A court in the United Kingdom on Monday ordered the extradition of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Earlier in the day, the businessman had said that his offer to repay the principal amount to Indian banks was “not bogus”, and that he had not “stolen” their money.
Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel resigned on Monday, citing personal reasons. Patel became the first RBI governor since 1990 to step down from the post before his term ended.
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party President Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned as Union minister of state for human resource development. His party was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
Sabarimala row: Police use tear gas, water cannons after BJP’s march to Secretariat turns violent
A protest march staged by the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday over Sabarimala row turned violent when protestors hurled stones at the police in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. Police resorted to firing water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protestors.
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India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-5 missile
India successfully test-fired surface-to-surface nuclear-capable missile Agni-5 on Monday, from the Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched using a canister on a road mobile launcher, the Defence ministry said.
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Urjit Patel resignation: ‘All Indians should be concerned,’ says former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan
Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan on Monday said all Indians should be concerned about the reason for Urjit Patel’s resignation as the top bank’s chief. “I think this is something all Indians should be concerned about because the strength of our institution is really important,” Rajan said.
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UK court orders extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya to India
The Central Bureau of Investigation welcomed the UK court’s decision. The Crown Prosecution Service and Mallya will have the right to file for a permission to appeal in the UK High Court.
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VVIP chopper deal: ‘Middleman’ Christian Michel’s CBI custody extended by five days
Michel was extradited to India from the United Arab Emirates on December 3. The next day, the court granted the CBI five-day custody of the alleged middleman. On Monday, the agency requested a further remand of nine days for Michel’s custodial interrogation, claiming that he was not cooperating in the inquiry.
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RBI Governor Urjit Patel steps down, citing personal reasons
“It has been my privilege and honour to serve in the Reserve Bank of India in various capacities over the years. The support and hard work of RBI staff, officers and management has been the proximate driver of the Bank’s considerable accomplishments in recent years. I take this opportunity to express gratitude to my colleagues and Directors of the RBI Central Board, and wish them all the best for the future,” Patel said.
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Cabinet clears increase in Centre’s contribution to National Pension System by 4%
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the Centre will increase its contribution to the National Pension System for central government employees to 14% from the current 10%, PTI reported. Employees currently contribute 10% to the pension scheme.
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‘Anti-BJP alliance’: Opposition parties’ meeting under way; BSP and Samajwadi Party skip discussions
Top leaders of several Opposition parties on Monday met in Delhi as part of attempts to form a grand alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The meeting, held at Parliament House Annexe in Delhi, was coordinated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu.
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UK: ‘Offer to repay principal amount is not bogus,’ says Vijay Mallya ahead of verdict on extradition
Businessman Vijay Mallya on Monday said that he had not “stolen” money and that his offer to repay the principal amount to Indian banks was “not bogus”, PTI reported. He was speaking to reporters outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London in the United Kingdom ahead of the verdict on his extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering.
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Maratha quotas: Lawyer opposing reservation attacked outside Bombay High Court
A man shouted a slogan in support of the reservations as he lunged at the petitioner, Gunratna Sadavarte, when he was speaking to media outside the High Court. Police officials and other lawyers at the spot grabbed the man, who was later identified as Vaidyanath Patil from Jalna district.
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NSEL scam: Rahul Gandhi rented out farmhouse to accused Jignesh Shah’s company in 2013, says report
A company promoted by businessman Jignesh Shah, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a case of alleged market irregularities in 2016, rented a farmhouse owned by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi in 2013. The transaction raises questions of propriety as investigation against Shah in several cases of money laundering were initiated in 2012 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
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Telangana polls: BJP hints at support to TRS, says it will ‘have nothing to do with’ Congress, AIMIM
BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said most exit polls point towards the Telangana Rashtra Samithi retaining power in the state and they are “likely to turn out to be right”. Rao said it was difficult to comment on what the BJP would do in case of a hung Assembly as one does not know what the shortfall for TRS will be.
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Supreme Court issues notices to five states on plea challenging amendments to Land Acquisition Act
The 2013 law was the then Congress-led government’s replacement for a colonial-era law that gave the state sweeping powers to forcibly acquire private land if it served a “public purpose”. The replacement – Right to Fair Compensation in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 – was intended to bring more transparency in the acquisition process and ensure proper rehabilitation for those losing their land and also for workers and artisans whose livelihoods were affected.
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Muzaffarpur rape case: Supreme Court rejects plea claiming main accused was tortured in jail
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition claiming that Brajesh Thakur, the main accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, was tortured in the Patiala jail in Punjab. The court rejected the plea after a medical panel it had set up found no injuries or signs of torture.
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Kartarpur corridor may be used to fuel militancy in India, says Amarinder Singh
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday alleged that the Kartarpur corridor project was part of Pakistan’s Army and Inter-Services Intelligence conspiracy against India. The project, he added, might be used to fuel militancy in India.
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Shashi Tharoor files criminal defamation complaint against Ravi Shankar Prasad
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has filed a criminal defamation complaint against Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for calling him an “accused in a case of murder”. Prasad had made the remark in October after Tharoor, quoting from a news article from 2012, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “scorpion sitting on a Shivling [idol of Hindu god Shiv]”.
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Tamil Nadu: TTV Dhinakaran’s party says it is open to merger with AIADMK
A leader of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, the party formed by former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam TTV Dhinkaran, has said his outfit will consider merging with the ruling party depending on the results of the 18 bye-elections in the state.
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BJP ally Upendra Kushwaha resigns as Union minister
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party President Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned as Union minister of state for human resource development, multiple reports said. Earlier in the day, Kushwaha had announced he would not attend a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance in New Delhi, fuelling speculation that he may quit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition.
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GDP back series: ‘We need experts to investigate the data,’ says ex-CEA Arvind Subramanian
Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has called for an expert investigation to clear doubts around the revised economic growth numbers released last month by the NITI Aayog and the Central Statistics Office.
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J&K: Governor-led council approves law to set up special security force for him and his family
The State Administrative Council of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday approved a bill to set up a special force for the security of Governor Satya Pal Malik, who heads the council, and his family. The state has been under Governor’s Rule since June.
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Nizamuddin Dargah: Centre and state asked to reply to plea seeking entry of women into shrine
The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government, Delhi Police and Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to reply to a petition seeking entry of women in the shrine’s sanctum sanctorum.
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J&K Assembly dissolution: Supreme Court dismisses BJP leader’s plea challenging governor’s order
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the state Assembly. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Koul said it was not inclined to interfere with the decision.
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Noted historian Mushirul Hasan dies at 71
Historian Mushirul Hasan, a former vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia university and director general of the National Archives of India, died on Monday morning. He was 71.
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BJP MP asks why murdered inspector did not act on cow-slaughter complaint
A Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh on Sunday said the police team investigating last week’s mob violence in Bulandshahr district should also find out why a police inspector killed in the attack had not taken action on a complaint about alleged cow slaughter and smuggling, The Indian Express reported.
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Sensex loses nearly 600 points after exit polls predict mixed results for BJP in state elections
Indian share markets on Monday lost major ground after exit polls on Friday predicted mixed results for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections held in recent weeks.
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‘Who is their PM candidate?’ asks BJP ahead of Opposition meeting in Delhi
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has taken a dig at the Opposition ahead of a meeting in New Delhi on Monday in which the parties will discuss ways to form of an anti-BJP alliance.
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UK court set to decide if Vijay Mallya can be extradited to India
The Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London in the United Kingdom will rule on Monday if businessman Vijay Mallya can be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering, PTI reported.
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Women’s Reservation Bill: Rahul Gandhi urges Congress CMs to call on Centre to pass legislation
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has urged state governments run by the Congress and its allies to pass a resolution calling on the Centre to ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, The Indian Express reported.
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Modi government must pay heed to RBI for financial stability, says outgoing IMF chief economist
Outgoing International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld on Sunday said it was important for the Indian government to pay heed to the Reserve Bank of India’s advice to maintain financial stability, PTI reported.
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New Delhi: DMK leader MK Stalin visits Sonia and Rahul Gandhi ahead of key Opposition meeting
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Stalin met United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday.
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Jammu and Kashmir: Top Hizbul Mujahideen recruiter arrested in Kishtwar, say police
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday claimed to have arrested Hizbul Mujahideen militant Reyaz Ahmed of Sounder in Kishtwar, PTI reported. Ahmed was a “hardcore motivator” who used to influence young people to join the group, the police added.