Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the heads of political parties on on Wednesday to discuss the idea of simultaneous national and state elections among other matters. Modi had invited heads of all parties with an MP in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, but Mamata Banerjee has refused to attend the meeting. Some other Opposition parties are also likely to skip the meeting.
Two-time Bharatiya Janata Party MP Om Birla was on Wednesday elected the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. The Congress and its allies had decided to support Birla’s candidature. He will succeed former BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan, who did not contest the Lok Sabha elections this time.
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved an ordinance making it mandatory for new and existing private universities to give an undertaking that they will not be involved in “any anti-national activity”.
GDP row: PM advisory body says other countries are also using new system of calculating growth rates
“In June 2015, the Central Statistics Office came up with a revised methodology to evaluate India’s GDP,” the council’s note read. “It presented various arguments to shift away from the old series and rightly so. It started using a new base year (2011-’12) along with certain other changes, given better availability and reporting of data.”
West Bengal introduces 30% domicile quota in National University of Juridical Sciences: Report
The bill was passed in the state Assembly in November 2018 even as students at the institution accused the state government of interferenceand threatening the independence and the national character of the university. The students had drafted a position paper at the time, detailing the harm the domicile quota law would cause.
Maharashtra: Opposition demands probe into alleged leak of budget on Twitter
“The government leaked the budget on Twitter even before it was presented before the legislature by Mungantiwar on Tuesday,” said Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde. “We are protesting against the government’s such irresponsible approach. We want a probe into the matter by the cyber cell.”
IIT-Bombay named top Indian university in the world in QS World University Rankings 2020
The university has been ranked 152nd in a list of the top 1,000 colleges in the world. Last year, it was ranked 162. IIT-Delhi, at the 182nd position, and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (ranked 184) are the other two Indian universities in the top 200 in the 2020 list.
Telangana: Nine-month-old girl dies after man allegedly gags her during rape attempt
The incident took place in Hanamkonda area of Warangal district late on Tuesday, when the child was sleeping alongside her parents on the terrace of their house. The parents woke up to find her missing and later saw the accused sexually assaulting her. The family thrashed the man and handed him over to the police. The baby died in hospital.
‘I can’t express the pain I go through every day,’ says Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said he cannot express the pain that he goes through every day, while alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders had offered an MLA of his Janata Dal (Secular) Rs 10 crore to switch loyalties.
“I promise I will fulfil your expectations,” he said, according to ANI. “I can’t express the pain I am going through every day. But I need to solve the pain of people of the state. I have the responsibility of running the government smoothly.”
Bihar heatwave: At least 90 people dead so far in Aurangabad, Gaya and Nawada districts
At least 90 people have died so far this month in three districts in Bihar as the state continues to reel under a heatwave. As many as 41 deaths have been reported in Aurangabad, 35 in Gaya and 14 in Nawada till Tuesday.
Narendra Modi begins all-party meeting, several Opposition parties refuse to attend it
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met leaders of political parties at Parliament House to discuss several matters, including the idea of holding simultaneous national and state elections. The meeting will also involve discussions about the celebration of 75 years of Independence in 2022 and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year.
CJI says judicial independence essential despite ‘continuous and recurrent waves of onslaught’
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said on Wednesday that independence is the “very soul” of a functioning judiciary and must remain constant in the face of “continuous and recurrent waves of onslaught”. He made the remark in Sochi, Russia, while leading an Indian delegation at the two-day conference of chief justices of members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
‘Voters can not be removed from electoral roll without giving them reasonable hearing’: Kerala HC
The Kerala High Court has said that election authorities must not remove a voter’s name from the electors’ list without giving them a reasonable hearing. In an order on June 10, the court asked the Election Commission to conduct a detailed inquiry into the deletion of the name of Thiruvananthapuram resident A Subair from the voters’ list. Subair was unable to vote in the Lok Sabha election in Kerala on April 23, after which he moved the High Court.
Kolkata: Five Rabindra Bharati University professors resign to protest harassment of colleague
The Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, however, denied the allegations and accused the assistant professor of threatening and harassing students. They also alleged that the professors do not hold classes regularly.
Congress dissolves Karnataka committee a day after MLA Roshan Baig’s suspension
Baig on Wednesday alleged that he was being targeted and said that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah could be the reason behind his suspension from Congress. “It is obvious that I have been targeted by the state leadership,” Baig told ANI. “Is speaking the truth a crime? I have the highest regard and respect for Rahul Gandhi. I never criticised him.”
AN-32 crash: Rescue operations suspended due to bad weather, ground team likely to reach site
Helicopters have been on standby since Saturday. The delay has been attributed to bad weather. “Helicopters, including Mi17s, Cheetah and ALH have been unable to approach the site during the last three days, because of inclement weather in the valleys and cloud cover over the crash site,” said IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh.
Chhattisgarh: Samajwadi Party leader abducted, killed in Bijapur, say reports
Punem was abducted from a spot just 15 km away from the police station. “We have sent police party, we will be able to share remaining details once police party returns,” a police officer said.
Delhi High Court to hear plea on alleged police assault on driver, son in Mukherjee Nagar
A group of policemen had beat up a Gramin Seva driver and his son and dragged him across the road in Mukherjee Nagar area of the city on Sunday after an accident. Videos of the assault were shared widely on social media.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena corporator asks civic body to remove illegal mannequins displaying lingerie
Mhatre, however, clarified that there was no problem with mannequins inside shops. “But if there is display on trees or on the walls or someone carries them out on the streets, then that is illegal.
Chhattisgarh: Cheating case filed against ex-CM Raman Singh’s son in alleged chit fund scam
The Chhattisgarh Police have filed a case against 20 people, including two former Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and a Congress leader, in connection with an alleged chit fund scam. One of the former MPs booked, Abhishek Singh, is the son of former Chief Minister Raman Singh. Former BJP MP Madhusudan Yadav and Congress leader Naresh Dakaliya were also booked.
Mumbai: Two men arrested for possession of ‘whale vomit’ worth Rs 1.7 crore, say police
The Ghatkopar police in Mumbai arrested two people for attempting to sell “whale vomit” or ambergris valued around Rs 1.7 crore in the illicit market. Ambergris is a wax that is produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Perfume-makers have used the substance in their formulas for centuries. Sperm whales are an endangered species and protected under the Wildlife Act. The accused have been arrested under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Telangana Chief Minister KCR says he was first to call Modi a fascist
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday dismissed allegations that he was secretly friends with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the last five years, and said he was the first person to call Modi a fascist.
Supreme Court seeks EC’s response on plea against separate bye-polls to Rajya Sabha seats
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Election Commission of India by June 24 on a plea challenging the poll body’s decision to hold separate bye-elections to two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat. A vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant then listed the matter for hearing on June 25, saying the issue needed to be heard.
SC to hear plea seeking medical team for treatment of children affected by encephalitis in Bihar
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to urgently constitute a medical team to treat children suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Muzaffarpur of Bihar. A vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant agreed to hear the plea next Monday after the petitioner’s counsel sought an urgent listing of the matter. The petition was filed by advocate Manohar Pratap also sought a direction to the Centre to provide necessary medical equipment and other support for effective treatment of children.
Uttarakhand CM dismisses ecological concerns over NRI family’s lavish weddings in hill town
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday dismissed the environmental concerns raised over the weddings of the sons of the South Africa-based Gupta brothers in the hill town of Auli this week. The controversial NRI business family is reportedly expected to spend around Rs 200 crore on the weddings. The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday asked the family to deposit Rs 3 crore with the Chamoli district magistrate as security money on account of the possible environment damage after the functions.
Seven arrested for allegedly harassing former Miss India Ushoshi Sengupta in Kolkata
The Kolkata Police on Tuesday arrested seven people for allegedly stalking and harassing former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta the previous night. The model-turned-actor was returning from work with a colleague around 11.40 pm on Monday when a few men on motorcycles stopped her cab at the busy Exide crossing in the city and tried to drag the driver out.
BJP MP Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker
Two-time Bharatiya Janata Party MP Om Birla was on Wednesday elected the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. He was the only candidate in the fray as the Congress and its allies did not field any nominee. The BJP had on Tuesday nominated the 57-year-old for the post, with the backing of all members of the National Democratic Alliance.
PM Narendra Modi to meet heads of political parties today, simultaneous polls on the agenda
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday meet the heads of political parties to discuss several matters, including the idea of having simultaneous national and state elections. He had called for the discussions during an all-party meeting on Sunday ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. Opposition parties will take a call on Wednesday morning on whether to attend the meeting.
Delhi: Scuffle breaks out between hospital employees and relatives of child who was allegedly raped
A crowd ransacked a hospital in outer Delhi on Tuesday after doctors at the facility referred a minor rape survivor to another hospital for medical tests. Relatives of a six-year-old girl who was allegedly raped earlier in the day damaged furniture chairs and attacked guards at the Maharshi Valmiki Hospital in Bawana area after the doctors there said they did not have the facilities to examine if the child was sexually assaulted.
Delhi: BJP MP claims mosques are ‘mushrooming’, seeks immediate action to address ‘menace’
Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Tuesday wrote to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal seeking “immediate action” on the alleged mushrooming of mosques on government land and roads in several parts of the city, including his constituency.
Mumbai: Water stock in seven lakes supplying to city dips to 6.1%
The water stock in the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai dipped to 6.1% of the total capacity on Tuesday, the lowest in three years. The useful water stock in Upper Vaitarna stood at zero, while it was at 0.9% in Bhatsa lake. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation supplies 3,420 million litres of water daily, while the stock at the seven lakes stood at 88,743 million litres as on June 18. The stock in the reservoirs on the corresponding date in 2017 and 2018 were 2,70,000 million litres and 2,15,000 million litres.
UP: Private universities must promise to avoid ‘anti-national activity’, says new ordinance
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved an ordinance making it mandatory for new and existing private universities to give an undertaking that they will not be involved in “any anti-national activity”. Universities would also have to submit that they will not allow such activities to take place within their premises or in the name of the university.
Karnataka: Congress suspends MLA Roshan Baig for alleged anti-party activities
The Congress on Tuesday suspended senior leader and Karnataka MLA Roshan Baig from the party for alleged anti-party activities. In May, the Congress had issued a show cause notice to Baig after he said state party president Dinesh Gundu Rao, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and party general secretary KC Venugopal should be held responsible “if the party comes up with a below par performance in the Lok Sabha elections”.
Tamil Nadu: Over 300 artistes start online petition in support of Pa Ranjith
Over 300 artistes in Tamil Nadu have come out in support of filmmaker Pa Ranjith saying that he was “being vehemently attacked and abused for his views” on emperor Raja Raja Chola. Ranjith had spoken about how the Dalit community had been massively oppressed under the emperor’s regime.
J&K: Viral video shows terrified schoolchildren crying after soldiers allegedly assault bus driver
A video of crying schoolchildren caused outrage on social media on Tuesday after Army personnel allegedly beat up their bus driver in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Some students alleged that the Army personnel had assaulted the driver and threatened to beat them too if they cried.
Tamil Nadu: Groundwater depleted but media shouldn’t create an ‘illusion’ of water scarcity, says CM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday accused the media of “creating an illusion” of water scarcity in the state, even as the Madras High Court criticised his government for alleged mismanagement of water resources. He said drought and deficient monsoon had depleted groundwater levels but claimed that the problem was not as big as it was being made out.