Hindustan Times News | 22nd February 2022 | 8 AM

HT Daily News Wrap

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has recognised the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, Karnataka’s Shivamogga saw violent protests over the killing of a Bajrang Dal worker, The Supreme Court will again hear a petition linked to the ouster of Cyrus Mistry from the Tata Group & other top news in this bulletin.
In an unprecedented move, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has recognised the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk. Amid global condemnation, sanctions from the United States and warnings from other nations, Putin ordered troops in the rebel areas. While he has called the latest decree an effort to “maintain peace”, the west has lashed out at the Kremlin. Ukraine meanwhile, has sought a “clear stand” from the west as its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv “is not afraid of anyone or anything”. Karnataka’s Shivamogga saw violent protests on Monday over the killing of a Bajrang Dal worker. Three men have been detained in the murder case, the state’s home minister Araga Jnanendra said. Harsha, 26, a tailor, was killed by a group of unidentified men on Sunday night; he was chased in a car, police said. The state government, however, assured the law and order was under control; schools and colleges have been shut for two days as precautionary measure. Jnanendra has dismissed claims that the killing was linked to the row over wearing of hijab (headscarf) inside classrooms. Amid the hijab row, the Karnataka government on Monday argued in the high court that the petitioners have sought to declare the hijab as an ‘essential religious practice’. This can bind the Muslim women, Advocate General (AG) Prabhuling Navadgi told the court. “The petitioners are seeking for a declaration of a particular dress format to become part of religious sanction, so as to bind every woman who follows the Islamic faith. That is the seriousness of the claim,” he told the bench of chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and justices Krishna S Dixit and JM Khazi. The Karnataka High Court continued hearing a batch of petitions linked to the Hijab row for the seventh day. A statement by United Nations human rights experts that journalist Rana Ayyub is facing misogynistic attacks and judicial harassment has been called  “baseless and unwarranted”  by India. Describing it as a “misleading narrative”, India’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva, on Monday tweeted, “India upholds the rule of law, but is equally clear that no one is above the law.” The Supreme Court will again hear a petition linked to the ouster of Cyrus Mistry from the Tata Group. A review of the March 2021 order – that backed his removal – was sought by Cyrus Investments. In 2012, Cyrus Mistry had succeeded Ratan Tata as the chairman of Tata Sons Private Limited . However, he was ousted four years later in 2016.