The Daily Brief – 25th August 2018

Justice Dipak Misra, the Chief Justice of India, on August 23, 2018 launched three applications for the benefit of the litigants and lawyers during an event at the Supreme Court of India. These applications are – e-Filing, e-Pay, and National Service and Tracking of Electronic Processes (NSTEP). These applications have been created under the eCourts project Phase II and developed under the leadership of Justice MB Lokur, Judge-in-charge of eCommittee, Supreme Court. On the same occasion, the Union Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad released the brochures to increase awareness about eCourt initiatives and to enable litigants, lawyers and other stake holders to avail the services of all these initiatives.

The NITI Aayog on August 23, 2018 released the five Thematic Reports on Sustainable Development in e Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Earlier in June 2017, the NITI Aayog had set up 5 Working Groupsto prepare a roadmap for actions in 5 thematic areas that are quite significant for the Himalayas. These areas were: Inventory and Revival of Springs in Himalayas for Water Security, Sustainable Tourism in Indian Himalayan Region, Transformative Approach to Shifting Cultivation, Strengthening Skill & Entrepreneurship Landscape in Himalayas and Data/Information for Informed Decision Making.

The Supreme Court has ruled that relatives of a husband should not be roped in cases of matrimonial disputes and dowry deaths unless specific instances of their involvement in the crime are made out. The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao and said that the courts should be careful in proceeding against the distant relatives of the husband.

The Union Government on August 21, 2018 permitted private retail chemists to sell Oxytocin (will be moved from schedule H to H1) with effect from September 1, 2018 fearing shortage of Oxytocin in the market. Earlier, through a notification dated April 27, 2018, the government stated that the sale of Oxytocin through private retail chemists would be banned from July 1, 2018. Drugs under Schedule H can only be sold against a prescription by a registered medical practitioner. Under Schedule H1, the retailer has to maintain a separate register giving the name and address of the prescriber, the patient, the drug and the quantity supplied. These records have to be maintained for three years and be available for inspection. Schedule H1 was introduced in 2013 to prevent misuse of third and fourth generation antibiotics.

The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition was observed across world every year on 23 August. The day designated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade. Observance of this day marks anniversary of 1791 insurrection of enslaved men and women in western part of island of Santo Domingo, which is now known Haiti. The Day was first celebrated in 1998.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced a new measure that seeks to facial recognition mandatory for every authentication that requires Aadhaar. The information was shared by UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey on August 24. The measure is being implemented following official circulars issued by UIDAI to Authentication User Agencies, Authentication Service Agencies and certified biometric device providers. The measure is being used to provide an added security layer and also make the Aadhaar process more inclusive.

Sweden on August 23, 2018 released a handbook of its “feminist foreign policy” for rights groups and foreign governments, showcasing lessons from the nation’s flagship approach to promote women’s rights globally. The manual was published on the Swedish government’s website. It is derived from four years of work to place gender equality at the heart of the country’s international agenda. It has been led by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom since its inception in 2014.

Mukesh Ambani-led oil-to-telecom behemoth Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became first Indian company to cross Rs 8 lakh crore ($114 billion) market capitalisation. This record m-cap of RIL also bumped up Mukesh Ambani’s (India’s richest man) wealth to over $48 billion (according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index). M-cap is value of company that is traded on stock market, calculated by multiplying total number of shares by present share price. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is an Indian conglomerate company founded in 1977 by Dhirubhai Ambani. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is second largest company in India as measured by revenue after government-controlled Indian Oil Corporation.

India and China on August 23, 2018 decided to work towards a new bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Exchanges and Cooperation to replace the MoU signed in 2006. The decision was taken during a meeting between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe. A 24-member delegation of the Chinese Defence Ministry led by State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe is on a four-day visit to India. The visit comes exactly a year after the 73-day military stand-off at Doklam.