ONS Edition 15

Article: US appeals court judge rescinds retirement after Trump's win. (Reuters, 15th December 2024)

Article Summary: The appointment of Republican Trump to fill a judicial vacancy was made possible when U.S. Circuit Judge James Wynn rescinded his retirement plan from active service. Democratic former president Barack Obama appointee Wynn wrote to Democratic vice president Joe Biden to inform him of his choice. The decision by the appellate judge to withdraw from senior status, a semi-retirement option for judges that allows presidents to fill vacancies, is the first of its kind since Trump's election. The judge was chosen by Democrats. Conservatives were outraged because two trial court judges had also done this. Ryan Park, the North Carolina Solicitor General and Biden's nomination to succeed him, withdrew from consideration after his road to Senate confirmation disappeared, prompting Wynn to make his decision.

Article: Amit Shah’s big appeal to Naxals: Give up arms, surrender and join mainstream (Mint, 15th December 2024)

Article Summary: The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has called on the Naxals to put aside their weapons and integrate into society, saying that the government should be responsible for their rehabilitation. He stressed that by March 2026, the nation would be Maoist-free. Additionally, Shah encouraged Naxalites to end their violence and integrate into society, praising the Chhattisgarh government's rehabilitation program. He stressed that the security forces and police of Chhattisgarh are dedicated to putting the "last nail in the coffin of Naxalism." The Naxals, Shah said, should stop being so isolated and start helping Chhattisgarh progress.

Article: Bhushan Power Insolvency: ED concedes appeal against JSW Steel; Supreme Court orders restitution of attached properties. (Bar and Bench, 15th December 2024)

Article Summary: The ED has chosen not to appeal the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) decision that JSW Steel acquired Bhushan Power and Steel. The assets worth at ₹4,025 crore were returned to JSW Steel by the ED, the winning bidder in the bankruptcy process under the IBC, after they took control of Bhushan Power. Considering Bhushan Power's decision not to prosecute its case relating to the attachment of assets, the Executive Department (ED) was ordered by the Supreme Court to hand over the attached properties. This decision was made in light of Section 32A of the Income Tax Act. If an insolvent company's resolution plan is accepted, the corporate debtor and its assets are protected from prosecution or attachment under Section 32A. Since the ED's asset attachment in the Bhushan Power case occurred before the implementation of Section 32A, the ED had already contended that this protection should not be applicable to the case. On the other side, ED Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma of the Supreme Court Bench that the appeal might not even need to be argued due to Section 32A.

Article: Georgia's opposition appeals to EU amid election of anti-Western president (Ukrainska Pravda, 14th December 2024)

Article Summary: Since former Georgian footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili was officially named president, the country's four main opposition groups have made an appeal to the European Union. Greetings and salutations to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the foreign ministers of member states, this letter has the signatures of Nika Melia, Tina Bokuchava, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Zaza Tavadze. The rebel groups in Georgia are demanding that the European Union respond immediately to what they describe as a historic political catastrophe. Their demands include the swift release of all political prisoners, the imposition of targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for political repression, the abolition of visa-free travel, the denouement of visa-free travel, the condemnation of violent acts perpetrated against journalists, activists, and protesters, and the declaration of the self-proclaimed regime's illegitimacy in official EU statements.