Today in History (March 27^th,1944)

In 1944, over 2,000 Jews were murdered in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Summary of Today’s News

Supreme Court stays the “inhuman remark on attempt to rape” by Allahabad High Court

• The Supreme Court took Suo motu Cognisance of the order of the Allahabad HC which concluded that “mere” grabbing the breasts of a minor girl/victim, breaking the string of her pyjama to “bring down” her lower garment are not sufficient to constitute an offence of attempt to rape.
• The bench of the Supreme Court was headed by Justice B.R. Gavai, and said the observations made by a Single Judge Bench of Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra of the HC were totally insensitive, inhuman and unknown to the tenets of law.
• Justice Gavai pointed towards some paragraphs which concluded that the actions of two accused were not intended to rape, it was complete lack of sensitivity on the part of HC Judge.
• The case was reserved fo orders in November 2024. And the order was passed on 17^th March 2025, four months later.
• However HC Judge Mishra says that the judgement was delivered after thoughtful consideration about all the facts and circumstances of the case.
• A lawyer urged the SC judge to stop the publication of the order in media, but Justice Gavai said, “No, the judge should have thought 10 times before writing such things,”.
• The court has issued notice to the Central and Uttar Pradesh Government.

Supreme court to list petition to file FIR on cash find at judge’s residence

• CJI Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday, 26 March, gave indication of listing the petition.
• This petition has asked to file FIR in the matter of cash, found at the residence of Delhi HC Judge Yashwant Verma.

The Questions have been asked in the petition

• Why was no FIR registered on March 14?
• Why were no arrests made in the case?
• Why was the money involved not seized?
• Why did the public learn about the scandal after a week?
• Why did the Fire Force chief deny cash recovery, then contradict it?

Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan sparks social debate on ‘entrenched colourism’

• She highlighted the issue of skin tone bias, particularly against women, in workplaces, hiring practices, professional evaluations, and social settings.
• In a poignant Facebook post, she shared her personal experience as a victim of prejudice against dark-complexioned women.
• She shared an incident where her appearance as Chief Secretary was compared to her husband’s (former Chief Secretary V. Venu), implying a racial bias in the commentary. She responded, saying, “I need to own my blackness.”

Shades of misogyny in the colourism debate

• Muraleedharan discerned an underlying misogyny in the criticism, noting that the comparison between her and her husband’s public service careers was layered with a judgmental view of her dark skin and gender.

Support from various public figures

• D. Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition: Praised Muraleedharan for addressing the entrenched colourism in Kerala society. He shared that he was the child of a dark-skinned mother.
• Devika, Historian and Professor at the Centre for Development Studies: Stated that discrimination against dark-skinned people has historical roots from colonialism. She emphasized that Muraleedharan’s life, character, and career defined her, not her skin tone.
• Cuckoo Parameswaran, Actor: Mentioned that perceived blackness is subjective and resides in the prejudiced eye of the beholder. She noted that discriminatory hiring practices based on skin tone in the entertainment industry were decreasing.
• Chintha Jerome, Chairperson of Kerala State Youth Commission: Supported Muraleedharan’s stand, emphasizing that she had shed light on the lingering issues of colourism, revanchism, and misogyny in Kerala society. She noted that the younger generation was becoming more progressive.

High Court judge’s remarks on rape feature in Zero Hour of Lok Sabha

• During Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, members addressed key issues including remarks by an Allahabad High Court judge on rape and the challenges faced by nurses nationwide.
• BJP member Mukesh Rajput called for action against a sitting Allahabad High Court judge who stated in an order that grabbing breasts and pulling the pyjama strings of a minor girl did not constitute rape.
• Rajput described the judge’s comments in a case involving the alleged rape of a minor girl as “undignified, disturbing, and condemnable.”
• He emphasized that a judge’s role is to deliver justice to those in distress, and such remarks about women were “horrifying and condemnable.”
• Rajput demanded an apology from the judge to women and urged the Minister to address the issue and take constitutional action against the judge.
• Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member from Alappuzha, K.C. Venugopal, highlighted the difficulties faced by nurses that impact their work and healthcare quality in India.
• Venugopal pointed out that nurses registered in one State must undergo separate registration processes to work in other States, creating unnecessary obstacles and delays for skilled professionals.
• He raised concerns about the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), launched by the Indian Nursing Council in 2018, noting delays in its implementation.
• The Congress leader mentioned that despite an online system, only 12 lakh out of 36 lakh nurses in India have received their National Unique Identification Number (NUID), leaving many still waiting.
• Venugopal also noted that, despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating nurse salaries based on their grade and hospital bed capacity, this directive is not being followed in several States, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• He urged the government to establish a unified national registration system for nurses to eliminate the need for separate State registrations.