Morning Brief: Sabarimala Temple Closes Today, No Women Of Reproductive Age Allowed Entry; Can’t Take More Su-30MKIs, IAF Tells MoD; And More

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

Sabarimala Temple Closes Today, No Women Allowed Entry

Kerala's Sabarimala temple, which opened for monthly puja on 17 October, will close today for the month. At least nine women of reproductive age attempted to reach the shrine in the last few days. However, none were allowed to enter the 800-year-old hilltop shrine in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. Earlier, the Supreme Court had, in a controversial ruling, overturned a centuries-old tradition restricting the entry of women in their reproductive age into the shrine.

The state government, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), had deployed thousands of police personnel and used brute force to dislodge protesters. State police were seen vandalising vehicles and pelting stones at the protesters. On the back foot, the state government blamed the BJP and RSS for violence. Those against the Supreme Court’s move have argued that the primary objective of the practice was to preserve and honour the celibacy of the deity, Lord Ayyappa. The main pilgrimage season will begin next month.

Can’t Take More Su-30 MKI Fighters, IAF Tells Government

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has told the government that inducting more Su-30MKIs is not an option to bolster the dwindling fighter fleet. The IAF has inducted 247 of these fighters and will get 25 more (total 272) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in the next two years. According to The Tribune, the IAF has said that the current version of the fighter has avionics, protection suite, engine and radar that may not be optimal for the future. It has also pointed out that the fighter is meant for ‘air-superiority’ and lacks the ‘multi-role’ capability.

Earlier this year, the HAL is said to have offered to produce more Su-30MKIs for the air force. The IAF is currently down to 31 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42. Some quarters had suggested that the IAF was likely to induct at least 40 (two squadrons) of the fighter, taking the number to 312. Earlier this year, the IAF floated a tender to induct 114 multi-role fighters.

Government Plans Exam To Recruit 6,000 Judges For Lower Courts

The government and the Supreme Court will conduct a nationwide examination to fill around 6,000 vacancies in judges’ posts in the lower judiciary. According to the Times of India, the Union Public Service Commission or another agency of the Centre may be involved in conducting the test. Due to a large number of vacant posts, lower courts in the country have over 2.78 crore pending cases.

However, a decision on this issue will only be taken when the apex court issues a directive. It is currently hearing a writ petition on the possibility of constituting an all-India judicial appointments mechanism. Several states and high courts had objected to this proposal when it was first discussed.

Foreign Investors Pull Out Rs 32,000 Crore From Markets In Three Weeks

Amid global trade tensions and rising crude prices, foreign investors have pulled out over Rs 32,000 from Indian markets in the first three weeks of this month, Mint reported. This includes the sale of equities worth Rs 19,810 crore between 1 and 19 October, and bonds worth Rs 12,167 crore. In comparison, foreign investors had pulled out Rs 21,000 crore in entire September.

Experts said slowing world economy could be one reason for the pullout. The International Monetary Fund downgraded the outlook for the world economy to 3.7 per cent growth earlier this month. However, they noted that this is a global phenomenon and not limited to India alone.

Pakistan’s BAT Ambushes: Three Soldiers Martyred, Two Intruders Killed

A heavily-armed Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistan Army ambushed an Indian Army patrol team at about 1.45 pm on Sunday near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, killing three. Two members of the BAT team, which is made up of regular Pakistani soldiers and terrorists, were killed. Regular Pakistani soldiers in the BAT teams are usually from the Special Services Group. Security forces have killed at least 10 terrorists in the last two weeks.

The security forces eliminated three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday. At least seven civilians were killed in a blast at the encounter site. Locals, reports said, had ignored requests to not assemble in the area. The blast was triggered by unused explosive left behind by the terrorists. Protests and stone pelting was also reported during the encounter. Separatists have called for a shutdown to protest the death of civilians and the killing of “armed youth”.

From Swarajya

Needed Urgently, A Ruthless Counter To The Propaganda Of The Old Congress-Left Ecosystem: Leaders of the ruling dispensation, though committed to the Indic cause, are rather unprepared to counter the disinformation and half-truths propaganda, and wilting under the slightest pressure.

Sabarimala And The Very Real Problems With ‘Constitutional Morality’: Restricting the entry of women of a certain age group into Sabarimala is a violation of no one’s constitutional rights. The SC verdict in breach of this tenet is based on flawed reasoning and a non-existent ‘constitutional morality’.

Pariyerum Perumal, A Tight Slap On Over 50 Years Of Dravidian Rule: Pariyerum Perumal is a film that focuses on the travails of the Scheduled Caste community in Tamil Nadu. In bringing those issues to the fore, director Selvaraj holds a mirror to the role of the Dravidian parties in particular.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!