Amnesty International denied permission to hold press briefing in Srinagar
Srinagar: Authorities here Wednesday refused permission to Amnesty International to hold a briefing on alleged misuse of the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), which provides for detention of a person up to one year without trial.
An Amnesty spokesperson said the authorities had not given permission to the human rights organisation for holding a press briefing on the subject.
"We have been told that we have been denied official permission to hold the event, citing 'prevailing law and order situation'," the spokesperson said.
Later, the organisation issued a press release on the matter.
"The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) circumvents the criminal justice system in Jammu and Kashmir to undermine accountability, transparency and respect for human rights," the Amnesty International India alleged in the statement.
The human rights NGO claimed it analysed case studies of 210 detainees, who were booked under the PSA between 2012 and 2018.
The Amnesty International India called on the government of Jammu and Kashmir to immediately repeal the J&K Public Safety Act and other legislations facilitating the use of administrative detentions and ensure that all detainees held in administrative detention are released.
On the report, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said there is a rule of law in the country.
"The PSA is an Act and there is a judicial system which has checks and balances on the Act. You go and check the records. There are PSAs which are upheld by the courts and there are PSAs which are struck down by the courts.
"So please understand that the entire system is working under checks and balances. When the record is good, the court upholds, when the record is bad, the court strikes down," he said.
The chief secretary said sometimes police officers complain that so many PSAs are being struck down by the courts.
"So be it. That's the law of the nation. The strength of this country, the great nation of India is the rule of law. I think it is upheld by the courts and we have great pride in the courts," he added.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
