SC seeks AG's assistance on UIDAI move to to neutralise negative sentiments
New Delhi, Sep 7 : The Supreme Court on Friday sought assistance of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal in the hearing of a petition by a Trinmool Congress leader questioning the move by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to create a social media wing to identify "top detractors" and "neutralise negative sentiments" in relation to Aadhaar.
Directing the listing of the matter on September 11, the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar ande Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought the assistance of Attorney General K.K.Venugopal. The court recalled that government had aborted the similar attempt earlier to create social media hub under the I&B Ministry.
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for TMC lawmaker in he West Bengal asembly Mauha Moitra told the bench that it was a new move, prompting the bench to observe that what they could not do directly was sought to be done indirectly.
Last month the Centre abandoned its plan to set up a Social Media Communication Hub (SMCH) to track and monitor these platforms to identify "buzz creators" in all the districts across the country.
In the hearing of the earlier plea of Moitra on July 13, Justice Chandrachud had said, "If every tweet, WhatsApp (message) is monitored, we'll be moving towards a surveillance state."
"Despite the fact that the constitutional validity of the entire Aadhaar scheme is under challenge and its fate is to be decided by the top court, the respondents have issued the impugned RFP (request for proposal) to identify "top detractors" and "neutralise negative sentiments" the petitionA by Moitra said.
Moitra has claimed that the RFP has sought offers from those who had the capability to listen in and "identify problematic online conversations" and "neutralise negative sentiments".
"It is therefore clear that the respondents have no respect or regard for the proceedings before this court", the petition says that it amounts to infringement of the right to privacy of an individual.
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Man kills wife, two children before ending his life in Kalaburagi
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Apr 3 (PTI): A 45-year-old man allegedly murdered his wife and two children before hanging himself at their apartment in Kalaburagi on the evening of April 2, police said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at Gabre Layout, near Old Jewargi Road, under Station Bazar police station limits.
The deceased have been identified as Santosh, a Senior Assistant at the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM), his wife and their two sons, police said.
According to police, the woman and the two children were "strangled to death", while Santosh died by suicide.
A death note was also recovered from the scene.
"Preliminary information suggests the couple had been married for 10 years and frequently fought. They had severed ties with their family for the past seven years. The death note mentions frequent misunderstandings and quarrels between them as the reason," Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D said.
Speaking to reporters, he stated, "We have registered a murder case. The Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) team, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and fingerprint experts have inspected the site. The exact timing of the incident is yet to be determined, but it likely occurred between 6-8 pm."
According to the police, after taking the lives of his wife and children, Santosh called a member of his wife's family, informing them about the incident and indicating that he intended to end his own life.
"The family member tried to dissuade him from ending his life, but in vain. When they arrived, the door was locked from the inside. Upon breaking it open, they discovered the bodies," police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
