Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb was born on April 14, 1891 in town and military cantonment of Mhow in the central provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh). Today, the nation is celebrating this social reformer With his long and pragmatic vision, Ambedkar drafted the Constitution that makes India a great country and provides citizens with constitutional guarantees. Born in a poor low Mahar (Dalit) caste, Ambedkar himself was a victim of the social evils since childhood days. He was so oppressed that throughout his life, he campaigned to eliminate social discrimination against untouchables. Ambedkar had mentioned in his writings that children from backward class were not allowed to touch water or the container which was used by higher caste people during his school days. When backward class kids wanted to drink water, someone from a higher caste had to pour it from a height. This task was generally assigned to peon of the school. He described the situation as Ambedkar was so broken with such incidents that he dedicated his life to remove discrimination, degradation and deprivation from the society. In 1897, his family moved to Bombay (Mumbai) and he became the only untouchable enrolled at famous Elphinstone High…
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Asaram Bapu verdict: What next for self-styled godman after Jodhpur Court decision?
Asaram Bapu verdict: On Wednesday, self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was sentenced to life in prison by a Jodhpur court. The 77-year-old spiritual guru was found guilty of raping a teenage girl in his ashram on August 15, 2013. Special judge Madhusudan Sharmas verdict, which comes as the rage over sexual violence, particularly the rape of minors, intensifies across the country, was read out in the Jodhpur Central Jail where Asaram has been kept for over four years. Asaram will be in prison till his natural death, the court pronounced, convicting him under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act. It also imposed of fine of Rs 1 lakh on him. Meanwhile, Asarams spokesperson said that they will discuss the case with the legal team to decide future course of action. During the hearing for the quantum of sentence, Asaram The minimum punishment under the Sections in which he is charged is 10 years and the maximum punishment a life term. Even after the court Several followers flocked to ashrams in different cities and alleged conspiracy against their On the other hand, after suffering a lot in five years, the victim He thanked people for standing…
SSC exam paper leak: Mumbra school principal questioned
The principal of a school in neighbouring Mumbra, from where SSC exam papers allegedly leaked and where the main accused was employed, is currently being interrogated in connection with the probe into the case, police said today. Police said they have observed several irregularities in the functioning of the school in which main accused Firoz Khan worked. Khan didnt have a proper appointment letter or other valid documentation but he still had access to exam papers. We are questioning the principal as the leak allegedly originated from the school, said a police official. The principal has told police that she along with Khan had access to the room in which the papers were stored, officials said. Amboli police, which is investigating the case, have so far arrested four persons in this connection. Eight students have been booked and are facing action under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. A similar case which occurred in Saki Naka is also being probed to check if there are any links to the Amboli one, said officials. The leak of the SSC Board exam paper of History and Political Science (Part 1) was revealed on March 20 after the exam invigilator…
Mamata Banerjee playing ‘Surpankha’ in West Bengal, says BJP lawmaker who defended Unnao rape accused
Known for his controversial comments, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Surendra Singh on Tuesday shocked with his statement that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is playing the role of Surpankha and the state will soon become similar to Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking in wake of the violence that has gripped West Bengal ahead of the Panchayat elections, Singh said that Hindus would be wiped out of the state. Mamata Banerjee is playing the role of Surpanakha. People are getting killed on streets and she being the chief minister is not doing anything about it, such leader is not a good one. Hindus are unsafe in Bengal, Singh said. If nothing is done about it, Bengal will face situation like that in Jammu and Kashmir. Hindus will be ousted from Bengal just like it happened in Jammu and Kashmir, he told the reporters. While likening the Banerjee with Surpanakha, the MLA said that the Congress party was playing the role of Ravana, the demon king in Hindu epic Ramayana. He further said that Hindus in West Bengal are being tortured by terrorists entering the TMC-ruled state from adjoining Bangladesh. Fortunately we have a leader like Modi Ji and we will oust…
NIA chargesheets ISI operative for blackmailing lady Army officer
The NIA today filed a chargesheet against an alleged ISI operative for blackmailing a lady army officer of circulating her morphed pictures on social networking site. The agency, which registered a case in September last year, filed the chargesheet against Mohammed Parvez before a designated NIA court. The allegations are that accused had sent obscene and morphed WhatsApp images and messages from a mobile phone and Facebook ID with a veiled threat to circulate them on social media, to the complainant, thereby causing mental harassment to her as well as threatening to ruin her reputation. This was done in pursuance of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by Pakistani Intelligence officials and the arrested accused (Parvez) with a view to compromise an officer of the Indian Army into divulging national security secrets, an NIA spokesman said here. The chargesheet has been filed against accused 43-year-old Pervez, a resident of walled Delhi, under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and anti-terror law UAPA. Parvez was arrested on September 13, 2017 by the local police but after it was found that he had visited Pakistan a few times, the matter was transferred to the Special Cell for probe. The NIA took…
How will SP-BSP pact spoil Narendra Modi’s 2019 gameplan in Uttar Pradesh? Akhilesh Yadav explains
Notwithstanding the speculation on the durability of the new-found alliance with one-time rival BSP, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav says the 23-year-old acrimony with Mayawati and her party is a thing of past. All that is irrelevant now is that both parties are walking ahead, hand in hand, to achieve a larger national objective of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is detrimental to both the state and the nation, Yadav said in an interview to IANS. In a detailed interview after the stunning defeat the Samajwadi Party dealt to the BJP by trouncing it in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections, seats held earlier by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, Yadav said that the BSP-SP combine was like a glue which will knock the daylights off the arrogant and useless BJP government. The BJP, the 44-year-old leader added, would often ridicule how the opposition had no narrative to take on the saffron camp. He pointed out that with the coming together of the BSP and SP, the narrative had finally arrived. What about the bitterness that enveloped the relations between Mayawati and his own father, Mulayam Singh…
Bhagalpur riots: Case is fabricated, alleges Union Minister Ashwini Choubey’s son Arijit Shashwat
Arijit Shashwat, son of Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, booked in the communal violence in Bhagalpur recently, today accused the police of having registered a He further questioned why no action was taken, so far, against A Bhagalpur court had issued an arrest warrant on Saturday against Shashwat and nine others named in one of the two FIRs filed in connection with the violence that broke out on March 17 wherein a number of persons, including two police personnel, were injured. Moreover, the clash that broke out was a result of the SHO of Nathnagar and the Deputy SP concerned acting as per the directions of the Bhagalpur MLA Although Shashwat did not name anybody, the Bhagalpur assembly segment is represented by Ajeet Sharma of the Congress, who won the seat in the 2015 elections, defeating Shashwat in the constituency that was his father Notably, Sharma had last week moved an adjournment motion in the state assembly over the issue of Nathnagar clashes which was backed by the main opposition RJD and led to stalling of proceedings of the House for the day. Clashes had erupted after a procession, led by Shashwat and taken out on the occasion of the…
Indigenous GPS system: ISRO chief passes buck to industry as CAG report flags delay
Delays in NAVIC, Indias ambitious indigenous GPS programme, has drawn the ire of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which has pointed at laxity on part of the premier space agency as the reason behind it. Highlighting that the system is yet to be operationalised despite an expenditure of over Rs 1,283 crore already incurred on the programme, the CAG report on the Department of Space outlines that a delay in getting the desi GPS system operational would limit the life of the systems utility. Responding to the observations of the CAG report, ISRO chairman K Sivan told TOI that the NAVIC is very much operational and that ISRO has developed the space infrastructure for the navigation system, and now its for the industry to mass-produce chipsets to be used in navigation devices. He added that ISRO is working on miniaturisation of the chipset to be used in very small navigation devices. The CAG report states that the life of a navigational satellite is 10 to12 years and the satellites already launched under the programme have remained idle for over 14 months to four years. A further delay in the system getting operational would mean even lesser life of the…
PM Narendra Modi accuses opposition of divisive politics, announces BJP MPs to observe fast on April 12 to protest impasse in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the opposition of divisive politics and announced that BJP MPs will observe a fast on April 12 to protest the impasse in Parliament, for which he blamed the Congress. The prime minister said at a BJP parliamentary party meeting that the ruling party was doing an inclusive politics while the opposition was doing divisive and negative politics due to the saffron partys rising strength, Union Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters. With opposition parties targeting the government over Dalit protests, Modi said BJP MPs and other leaders will spend a night between April 14 and May 5 in over 20,844 villages with over 50 per cent population of scheduled castes and tribes to inform the masses about the Centres various measures aimed at their welfare. The party will also take out Sabka saath sabka vikas yatra, Kumar said. On a day the BJP is celebrating its 38th foundation day, Modi said it has become the largest party due to peoples blessings and tireless efforts of its workers and also paid tributes to many of its late leaders and workers. The foundation day is dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for the partys growth, the…
Most Pakistani parties want better relations with India, says Mani Shankar Aiyar
Pakistans political parties, except Jamaat-e-Islami, were resolved for better relations with India, former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has said, noting that mindset in the neighbouring country had changed post Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos rule. Aiyar, who took part in a discussion on book Born to be Hanged, Syeda Hameeds biography of the deposed and executed Pakistani leader, on Monday evening, described Bhutto as vengeful, a deeply flawed personality and committed only to his personal advancement. He also called for steps towards better relations with Pakistan. Each party other than Jamaat-e-Islami, pledges itself to better relations with India . post-Bhutto Pakistans mentality has changed and they want to be friends with us . We are battling Bhuttos Pakistan instead of making friends with (current) Pakistan, he said. Hameed said that as a student of literature, she always thought of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the protagonist of a Greek tragedy. Parallels abound in the stories of Zulfikar of Larkana and Oedipus of Thebes. Both men larger than life are victims despite epitomising qualities which are antithesis of victimhood – self-confidence, masterfulness and intensity. As the Greeks would say they were cursed by the Gods, said the social activist and educationist. She said…
Indian animation expert Bhimsain Khurana dead at 82
Indian animation pioneer and multiple National Award winner Bhimsain Khurana is dead. He was 82. Khurana, known for films like Gharaonda and for iconic animation shorts like Ek Anek Ekta – with the unforgettable – Ek chidiya, anek chidiya song – died at a hospital here on Tuesday while undergoing dialysis, a family source told IANS. A decorated filmmaker, Khurana is survived by his wife Neelam, sons Himaanshu and Kireet, daughters-in-law Youla and Tehzeeb and grandchildren Kabeer, Nivritti and Mohak. A prayer meet will be held here Friday evening at ISKCON here. Khurana obtained his diploma in Fine Arts and Classical Music from Lucknow University. In 1970, he made his debut with his first animation short The Climb, which earned him the Silver Hugo Award in the Chicago Film Festival. Soon after, he directed and produced several animation and ad films. He further established his repute as a director and producer with his landmark animation short Ek Anek Ekta, which won him a National Award. He ventured into feature film production with Gharaonda, which got Filmfare Awards. This was followed by two other successful films – Doooriyan and Tum Laut Aao. Khurana also tried his hand at TV show production….
Venkaiah Naidu concerned over washout of Parliament proceedings, urges MPs not to further erode ‘the quality of polity’
Concerned over the virtual washout of Parliament proceedings, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu today urged MPs not to further erode the quality of polity and make a fresh beginning by conducting themselves in a more dignified manner. Naidu also pointed out that the representation of women in the Upper House was very low despite the passage of the Women Reservation Bill in 2010 and hoped all political parties would accord priority to this. Naidus comments came in the backdrop of the second leg of the Budget session, which began on March 5, having failed to transact any substantial business in both the Houses of Parliament. The Upper House was only able to pass the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill 2017, while the Lok Sabha has cleared the Finance Bill 2018. Addressing around 60 retiring members of the Upper House, he said I have had the Honour of being the Chair for last three sessions. During this short span of time, I have had mixed emotions. .In this session, on several occasions, I appealed to parties, their leaders to ensure the smooth functioning of the House. I must confess that I am deeply perturbed the way we have been conducting ourselves….
Xi Jinping says China, India are ‘backbone’ of world’s multipolarisation, economic globalisation
President Xi Jinping said China and India are the backbone of the worlds multipolarisation and economic globalisation, and the two countries should jointly make positive contributions to the global peace and development. Xi, who hosted an unprecedented two-day informal summit with visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, said that China and India are both important engines of the world economic growth. As the two largest developing countries and emerging-market economies with a population level of more than one billion, China and India are the backbone of the worlds multipolarisation and economic globalisation, he said. A good China-India relationship is an important positive factor in maintaining world stability and is of great significance to the promotion of the development of all mankind, Xi was quoted as saying by Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era and Modi also proposed the goal of building a New India, he said, adding that on the road to development and revitalisation, China and India face similar tasks. We must firmly focus on development, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly realise national rejuvenation to jointly create a stable, prosperous and prosperous 21st century…
Raj Thackeray targets PM Narendra Modi’s flagship bullet train project, here’s what he said
MNS chief Raj Thackeray today appealed the farmers in Maharashtra not to give up their land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Addressing a public rally at Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district, Thackeray said, People here should not sell their land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, as well as for the Mumbai-Vadodara expressway. It is a ploy to purchase land in the name of bullet train and evict Marathi people from Mumbai (and surrounding area), which was separated from Gujarat in 1960, Thackeray said, referring to the creation of the separate states of Maharashtra and Gujarat on May 1, 1960. It is high time we Marathi people forgot our differences over caste and creed and fought against such projects which are being imposed on us, the MNS chief said. Thackeray also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the claim of achieving 100 per cent rural electrification. The prime minister claims that all villages in the country have been connected with the electricity network now. Were we living in the dark before 2014? Thackeray asked. On Chief Minister Devendra Fadnaviss claim of digging 1,20,000 wells in the state, Thackeray said, Fadnavis must have counted potholes in the streets as wells. He…
KPCC general secretary Babu Prasad RS nominee of UDF, TRS announces names of 3 candidates
Congress in Kerala today named Babu Prasad as the UDF opposition candidate for the March 23 Rajya Sabha polls from the state. The name of Babu Prasad, KPCC General Secretary and a former legislator, has been cleared by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, party state chief M M Hassan said here today. Babu would file nominations tomorrow, the last date for filing the nominations. M P Veerendra Kumar, State President of Janata Dal (United), Sharad Yadav faction, is the candidate of the ruling CPI-M led LDF. Polls are being held for the Rajya Sabha seat that has fallen vacant after Veerendra Kumar resigned from the Upper House as a mark of protest following JD (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP-led NDA. The LDF committee meeting held on March 9 had extended support and offered the Rajya Sabha seat to the While the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Telangana Chief Minister and The Chief Minister announced their names and they will file their nominations tomorrow, TRS Parliamentary Party leader and partys Secretary-General K Keshava Rao told PTI. AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had yesterday said his party would support the TRS party in the…
BJP Foundation Day: Trains delayed, traffic hit as party workers pour in for rally
Several trains arrived late here after BJP workers, being ferried in special services for the partys 38th Foundation Day rally at BKC, insisted on unscheduled halts enroute, Western Railway officials on condition of anonymity said today. The BJP, in order to bring in as many workers as possible for its rally, had chartered 28 trains, with 11 of them terminating on WR and 17 on CR, said officials. However, BJP workers alleged that their special trains were late by two to five hours as the Railways did not run them on priority. Rail activist Subhash Gupta, who was tasked with the railway arrangement by the BJP, confirmed that trains came in late but refused to blame the Railways. It is true that all the trains arrived late on Central and Western Railways. But we should not blame the Railways as special trains are run for a specific purpose and they are operated in a certain manner so that the schedules of regular trains are not hit or compromised, Gupta said. Gupta, a former member of the National Railway Users Consultative Committee, praised the Railways for ensuring that regular trains were not delayed because of the special services. Gupta informed that…
PM Modi speaks out on Kathua, Unnao: No culprit will be spared, daughters will definitely get justice
SPEAKING OUT for the first time on the Kathua and Unnao cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that the country Our daughters will definitely get justice, The Prime Minister was referring to the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old in Kathua and the alleged rape of a 17-year-old by a BJP MLA in Unnao. Modi The apex court sought explanations by April 19 from the Bar Council of India, Jammu and Kashmir Bar Council, Jammu High Court Bar Association and Kathua district bar association. Meanwhile, BJP ministers Lal Singh, Chander Prakash, who took part in a rally in support of Kathua gangrape accused, submitted their resignation to the state party chief. In the Supreme Court, a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, which took cognisance of the developments that were brought to its notice by a group of lawyers, said such impeding of the process of law The apex court said lawyers The court said, If a lawyer who is engaged, is obstructed from appearing in the court or if his client is deprived of being represented in the court when he is entitled to do so in a lawful…
Syria missile strike: India calls for restraint after US, Britain and France launch attack on West Asian nation
India on Saturday, while describing an alleged chemical attack in Syria as deplorable, called for restraint after the US, Britain and France launched coordinated missile attacks on the West Asian nation. India is closely following the situation. The alleged use of chemical weapons, if true, is deplorable, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to queries. He said that India wants an impartial and objective investigationa by the Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to establish the facts. In the meantime, we urge all parties to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation in the situation, the spokesperson said. The matter should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, and on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter and in accordance with international law. We hope that the long drawn suffering of the people of Syria would come to an end soon. The US, Britain and France launched coordinated strikes against Syrias research, storage and military targets to punish the Bashar al-Assad regime for an apparent chemical attack in Douma that killed over 70 people. The military action was denounced by Damascus and its ally Moscow as a failure and an act of aggression. Western…
Congress President Rahul Gandhi targets Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over business dealings
Congress President Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over his sale of shares in a privately-held company at nearly 1,000 times the face value. Piyush Goyals, 48 CR. #FlashNet Scam is about deceit, conflict of interest and greed. The evidence is on the table, Gandhi tweeted on Tuesday. The Congress President also targeted the media for being biased over reporting on Goyal. Yet, the media will not touch the story. It is a tragedy for our country when journalists entrusted to stand for the truth, will not speak #GoyalMustResign, he added. Last week, the Congress said Goyal and his wife sold the entire stocks of Flashnet Info Solutions (India) to Piramal Estates for an astronomical price of Rs 9,586 per share totalling Rs 48 crore, or 1,000 times the book value.
Boost for PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Study finds 93 percent village households with access to toilets using them
In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan scheme, 77 per cent of houses in village areas have toilets. Of those 77 percent households, over 93 percent have shunned the habit of open defecation and started using toilets. This was revealed in the annual rural sanitation survey NARSS under the World Bank. The survey has also confirmed that 96 per cent of villages which were given Open Defecation Free (ODF) tag by respective districts and states authorities concerned, according to Times of India report. An independent agency had conducted the survey between mid-November 2017 and mid-March 2018. The survey shows 70 percent of villages have a minimal litter. Since October 2, 2014, over 6.6 crore household toilets were built. The date obtained from Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin website shows 3,40,370 villages have been given ODF status. There are 341 open defecation free districts. The government has also said that 30 crore people have stopped defecating in open since October 2014. The agency had submitted survey results to Expert Working Group which has NITI Aayog, World Bank, UNICEF, Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, India Sanitation Coalition and Sulabh International etc. Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said…
Ludhiana cylinder blast: Toll mounts to three, CM Amarinder Singh orders inquiry
The toll in the gas cylinder explosion in Giaspura locality here went up to three after two more persons succumbed to their injuries, the police said today. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The gas cylinder exploded in Samrat Colony of Giaspura locality in which a woman was killed and 34 people were injured yesterday. Sunita Rani (40), wife of Ashok Yadav who is the owner of the house where the cylinder exploded yesterday morning, died in CMC hospital here in the evening after suffering 100 per cent burn injuries. Their 13-year-old son Raj too succumbed to his injuries at the same hospital late last night, the police said. Another woman Shashi, a neighbour, who had suffered about 80 per cent burns died in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, they said. Assistant Commissioner of Police Dharam Pal said 34 people were injured in the incident and six among them, who are admitted in various local hospitals, are stated to be critical. Police said migrant labourers reside in the locality where the cylinder exploded. The chief minister Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident, an official spokesperson said in Chandigarh. He directed the Ludhiana Deputy…
AAP red-faced as 2 MLAs don’t join party colleagues in walkout in Punjab assembly
In an embarrassment for AAP, the main opposition in Punjab Assembly, two of its legislators kept sitting in the House when the rest of its MLAs staged a walkout over the issue of drug problem in the state, during the governors address today. Led by Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira, 14 out of 16 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs present in the House, along with two legislators of the Lok Insaf Party, staged a walkout on the first day of the budget session of Punjab Assembly here. Khaira said a show cause notice will be issued to both the MLAs -Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa – for not toeing the party line. The incident took place at a time when AAPs Punjab unit was facing crisis following an apology tendered by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia for accusing him of being involved in drugs trade. The partys Punjab president Bhagwant Mann and its co-president Aman Arora had recently resigned from their posts in protest against Kejriwals apology. Addressing the state legislature, when Governor V P Singh Badnore pointing out the state governments achievement in handling drugs problem, Khaira raised from his seat…
Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal quits SP, joins BJP; creates furore with remarks on Jaya Bachchan
Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal created a furore minutes after joining the BJP with comments belittling actor-politician Jaya Bachchan as someone who used to dance in films, remarks dubbed unacceptable by party leader Sushma Swaraj. Agrawal, who lost out to Bachchan in the race for re-nomination to the upper house, quit the Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP. Agrawal said the SP denied him the RS ticket and gave it to somebody who used to dance and act in films, in an apparent reference to Jaya Bachchan. For somebody who used to dance in films, act in films, I was denied a ticket (for Rajya Sabha). I did not find it appropriate, Agrawal said while joining the BJP at its headquarters. He was flanked by several BJP leaders, including Union minister Piyush Goyal, who welcomed him into the party. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra distanced his party from Agrawals remarks, saying it respects people from all fields and welcomed them in politics. A couple of hours later, senior BJP leader and its most prominent woman face Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to criticise Agrawals comments. Naresh Agrawal has joined Bhartiya Janata Party. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhan…
Karti Chidambaram gets bail in INX Media case
The Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidamabaram, in the INX Media bribery case. Justice SP Garg while granting bail to Karti asked him to furnish a surety of Rs 10 lakh. He will have to seek prior permission of the CBI if he wants to go abroad. Besides, he will not tamper with any evidence in the case, the court said. The CBI had opposed his bail plea on the grounds that he has While denying allegations of tampering with evidence, Karti said when the CBI had not sought his further custodial interrogation, why should he be kept in judicial custody. Kartis counsel had argued that no case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was made out against him since the CBI has neither questioned any public servant, nor made them an accused in the matter. Karti was arrested on February 28 at the Chennai airport on his return from the UK. Just hours after his arrest, he was sent to the CBI custody by a special court and then to judicial custody till March 24. Karti is being questioned in connection with the INX Media corruption case lodged…
Big lesson for Delhi: How cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai didn’t feature in WHO air pollution report
No south Indian city figured in the just- released global air pollution report of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO report said 14 of worlds 15 most polluted cities were in India which includes Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi. Asked what helped in tackling pollution, a pollution control official in Tamil Nadu said efforts aimed at improvisation were prioritised always and such measures bore fruit. An action plan is being readied now to tackle air pollution better, he said. Measures being planned to tackle air pollution better include putting in place advanced gadgets in industrial premises to enable real time monitoring, he told PTI. Such monitoring will help more in checking emissions which lead to air pollution. To a question on some real time air pollution (PM 2.5) data for Chennai pointing to pollution comparable to cities like Varanasi (PM 2.5\/ 151\/WHO data), he said it was dynamic, and keeps changing all the time. Such so-called high pollution levels, were confined only to some individual pockets reflecting isolated factors and does not reflect the true scenario in the entire city, he said. Tackling pollution is a continuous process involving multiple government agencies and the people too, he said. Municipal bodies,…
Chennai shocker: IPS officer’s daughter caught on camera abusing police constable
In a shocking case of alleged VIP racism, the daughter of a senior IPS officer in Chennai was caught on camera threatening a police official who stopped her car to conduct a routine check. The video was recorded by the constable himself in which the lady can be heard abusing him. The incident happened on Saturday near Marina beach when the cop was on a routine check of vehicles. The cop said that he wanted to check whether the lady who was accompanied by three more persons, were driving under some influence of alcohol. When the officer asked them to allow him to check their vehicle, they objected and threatened that he will have to face dire consequences for his behaviour. The father of the woman is said to be an ADGP rank officer. The officer has been identified as Tamilselvan, ADGP, Costal Security Group, Chennai. In the footage, the cop can be seen explaining he was just doing his duty. The footage shows her asking the constable a barrage of questions like what his name is why he is making a video of the incident. She went on to say that she will call her father and ask him…
Kerala professor’s sexist remark on students triggers ‘watermelon protests’ in Kozhikode; here’s the full story
A sexist comment by a teachers training college professor in Kozhikode, Kerala has sparked a unique demonstration by the students at the varsity. The offensive comment by the teacher at the Farook Training College that Muslim girls were not wearing hijab properly instead they are intentionally exposing their chests like sliced watermelon has sparked extensive protests over alleged moral policing across the state by the students. The students have named the protest as watermelon protest. In a unique form of protest, female students from across the state are posting photographs posing with watermelons to call out the professor over his remarks. Student organisations demonstrated outside Farook Training College, where Jouhar Munavvir T teaches, seeking action against him. The student bodies said that they will send watermelon slices to the teacher in a fashion similar to the Pink Chaddi campaign. Tensions in the college peaked after some women students who were supporting the teacher also took out a rally. Students in other colleges also took out a march carrying sliced watermelons and sought strict action against Munavvir. The march was blocked by police. KSU activists also registered their protest by distributing watermelon slices while ABVP workers smashed a watermelon in front…
PM Narendra Modi leaves for Germany after wrapping up UK visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for Germany after wrapping up his visit to the UK where he attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and held a series of bilateral meetings. Prime Minister Modi would meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a brief stopover in Berlin. Modi had arrived in the UK on Tuesday night from Sweden on a four-day visit. The prime minister, during his interventions at the executive session of the CHOGM here, had announced that India will double its contribution to the Commonwealth fund for technical cooperation and vowed to provide tailor-made developmental assistance to small island states. Besides attending the CHOGM, Modi held bilateral talks with his British counterpart Theresa May. He also held discussions with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Seychelles President Danny Faure and nearly a dozen other leaders on the sidelines of the multilateral CHOGM. In Sweden, Modi held extensive talks with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, besides attending a India-Nordic Summit.
Watch: Congress MLA KV Reddy throws headphone at Governor in Telangana Assembly, injures council head’s right eye
Telangana legislative council chairman K Swamy Goud on Monday suffered injuries on his right eye when a Congress MLA, KV Reddy, flung a headphone at the speakers podium. KV Reddy who was protesting the K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR)-led governments indifference towards the rise in farmer suicide in Telangana. The incident took place as soon as Governor E S L Narasimhan began addressing a joint gathering at the beginning of the budget session. On one hand, while BJP leaders avoided the Governors address, Congress were seen rushing towards the podium. The angry Congress members then tore copies of the Governors speech into pieces. Reddy, who is a representative of Nalgonda assembly constituency, in the process threw his headphone at the podium. The headphone missed the governor but hit the legislative council chairman on the face. The hit injured Goud right below his right eye. The council chairman was quickly given first aid at the assembly clinic and was then rushed to Sarojini Devi Memorial Eye Hospital. The doctors conducted a CT scan and then ruled out serious injury to his eye. However, Goud will be kept under observation for 24 hours. Even as the ruckus continued in the house, the Governor…
Venkaiah Naidu starts consultation process on impeachment notice against CJI Dipak Misra
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu today set in motion the process of consultation on the impeachment notice against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and held discussions with a number of constitutional and legal experts, including Attorney General K K Venugopal, and former top law officer K Parasaran. The vice president cut short his visit to Hyderabad and reached here to hold deliberations over the notice given by the seven opposition parties. According to officials, Naidu spoke to former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap, ex-law secretary P K Malhotra and former legislative secretary Sanjay Singh on the issue. He also held deliberations with senior officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, they said, adding that Naidu also spoke to former Supreme Court judge B Sudarshan Reddy. The officials said the vice president also spoke to the attorney general on the issue. They also said Naidu continued with the deliberations till late in the evening and also spoke to K Parasaran, who was the attorney general during the Congress governments led by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and was also a member to the Upper House nominated by the party. Leaders of the opposition parties had on Friday met Naidu…