New Delhi
Modi Not to Attend Jamia Convocation on January 19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be the chief guest at Jamia Millia Islamia University’s convocation owing to time constraint, the authorities said on Tuesday. “We have got a reply from the PMO that the Prime Minister will not be able to visit the university due to time constraints. So, we have extended an invite to scientist Goverdhan Mehta who has given his consent following which we decided a suitable date,” Jamia said. A letter signed by over 100 alumni was sent to Jamia VC Talat Ahmad demanding that the invite be withdrawn in view of the comments made by Modi against the varsity in 2008. The demand was rejected by the university. The convocation will be held on January 19.
Curriculum Framework To Be Ready By Next Academic Year
The formulation of the much-delayed new National Curriculum Framework by National Council of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) will begin from the next academic session after the national education policy is unveiled. The framework, which provides the templates for making syllabi, textbooks and teaching practices for school-level textbooks, was last published in 2005. The new framework was due in 2015, but the HRD Ministry has attributed the delay in the preparation of the new policy. The syllabus and textbooks based the national education framework are being used by all the CBSE schools and many State schools. Meanwhile, the drafting committee of the new policy, headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian, has requested the Ministry to extend the timeline for presenting the report from December to February end.
Srinagar
J&K HC Orders Release of Masarat Alam
In a major embarrassment to the PDP-BJP Government in State, Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday quashed detention of hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and ordered his release. A single Bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar quashed the PSA detention of 44-year-old Masarat Alam, terming his detention “illegal”. Masarat was arrested in April this year for waving Pakistani flag and chanting pro-Pakistan and pro-JuD slogans. The court asked the government to release Alam from the preventive custody. In his judgment, Justice Attar said the district magistrate in his detention order was required to show compelling reasons for invoking PSA against Alam. “The law laid down by the Supreme Court in the matter does render the impugned detention order illegal,” Justice Attar said.