Top news: Government and Opposition clash in Lok Sabha after triple talaq bill is tabled

TDP defections: Five of party’s MPs urge Venkaiah Naidu to disqualify four colleagues who joined BJP

The lawmakers challenged the defection of YS Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh, and GM Rao, who had met President Ram Nath Kovind and Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday, claiming they wanted to merge the TDP Legislature Party with the BJP “under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule”.

Writer Amish Tripathi appointed director of Nehru Centre in London

Tripathi will replace diplomat Srinivas Gotru whose four-year tenure ended earlier this year. ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabudhe said Tripathi would bring more visibility to the council’s flagship cultural centre.

Central Pollution Control Board threatens NHAI with Rs 1-crore fine for not clearing waste

In its letter, the board said the construction material and excavated soil were being kept without any cover along the roadside. It added that there was “no display arrangement for construction and demolition waste management”.

Arvind Kejriwal meets PM Modi, seeks Centre’s support for plans to store Yamuna water

Kejriwal said he also discussed the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health scheme with the prime minister. “Informed honourable PM that Delhi government’s Delhi Health scheme is much bigger and wider in scope,” the chief minister tweeted. “However, assured him to examine if Ayushman Bharat scheme could also be integrated into our scheme.”

Chargesheet filed against 10 suspected members of Islamic State module arrested by NIA: Reports

The chargesheet was filed before Judge ASJ Ajay Kumar Jain at the Patiala House Courts complex under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The court has posted the matter for hearing on July 4.

Assam: Additional NRC exclusion list to be published on June 26

More than 40 lakh people were excluded from the final draft of the register published on July 30, 2018. Those who did not make the draft list were allowed to make one last claim for inclusion before the publication of the final consolidated list at the end of next month. Authorities also allowed objections to be filed against people included in the final draft.

AIADMK urges Centre to take control of Cauvery Water Management Board

AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Vijila Sathyananth said during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha that Cauvery is the state’s lifeline. “Centre should take complete management control of Cauvery Water Management Authority,” she added. Sathyanath also called for expediting the proposal to link Godavari river with the Cauvery as this could provide 300 tmc of Godavari water to other parts of the state.

Karnataka: Mid-term elections are imminent, says HD Devegowda, then backtracks

“I am not sure how long the coalition government will last. Going by the developments, in the past two months, mid-terms polls seem imminent,” Devegowda was quoted as saying by News18 on Friday morning. “People will watch all the developments.”

Bills pending for over five years in Rajya Sabha should lapse, suggests Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu

Twenty-two pending bills in the Rajya Sabha lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in May, Naidu said. “Under the provision of Article 107 of the Constitution, bills passed by the Lok Sabha during the course of it’s five year term and pending in Rajya Sabha get lapsed with the dissolution of the House of the People,” Naidu told the Rajya Sabha.

‘We need every drop of water’: Tamil Nadu CM thanks Kerala for offering to supply drinking water

However, the Tamil Nadu chief minister claimed the Kerala government was not allowing it to strengthen the Mullaperiyar dam. Five districts, including Theni and Ramanathapuram, were dependent on Mullaiperiyar water for their livelihood, he added. He appealed to Kerala to fill up the dam.

West Bengal: 16 arrested for violence in Bhatpara, situation remains tense

An unidentified police officer said 16 people were arrested in connection with the violence. The clashes broke out hours before the state police chief was supposed to inaugurate a newly constructed police station. Governor KN Tripathi called for peace in the state. “Not only in Bhatpara but in the entire state, there is a need to keep peace.”

2008 Malegaon blasts case: Pragya Thakur again given one-day exemption from appearing in NIA court

This came a day after the court rejected her plea seeking exemption from appearing before it once a week in connection with the case. However, the court had allowed her to skip proceedings for the day. Thakur had cited ill health, distance, security, requirement of attending Parliament daily, and her life as a religious leader as reasons for exemption.

Supreme Court to hear plea seeking CBI inquiry into Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president’s murder

The petition, filed by Advocate Indu Kaul, also sought directions to Bar Council of India to formulate a scheme to provide security to women advocates in court premises. The suggested measures included police security for women lawyers and amenities beyond court working hours throughout the country.

United States denies plans to cap H-1B visas to deter data localisation rules

The Reserve Bank of India had in April 2018 asked payment firms to make sure that data is stored on local servers. Through data localisation, countries places restrictions on data to gain better control over it and potentially curb the power of international companies. US companies have lobbied against data localisation across the world.

Maharashtra: Teach Marathi or face strict action, Devendra Fadnavis tells schools

Fadnavis was responding to Shiv Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe’s question in the Legislative Council. Gorhe sought to know the status of making Marathi mandatory in non-state board schools.

Adani Enterprises is trying to obstruct investigation in coal imports case, DRI tells Bombay HC

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has accused Adani Enterprises Limited of trying to obstruct its investigation into the overvaluation of coal imports by some group firms. In an affidavit to the Bombay High Court on June 13, the agency said Adani Enterprises was doing this by challenging the “well-settled procedure of issuance of Letter Rogatory”.

Parliament: Triple talaq bill tabled in Lok Sabha, Congress opposes legislation

The government on Friday tabled the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad moved the bill on triple talaq in the Lower House amid ruckus.

‘Clear evidence of economy losing traction, need decisive monetary policy action’: RBI governor

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has said there is clear evidence that the economic activity has been “losing traction” and there is a “need for decisive monetary policy action” to promote growth.

Delhi: Fire breaks out at furniture market, briefly hits Metro services on Magenta line

A fire broke out at a furniture market near Kalindi Kunj station in Delhi on Friday morning, interrupting Metro services on the magenta line. An unidentified officer said that no one was injured in the blaze.

‘Vindictive persecution’: After Sanjiv Bhatt gets life sentence, wife says justice denied

Hours after former Indian Police Service officer Sanjiv Bhatt was sentenced to life imprisonment in a 30-year-old custodial death case, his wife Shweta Bhatt said he had been punished for “doing his duties...irrespective of political pressure”.

Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav skip PM Narendra Modi’s dinner for MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hosted a dinner for all the members of Parliament at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi. The Parliamentary Affairs Ministry had invited over 750 MPs, but prominent leaders such as United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav skipped it.

Government looks for companies to build six Navy submarines in Rs 45,000-crore project

The government on Thursday issued an expression of interest to shortlist strategic partners to build six Project 75 India, or P-75 (I), submarines that will cost the Navy about Rs 45,000 crore. Interested Indian companies can approach the government within two months.

‘Yoga goes beyond caste and creed’: Narendra Modi leads International Yoga Day event in Ranchi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday participated in a yoga session in Ranchi in Jharkhand along with around 30,000 people to mark the fifth annual International Day of Yoga. “Yoga for peace, harmony and progress,” he said on Twitter.

Human rights panel issues notice to Centre, states over ‘deplorable’ public health infrastructure

The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday issued notices to the Centre and states over the “deplorable public health infrastructure in the country”. The commission said it issued notices based on media reports of deaths across the country due to “deficiencies and inadequacies in the healthcare system”. The commission’s move comes amid an outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Bihar.

Meghalaya government tells Punjab delegation it is ‘duty-bound’ to protect all communities

The Meghalaya government told a Punjab government delegation on Thursday that it is “duty-bound” to protect all communities living in the state. Punjab MP Jasbir Singh Gill, who is in Shillong, said Meghalaya Home Minister James PK Sangma gave this assurance to a four-member delegation from the Congress-ruled state.

Dabholkar murder case: Pune court grants CBI custody of accused lawyer till June 23

A court in Pune on Thursday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation custody of Sanjeev Punalekar, an accused in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, till June 23. The custody was granted after the CBI told the court that there was a possibility that the Goa headquarters of the Sanatan Sanstha group was linked with the murder.

Four TDP MPs from Rajya Sabha pass resolution to merge legislature party with BJP

Four Rajya Sabha MPs of the Telugu Desam Party on Thursday passed a resolution to merge its Legislature Party with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The four MPs are YS Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh and GM Rao. The Telugu Desam Party has six legislators in the Rajya Sabha.

Kerala offers 20 lakh litres of drinking water to Tamil Nadu, but says state has rejected it

The Kerala Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday said it has offered 20 lakh litres of drinking water to the Tamil Nadu government to tackle its water crisis. However, Tamil Nadu has declined the offer, the office added.