India decides to upgrade technical mission in Kabul to full-fledged embassy
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New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday announced the upgrading of its technical mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar appreciating the Taliban set-up in Kabul for showing sensitivity towards New Delhi's security concerns.
Jaishankar made the announcement during his wide-ranging talks with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
India had withdrawn its officials from its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in the Afghan capital by deploying a "technical team".
"Your visit marks an important step in advancing our ties and affirming the enduring friendship between India and Afghanistan," Jaishankar told Muttaqi in his opening remarks at the meeting.
"As a contiguous neighbour and a well-wisher of the Afghan people, India has a deep interest in your development and progress," he said.
Jaishankar also announced that India's longstanding partnership that has seen so many Indian projects in Afghanistan stands renewed.
The external affairs ministry said both India and Afghanistan have a common commitment towards growth and prosperity.
"However, these are endangered by the shared threat of cross-border terrorism that both our nations face. We must coordinate efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he said.
"We appreciate your sensitivity towards India's security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy," he added.
In his remarks, Muttaqi described India as an important country of the region and that it has always stood by Afghan people and has assisted them in many areas.
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SC takes cognisance of NCERT class 8 chapter on corruption in judiciary
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the contents of the class 8 NCERT textbook referring to corruption in the judiciary and termed it a matter of "grave concern."
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern."
The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."
He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance … This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much."
Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution.
The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."
Later, Justice Kant said that the top court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for class 8.
The section "corruption in the judiciary" in the new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.
