The Supreme Court will on Friday give a verdict on a batch of petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the government’s procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault Aviation.
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath said the party’s top priorities now would include improving the state’s fiscal health. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is expected to announce the names of the chief ministers for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Thursday.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of Telangana on Thursday. Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Rao.
Rafale: Supreme Court to pronounce verdict on pleas seeking probe into the jet deal on Friday
The Supreme Court will on Friday give a verdict on a batch of petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the government’s procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault Aviation, Bar and Bench reported.
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Centre owes debt-ridden Air India over Rs 1,000 crore for VVIP flights, says minister
The Centre on Thursday told the Parliament that it owes debt-ridden national carrier Air India Rs 1,000.62 crore, PTI reported. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said three ministries – those of external affairs, defence and home affairs – owe the airline the amount for “special extra section flights” used by the president, vice president and the prime minister.
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Karnataka: Group of citizens asks Centre to terminate contract to ISKCON-run NGO for mid-day meals
A group of citizens from across the country has written to the Ministry of Human Resource Development expressing concerns over the mid-day meals provided by Akshaya Patra Foundation, which has refused to include onions, garlic and eggs in the meal saying it can only provide a satvik diet – a diet based on Ayurveda and yoga literature.
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Bulandshahr violence: Court issues non-bailable warrant against accused
A local court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against all the accused, including those absconding, in the Bulandshahr violence case in which two people including a police officer were killed, ANI reported.
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Meghalaya High Court judge’s remark on ‘Hindu nation’ is unacceptable, says Asaduddin Owaisi
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday termed as unacceptable a statement by a Meghalaya High Court judge that India should have declared itself a Hindu nation after Partition. Owaisi said the judiciary and government should take note of the judge’s comments.
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Sabarimala row: Man dies after he sets himself on fire in front of BJP protest site in Kerala
A 46-year-old man who set himself on fire in front of a protest venue in Thiruvananthapuram around 2 am on Thursday succumbed to his injuries.
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‘BJP should settle with existing allies, build a pre-poll coalition’, says Akali Dal leader
Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral advised the Bharatiya Janata Party to deal with its allies with generosity and reach a pre-poll coalition ahead of the 2019 General Elections, reported NDTV on Thursday. Akali Dal is an ally of the BJP in Punjab.
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Kamal Nath is being rewarded for his role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots, claims Shiromani Akali Dal leader
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday accused the Congress leadership of protecting the perpetrators of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as various media reports said senior Congress leader Kamal Nath was likely to become chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
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Winter Session: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned for second consecutive day after protests
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Thursday was adjourned for the day after legislators of the Opposition parties protested over various matters, including Cauvery water sharing row and Rafale jet deal, PTI reported.
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Supreme Court stays Meghalaya HC order directing airlines to begin operations from Umroi airport
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a suo motu order of the Meghalaya High Court directing commercial airlines to begin flight operations from the Umroi airport near Shillong to metro cities, reports PTI.
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Telangana: K Chandrasekhar Rao takes oath as chief minister
Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of Telangana two days after his party recorded a thumping win in the Assembly elections. Popularly known as KCR, Rao was unanimously elected the leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi legislature party on Wednesday.
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PNB scam: Interpol issues Red Corner Notice against Mehul Choksi
The Interpol had issued a Red Corner Notice against businessman Mehul Choksi based on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s request. After a Red Corner Notice is issued against a person, they can be arrested or detained if found in any one of the 192 member countries. The person can then be extradited or deported.
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Devendra Fadnavis gets SC notice for allegedly not declaring criminal case details in poll affidavit
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on a petition alleging that he did not disclose the details of two criminal cases against him in his 2014 election affidavit. The petitioner sought Fadnavis’s disqualification from the state Assembly.
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2012 Delhi gangrape: Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking immediate execution of convicts
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking the immediate execution of four men convicted of raping and murdering a woman in New Delhi in December 2012. “What kind of prayer you are making?” Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta , according to PTI. “You are making the court a joke.”
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University of Ghana removes Mahatma Gandhi statue at the centre of anti-racism protests
The University of Ghana has pulled down a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on its campus after professors accused Gandhi of being racist, campus-based Radio Univers reported on Wednesday. It is unclear when the statue was removed. The move comes more than two years after academics and students first called for the statue to be taken down.
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Two suspected militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday killed two suspected militants in an encounter that had started in Sopore the day before. The gunfight broke out on Wednesday night in the Baratkalan-Gund Mohalla area. The security forces halted the operation due to darkness and resumed on Thursday morning.
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Jammu and Kashmir: Expelled BJP leader Gagan Bhagat claims party is anti-Dalit
Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Jammu and Kashmir MLA Gagan Bhagat on Wednesday accused the saffron party of being anti-Dalit. Bhagat claimed he was victimised for being a Dalit and said the party’s recent defeats in five states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram – was because of this ideology, PTI reported.
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In a first, Canada lists Khalistani extremism as a security concern
The Canadian government has listed Khalistani extremism among the threats the country is facing. This is the first time the country has mentioned Khalistani extremism in a federal report since its inception in 2013. The report said Sikh groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation are associated with terrorism and are listed as terrorist entities under Canada’s Criminal Code.
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Madhya Pradesh’s fiscal health and exposing Narendra Modi are top priorities, says Kamal Nath
Madhya Pradesh Congress state President Kamal Nath said his party will focus on improving the state’s fiscal health and exposing the prime minister for his policies such as the Goods and Services Tax regime and demonetisation. Nath, a nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is among the front-runners for the post of chief minister. Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia is another probable contender. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is expected to announce his decision later on Thursday.
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Assembly elections: Adityanath says Congress won through deceit
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday said the Congress won three states in the recently concluded Assembly elections through deceit. Adityanath had campaigned extensively for the Bharatiya Janata Party in four of the five states that went to the polls. “The Congress’ lies will start unravelling soon, and that will make our future battles even easier,” Adityanath told reporters in Patna while on his way back from Janakpur in Nepal.
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Sabarimala: Kerala HC directs police to remove some barricades from temple complex
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the state police to remove barricades from prime spots at the temple complex in Sabarimala. The court also told the police to lift some restrictions placed on pilgrims visiting the hill shrine, such as not letting them beyond Sharankutti, which is on the route to Sabarimala, after 11.30 pm. The prohibitory orders have been extended till December 16.
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Telangana polls: Chief electoral officer denies that names of large number of voters were missing
Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar on Wednesday dismissed reports of several names missing from the voters’ list for the recently-concluded Assembly elections. On December 7, when voting was held in the state, a controversy arose with a number of people taking to social media to complain that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls. The chief electoral officer held a press conference later in the day and apologised for the missing names.
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Zoramthanga to take oath as chief minister of Mizoram on Saturday, say reports
Mizo National Front chief Zoramthanga will take oath as the chief minister of Mizoram at noon on Saturday. His party won 26 seats in the 40-member Assembly in the elections held on November 28. The 74-year-old was the chief minister of the state between 1998 and 2008. He will succeed Lal Thanhawla, whose Congress party had been in power for two consecutive terms since 2008.
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Faulty hip implants: Delhi HC refuses to urgently hear Johnson & Johnson’s plea
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused interim relief to multinational medical devices and pharmaceuticals manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, which had challenged the Indian government’s compensation formula for patients who received faulty hip implants. The court said the petition was neither urgent nor important.
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