6 April 2023
Immunity garnered by Political leaders
News: 14 Opposition parties withdrew their petition seeking stringent procedures for arresting political leaders After the court told them that they were on the same footing as ordinary citizens.
Petition:
The party’s joint petition was claiming that the Centre was arbitrarily using agencies such as the ED and the CBI to arrest and institute criminal proceedings against Opposition leaders who expressed their fundamental right to dissent or disagree.
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The parties had suggested a “triple test” to be followed before ordering the arrest and remand of political leaders.
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These included factors such as whether a person was a flight risk or whether there was a reasonable apprehension of tampering with evidence or of the influencing or intimidation of witnesses.
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They also proposed that alternatives such as interrogation at fixed hours or, at most, house arrest be used to meet the demands of investigation. The petition said that courts should follow the principle of “bail as a rule, jail as an exception”, especially in cases involving “non-violent offences”.
Supreme Court Response: Supreme Court told a united Opposition of 14 national parties that political leaders stand absolutely on the same footing as any ordinary citizen of India and are not entitled to “higher immunity” from investigation, arrest or prosecution.
India-Russia Business Forum
News: India-Russia Business Forum and B2B Meeting are going on in Delhi.
About the meeting:
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The meeting is organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
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It was attended by a large business delegation from Russia led by Sergey Katyrin, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (RF-CCI)
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The meeting discussed multiple issues including the requirement for manpower in various sectors of the Russian economy which is reorienting itself towards the major markets in the developing world in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.
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Various aspects of India-Russia business cooperation are in focus during the ongoing visit by the RF-CCI delegation, which is on a “multi-sectoral business mission”
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The business mission is aimed at intensifying India’s links with small- and medium-scale enterprises in Russia.
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The visiting delegation said that India has partnered with major Russian entities like Gazprom, but smaller Russian companies often require support to enter the Indian market.
Services PMI
News: India’s services sector lost growth momentum in March despite the continued rise in new orders and output
About the Index:
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Index was released by S&P Global India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed.
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The PMI slowed to 57.8, from 59.4 in February. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in activity.
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Input cost inflation dropped to the lowest level since September 2020, and firms reported higher expenses on account of rising food, fuel, transportation and wage costs.
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New hiring was fractional, with almost 98% of firms leaving their payroll numbers unchanged from February.
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Firms reported an uptick in international orders even as overall order books grew at a softer pace than in February.
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Consumer services topped the ranking, while the slowest increases were seen in real estate and business services.
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Manufacturing had retaken the mantle as the main driver of growth momentum.