Good morning, The Big Story The government respects the decision of the apex court to put the three farm laws on hold, President Ram Nath Kovind told Parliament at the start of the Budget session. President Kovind also referred to the storming of the Red Fort and vandalism on Republic Day. Only in the Express Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: “The scenes at the Red Fort may have been disturbing. But the real darkness on the horizon is not the protest, or the turn it might have taken. It is the turn Indian democracy is taking, almost as if it is on the road to perdition.” From the Front Page A move by UP’s Ghaziabad district administration to clear the farmers' protest site at Ghazipur border backfired. The gathering had visibly thinned, a day after the tractor rally spiralled into violence. But more farmers started arriving by late Thursday after police in anti-riot gear started spreading out at the site. Comedian Munawar Faruqui, who has been in jail since January 1, was denied bail by the Madhya Pradesh High Court which observed that he made “scurrilous, disparaging utterances… outraging religious feelings of a class of citizens of India with deliberate” intention “under the garb of stand-up comedy”. "Travesty of justice." That was how India described Pakistan Supreme Court's order to release British-born terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted of abducting and murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. India said the case truly demonstrated Pakistan’s intent on taking action on terror. 
Beating the Retreat Ceremony at Raisina Hills in New Delhi. (📸 by Praveen Khanna) Must Read As many as 21 cases involving communal violence and violence in the course of cow protection were dropped by courts in Karnataka between October and December last year, based on an August 31, 2020 order by the BJP government. The beneficiaries were the BJP MP from Mysuru Prathap Simha, 206 members of Hindu groups, and 106 Muslims.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court recently held that acts like “holding the hands of a minor” and the accused “opening of zip of the pant” does not amount to sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Such acts would instead amount to "sexual harassment" under Section 354-A(1)(i) of the Indian Penal Code, the court said.
ICYMI - After schools in Delhi opened for class X and XII students last week, the government announced that students in classes IX and XI, as well as colleges, polytechnics and diploma institutions, may attend physical classes from February 5.
- The Editors Guild of India strongly condemned the “intimidating manner” in which several journalists have been targeted for reporting and spreading information on the farmer’s tractor rally and the ensuing violence on Republic Day in the national capital.
- The Centre has directed states to begin vaccinating around 2 crore frontline workers -- including central police force personnel and the armed forces -- along with healthcare workers from the first week of February onward, senior Health Ministry officials said.
- Nearly 10 months after regular operations of the suburban train services were shut down, the Maharashtra government and the Indian Railways have decided to allow the general public to travel by Mumbai local trains during non-peak hours.
- Johnson & Johnson announced that its single-shot candidate has been found 72% effective in the US; 66% effective overall at preventing “moderate to severe” Covid-19; and 85% effective in preventing severe disease across all regions studied, 28 days after vaccination in all adults 18 years and older.
And Finally... For taking the next step forward in Indian badminton’s doubles journey, the national association has roped in 2012 London Olympics silver medallist Mathias Boe as coach. The Dane, known for his tactical acumen, is expected to build upon the strides taken by Ashwini Ponnappa, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on the international circuit, helping add nous to their games. Delhi Confidential: From citing Assam’s Kesari Ambikagiri Raichoudhury and West Bengal’s Jyotirindranath Tagore to Kerala’s Vallathol Narayana Menon, President Ram Nath Kovind took a poetic route in his address to the joint session of Parliament. But many MPs were quick to notice he had referred to poets of poll-bound states. Until tomorrow, Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose 
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