NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday highlighted India’s growing stature as a preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean region, while commending the navy’s efforts in maintaining peace across the strategic area. He also urged the force to remain vigilant amid a volatile global environment.

Speaking at the Naval Commanders’ Conference, Singh remarked, “A significant portion of the world’s trade passes through this region, making it highly valuable. However, challenges such as piracy, hijacking, drone and missile attacks, and the disruption of sea cable connections add to its sensitivity.”

Singh praised the Indian Navy’s critical role in safeguarding the economic interests of Indo-Pacific nations and ensuring the smooth movement of goods in the Indian Ocean, particularly noting the international recognition of its anti-piracy efforts. However, he cautioned against complacency and encouraged the navy to stay prepared for evolving geopolitical and regional security challenges.

The conference, chaired by Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, concludes on Friday.

Singh also noted that over two-thirds of the navy’s modernization budget in the past five years has been spent on indigenous procurement, leading to accelerated growth of the domestic defence industry. He urged the navy leadership to further enhance the Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) initiative, aiming for full self-sufficiency by 2047.

In a statement, the defence ministry emphasized the conference’s importance, set against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical landscapes, regional challenges, and complex maritime security issues in West Asia.

Singh also underscored the need for jointness and efficient use of resources, referencing the Joint Commanders’ Conference on September 5 in Lucknow. There, he advocated for a unified vision to prepare for future conflicts and deliver coordinated, swift, and proportional responses to threats. The military is set to present its theaterisation model blueprint to the government for approval soon.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has rejected curative petitions filed by telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, challenging an October 2019 ruling that mandates them to pay over ₹1 lakh crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The court’s decision on the curative petitions was made on August 30 and uploaded to its website on Thursday. In the order, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud stated, “We have reviewed the Curative Petitions and accompanying documents. In our view, no case is made out within the parameters established in the 2002 Rupa Ashok Hurra v Ashok Hurra decision.” The 2002 ruling defines the criteria for accepting a review or curative petition if a court’s decision has an apparent error or causes manifest injustice.

The bench, which also included Justices Sanjiv Khanna and BR Gavai, made its decision in chambers and denied the telecom companies’ request for a public hearing.

The curative petitions contested the court’s October 24, 2019 verdict that allowed the DoT to include non-telecom revenue in the AGR calculation.

Based on the figures presented to the court, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea were required to pay ₹43,980 crore and ₹58,254 crore, respectively. Other companies facing AGR dues included Reliance Telecom (₹25,199 crore), Tata Group (₹16,798 crore), and Aircel (₹12,389 crore). Review petitions from these companies were dismissed in January 2020.

Facing massive liabilities that threatened their operations and with some companies—Aircel, Reliance Telecom, Sistema Shyam, and Videocon Telecommunications—undergoing insolvency proceedings, the government proposed in March 2020 that the AGR dues be paid in 20 equal instalments.

The Supreme Court partially accepted this request on September 1, 2020, allowing telecom firms to pay the dues over 10 annual instalments from April 2021 to March 2031. Companies were also required to pay penalties and interest in the event of default, with the risk of contempt of court proceedings.

Since this order modified the 2019 judgment, the curative petitions effectively challenged this revised decision.

During the 2020 proceedings, the government revised the total outstanding dues to over ₹1.43 lakh crore. Bharti Airtel had paid ₹18,000 crore, leaving ₹25,976 crore outstanding, while Vodafone Idea had deposited ₹3,500 crore, with ₹54,754 crore remaining unpaid. Tata still owed over ₹12,600 crore. Even state-owned telecom providers BSNL and MTNL had dues of ₹5,835 crore and ₹4,352 crore, respectively.

The current consolidated dues are not clear.

To clarify, AGR is a revenue-sharing model based on a policy framed under the Indian Telegraph Act, which grants the government exclusive rights over telecommunications. The October 2019 judgment upheld the government’s stance that various revenue streams should be included in AGR calculations.

Telecom companies had previously self-assessed their AGR dues and reported figures far lower than the amounts calculated by the DoT. However, the September 2020 judgment closed the door on any future reassessment, stating that telecom operators could not challenge the DoT’s AGR demands or seek re-assessment.

Union Minister of State, Shobha Karandlaje, announced on Thursday that the labour ministry is investigating the death of 26-year-old Ernst & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, following a complaint. Perayil, a chartered accountant from Kerala, reportedly died due to work-related stress, as claimed by her mother in an email to EY India’s chairman, Rajiv Memani.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice, and @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint,” the minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as labour and employment, posted on X.

Karandlaje was responding to a post by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who expressed his sorrow and concern over the death, calling it “disturbing at many levels.” He urged the government to investigate the family’s claims about an exploitative work environment at EY India.

“This is very sad but also disturbing at many levels. I request the Government of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother of unsafe and exploitative work environment that claimed the life of young, full of future Anna Sebastian,” Chandrasekhar posted.

Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023, had been working at EY’s Pune office for four months before her death. Her mother, Anita Augustine, recently wrote to Rajiv Memani, criticizing the “glorification” of overwork at the firm.

In a statement on Wednesday, EY expressed deep sadness over Perayil’s passing in July 2024. The company stated that it has been in contact with the family since the incident and has offered assistance. However, the family recently raised concerns about the “excessive workload.”

EY pledged to continue its efforts to improve the workplace environment across its offices in India. “Anna was part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the firm said.

While acknowledging that nothing could compensate for the family’s loss, EY reaffirmed its commitment to providing support. “We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and ensure a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India,” the statement added.

Artillery shells produced by Indian arms manufacturers have been diverted by European buyers to Ukraine, despite Indian export regulations and protests from Moscow, according to eleven government and defense industry sources from India and Europe, as well as a Reuters analysis of customs data.

For over a year, munitions have been transferred to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia, according to the sources and customs data. Indian arms export rules stipulate that weapons should only be used by the declared purchaser, who could face future sales bans if unauthorized transfers occur.

The Kremlin has raised concerns about this issue on at least two occasions, including during a July meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, three Indian officials reported. This report by Reuters is the first to reveal the details of these ammunition transfers. Neither the Russian nor Indian foreign and defense ministries responded to inquiries. In January, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated at a press conference that India had not sent or sold artillery shells to Ukraine.

Two Indian government officials and two defense industry sources informed Reuters that India’s contribution to the ammunition used by Ukraine is minimal, with one official estimating it to be less than 1% of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the conflict began. Reuters could not confirm whether these munitions were resold or donated to Ukraine by the European customers.

Italy and the Czech Republic are among the European countries sending Indian munitions to Ukraine, according to officials from Spain and India, as well as a former executive of Yantra India, a state-owned company whose munitions are being used by Ukraine. The Czech Republic is leading an initiative to supply Kyiv with artillery shells from outside the EU.

An Indian official confirmed that Delhi is closely monitoring the situation, but, along with a defense industry executive with direct knowledge of the transfers, stated that India has taken no action to curb the supply to Europe. Most of the 20 individuals interviewed by Reuters requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The defense ministries of Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic did not respond to requests for comment. India and the U.S., Ukraine’s main security supporter, have strengthened defense and diplomatic ties recently, driven by concerns over China, which both nations see as a primary rival. At the same time, India maintains strong relations with Russia, its top arms supplier, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declined to join the Western sanctions against Moscow.

India, historically the world’s largest arms importer, views the ongoing war in Europe as an opportunity to boost its emerging arms export sector, according to six Indian officials familiar with the government’s stance. Ukraine, struggling to fend off a Russian offensive near the logistics hub of Pokrovsk in the east, faces a severe shortage of artillery ammunition.

The White House declined to comment, while the U.S. State Department referred questions about India’s arms exports to the Indian government. India exported just over $3 billion worth of arms between 2018 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated at an August 30 conference that defense exports exceeded $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year, and Delhi aims to raise that figure to around $6 billion by 2029.