India hits back at Pak, says it 'extols' virtues of terrorists

July 14, 2016

United Nations, Jul 14: Strongly hitting back at Pakistan for raising in the UN the issue of the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, India has said Pakistan "extols" the "virtues" of terrorists and uses terrorism as a state policy towards the "misguided end" of coveting the territory of others.

India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin responded strongly to the remarks made by Pakistan's envoy Maleeha Lodhi on Kashmir and Wani's killing during a debate on human rights in the 193-member UN General Assembly here yesterday.

In her statement, Lodhi, apart from raising the Kashmir issue, also mentioned the "extra-judicial" killing of Wani, whom she described as a "Kashmiri leader", by Indian forces.

In his statement, which sources here termed as perhaps the hardest-hitting against Pakistan in recent times, Akbaruddin said Pakistan "extols" the virtues of terrorists and could not gain membership of the UN's human rights body because of its "track record".

Lashing out at Lodhi's raising of the Kashmir issue at the multi-lateral world body, Akbaruddin said it is regrettable that Pakistan attempted to misuse the UN platform.

"Regrettably, earlier today we have seen an attempt at misuse of this UN platform. The attempt came from Pakistan; a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists; and a country that masquerades its efforts as support for human rights and self determination," he said.

Akbaruddin asserted that Pakistan's "track record" failed to convince the international community that it should gain membership of the Human Rights Council in this very session of the UNGA.

"The international community has long seen through such designs. Cynical attempts, like the one this morning therefore, find no resonance in this forum or elsewhere in the United Nations," he said.

Akbaruddin asserted in his statement that as a "diverse, pluralistic and tolerant" society, India's commitment to the rule of law, democracy and human rights is enshrined in its founding principles.

"We remain strongly committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all through pursuit of dialogue and cooperation," he said.

At least 30 people have been killed and more than 250 injured in the clashes between protesters and security personnel after Wani's killing in an encounter last week.

The UN has expressed concern over the tensed situation in Kashmir, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling on all parties to exercise "maximum restraint to avoid further violence and hopes that all concerns would be addressed through peaceful means."

Ban's spokesman had said the UN Chief was closely following the recent clashes in Kashmir and "regrets" the loss of dozens of lives and injuries to many others.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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