenario, every religion and constitutional court will break down as thousands of persons having different views about religion and religious practices will come to the court and disrupt the system. A religious custom or practice may be regressive from one person’s point of view, and may be an essential religious practice for another. How does the court decide who is right? “Should the courts get stuck in adjudicating on religious matters?” He clarified that he did not mean that a person tortured because of a religious practice has no remedy. He can certainly approach the civil courts. In the debate on fundamental rights and faith-based customs, Ramachandran stuck to his opinion that the fundamental rights of the individual cannot be violated through religious customs. “We are a constitutional civilization where nothing can violate fundamental rights. Any violation will give the aggrieved person the right to approach the courts under Article 32 of the Constitution,” he said.

New Delhi: The central government on Thursday launched a nationwide free annual health checkup initiative for all workers aged 40 years and above under the new labor code, which was notified on November 21 last year. Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said free check-ups will be done every year across the country as “early detection through health check-ups can help prevent serious diseases, and treatment and medicines will be provided through ESIC facilities.” He said that workers engaged in hazardous occupations and those working in establishments with less than 10 workers are also being brought under ESIC coverage. The minister said provisions for equal pay for men and women have been ensured, maternity leave has been increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks and provisions for working from home have been included for women.

New Delhi: The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said that a total of 10,546 people associated with the agriculture sector (including 4,633 farmers/farmers and 5,913 agricultural laborers) died by suicide during 2024, which is 6.2% of the total suicide victims (1,70,746) in the country. However, the number of such suicides declined by more than 2% in 2024 compared to 2023, when 10,786 people died by suicide, making it the second consecutive year of decline. In 2023, the numbers had declined by more than 4% compared to 2022. State-wise data shows that Maharashtra is recording the highest number of such suicides (3,824), followed by Karnataka (2,971), Madhya Pradesh (835), Andhra Pradesh (780) and Tamil Nadu (503). According to the 2011 census, about 26 crore people (about 55% of India’s workforce) were employed in agriculture, of which about 12 crore were farmers and 14 crore were agricultural labourers. The NCRB clarified that the data only reflects the profession of people who died by suicide and has no connection with the cause of suicide. Also, the higher numbers in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh correspond to areas where farmers mainly cultivate cash crops like cotton and sugarcane.People distressed by the failure or low production of such crops are forced to turn to moneylenders to meet their cash needs, and some of them even take extreme measures. Crop insurance, affordable agricultural loans and increased coverage of income support schemes may have led to a slight decline in the number of suicides.

Chennai: VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan and Left party leaders criticized Tamil Nadu Governor RV Arlekar for not inviting the TVK president. Victory to form the government, terming it a ploy by the BJP-led central government to ‘complicate Tamil Nadu politics and Vijay’s situation’.DMK’s other allies, Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam and MDMK also criticized the Governor.Addressing the media on Thursday, Thirumavalavan said that as per the provisions of the Constitution, the Governor should immediately invite Vijay to form the government. “If he fails to do so, it would mean that the governor is deliberately trying to complicate and muddy the prevailing political situation in the state,” he said.Thirumavalavan, CPI state secretary M Veerapandian and CPM state secretary P Shanmugam met DMK president MK Stalin at his residence on Thursday. “We discussed the election results. We also talked at length about the current political scenario,” Thirumavalavan said. He said discussions continued regarding TVK leader Vijay’s invitation to VCK and other parties.He reiterated that frontline leaders of the party will meet and take a decision on TVK’s proposal. He said, “We have received a letter expressing our desire to form a government with the VCK. He (Vijay) has also spoken to me. We are considering it. But we have to look at many other factors before arriving at a decision. We cannot be hasty as the party has certain processes in place.”Veerapandian said, “TVK has emerged as the largest party in the voting. Therefore, the Governor should give enough time to TVK to prove its majority in the House.” Shanmugam also repeated the same thing.MDMK leader Durai Vaiko also said that delaying or attempting to stop TVK leader Vijay from assuming office is unconstitutional and against the people’s mandate.

New Delhi: Amid reports that Iran and the United States will return to the negotiating table after weeks of standoff to end the war that has affected the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, officials said an early resolution of the conflict will be a major relief to more than 40 India-bound ships and a large number of Indian crew members who have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than two months. These ships are carrying LPG, LNG and crude oil, fertilizers and other cargo. The government has said 13 Indian-flagged ships are still in the Persian Gulf. Several foreign-flagged ships carrying goods bound for India are also stranded west of Hormuz. The government has drawn up a list of 41 priority ships for evacuation – 18 are loaded with energy products, another 16 are carrying fertilizers and the remaining seven are carrying other commodities. There is a dire need to free up these vessels to meet the energy security and fertilizer requirements that will be required for sowing of Kharif crops. Officials said efforts are underway to persuade shipping lines to return their ships to the Persian Gulf and a list of more than 22 such energy vessels has been made and shared with relevant agencies, adding that no movement can take place until the strait is open to commercial traffic. On April 30, TOI had reported that the Union Shipping Ministry had shared a list of “priority ships” bound for India with the Ministry of External Affairs, suggesting the option of diverting them through Oman’s territorial waters. “Not just us, every country affected by this blockade is waiting and hoping for an early resolution,” an official said.

New Delhi: FSSAI Stock of a branded “alkaline water” product worth over Rs 31 lakh has been seized after laboratory tests found the presence of fulvic acid, which is not allowed in packaged drinking water under current food safety norms. The action followed a consumer complaint filed through the Food Safety Connect portal, following which officials inspected the company’s manufacturing unit in Savli, Gujarat. During the inspection, food safety officials found several irregularities, including missing ingredient details, no product name on the front label, and visible black particles inside the bottles. Officials also reported sediment accumulation and an unexplained black-brown color in the product. Subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of fulvic acid, which investigators said came from excess black mineral matter and was not naturally present in the water. FSSAI said it has initiated proceedings under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and reiterated that packaged drinking water sold in the market must meet safety and labeling standards.