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Aruna Shanbaug – The Woman who triggered the debate on Euthanasia in India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 10, 2018
A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court has now held that ‘Passive Euthanasia’ & ‘Living Will’ are permissible. In 2011, a two judge bench of the Supreme Court discussed about passive euthanasia in the case of Aruna Shanbaug. She breathed her last at Mumbai’s KEM hospital after being in a Vegetative state for over 40 years, after a brutal attack in 1973. Her name has been synonymous with the Euthanasia debate in India
A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court has now held that ‘Passive Euthanasia’ & ‘Living Will’ are permissible. In 2011, a two judge bench of the Supreme Court discussed about passive euthanasia in the case of Aruna Shanbaug.
Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug finally breathed her last in May 2015, after being in a Permanent Vegetative State (PVS) for over 40 years. She has been in the King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) for the last 40 years where the doctors & nursing staff took exemplary care. Ever since, her name has become synonymous with the debate over the controversial issue of Euthanasia (Mercy Killing). There was no law in India that allows Euthanasia and Aruna’s case  prompted the Supreme Court to examine this issue in detail when one Ms. Pinki Virani filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court with the prayer to stop feeding Aruna and let her die peacefully. The court passed a historic judgement in March 2011 allowing Passive Euthanasia (with guidelines). The Judgment is a master piece to understand the various facets of this controversial issue and also to understand the medical terminology associated with such patients. Here is an attempt to summarise that judgement.
The Incident in 1973
Aruna was a staff Nurse working in King Edward Memorial Hospital(KEM), Parel, Mumbai. On the evening of 27th November, 1973 she was attacked by a sweeper in the hospital who wrapped a dog chain around her neck and yanked her back with it. He tried to rape her but finding that she was menstruating, he sodomized her. To immobilize her during this act he twisted the chain around her neck. The next day on 28th November, 1973 at 7.45 AM, a cleaner found her lying on the floor with blood all over in an unconscious condition. It is alleged that due to strangulation by the dog chain the supply of oxygen to the brain stopped and the brain got damaged. This caused an irreparable damage to her brain and pushed her into a Permanent Vegetative State (PVS).
Her close relatives and her fiancée abandoned her after a few years. Since then, it is the staff of the KEM hospital that has been taking exemplary care of their colleague. They have been family to her for the last 40 years and treat her one among them. The fact that she did not develop a single bed-sore though she is on the bed for such a long time is a testimony to their service.
The Writ Petition in Supreme Court
In 2009, one Ms. Pinki Virani of Mumbai filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court claiming to be Aruna’s next friend. (In legal parlance, a next friend is a person who represents another person who is under disability and unable to decide for himself/herself and who has no legal guardian). In her petition, she said that Aruna cannot be said to be a living person and it is only on account of mashed food which is put into her mouth that there is a facade of life which is totally devoid of any human element. She also said that, there is no possibility of any improvement in her condition and her body lies on the bed in the KEM Hospital like a dead animal, and this has been the position for the last 36 years. She prayed that the KEM hospital authorities be directed to stop feeding Aruna, and let her die peacefully.
It is also to be noted that the court accepted this petition under article 32 of the Indian Constitution. This is unusual since for any case to be accepted under this article, the petitioner has to show the violation of any of her fundamental right. The court said, that in view of the importance of the issues involved, they decided to go deeper into the merits of the case.
The court also issued a notice to the Dean, KEM Hospital. Dr. Amar Ramaji Pazare, Professor and Head in KEM hospital, stated in his submission that Aruna accepts the food in normal course and responds by facial expressions. He also said that Aruna responds to commands intermittently by making sounds. His submission was at variance with the submission of the petitioner. Hence the court decided to appoint a three member committee comprising of well-known doctors to look into Aruna’s case history, examine her and then submit a report to the court.
The Doctors Committee Report
The doctors committee did detailed investigation by going through Aruna’s case history and by doing fresh tests. They concluded that Aruna has developed non-progressive but irreversible brain damage. They said most authorities consider a period exceeding 4 weeks in this condition, as confirming irreversibility. They also said Aruna could perhaps be the longest survivor in this situation.
They also said that she meets most of the criteria for being in a permanent vegetative state (PVS).  After being asked by the court to explain the medical terminology in simple words, the committee described four different situations and concluded that Aruna’s condition matches with that of being in a PVS. Those four conditions are
The counsel for Ms. Pinky Virani referred to the 241st report of the Law Commission of India, 2006 on ‘Euthanasia’. The Attorney General of India on the other hand stated that the report of the Law Commission of India has not been accepted by the Government of India. He further submitted that Indian society is emotional and care-oriented and that we do not send our parents to old age homes, as it happens in the West. He stated that there was a great danger in permitting euthanasia that the relatives of a person may conspire with doctors and get him killed to inherit his property. He further stated that tomorrow there may be a cure to a medical state perceived as incurable today. The Government was against the idea of Euthanasia, whether active or passive.
The court was primarily considering this issue as the one to decide between ‘Active Vs Passive Euthanasia’. The court also held that it is the KEM hospital staff, who have been amazingly caring for Aruna day and night for so many long years, who really are her next friends, and not Ms. Pinky Virani who has only visited her on few occasions and written a book on her.
Active Vs Passive Euthanasia
The court held that active euthanasia is a crime all over the world except where permitted by legislation. In India active euthanasia is illegal and a crime under section 302 or at least section 304 IPC. Physician assisted suicide is a crime under section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide).
Active euthanasia is taking specific steps to cause the patient’s death, such as injecting the patient with some lethal substance, e.g. sodium pentothal which causes a person deep sleep in a few seconds, and the person instantaneously and painlessly dies in this deep sleep.
The court also observed the difference between euthanasia and physician assisted dying, the difference being in who administers the lethal medication. In euthanasia, a physician or third party administers it, while in physician assisted suicide it is the patient himself who does it, though on the advice of the doctor. In many countries, physician assisted dying is legal while the physician administering it is illegal.
The difference between “active” and “passive” euthanasia is that in active euthanasia, something is done to end the patient’s life’ while in passive euthanasia, something is not done that would have preserved the patient’s life.
The court said that in ‘Passive Euthanasia”, the doctors are not actively killing anyone; they are simply not saving him. It said that, while we usually applaud someone who saves another person’s life, we do not normally condemn someone for failing to do so.
International Experience
The court relied on Euthanasia laws in various countries to understand the international experience.
The Judgment
For the judgment, the court relied heavily on the Airedale case decided by the House of Lords in the U.K. where the court allowed Passive Euthanasia only after the approval of a high court.
The court also said that Aruna is not brain dead, but at the same time there is little possibility of her coming out the PVS. While allowing Passive Euthanasia, the court said it is for the KEM hospital staff to take the decision whether Passive Euthanasia should be allowed in Aruna’s case. This has been done in recognition of the KEM hospital staff as the next friend of Aruna.  The KEM hospital staff has clearly expressed their wish that Aruna should be allowed to live. Hence Aruna was allowed to live till her death by natural means.
While allowing Passive Euthanasia, the court laid down important guidelines to prevent any misuse of the provision and that these guidelines have to be followed in every such case till legislation is made by the Government. The guidelines to be followed in such cases are
Appreciation for KEM Staff
The court had special words of appreciation for the KEM Staff for their dedication all these years.
The Judgement also quoted Mirza Ghalib that depicts the human condition when faced with such a dilemma like Euthanasia where you die waiting for death that never comes.


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Arvind Kejriwal did not announce his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the wrestlers' protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 1, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is going to announce his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the wrestlers’ protest. The post further claims that Arvind Kejriwal said he will leave the country if the government fails to provide justice to the protesting wrestlers. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the protesting wrestlers in Delhi.
Fact: Arvind Kejriwal did not make any such statement announcing his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the wrestlers’ protest. The statement was tweeted by a parody Twitter handle of the Aam Aadmi Party Rajasthan. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether Arvind Kejriwal had made any such statement announcing his resignation in support of the wrestlers’ protest, we could not find any news report confirming this information on the internet.
Arvind Kejriwal made many tweets and visited Jantar Mantar extending his support to the wrestlers’ protest and highlighting the government turning a blind eye in providing justice to the protesting wrestlers. A few of those tweets can be seen here and here. But Arvind Kejriwal did not publish any tweets o made posts on any of his social media handles announcing his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the wrestlers’ protest.
पूरी दुनिया में देश का नाम रोशन करने वाली ये सभी महिला खिलाड़ी हमारी बेटियाँ हैं, इन्हें इंसाफ़ मिलना ही चाहिए। आरोपी चाहे जितना भी शक्तिशाली हो, उसे सख़्त से सख़्त सज़ा मिलनी चाहिए। https://t.co/GeTVVl38Mz
When we searched for further sources, we found a similar statement as mentioned in the post in a tweet made by a parody Twitter handle of the Aam Aadmi Party Rajasthan. In the bio section of the Twitter handle, it is clearly mentioned as a parody account of AAP Rajasthan.
Breaking ❗❗❗
पहलवानों के समर्थन में केजरीवाल देंगे दिल्ली के CM पद से इस्तीफा। फिर भी अगर सरकार नहीं मानी तो देश छोड़ कर भी जा सकते है।#BREAKING #AAP pic.twitter.com/5olxi4nxKa
To sum it up, referring to a statement published by a parody Twitter account of AAP, the post falsely claims that Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation as Delhi CM in support of the wrestlers’ protest.

source: news-factly

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Arvind Kejriwal was admitted in IIT Kharagpur on merit, not through corporate quota - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that IIT Kharagpur in an RTI reply declared that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had got admission to the IIT through corporate quota and not based on the IIT-JEE examination. The post claims that the Jindal Group had donated a lot of money to the IIT and in turn, they nominated two of their own people including Arvind Kejriwal for admission to IIT Kharagpur. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had got admission to the IIT through corporate quota.
Fact: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is one of the Distinguished Alumnus Award holders of the IIT Kharagpur Institute, who completed a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the institute in 1989. IIT Kharagpur in an RTI reply confirmed that Arvind Kejriwal had secured All India Rank (AIR) 563 in the JEE examination to get admitted to the prestigious institute. Arvind Kejriwal did not get admission to the IIT Kharagpur through any corporate quota. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the IIT Kharagpur had issued any such RTI response declaring that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was admitted to the institute through corporate quota, we found that many social media users have been making similar claims since 2016 by sharing a picture of an RTI response. Responding to a query on disclosing Arvind Kejriwal’s All India Rank (AIR) in JEE examination and the basis on which he got admission to the institute, IIT Kharagpur said that the data of Arvind Kejriwal’s IIT-JEE rank was unavailable with them. Highlighting the IIT Kharagpur’s response, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and many social media users alleged that Kejriwal got into IIT not based on the IIT-JEE examination, but through other methods.
On searching for further details, we found that IIT Kharagpur in another RTI response confirmed that Arvind Kejriwal got admission to IIT Kharagpur based on the IIT-JEE examination and stated that he secured AIR 563 rank in the IIT-JEE examination to get admission into the IIT. In a statement of the RTI response, IIT Kharagpur said, “As per available records, Arvind Kumar Kejriwal, Roll Number 8526118 was admitted in B.Tech (H) degree in mechanical engineering through IIT-JEE. All India Rank cards of all admitted candidates for such older session (1985-89) including Arvind Kumar are not traceable. However, after in-depth search from admission register, it is found that All India rank of Kejriwal is 563”. Reporting the RTI response, several news websites published articles in 2016.
IIT Kharagpur Registrar Pradeep Payne confirmed to the ‘ABP’ news in an interview that Arvind Kejriwal had secured AIR 563 rank in the IIT-JEE examination. Further, Pradeep Payne said that there is no such admission quota provided for the Jindal Group in IIT Kharagpur.
IIT Kharagpur honoured Arvind Kejriwal with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009. IIT Kharagpur described Arvind Kejriwal as one of their alumni and brand ambassadors of their institute in their Information Brochure.
To sum it up, Arvind Kejriwal was admitted in IIT Kharagpur based on the IIT-JEE examination merit, not based on any corporate quota.


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Arvind Kejriwal has not tweeted about the design of a multispecialty hospital in the 5-acre land designated for Babri Masjid. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 8, 2020
A post with the screenshot of an alleged tweet by Arvind Kejriwal proposing a design for a multispecialty hospital in the land designated for Babri Masjid is doing rounds on social media. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Arvind Kejriwal proposed a design for a multi-speciality hospital in the 5-acre land designated for Babri Masjid.
Fact: Kejriwal has not tweeted regarding the design of a multi-speciality hospital. Also, the design in the post is actually the design of Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Gurgaon designed by Hosmac, a healthcare designing company. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, we found the same design on the website of a healthcare designing company called Hosmac. According to the website, Hosmac designed this for Narayana Supersoeciality Hospital in Gurgaon. With this, we can say that this design has is not new.
When we searched for the tweet on the official twitter account of Arvind Kejriwal using the time and date of the tweet as shown in the screenshot in the post, we could not find any such tweet. Also, we could not find any news articles regarding Kejriwal proposing a design for a hospital in the land designated for Babri Masjid. A tweet by a twitter handle @ArvindKjerival (Parody account) is doctored so as to look like it is actually tweeted by the real Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi. Even the time and date of the tweet by this handle match with the alleged tweet by Kejriwal as claimed in the post. With this, we can say that Kejriwal has not made any such tweet.
To sum it up, Arvind Kejriwal has not tweeted proposing a design for a multispecialty hospital in the 5-acre land designated for Babri Masjid. Similar tweet from a parody account is photoshopped to make it look like the tweet is made by the Delhi CM.
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created: August 8, 2020


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As demand for Engineering falls, Pharmacy picks up
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 8, 2019
Number of institutes,
approved intake & actual enrolment have all increased in the last 7 years,
in the case of Pharma. This increase has coincided with the fall in Engineering.
In the previous
story, we looked at how the demand for Engineering & Management hasfallen over the years. From the data available on the AICTE website, Pharmacyhas picked up as a preferred course coinciding with the fall in demand forEngineering.
Number of Institutes
& Approved, both increase in the case of Pharmacy course
In direct contrast to Engineering,pharmacy has
witnessed an increase in the number of institutes offering the course, theapproved intake and the actual enrolment.
In terms of the institutes offering this course, the number has increased from 1425 in 2012-13 to 2579 in 2019-20, an increase of close to 81%. In just 2019-20, this number has increased 32% compared to 2018-19. In the case of the approved intake, it increased from 1.61 lakh in 2012-13 to 2.66 lakh in 2019-20, an increase of 65%. As with the number of institutes, there has been significant increase of 60394 seats (29%) in the approved intake in the last one year itself.
Pharmacy Enrolment up 55%
in 7 years
In terms of the actualenrolment, it has increased from 99247 in 2012-13 to 153736 in 2018-19, an increaseof 55%. It has to be noted that the enrolment in Engineering fell by more than20% during the same period.
Even in terms of approvedintake Vs actual enrolment, pharma has done better compared to Engineering. Inthe seven year period from 2012-13 to 2017-18, the enrolment to intakepercentage in the case of pharma was about 64% compared to 55% in Engineering.In fact, in 2018-19, this went up to 75% in the case of pharma, with 3 out ofevery 4 seats getting filled up.
Proportion of Girls
better than Engineering, but the share is down over the years
The overall participationof girls in this program is much better than that in Engineering. Theproportion of girls who enrolled for Pharma during this seven-year period wasaround 41% compared to 25% in the case of Engineering.
But, even in the case ofPharma, the proportion of girls has fallen over time. In 2012-13, their sharein enrolment was around 43%. But since then, it has continuously fallen except forthe year 2015-16. As per the latest data for 2018-19, girls account for 37.7% Pharmaenrolments compared to 24% in the case of Engineering.
Placement is an issue for
Pharma as well
Like in the case of Engineering,placement of graduates looks like an issue in Pharma as well. As per theself-declared statistics by institutes, between 2012-13 & 2017-18, around41.1% of Pharma graduates were placed compared to 40.6% in the case of Engineering.
Number of Pharmacy
institutions increase across India except in AP & Telangana
Unlike in the case of Engineering,the number of pharmacy institutes has increased in all the regions except inSouth Central region comprising Andhra Pradesh & Telangana. In these twostates, the Pharmacy education grew along with Engineering and has now fallenbecause of the saturation in the number of colleges.  The greatest increase of Pharma institutes iswitnessed in the North (UP, Bihar & Uttarkahand) and in the West(Maharashtra & Goa). In the North, the number of Pharma institutes hasincreased by more than 5 times in the last 8 years, so much so that 414institutes were added in Uttar Pradesh alone in 2019-20.
Employability &
Out-dated Syllabi could be the reasons for the slump in Engineering
While there have been several debates about the decreasing demand for Engineering, out-dated syllabus in colleges, employability of engineers, market oriented approach towards education may also have influenced the trend. In the draft National Education Policy, improvisation of the syllabus and encouraging innovation have been discussed.
The pharmaceutical industry is growing along with the growth in population whereas the number of jobs in the traditional Engineering industry may be decreasing because of automation. It is also true that more and more students have started exploring other fields and not limiting their choice to Engineering alone.
Featured Image: Demand for Pharmacy Institutes


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As Digital Lending grows, RBI calls for a new set of regulations for the sector
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 30, 2021
Unscrupulous activities of unauthorized digital lending apps were widely reported in recent times. The RBI working group’s report on digital lending highlights the growing lending activity of both banks & NBFCs through digital modes and calls for a new set of regulations. About 600 apps were found to be illegal of which more than 200 have been removed from Google Play Store.
In January 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had constituted a ‘Working Group on Digital Lending’ including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps. The Working Group chaired by Jayant Kumar Dash, Executive Director of RBI, was set up in the context of business conduct and the rising concerns surrounding customer protection following the surge in digital lending activities. The  Report of the Working Group was released recently for comments of stakeholders and members of the public which may be submitted through email by 31 December 2021. The comprehensive report focuses on enhancing customer protection and making the digital lending ecosystem safe and sound while encouraging innovation. It has proposed stringent norms for digital lenders and even new separate legislation to oversee such lending and prevent illegal digital lending activities.
According to the report, ‘a remote and automated lending process, majorly by use of seamless digital technologies in customer acquisition, the credit assessment, loan approval, disbursement, recovery, and associated customer service’ has been referred to as Digital Lending. Digital Lending Apps are those mobile and web-based applications with user interfaces that facilitate borrowing by a financial consumer from a digital lender.
The Working Group was constituted to study the issues following the surge in digital lending
In recent years, while there has been a surge in mobile and web-based digital lending applications, a large amount of digital micro-lending by various fringe entities and their dubious business conduct were flagged to RBI and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and reported in the public domain. However, there was no uniformity in dealing with such incidents across states which called for the setting up of the Working Group to study the issues and give suggestions to deal with such issues.
For the study, a representative survey was conducted to collect data on certain aspects of digital lending such as the amount disbursed, and the number of loans sanctioned. For this, sample data was collected from a total of 28 Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) and 62 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) which were involved in digital lending and furnished the required data. These 28 SCBs and 62 NBFCs represent 75% of the total assets of banks and 10% of the total assets of NBFCs, as on 31 March 2020.
A higher proportion of lending took place through digital mode in the case of NBFCs
The data from the survey reveals that lending through digital mode relative to physical mode is still at a nascent stage in the case of SCBs whereas, for NBFCs, a higher proportion of lending takes place through digital mode. The lending through digital mode was Rs. 1.12 lakh crores for SCBs as against Rs. 53.08 lakh crores through physical mode as of 31 December 2020. On the other hand, the lending through digital mode for NBFCs was Rs. 0.23 lakh crores as against Rs.1.92 lakh crores through physical mode.
In terms of the loan amount, the percentage of the total amount being disbursed through digital channels has gone up from 0.31% in 2016-17 to 2.07% as of 31 December 2020 in 2020-21 in the case of SCBs while that for NBFCs, it has gone up from 0.55% to 10.87% during the same period. With three months left for 2020-21 to end, this percentage might still go up.
The number of loans disbursed through digital mode by NBFCs has gone up from 0.7% to 60.5% in four years
In terms of the number of loans disbursed, 1.43% of the total number of loans disbursed by SCBs in 2016-17 were through digital channels which increased to 6.04% as of 31 December 2020 in 2020-21. During the same period, the number of loans disbursed through digital channels went up from 0.7% in 2016-17 to 60.5% in 2019-20, and 53.05% in 2020-21 (as of 31 December 2020) in the case of NBFCs.
This is a clear indication that NBFCs have made significant progress in lending through digital mode compared to SCBs. To add to this, the share of NBFCs in the number of loans disbursed through digital channels has also increased from 6.3% in 2016-17 to 30.3% in 2019-20, while the total amount of loans disbursed during this period went up from Rs.11,671 crores to Rs.1.42 lakh crores, indicating an increasing adoption of technological innovations.
The majority of the loans disbursed through digital channels were Personal, SME, and ‘other’ loans
In terms of the loan amount, more than half of the amount lent digitally by SCBs as well as NBFCs are in the category of personal loans followed by loans under the ‘others’ category and SME loans. Loans under the ‘others’ category for banks consist of predominantly small business and trade loans, home loans and education loans. The 3 categories- personal, SME, and other loans alone accounted for almost 95% of the loan amount disbursed by SCBs and 97.4% of the loan amount disbursed by NBFCs as of 31 December 2020.
The amount disbursed under Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) loans is only 0.73% of the total amount disbursed for SCBs and 2.07% for NBFCs even though the volume of loans under BNPL is significant. In terms of number, BNPL loans constituted 37% of the loans disbursed by SCBs (36 lakh loans out of a total of 96.9 lakh loans) and around 11.9% of the loans disbursed by NBFCs (36.28 lakh loans out of total 3 crore loans). This means that a large number of small size loans were being disbursed under BNPL loans.
37.5% of the loan amount disbursed by NBFCs through digital mode were loans of tenure less than 30 days
While the pattern with respect to the purpose of the loan is similar in both cases, there is a major difference between the two with regard to the tenure of the loan. Around 87% of the loans, amounting to Rs. 98,036 crores, disbursed by SCBs have tenure of more than one year while in the case of NBFCs, only 23% of the loans amounting to Rs. 5,390 crores have a tenure of more than a year. On the other hand, the share of loans with tenure of fewer than 30 days is the highest for NBFCs accounting for 37.5% of the total loan amount disbursed by them, amounting to Rs. 8,827 crores whereas for SCBs, only 0.7% amounting to Rs. 758 crores fall under this bucket.
Dependence on third-party apps was high for private sector banks
The report further observed that the public sector banks and foreign banks were mainly dependent on their own apps/websites for disbursal of digital loans whereas private sector banks were mainly dependent on outsourced/third-party apps. Unlike in the case of credit offered through digital channels by public sector banks which is mostly secured, in the case of private sector banks and foreign banks, it was observed that most of the digital lending portfolio was unsecured and specifically, the third-party app sourced loans in private sector banks were unsecured. In the case of NBFCs, it was observed that there wasn’t a huge difference between disbursal through own digital channels and third-party digital channels.
600 out of 1,100 lending apps in India were illegal
The report also found that there were approximately 1,100 lending apps available for Android users in India between January and February 2021. However, more than one-half of them, approximately 600 apps were found to be illegal loan apps. In the Sachet portal of RBI that is used for registration of complaints by the public, there has been a significant increase in the number of complaints against digital lending apps. Around 2,562 complaints were registered from January 2020 to March 2021. The report also notes that more than 200 apps were removed for policy violations from Google Play Store after being reported by enforcement authorities. A total of 132 apps were reported by the Police in Telangana, 17 in Tamil Nadu, 214 by the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and 27 by the Ministry of Elections & Information Technology.
The Working Group made a slew of recommendations
Going by the trend in the last five years, there has been a significant growth in digital lending even though the supporting infrastructure and other enabling factors were still evolving. This means that digital lending will grow further in the coming years with the growing technological interventions. However, the working group felt that it needs to be regulated considering the increasing complaints and evolving technology. Keeping this in mind, the Working Group has made recommendations in three levels- regulated entities of the RBI; other regulated/authorised entities; and unregulated entities including third-party service providers functioning in the digital financial realm. The recommendations are aimed at protecting the integrity of the system against entities that are not regulated and not authorized to carry out lending business. The key recommendations made by the working group are the following.
RBI has invited comments of stakeholders and members of the public with respect to these recommendations. The comments can be submitted by email to digitallendingwg@rbi.org.in by 31 December 2021.
Featured Image: Digital Lending growth

created: November 30, 2021


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As Government introduces ‘Lateral Entry’ at the JS Level, here is what the ARC recommended
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 11, 2018
The Government of India has announced lateral entry to the position of Joint Secretary (JS) in ten (10) departments. The 2nd ARC had recommended that a Central Civil Services authority be setup and lateral entry be extended to certain positions at the level of Additional Secretary & above.
The Government of India announced lateral entry in ten (10) departments. The selected ones will join the government at the Joint Secretary (JS) level. It has to be remembered that the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) has in the past recommended lateral entry to senior positions, at the level of Additional Secretary (AS) & above.
Ten (10) at the level of JS will be inducted
The government in its advertisement says that this proposal of lateral entry is aimed at bringing in fresh ideas and new approaches to governance and also to augment manpower. It has invited applications from candidates who have expertise in specific areas of Revenue, Financial Services, Economic Affairs, Agriculture, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Environment & Forests, New & Renewable Energy, Civil Aviation and Commerce. Following are the broad eligibility criteria.
The government has asked interested candidates to apply online by 30 th July 2018. Shortlisted candidates will be called for a personal interaction with the selection committee. No other details like the selection criteria, process etc. have been disclosed by the government.
What did the 2nd ARC recommend?
The 2nd ARC in its 10th report titled ‘Refurbishing of Personnel Administration’ had made relevant recommendations regarding lateral entry to senior government positions. This report was submitted in the year 2008.
Among other things, the report noted the following with specific reference to lateral entry.
In its report, the ARC recommended the creation of a Central Civil Services Authority, a five-member body. This authority would earmark positions, for which outside talent could be considered in consultation with the government. These positions should be for Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) & above (additional secretary or above levels). These positions, the ARC recommended would be open to eligible persons from the open market as well as to those currently serving in the government.
The NITI Aayog, in its 3-year action agenda had also recommended lateral entry in areas requiring specialised knowledge.
Lateral entry is required, but with a transparent selection process
There is broad agreement that lateral entry is required for specialized positions, especially in the light of technological advances & complex governance issues that the governments have to deal with. At the same time, the government must ensure a highly transparent selection process so that only the deserving ones get through.


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As most countries implement Tobacco control measures, WHO report calls for addressing ‘New and Emerging Products’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 10, 2021
One of the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to strengthen the implementation of the WHO ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’ in all countries. The latest WHO report on tobacco control points out that while most countries are implementing tobacco control measures, there is a need to address ‘New and Emerging Products’.
Tobacco usage poses serious health hazards. Tobacco use accounts for 71% of non-communicable deaths worldwide. Hence, reducing tobacco use is critical to reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases across the world. A few of the diseases that are attributed to tobacco include – lung & heart diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers & diabetes. All of these are co-morbidities that could increase the probability of severe infection with COVID-19 leading to even death. Hence, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguarding the population from the harmful effects of tobacco assumes greater importance than earlier.
The implementation of the WHO Framework convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is now considered a global development priority and is a dedicated target in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has earlier released – WHO Report on Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019. The main purpose of the report is to track the Tobacco epidemic and the interventions to combat it. Since then, the global landscape has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raising apprehensions on its impact on the initiatives to combat tobacco usage.
Recently, WHO released the eighth edition of the WHO report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021. The theme of the report is ‘Addressing New and Emerging Products’ that provides insights into the progress made globally in combating tobacco usage and the impact COVID-19 might have had on it.  In this story, we review a few of the key highlights from this report.
146 countries & around 5.3 billion people covered by at least one MPOWER measure
As highlighted earlier, WHO FCTC lays down the guidelines that act as the foundation for the countries to implement & manage tobacco control. To facilitate the implementation, WHO introduced MPOWER. The implementation of these measures will help the countries create effective interventions in tobacco usage and reduce its demand.
The latest data for 2020 indicates that 146 countries are covered under at least one MPOWER measure at the highest level. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 7 additional countries have managed to reach this criterion compared to 2018. There has been steady progress in the number of countries which have adopted and reached the highest level for at least one measure to combat the usage of tobacco. In 2007, only 44 countries were covered. The highest increase was during 2014-16 when the coverage increased from 107 countries in 2014 to 124 by 2016.
An increase in the number of countries implies that a greater population has come under the coverage of any one measure of MPOWER. By 2020, around 5.3 billion people were covered under at least one measure of MPOWER at the highest level.
Apart from the considerable progress in making new countries achieve the highest level in the implementation of at least one measure, there has also been significant improvement in the number of countries that have managed to meet the highest levels for two measures in controlling usage of tobacco.
‘Pack Warnings’ constitutes the control measure with the highest coverage of the population
A total of 101 countries have implemented complete policies with respect to ‘Pack Warnings’ as a measure to deter the consumption of tobacco products. Providing warnings on the packs of tobacco products is part of the larger measure of “Warn against the dangers of tobacco” (W) under MPOWER.
The other measure under W is the warnings through mass media. 46 countries have comprehensive policies in place regarding the usage of mass media as a control measure. However, 103 countries do not have a policy in place or have a weak policy.
In terms of population, an additional 55% of the population is covered under the measure of ‘Pack Warnings’ as of 2020 compared to 2007, when it was only 5%. In 2007, the highest percentage of the population was covered under the measure of mass media with 32% with only an additional of 11% by 2020.
Another measure which has witnessed significant improvement over the recent years is ‘Monitoring’. In 2007, only 19% of the population was covered under this measure while an additional 38% were covered by 2020. Around 78 countries have recent or periodic data of both adults & youth, aiding in the monitoring of the prevalence of tobacco consumption.
Taxation continues to be the least implemented measure as a deterrent for the consumption of tobacco products. Around 40 countries have complete policies in place to use ‘Taxation’ as a viable measure whereas 69 countries have moderate and 49 countries have minimal policies in place. In terms of population, around 7% was covered in 2007 with an addition only 6% by 2020.
Increased taxation as an effective measure to combat the use of Tobacco products
As per Article 6 of the WHO FCTC, Price & Tax measures are effective measures to control tobacco consumption. It suggests the implementation of tax policies and price policies on tobacco products. The report cites the observations of ‘Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health’, who in their report state that Tax increases would lead to an increase of tobacco prices by 50% and increased prices could contribute towards averting 27.2 million premature deaths worldwide in the next 50 years.
Taxation and Pricing policy are also less expensive to implement, which would help low- & middle-income countries to opt for this measure to control the consumption of tobacco. Higher tax & pricing policy could also contribute towards increased revenue to the government, albeit the main target being the increased price to act as a deterrent.
As per the observations of the Task Force, an increase of 10% in price in low- & middle-income countries would bring down the consumption by 5% and can reach up to 8% as well in certain situations. Among high-income countries, in around 40% of the counties (24 countries), Tax constitutes more than 75% of the retail price of cigarettes, with around another 25 high-income countries having taxes up to 50-75% of the total retail price.
In the case of Middle-income counties, only 15 countries out of 105 have tax at more than 75% of the retail price. This is much lower in lower-income countries with only 1 out of 29 lower-income countries having a tax regimen, that has more than 75% tax as part of the retail price. Another 9 low-income countries have taxes at 50-75 % of the retail price of cigarettes.
This indicates a huge scope for middle- & low-income countries to increase the levels of taxation on tobacco products, which could act as an effective means of reducing usage. However, it ought to be noted that the tax revenue on tobacco products also forms a key part of the revenue for many of the low- & middle-income countries, and hence these countries are wary of losing out on the revenue in case the prices are beyond reach and the population not consuming the tobacco products.
What is the tax revenue through Tobacco products in India?
As far as India is concerned, as per an update provided in Rajya Sabha in August 2021, the average annual revenue collected (including GST, Compensation Cess, Excise duty, and National Calamity and Contingent Duty (NCCD)), on tobacco products is about Rs. 53.7 thousand crores.  Highlighting the different measures taken by the government to curb the usage of Tobacco products, the government stated in another response in Rajya Sabha that all the tobacco products are covered under the highest slab under GST, with an additional compensation Cess. However, bidis are excluded from the same.  As per the data available with ‘The Tobacco Institute of India’, a representative body, the total tax collected on tobacco products is around Rs. 43 thousand crores, of which the maximum is through Cigarettes. Cigarettes which constitute only 9% of the total tobacco consumption contribute nearly 80 % of the total tax revenue through tobacco products.
While the tax policy on cigarettes seems to be in line with the measures of increased taxation to deter the consumers, a large portion of the tobacco products are left out. A larger share of tobacco users is under the non-cigarette category.  A higher tax on these products could help in reducing their consumption.
The report highlights the need to control alternative & emerging tobacco products
The theme of ‘World Report on Global Tobacco Epidemic – 2021’, is addressing ‘New & Emerging products’. With control is being exercised by most countries to curb the use of tobacco products, there are new products being introduced that are beyond the definition of tobacco products. Hence, the report highlights the need to identify such products and bring in restrictions. The biennial Conference of Parties (COP) under WHO FCTC has provided guidelines to regulate the usage of these novel products.
In 2018, COP 8 has defined Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) as Tobacco Products and hence fall under the provisions of WHO FCTC. The sale of ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) is high in Western European countries and there has been an increase in their usage over the years.
While the long-term health effects of ENDS are not known, there is growing evidence to demonstrate that these products are not harmless. The diversity of ENDS makes it a challenge to monitor & regulate the products. It ought to be noted that India has banned the usage of E-Cigarettes in 2019, through an ordinance.
Featured Image: Tobacco control measures

created: September 10, 2021


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2024 తెలంగాణ లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి 15 మే 2024 నాటికి India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు ఎటువంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేయలేదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 15, 2024
2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలలో భాగంగా, తెలంగాణలోని 17 లోక్‌సభ స్థానాలకు ఎన్నికలు 13 మే 2024న ముగిశాయి.. ఈ నేపథ్యంలోనే India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు తెలంగాణలోని 17 లోక్‌సభ స్థానాలకు సంబంధించి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ ఫలితాలు విడుదల చేశాయి అని చెప్తూ పలు పోస్టులు సోషల్ మీడియాలో వైరల్ అవుతున్నాయి (ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ & ఇక్కడ). ఈ కథనం ద్వారా అందులో ఎంత నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: తెలంగాణలోని 17 లోక్‌సభ స్థానాలకు సంబంధించి India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేశాయి.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): భారత ఎన్నికల సంఘం (ECI) 19 ఏప్రిల్ 2024 నుండి ఉదయం 7 గంటల నుండి 01 జూన్ 2024 సాయంత్రం 6:30 గంటల వరకు ఎలాంటి ఎన్నికల సర్వే ఫలితాలు, ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్ ఫలితాలను ప్రసారం చేయడాన్ని నిషేధించింది. అంతేకాకుండా, 2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి 15 మే 2024 నాటికి India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు ఎటువంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేయలేదు. కావున పోస్టు ద్వారా చెప్పేది తప్పు.
ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ ప్రచురణకు సంబంధించిన నియమాలు THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT, 1951 యొక్క సెక్షన్ 126A లో పొందుపరిచారు. దీనిలో ఉన్న నిబంధనల ప్రకారంగా, ఎన్నికల సంఘం వారు నోటిఫై చేసిన సమయంలో ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ నిర్వహించడం కానీ వాటి ఫలితాలని బహిర్గతం చేయడం కానీ నిషిద్ధం అని తెలుస్తుంది.
పైన పేర్కొన్న చట్టపరమైన నిబంధనలకు అనుగుణంగా, ECI అన్ని రాష్ట్రాల్లో చివరి దశకు ఎన్నికలు ముగిసిన అరగంట వరకు ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్ ఫలితాలను ప్రచురించడాన్ని నిషేధించింది. 16 మార్చి 2024న ECI విడుదల చేసిన 2024 లోక్ సభ మరియు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ సహా మూడు రాష్ట్రాల అసెంబ్లీ ఎన్నికల నోటిఫికేషన్ ప్రకారం, “ప్రజా ప్రాతినిధ్య చట్టం, 1951లోని సెక్షన్ 126A, నిర్ధిష్ట కాలంలో ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్ నిర్వహించడాన్ని మరియు దాని ఫలితాలను ప్రింట్ లేదా ఎలక్ట్రానిక్ మీడియా ద్వారా ప్రసారం చేయడాన్ని నిషేధిస్తుంది, అనగా. , మొదటి దశలో పోలింగ్ ప్రారంభానికి నిర్ణయించిన గంట నుండి అన్ని రాష్ట్రాల్లో చివరి దశ ఎన్నికల ముగింపు సమయం తర్వాత అరగంట వరకు. RP చట్టం, 1951లోని సెక్షన్ 126A యొక్క ఏదైనా ఉల్లంఘన రెండు సంవత్సరాల వరకు జైలు శిక్ష, జరిమానా లేదా రెండూ విధించబడుతుంది.”
ECI (ఎలక్షన్ కమిషన్ అఫ్ ఇండియా) నిబంధనల ప్రకారం దేశంలోని అన్ని లోక్ సభ స్థానాలకు పోలింగ్ ముగేసేవరకి ఎలాంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేయడానికి వీలులేదు, అనగా 01 జూన్ 2024 సాయత్రం 06.30 గంటల వరకు ఎలాంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేయడానికి వీలులేదు. ECI (భారత ఎన్నికల సంఘం) వారి అధికారిక X(ట్విట్టర్)లో 19 ఏప్రిల్ 2024న ఇదే విషయాన్ని తెలియజేస్తూ పోస్ట్ చేసింది. వార్తా పత్రికలు కూడా భారతదేశ ఎన్నికల సంఘం (ECI ) 19 ఏప్రిల్ 2024 ఉదయం 7 గంటల నుండి 01 జూన్ 2024 సాయంత్రం 6:30 గంటల వరకు ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ నిషేధించడాన్ని గురించి రిపోర్ట్ చేసాయి (ఇక్కడ & ఇక్కడ).
Ban on Exit Poll🚫
Time Period 👇
7.00 AM – 19 April 2024
To
6.30 PM – 1 June 2024#ChunavKaParv #DeshKaGarv #ECI #Election2024#LokSabhaElection2024 pic.twitter.com/J5VC9W7Dnb
అంతేకాకుండా, 2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి 15 మే 2024 నాటికి ఈ వైరల్ ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ ఫలితాలు India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు విడుదల చేశాయా? అని ఆయా సంస్థలకు సంబంధించిన సోషల్ మీడియా అకౌంట్స్ లో వెతకగా, India Today(వెబ్సైటు, ఫేస్ బుక్, ట్విట్టర్, యూట్యూబ్, ఇంస్టాగ్రామ్), Times Now (వెబ్సైటు, ఫేస్ బుక్, ట్విట్టర్, యూట్యూబ్, ఇంస్టాగ్రామ్),  Today’s Chanakya (ట్విట్టర్) సంస్థలు ఎలాంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేసినట్లు మాకు కనిపించలేదు. పైగా, 2024 ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ అసెంబ్లీ, లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు మరియు తెలంగాణ లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి తాము ఎలాంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ ఫలితాలు విడుదల చేయలేదని 15 మే 2024న Today’s Chanakya సంస్థ X(ట్విట్టర్) పోస్టు ద్వారా స్పష్టం చేసింది.
There are rumours going in Andhra / Telangana about poll numbers in our name.
Please don’t believe any such poll / numbers in our name. They are fake & we have not released them.
Pls retweet if possible.
03 ఏప్రిల్ 2024న 2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి India Today మూడ్ అఫ్ ది నేషన్(Mood of the nation) పేరిట విదుదల చేసిన సర్వే ఫలితాలను ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు. 2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి ‘Times Now’ వార్త సంస్థ ‘ETG Research’తో కలిసి 16 ఏప్రిల్ 2024న విడుదల చేసిన సర్వే ఫలితాలు ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
అదేవిధంగా, 2024 ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ అసెంబ్లీ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి పలు సంస్థల ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ ఫలితాలు అంటూ పలు పోస్టులు వైరల్ అయ్యాయి, వాటిని ఫాక్ట్-చెక్ చేస్తూ FACTLY రాసిన కథనాన్ని ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
చివరగా, 2024 లోక్‌సభ ఎన్నికలకు సంబంధించి 15 మే 2024 నాటికి India Today, Times Now, Chanakya సంస్థలు ఎటువంటి ఎగ్జిట్ పోల్స్ విడుదల చేయలేదు.


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As of today, PM Modi has not announced the extension of the current lockdown till 4 May 2020 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2020
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that PM Modi has announced that the current lockdown has been extended till 4 May 2020. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
PM Modi has announced the extension of the All-India Lockdown till 4 May 2020.
Fact: No such announcement has been made by PM Modi or the government. The posted India Today screenshot is a photoshopped version of the original telecast of Modi’s address to the nation on 24 March 2020, where he announced the 21-day lockdown from 25 March 2020. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the news about the extension, it was found that no such extension has been announced by PM Modi or the government. Nothing about such an extension to the current lockdown can be found on the official Twitter handles of PM Narendra Modi and PMO India. Also, the posted image of India Today telecast is a photoshopped version of the original telecast of Modi’s address to the nation on 24 March 2020, where he announced the 21-day lockdown from 25 March 2020. In the picture below, the differences in fonts and the background of the text can be noticed. So, a photoshopped image is being circulated to falsely claim that Modi has announced an extension to the current lockdown.
When such similar news went viral previously, ‘Prasar Bharati News Services’ has got in touch with the Cabinet Secretary and tweeted, ‘The Cabinet Secretary expressed surprise & said that there is no such plan of extending the lockdown’.
FAKE NEWS ALERT 🚨
PBNS got in touch with the Cabinet Secretary on this news article.
The Cabinet Secretary expressed surprise & said that there is no such plan of extending the lockdown. https://t.co/CrLlp6f7X5
To sum it up, as of today, Modi has not announced the extension of the current lockdown till 4 May 2020.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
As of today, there is no vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine by Israeli scientists is yet to be approved - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2020
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Israel scientists have discovered a vaccine for COVID-19 and there will be no more COVID-19 deaths. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
No more deaths from COVID-19 as Israel scientists have discovered a vaccine for COVID-19.
Fact: Various vaccines proposed by Israel scientists and other researchers across the world are under development and are yet to be cleared for production and distribution. Israel’s MIGAL Research Institute is also in the process of producing a vaccine for COVID-19. According to WHO, as on 11 March 2020, there is no vaccine for COVID-19.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On the WHO website, it can be read that, ‘to date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. Possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are under investigation. They are being tested through clinical trials. WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat COVID-19’.
When searched on Google about Israeli scientists discovering a vaccine for COVID-19, various news articles were found in the search results. According to an article in ‘The Jerusalem Post’, Israel’s MIGAL Research Institute is in the process of developing a vaccine for COVID-19. Also, the vaccine is yet to go through the regulatory process. The same can be found on the website of MIGAL Galilee Research Institute. David Zigdon, CEO of MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, said, “Given the urgent global need for a human coronavirus vaccine, we are doing everything we can to accelerate development. Our goal is to produce the vaccine during the next 8-10 weeks, and to achieve safety approval in 90 days”. Also, in the ‘DRAFT landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines – 4 March 2020’ document released by WHO, 35 candidate vaccines are listed (all of them are at the pre-clinical stage). The name of ‘MIGAL Galilee Research Institute’ can be seen in the list and its vaccine is also at the pre-clinical stage. So, the vaccine being developed by Israeli scientists is not yet approved for human consumption.
Also, on 6 March 2020, WHO has tweeted that “so far WHO has received applications for review & approval of 40 diagnostic tests, 20 vaccines are in development & many clinical trials of therapeutics are underway“. A vaccine must go through various stages of development before it gets distributed among the public. More info regarding the vaccine approval process can be found here and here.
The posted Coronavirus vaccine photo is taken from ‘Alamy’ (stock pictures website).
To sum it up, as of today, there is no vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine by Israeli scientists is yet to be approved.
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As on 07 April 2020, Telangana SSC Board hasn’t released the new schedule of Class-X Examinations - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 7, 2020
A message with the schedule of SSC Board Class-X Examinations purportedly released by the Government of Telangana is making rounds on social media. As per that schedule, the exams of the remaining subjects will be held from 20 April to 28 April. Earlier, the government has postponed the exams due to the severity of COVID-19 in the State. FACTLY has found that the SSC board hasn’t announced the new schedule of the remaining exams of Class-X. Also, the Director of the Examinations section of the Board, Satyanarayana Reddy, clarified that the board hasn’t released the new schedule of the Class-X exams and the message on social media is fake. He also said that the board will decide on the schedule of examinations after discussing with the government after 14 April.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.bse.telangana.gov.in/
https://www.v6velugu.com/after-14th-date-of-tenth-class-exams-schedule-announcement/
https://epaper.andhrajyothy.com/2620995/Telangana/04-04-2020#clip/50603638/958f6af5-fb80-4a5e-aea1-1702634a5439/396.53152357845835:152.0254401432495
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As per the newspaper reports, Rajamma is 72 years old, not 62 years old. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with the claim that Rajamma Vavathil, the Kerala nurse who held Rahul Gandhi as a newborn, was a child when Rahul Gandhi was born. Let’s try to check the authenticity of the claim made in the post
Rajamma is 62 years old now. So, she was just 13 years old when Rahul Gandhi was born.
Fact:  All the major newspapers reported the current age of Rajamma as 72 years, not 62 years. So, she was 23 years old, not 13 years old, when Rahul Gandhi was born. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google with the keywords ‘Rajamma Rahul Gandhi’, newspaper articles on Rahul Gandhi meeting Rajamma can be found in the search results. According to various newspaper articles (The Hindu, India Today, Times of India), the current age of Rajamma is 72 years, not 62 years. Even the news agency PTI reported the same. Rahul Gandhi was born in 1970. So if her current age is 72 years, then she was 23 years old in 1970. The age of Rajamma was reduced by 10 years in the post to falsely claim that she was just 13 years old in 1970.
To sum it up, Rajamma is 72 years old, not 62 years old, as per the newspaper reports.
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As Records get Broken in the 2023 ODI CWC, Data Indicates that Victory Margins Bigger During the more Recent ODI Cricket World Cups - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 7, 2023
Data of the past 12 editions of the ODI Cricket World Cups indicates that more matches were won by bigger margins & more deliveries to spare in the recent world cups. However, many records are set to be broken during the ongoing 2023 edition of the 13th CWC.
The ongoing 13 International Cricket Council (ICC) One Day International (ODI) Cricket World Cup (CWC) hosted by India is continuing to record heavy run-scoring across different teams and venues with soaring run rates. Of the 37 league matches that have so far been played, a staggering 13 matches have witnessed scores of over 300, with even the scores of 428, 401, and 399, 388, 383, among others. Thus, an average of one 300-plus score is being scored every three matches. Notable among these is the 8th match played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which witnessed both sides scoring over 300 runs. In the same match, the Pakistan team created history by chasing 345 runs against Sri Lanka, the highest-ever chase recorded in the history of CWCs. This was almost broken in the 27 match by New Zealand against Australia, where they lost by meagre 5 runs chasing a steep target of 389.
At the same time, there have also been some matches where low scores have been registered in the ongoing CWC. Teams like England, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have registered scores below 200 in different matches, with even scores of 55, 83, and 90. The 2019 CWC champion England tops this list of low scores with 170, 156, and 129. There have also been matches where teams such as India, New Zealand, Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan batting second have won with about 15 overs to spare.
In this context, we look at the history of CWCs and the phenomenon of higher scoring rates and higher margins of victories across different editions of the CWC by teams batting first and second.
Methodology
The data has been sourced from Dataful, which has compiled the dataset on all the matches played in CWCs with the scores, wickets, teams, winners, and other aspects. The data is used to calculate the run rates of teams that have batted first, second, and overall run rates.
2015 and 2019 CWCs Registered Highest Run Rates (up to the last 2019 CWC)
Out of the 454 matches that have been played across 12 CWCs held so far (up to 2019), a total of 234 matches have been won by teams batting first and 198 by teams batting second. Out of the remaining 22 matches, 4 matches were walkover wins and the 18 matches were either tied, abandoned, or have seen no results.
The lowest and highest run rates across different world cups of the teams that won batting first and second have ranged from 3.3 to 5.4 runs per over, and 3.4 to 5.1 runs per over, respectively. Notably, both the higher run rates of teams batting first and second were witnessed during the 2015 and 2019 CWCs. While the 2019 CWC was held in England, the 2015 CWC was held in Australia and New Zealand in 2019. These countries are known to offer more swing, and bounce and contain bigger grounds (those in Australia). Thus, they make it comparatively harder to score more runs. However, these are the venues that have higher run rates. Interestingly, the lowest ever run rates of 3.3 and 3.4 were registered in the 1979 CWC, which was held in England.
India Registered Highest Run Rate in the 2011 CWC before the ongoing 2023 edition
4 out of the 13 CWCs so far (including the 2023 edition) were hosted by India, along with other Asian Countries. While the 1987, 1996, and 2011 CWCs were jointly hosted by India with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, the ongoing 13th CWC is hosted by it exclusively. In the 12 CWCs till 2019, India’s overall run rate, either batting first or second, varied from 3. 13 to 5.77 runs per over across CWCs. Whereas the overall run rate of all the teams, including India, varied from 3.3 to 5.3 across CWCs.
From the 3 CWCs that were previously held in the subcontinent, either in India or other Asian countries, the batting run rates registered by India present an interesting phenomenon. The overall run rate of India in 1987, 1996, and 2011 CWCs was 5.24, 4.66, and 5.77, respectively. Thus, the lowest run rates registered among CWCs held in India were during the 1996 CWC and not during 1987. However, in the same 1996 CWC, India’s overall run rate was 4.66, greater than the overall run rate of all the countries combined.
The highest run rate of India across all the 12 CWCs held so far was registered in 2011 with 5.77 runs per over. Its run rates in the 2015 and 2019 CWCs have stood at 5.76 and 5.71, respectively, marginally short of this 2011 CWC run rate. However, in the ongoing 13 CWC, India has been scoring at an average of 6.14 runs per over in the 8 matches it has played so far, registering over 6 runs per over in 5 of the matches. In the context of many matches resulting in higher scores, India could very well beat its own 2011 CWC record in the overall run rates registered across CWCs. Perhaps, it may be the same with some of the other countries playing in the ongoing 13th CWC.
Australia Dominates in Victories with Higher Margins in CWCs
Out of the 198 matches won by teams batting second, there were 15 and 53 matches where the chasing teams won with more than 200 and 100 deliveries remaining, respectively. The run rate of chasing teams in these matches ranged from 3.28 to 10.14. The highest run rate of 10.14 was witnessed in the 2015 World Cup by New Zealand against England. The highest among the teams with a greater number of deliveries left after chasing the target was England in the 1979 World Cup (60 over format) against Canada.
The notable feature among matches that have been won with over 200 deliveries is that they are all won by teams such as West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, and South Africa, which have won 4, 3, 3, 2, 2 and 1 times, respectively, across the CWCs. Except for Sri Lanka, none of the Asian teams, including India, feature among these teams that won with more than 200 deliveries to spare up to the 2019 CWC.
Victory by more than 100 & 200 Runs more Frequently in the Recent CWCs
Further, out of the 234 matches that have been won by teams batting first up to the 2019 CWC, the margins of victory varied from 1 run to 275 runs with the variation in run rate from 2.68 to 8.34. Out of these, 70 and 16 matches have been won with the margin of victory being over 100 and 200 runs respectively with the variation in run rate being 4.12 to 8.34 and 5.57 to 8.34, respectively. Australia stands as the top team across World Cups with the highest victory margin in terms of runs. Yet again, the record was registered during the 2015 World Cup, where Australia defeated Afghanistan by 275 runs. Australia broke its own record in the ongoing 2023 CWC where they defeated Netherlands by 309 runs. This was the first time in CWC history that the victory was with more than 300 runs.
Even here, the teams that have won by over 200 runs have been major cricketing teams such as South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India. While India, Pakistan, England, and the West Indies have only won once with such a margin, Sri Lanka has won twice. South Africa and Australia have won 5 times each by more than 200 runs. Thus, out of the 16 CWC matches that were won with over 200 runs margin, Asian teams feature only 4 times among the winners. India’s solitary entry into the list is from the 2007 World Cup where it won against Bermuda by 257 runs. It was the second highest among the teams with over 200 runs victory in CWCs till 2019. In the ongoing 13th CWC, India broke its own record by defeating Sri Lanka by 302 runs. This is the second highest in terms of defeating the opposition with a higher margin of runs.
The data indicates that the Australian team stands dominant across CWCs, either batting first or second, both in terms of victories with number of deliveries left and margin of victory (runs). This is perhaps the reason for Australia being the winner of five World Cups, the most for any team.
Asian Teams Top the Highest Run Chases in CWCs
21 matches in the history of CWC have resulted in a run rate of over 7 till the 2019 edition. Of these, the teams batting first have registered less than 200 runs in 16 matches. Interestingly, all these matches have been won by teams batting second. The striking victory among these was the victory of Bangladesh against West Indies in the last 2019 World Cup held in England. In the same World Cup, Bangladesh had chased 322 runs target set by West Indies at a rate of 7.76 runs per over with 51 balls and 7 wickets remaining. This was the second-highest-ever chase in CWC history with the first being Ireland. Ireland had chased 328 runs set by England in the 2011 World Cup at 6.69 runs per over. This record now stands broken by Pakistan in the ongoing 13th World Cup. Pakistan may also have registered yet another highest run chase in the CWC history in its last match played against New Zealand. In the same match, chasing the target of 402 runs, Pakistan stood at 200 runs for the loss of one ticket after 25.3 overs. Due to the interruption by rain, Pakistan was declared the winner by D/L method.
The data of the previous 12 CWCs shows that out of the top five chases in the CWC where over 300 runs were successfully chased, four of them were by Asian teams. While Pakistan and Sri Lanka have featured once each, Bangladesh has done it twice against West Indies and Scotland and the 2019 and 2015 World Cups, respectively. India does not feature among these victories.
In the context of heavy run-scoring with higher run rates continuing to get recorded in the ongoing CWC, some of the same records of previous CWCs are already broken and are expected to be broken by the end of the 2023 edition.

created: November 7, 2023


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As Sachin & Rekha retire, here is what they did in the Rajya Sabha
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 26, 2018


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As Supreme Court issues fresh guidelines, what about the Conviction rate of crimes against SCs/STs?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 22, 2018
The Supreme Court in its recent judgment noted that there have been instances of abuse of the Prevention of Atrocities act. In this context, we look at the conviction rates in the case of crimes against SCs & STs.
The Supreme Court has recently noted that there have been instances of abuse of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 by vested interests. In its judgment, the court directed that arrest of a public servant in cases of crimes reported under this act can only be after approval of the appointing authority and in case of a non-public servant, the arrest can be made only after the approval by the S.S.P. which may be granted in appropriate cases if it is considered necessary. The court also made it clear that such grant of arrest must be accompanied by recorded reasons.
Crimes against SCs/STs
The  Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was enacted to  prevent atrocities/crimes against the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. The act was further amended in 2015 to modify certain categories of offences and add new categories of actions to be treated as offences.
The National Crime Records Bureau in its annual Crime in India report, has a dedicated section on crimes against the SCs/STs. Crimes are recorded both as per sections of the IPC read in conjunction with the atrocities act and offences listed in the atrocities act.
Pendency of cases increasing each year
As per data released by the NCRB, the number of cases of crime against SCs pending for trial increased from 85264 at the end of the year 2006 to 129831 at the end of year 2016, an increase of over 50% in 10 years. The number of cases of crime against SCs pending trial, crossed one lakh in 2014.In the case of crimes against STs, the number of cases pending trial increased from 15956 at the end of 2006 to 20386 at the end of 2016, an increase of 28%. The number of cases pending for trial decreased substantially from 2015 to 2016.
Crime against SCs – Substantial decrease in the disposal rate by courts
The number of cases disposed by courts in case of crimes against SCs has decreased substantially in the last four years. An average of 21000 cases were disposed per year by courts from the year 2006 till 2011. Since 2012, the average is down to 17000 cases per year. In 2016, a mere 14615 cases were disposed, leading to enormous increase in the number of pending cases for trial.In the case of crimes against STs, about 3900 cases were disposed on average per year since 2006. There has not been a substantial decrease in the number of cases disposed except for the 2016 when only 2895 cases were disposed by courts.
Is Conviction rate comparable to other crimes?
The average conviction rate in the case of crimes against SCs is around 29% since 2006. In the case of crimes against STs, it is around 26%. Though these conviction rates are less than the overall conviction rate of all IPC crimes, they are more than the conviction rate in many other IPC crimes. For instance, the conviction rates are higher in the case of crimes against SCs/STs compared to the conviction rate in 498-A cases. In fact, in the case of crimes against SCs/STs, the conviction rate on average is more than the conviction rate in 11 other IPC crimes since 2006.
While the Supreme Court has noted certain cases of misuse of the PoA act, speedy disposal of cases might result in better conviction rates and ensuring timely justice to both parties.
Featured Image:  Abuse of Prevention of Atrocities act


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As their SLP is dismissed by the Supreme Court, four Information Commissioners in AP-Telangana head home
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 21, 2017
Four Information Commissioners of the AP-Telangana Information Commission are heading home as the Supreme Court dismissed their SLP challenging the AP High Court judgment that quashed their appointments.
The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by four Information Commissioners (ICs) of the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) challenging the 2013 order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court quashing their appointments. The SC dismissed their SLP yesterday after staying the HC order in 2013. The ICs continued in their posts and have completed more than four years of their 5-year tenure. As their SLP is now dismissed, they have to head home.
Eight (8) appointments for the post of IC in 2012 & 2013
In 2012, the then Congress government in the unified state of Andhra Pradesh began the process of appointing Information Commissioners to the APIC after a couple of writ petitions were filed in the HC. The writ petitions were filed because of the impending vacancies in the APIC and that the constitutional and statutory obligations of the APIC cannot be discharged unless the commissioners were appointed.
The government of the day went ahead with the selection of 8 persons for the post of ICs and sent those names to the Governor. As per sec 15(3) of the RTI act, a committee consisting of the Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and a Cabinet minister recommends the names to the Governor.
The Governor approved four names, and asked the selection committee to reconsider the recommendation of the following four persons as he felt that their selection appeared to attract the infirmities under Sec 15(6) of the RTI act.
When the government did not decide either way on these 4 names, these four persons in turn approached the HC to get the process expedited. Eventually, all these 4 were appointed as Information Commissioners in APIC in the year 2013.
Appointments challenged in 2013
The appointments were challenged in the AP High Court by a group of civil society activists on multiple grounds. Among other things, their major contentions were the following.
The High Court quashes the appointment
The High Court relied on the Namit Sharma judgment of the Supreme Court where it upheld the constitutional validity of Sections 12(5) and 15(5) of the RTI act. The SC laid down certain norms to be followed for the selection of ICs. But since the process of appointment in the present case began before the SC judgment, the HC did not find fault with the process.
In the Namit Sharma judgement, the SC while upholding Sec 15(6) of the RTI act said that the conditions specified in sec 15(6) would be applicable ‘post appointment’ and not before appointment. In other words, the termination of holding of office of profit, pursuing any profession or carrying any business or being connected to any political party are precedents to the appointment of a person as IC.
In the present case, the HC observed that the four persons whose appointments were challenged did not deny being connected to a political party. The court also observed that none of the four persons placed any material before the court that shows they have relinquished and dissociated with the respective political affiliation. The four persons contended that there were no complaints regarding their independent functioning and hence their appointments cannot be invalid.
The HC disagreed with their contention and quashed the appointment of these four persons as ICs.
The HC order challenged in the Supreme Court
The four Information Commissioners immediately approached the Supreme Court through a SLP (Civil) No 30756/2013. In October 2013, the SC stayed the HC order.
The case was adjourned multiple times and finally yesterday, the SLP was dismissed.
While justice was done, it took 4 long years to uphold the HC judgment. In the meantime, the four persons who were appointed as ICs enjoyed all the privileges and perks of being an IC. They also decided thousands of appeals under the RTI act in these 4 years.
Featured Image : AP Information Commission


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As vacancies in the State Police cross 5 lakh, Supreme Court steps in
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 29, 2017
The number of vacancies in the police forces of various states has crossed 5 lakh, with UP alone accounting for 1/3rd of these vacancies. The Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL directed 9 state governments with most vacancies to submit a roadmap to fill up the existing vacancies.
The Supreme Court (SC) recently approved the plan submitted by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to recruit 30000 police constables annually for 4 years starting from 2017. The SC was hearing a PIL filed by one Mr. Manish Kumar (WP(Civil) 183/2013) about the rising vacancies in police forces of various states. As per data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, the vacancies in police force of various state has crossed 5 lakh as of December 2016.
More than 1.8 lakh posts vacant in UP
Among the states, UP with 1.81 lakh has the highest number of vacancies in the country. In fact, the vacancies in the UP Police account for 1/3rd of all the vacancies in the country. About 15 states have more than 10000 vacancies each while 8 states have more than 20000 vacancies each. The four states of UP, Karnataka, West Bengal & Gujarat have more than 30000 vacancies each.
Even in terms of the percentage of vacancies, UP has more than 50% vacancies which is more than twice the national average. Five (5) states including UP have more than 30% vacancies.
Among the bigger states, West Bengal has the lowest number Civil Police per lakh People
Among the bigger states, West Bengal has only 58.7 civil police per lakh people, almost half the national average of 108. UP only has 72 civil police per lakh people while the sanctioned number is 151 per lakh people. There are also wide variations in the number of sanctioned civil police per lakh people among various states. While a state like Punjab has 213 sanctioned civil police per lakh people, West Bengal has only 90 sanctioned civil police per lakh people.
SC approves the plans submitted by UP, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu
The SC while hearing the PIL about the growing number of vacancies in the state police force had earlier issued notices to the states of UP, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand & Tamil Nadu and asked them to submit a definite road map for the filling up these vacancies.
In response to the SC notice, the Principal Secretary of the UP Home department submitted that they would fill all the vacancies by 2020 recruiting 30000 constables annually starting 2017. The SC also directed the UP government not to change the Chairman of the Police Recruitment and Selection Board till the entire process is over.
Karnataka also submitted to the SC that the state would fill up all the vacancies by 2019. The Tamil Nadu government on the other hand assured the SC that all vacancies will be filled up by April 2018. The SC asked the governments of West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand to submit a road map by 1st May 2017. Along with these states, the SC also issued notices to the governments of Gujarat, Telangana & Rajasthan and asked to submit a road map for filling up the vacancies.
Featured Image: Vacancies in the State Police


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Even as we enter 2019, data on Accidents, Suicides & Prisons not available from 2016 onwards
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 31, 2018
The NCRB releases multiple reports annually that provide crime & accident related statistics. Out of the 3 reports published by NCRB annually, two reports for the year 2016 have not been released yet, even as we enter 2019. The delay in the publication of these reports defeat the very purpose of compiling them.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an organization under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It releases annual reports on varied subjects related to crime, accidents, prisons etc. These reports primarily contain aggregated data about various crimes, accidents, suicides, prisons etc. up to the district level. The reports are an important part of any discourse on crimes, accidents, suicides etc.
Even as we enter 2019, few reports for the year 2016 have not been released yet. Historical  data on the month of release  of these reports indicates that it is the first time since 2002 where the delay in the release of few reports has crossed 24 months.
The NCRB Reports
The NCRB releases three reports every year and the Central Finger Print Bureau releases the annual finger print in India report.
Release of the CII Report – Improvement since 2004
The data for the annual  Crime in India (CII) report  is provided by the States/UTs in a  prescribed proforma . This data is compiled by the NCRB in the form of CII, which gives comprehensive data on incidence of crime, disposal of cases by police & courts, crimes against women, children etc.On average, the CII report has been  released by the NCRB  with a delay of about 23 months since the year 1953. But the average delay since the year 2000 has gone down to 11 months. The greatest delay was in the release of the 1984 report, the year in which the Anti-Sikh riots took place. The 1984 report was released in the year 1992, after a delay of 86 months.The 1985 report was also delayed by more than 6 years while the 1983 report was delayed by 5 years. These were the only 3 occasions when the report was released after a delay of 5 years. And since 2004, the CII report has been released every year within 12 months. Between 2010 and 2015, this time lag was less than 10 months where as the 2016 report was released in November 2017, i.e., within 11 months. For the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, the report was released within 6 months. The CII report for the year 2017 is yet to the released, and this is the first occasion since 2004 that the delay in the release of this report has crossed 12 months.
Release of the ADSI Report – The 2016 report is yet to be released
The  Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) report  provides data on various accidental deaths & suicides in India. Though the report is being published since 1967, the month of release of this report is  only available  from the year 1976.
The delay in the release of the ADSI report has been decreasing over the years. On average, the report has been released within 21 months since 1976. However, since the year 2005, the report has been released within 9 months on average. Both the 1979 and 1985 reports were released after a gap of 40 months, the highest for any year. Since 2010, the report has been released within 7 months on average. For the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, the report was released within 6 months while for the years 2014 & 2015, the report was released within 7 months. Curiously, the 2016 report is yet to be released even after 24 months or two full years.
Prison Statistics India report – Improvement in the last 6 years
The  Prison Statistics India report  provides data on all prisons in India, the occupancy, details of the prisoners etc.  This report is being published by the NCRB since 1995. Till the year 2004, this report was released within 24 months on average while the average delay went down to 14 months since 2005. In fact, the average gap has reduced to less than 10 months since 2011. Even in this case, the 2016 report is yet to be released after two full years or 24 months.
These reports provide an opportunity for governments & other stake holders to review crime and other related  statistics. The reports also provide trends & important data points, that could be used by the civil society advocating governments for relevant corrective action. For instance, the number of reported incidents of rape increased by over 30%  in the year 2013, the year after the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, possibly because of greater awareness and amendments made to the Criminal Law. Even the statistics related to farmer suicides from the ADSI report are widely used to understand the farm related distress across the country.
The undue delay in the release of these reports defeats the very purpose of compiling them. One had hoped that the NCRB will release these reports within 6 months with the introduction of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) and with a greater emphasis on ‘Digital India’. As India bets big on AI other related technologies, availability of reliable data is going to play an important role. But sadly, we seem to be going back in time. It’s high time the government explain reasons for such undue delay and release the data immediately.

created: December 31, 2018


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Asaduddin Owaisi did not say that if India engages in war with Pakistan, 25 crore Indian Muslims will join Pakistan Army - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 23, 2024
An old article published in 2014 is being shared on social media (here, here and here) with the claim that AIMIM party leader Asaduddin Owaisi said “If India goes to war with Pakistan, then 25 crore Indian Muslims will join Pakistan army”.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Asaduddin Owaisi said, “If India goes to war with Pakistan, then 25 crore Indian Muslims will join the Pakistan army.”
Fact: No reputed news magazine or media outlet reported the alleged comments made in the post. Asaduddin refuted these statements attributed to him. In an interview in 2015, he mentioned initiating legal proceedings against the news agency and noted that some organizations had apologized for making such baseless remarks. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On performing a relevant keyword search regarding the viral claim, we discovered an article from Kashmir Observer in 2014 attributing the statement “If India goes to war with Pakistan, then 25 crore Indian Muslims will join the Pakistan army” to Asaduddin. If Asaduddin had made such comments, they would have been widely covered by leading newspapers and media outlets nationwide. However, no such reports were found.
Further, we found that Asaduddin himself posted a tweet (here, here and here) denying these comments and that he took legal action against the news agency.
My lawyer will send legal notice t Jammu observer if they apologise fine if nt then will file crim defamation against them will pursue it
Subsequent research led us to Asaduddin’s interview with Headlines Today in 2015. Asaduddin refuted the alleged statements attributed to him. He mentioned initiating legal proceedings against the news agency and that some organizations had apologized for making such baseless remarks. Factly previously debunked this viral post in 2019, and it has resurfaced once more ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
To sum up, Asaduddin Owaisi did not say that “If India engages in war with Pakistan, 25 crore Indian Muslims will join the Pakistan army”.


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Asaduddin Owaisi hasn’t danced celebrating the death of Kamlesh Tiwari - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 22, 2019
A news video of ‘Sudarshan News’ reporting that AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has danced celebrating the death of Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari is being posted on Facebook by many users with the same claim. Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim.
Video of Asaduddin Owaisi dancing in celebration of the death of Kamlesh Tiwari.
Fact: Video shows Asaduddin Owaisi performing a dance step after the end of his rally in Aurangabad on October 17, 2019. But Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered on October 18, 2019, i.e., a day after Owaisi had performed that dance. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The video in the Facebook post has the name ‘Sudarshan News’ on it and the news anchor reports that Owaisi had danced celebrating the death of Kamlesh Tiwari. When searched for that news video, it wasn’t found anywhere. When searched on YouTube with keywords ‘Asaduddin Owaisi dancing video’, a video of ‘Zee News’, uploaded on October 18, 2019, was found in the search results. From that news video, it was found that Owaisi had performed a dance step after an election rally in Aurangabad. The news video had the watermark of ‘ANI’ on it, so when we did Twitter advanced search with relevant keywords, the same video that shows Owaisi dancing was found in a tweet of ‘ANI’. From that tweet, it was found that Asaduddin Owaisi had performed a dance step at Aurangabad election rally on October 17, 2019.
Maharashtra: AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi performs a dance step after the end of his rally at Paithan Gate in Aurangabad. (17.10.2019) pic.twitter.com/AldOABp2yd
But, Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered on October 18, 2019, i.e., a day after Owaisi had performed that dance at Aurangabad election rally.
To conclude, in the video, Asaduddin Owaisi hasn’t danced celebrating the death of Kamlesh Tiwari.
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created: October 22, 2019


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Asaduddin Owaisi hasn’t written a letter to the United Nations saying ‘Hindustan is not safe for Muslims’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 21, 2019
An image with a photo of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and an accompanying message is being shared widely on Facebook. The message is in Hindi and its English translation is- “Owaisi has written a letter to the UN saying Hindustan is not safe for Muslims. Owaisi got a reply from the UN: ‘then go wherever is safe’”. Let’s try to analyze the claim.
Owaisi wrote a letter to the UnitedNations saying ‘Hindustan is not safe for Muslims’
Fact: Owasisi hasn’t written any such letter to the United Nations(UN) saying Hindustan isn’t safe for Muslims. Information from no credible source was found which confirms that Owaisi has written such a letter. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google with keywords ‘Owaisi letter to the UN saying Hindustan is not safe for Muslims’, there were no news in the search results confirming such a letter being written by Owaisi.
If Owaisi had really written such a letter, it would have been reported by all the major newspapers and channels in India. But no news agency has reported anything about Owaisi writing a letter to the UN saying Hindustan isn’t safe for Muslims. So, the claim is false.
Earlier, when the same message went viral in January 2019, ‘Alt News’ contacted Owaisi and he has clarified that he hasn’t written any such letter to the UN.
To conclude, Asaduddin Owaisi hasn’t written a letter to the United Nations saying ‘Hindustan is not safe for Muslims’.
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created: November 21, 2019


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Asaduddin Owaisi's 2021 comments on UP police shared as a recent communal hate speech - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 17, 2024
A post (here, here and here) with a clip of Asaduddin Owaisi’s speech is being shared on social media in which he is seen saying ‘Will Yogi always be the Chief Minister, Modi always be the Prime Minister? We Muslims are completely silent because of the time…Allah with his might and power will destroy you. Things will change according to the time, who will come to save you then? Let’s understand the context of this speech and who is it addressed at.
Claim: Asaduddin Owaisi delivered a communal hate speech.
Fact: Asaduddin Owaisi’s speech in the video is from a meeting held in Kanpur in 2021. The full speech is about 45 minutes long. A tiny portion of it was edited and shared in the post. In his speech, he said that SI Gajender Pal Singh had urinated on 80-year-old Mohammad Rafiq and pulled his chin at Kanpur Rasulabad Police Station. Further, he said that if this is true, it hurts me, not shame. After that, Asaduddin Owaisi addressed the UP Police and said that Yogi and Modi will not stay in office for long, asking who will protect the police after both of them are not in power.  These words were not directed at Hindus but at the UP police. Therefore, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A search of Asaduddin Owaisi’s speech on the internet using relevant keywords yielded the full version of the 41-second-long clip in the viral post. We also found a few news articles (here, here). On 12 December 2021, Owaisi addressed a rally in Kanpur. Its duration is around 45 minutes. The viral video starts from around 40:22 seconds of this speech. Here, he addressed the Uttar Pradesh Police and said that, “Yogi and Modi will not stay in office for long… We will remember your oppression. After that, he said, ‘Who will protect you?”. Nowhere in the viral video did Owaisi direct this towards Hindus.
A few minutes earlier in the speech, at exactly 39:13 seconds, he said that he got information that SI Gajender Pal Singh had urinated on 80-year-old Mohammad Rafiq and pulled his chin at Kanpur Rasulabad Police Station. He later said that ‘if it is true, it hurts me and does not cause shame.’ Then he  addressed the police, where he said from 40:17 ‘I would like to tell such police officers that Yogi and Modi will not stay in office for long..”Who will protect you?’  Nowhere in this entire passage does he address the Hindus. There were also many news stories about this speech in 2021. They can be found here and here.
When this speech went viral in 2021, the BJP criticized (here and here) Owaisi for allegedly delivering a hate speech. He later clarified through a tweet thread.
In order to distract from #HaridwarGenocidalMeet, a clipped 1 min video is being circulated from 45 min speech I gave in Kanpur. I’ll set the record straight:
1. I did not incite violence or give threats. I talked about POLICE ATROCITIES Here’s the full video in TWO PARTS [Cont] pic.twitter.com/buZWZmVNLa
To sum up, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s comments against the UP police in an old speech are shared now as if he threatended Hindus.


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Asara Pensions: An initiative of Govt of Telangana - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 15, 2015
This is a part of our efforts to explain various welfare schemes of Central & State Governments. “Asara Pensions” is a welfare scheme of Government of Telangana giving pensions to various categories of people. More than 3 million people benefit from this scheme and more than 300 crore rupees of pension is disbursed every month.


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Assam mock poll video is falsely shared as BJP EVM rigging - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 17, 2024
A widely circulated video allegedly shows two people repeatedly casting votes for the BJP inside a polling booth. This video is being shared with claims suggesting that the BJP is rigging the election (here & here). In this article, we will examine the authenticity of these claims.
Claim: Video showing BJP rigging the elections.
Fact: The video depicts a mock poll conducted before the actual election in Assam’s Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in April 2024. The votes cast during this mock poll were cleared before the actual voting began. The concerned authorities clarified the same. As the agent violated ECI rules by carrying a mobile phone into the polling station, the presiding officer has been suspended. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While the viral video does show two individuals repeatedly voting for a party, this incident took place during a mock poll conducted before the actual election, not during real polling. A reverse image search of screenshots from the video led to multiple news reports confirming these visuals.
According to these reports, the visuals are from Assam’s Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency, where a polling agent recorded a mock poll using a mobile phone during the second phase of the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the votes cast during this mock poll were cleared before the actual voting began (here & here).
As the video went viral, the District Election Officer and returning officer clarified that it depicts a mock poll. However, since the agent violated ECI rules by carrying a mobile phone into the polling station, the polling official assigned as the presiding officer has been suspended. The DEO issued a circular stating this.
Additionally, another circular from the DEO provided further clarification, confirming that the video was taken during a mock poll and that ‘Close Result Clear (CRC)’ was performed before the actual polling began. The circular also clarified that the individual seen in the video is a polling agent for Abdul Hameed, an independent candidate from the Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency. Therefore, these reports establish that the visuals are not related to actual polling and have no connection to the BJP.
To sum up, the Assam mock poll video is falsely shared as BJP EVM rigging.


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Assaulted BJP party worker in West Bengal is being portrayed as the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 30, 2020
A post is being circulated on social media claiming it as the video of BJP MP Harsh Vardhan being assaulted by the public in a rally. Visuals of a mob attacking a person can be seen in the video. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Union Minister Harsh Vardhan assaulted by the public.
Fact: The video shows a BJP party worker being assaulted by the members of Trinamool Congress party (TMC) during a rally in West Bengal. In 2016, BJP MP Babul Supriyo and his convoy were attacked by the TMC members during a rally at Asansol district in West Bengal. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, similar visuals were found in a video published by ‘ABP News’ YouTube channel on ‘19 October 2016’. In the description of the video, it is mentioned as the attack on BJP MP Babul Supriyo by the members of Trinamool Congress party (TMC) members in Asansol, West Bengal. On searching for more details using these keywords, the same visuals were found in a video published by the official ‘ANI News’ YouTube channel. In the description, it is mentioned that the Union Minister Babul Supriyo and his convoy were attacked by the TMC supporters on ‘19 October 2016’  in West Bengal’s Asansol district. It is mentioned that the mob pelted stones and thrashed BJP party workers in the presence of police officials. ANI also reported that visuals show a BJP worker being thrashed and that his clothes were ripped off by the TMC members.
The same visuals with a similar description were also found in a video posted by ‘inKhabar’ news channel on YouTube. News articles about this incident can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, assaulted BJP party worker in West Bengal is being falsely portrayed as the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

created: September 30, 2020


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Assembly Elections 2017 - Results on Maps - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2017