Breathless Sibal
Ace lawyer Kapil Sibal had a tough task at hand last week fighting in defence of triple talaq for the All India Muslim Personal law Board (AIMPlB). At one point, he had to quote Arabic scholars to show how the practice was Islamic and in tune with the Quran. Reading one long Arabic name, Sibal lost his breath. Exasperated, he stopped midway, confessing to the Chief justice of India, “I can’t read anymore.” The Arabic was too much to handle for the senior lawyer as the name itself suggested: Muaffaqud Din Abi Muhammed Abdillah Ben Ahmed Ben Muhammed Ben Qudamah Al-Muqaddasi Al-Jammaili Al-Dimashqi Al-Salihi Al-Hanbali, a Hanafi scholar.
Tagged Defence officials!
In an effort to streamline attendance, the Defence Ministry last week issued radio frequency identity cards (RFID) to all its officials. Regardless of ranks, all officials now have to carry the RFID bearing their name and walk through electronically manned gates akin to automatic fare collection gates installed at Delhi Metro stations. The gates mark the attendance of the officials, ensuring punctuality and attendance, officials said.
Karti escapes
Facing heat from CBI and Enforcement Directorate, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti’s has quietly flown to london à la Viajy Mallya from Chennai through British Airways. Probe agency sources say that he travelled with Directors of his controversial companies, which are allegedly involved in money laundering. Karti has uploaded a photo with a Professor in Cambridge without giving much details. Grapevine has heard that three or four FIRs are expected to be registered by CBI and ED each against Karti.
Annoyed bureaucracy
The Central bureaucracy is both shocked and surprised after recent empanelment of 1984 and 1985 IAS batches to the Secretary level. Whispers in corridors are that the clubbing of two batches has deprived many deserving officers of a chance to be empanelled. The empanellement is so anamolous that some of senior officers will have to report to their juniors!
Wise counsel
Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar is always surrounded by journalists when he steps out for public events. The Minister while speaking at a function on diplomacy recently asked journalists to be careful with the language as diplomacy is all about language and communication and a word here and there can have different meanings. The gathering had lot of media colleagues of the Minister and the point was well taken by them.
Take on depression
The Union Health Ministry last week organised screening of Marathi film ‘Kaasav’ to sensitise its staff about depression, which is the second leading cause of morbidity among 15 to 29-year-olds globally. Though the attendance at the event held at the AIIMS auditorium was lean, the senior Health Ministry officials argue that such initiatives would certainly help create awareness about depression which is more of a taboo than talking about sex in the country. Directed by Sunil Sukhtankar and Sumitra Bhave, ‘Kasaav’ has been adjudged this year’s best feature film national award.
For Yoga Day
With only one month left for International Yoga Day, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has geared up to organise a mega event at Connaught Place. The council has roped in sufi singer Kailash Kher to make this event successful. Although the national event will be held in lucknow on June 21, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part. The council is leaving no stone unturned to host a grand show here.
Chilling out
Several senior bureaucrats are on leave these days due to the heat wave in the national Capital. As per information, at least secretaries of eight ministries are currently on leave, forcing the Ministries to give additional charge of the posts to fellow secretaries, mostly belonging to allied Ministries. The Ministries where the secretaries are now on leave include the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare, Department of Official language and the Department of Heavy Industries.
Temporary reprieve
The fate of the 21 AAP MlAs from Delhi, who face the prospects of disqualification on grounds of having held ‘office of profit’ as parliamentary secretaries, has been delayed since the Election Commission officials would be busy till first week of June in conducting hackathon of its electronic voting machines. According to insiders, the EC officials are not in hurry to decide the fate of 21 AAP MlAs and matter has been put on hold till hackathon.
Politicians means
Politicians have bad image and a politician means…”, even before HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar could complete his sentence, the audience at a function here started laughing. To this , the Minister smiled and said, “though politicics is seen to be the profession of scoundrels, it is politics that influences our lives the most and hence it should attract the best talents.”