Delhi Confidential: Hearing From Home

CJI Sharad Bobde

The crucial hearing on whether the Jagannath Rath Yatra can go on in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic marked a milestone for the Supreme Court. Lawyers are appearing from different parts of the country ever since the court went virtual, but perhaps for the first time the court was seated, even if virtually, away from Delhi. CJI Sharad Bobde heard the case from his Nagpur residence. The CJI has left for his hometown as the Supreme Court is taking a two-week summer break. Senior advocate Harish Salve, who led the arguments for Odisha government, dialled in from London.

(Khan) Market Matters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have popularised ‘Khan Market Gang’, an euphemism for his entrenched detractors in the national capital, ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but this hasn’t deterred the market’s popularity even a year after his re-election. Although the upscale market in central Delhi is witnessing much smaller footfall in the middle of the pandemic, it still seems to attract the who’s who of the national capital. Latest to be spotted at the market on Monday was Union Home Minister Amit Shah, one of the staunchest critics of the ‘Khan Market Gang’. Although a brief visit, it was a welcome change for the market, given the epithet it earned before last year’s elections.

Headless No More

After remaining headless for months, public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio have got new chiefs. The government’s appointments committee on Monday approved to give additional responsibilities of directors-general to two information service officers who were already heading the news divisions there. Ira Joshi has taken over as D-G AIR, and Mayank Agarwal made D-G Doordarshan. For Joshi, the tenure may be short, as she is due to retire at July-end; Agarwal will retain the post for six months, unless replacements for both positions are found in the meantime. Doordarshan hasn’t had a DG since October 2019 and AIR since December, as the government wanted to put professionals at the helm.

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