Top news: Officials objected to PMO having parallel talks with France about Rafale deal, says report

Kolkata Police threatens to file defamation suit against Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami

The Kolkata Police on Thursday sent a letter to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, threatening to file a defamation case against the channel and its sister network, Republic Bharat, the news channel said. Kolkata’s additional commissioner of police sent the letter to Goswami for a telecast aired on February 2 in which he claimed that Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar was absconding.

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Ladakh division: Omar Abdullah says Chenab, Pir Panjal will also get status if his party is elected

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday said his government will grant Chenab valley and Pir Panchal regions the status of division if his party is elected to power in the Assembly elections that are expected later this year.

Sensex, Nifty fall over 420 points as Tata Motors reports record quarterly losses

Indian stock markets tumbled on Friday due to Tata Motors’ stock falling 17% after reporting record quarterly losses of Rs 26,961 crore, and sharp declines in shares of several other companies. The BSE Sensex fell 424.61 points, or 1.15%, to close at 36,546.48. The National Stock Exchange Nifty tanked 125.80 points, or 1.14%, to finish at 10,943.60.

Rafale deal: Shocking that PMO was holding ‘parallel negotiations’, says former defence minister

Former Union Defence Minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony on Friday said it was shocking that the Prime Minister’s Office was conducting “parallel negotiations” with France on the Rafale fighter jet deal and claimed it was protecting “special interests”.

Uttarakhand: At least 12 dead after consuming spurious liquor near Roorkee

At least 12 people died near Roorkee in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district after drinking spurious liquor. Some reports, however, said as many as 14 people have died. “The incident occurred last night,” Uttarakhand Excise Minister Prakash Pant said. “We have suspended thirteen officials in connection with the case. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. Strict action will be taken.”

Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal’s convoy attacked with sticks in Narela, no one injured

A mob armed with sticks attacked Arvind Kejriwal’s convoy on Friday an official in the Delhi chief minister’s office said. Nobody was hurt in the attack, he added. The unidentified official said a group of around 100 men tried to stop Kejriwal’s car in Narela area of the national Capital before attacking it. The incident took place when the chief minister had gone to Narela to inaugurate development works in 25 unauthorised colonies, he added.

Madhya Pradesh: Police book two more people under NSA for allegedly transporting cows illegally

Two men have been booked and arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar Malwa district under the National Security Act on Thursday for allegedly transporting cows illegally. This comes days after the Kamal Nath-led Congress government invoked the stringent Act against three persons accused of cow slaughter in Khandwa district.

Mayawati should reimburse public money spent on building statues, observes Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday said it was prime facie of the view that Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati should pay back public money that was spent on installing statues of herself and elephants – her party’s symbol – in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Lucknow.

Facebook: Political ads to carry disclaimers by advertisers ahead of elections in India

Facebook on Thursday announced additions to rules governing political advertisements in India in order to create more transparency ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Facebook had first announced plans aimed at bringing transparency to political ads in India in December. Facebook users will now begin to see political ads with “Published by” or “Paid for by” disclaimers specified by advertisers, the company said.

Muzaffarnagar riots: Court sentences seven convicted of killing two youths to life imprisonment

Thousands lost their homes in the violence which polarised western Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Several reports of sexual assault and abuse also emerged from Shamli and Muzaffarnagar districts at the time.

Jammu and Kashmir government orders creation of separate division for Ladakh

Ladakh region was earlier a part of the Kashmir division. The statement said people in the region had raised persistent demands for the creation of a separate division due to topographic conditions, unique cultural status and that it deserved special treatment due to the distance from the capital Srinagar.

Delhi High Court dismisses plea seeking ban on Netflix, Amazon Prime

The plea, filed by non-governmental organisation Justice for Rights, claimed that these platforms show “uncertified, sexually explicit and vulgar” content. The NGO alleged that shows like Sacred Games, Game of Thrones and Spartacus contain “vulgar, profane, sexually explicit, pornographic, morally unethical and virulent” content which objectifies women.

Bangladesh requests India to help with early repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen made the request during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, the Bangladesh High Commission said. Momen met his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on Friday and chaired the fifth joint consultative committee meeting of the two countries. The Rohingya crisis is expected to be discussed in the meeting.

SC asks Tejashwi Yadav to vacate government bungalow in Patna, imposes Rs 50,000 fine

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Yadav for challenging the High Court decision. The top court also asked him to shift to an accommodation meant for the leader of the Opposition.

Karnataka: Congress will take action against four rebel MLAs, says Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah said he would meet Speaker Ramesh Kumar and urge him to take action against Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh Jadhav, Mahesh Kumathali and B Nagendra. The four are reportedly in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

‘Flogging a dead horse’: Nirmala Sitharaman rejects report about PMO interference in Rafale deal

According to The Hindu’s report, the Ministry of Defence had, in 2015, objected to the intervention. Soon after the report was published, the Congress alleged that the prime minister had “lied to the country” about the Rafale jet deal.

Kartarpur corridor: Pakistan proposes to send delegation to finalise deal, India welcomes move

In November 2018, New Delhi and Islamabad laid the foundation stone for the project that will connect Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Punjab with the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur area of Pakistan’s Narowal district. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, died in Kartarpur in 1539. The corridor will allow Indian Sikh devotees to travel without visas to the pilgrimage site.

Triple talaq: Arun Jaitley calls Congress promise to scrap legislation a ‘retrograde step’

In a Facebook post, Jaitley cited a recent news report about an instance of nikah halala in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. A Muslim woman who was married in 2009 was twice divorced through triple talaq, in 2011 and 2017. The woman was reportedly forced to perform nikah halala, first with her father-in-law and then with her brother-in-law, who allegedly raped her.

Supreme Court refuses to hear former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s plea seeking security for his family

The court had, in October 2018, refused to hear a plea submitted by the former officer’s wife against a police investigation and his judicial custody in a 1996 case in which he was accused of planting banned drugs on an advocate to arrest him.

Parliament: Rajya Sabha adjourned after protests against alleged PMO interference in Rafale deal

The Rajya Sabha on Friday was adjourned for the day after Opposition members protested against the controversial Rafale jet deal. The Upper House has not taken up any official work since Parliament met for the Budget Session on January 31.

Upper-caste quota: Supreme Court refuses to stay reservation law, asks Centre to respond to petition

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to order a stay on the Centre’s decision to grant 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions to economically weak sections in the general category. The court tagged the plea filed by businessman Tehseen Poonawalla with similar pending petitions, and asked the Centre to respond.

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Karnataka: HD Kumaraswamy releases audio clips to claim BJP tried to poach his MLA

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday released two audio clips, accusing Bharatiya Janata Party state president BS Yeddyurappa of trying to poach a Janata Dal (Secular) MLA by offering money, ANI reported. Yeddyurappa has called the audio clip “fake and baseless”.

‘I don’t expect miracles in two months,’ Rahul Gandhi tells Priyanka Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told the party’s newly appointed general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia “not to expect miracles in two months” and to not “feel any pressure”, reported the Hindustan Times. He asked them to focus on the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

J&K avalanche: Strong wind, snow hamper efforts to rescue 10 trapped police personnel

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said strong winds and accumulation of snow were hampering efforts to rescue 10 personnel trapped in an avalanche that hit a police post near Jawahar Tunnel in Kulgam district the previous day. An unidentified police official told PTI that all efforts were being made to evacuate the trapped police personnel.

Rafale deal: PM Modi lied to the country, says Rahul Gandhi after report claims PMO interference

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said it was now “black and white” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had carried out parallel negotiations with France on the Rafale fighter jet deal. His remark was based on a report in The Hindu earlier in the day. He accused both Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying to the country.

Kerala government announces Rs 3 crore for women filmmakers in state budget

The Kerala government announced Rs 3 crore to women filmmakers in the state budget presented last week and acknowledged the Women in Cinema Collective as an important movement. The collective is a non-profit organisation for women in Malayalam cinema. It was founded in 2017 in response to the alleged sexual assault of a Malayalam actress.

Rafale deal: Defence ministry objected to parallel talks carried out by PMO, reports The Hindu

The Ministry of Defence in 2015 objected to “parallel negotiations” conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office with France when the two countries were negotiating the Rafale jet deal, The Hindu reported on Friday. Manohar Parrikar, who is now the chief minister of Goa, was in charge of the ministry at that time.

Karnataka: CM Kumaraswamy makes new appointments to pacify potential rebel MLAs, say reportsKarnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday made some appointments and replacements in his administration in what is seen as a way to pacify rebel MLAs, The New Indian Express reported. He is scheduled to present the state Budget in the Assembly on Friday.

Congress calls Narendra Modi’s Parliament speech a ‘shop of rhetoric’ and false stories

The Congress on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Parliament showcased his “jumlon ki dukaan” (a shop of rhetoric) which included “false stories” and “made-up facts”. Modi had made several jibes at the Opposition party during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address earlier in the day.