India is a brother, but China is like a long lost cousin found, Maldives Ambassador to China Mohamed Faisal has said, asserting that his country would push ahead with Chinese projects despite New Delhis concerns. The Maldives will further embrace Chinese investment but is aware it risks getting caught between China and India, Faisal told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. China is like a long-lost cousin that we have found, a long-lost cousin who is willing to help us, he said yesterday after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen lifted a state of emergency in the troubled South Asian nation after 45 days. India is a brother. We are a family, we may quarrel and we may have arguments but in the end, we will sit down and resolve it, the diplomat said. He claimed that the Maldives has taken a number of projects to India for finance but we did not receive the necessary finance. China, which looks at Maldives as a major participant in its 21st century Maritime Silk Road plan in the Indian Ocean, has made heavy investments in the nation of islands which has 26 tropical atolls and 1,000 small islands. China has put up a…
Month: March 2017
Delhi sealing drive: Kejriwal to hold all-party meet with SC-appointed panel
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold an all-party meeting with the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee on unauthorised constructions in the national capital tomorrow to find a solution to the ongoing sealing drive. A government official said the chief minister has invited leaders of the Congress and the BJP to attend the meeting to be held with the committee at the Delhi Secretariat. Last week, Kejriwal had sought an appointment with the Supreme-Court appointed panel to discuss the sealing issue. Following recent request of the chief minister, the committee representatives will come to Delhi Secretariat tomorrow for a meeting over sealing issue. The chief minister has also invited BJP and Congress to attend this meeting, the official said. Earlier this month, Kejriwal had held an all-party meeting to find a solution to the ongoing sealing drive being carried out by municipal corporations against commercial establishments for violating civic norms since December last year following the directions of Monitoring Committee. During the meeting held at Kejriwals residence on March 13, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to raise their voice in Parliament through their MPs against the drive. Traders have been affected by the move to shut down commercial establishments.
India visit was significant and fruitful: Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli
Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli today termed his visit to India as significant and fruitful, saying his trip helped in clearing misunderstanding and mistrust, and strengthening mutual trust. Last week was Olis first visit to India after taking charge as Nepals prime minister for the second time in February this year. He visited India in February 2016 during his first term. My official visit to India was significant and fruitful, Oli said at the Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival. The visit has further strengthened bilateral relations between Nepal and India, Oli told the reporters. The bilateral relations will move forward in a new direction on the basis of equality and mutual interest, said Oli. We have agreed to expedite past agreements and understandings reached between the two countries, he pointed out. The visit has helped in clearing misunderstanding and mistrust and strengthening mutual trust and understanding, Oli added. During the talks the two countries agreed to conduct feasibility studies regarding construction of Raxaul- Kathmandu railway line and operating Nepalese steamers to transport goods and people from Nepal to other countries, he said. Other important agreements have been reached in cooperation in agriculture and hydropower sectors. Many observers see…
PM Modi to unveil new Ayurveda network during UK visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join Prince Charles at the inauguration of a new Ayurveda centre of excellence during his visit to the UK next week. Modi will visit the United Kingdom from April 17-20 for a bilateral visit as well as to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). A plaque for the new centre will be unveiled in London to mark the launch of a new network to coordinate evidence-based research on yoga and Ayurveda, according to sources close to the India-UK bilateral visit. The idea of the centre was mooted during the Prince of Wales visit to India in November 2017. This is the second visit to the UK by the Prime Minister (Modi) in three years and shows we are keen to work together and take the relationship to an even higher plane. The courtesies being shown are unprecedented and we are looking forward to a very fruitful and meaningful interaction, the source said. The inauguration is among a series of high-profile events lined up during Modis visit to the UK between April 17 and 20. Before attending the CHOGM on April 19 and 20, Modi is scheduled to hold two separate meetings with British…
CJI Dipak Misra calls Collegium meet after Centre rejects proposal on Justice Joseph
In the wake of government CJI Dipak Misra has reportedly decided next Wednesday as the day for the meeting of the Collegium and indicated it to other members. Although no formal agenda for the Collegium meeting has been spoken about, it is expected that it will mainly be about the reconsideration of Justice Joseph On Friday, CJI Dipak Misra sent a copy of Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad In his letter, Ravi Shankar Prasad had mentioned the reasons why his appointment Justice Joseph is at serial number 42 in the All India High Court Judges Former CJI RM Lodha was quoted as saying by IE that the Chief Justice of India, in such a situation, should immediately call a meeting of the Collegium and take up the matter with the government. He had also stressed that Besides CJI Misra, Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph are members of the Collegium. While recommending the names of Justice Joseph and advocate Indu Malhotra, the Collegium had earlier said that Justice K M Joseph is more deserving and suitable in all respects than other Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of High Courts for being appointed as Judges…
SC stays Kathua gangrape and murder case trial till May 7
The Supreme Court today stayed till May 7 the trial in the Kathua gangrape and murder case, after it was seized with petitions seeking shifting of the trial to Chandigarh and handing over the investigation to the CBI. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra said it will deal with the prayer of the victims father for shifting of trial to Chandigarh and plea of the accused seeking handing over the probe to CBI. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on May 7. The child from a minority nomadic community had disappeared from near her home in a village near Kathua in Jammu region on January 10. Her body was found in the same area a week later. The apex court had yesterday, in a stern warning, said it would transfer the Kathua gangrape and murder case from the local court in Jammu and Kashmir in the slightest possibility of lack of fair trial, saying the real concern was to hold proper prosecution. The eight-year-olds father had moved the apex court earlier, apprehending threat to the family, a friend and their lawyer Rajawat. A separate plea was also filed by…
You may never have seen PM Narendra Modi look like this before! See pics from his Sweden visit
You may have seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi donning many hats. But for his Sweden visit, the prime minister had something new to show to his fans and followers. For the historic visit to Sweden, Modi ditched his traditional kurta, in which he has been seen in past while meeting foreign dignitaries. Instead, the prime minister chose to look dapper in a grey blazer along with a pair of black trousers, and a crew-neck t-shirt. Modi complemented his refreshing look with a red scarf and a white-black printed pocket square. On Tuesday, PM Modi called on Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and exchanged views on strengthening bilateral cooperation across several sectors. The prime minister reached Sweden on Tuesday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to the Nordic nation in the last 30 years. Extending a special welcome to the Indian PM, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven received Modi at the airport. Both leaders also traveled together in the same vehicle from the airport to the hotel. PM Narendra Modis Sweden visit: see pics External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has tweeted: 10 engagements in 10 hours- a hectic day begins for PM @narendramodi in Stockholm! Call…
PNB fraud case: Delhi High Court seeks ED’s reply on plea of Nirav Modi’s firm Firestar Diamond
The Delhi High Court today sought response of the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by Nirav Modis firm Firestar Diamond against a money laundering case lodged by the agency in connection with the over Rs 11,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta issued notice to the ED on Firestar Diamond International Private Ltds plea seeking direction to the agency to supply it several documents, including a copy of the search warrants. The bench, however, refrained itself from staying the proceedings against the company saying we want to consider the stay part after the agency files their response. It directed ED to place before it the sequence in which it has initiated proceedings in the matter. The relevant records involved in the matter should be placed before the court on the next date of the hearing, March 19. The officer conversant with the present case should also remain present in the court to answer all queries, the bench said. Advocate Vijay Aggrawal, appearing for the firm, has sought quashing of the ED action of taking away the movable property and depositing the same with the PNB bank. He also submitted…
Rajya Sabha elections 2018: RJD names Manoj Jha, Ashfaque Karim as candidates for polls
Rajya Sabha elections 2018: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) today named its national spokesman Manoj Jha and Ashfaque Karim, managing director of the Katihar Medical College and Hospital, as its candidates from Bihar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections. There are six vacancies in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, polling for which will be held on March 23. RJDs Bihar unit president Ram Chandra Purbey announced here at the party office that Jha, a Delhi University professor, and Karim would be the partys candidates for Rajya Sabha election. Both would file their nomination papers tomorrow at 11 am, Purbey said, adding that (RJD) national president Lalu Prasad has chosen them as candidates. Ashfaque Karim set up a medical college in the state which helped many students of Bihar in realising their dreams of becoming doctors, Purbey said. The selection of candidates show that we not only believe in inclusive development, but also try to accommodate and take every section of the society with it, he said. Tomorrow is the last date for filing nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections, and March 15 for withdrawal of candidature. Apart from the RJD, the BJP has announced the name of Union…
Raj Babbar on ‘resignation’ as UP Congress chief: ‘New arrangements being worked out in Congress’
In a development that comes as part of what appears to be fast becoming a new trend in the party following the Congress plenary, Uttar Pradesh Congress unit chief Raj Babbar has offered to resign from his post, various media reports said, citing sources. Raj Babbars resignation comes a day after Goa Congress chief Santharam Naik quit his post after drawing inspiration from the Congress president Rahul Gandhis speech. In his speech, Gandhi had said that the party will promote young leaders to the top party posts. Speaking to media, Babbar refrained from making a direct comment. Whatever I have to say, I talk it out with my party President, the same has been happening and is happening, he said. Babbar, however, added that new arrangements are being worked out in the Congress. New arrangements are being worked out in the Congress, whatever new positions will be given by Party President, we will take them up and work towards 2019, he added. On March 19, Babbar had tweeted that Rahul Gandhis speech at Congress plenary initiated political change in the nation. Citing the same speech as inspiration, Naik resigned from his post on Tuesday. Babbar has remained active in the…
Karnataka election 2018 opinion poll, latest news, poll date, result: All you need to know
Karnataka election 2018: The dates for Karnataka Assembly election 2018 have been announced by Election Commission of India. However, the announcement on Tuesday was mired in controversy after the polling dates were leaked on social media even before the EC. The high-stakes battle matters a lot for all major parties contesting the polls. A win for BJP will likely boost its chances in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It will also help the saffron party regain momentum after UP bypoll Defeat for Congress will rob the party of the second big state where it is still in power. Regional party JD(S) is also contesting and it will affect poll outcomes for BJP and Congress. AAP and BSP are also in the fray. Karnataka elections number game: In 2013, Congress had won 122 seats; BJP – 40; JD(S) 40 and others 22. In chief minister Siddaramaiah, the Grand Old Party has a shrewd and populist leader looking after the campaign. Siddaraiah governments decision to grant separate religion status to Lingayats is likely to divide a key constituency of the BJP. The saffron party campaign in the state is led by former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. A grassroot leader from Lingayat community, Yeddyurappa…
Parliament Live: Duty bound to take up no-confidence motion but House not in order, says Speaker as ruckus continues; Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned
No confidence motion in Parliament today Live: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) could not make a fresh attempt to move the No-Confidence Motion against the Narendra Modi government in Parliament today. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been adjourned for the day for 12 consecutive day. The Centre, however, has maintained that it is ready for a discussion on the matter which according to Chandrababu Naidus party, was necessitated following the governments neglect to its demands for special status to Andhra Pradesh. Track live updates of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha 12:15 PM: Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been adjourned after protests erupted in both the Houses. 11:30 AM: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day after ruckus hit the Upper House. 11:25 AM: YSR Congress MPs today met Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan at her office over the partys no-confidence motion notice. 11:05 AM: Lok Sabha has been adjourned after protest hit the Lower House. 10:30 AM: Naidu has asked his party leaders and MPs to impress upon Opposition parties the need to bring in the no-confidence motion against the Modi government. 10:20 AM: The second leg of the Budget 2018 session in Parliament, which began…
Fake news order withdrawal a victory of democracy, media, says Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil
Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said today that the Centres withdrawal of a press release on fake news within 24 hours of issuing it was a victory of democracy and the media. Through the press release on fake news, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had attempted to bring restrictions on the medias autonomy, he alleged. The government had to withdraw it (the press release) within 24 hours and this is a big victory of democracy and the media. I congratulate all journalists who unitedly opposed the decision, said Vikhe Patil, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. In the name of fake news, the government had sought to impose restrictions on the autonomy of the media, he said in a tweet posted in Marathi. Yesterday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the accreditation of a journalist could be permanently cancelled if the scribe was found generating or propagating fake news. Once the complaint is registered for determination of fake news, the accreditation of the journalist, whoever created and\/or propagated the fake news, will be suspended till the determination regarding the fake news is made, the ministry had said. However, the press release did not define what is…
Supreme Court collegium recommends 6 names for appointment of judges in 2 High Courts
The Supreme Court collegium today recommended six names for the appointment as permanent judges of the Gauhati High Court and Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The collegium, headed by the Chief Justice Dipak Misra, recommended the names of judicial officer Rashid Ali Dar and advocates Wasim Sadiq Nargal, Nazir Ahmed Beig and Sindhu Sharma to be appointed as judges of the J and High Court and directed that seniority be fixed as per the existing practice. For the Gauhati High Court, the collegium cleared the names of advocates Sanjay Kumar Medhi and Nani Tagia to be appointed as judges. The collegium said it resolves to recommend that advocates Sanjay Kumar Medhi and Nani Tagia, be appointed as judges of the Gauhati High Court. Their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existing practice. So far as recommendation relating to advocate Nani Tagia is concerned, one of the members of the collegium, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, for reason of propriety, has not participated in the proceedings since Shri Tagia was his junior while he was in the profession, the collegium resolution said. For all other recommendations, Justice Gogoi was the part of the collegium along with Chief Justice Dipak Misra and…
CCI disposes of case against cine employees federation, others
The Competition Commission has disposed of a complaint alleging unfair business practices against Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and its 20 affiliates with regard to certain directives including fixation of wages. The complaint was filed by Indian Motion Picture Producers Association. It was alleged that FWICE and its 20 affiliates issued directives to the complainant and its members in contravention of the provisions of Section 3 and 4 of the Competition Act. FWICE is a federation of different craft associations related with the film industry in Western India (Mumbai-based film and television industry). While Section 3 of the Competition Act deals with anti-competitive agreements, Section 4 pertains to abuse of dominant market position. The directives pertained to observing mandatory holidays on second Sunday of every month in addition to a list of holidays for the year 2017 on religious occasions and wage hike of 22 per cent in the wage rate of craftsmen, among others. Noting that an earlier order of the regulator in a different matter has already settled its position on the issues raised in the present complaint, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) disposed of the complaint. With regard to the circulars directing the producers…
J Dey murder verdict: How gangster Chhota Rajan reacted when judge read out sentence
Nearly seven years after senior journalist J Dey was shot dead here, a special court today awarded life imprisonment to all the nine convicted, including gangster Chhota Rajan. MCOCA court judge Sameer Adkar, however, acquitted former journalist Jigna Vora, who was charged with instigating Rajan to carry out the killing in 2011. The judge also acquitted Paulson Joseph, who was accused of handling the financial operations concerned with the conspiracy. The court imposed a fine of Rs 26 lakh on each of the convicts. This is the first major conviction for Rajan since he was deported to India following his arrest at Bali airport in Indonesia in 2015. Earlier last year, Rajan was convicted by a court in Delhi and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a case of fake passports. Dey, 56, was shot by two motorcycle-borne men on June 11, 2011 in suburban Powai when he was on his way to his residence. At that time, he worked as a senior editor for the tabloid, Mid Day. According to the prosecution, the killing was carried out at the behest of Rajan, who was purportedly unhappy with the negative reports that Dey had been writing on his health and…
Who is Indu Malhotra? First woman lawyer to be directly elevated as Supreme Court judge from Bar
Senior lawyer Indu Malhotras elevation to a Supreme Court judge has been cleared by the President. She will be sworn-in on Friday, making her the first woman to be elevated to the rank of a judge in the apex court directly from the Bar. Her name was unanimously recommended by the powerful Collegium headed by CJI Dipak Misra along with the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand KM Joseph on January 10 earlier this year. While Indu Malhotras name was cleared by the government, it kept Justice Josephs file on hold. Justice Joseph had struck down the Centres decision to impose Presidential rule in Uttarakhand in 2016. Indu Malhotra was born on March 14, 1956. Indu Malhotra is the daughter of well-known advocate late Om Prakash Malhotra. She enrolled herself as a lawyer in 1983 in the Bar Council of Delhi. In 1988, she qualified as an Advocate-on-Record (AoR) in the Supreme Court. In last 35 years, she has been a consistent performer in the Delhi High Court, Supreme Court as well as at various tribunals. According a report in The Indian Express, Malhotra had played a key role in drafting the guidelines for the Good Samaritan law to provide protection to…
Big Left Front debacle in Tripura: Manik Sarkar blames money power, media onslaught
Outgoing Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has blamed the unimaginable money power and continuous onslaught of media as the reason behind the partys debacle in the just-concluded Assembly polls in the state. The poll result was unexpected and people of the state and the country has noticed how the BJP used its all-out effort to oust the Left Front government, Sarkar said in an interview to Ganashakti, the partys mouthpiece in West Bengal on Sunday. The Centre, he said, had in fact created an economic blockade against the government by reducing the central allocations in MGNREGA and housing schemes, among others. In the interview, which was also published in the CPI-M mouth piece Daily Desherkatha here today, Sarkar, also a CPI-M Politburo member, said The Left parties had fought the elections with all their might and the people were their main force to fight against the unimaginable money power and continuous onslaught of media. He said that the CPI-M would review the causes of its debacle in the just-concluded Assembly elections in the state after all the information are made available. It is observed that the BJP-Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) (alliance) could manage to win the major portion…
Harsh Vardhan’s theory of everything: Stephen Hawking said Vedas superior to Albert Einstein’s E=mc2
If ever a human being seemed capable of living forever, that human was Stephen Hawking. Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the degenerative neurological disorder, in 1963, Hawking passed away on Wednesday. The living metaphor of scientific endeavour, Hawking for five decades used an electric wheelchair for locomotion. Towards the end, only the twitch of a cheek muscle, processed through a computer interface with a digital voice, provided an outlet for the churning, often playful mind inside. To the eye alone, he was a rumpled suit on wheels, fathoming the unfathomable. Now just two days after the great physicists death, Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan at the 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC) said that the British cosmologist had An Indian Express source confirmed the same. Back in 2013, a post titled Dr Stephen HawkingK. has referred the Vedic science books authored by Dr Sivarambabu (Organising secretary, I-SERVE) and said that Vedas might have a theory superior to Einstein His statement on this subject is reproduced below. In an interview with the Indian Express, Dr Sakamuri Sivaram Babu, whose theory the Science and Technology Minister referred to on Friday said he was not aware of the ministers comment since…
‘Abducted’ by Uber driver, Delhi woman jumps out of moving car to save self; accused held
In yet another harassment case involving Uber, a 28-year-old woman passenger was allegedly locked inside the car by its driver and had to jump out of the moving car to save herself. As per a report by The Indian Express, the incident occured on March 9 and the driver was nabbed on the same day by the police after the woman lodged a complaint at Mahendra Park police station. The woman has alleged that she was sexually harrassed and threatened, police said. The victim, who works for a multi-national company, had booked an Uber cab from Rohini to Faridabad. The woman got suspicious of the driver as soon as she got inside the cab since the photo of the driver didnt match with the one that appeared on her mobile while booking the cab. Her suspicion grew stronger when the driver took a secluded route. As per the complaint filed by the woman, the driver kept staring at the woman through the rear-view mirror. Acknowledging the threat, the woman asked the cab driver to stop but the accused instead locked the car centrally. In fear for her safety, the girl tried calling up her friend, but the driver raised the…
Judiciary plays the role of catalyst, says Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said judiciary plays the role of a catalyst to take laws framed in the legislature to the doorstep of citizens. Judiciary is the guiding force of our country, which leads the legal way for other three branches of our democracy to follow, Sonowal said at the 16th All India Meet of State Legal Services Authorities here. He said that to make democracy vibrant, involvement of the people in the system and their active participation in functioning of government is of paramount importance. Keeping this in mind, the state government is giving maximum thrust on making government services more accessible to the citizens, he said. Hailing the role of State Legal Services Authorities, the chief minister said during the past 20 years, it has extended free valuable legal aid to the needy and worked for generating legal awareness in society. Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is also the executive chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), said extending legal services to the under-privileged sections of society has been the national commitment of the NALSA. Gogoi, who was also present on the occasion, said NALSA has been providing free legal services to the weaker…
Navratri 2018: UP govt to provide 24-hour power supply at 100 prominent temples
The Uttar Pradesh government has directed the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all the shakti peeths and 100 other prominent temples in the state during Navratri beginning Sunday, an official said on Saturday. Navratri is a nine-day festival of the Hindus and shakti peeths are seats of Goddess Durga. Power Minister Shrikant Sharma informed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also directed officials to make any necessary arrangements before the festival starts. Among the religious places that will be covered under the 24×7 power supply arrangement are Chandrika Devi temple in Lucknow, Kotwa temple in Allahabad, Keira Devi in Maharajganj, Kalidham temple in Mirzapur, and Shaktipeeth Nav Durga temple in Aligarh, among others. Principal Secretary (Power) Alok Kumar has asked all officials and Managing Directors of Discoms to ensure that the diktat is complied with. Adityanath himself will observe a nine-day fast during this period.
Liked Baahubali? This village may have found 1000-yr-old sculpture representing real Bahubali; there is ‘Devasena’ too!
While the movie Bahubali caught the imagination of millions in the country, a village near here is debating if a sculpture identified days ago as over 1,000-year-old actually represented him. Bahubali, was the son of Rishaba, the first of the 24 Theerthankaras of the yore, according to Jainism. A bas-relief, a type of sculpture carved out of a hillocks side portion is being worshipped all along by the local people as Mottai Andavar, a form of Lord Muruga at Kanakkuvelanpatti village about 30 km from here in western Tamil Nadu. During our recent visit to this village, we found that the bas relief situated at an elevation of about 25-30 feet is actually that of a Jain Theerthankara dating back to 10th Century AD, Archaeologist S Ramachandran said. Standing in a straight posture, the Theerthankara is without any symbolic gestures and such a position is called Kayoth Sarga, Ramachandran who was formerly with the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department told PTI. The Theerthankaras bas relief is about eight feet in height, and he is flanked by Yakshas (attendants) on both sides, he said. According to the local people they are Valli and Devasena, symbolic divine consorts of Lord Muruga. Some…
Rajya Sabha elections: Cross-voting charges fly thick and fast
Claims of cross-voting marred elections to the Rajya Sabha in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jharkhand on Friday and the Jharkhand Opposition even approached the Election Commission of about cross-voting from their ranks. In UP, a tantalising numerical contest was on between the BJP and SP-BSP-Congress combine for one seat. Of the other nine seats, BJP candidates were set to take eight and SP one on the basis of secured numbers required to win on first preference votes. For the tenth seat, the BSP While the numbers from the SP-BSP-Congress combine placed Ambedkar with more first preference votes than Agrawal, both were likely to fall short of the winning number on the basis of first preference votes. Their contest was set to escalate to counting for second preference votes. The SP-BSP-Congress combine Additionally, their numbers came under stress after a sitting BSP legislator, Anil Singh, was said to have voted for the BJP candidate. The SP The election agents, sources said, objected to their votes. However, their objections were rejected by the returning officer before starting the counting process in the evening. Sources said the SP-BSP-Congress coalition was hoping there would be cross-voting from legislators of the Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party,…
PMLA case: Former Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh, wife granted bail
A special court today granted bail to former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and three others in a Rs seven crore money laundering case. Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted the relief to Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, who were present in the court in response to the summons issued against them on the last date of hearing. The court also granted bail to Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan, besides other accused Prem Raj and Lawan Kumar Roach. All the accused got the relief on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of the same amount each. During the proceedings, ED counsel Nitesh Rana opposed their bail plea, seeking judicial custody for them. The court, however, granted them bail considering they were not arrested by the ED during investigation. The court had on February 12 issued summons against the accused saying there was prima facie enough evidence against them. The Enforcement Directorate had chargesheeted 83-year-old Singh, accusing him of projecting around Rs seven crore proceeds of crime as agricultural income in connivance with his wife and others and had invested the sum in LIC policies.
Forget opposition talks, Narendra Modi will become PM again in 2019! Raman Singh explains why
There cant be a national alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the support of small regional groups, said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh who feels that any opposition grouping will collapse due to inherent contradictions. He also said that the loss of a couple of parliamentary bypolls will not make any difference to the Bharatiya Janata Party winning next years Lok Sabha elections. Once upon a time it was Indira (Gandhi) versus all and now it is Modiji versus all. This is happening because of Modijis rising popularity. Some smaller parties can polarise in an effort to stop him but they would not succeed. They cannot emerge victorious against Modijis popularity, Singh, the longest serving Chief Minister of the BJP, told IANS in an interview. He also wondered that since the Congress is not in power in many states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu how are they dreaming of returning to power in 2019. Where would they get support from. With support of small regional groups, there cannot be a national alternative. These parties are coming together out of fear of Modijis popularity. See the past, they can never remain united. How…
Instant Karma: Molester tries to stop girl’s 2-wheeler; she lost control, hit him head-on – Watch video
With reports of increasing crime against women in India, yet another shocking incident came to light on Friday. This time its again from Jammu and Kashmir. A shameful incident of harassment of a young girl by three men has been caught on camera. The incident happened while she was on her way to home from school. Three bike-borne men allegedly tried to harass her. But, the molester was hit by the girls vehicle, that too head-on. The incident was reported from Jammu and Kashmirs Doda district, where a man along with his two accomplices tried to stop a girls two-wheeler, in an attempt to molest her. However, the girl lost control of her vehicle, hit the man who tried to stop her and later both of them fell down. After the man was hit, he fell unconscious. The whole incident was captured in a camera and the video has also gone viral on various social media platforms. #WATCH Doda: Man, along with his 2 accomplices, tried to stop a girls two-wheeler, in an attempt to molest her. Girl lost control of her vehicle fell down. Accused men have been nabbed by Police. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com\/J7R7FYK0nn The police have meanwhile nabbed the…
Pravin Togadia’s allegations of wrongdoing bid to delay poll process, says VHP
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) joint general secretary Surendrakumar Jain has rubbished reports of discrepancies in the election process to elect a new international president of the right-wing group. Speaking to FinancialExpress.com, Jain said said that the VHP is holding elections in a transparent and democratic manner and said those spreading rumours wanted to delay the election process. Polls to elect a new international president will be held at the PWD Guest House in Gurugram on April 14 (Saturday). The election will be held between 11 am 1 pm. The name of the new international president will be announced soon after, Jain said. The election courted controversy when VHPs incumbent international president Raghav Reddy and working international president Pravin Togadia claimed that due procedure was not being followed while holding the election to chose a new international president. According to Tagadia, at least 37 names have been added to the voters list who are not in the list of trustees. He said that decision to add 37 names violates the memorandum of association of the VHP. Contesting Togadias claims, Jain said that it is the same list which had made Reddy international president and Togadia international working president of the VHP….
Madhya Pradesh infant rape-murder: Accused thrashed outside court for raping, killing four-month old child in Indore; Watch video
Madhya Pradesh infant rape-murder: A man arrested for allegedly raping and killing a four-month old infant was today assaulted by people when he was being taken to a magisterial court here, officials said. Superintendent of Police (SP) BPS Parihar said the accused did not sustain any injury in the attack. Amid outrage over the rape-murder of the infant, the State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh has asked lawyers here to not appear for the accused, Naveen Gadge, who was remanded in police custody for two days by the court. We had a hard time protecting the accused. When he was being taken to the court, he was attacked and slapped (by people present there). The same thing was repeated when he came out of the court, Inspector Avinash Singh Senger of Sarafa police station said. Some women did run with slippers to beat him but we protected the accused. He did not sustain any injury in the attack, Parihar told PTI. WATCH VIDEO- #WATCH: People thrash rape accused of the case where a girl under one year of age was raped and murdered in Indore. He was being presented before the District Court by the police. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com\/Yx5HTT8EnW However, Malviya…
What is POCSO Act?
The Union cabinet on Saturday cleared the ordinance on POCSO act whereby death penalty will be given to those convicted of raping a child up to 12 years of age. Centre has cleared the criminal law amendment ordinance and POCSO Act is a part of this amendment. Death penalty to the child rapist took a centre stage after two separate cases gang rapes took place in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua and Uttar Pradeshs Unnao, leading to massive outrage across the country.The Centre has increased minimum punishment in case of rape of women from 7 years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment. It said that in case of gang rape of a girl below 12 years, punishment will be life imprisonment or death sentence. What is POCSO Act? Here is all you need to know: POCSO or The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 was established to protect the children against offences like sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography. It was formed to provide a child-friendly system for trial underneath which the perpetrators could be punished. The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age. It also makes provisions for avoiding the…