Morning Digest: Biden pulls out of U.S. presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris; Allies and rivals present long wish list for Modi govt at all-party meet, and more

The Hindu’s Morning Digest on July 22, 2024, gives a select list of stories to start the day

U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory. He also announced his endorsement of Vice-President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.

At the very first all-party meeting of the 18th Lok Sabha held on July 21, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, both allies and rivals came up with a long wish list for the Narendra Modi Government. The Opposition demanded a discussion on the Uttar Pradesh Government’s order to display nameplates at eateries falling on the Kanwar Yatra route, the rising number of terror cases in Jammu, internal strife in Manipur and irregularities in NEET and other competitive exams. While the allies, TDP, JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas) demanded financial aid for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

The Supreme Court has clarified that seriousness of charges alone cannot be a factor to deny bail to undertrials nor can courts impose “freakish” bail conditions. A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered Sheikh Javed Iqbal, a man awaiting trial under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for nine years, to be released on bail, in yet another back-to-back decision which upheld the right of an individual’s personal liberty over the state’s claim that bail should not be made easy when serious crimes were involved.

The Haryana Government on July 21 beefed up security and ordered the suspension of mobile internet and bulk SMS services in Nuh district for 24 hours ahead of the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra that was marred by violence last year. Two home guards were killed and at least 15 others, including several policemen, injured on July 31 last year as a mob in Nuh tried to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession, pelting stones and setting cars on fire.

The Central government, through a fresh office memorandum, has removed a 58-year-old ban on government servants from associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its activities, alleged senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. On Sunday, Mr. Ramesh posted on X a photo grab of a purported order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on July 9. It referred to the earlier memoranda issued on November 30, 1966, July 25, 1970 and October 28, 1980 on the subject, stating that those instructions were reviewed and it was decided to remove the mention of “Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (R.S.S.S)” from the impugned memoranda.

More than 4,500 Indian students have returned home from Bangladesh as the neighbouring country continues to reel under violent clashes that have killed over 100 people. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday that 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan and one from the Maldives have also arrived in India.

The State Cabinet that is meeting on Monday is likely to again discuss the proposed legislation to reserve jobs for locals in the private sector. There was a backlash from industry leaders and bodies after a draft Bill on job reservation for locals was approved, forcing the government to put it on hold.