The Kashmir Files: A Case Study in BJP’s Use of Cinema for Political Gain

The Kashmir Files: A Case Study in BJP's Use of Cinema for Political Gain

The film, which won the National Award on Thursday, was criticised by the Opposition after it was released last year; it was also at the centre of a row at a film festival when an Israeli director labelled it “propaganda”. Honoured with a National Film Award for Best Film for National Integration, The Kashmir Files is a movie that has divided opinions ever since it was released last year because of its contested portrayal of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from Kashmir in 1990. The film caused a stir last November…

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SC seeks clarity on whether Constituent Assembly speeches can be used to challenge abrogation of Article 370

SC seeks clarity on whether Constituent Assembly speeches can be used to challenge abrogation of Article 370

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed doubts that the Constituent assembly debates or a speech by one of its “weighty” members could represent a “commitment by the Dominion of India to the state of Jammu & Kashmir” regarding perpetuity of the latter’s special status under Article 370, observing that such an inference would be difficult to be accepted as a legal principle. “Can we say that a speech made by an individual member of the Constituent Assembly, howsoever weighty, represents a binding commitment of the Dominion of India to the…

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Supreme Court seeks clarification on whether constituent assembly speech on Article 370 is binding

Supreme Court seeks clarification on whether constituent assembly speech on Article 370 is binding

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed doubts that the Constituent assembly debates or a speech by one of its “weighty” members could represent a “commitment by the Dominion of India to the state of Jammu & Kashmir” regarding perpetuity of the latter’s special status under Article 370, observing that such an inference would be difficult to be accepted as a legal principle. “Can we say that a speech made by an individual member of the Constituent Assembly, howsoever weighty, represents a binding commitment of the Dominion of India to the…

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G N Azad’s remarks on Muslims are ‘Reprehensible’ and ‘Echo RSS-BJP Ideology’: Mehbooba Mufti

G N Azad's remarks on Muslims are 'Reprehensible' and 'Echo RSS-BJP Ideology': Mehbooba Mufti

BJP Government should take a lesson from Mishal Malik’s Nomination into Pakistan Interim Government” The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has termed the recent statement of Ghulam Nabi Azad on Indian Muslim as highly regrettable and said that it echoes the ideology and narrative of RSS BJP against the Muslims of the Country. Azad had said that all the Muslims in India were essentially Hindus who had converted to Islam only some time back. Mufti said that Azad’s remarks were “dangerous and divisive” and that they “resemble the…

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Mehbooba Mufti accuses J&K Admin of ‘Hooliganism’ in terminating Kashmiri employees

Mehbooba Mufti accuses J&K Admin of 'Hooliganism' in terminating Kashmiri employees

Selectively terminating Kashmiri employees by wrongfully dubbing them as terrorist sympathisers & pro ISI has been normalised, Mehbooba wrote PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on August 20 slammed the Jammu and Kashmir administration for selectively terminating Kashmiri employees from service by labelling them as “terrorist sympathisers”. Ms. Mehbooba’s reaction comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Bank sacked its chief manager Sajad Ahmad Bazaz for allegedly being a “threat to the security of the State”. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former chief minister wrote, “Selectively…

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Govt extends deadline for Registration of Bonafide Migrants, DPs for Domicile Certificate

Govt extends deadline for Registration of Bonafide Migrants, DPs for Domicile Certificate

J&K government Thursday extended the validity of its order providing for registration of bonafide migrants or Displaced Persons (DPs) for the purpose of issuance of Domicile certificate for a period of one year i.e., till May 15, 2024. “It Is hereby ordered that the validity of Government Order No 52-JK(DMRRR) of 2020 dated May 16, 2020 extended vide Government Order No 44-JK(DMRRR) of 2021 dated June 22, 2021 and Government Order No 30-JK(DMRRR) of 2022 dated June 10, 2022 is hereby further extended for a period of one year i.e.,…

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Article 370 Abrogation Case: Arguments to Continue in Supreme Court on Day 7

Article 370 Abrogation Case: Arguments to Continue in Supreme Court on Day 7

Several petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile State into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — were referred to a Constitution Bench in 2019. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave on Thursday argued in the Supreme Court that the abrogation of Article 370 is a colourable exercise of powers since the BJP government in its 2019 manifesto had proposed the repeal of Article 370. Mr. Dave also argued that Article 370 had ‘achieved its life’ and…

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Omar Abdullah slams Admin for removing Sheikh Abdullah’s name from SKICC

Omar Abdullah slams Admin for removing Sheikh Abdullah's name from SKICC

‘Sher-e-Kashmir is being removed from J&K’s institutions. Those responsible will be removed soon. Let them erase. The next government will restore Sher-e-Kashmir’ Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah lashed out at the government for dropping his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah’s title from the Union Territory’s public architectural buildings. Omar said that you can’t remove “Sher-i-Kashmir’s” name from the people’s hearts. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, who founded the National Conference, was fondly called ‘Sher -i-Kashmir’ or “Lion of Kashmir” and multiple buildings are named after the leader. Recently, the information and public…

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Katra-Banihal Rail Link Project on Track to be Completed This Year: GM Northern Railway

Katra-Banihal Rail Link Project on Track to be Completed This Year: GM Northern Railway

Northern Railway General Manager Shobhan Chaudhuri has stated that the work on the Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL) project is likely to be completed in the current year. “The work on the Katra-Banihal Section of the USBRL project to connect the Jammu region to Kashmir is ongoing, at a fast pace and is proposed to be completed in the current year. After completion of the deck of the iconic Chenab bridge, ballastless track-laying has also been accomplished. Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Chenab bridge to inspect…

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Article 370 Hearing: Petitioner Questions CJI’s Remark on Absolute Transfer of Sovereignty

Article 370 Hearing: Petitioner Questions CJI's Remark on Absolute Transfer of Sovereignty

Six days after CJI DY Chandrachud observed that the integration of J&K with India was “absolute” and transfer of sovereignty was “complete” on signing of the Instrument of Accession (IoA), senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan on Wednesday contested it, saying internal sovereignty of the erstwhile state was never lost. “There is some misunderstanding on the status of the merger agreement. The court had observed that after the Instrument of Accession, the surrender of sovereignty was absolute. Our submission is that as far as the Instrument of Accession is concerned, it deals…

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