The Indian Medical Association had demanded that the practice of having a doctor participate in the process of execution be scrapped. The Telegraph reports that the IMA has asked medical regulators in the country to amend the code of conduct of doctors, so that they are not made to be present at hangings.

Krishnan Kumar Agarwal, national president of the IMA, said in a statement: "No doctor should be present during the process of execution. This would be a violation of medical ethics and should be deemed professional misconduct."

The report adds that the doctors want to implement a 2012 resolution by the World Medical Association. While they do not want to have any part in capital punishment, they've said that they can be asked to check the deceased after the process in order to issue a death certificate.

In 2012, the World Medical Association announced that it was against a physician's morals to abet and participate in the killing of a human being.

The general assembly of the World Medical Association therefore undertook a resolution in Bangkok in 2012 to not participate in processes of capital punishment undertaken by governments.

Explaining their decision, the resolution said: "There is universal agreement that physicians must not participate in executions because such participation is incompatible with the physician's role as healer. The use of a physician's knowledge and clinical skill for purposes other than promoting health, wellbeing and welfare undermines a basic ethical foundation of medicine—first, do no harm."

They also declared the following:

Therefore, be it RESOLVED that:

• Physicians will not facilitate the importation or prescription of drugs for execution.
• The WMA reaffirms: "that it is unethical for physicians to participate in capital punishment, in any way, or during any step of the execution process, including its planning and the instruction and/or training of persons to perform executions", and
• The WMA reaffirms: that physicians "will maintain the utmost respect for human life and will not use [my] medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat."

India Today reports Dr Agarwal saying: "All the policies and resolutions of the WMA are accepted by all member national medical associations, this makes India a signatory to all policies and resolutions adopted by the WMA, so we have requested the MCI to implement the 'WMA Resolution on Physician Participation in Capital Punishment', as a guideline for doctors in the country."

The BCCI today suspended the curator of Pune's cricket stadium after he was seen on a TV sting operation claiming that he could tamper with the pitch ahead of the second India-New Zealand ODI.

In the sting operation by India Today TV, curator Pandurang Salgaoncar is seen and heard speaking to an undercover reporter, who poses as a bookie, while standing on the pitch of the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

The 68-year-old Salgaoncar is seen agreeing to tamper with the pitch to suit the requirements put forth by the reporter. India Today TV said the video was shot last evening.

It is not clear how Salgaoncar, a former pacer and one-time India prospect, could have tweaked the pitch with just a few hours to go before the match later today.

"Pandurang Salgaoncar has been suspended from the Maharashtra Cricket Association's curator's post with immediate effect," BCCI acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary told PTI.

"The MCA has also suspended Salgaoncar from all other positions in the association. An inquiry Commission will also be constituted by MCA. At BCCI, we reiterate that we have zero tolerance towards any corrupt activity," he added.

The expose revealed a serious lapse in the functioning of the BCCI's anti-corruption mechanism but Chaudhary said today's match must go ahead.

"That is a decision that only the ICC match referee can take. You need evidence that the pitch has been doctored in order to call off a match. It's match referee's call. But in my opinion, match will go on," he asserted.

What has left senior BCCI officials baffled is that Salgaoncar allowed a self-confessed bookie to accompany him to the main match pitch. Under BCCI rules no unaccredited persons, including journalists, are allowed near the pitch.

"The BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) under Neeraj Kumar will have some answering to do. Here a random man comes, doesn't have an all-access area pass and is taken to the main pitch by the curator," a BCCI official said.

Asked if the ACU unit should be answerable as to how an outsider got access to the pitch, Chaudhary said, "...everyone associated with the ACU would be answerable. In any case a very select few have access to the centre of the pitch."

When contacted, BCCI acting President C K Khanna said he is writing a mail to Kumar so that his team gives an update on the incident.

"It's a pity that both former MCA President Ajay Shirke and current president Abhay Apte had helped Salgaoncar have a career after retirement. He gets Rs 65,000 salary per month from the MCA and also a BCCI pension. He is among BCCI's independent curators. We are feeling bad for both Abhay and Ajay. Salgaoncar let them down badly," Khanna said.

Salgaoncar, a former Maharashtra speedster, was considered a genuine India prospect in early and mid '70s.

He toured with the Indian team for an unofficial series against Sri Lanka back in 1974. Sunil Gavaskar's autobiography 'Sunny Days' mentions him as being a genuine prospect who was unlucky not to don national colours.

The former pacer took 214 wickets in 63 first-class games.

The Pune pitch had been under the spotlight earlier as well. It had been rated poor by the ICC after an India- Australia Test match in February.

The Australians had hammered India by 333 runs on a turner where the home team was bowled out for 105 and 107 in two innings. The game itself had ended inside three days.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly also expressed his shock.

"I don't know how he can tweak the pitch in one day and prepare it accordingly for a bookie. I don't know in what context he was saying this," Ganguly said.

The Maharashtra government's attempt of online registration for loan waiver implementation has sent the authorities into a tizzy as names over 100 farmers have been found linked to a single Aadhaar number.

The state government had earlier stressed on online registration by farmers with their Aadhaar, which is a unique identification.

The government has said that the Aadhaar-based linking will avoid any duplication as well as fake accounts getting the benefit of the loan waiver.

A senior official from the Maharashtra cooperation department showed a list of potential beneficiaries of farmers having a common Aadhaar number, which has become a cause of concern for the government.

"We always thought that the Aadhaar number will be our key to check fake beneficiaries. Now, we don't know how to address this challenge with so many farmers showing the same Aadhaar number."

"We always thought that the Aadhaar number will be our key to check fake beneficiaries. Now, we don't know how to address this challenge with so many farmers showing the same Aadhaar number. If we have to carry out a manual check, which will take weeks. The farming community is already agitated over the delay in implementation of the scheme," the official said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called an urgent meeting with bankers today to address issues like this that crop up in the way of speedy implementation of the scheme.

Officials of some banks also admitted that the data they received from the online registration portal Aapale Sarkar - varies the data at their in their records.

Names Missing

The names of some farmers are missing and some do not match with the land size or type of loan.

"In many cases the principal amount and interest are not matching. It leads to suspicion. Unless the state officials have verified the account and its loan amount, we cannot consider that account for loan waiver," a senior official of a leading public sector bank.

The state government had last week released a sum of Rs 4,000 crore under the first phase of the over Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme.

Responding to the Opposition's criticism against the online system of filling forms for availing the scheme, Fadnavis last week earlier said had that not been done, the banks would have mismanaged funds.

The Centre had earlier this year made Aadhaar mandatory for availing crop insurance policies.

As per the agriculture ministry's directive, banks were asked to persuade farmers to furnish Aadhaar identification card at the time of sanction/renewal/ disbursement/inspection of the loan or on visit at bank branches.

Indian banking shares soared on Wednesday, sending indexes to record highs after the cabinet approved a $32.4 billion plan to recapitalise its state banks over the next two years, although uncertainty remains about how the injections will be structured.

The gains come after India's cabinet late on Tuesday cleared a plan to inject 2.11 trillion rupees ($32.4 billion) into state-run lenders over the next two years.

With the plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bidding to tackle a major drag on the economy that has frustrated his attempts to boost growth.

Investors welcomed the news, sending shares of State Bank of India, the biggest lender, up as much as 25 percent to its highest since January 2015. The benchmark NSE index rose as much as 1.3 percent, touching a record high.

But details of how New Delhi will fund the injections remain unclear. Also, questions remain about whether it would add to the country's fiscal deficit at a time markets are already doubtful India can meet its 3.2 percent target of gross domestic product for the year ending in March 2018.

The planned injection also still falls short of some estimates, including from credit rating agencies, of what's required. Fitch Ratings estimates Indian banks need $65 billion of additional capital by March 2019 to meet Basel III global banking rules.

For now, analysts said the long-awaited actions are positive, as India was widely seen as dragging its feet in resolving issues in a banking sector saddled with $145 billion in soured loans after years of almost indiscriminate lending.

Once the world's fastest-growing major economy, India has seen its growth rate plummet to the lowest in three years. A key factor has been the lack of private investment as state banks, which provide most of the credit in the economy, hold the largest amount of bad debt.

"At the end of the day, a good dose of the medicine that is required is being provided," said Jobin Jacob, associate director of financial institutions at Fitch Ratings.

"How the medicine is being sourced could have its own implications on the macro picture, but as far as the banking sector is concerned, it is helpful," he said.

Of the planned 2.11 trillion rupees sum, so-called recapitalisation bonds will account for 1.35 trillion rupees, while about 580 billion rupees is estimated to come from share sales by banks, the ministry said on Tuesday.

BIGGER STATE EQUITY STAKES?

The government will also use 180 billion rupees left from its previously budgeted recapitalisation fund.

Analysts predict recapitalisation bonds would likely involve selling debt to lenders, with the government then injecting the capital back into state-owned banks, potentially in exchange for increased equity stakes in the sector.

The government could also seek to avoid adding to its fiscal deficit by funding the injections through state-owned bodies rather than directly, an accounting sleight-of-hand that could allow New Delhi not to count the expenditure as part of its budget.

Details will matter. Concerns about how the recapitalisation bonds will be structured sent the benchmark 10-year bond yield up 3 basis points to 6.81 percent from its previous close.

The Indian rupee weakened slightly to 65.15 from its previous close of 65.0925

Investors warned that India also needed to announce reforms to the banking sector, to prevent moral hazard and impose more credit discipline on lenders.

Policymakers "should impose targets on these banks in terms of profitability, credit quality and efficiency. This has to be carefully managed," said David Marshall, Singapore-based analyst with CreditSights.

The festive season had many an enemy this year. From GST to ever-changing "internet ka fashion", we felt a distinct change this year, the kind of change that mirrors everyone's favourite Bangkok-tee slogan: Same Same But Different!

Not everyone's feeling the festive buzz in Banda this year, and there's a new three-letter word to blame, it seems. "GST, GST, GST. What is this GST? Aaj tak samajh hi nahi aaya. (Nobody's got the hang of it)." A frustrated Gopal Prasad Gupta, who runs a general store in Banda, spells it out for a chunk of the population who've been complaining of the "kamar-tod mehengaai (back-breaking price-rise)," the likes of which they haven't ever experienced. "Now the worker population has been unemployed for so long, what with demonetisation and then the 'baalu samasya' (the pause on the sand business, a huge income-source for local mule owners), how will they spend on Diwali?", asks Bhishm Yadav, shopkeeper, pointing to his own pockets, as if to illustrate the point. It's an echo we follow around that marks our reportage, we hear it again and again. "Raunak nahi hai na (There's no buzz)", says Ashok, fruit seller. Sannatta to dekh hi rahe ho aap bhi (you can see how quiet the market is)", whispers bangle seller Meena. Even as local advocate Kumar Yadav has the last word, "you know how on Dhanteras, people used to buy utensils for the house, or jewelry for their wives? Now, they're going to buy a spoon." He laughs at his own joke.

Kusum Kali, another Banda local, wouldn't agree though. For a Diwali trend-mapping story, she tells us, "we never had anything, what did we have? Nowadays women have naths, baalis, jhumkas, paayals, bichchuas, (nose rings, earrings, anklets, toe rings) and what is that they've started wearing here?", she circles her upper arm with her thumb and forefinger. "Baaju-band (armlet)", someone prompts her. She also explains to us how jhaalars (chandelier earrings) are no longer trending, and how the young girls prefer jhumkis. Shiv Devi, another Banda local, is nostalgic about the bichchua, "Ab toh mahatva nahi hai uska (It's no longer considered an important item)". The local sunhaar (goldsmith) Om Narayan is obsessed with "net ka fashion", only because that's what his clients are obsessed with. (Net, meaning, the internet.)

The more things change, the more they remain the same

There are rituals and cultural practices that mark the festive season for Bundelkhand, which continue to hold fort here. Chitrakoot's signature dance form, the traditional Dewari dance, hasn't paled over the years. We heard senior practitioners speak of the need to instil pride in the younger performers, so they know it is part of a heritage they'd be wise not to just give away. Of course nothing says Bundeli Diwali fervour quite like donkeys! The famed gadha mela (donkey fair) of Chitrakoot witnessed the hustle and bustle of brokered deals the same as every year. As digital head Kavita puts it, "All year-round, you crack jokes on donkeys and then this one time of the year, you dress them up in all their finery, paint them in attractive hues, and make a huge display of them!" Now, that's what we call a Bundelkhand Diwali!

This blog was first featured on Khabar Lehriya.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them

Even his most ardent admirer would concede that Rahul Gandhi is no orator. He comes across as the master of the faux pas, the mangler of metaphors, a Muggle flailing against the political wizardry of a Modi-Shah combo. Some have even joked that he is the BJP's greatest asset. BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao once said Rahul Gandhi is a sure shot route for achieving his party's Congress-mukt (Congress-free) Bharat claim.

But these days the BJP might be the one helping Rahul, never a stellar performer on the campaign trail. The big guns of the ruling party are spending a lot of time training their ammunition on a man whom they have routinely dismissed as a political non-entity. In the process they are inadvertently granting Rahul what he has sorely needed — some political gravitas. They are making him someone to reckon with.

His recent speeches in the US at first spawned mocking memes because it was reported he was going to talk about Artificial Intelligence. The BJP could have just ignored him because in the end what did it matter how he performed in a lecture hall at a university in the US. Instead they sent in their heavyweights to attack him as a "failed dynast". Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and Ravi Shankar Prasad all took turns to go after Rahul. Prasad complained that Rahul had broken a tradition of not talking about domestic politics overseas. Shah said nobody listens to Rahul in India anyways oddly proving that he was listening. Irani complained Rahul was belittling the Prime Minister abroad. In the process they managed to make more people pay attention to what had been in essence an interaction with university students, not even as much drama as Modi's Facebook townhall or Madison Square Garden speech.

Rahul's latest barb calling GST the Gabbar Singh Tax clearly got under the BJP's skin. As Vijay's Mersal has shown, the ruling party is quite thin-skinned about GST anyway. Arun Jaitley has retorted that the GST crack proves that the Congress is scared of a legitimate tax system, that the party of 2G and coal scams only wants a cash economy. Actually what it really proves is that two can play the acronym game.

Narendra Modi is the master of the acronym. There's nothing he cannot acronym-ize. Some have been his attempt to make government programmes and goals pithy — JAM (Jandhan Aadhar Mobile), SMART (Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Technosavvy and Trained police force) and PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation). But his acronyms have had their greatest sting when he targets them at his opponents. And the Congress has been often the butt of the acronym.

During the Uttar Pradesh election Modi warned against SCAM — Samajwadi, Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati. In 2014 he defined the Congress party as ABCD — Adarsh, Bofors, Coal and Daamaad (son-in-law). He even had a little shorthand for the Gandhi parivaar — RSVP or Rahul, Sonia, Vadra and Priyanka.

Despite an occasional humdinger like the "suit-boot ki sarkar" after Modi was photographed in his monogrammed suit, Rahul is better known for the plodding metaphor talking about Dalit empowerment in terms of the escape velocities of earth and Jupiter. "In Hindustan we have the concept of caste. Dalits need Jupiter's escape velocity on earth." That Rahul (or his team) have come up with an acronym that draws blood shows that Rahul is learning a few tricks from his foes.

Rahul has a steep learning curve. He got on social media way too late, long after Narendra Modi had turned it into a powerful weapon for his party. Rahul can only play catch-up. That the BJP now complains about Congress bots online and fake accounts is quite funny. Rajyavardhan Rathore, tweeted: "In sports, this would come under 'Doping'... hey wait?? Does 'dope' remind you of someone?"

Now the BJP is calling Congress a 'Dramebaaz party Number 1'. Ravi Shankar Prasad said Rahul is "yet to understand the serious dynamics of economics and development" and was resorting to gimmickry in a desperate bid to stay relevant. He said Rahul needed to do his homework. But in reality, it's Rahul who has been far too serious and far too earnest for too long, the dutiful student reluctantly completing his homework assignments. But his earnest Harry Potter image was not working well against his opponent's sly and sarcastic jibes calling him "young leader" just learning to give speeches.

He told a meeting in Vadodara, "I am thankful to the BJP because the defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha elections was greatest thing that happened to me. BJP had beaten me and abused me so much. It opened up my eyes." Perhaps he has also learned a little humour goes a long way in the battle of social media. A little drama goes even further.

"In Hindustan we have the concept of caste. Dalits need Jupiter's escape velocity on earth."Rahul Gandhi

It's not that Rahul has not tried drama before. His famous intervention at the Press Club in Delhi tearing up an ordinance shielding tainted MPs was high drama indeed. Unfortunately for the Congress it was a bit of self-goal for the party since its own man Manmohan Singh was at the helm at that time. But Narendra Modi is the master of drama and can milk a pregnant pause in a speech like no other. He can even make drama about an appearance at a Teachers Day event turning it into must-watch TV.

He has turned tearful talking about demonetization which was unrolled with all the "surgical strike" drama of a Bollywood action thriller. "They may ruin me but I'm prepared," he said in best martyr-style. Left leader Brinda Karat called it naatakbaazi(drama). When Modi teared up at his Facebook townhall, All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza called him a big "drama king". Some would say that the BJP calling Rahul Gandhi a dramabaaz is actually a compliment. The "young leader" is at least learning about the theatrics of politics.

None of this might make much difference to the Congress' prospects, whether in Gujarat or beyond. Any reinvention of Rahul Gandhi is a tough call after all these years. But it's amusing to see the BJP reacting with such indignation to Rahul Gandhi's newfound penchant for a little drama and acronyms.

He has learned from the best. This is a leaf taken right out of Narendra Modi's playbook.

Also On HuffPost:

NEW DELHI -- The Election Commission (EC) has announced the schedule of the upcoming crucial assembly elections in Gujarat.

The polls will be conducted in two phases. The polling for the first phase will be held on 9 December and for the second phase on 14 December.

The counting of the votes will be held on 18 December.

The last date for nominations is set to be 21 November.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Achal Kumar Joti, announced that 50,128 polling booths would be set up and VVPAT machines will be used for the polls in the state.

The CEC also said the model code of conduct would come into force with immediate effect in the state, adding that a flash of light would be shown after voting showing details of the candidate who the voter has voted for.

CCTVs will also be installed along the border check-points, said the CEC, adding there would be 102 all-women polling stations for the polls in Gujarat.

Differently-abled voters will be given preference at the polling stations.

The state polls will witness a direct contest between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Eyeing Patidar votes, the Congress has been trying to get support from their leaders to counter the saffron party in Gujarat, where they had been in power since 1995.

The contest is important for the BJP because Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

The election watchdog had earlier come under fire for not announcing the dates for Gujarat assembly polls, along with those of Himachal Pradesh.

The Opposition alleged that the poll body did not announce the date for Gujarat polls as it was pressurised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to delay it.

The Election Commission had, however, rejected the Opposition's charge and asserted that no special preference was given to any political party.

"We have given equal opportunities to all political parties. We have not directed any party to hold or to not hold their rallies in the state. We are not meddling in their campaigns. Yesterday, the Prime Minister went to Gujarat. Today, Rahul Gandhi will go. We are not giving any special preference to any political party," Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti had told ANI, in an exclusive interview.

The term of 13th state assembly ends on 22 January, 2018.

Also on HuffPost India:

Being understood and accepted is a fundamental element of the human condition and one of the most meaningful ways to feel this is by being listened to.

While it might sound simple, properly listening to someone is a real art. What's even harder than giving someone your full attention, is not putting yourself into their situation through unwanted advice.

So, how do we provide support for the people in our lives and ensure they are feeling understood and accepted? Effective listening could be the answer, but mastering the art of effective listening isn't as straightforward as it seems.

What Is Effective Listening?

Professor Frances Quirk from Barwon Health says listening to another person is one of the best ways to show positive regard for those you work, interact or live with.

"The greatest gift you can give anyone is actually being able to satisfy your own judgement, bias, agenda and fully, wholey listen to another person," Quirk told HuffPost Australia.

One of the reasons that we need someone who is in our lives that is an effective listener is that we don't pay much attention to what we say to ourselves.

With this in mind, effective listening is giving your full attention, not only to what another person is saying, but also to their body language. It's vital to engage not only your ears, but all of your other senses as well, so you are able to build a comprehensive picture of what the other person is saying.

"It's really mindful listening," Quirk said. "You are focusing fully on the other person, on what they are saying and you are not just engaging your hearing sense -- you are fully engaging all of your senses so you're looking at some of their behaviours because sometimes they are not congruent. So, they might say something sad but laugh or say something challenging but dismiss it.

"So, part of effectively listening is actually interpreting all the other things that they are communicating to you non-verbally as well as verbally."

Quirk says that we should aim to be a mirror for the person we are listening to, so they are able to see themselves and their situation more clearly.

"You are trying to get the person to the real meaning of what they are saying, to help them understand themselves better by being a bit of a mirror. So, you are giving back to them what they are giving to you and you know you have got it right when people start saying, 'Exactly, that's what I mean.'"

How Can You Be An Effective Listener?

Effective listening is all about making the other person feel comfortable and valued and a major part of this is being genuinely interested in what that person is trying to say.

"Being someone who can convey warmth and positive regard [is important] so that you are conveying to a person that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say and that is not coming from a perspective of personal gain or boosting your own ego," Quirk said.

All people really want is for someone to fully engage with them and be able to communicate back that they really have understood their perspective.

Warmth and genuinity should be combined with a non-judgemental ear, so the person can understand themselves better.

"You are non-judgemental -- you make no comments about what it is they are saying, you don't express any opinion one way or another. The only communication from you to the other person as an effective listener is to essentially repeat back what they are saying."

"It is actually to directly give their words directly back or to give your version of their words directly back as a way of checking what you have understood what they are actually saying -- it's a skill and it's hard to exercise in a mindful way."

What Are The Barriers To Effective Listening?

Being an effective listener is a difficult task to master. While there are a number of factors that feed into someone's ability to listen properly, one key element to remember is avoiding giving any form of advice unless the other person directly asks you.

"If you say anything beyond, 'I am trying to understand what it is you are telling me' and 'Is this what you are saying?', you have moved out of the scope of effective listening already," Quirk explained.

Essentially, if you find yourself saying things like, 'Have you tried ...', 'I did this and it worked' or 'I know someone who did this in the past and...' then you have moved well out of the effective listening space.

Why Do We Need To Be Listened To?

Being listened to is one way each of us feels accepted by those around us. Quirk says that having someone reflect exactly what we are feeling back to ourselves gives us the tools to grow in our own self-knowledge and understanding.

"It seems so feeble, if all you are doing is listening to someone and giving them back what they are saying -- 'how is that going to work?' But actually, it does because all people really want is for someone to fully engage with them and be able to communicate back that they really have understood their perspective and that's it," Quirk said.

"One of the reasons that we need someone who is in our lives that is an effective listener is that we don't pay much attention to what we say to ourselves. You have all these ideas but you don't listen to yourself. You provide your own answers you need someone to reflect back to us."

"At 11, he dropped out of school to devote all his time towards learning religious scriptures. He spent the next two years studying the ways of an ascetic life under his guru. In a month's time, he's going to renounce the world and start life afresh as a monk," says linguistics professional Mishti Shah* of her 13-year old cousin whose family is bustling around proudly preparing for his diksha ceremony next month. "You can't drive before 16, you can't marry before 18, you can't drink alcohol before 21, but you are allowed to give up worldly life at 13, or even earlier. This is ridiculous!" she says with barely concealed frustration.

The controversy surrounding this religious service cropped up again last month when a young Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh relinquished their assets and took diksha, leaving behind their 3-year-old daughter in the care of relatives. Both stories raise questions about the cultural and religious factors that infringe upon child rights, the helplessness of the state in ending it and the need for liberal social reforms.

In the past, attempts by child rights activists and human rights bodies to prohibit the practice of Bal Diksha (renunciation by children) have been met by severe resistance from Jain community leaders, and disputed legal judgements regarding the extent of state interference with religion. A bench of the Bombay High Court proclaimed Bal Diksha to be "as bad as Sati" in 2008 and pondered over the conflict between the Right to Childhood and the Right to Religion in 2011.

For decades, traditional notions of gender and morality have dominated the exercise of human rights, especially those of women and children.

Nicole Menezes, co-founder of Leher, a child rights organisation, says: "this practice is not in the best interests of children. They are not capable of making informed decisions for themselves. Moreover, there is a grey area concerning the legality of the issue. But I believe that the society really needs to collectively develop its own conscience and decide what it wants for children."

In recent times, members of the Jain community – legally recognised as minority – have been divided over the ramifications of this practice. "Bal Diksha has been a contentious subject within the community, with resistance to the practice developing in the early 20th century The Bal Diksha Pratibandh Andolan, a reformist movement led by a section of the Jains themselves sought prohibition of the practise, not so much out of concern for the ascetic child, but out of fear that children could not possibly uphold the rigours of an ascetic life.

For decades, traditional notions of gender and morality have dominated the exercise of human rights, especially those of women and children.

The controversy has continued into the present, but the terrain of arguments has seen a shift, with the more recent opposition centering on the rights of children," says Manisha Sethi, author of Escaping the World: Women Renouncers among Jains. For decades, traditional notions of gender and morality have dominated the exercise of human rights, especially those of women and children. When religious doctrines join hands with established cultural systems, it leaves barely any space for a broader interpretation of individual justice and freedom. And when left unchallenged, these often intolerant norms pave the way for the exploitation of rights in the name of rituals, conventions and spirituality.

Instead of treating a child's so-called disavowal of the worldly life as an occasion to rejoice, we, as conscious beings of a civilised society, ought to deplore the loss of his right to childhood, right to education, and more importantly, right to life.

The conflict between rights and religion is very real. When religion, society and culture start overshadowing the essence of human rights, it's time to step back and consider where one must draw the line. It is irrational to always leave it up to the law to govern the character of the society that evolves from time to time. This reformist confrontation is not about joining forces against religion; rather it entails standing up for the rights of children, transcending the prevalent social and cultural forces.

"The reluctance to challenge norms prevails among followers of almost every religion. Even when people sense a right from wrong, most are unwilling to publicly call attention to it because of the religious bearing attached to it," says Ektaa Jain, research scholar at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

*name changed to protect privacy.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

When you get a phone call from your husband who is based abroad, you expect a general conversation about his everyday life, when he'll be visiting next, your daily life and as the conversation peters out, the last question is always when will he call next. What you don't expect even in your wildest of dreams, is to have the conversation as 'Mrs. Salma Khan' and end the conversation as 'Miss Salma Ahmed'.

Nightmare or fiction? Neither, this is the truth of Triple Talaq (TT) in the lives of Indian Muslim women before the recent landmark judgement pronounced by the Supreme Court banned it by a 3:2 majority. The judges stated: "given the fact that Triple Talaq is instant and irrevocable, it is obvious that any attempt at reconciliation between the husband and wife by two arbiters from their families, which is essential to save the marital tie, cannot ever take place. This being the case, it is clear that this form of Talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it.

The rampant abuse of this form of talaq made the men all powerful, and soon there were triple talaqs being emailed, even sent on WhatsApp.

This form of Talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the 393 Fundamental Right contained under Article 14 of the Constitution of India. In our opinion, therefore, the 1937 Act, insofar as it seeks to recognise and enforce Triple Talaq, is within the meaning of the expression 'laws in force' in Article 13(1) and must be struck down as being void to the extent that it recognizes and enforces Triple Talaq." Justices Kurian Joseph, UU Lalit and RF Nariman delivered the majority Judgment. Chief Justice Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer dissented. In layman's terms triple talaq is not a legally valid type of divorce after this judgement.

Triple talaq is a form of divorce practiced by Muslim men where even the an utterance of 'talaq, talaq, talaq' was enough for them to divorce their wife. This form of divorce was only available to the Muslim men and not the women, who if they wanted a divorce from their spouse would have to approach the courts and seek a divorce.

Let's take Mrs. Salma Khan's case where she went to speak to her husband, who had called from the Middle-East, on a neighbour's phone, only to be stunned when he pronounced the triple talaq on the phone.

Let's take Mrs. Salma Khan's case where she went to speak to her husband, who had called from the Middle-East, on a neighbour's phone, only to be stunned when he pronounced the triple talaq on the phone. Similarly in my client Shaheen's case, which was even more bizarre, where her husband smsed her the triple talaq. When Shaheen first came to me I thought it was a joke but soon I realised that the joke was on her because the triple talaq was supported by the law. She essentially had no recourse, except to seek maintenance for herself and her children. But it's not always about the money, it's also about a sense of dignity and self-respect as a human being.

Triple talaq divests a woman of all sense of equality in a marriage. When a man is all-powerful and has the ability to end his marriage regardless of whether his wife wants to or not, is it not a violation of human rights? When there is a unilateral and unequivocal application of power we speak of it as an abuse of human rights, which is exactly what TT had become over a period of time. The rampant abuse of this form of talaq made the men all powerful and soon there were triple talaqs being emailed, even being sent on WhatsApp, reducing the woman to a helpless piece of chattel, because she had no absolute rights to contest this form of divorce.

The power balance which was skewed in favour of men will now tilt considerably towards women.

Triple talaq coupled with polygamy is akin to handing over a nuclear bomb to Kim Jong Un, which is what happened to Sajjida's marital life. Whilst she was in court fighting over the validity of the triple talaq, her husband married another woman. I can feel Sajjida's anger, hurt and humiliation each time we go to court to challenge the validity of the talaqnama and also fight for maintenance in court. When the thought of even sharing a boyfriend, with another woman doesn't cross my mind one can't even imagine, having to share a husband with another wife, especially when you have been so unceremoniously divorced using triple talaq.

However, with the passing of this path breaking judgement the socio-legal parameters of Muslim divorces will change in India. The power balance which was skewed in favour of men will tilt considerably towards women. The judgement also emphasises the implementation of Fundamental Rights, and it will be pave the path forward for the Uniform Civil Code. One thing is for sure, the lives of the new Salmas, Shaheens, Sajjidas will definitely not be turned upside down ever again, thanks to the death of the instant triple talaq.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

New Delhi, Oct 20 (PTI) — The CBI has written to the government for reconsideration of its 2005 decision and allow the agency to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court in the Bofors case challenging the quashing of an FIR in the alleged scam, officials said.

In a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training, the CBI conveyed that it wanted to file the SLP challenging the Delhi High Court order of 31 May 2005 quashing all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.

Government officials said the CBI was in favour of filing the SLP in 2005 but the then UPA government did not give its nod.

Legal experts feel that the agency will have to do a lot of explanation for condoning the lapsed time period of over 12 years.

The then Delhi High Court judge RS Sodhi had on 31 May 2005, quashed all charges against the Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — and the Bofors company and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

Before the 2005 verdict, another judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice JD Kapoor (since retired), on 4 February 2004, had exonerated the late prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in the case and directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the Bofors company.

On Wednesday, the CBI had said it would look into the "facts and circumstances" of the Bofors scam mentioned by private detective Michael Hershmam, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, claimed in television interviews recently that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc".

Hershman, who was here last week to address a conference of private detectives, also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

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The Rajasthan government has come out with an ordinance which purportedly tries to protect public servants, including judges and magistrates, from prosecution from actions taken in the discharge of their duties as public servants. The media has been widely reporting this as an attempt to protect corrupt activities, but this discourse is leading people away from the actual mischief sought to be done.

Public servants, including judges, are protected from prosecution for actions in discharge of their duties by Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which lays down that a prior sanction to prosecute shall be taken from the competent authority of the Central or state government, as the case may be. Judges are provided additional protection under the Judges Protection Act from civil or criminal action for actions or words spoken during discharge of their duties.

When in comes to charges of corruption, even the Prevention of Corruption Act provides for a mechanism of prior sanction for prosecution of public servants under the Act.

This makes one wonder about the necessity of the ordinance promulgated by the Rajasthan government. This is where one notices the mischief.

The ordinance doesn't merely protect public servants and judges, it declares an embargo on the free press from reporting about the accusations or probe till the time prior sanction to prosecute is not granted.

The ordinance doesn't merely protect public servants and judges, it declares an embargo on the free press from reporting about the accusations or probe till the time prior sanction to prosecute is not granted. As it provides a time period of 180 days for a decision to be taken for such sanctions, there's effectively a six month gag on the media.

This strikes at the very root of journalistic freedom to report fairly and accurately, a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution as a fundamental right. Such a right to report fairly has been upheld by a catena of decisions of various constitutional courts.

The ordinance goes another step ahead and attempts to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to make disclosure of identity of certain people against whom sanction is sought to be a cognizable but bailable offence punishable by imprisonment up to two years.

Such criminalisation of disclosure again hits at the very roots of journalistic freedoms and shall have a chilling effect on free speech.

This is still an ordinance, and as it attempts to amend Central laws it would require presidential assent. However, the threat to free speech is a clear and present danger.

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"I write for you and me and for a gentler, more just world." Catharsis is a word I avoid using in any context. Even when friends, well-wishers and experts offer it an explanation for what they see happening with me. Or suggest it as a necessary step to deal with an issue. It is not because I don't like the word or don't believe in the process. Just the opposite, in fact. I treat catharsis as a sacred precious gift; the word carries so much value for me that I don't want it made trite in the world of easy sound bytes and trending catch phrases.

So it is with a lot of thought that I call Natasha Badhwar's debut book a cathartic read. My Daughters' Mum is an extraordinary book in its candour. The author writes with such self-reflexive vulnerability that you forget you are reading another person's writing. You feel your heart spill out on the page. Through tears and smiles, and a heaving and sinking heart the book embraces the reader, cleansing many heartaches and allowing one to celebrate unspoken joys. You recognise memories you had dumped away, you reclaim parts you had been too ashamed to include in your narrative of self. You examine what you have known; you let yourself be drawn into speculating on the unknown.

No motherhoods preached, no rules that are claimed as fail proof. Just a brave and honest sharing of personal experiences, insights and revelations.

The theme of coming home to a place in this world, and a place inside yourself is the big story of this marvellously loving collection of deeply personal essays. The theme holds together carefully curated sections from Natasha's long running Mint Lounge column. As a regular reader, it makes me happy that the stories of the column, with their message of love, hope, inclusion and the vision of a different, kinder world now have another home with an even wider accessibility. The editor and writer have skilfully structured the collection in a way that feels like a seamless narration of an ongoing conversation.

Part memoir, part essay, part record of our times, there is nothing the book does not touch. Birth family, mothers and daughter, parents, nation, others, love, work, interfaith marriage, friends, grief, death, births, self-love, identity, nationality, changing times, family, in-laws, maids, working from home, road trips, childhood, college, siblings, it is all there, in Natasha's warm and smart prose.

Part memoir, part essay, part record of our times, there is nothing the book does not touch.

No motherhoods preached, no rules that are claimed as fail proof. Just brave and honest sharing of personal experiences, insights and revelations. Sample this, on parenting: "I had never really felt so lonely. Clearly, I had spread myself too thin; the urban myth of the supermom had trapped me. I looked good, but I felt terrible. All at once, parenting proved to be a test of loyalty. Was I willing to be loyal to myself? I didn't have much practice in this area. It had always been much easier to be loyal to friends, trends and gadgets. I had to come to terms with a few grand truths. For one, I would be able to raise our kids well only if I first raised myself well...I had also to learn to pamper the child in me – love her, appreciate her, make her happy."

In the chapter titled 'A Technology Chowkidar At Home', Natasha takes head on the issue many young and not so young parents mention all too often as an obstacle to stay away from negative media. "Despite my intense love for gadgets... I am the self-appointed watchman who moderates access to technology in family spaces... We barely listen to each other. We are often way behind in keeping track of each other's creative milestones... we all need some time to share our experiences with each other So we do things that may seem odd to other families. ...I do not want us to be a family of Western-consumerist-culture-addicted-Anglophones. We do not want to find ourselves scavenging for comfort amid the clutter of shallow, raucous media content with limited shelf life. I want variety in our lives. Slowness. Pauses. Daydreaming and imaginary friends. I don't want to prepare our children for the 'real world'. I want us and them to have the confidence that we can create the world we want to live in. We don't have to fit into pre-fabricated moulds. We are free to discover and relate to our inner and outer worlds at our own pace. We can pick and chose. This is real life."

Natasha's writing is always crisp, the chapters short and sentences light.

Natasha's writing is always crisp, the chapters short and sentences light. Such nimble handling of weighty and gut wrenchingly loaded topics is a feat this slim book achieves with élan. I have a feeling that the author's experience as a TV newsperson and filmmaker, and then coach has definitely helped her create this light as air feel for this warm as pashmina coziness of a book.

If like me, you are a dreamer who wants to persist on this path despite an often broken heart and habitually weary feet, go get yourself this dose of solidarity and encouragement. Keep the tissues on hand, and start reading. You will go on a journey of your life, I promise you. In Natasha's words reflecting on the wreckage of a riot she watched as a young girl: "our heart breaks and somehow we keep working. Lives are wrecked and people get back to building homes again. We lose hope and then we find a way to believe once more. We often despair that we are too cynical but we are all constantly creating, restoring, healing, trying to reassemble broken pieces." I like to believe she speaks for a lot of us.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

Nearly 590,00 Rohingya refugees have been admitted to camps in Bangladesh and 320,00 refugee children among them are threatened by water-borne diseases and desperate living conditions, a United Nations spokesman said Friday.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 589,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since alleged retaliation following a deadly rebel militia attack on 25 August against police posts, said Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman.

Just over half of the new arrivals in Bangladesh are staying in Kutupalong Expansion, he said. It was described as a single large site where aid partners are working with authorities to improve road access, infrastructure and basic services.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said nearly 7,000 of the refugees had been admitted to Bangladesh after spending up to four days stranded near the border. "Thousands more are believed to be on their way from Myanmar."

The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are taken by bus from the border to a transit centre, where the UNHCR and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter, Haq said.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said that desperate living conditions and water-borne diseases are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children, he said.

A new report by the agency said most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and unsanitary makeshift settlements.

Despite an expanding international aid effort led by the government of Bangladesh, the report said that the essential needs of many children are not being met, the spokesman said. "UNICEF is also calling for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Rakhine State, as well as for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access."

A pledging conference for donors next Monday in Geneva was announced earlier this week. Officials said they hope to raise $434 million to aid Rohingya refugees and their hosts, some 11.2 million people in all. So far it is only 26% funded.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu is flustered by scenes in a movie criticising several policies introduced by its government at the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

All hell broke loose over the release of Mersal, a drama featuring popular actor Vijay, for Diwali. Already a major hit with the masses, the movie deals with corruption in the medical profession, among other themes of social justice.

On Wednesday, BJP's Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan demanded several scenes from the film to be excised because they criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a number of policies implemented by his administration.

One of the offending bits is in this snippet from Mersal, with English subtitles, posted by a Twitter user.

Complete English translation in subtitles: RT to share#MersalVsModipic.twitter.com/gDDiuSzLzF

— Shashikant (@Maasum_Bacha) October 21, 2017

The speech made by the character played by Vijay highlights the Modi government's mismanagement of the infamous move to demonetise high-value currency in November 2016. Another actor in Mersal shows off his empty wallet to prove that Modi government's financial sleight of hand has forced him to go cashless.

Before the public had fully recovered from the aftermath of the noteban, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and its shoddy imposition unleashed a fresh round of havoc to the economy, especially small- and medium-size businesses.

Add to the economic woes, the general mishandling of healthcare, exemplified by the scores of children who allegedly died due to lack of oxygen supply in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, in August this year.

The character played by Vijay not only highlights these damages wreaked by the government at the Centre but also compares similar policies in places like Singapore, which have, he claims, applied such strategies with more success.

Matters went downhill from there.

On Friday BJP national secretary H Raja attacked Vijay on Twitter, saying that his lines in Mersal exposed the actor's ignorance on economic matters. But that wasn't all. He decided to drag in the actor's religion, by dredging up his Christian name, Joseph, which he scarcely uses. All this to put an ugly communal angle to the alleged slurs a character played by him makes in a movie.

Raja also said he was "trying to confirm" whether the producer Hema Rukmani of Thenandal Studios Ltd "may also be a Christian".

In 2014, Modi had met Vijay while campaigning for the general elections, which propelled him to power by a landslide victory, and sought to seek the support of his fan base for the polls. Vijay is followed by over 3 million people on Twitter and is revered as a superstar.

In 2015, Vijay faced raids on suspicions of tax evasion, which Raja also brought into his counter-attack. He also pointed out that the claims made about Singapore's healthcare and public policies in the movie by the actor are incorrect.

Be that as it may, the government has no business asking for cuts from a movie after it has been cleared for release, simply because the latter is critical of its performance.

Such a demand exposes the BJP's lack of respect to the principle of freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed to every citizen. Worse still, it reveals the depths of insecurity in the rank and file of the party that it is compelled to behave like an autocratic at the slightest hint of disagreement.

As of now, titans of Tamil cinema, such as Pa Ranjith, who directed Rajinikanth's Kabali, are supporting Vijay, as are the fans of his rival superstar Ajith. Actor Kamal Haasan also tweeted his support to Mersal and Vijay.

"Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks. Mersal was certified. Don't re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response," he said.

The overwhelming reaction to Mersal from the public so far also perhaps shows that, like any successful cinema, it has been able to appeal to the people's sentiment by speaking of their grievances and for them.

As for the BJP, its desperation to get a toe-hold in the southern states will not be favourably served by its penchant for banning, if the earlier attempt to ban beef consumption in Kerala is any indication.

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New Delhi — Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the BJP's demand for removal of dialogues critical of the GST in Tamil movie Mersal, asking him not to "demon-etise Tamil pride" by such interference.

"Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal," Gandhi said in a tweet.

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

Gandhi's counter-attack came after Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release Mersal came under attack from BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu, one of whom also sought to give a communal twist by raking up the actor's religion.

The actor has been panned for his dialogues in the film that takes a dig at GST and Digital India. Vijay, who had met Narendra Modi during electioneering ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, had even lauded demonetisation last year.

BJP's National Secretary H Raja in a tweet on Friday raked up the actor's Christian origins.

"Joseph Vijay's hatred for Modi is 'Mersal'."

Referring to the actor's dialogue in the movie, Raja tweeted that in the last 20 years, 17,500 churches, 9,700 mosques and 370 temples were built. Out of these what should be avoided to build hospitals, Raja posted.

Raja even said Mersal shows Vijay's ignorance in economic matters as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is not a new tax and the tax on liquor is over 58%.

Tamil Nadu BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan demanded removal of the dialogues relating to GST, digital payments and temples from the movie as they spread a wrong message.

Earlier on Saturday, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also attacked the BJP over its demand for removal of dialogues critical of GST in Mersal.

"Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies," Chidambaram tweeted.

Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

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