Congress leader Sajjan Kumar quit the party a day after the Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh violence. A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Monday held Kumar guilty of murder, promoting enmity between groups, and defiling public property.
A six-month-old was among eight who have died at a fire at Mumbai’s ESIC Kamgar Hospital. The hospital in Andheri is run by the government. Officials have not determined the cause of the blaze yet but said building material stored at the bottom of the structure might have caught fire.
The Centre on Monday cleared amendments that will make Aadhaar voluntary for banking and mobile phones. The law is also likely to be amended further to safeguard personal data and ensure the privacy of the Aadhaar holder.
Kerala: Reinstate professor suspended for criticising university, orders High Court
The Kerala High Court has ordered the reinstatement of a professor at the Central University of Kerala in Kasaragod who was suspended for criticising on Facebook the institution’s action against a Dalit scholar. The university has been in turmoil in recent months with students and teachers protesting against a series of “disciplinary actions” against leftist and Dalit activists that was seen as attempts to crush dissent.
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CBI feud: Alleged middleman in case against Rakesh Asthana granted bail
A court in Delhi on Tuesday granted bail to Manoj Prasad, the alleged middleman arrested in connection with bribery allegations against Central Bureau of Investigation Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Asthana is accused of receiving kickbacks and extorting money from Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, who was being investigated in the Moin Qureshi corruption case. Qureshi is an accused in multiple graft cases.
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Mumbai man imprisoned in Pakistan for illegally entering the country returns to India
An Indian man who was jailed in Pakistan for illegally crossing the border arrived in India on Tuesday. Pakistan had on Monday released Mumbai resident Hamid Nehal Ansari, who had been in prison since 2015 for illegally entering the country in 2012. He was handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border on Tuesday evening.
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NRC: There is no proposal to extend exercise to states other than Assam, Centre tells Lok Sabha
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Tuesday told Parliament that the government does not intend to extend the National Register of Citizens exercise, currently being conducted in Assam, to any other states.
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Uttar Pradesh: A day after two children died in a school wall collapse, police arrest principal
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested the principal of a school in Noida, a day after the institution’s compound wall collapsed killing two children. The police identified the principal as Sanjeev Kumar, who is from Bihar, and arrested him from his home in Sector 107 in Noida.
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BJP criticises Kamal Nath for claim that people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar are taking away local jobs
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday criticised newly sworn-in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for claiming that people of other states were taking away jobs in his state. Hours after taking oath on Monday, Nath had said only those industries that promote employment for locals will get incentives.
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Centre never asked for Urjit Patel’s resignation, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday denied speculation that the government had sought the resignation of Urjit Patel as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He was speaking on the second day of the Agenda Aaj Tak event in New Delhi.
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‘We won’t let Narendra Modi sleep at night till he waives farm loans all over India’: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday warned that his party and others in the Opposition will “not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep at night” until he waives loans of farmers all over the country. His remark came a day after two Congress chief ministers announced loan waivers for farmers within hours of taking oath, as the party had promised.
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Meghalaya opposes Punjab’s aid to Sikhs affected in Shillong unrest in June
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday opposed the Punjab government’s recent decision to allocate funds to Sikhs affected by violent clashes in Shillong earlier this year. Last week, the Punjab Cabinet had approved Rs 60 lakh as compensation to the Sikh community residing in the locality.
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Cyclone Phethai: Heavy rain hits parts of Odisha, more than 11,000 people evacuated
Heavy rain lashed several parts of Odisha on Tuesday after a cyclonic storm hit coastal Andhra Pradesh a day ago. The storm has now weakened and is headed towards the Odisha coast.
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Gujarat: Three Asiatic lion cubs crushed under train in Gir forest
Three Asiatic lion cubs were run over by a goods train in Gujarat’s Borala village in Gir East forest division early on Tuesday. They were found dead on a railway track in Savarkundla range of Amreli district around 12.45 am.
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Goa: ‘Stop politicising Manohar Parrikar’s ill-health,’ BJP tells Congress
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that the Congress should stop “politicising” Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s health. The Congress has been holding “Jan Aakrosh” rallies in Goa, claiming that Parrikar’s ill-health has affected governance in the state.
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Artist Tushar Joag dies at 52
Artist Tushar Joag died on Tuesday reportedly after suffering a heart attack. He was 52. Over the past few weeks, Joag had been helping to assemble a forum called Artists Unite, which on Monday issued a statement signed by 450 painters, writers and filmmakers warning that “democracy is not a majoritarian project to identify enemies and enforce uniformity of language, behaviour and culture”.
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Rajsamand murder: SC asks Rajasthan to explain videos allegedly posted by accused from jail
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Rajasthan government to explain whether and how Shambhulal Regar, accused of killing a Muslim labourer last year, uploaded videos online from the Jodhpur jail. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah also issued a notice to Regar to ask for a response on a plea filed by the labourer’s wife, seeking his transfer to the Tihar jail in Delhi.
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GST slabs: Over 99% items will be taxed 18% or lower, Centre working towards it, says Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government is moving to simplify the Goods and Services Tax system to a point where more than 99% items come under a tax slab of 18% or lower. Modi said only a few luxury items, such as aeroplanes and expensive cars, would be taxed higher than that after further consolidation.
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India-set menstrual health documentary makes it to Oscar shortlist, ‘Village Rockstars’ out of race
Rima Das’s Village Rockstars is out of the race for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. The National Award-winning film, India’s official entry in the category, did not make it to the shortlist of nine titles announced by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Monday. The shortlist for the Documentary Short Subject category, however, includes an Indian connection – Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi’s Period. End of Sentence.
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Karnataka High Court allows termination of 21-week pregnancy
The Karnataka High Court on Monday allowed a woman to terminate her 21-week pregnancy. The woman had sought permission to terminate the pregnancy as organs in the lower abdomen and spine of the foetus had not developed properly and the child would be handicapped after birth.
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Sajjan Kumar quits Congress a day after being sentenced in 1984 anti-Sikh attacks case: Report
“I tender my resignation with immediate effect from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress in the wake of the judgement of the High Court of Delhi against me,” Kumar said in his resignation letter to party president Rahul Gandhi.
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Kerala: Hadiya’s father joins BJP, says he supports Sabarimala protests
A man from Kerala who had moved court against his daughter’s inter-faith marriage has now joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindustan Times reported. KM Ashokan, the father of Hadiya, said on Monday he supports the party’s protest against a Supreme Court verdict that had allowed women of menstruating age to enter the Sabarimala temple.
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‘This is the best time for India to talk to Pakistan’, says Mehbooba Mufti
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that this is the best time for India to hold a dialogue with Pakistan, as its Prime Minister Imran Khan is being labelled a “proxy” of the army.
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Parliament: Lok Sabha adjourned till Wednesday, Rajya Sabha till 2 pm after ruckus over Rafale deal
In the Lower House, the treasury benches asked for an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his allegations against the fighter jet agreement with France. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan attempted to proceed with the Question Hour but Opposition and ruling party leaders shouted slogans against each other.
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Aircel-Maxis case: P Chidambaram, son Karti get relief from arrest till January 11
Special Judge OP Saini extended the relief after the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate submitted that new material had been recovered and that it needed to be collated, PTI reported. The judge also granted the CBI time till January 11 to get sanctions to prosecute others accused in the case.
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DMK chief Stalin defends ‘Rahul Gandhi for PM’ call as Opposition parties’ response is cold
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief MK Stalin on Tuesday defended proposing Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the post of prime minister after Opposition leaders objected to it, saying the decision will be taken after the Lok Sabha elections.
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Indian markets decline sharply in early morning trade on global sell-off
Indian markets declined in the early morning session on Tuesday due to global selling ahead of a United States Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday, and falling bank and information technology stocks. The BSE Sensex was trading 219.46 points down at 36,050.61 at 10.21 am. The National Stock Exchange Nifty was 66.35 points down at 10,822.
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Mumbai hospital fire: Toll rises to eight with two more deaths, 145 injured
The toll in the fire in a Mumbai hospital rose to eight on Tuesday, with the death of two more people in the morning. As many as 145 people have been injured, 28 of them critically, The Times of India reported.
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Toll in Chamarajanagar poisoning rises to 14, tests show food contained pesticide
The toll in a food poisoning incident at a temple in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar rose to 14 on Monday, while forensic tests on the offering that was served at the shrine showed that it contained pesticide, The Indian Express reported. Around 150 people had been served vegetable rice as prasad or offering at the Sulavadi Kichchugutti Maramma temple in Hanur taluka on December 14, and they began to fall ill after eating it.
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Madras High Court bans online sale of medicines till new rules are notified
The Madras High Court on Monday banned the sale of medicines online till the Centre notified the final rules bringing e-pharmacies under the ambit of regulation, reported The Economic Times. The court also directed the central government to notify the proposed Drugs and Cosmetics Amendment Rules, 2018 in the Gazette by January 31.
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No consultations outside government needed on RTI Act amendments as no ‘social costs’ involved: PMO
The proposed amendments to the Right to Information Act “does not involve any social or financial costs” and therefore no consultations were necessitated outside the government, the Prime Minister’s Office told the Parliament on Thursday.
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Parliamentary panel raises concern over Chinese infrastructure built close to Doklam
A report submitted by a parliamentary panel has called the Chinese intrusion at Doklam last year a “blatant but unsuccessful” attempt to change the status quo, adding that it was concerned that Chinese infrastructure built “uncomfortably” close to the tri-junction has not yet been dismantled, PTI reported. The report was tabled in the Parliament on Monday.
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Centre approves amendments to make Aadhaar voluntary for phones and banking
The Union Cabinet on Monday approved amendments to make the linking of the Aadhaar card with bank accounts and cellphone numbers optional, the Hindustan Times reported. Making Aadhaar voluntary will require changes to the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, according to CNBC-TV18.
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