40 Years Ago: I-Day Alert, Air India Jet, Judge Salaries

This article looks back at news from 40 years ago, on August 13, 1986, in India.

At that time, the Delhi Police were very worried about safety for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

The worry grew after a famous general, Gen Vaidya, was killed in the city of Pune.

Senior police officers were told to watch their teams closely and would be blamed for any safety mistakes.

Also on that day, Air India decided it wanted to buy a big used Boeing 747-SP jet plane.

The new plane was meant for very important government trips, replacing older planes and the aircraft called 'Kanishka'.

India's lawmakers in the Lok Sabha voted to give High Court and Supreme Court judges higher salaries and better perks, and all parties supported this.

Finally, some political parties argued about a resolution allowing the central government to make laws on state matters.

Most opposition parties called the resolution a danger to the powers of state governments and the country's federal structure, but the AIADMK and BJP did not join the protest.