3 Things

First, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath discusses the major highlights of the three bills poised to replace India's colonial-era criminal laws—the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act. From bringing terrorism and organised crime under the ambit of ordinary criminal law to expanding detention in police custody, she explains the concerns raised by some of these proposed changes.

Next, Indian Express’ Diplomacy Editor Shubhajit Roy provides insights into the recent missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea. This includes incidents involving two cargo ships carrying Indian nationals, shedding light on the security concerns these attacks pose for the country (14:40).

And in the, we give you a quick update on Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, where he met with the families of the three civilians allegedly killed after interrogation by security forces in the region (21:36).

Further reading: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/indian-penal-code-to-nyaya-sanhita-whats-new-what-is-out-what-changes-9078213/

Hosted by Shashank Bhargava
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.

It’s the 27th of December and here are the headlines.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, today visited Jammu and Kashmir, days after an ambush by militants on Army vehicles in Poonch left four soldiers dead. Addressing troops in the border district of Rajouri, he said, quote,"I believe in your bravery and steadfastness… Terrorism should be finished from Jammu and Kashmir and you need to move forward with this commitment. I have full faith that you will achieve victory." Unquote.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to embark on another yatra from 14th January to 20th March. Announcing the decision, Congress MP K C Venugopal said, quote, "The Congress Working Committee, during its meeting, asked Rahul Gandhi to launch an East-West yatra, following which, he decided to respect the opinion of the CWC and do it. As such, he will be starting his yatra from January 14 from Manipur and end it in Mumbai. It will be called the Bharat Nyay Yatra." Unquote.

Days after several wrestlers returned their awards Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and other grapplers in Haryana today. Later, he posted on X, quote, "With years of relentless hard work, patience, and unparalleled discipline, an athlete brings medals for his country by nurturing the soil with his blood and sweat… There is just one question – if these athletes leave their training grounds and if India’s daughters have to fight for their rights and justice on the streets, who will encourage their children to choose this path?" Unquote.

Protests demanding the implementation of 60 per cent Kannada in all signboards in Bengaluru city turned to vandalism in many parts of the city today. Several boards were defaced during a procession by Karnataka Rakshna Vedike. The procession was taken out after the pro-Kannada outfit had set a December 27 deadline for all establishments in Bengaluru to implement the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike order mandating 60 per cent Kannada in signage across the city.

Hours after a suspected explosion outside the Israel Embassy in New Delhi and a letter addressed to the ambassador at the site, Tel Aviv has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in India, suspecting that the blast near the embassy was "a possible terror attack". Israeli nationals have been warned to try to avoid going to crowded places (malls and markets) and places identified as serving Westerners/Jews and Israelis.

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

First, we discuss the developments related to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Last week, Sanjay Singh was elected as the President of WFI, which was followed by Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik announcing that she was quitting wrestling. Though later the government ended up suspending the newly elected committee.To understand what went down, we speak to Indian Express' Mihir Vasavda.

Next, Indian Express Amrita Nayak Dutta talks about the three civilians who were killed in Jammu and Kashmir after allegedly being questioned by security forces regarding a recent terror attack. (13:56)

Lastly, Indian Express' Arnabjit Sur tells us how a man named Shyamsunder Chauhan managed to dupe thousands of people whose children had gone missing. (19:12)

Hosted by Shashank Bhargava
Written and Produced by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda and Rahel PhiliposeEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.

It’s the 26th of December and here are the headlines.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said the Central government has taken the recent attacks on merchant navy ships very seriously and will take strict action against those responsible by pulling them out even from the "depths of seas". Singh said, quote,"The Indian government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Saibaba in the Red Sea seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them." Unquote.

Battling difficult terrains and dense forests, security forces continued to carry out cordon and search operations for the sixth consecutive day today to track down the terrorists behind the ambush that left four soldiers dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch last week. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to visit ground zero on Wednesday with top Army and civilian officials monitoring the situation in Poonch.

Meanwhile, criticising the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for not engaging in peace talks with Pakistan, Lok Sabha MP and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today warned that India could meet the same fate as Gaza if a solution is not found through dialogue. Invoking former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Abdullah, stressed on how both India and Pakistan "will prosper if friendly relations are maintained."

Stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, which has an ability to fire extended range supersonic BrahMos missile, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai today. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar were present at the event that marked the formal induction of the third of four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers into the Navy. Designed by the navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by defence PSU Mazagon Dock Limited, it will join the Western Naval Command.

As per the health ministry, India recorded 412 fresh cases of Covid-19, while the number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 4,170. The death toll due to the viral disease was recorded at 5,33,337 with three new fatalities reported from Karnataka in a span of 24 hours. India’s Covid case tally currently stands at 4,50,09,660.

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

After decades of being dominated by men, both young and old, Punjab’s drug crisis is now increasingly impacting the women of the state. An analysis by The Indian Express of all 11,156 FIRs filed under the NDPS Act reveals how girls as young as 19 and even matriarchs in their 50s face charges related to both drug consumption and trafficking. Along with women’s participation in the drug trade, the investigation also unveils a surge in the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs, and the administration’s focus on apprehending end users.

In this episode, we speak to Indian Express’ Manraj Grewal Sharma, who headed the investigation, about what its findings reveal.

Hosted by Shashank Bhargava
Written and Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar


You can read the investigation here: https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/untold-story-in-punjabs-drug-crisis-steady-uptick-in-number-of-women-booked-9078271/

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.

It’s the 25th of December and here are the headlines.

In his reply to a letter written by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the Chairman’s letter “unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the Government towards Parliament.” Replying to the points raised by Dhankhar, the senior Congress leader urged him to examine his concerns “objectively and with neutrality as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.” He said, quote, “The ruling party has indeed weaponised the suspension of members as a convenient tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution." UNquote.

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, who had sparked a controversy last week for mimicking Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, once again imitated Dhankar, saying mimicry is a right to expression and a fundamental right. While speaking during a programme in West Bengal’s Sreerampur, he said, quote, “I will keep doing the mimicry. It is an art form. If needed, I will do it a thousand times. I have all the fundamental rights to express my views. You can put me in jail. I will not step back," Unquote.

Leaders across the political spectrum paid tributes to former Prime Minister and BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 99th birth anniversary today. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar visited the ‘Sadaiv Atal’ memorial in New Delhi early this morning and paid floral tributes to the BJP founder member.

Iran today rejected a US claim that it had attacked a chemical tanker in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast on the 23rd of December as “baseless”. Responding to a question about the attack, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said that the “US accusation is baseless.” The reaction comes a day after the Pentagon said that a drone launched from Iran had struck the vessel in the Indian Ocean.

The human resources head of NewsClick, Amit Chakraborty, has reportedly moved an application before the Patiala House Court stating that he wants to become an approver in the case filed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the news portal. NewsClick has been accused of acting with the intention to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and to cause ‘disaffection’ against India.

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

Writers Jerry Pinto and Madhulika Liddle talk about the many unique flavors of an Indian Christmas — from a village in Nagaland, to Bow Barrack in Kolkata, and from churches to Goa to even rural Jharkhand.

(Cover image of Jerry Pinto by Ashima Narain)

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Embark on a fascinating exploration of the dynamic landscape of online education in this insightful podcast, brought to you by Indian Express in collaboration with Parul University. Join our esteemed guest, Dr Kunjal Sinha, Director of the Centre for Distance and Online Learning at Parul University, as she navigates through the transformative journey of online courses. From changing societal perceptions to technological advancements shaping the virtual classroom experience, we unravel the factors contributing to the popularity of online degrees. Discover the diversity of courses, delve into the accessibility and convenience aspects, and unravel strategies to overcome challenges faced by online learners. Join us in deciphering the new face of education in the digital age and explore the vast opportunities presented by online courses.

Dear listeners, before we start today's show, a quick announcement.

Tomorrow morning at 7:00 am, we will publish an episode of Indian Express podcast in collaboration with Parul University. The episode, "Global Classrooms, Local Convenience: The New Face of Online Degrees" will explore the dynamic landscape of online education where, I, Flora Swain will be in a conversation Dr Kunjal Sinha, Director of the Centre for Distance and Online Eduction at Parul University, as she navigates through the transformative journey of online courses.
Make sure to tune in tomorrow morning. The episode will be available on our website indianexpress.com and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Now, on with the show.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.

It’s the 22nd of December and here are the top stories of this week.With the Opposition benches in both Houses almost empty, three more MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The three Congress MPs — Deepak Baij, Nakul Nath and D K Suresh — were suspended as they continued their protest showing placards, shouting slogans and tearing papers and throwing them at the speaker chair. Now, the total number of suspended MPs from the Parliament stands at 146.

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023, piloted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. It also passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on the same day. The Parliament also passed The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 this week. Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three amended criminal bills in a bid to overhaul the country’s criminal justice system by replacing colonial-era laws. The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023 will replace the the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 (originally enacted in 1898), and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

A total of 21 cases of the new coronavirus variant have been recorded in the country as of yesterday. Goa reported the maximum number of cases at 19. The Health Ministry said that RT-PCR tests continue to be the most trusted method of detecting the new sub-variant. Of the 594 new Covid-19 infections recorded in the country till 8 am yesterday, Kerala reported 300 of them. The Ministry, which is already doing a mock drill of preparedness to take on a public health challenge, is monitoring the situation across states at the district level.

Olympian Sakshi Malik has announced quitting wrestling following Sanjay Singh's election as president of Wrestling Federation of India. Speaking at the press conference last evening, she said, quote, "We fought this battle with our heart). In the end, we slept for 40 days on the roads but I’d like to thank the several people of our country who came to support us during the protests earlier this year." She walked out in tears with those present at the venue appealing her to reconsider her decision.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that India’s relations with Canada may have undergone a "tonal shift" after the release of a US indictment alleging a conspiracy to murder a Sikh separatist on American soil. In an interview, Trudeau said, quote, "I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can’t bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before." Unquote.

This was the Catch up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Udit Misra discusses the significance of the remarkable rise in India's GDP growth during the past financial year and what it means for the average citizen.

Next, Indian Express’ Janardhan Koushik informs us about how heavy rains have wreaked havoc in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, leaving thousands of residents struggling without access to food, water, and power (11:48).

And in the end, Indian Express’ Parthasarthi Biswas explains the reasons behind the skyrocketing garlic prices ( 21:40).

Narrated by Rahel Philipose
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda, and Utsa Sarmin
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar