THE NATIONAL Commission for Minorities has started taking cognizance of incidents of violence that are taking place in other countries against people from minority communities in India. In an unusual move, the Commission — headed by Iqbal Singh Lalpura — has written two letters to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, its parent ministry, urging it to raise the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs. The first letter is on an “attack on few Sikh persons” in Pakistan, including the former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, over an alleged land dispute. The second case that the Commission has alerted the ministry about is an alleged attack on Sikh persons in Richmond Hill, New York. The panel wants the MEA to take up the matter with representatives of the two countries.
Asset Bifurcation
DURING THE hearing on a matter pertaining to redistribution of assets between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following the 2014 bifurcation, Senior Advocate KV Viswanathan told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli that the Andhra Bhavan in Delhi has still not been bifurcated. Justice Kohli, who served as Telangana Chief Justice before being elevated to the SC, was quick to intervene. “Can I tell you something? It is bifurcated. You can take it from me,” she told the counsel, who said it has only been done temporarily, on a floor-wise basis. While some floors of the Bhavan, popular for its Andhra meals, are managed by Telangana, some are run by Andhra Pradesh.
The Commitment
AN EDUCATION MINISTRY event on Friday on the ongoing school curriculum revision exercise saw experts joining from across the country, and the globe. Fields Medal recipient Manjul Bhargava was among those who joined remotely from the US. By the time his turn to speak came, it was 2 am local time. The organizers appreciated Bhargava, who teaches at Princeton University, for his commitment. By the time the event ended, it was 3.30 am in Princeton.
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