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SC seeks Centre’s response on plea challenging government’s surveillance powers

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New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Modi government on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of governments power of surveillance under the Telegraph and the Information Technology Acts.

The notice seeking the Centre’s response came in a petition filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) contending that the said provisions permit surveillance which violates fundamental rights and freedoms under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution and cause injury to public interest.

Filed before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the petition, citing RTI replies, Ministers’ reply to Parliament as well as “Transparency Reports” published by Google, Facebook, and Twitter, have pointed out “rampant abuse and misuse” of the surveillance power by the government.

Citing RTI replies in 2011 and 2013, the petition pointed out to the Ministry of Home Affairs revealing that “7500 to 9000 orders for interception of phone calls are issued monthly by the Central Government. In addition, it was revealed that about 500 orders are issued every month for interception of emails”.

Enclosing the transparency reports, the petition said that Google received 5,105, Facebook 16,580, Twitter 355 and Yahoo 722 requests respectively, regarding user information from the government in 2018 (till June).

Such requests were the highest in 2017 with Google receiving 8,351, Facebook 22,024, Twitter 576 and Yahoo 1,280 requests each.

“The above details of surveillance/interception clearly show that the State has been abusing the powers to intercept communications in a massive scale without there being any cogent/sufficient reason, without application of mind, in a totally arbitrary manner, completely disregarding the rights of the citizen to enjoy freedom of speech and expression and their privac”,” it said.

The petition seeks declaring as unconstitutional, Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, Rule 419-A of the Telegraph Rules, Section 69 of the Information Technology Act and notifications/circulars issued under these provisions.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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