Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set aside political differences to make a pitch for "team India" powered by federalism.
2. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told an audience in Ayodhya that the government could not pass a law for the Ram temple because it did not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. He did not clarify whether the government would do so if it had the numbers.
3. Veteran film actor Shashi Kapoor was on Sunday awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for an outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
The Big Story
The cases have nothing to do with each other, yet because of the timing, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan are going to be compared with each other. Not because of Jayalalithaa's movie star past, but because both happen to be convicted criminals, albeit for very different crimes. The former CM was convicted for corruption, while Khan was last week found guilty of killing a person while driving drunk and running away from the scene of the crime.
Khan managed to get bail one he appealed his decision in the High Court, a move that worried those who had felt buoyed by the sight of a superstar having to humbly submit to a court decision. On Monday, Jayalalithaa will also find out if she gets to stay out of jail as well: the Karnataka High Court has to decide whether to uphold or overturn her conviction in the decades-old corruption case.
Anything other than acquittal would be a major blow for the former chief minister, even if she gets a truncated sentence and the whopping Rs 100 crore fine is reduced. That's because, under new laws, any convict found guilty on the Prevention of Corruption Act can't contest elections for half a decade. Tamil Nadu's entire political future could rest on Monday's decision, until it gets appealed in the Supreme Court that is.
The Big Scroll
Bail should be the rule for undertrials, but, as in Salman Khan's case, should it be the norm for convicts as well? And while Jayalalithaa was waiting for the High Court verdict, the arrest of an ex-minister for abetting a suicide helped her defuse a crisis in the state.
To get Scroll's Daily Fix, a compendium of all you need to know for the day (and a little more) on your phone, download our Android app.
Politicking & Policying
1. A Samajwadi Party spokesperson has said that the Janata Parivar merger cannot take place before the Bihar elections, because of technical reasons involving party symbols being frozen by the Election Commission.
2. The All India Bar Association has complained to the President that the current situation involving the National Judicial Appointments Commission, which has been delayed while the Supreme Court considers its constitutionality, has left the appointment of 125 high court judges hanging fire.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to announce an e-visa system for Chinese visitors on his visit to the country, despite security concerns.
4. Shaju Philip writes of the temple-based politics of a town in Kerala that demonstrates the Right vs Left struggle that is taking place throughout the state.
Giggle
Punditry
1. C Raja Mohan in the Indian Express says the problem with Modi's looser China approach isn't Beijing's unwillingness to play ball, it's other domestic players who are unwilling to try out different things.
2. The Modi government could use defence land to solve multiple issues: build smart cities and modernise our forces, writes Nitin Pai in Business Standard.
3. Modi's China visit will test his ability to demand more economic concessions from Beijing, writes Manoj Joshi in Mail Today.
Don't Miss
Manan Ahmed Asif tells us how he learnt about his country and himself while trying to renew his Pakistani passport.
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set aside political differences to make a pitch for "team India" powered by federalism.
2. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told an audience in Ayodhya that the government could not pass a law for the Ram temple because it did not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. He did not clarify whether the government would do so if it had the numbers.
3. Veteran film actor Shashi Kapoor was on Sunday awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for an outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
The Big Story
The cases have nothing to do with each other, yet because of the timing, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan are going to be compared with each other. Not because of Jayalalithaa's movie star past, but because both happen to be convicted criminals, albeit for very different crimes. The former CM was convicted for corruption, while Khan was last week found guilty of killing a person while driving drunk and running away from the scene of the crime.
Khan managed to get bail one he appealed his decision in the High Court, a move that worried those who had felt buoyed by the sight of a superstar having to humbly submit to a court decision. On Monday, Jayalalithaa will also find out if she gets to stay out of jail as well: the Karnataka High Court has to decide whether to uphold or overturn her conviction in the decades-old corruption case.
Anything other than acquittal would be a major blow for the former chief minister, even if she gets a truncated sentence and the whopping Rs 100 crore fine is reduced. That's because, under new laws, any convict found guilty on the Prevention of Corruption Act can't contest elections for half a decade. Tamil Nadu's entire political future could rest on Monday's decision, until it gets appealed in the Supreme Court that is.
The Big Scroll
Bail should be the rule for undertrials, but, as in Salman Khan's case, should it be the norm for convicts as well? And while Jayalalithaa was waiting for the High Court verdict, the arrest of an ex-minister for abetting a suicide helped her defuse a crisis in the state.
To get Scroll's Daily Fix, a compendium of all you need to know for the day (and a little more) on your phone, download our Android app.
Politicking & Policying
1. A Samajwadi Party spokesperson has said that the Janata Parivar merger cannot take place before the Bihar elections, because of technical reasons involving party symbols being frozen by the Election Commission.
2. The All India Bar Association has complained to the President that the current situation involving the National Judicial Appointments Commission, which has been delayed while the Supreme Court considers its constitutionality, has left the appointment of 125 high court judges hanging fire.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to announce an e-visa system for Chinese visitors on his visit to the country, despite security concerns.
4. Shaju Philip writes of the temple-based politics of a town in Kerala that demonstrates the Right vs Left struggle that is taking place throughout the state.
Giggle
Cartoon @ETPolitics @EconomicTimes pic.twitter.com/ehOiUBsh83
— R Prasad (@rprasad66) May 8, 2015Punditry
1. C Raja Mohan in the Indian Express says the problem with Modi's looser China approach isn't Beijing's unwillingness to play ball, it's other domestic players who are unwilling to try out different things.
2. The Modi government could use defence land to solve multiple issues: build smart cities and modernise our forces, writes Nitin Pai in Business Standard.
3. Modi's China visit will test his ability to demand more economic concessions from Beijing, writes Manoj Joshi in Mail Today.
Don't Miss
Manan Ahmed Asif tells us how he learnt about his country and himself while trying to renew his Pakistani passport.
When my number was called for my picture to be taken, a man asked me to sign a paper that said I believed in Muhammad was the final prophet. I clutched the paper and sat down. This was a way to weed out followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Ahmadiyas, who do not believe this. The man looked at me quizzically. To be a passport holder, to claim that one most Pakistani thing that I claimed, I had to deny this right to other Pakistanis. If I did not sign, I was a man without a passport.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!