Top stories on 17 July in a capsule

13 dead, 34,000 housed in relief camps in Kerala rains 

At least 13 people were dead and 6 went missing as heavy rainfall created a havoc in Kerala, disrupting normal life and putting several districts on high alert. The rains went reportedly severe as it did not stop after 36 hours. Several relief camps were set up with more than 30,000 people being provided rehabilitation in the same. The worst affected districts were Alappuzha, Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kottayam, Kollam and Kochi, Times of India reported. As per report by Business Standard, around 36 houses were destroyed while 1,214 were damaged. The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) has predicted rains to continue till Wednesday and advised public not to venture into water bodies.

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Japan: Heatwave kills 14 people in three days

An intense heatwave killed at least 14 people over the past three days in Japan and hampered relief operations in flood-hit areas, Reuters reported. Six people died on Saturday, two people on Sunday, and five on Monday, while around 2,000 people have sought treatment for heatstroke. Nineteen people remain missing or unaccounted for from the floods, and 64,000 personnel are still conducting search and rescue operations. The heat was most intense in landlocked areas such as Gifu prefecture, where it soared to 39.3 Celsius in the town of Ibigawa on Monday – the hottest in the nation. The capital Tokyo recorded a high of 34 Celsius on Monday. 

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Russian activists jailed for 15 days for FIFA match invasion

Four members of the Russian activist group, who had entered inside the final FIFA World Cup 2018 match, while the teams of France and Croatia were playing, were sentenced to 15 days of jail for their invasion act. Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, Olga Pakhtusova and Petya Verzilo of the group  Pussy Riot, that also is a punk rock music band, were further banned from any sports events for the next three years. The activists on Sunday, wearing police uniforms barged on the field, while the high tension match was on full swing, and engaged with the players seconds before the real Kremlin police detained them in presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The group called their act an protest for the release of political prisoners. 

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Some people attempt suicide to grab attention of authorities: HC

Stating that attempted suicide is an offense under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Madras High Court on Tuesday observed that some people take this step to grab the attention of the authorities. The HC made a statement when it was hearing a case of land encroachment, where the applicant had consumed a poisonous substance after alleging that the authorities did not take any action in the case. "It is also seen from a number of news reports that people are resorting this kind of arm-twisting methods like attempting suicide by setting themselves afire or by consuming poison, so as to grab the attention of the authorities’’, the bench said. The bench added that such methods have to be discouraged as they would go against public interest and many people would try to follow such methods for everything.
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Security guard, gardener among 22 men arrested for raping Chennai minor for several months

In yet another shocking incident of sexual assault against children, around 17 people were arrested on Tuesday by Chennai police for raping a minor girl over a period of several months. The case came to light after the victim shared the horrific incident with her elder sister, which was then informed to the parents and a formal complaint was lodged. As per news reports, the police said that the victim was first molested by the 66-year-old elevator operator of her apartment complex, followed by his acquaintances including the security guard, electrician, gardener and housekeeping employee; which amounts to a total of 22 men.

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Religion, caste, matter little to me: Rahul Gandhi

A week after BJP referred to Congress as a party of Muslims, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tweeted that his organization “loves all living beings”, irrespective of religion, caste and belief. “I stand with the last person in the line. The exploited, marginalized and the persecuted. I am the Congress,” the tweet read. The BJP responded to Gandhi’s tweet soon afterward, insisting that the latter’s alleged statement at the meet with Islamic scholars was proof of his political bias. ‘Rahul Gandhi said in his tweet that he loves all living beings. In reality, he only loves the country’s top seat of power’, the BJP added.

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Sec 377 update: SC reserves order, to decriminalize if law violates fundamental rights

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on scrapping Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalizes homosexuality and asked all counsels, appearing for or against the case to file all submissions by Friday. The five-judge constitution bench comprising of Chief Justice of India (CI) Dipak Misra, hearing the matter on Tuesday, stated that the bench would strike down the law if it is convinced that it violates the fundamental rights. “We won’t wait for majoritarian governments to enact or delete laws,” Justice Nariman said in a reply to advocate Manoj George, representing two Christian churches as the third party in the proceeding, said that the constitutional validity of the section should be left to Parliament.

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Mother Teresa homes under scanner after Govt orders probe

Union Minister for Woman and child development Maneka Gandhi on Thursday directed all the state governments to launch investigations on Mother Teresa run shelter homes called Missionaries of Charities, across India. The decision came after a probe in Jharkhand revealed ‘baby-selling’ racket in an orphanage under the trust. The ministry also asked state childcare institutions to register with government adoption authorities, within a month. "Taking cognizance of the recent cases of illegal adoptions carried out by Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand, Maneka Gandhi has instructed the states to get childcare homes run by Missionaries of Charity all over the country inspected immediately," the ministry said issuing an official statement.
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SC asks Govt to form new law to stop mob lynching

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching, saying "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to become a new norm. The bench, comprising of Chief Justice Deepak Misra, said it was the duty of state governments to ensure law and order in society, besides ensuring that the rule of law prevailed." Citizens cannot take the law into their hands and cannot become a law unto themselves," the bench added. Earlier on July 3, the top court had said that it is for the state governments to ensure that incidents of cow vigilantism are prevented. The observation was hailed by all the parties across the country.
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