Christchurch terror attack: New Zealand parliament session starts with recitation from Holy Quran
CHRISTCHURCH: The first Parliament session in New Zealand, after the deadly attack in Christchurch on the Muslim community during Friday prayers by a far-right terrorist, commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran, according to reports.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, addressing the Parliament, also greeted the gathering with “Assalamo alaikum” and expressed unity with the families of the victims and also vowed on Tuesday never to utter the name of the twin-mosque gunman.
“The families of the fallen will have justice,” said Ardern during her address, adding she would never mention the gunman’s name.
“He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.”
The victim of the indiscriminate shooting at two mosques in Christchurch were largely Muslim migrants, refugees, and residents from countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Turkey, Kuwait, Somalia, UAE, and others.
In the wake of the mass shooting, Prime Minister Ardern has promised to reform New Zealand gun laws that allowed the gunman to legally purchase the weapons he used in the attack on two Christchurch mosques, including semi-automatic rifles.
New Zealanders have already begun answering government appeals to hand in their weapons, including John Hart, a farmer in the North Island district of Masterton.
The way New Zealand Prime Minister reacted to the deadly incident which caused 50 deaths of Muslim worshipper is commendable and unparalleled. She was moved and shocked by the sudden and unexpected terror attack by a terrorist from Australia.
courtesy: caravandaily.com
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Madras HC strikes down TN order limiting maternity leave for third child
Chennai: The Madras High Court has set aside a Tamil Nadu government order restricting maternity leave for a third pregnancy to 12 weeks, holding the move to be contrary to established legal principles.
A division bench comprising Justices R Suresh Kumar and N Senthil Kumar ruled that there was no justification to treat third pregnancies differently from the first two, observing that the physical and medical requirements of childbirth remain the same irrespective of the number of pregnancies, as reported by The News Minute.
According to a report published by Live Law, the court was hearing a petition filed by Shayee Nisha, a staff member of the district judiciary in Villupuram, whose request for maternity leave from February 2026 to February 2027 had been curtailed to three months by authorities citing the March 13, 2026 government order.
Quashing the decision of the Principal District Judge and related directions asking her to resume duty, the bench directed that she be granted maternity leave on par with that provided for earlier pregnancies, allowing up to 365 days.
The court noted that both the Supreme Court of India and earlier rulings of the High Court had consistently held that maternity benefits cannot be denied for a third child. Holding the restriction to be unsustainable, the court directed authorities to process maternity leave applications without discrimination based on the number of pregnancies.
It also pointed out that a similar issue had been addressed by a division bench earlier this year, which had disapproved denial of maternity leave in such cases and directed that its ruling be circulated among judicial officers. Despite this, the state issued the impugned order, the bench observed.
