FirstUp: Budget session to begin in Parliament, SC to hear plea on Kanwar Yatra row... Big news today

The news flow this Monday is heavy.

The Monsoon Session, which is also the budget session this year, will begin today.

Jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody will end in the excise policy case.

SC to hear pleas on SIT probe in electoral bond scheme.

The apex court will also hear the bail plea of Tamil Nadu’s Senthil Balaji in corruption case.

Taiwan to begin annual Han Kuang and Wan An military exercises.

The 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) will commence today in Munich, Germany.

Here’s a glimpse of what will happen today

Budget session of Parliament to begin

The Monsoon session of Parliament, also serving as this year’s Budget session, begins today.

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During this session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget on July 23, marking the first Budget of the Modi 3.0 government.

In addition to the Finance Bill, the government has planned to introduce five other bills. Among these are a bill to amend the disaster management law, the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, and The Boilers Bill which will replace pre-independence era law, the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill and the Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has also established the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which will determine the Parliamentary agenda.

Kanwar Yatra controversy: SC to hear plea against UP govt’s ’nameplate’ order for shops

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A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Uttar Pradesh government’s order instructing shop owners to display their names outside shops during the Kanwar Yatra. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti will hear the case today.

The NGO, Association of Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), filed the plea.

The Kanwar Yatra begins today.

Judicial custody of Manish Sisodia ends

Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody ends today, and he will appear in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court via video conferencing.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader was arrested by the CBI over alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy in February of last year. He was also arrested by the ED in March 2023 in a related money-laundering case.

The allegations claim that the Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy, which aimed to grant licenses to liquor traders, led to cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who allegedly paid bribes. These charges have been repeatedly denied by the AAP.

The policy was later scrapped, and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI investigation, leading to the ED filing a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) under which AAP leaders, including Delhi CM Kejriwal, were arrested.

SC to hear plea on SIT probe in electoral bond scheme

The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of petitions demanding a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the controversial and now-scrapped Electoral Bonds scheme.

A bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud will consider public interest litigations (PILs) seeking an investigation into alleged quid pro quo arrangements between corporations and political parties via electoral bond donations.

The petitions, filed by NGOs Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) have labelled the scheme as ‘scam’ and demanded a probe into the source of funding of the “shell companies and loss-making companies which made donations to various political parties”.

Apex Court will also hear bail plea of Senthil Balaji

The Supreme Court will hear the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji today.

Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in connection with a money laundering case tied to a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as transport minister in the AIADMK government.

In February, the Madras High Court dismissed Balaji’s bail petition, stating that granting bail in such a case would send the wrong message and be against the larger public interest. The Madras High Court had also rejected his bail plea in October, and a local court has denied his bail requests three times.

Taiwan to begin Han Kuang and Wan An military exercises  

Taiwan will conduct a series of military exercises and drills aimed at preventing attacks on key airports and ports, and testing troops’ ability to respond to potential invasion scenarios from China.

The Ministry of National Defense had said these annual Han Kuang and Wan An exercises will focus on “unscripted and real combat drills.” These exercises, which will take place till July 26, will include shelter-in-place and air defense drill alerts.

These excercises come as China ramps up military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory and has vowed to unify with the mainland, by force if necessary.

International AIDS conference in Germany

The 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024), organised by the International AIDS Society, will begin today in Munich, Germany. This event will bring together individuals living with and affected by HIV, as well as scientists, policymakers, healthcare professionals, media, and community members.

Participants will share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned from the past 40 years of the HIV response. The conference aims to foster collaboration and innovation in tackling the ongoing challenges of the HIV epidemic.

UNDP’s HIV and Health team, through the UNDP-led SCALE Initiative, will host several events focusing on the 10-10-10 targets, human rights, and key populations