Top news of the day: Health Ministry seeks report on Tirupati laddu issue; Bombay HC nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit, and more

Health Ministry seeks report on Tirupati laddu issue; Bombay HC nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit, and more in The Hindu’s top news of September 20, 2024

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said he had spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and sought a full report on the Tirupati laddu issue and added that the Centre would examine the matter and take suitable action. Meanwhile, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Executive Officer Shyamala Rao, said that “not having own adulteration laboratory or not sending the ghee samples to outside labs for quality testing were main reasons for compromise on poor quality of ghee.”

The Bombay High Court held as unconstitutional and struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules which sought to identify fake and false content on social media against the government. The impugned rules are violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” the judge said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said matters like the expulsion of “spies” are raised “privately” when asked if an incident involving Indian citizens will come up when he meets his counterpart Narendra Modi at the Quad summit. Mr. Albanese said, “Well, what I do is act diplomatically and have those discussions, and that will, no doubt, be something that is raised.”

Prime Minister Modi has decided that Naxalism and its ideology will be uprooted from the country, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming to end Left Wing Extremism in Chattisgarh by March 31, 2026. The Home Minister appealed to Naxals to give up violence, lay down arms, and surrender. “If Naxals don’t listen to my appeal to give up violence, we will soon launch all-out operation against them,” he added.

CBI has filed a second charge sheet in connection with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024 question paper theft case, before the Special Court for CBI cases in Patna against six accused. So far, a total of 48 individuals have been arrested in connection with this NEET Paper leak case.

The Supreme Court asked the government to explain its reasons for sitting on names reiterated by the apex court Collegium for months or even years together, reminding the Centre that it cannot treat the Collegium like a mere “search committee” whose recommendations can be ignored or accepted at the Union’s discretion. The CJI said the intention of the court behind this exercise was not to “unearth skeletons in the cupboard but to move forward so that the business of governance proceeds”.

Taking suo-motu cognisance of the alleged sexual assault of a fiancé of an army officer in Bharatpur police station, the Odisha State Commission for Women started an investigation into the incident. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that his government will take stringent action against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station in Bhubaneswar.