3. Are terrorists behind AIIMS cyber collapse?

• Delhi’s AIIMS has been operating in manual mode for over a week. Its server stayed unavailable even on Tuesday, affecting the outpatient department (OPD) and sample collection services. Most OPD appointments at AIIMS Delhi are made online.
• In a statement, AIIMS Delhi said the National Informatics Centre (NIC), whose servers it uses, suspected that the hospital might have been subjected to a ransomware attack.

A terror angle

• Investigators suspect a terror angle and foreign conspiracy behind the cyber-attack on AIIMS.
• Anti-terror probe agency, the National Investigation Agency has reportedly been investigating the case, while the National Informatics Centre and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team are trying to restore the data.
• The Congress hit out at the Modi government on Tuesday over the suspected hacking of the AIIMS server, saying it “raises serious questions” about cyber security in the country.
• Meanwhile, the Delhi Police clarified that “no ransom demand as being quoted by certain sections of the media has been brought to notice by AIIMS authorities”.

What’s at stake?

• Patient data theft is at the centre of the cyber collapse case. The police’s FIR also mentions laws dealign with extortion and cyber-terrorism.
• It is feared that data of around 3-4 crore patients could have been compromised due to the breach detected on November 23.
• The AIIMS server has stored data of several VIPs, including former prime ministers, ministers, bureaucrats and judges.

Status update

• AIIMS has over 5,000 computers. By Tuesday, over 2,000 of them had been scanned for malware software. Of its 50 servers, over 30 had been scanned.
• A PTI report said, “The full sanitisation of the network is likely to continue for five more days. Thereafter, e-hospital services can be rolled out in a phased manner.”

‘A populist stance’

• Ridiculing a PIL from serial petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay for doubling the sanctioned strength of trial court, HCs and SC judges as a populist stance, a bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said, “Merely adding to the number of judges is not a panacea for pendency. We need good judges.”

Inadequate infrastructure

• The CJI asked Upadhyay whether he had ever visited Bombay HC. “The judicial infrastructure there is saturated and there is no space even to add one more judge to the existing strength. What is the purpose of appointing more judges without adequate infrastructure,” he asked.

Pending cases

• As of November 1, nearly five crore cases are pending in the three-tier justice delivery system. Total number of cases pending in the top court are 69,781; HCs 59.6 lakh and the district courts 4.3 lakh cases. The sanctioned strength of SC is 34 including the CJI (seven vacancies); HCs 1,108 (336 vacancies) and trial courts have a sanctioned strength of 24,827 (6,604 vacant).

Govt stand

• Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju at the Constitution Day function had said that the Centre has substantially increased allocation of funds for creating modern and litigant friendly judicial infrastructure. But a major portion of the allocated funds remain unspent as the states and HCs are unable to timely execute the infrastructure projects.

• Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s comments on Hindi movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ triggered a massive political row on Tuesday. The official condemnation came from the Jewish nation’s envoy to India, followed by criticism from the ruling BJP. Even those involved in the making of the movie slammed Lapid’s remark, with some drawing parallels with Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘Schindler’s List’.
• It was “a propaganda, vulgar movie”, Lapid, the jury president of International Film Festival of India (IFFI), said at the closing ceremony of the event in Panaji on Monday, adding that the film was “inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.”

Diplomatic anger

• The country’s envoy to India Naor Gilon – who identified himself as “son of a Holocaust survivor” – slammed Lapid on Tuesday saying that he should be “ashamed” because he “abused in the worst way” the invitation from India to chair the panel of judges in the film festival.
• Israel’s Consul General to Midwest India Kobbi Shoshani termed Lapid’s comments as “private opinion” and said that he felt it was rather a “strong movie”.
• The development assumes more significance in the light of close ties between India and Israel. Read more here.

Filmmaker irked

• Director Vivek Agnihotri said he will quit filmmaking if intellectuals, including Lapid, could prove that events depicted in his film are false. Anupam Kher, who acted in the movie, also criticised Lapid, calling him “vulgar” and “opportunist”.

Jury divided

• Lapid said the jury members at IFFI were “disturbed and shocked”. But Indian filmmaker Sudipto Sen, who was a jury member at IFFI, played down Lapid’s remarks saying, “As jurors, we are assigned to judge the technical, aesthetic quality and socio-cultural relevance of a film. We don’t indulge in any kind of political comments on any film and if it is done, it is completely in a personal capacity.”

Political fight

• Several BJP leaders condemned Lapid’s comments. Amit Malviya compared Lapid’s condemnation of ‘The Kashmir Files’ to the denial of Holocaust – the killing of millions of Jews by Hitler’s regime.
• Congress criticised BJP for promoting the movie earlier this year and called the recent development an “embarrassment” for the government.
• Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut supported Lapid’s remarks and said that politicising the movie added to the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits.

• What: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘Ravan’ barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday triggered a slugfest with the ruling BJP slamming it as an insult of every Gujarati and the Opposition party calling the attack on its leader “anti-Dalit tirade”.
• Why: Taking a swipe at Modi at a rally in Behrampura area of Ahmedabad city on Monday, Kharge on Monday night said the PM asks people to vote “looking at his face” in all elections. “We see your (Modi’s) face in corporation elections, MLA elections or MP elections, everywhere. Do you have 100 heads like Ravan,” he had said. Watch video here
• BJP slams Congress: BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked voters in Gujarat to do “100 percent voting for the son of the soil” Modi to take “revenge” in a democratic manner for the “insult”, as he invoked various objectionable remarks made by Congress members over the years against the prime minister.
• Another salvo: The BJP’s IT department head, Amit Malviya, said in a tweet, “Unable to take the heat of Gujarat election, pushed to the fringe, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge loses control over his words, calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘Ravan’. From ‘Maut ka Saudagar’ to ‘Ravan’, Congress continues to insult Gujarat and it’s son.”
• Cong hits back: Slamming Malviya, Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera asked “why can’t you digest the fact that a Dalit who has worked his way up is the elected president of the Congress”. “Calling him fringe shows what you and your party thinks of Dalits,” Khera said.
• Old grudge: At a press conference, Patra alleged Kharge was voicing the views of former Congress presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Personal attacks on Modi started with Sonia Gandhi’s “maut ka saudagar” (merchant of death) remarks during the 2007 Gujarat assembly polls, he said.

Scroll below for answer

• Two major ragging incidents in separate premier institutes of Assam’s Dibrugarh have surfaced over the last three days. In one of the cases, which led to expulsion of 18 students and arrest of three, there was a suspected cover up attempt, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

Doctors-turned-perpetrators

• Two doctors pursuing postgraduate studies at Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh were suspended from attending classes for six months and expelled from the hostel for allegedly indulging in ragging, essentially harassing their juniors physically and mentally. All of them were in the orthopaedics department, news agency PTI reported.
• An order regarding the suspension of the two students was issued by the college on November 21 but it came to light around a week later.

Fighting for life

• This was the second incident in the city after Dibrugarh University authorities on Monday expelled 18 students for allegedly ragging a postgraduate student who was admitted in ICU.
• In the Dibrugarh University incident, an M.Com student was seriously injured after he was tortured. He jumped from the second floor of the hostel to save himself from ragging on November 27. He is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital, with multiple fractures in his spine and arms. Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu said on Monday that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the ragging incident at Dibrugarh University.

A cover-up attempt

• Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said there has “definitely been neglect” on the part of Dibrugarh University in the ragging case and the police will investigate whether the varsity authorities tried to cover up the incident.
• Ragging is a criminal offence and can attract charges under the Indian Penal Code and Prohibition of Ragging Act 2011.

• The People’s Republic of China is under pressure from its people over President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid and lockdown policies. Thousands of people have taken to streets across China.
• Some observers say that it is the most serious threat to the communist regime since the pro-democracy protests at the Tiananmen Square, where over 10,000 people were reportedly killed in a government crackdown.
• This time too, China has responded with a severe crackdown on the protesters. Hundreds, including journalists covering the protests, have been detained and beaten up by the police. More here

Tension with UK

• A BBC journalist was beaten, arrested and handcuffed while covering in Shanghai. In reaction, the UK government summoned China’s ambassador to Britain in London.
• BBC said the journalist “was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist”.
• China disputed the charge saying the journalist did not identify himself as a reporter.

Sunak’s terse message

• In his first foreign policy speech, UK PM Rishi Sunak said the “golden era” of UK-China relations was over. He also resented that China had “chosen to crack down further, including by assaulting a BBC journalist”.
• Sunak also said, “We recognise China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism.”

Meanwhile

• Tension is building over tomorrow’s meeting between Xi and EU chief Charles Michel, who is under pressure to get tough with China over the crackdown on protesters.
• And Germany took a jibe at China over its zero-Covid policy, suggesting China to “start using Western vaccines to find a way out of the pandemic”.

New Army chief

• General Asim Munir, also a former spymaster, on Tuesday assumed charge as the country’s new Army chief, replacing General Qamar Javed Bajwa who retired after two consecutive three-year terms.
• Munir took charge at an impressive ceremony at the General Headquarters (GHQ), becoming the 17th Chief of the Army Staff. The ceremony was attended by senior officers, diplomats and politicians.
• In his brief address on the occasion, General Bajwa said: “I am happy that I am leaving the command of the Army in safe hands.”

Hamid upset!

• Gen Hamid was one of the six senior-most generals shortlisted by the General Headquarters (GHQ) for the post of the Chief of Army Staff. The list was sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for approval last week.
• Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lieutenant-General Hamid has sent his resignation to the high command. The authorities have already accepted his resignation. He was set to retire in April 2023.

Punished by the Sharifs?

• Hamid had been criticised by PML-N supremo and former PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz for allegedly having a role in their convictions and for backing the previous Tehreek-e-Insaf administration led by ousted premier Imran Khan.
• It is also alleged that former premier Khan wanted to appoint him as the army chief but Khan denied having any such inclination.

• Elon Musk accused Apple Inc of threatening to block Twitter Inc from its app store without saying why in a series of tweets. He also said the iPhone maker had stopped advertising on the social media platform following a poll that asked users about whether the iPhone maker should “publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers”.
• Shrinking advertisements: Ad sales account for about 90% of Twitter’s revenue. Apple was consistently one of the top advertisers on the social network with an annual ad spend well above $100 million.
• In recent weeks, half of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers from General Mills Inc to luxury automaker Audi of America have announced they are suspending or have otherwise “seemingly stopped advertising on Twitter”.
• Fee on transactions: Musk complained about over a 30% fee Apple collects on transactions via its App Store — the sole gateway for applications to get onto its billion plus mobile devices. Musk called Apple’s fee on transactions through its App Store a “secret 30% tax”.
• The fee has drawn criticism and lawsuits from companies such as Epic Games, the maker of ‘Fortnite’, while attracting the scrutiny of regulators globally.
• Content regulation: Musk alleged Apple was pressuring Twitter over content moderation demands. After taking over Twitter in October, Musk has cut around half of Twitter’s workforce, including many employees tasked with fighting disinformation. An unknown number of others have voluntarily quit. He has also reinstated previously banned accounts, including that of former US President Donald Trump.
• A complex web: Musk complained that though Apple threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, it “won’t tell us why”. Both Apple and Google require social networking services on their app stores to have effective systems for moderating harmful or abusive content. For more