Daily Briefing: Fresh Indian casualty in Strait of Hormuz; how virtual hearings are reshaping Indian courts

Victory: For the first time in the United Kingdom, India pulled off a convincing six-wicket win against England. Securing the win were Axar Patel’s (4/62 and 57 not out) all-round efforts, doing a world of good to his confidence that appeared to have taken a few blows lately. While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hardly contributed, Shubman Gill, setting up a fantastic chase of 259, appeared to be the best batsman on the show, until he retired hurt with cramps for 80 off 75 deliveries. My colleague Venkata Krishna B, describing Gill’s innings, said it was a “reminder that there could still be a place for him in T20Is, particularly when India are scheduled to play most of their series overseas.” India’s bowling unit, too, produced encouraging signs for the country. Winning the toss and batting first, England’s innings was a roller- coaster. From 60 for no loss, they were reduced to 80/5 in the space of 26 deliveries by Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar.

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

Indian killed as Iran hit UAE tankers

Rise of virtual courts in India

India vs England ODI series

🚨 Big Story

As the United States and Iran escalated their attacks and battled for control over the Strait of Hormuz, two UAE-flagged oil tankers with Indian seafarers came under fire from Tehran on Tuesday, leaving one dead and 10 injured. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned the Iranian Deputy Chief of Mission and lodged a strong protest. Condemning the attacks, India called for an immediate cessation of violence, mainly the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure, and restoration of “free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through international waterways in the region”.

Monitor: The Indian government on Tuesday ordered a series of measures, including an operational dashboard to track every Indian on every vessel, and a dedicated liaison officer for every seafarer who is killed or injured, to act as the “single point of contact” for the affected family. According to sources in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, nine Indian seafarers have died, one is presumed dead, and seven have been injured since the start of the West Asia crisis. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also ordered real-time vessel-by-vessel monitoring and round-the-clock coordination by his ministry, in association with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and other maritime stakeholders.

Backtrack: US President Donald Trump has reversed course on his plan to charge a 20% fee to facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. It isn’t clear why Trump did so; however, other Gulf states, which are major energy exporters and depend heavily on the strait, might have played a role. The move’s potential impact on global energy and shipping sectors, and Washington’s traditional stance on navigational freedom could have weighed on the US. Behind this flip-flop by Trump is also a battle between Iran and the US to effectively control the Strait. Sukalp Sharma explains.

⚡ Only in Express

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“What happens to the introspective quality of a courtroom when everything is being broadcast? There is that element of persuasion in a physical courtroom — nothing can substitute it.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian courts moved online. One of the questions that emerged around the time was how fast courts should  begin hearings over the online platforms. The Delhi High Court made the first move. Within ten days, Justice Talwant Singh conducted what became the country’s first Covid-era virtual hearing on WhatsApp. The case involved a high-stakes anti-suit injunctive action against an emergency arbitration in Singapore. A senior counsel appeared from London, and others from across India. “Within two or three weeks, it became normal to hold hearings through VC (video calling),” says Justice Talwant. Eventually, the HC moved to Cisco Webex under a proper licensing arrangement and extended it to the district courts. According to senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, live streaming and virtual access have fundamentally altered the relationship between courts and the public, “democratising the practice of law”. For other lawyers, virtual hearings have cleared logistical obstacles. Yet, many still believe that something is lost when advocacy moves entirely online.

📰 From the Front Page

Linen theft: A day after The Indian Express reported that about 1.27 crore linen items were stolen from AC coaches of the Indian Railways over four years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed officials to introduce a reform to curb such theft. Addressing top Railway officials at a press conference on Tuesday on the Railways’ “52 reforms in 52 weeks” initiative, Vaishnaw sought a timeline for the issue to be resolved. The officials responded by seeking two months to formalise a way to fix the issue. Granting the Railway Protection Force (RPF) the power to arrest offenders is one possible measure under consideration, an official said.

No more ‘forced’: The Commerce and Industry Ministry on Tuesday prohibited the import of goods manufactured using forced labour weeks after the United States Trade Representative (USTR) proposed 12.5 per cent tariffs on India linked to the issue. The US had launched two Section 301 probes on India in March and then proposed fresh tariffs this month after the outcome of its first investigation found that India failed to “effectively enforce” a forced labour import prohibition, which had purportedly hurt US commerce. It led the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), to insert a new paragraph in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) regarding “forced labour”, stating that the import of goods produced or manufactured, “wholly or in part”, through the use of forced labour is “prohibited”.

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Dispute: The Supreme Court has declined an interim stay on a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that would have allowed Muslims to continue Friday prayers at the Bhojshala complex in Dhar. Describing it as a “sensitive matter”, the court directed that Muslims offer Friday prayers at an alternative site near the Bhojshala until a final decision on the dispute. A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said it will fix the matter for final hearing after 2 or 3 weeks. The medieval structure has long been the subject of competing claims. While Hindus consider the complex a temple dedicated to the goddess, Muslims regard it as the Kamal Maula mosque.

📌 Must Read

Lead: Over 1,000 people from across India have applied for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ram Mandir, with retired bureaucrats dominating the list of applicants. Applications poured into the official email address of the selection committee within 24 hours of the recruitment notification being issued on Monday. The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra constituted a three-member committee to identify a new CEO, amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged theft of donations at the temple. With July 18 being the deadline, the selection committee has decided to appoint a secretary to help them segregate the applications based on the eligibility criteria decided by them.

In our Opinion columns today, C Raja Mohan delves deeper into the “third republic” that is emerging in Tehran as ceasefire between US and Iran collapses and military hostilities in the Gulf intensify. Mohan recommends: “The Indian foreign policy community must come to terms with post-Khamenei Iran entering a period of internal restructuring and external reorientation, with important consequences for India’s interests in the Middle East and beyond. It must also pay more attention to the internal debates in Iran on the nation’s future.”

⏳ And Finally…

Once again, the Ministry of External Affairs emphasised that an Indian passport is a travel document, not proof of citizenship. It also said it is issued by the government to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said less than 8 per cent of Indians currently hold a passport. His remarks come amid an ongoing debate over which documents establish citizenship following the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country. His remarks, last month, had also drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, which alleged the government was laying the groundwork to arbitrarily deny citizenship rights to Indians it disagreed with.

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🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the linen theft cases from the AC coaches of the Indian Railways; the collapse of about 1,800 trees in Mumbai; and more.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,

Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny