62 Hindu spiritual leaders condemn Yati Narsinghanand's hate speech, call for action
New Delhi: A group of 62 Hindu spiritual leaders, under the banner of Satya Dharam Samvad (SDS), have strongly criticised the divisive rhetoric propagated by controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand during the ongoing "World Religion Convention," scheduled from December 17 to 21, 2024.
In their statement, the leaders condemned the Dharam Sansad event, calling it a deviation from the principles of Sanatan Dharma. They highlighted the dangers posed by provocative speeches targeting specific faiths, warning that such acts undermine Hinduism's spiritual sanctity and threaten the unity and harmony of the nation, which thrives on diversity and interfaith coexistence.
Signatories of the statement include representatives from the Lingayat Community, Varkari Sampraday, The Purple Pandit Project, Vishwanath Mandir, School of Bhagavat Gita, and Balkram Mandir. The leaders collectively urged society to reject hate speech and promote interfaith understanding.
“As guardians of Hinduism’s profound and inclusive legacy, we are deeply troubled by the growing misuse of religion to foster hatred, division, and violence within our society,” the statement read. It further condemned gatherings, actions, or words promoting hatred, asserting that such behaviour is contrary to Hindu values and teachings.
The leaders also expressed disapproval of the exploitation of religion for political or divisive agendas. They emphasised that Hinduism does not need to undermine other faiths to establish its strength, advocating for spiritual growth through introspection, compassion, and shared humanity.
The SDS called upon authorities to take decisive action against individuals manipulating religion for selfish or political purposes, ensuring justice and fairness prevail.
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Ex-bureaucrat Raj Kumar Goyal sworn in as CIC; eight new information commissioners take oath
New Delhi (PTI): After a gap of nine years, transparency watchdog Central Information Commission attained its full strength with the appointment of former IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal and eight other information commissioners, who took the oath of office on Monday.
A three-member panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week recommended their names for the appointment.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Goyal as the chief information commissioner (CIC) at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, her office said in a communique.
The event was attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, among others.
Goyal is a 1990-batch (retired) IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. He superannuated as secretary, Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice, on August 31.
He has also served as secretary (border management) in the Home Ministry and held key posts both at the Centre and in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The post of CIC fell vacant after Heeralal Samariya completed his term on September 13.
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The Commission is headed by a CIC and can have a maximum of 10 information commissioners. With the new appointments, the Commission attained its full strength after a gap of over nine years, according to transparency activists.
In the presence of two incumbent Information Commissioners, Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Goyal administered the oath of office to eight new appointees at the swearing-in ceremony.
They included former Railway Board chief Jaya Verma Sinha, former IPS officer Swagat Das -- who held key posts in the Intelligence Bureau, Home Ministry and Cabinet Secretariat, among others -- Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officer Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, former IAS officer Surendra Singh Meena and ex-Indian Forest Service officer Khushwant Singh Sethi.
Senior journalists P R Ramesh and Ashutosh Chaturvedi, and former Indian Legal Service officer Sudha Rani Relangi, have also been sworn in as information commissioners.
Relangi has also worked as the director of prosecution, Central Bureau of Investigation and joint secretary and legislative counsel in the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The names of the CIC and eight information commissioners were cleared during the meeting of the Modi-led committee comprising Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
