The Daily Brief – 21st April 2019

The Supreme Court of India on April 20, 2019 constituted a special bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Arun Mishra, Sanjiv Khanna to adjudicate a sexual harassment complaint against the CJI. The CJI said that the Independence of judiciary is under very serious threat and there is a “larger conspiracy” to destabilise the judiciary. A 35-year-old woman who used to work as a junior court assistant at the residence office of the Chief Justice of India on April 19, 2019, wrote to 22 judges of the apex court alleging that CJI Ranjan Gogoi had made sexual advances on her at his residence office on October 10 and 11, 2018.

The United States Department of Justice has released the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report titled “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election”. The Report says that it was unable to clear US President Donald Trump in the matter, stating that the President’s action and intent “present difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred”.

The Indian Navy launched guided missile destroyer Imphal at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai on 20 April, 2019. Imphal is the third ship to be launched under a project in which ships are built to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters. The Navy said, enhanced stealth features have been achieved through the shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make the ships difficult to detect.

The Asian Athletics Championships begin in Doha, Qatar on 21 April, 2019. The first day will decide eight gold medals. In the 2017 Championships held in Bhubaneswar, India had finished on top with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals – 12 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze. China had finished second with 20 medals. The Asian championship in Athletics is a quadrennial event began in 1973 and organised by the Asian Athletics Association.

India and France will conduct their largest ever naval exercise ‘Varuna’ off Goa coast early May. India will deploy its aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya with its MiG-29K fighters and French side would be represented by its aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle with its Rafale-M naval jets. Varuna is a top-level naval exercise, with intensive dual carrier task group operations and anti-submarine warfare manoeuvres.

The Asian Weightlifting Championships will be held in Ningbo, China from 20 to 28 April, 2019. 278 participants from 28 nations and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran and North Korea have registered for the competition. Former World Champion, Mirabai Chanu will spearhead India’s challenge at the Championship.

Indian and the US Navies have held a joint submarine-hunting exercise in the Indian Ocean on 15 April, aiming to lay the groundwork for coordinating maritime patrol and reconnaissance, according to the US Navy. The exercise was the latest in efforts to develop military coordination between the two countries with an eye on the Indo—Pacific, where China is projecting its naval strength to the consternation of other countries in the region.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale will arrive in Beijing on 21 April, 2019 for “bilateral consultations”, amid signs that China may review its position on lifting its “technical hold” on listing the founder of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Masood Azhar, as an international terrorist. Mr. Gokhale is arriving ahead of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) – a mega event hosted by China that begins on April 25, in which 37 heads of State or government are participating.