The Catch Up: 26 February

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 26th of February and here are the headlines.

The central government opposed petitions seeking a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections, arguing in the Supreme Court that a six-year disqualification is not unconstitutional. In its affidavit, the Centre stated that various penal laws impose penalties for a limited time to ensure deterrence while avoiding excessive harshness. The submission was in response to Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay’s plea challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 8 mandates a six-year disqualification post-release for those convicted of specified offences.

In other news, with 12 state presidents appointed, the BJP seems to be on course to choose its new national chief, albeit with a delay. The BJP leaders The Indian Express spoke to across states attributed the delay largely to the recently concluded Delhi polls. A BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh said the party focused all its energies on Delhi. Meanwhile, another leader said, quote “One leader who has managed up to six-seven Assembly seats in our state and in Uttar Pradesh, was given the charge of only one Assembly seat in Delhi. In another constituency, two MPs managed it. The focus of the party on Delhi was unprecedented and that has led to a delay in the organisational elections,” unquote.

Meanwhile, in another headline making news, a communal clash broke out over the installation of speakers in Dumraon village in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district this morning. The clash occurred during Shivratri celebrations. According to Ichak Block Development Officer (BDO) Santosh Kumar, a disagreement over installing loudspeakers by the road escalated into stone-pelting and arson. Authorities said there were no injuries or deaths. Hazaribagh Additional Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar told The Indian Express, that an FIR has been registered,adding that three motorcycles and a car were set ablaze.

In news from Maharahstra, a man allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a MSRTC bus on the premises of a bus stand in Pune in the early hours of Tuesday. The police identified the accused as a history-sheeter and launched an extensive search for him.The police said the crime occurred around 5.30 am when the woman was at the bus stand to board a bus for her hometown in the Satara district of Maharashtra. The accused, loitering on the premises of the bus stand, allegedly approached her and misled her to another bus, saying that it was the one for her destination. The woman believed the accused and boarded the bus, said the police. The accused allegedly followed her and raped her inside the bus before fleeing from the scene.

On the global front, President Donald Trump announced a new immigration initiative aimed at wealthy foreign investors, a “gold card” that offers a path to US citizenship for a fee of $5 million. Replacing the current EB-5 visa program, this scheme will grant investors the privileges of a green card, allowing them to become permanent US residents through financial investment. The existing EB-5 visa program, established in 1990, allows foreign investors to gain US residency if they create or preserve jobs through capital investments. Minimum investments are set at $1.5 million, or $800 thosand for economically distressed areas. The program has drawn criticism over concerns of abuse and fraud, with businesses, including those linked to Trump family members, using it to fund property developments.

This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express