Top news: Supreme Court extends deadline to publish final Assam NRC to August 31

Supreme Court reserves order on petition seeking disqualification of Devendra Fadnavis

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking annulment of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ election to the state Assembly. The petitioner Satish Ukey alleged that Fadnavis did not disclose pending criminal cases against him while filing his nomination papers for the 2009 and 2014 Assembly elections, and thus violated the Representation of People’s Act, 1951.

Lok Sabha passes Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, Opposition says it will affect states’ rights

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The proposed legislation seeks to remove corruption, improve road safety and use technology to regulate traffic. The government also assured the states that the bill would not take away their rights.

Sonbhadra killings: 1955 revenue records of disputed land are missing, says official

Investigation into the firing in Sonabhadra district in Uttar Pradesh, which left 10 people dead last week, might face a hurdle as the 1955 revenue records of the disputed land are missing. “The records of the land belong to the time when Sonbhadra was a part of Mirzapur district, till 1989,” Additional District Magistrate Yogendra Bahadur Singh said.

Payal Tadvi suicide case: Bombay High Court to hear bail pleas of three doctors on Thursday

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it would hear the bail applications of the three doctors accused of allegedly abetting the suicide of their junior colleague Payal Tadvi on Thursday. The court said it needed to take certain factors into consideration before taking a decision.

Madhya Pradesh: Assembly increases reservations for OBCs from 14% to 27%

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill providing 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes in the state. The Madhya Pradesh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatiyon aur Anya Pichhade Vargon ke Liye Arakshan) Amendment Bill, 2019, will increase the reservation for OBCs from 14% to 27%.

NRC publication: Supreme Court extends deadline by a month to August 31

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the deadline for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens for Assam from July 31 to August 31. The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice RF Nariman, however, declined petitions by the Centre and the Assam government seeking time to conduct a “sample re-verification process” of the names included in the draft National Register of Citizens published on July 30, 2018.

Karnataka crisis: SC to hear plea for floor test on Wednesday as Speaker assures voting soon

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to wait before hearing a petition filed by two Karnataka MLAs seeking a floor test in the state Assembly as the Speaker expressed hope that the voting could take place by the evening. The court said it would hear the plea on Wednesday if attempts to hold the trust vote fails again. The Assembly is currently discussing the confidence motion moved by the government.

Uttar Pradesh: Dalit man thrashed after being mistaken for thief, dies in hospital

A 28-year-old man who was thrashed and set on fire by locals in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh last week succumbed to his injuries on Monday. Sujit Kumar was thrashed after he was mistaken for a thief. Kumar’s body has been sent for a postmortem examination, Singh said.

‘Modi must tell the nation what happened, weak MEA denial won’t do’: Rahul Gandhi on Trump’s claim

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on whether he had sought United States President Donald Trump’s mediation in the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. “A weak foreign ministry denial won’t do,” Gandhi tweeted soon after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar categorically denied Trump’s claim.

Flat owners to pay 18% GST on RWA maintenance charges, exempted if fee is up to Rs 7,500 a month

The government on Monday said flat owners who pay more than Rs 7,500 monthly maintenance fees to resident welfare associations, or RWAs, would be charged 18% Goods and Services Tax.

JNU sedition case: Delhi court tells police to procure sanctions for prosecution by September 18

A court in Delhi on Tuesday granted the police time till September 18 to procure sanctions in the Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition case against former students’ union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, and others. The order was passed after the Delhi Police told the court that it had not received sanctions from authorities to prosecute those named in the chargesheet.

PM Modi did not request Donald Trump to mediate in Kashmir dispute, S Jaishankar tells Rajya Sabha

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday categorically denied United States President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. “I would like to categorically state that no such request has been made by the Prime Minister to the US President,” Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha.

RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya calls for independent fiscal council to monitor deficit targets

Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Viral Acharya has called for the formation of an independent “fiscal council” to keep check on how the government manages its fiscal deficit targets. The speech was published on Monday by Federal Bank, which had invited Acharya to deliver the lecture in Kochi in November.

Supreme Court cancels RERA registration of Amrapali Group, asks NBCC to finish its projects

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cancelled the registration of the debt-ridden Amrapali Group under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act for committing fraud and siphoning off home buyers’ money. The top court also cancelled the lease granted by Noida and Greater Noida authorities to all Amrapali projects.

Mamata Banerjee criticises Centre for sending tax notice to Durga Puja organisers

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government for sending a tax notice to the Durga Puja Committees Forum, a body of festival organisers in the state. In a statement on Monday, Banerjee accused the saffron party of “doing politics of vengeance and divisiveness”.

RTI Act is at the ‘brink of extinction’ and Centre is hell-bent on subverting it, says Sonia Gandhi

United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Right to Information Act was at the “brink of extinction” after the Lok Sabha passed amendments to the law amid protests from Opposition members. The Congress-led alliance was instrumental in enacting the law in 2005.

India is facing a ‘silent fiscal crisis’ due to shortfall in tax revenues, says adviser to PM Modi

India is facing a “silent fiscal crisis” due to a shortfall in tax revenues, according to Rathin Roy, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. “At the heart of the crisis is a shortfall in tax revenues.” Roy said on Monday. “It is mainly due to a shortfall in GST revenues (but also personal income tax revenues), compared to the numbers presented in the revised estimates.”

Bangladeshi border personnel allegedly intrude into Meghalaya village to stop road construction

Armed personnel of the Border Guards Bangladesh allegedly intruded into Muktapur village in Meghalaya on Saturday and threatened villagers to stop constructing an internal road.

Imran Khan welcomes Donald Trump’s Kashmir remarks, says dispute cannot be resolved bilaterally

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said the Kashmir conflict can never be resolved bilaterally, hours after United States President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested him to mediate in the dispute. Khan said the United States “could play a big part” in the resolution of the conflict.

Trump’s Kashmir remarks: ‘Has India changed position on third-party involvement?’ asks Opposition

Opposition parties on Monday asked the Centre to clarify if it had changed its position on not involving third parties in the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan. This came hours after United States President Donald Trump claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in the conflict. Trump made the comment while talking to reporters after his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in the White House.

Karnataka trust vote: Speaker sets 6 pm deadline for floor test after debate continues till midnight

The Karnataka Assembly was adjourned close to midnight on Monday with Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar setting a new deadline of 6 pm on Tuesday for the trust vote. “I do not want this 11 pm thing again,” Kumar said. “Everyone has health conditions.”

India denies Donald Trump’s claim that PM Modi asked him to mediate in Kashmir dispute

The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday denied United States President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Trump claims Modi asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan

United States President Donald Trump on Monday claimed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Bihar Deputy CM says 2020 Assembly polls will be contested under Nitish Kumar’s leadership

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday said the 2020 state elections will be contested under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He dismissed rumours about tensions in the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United) alliance before the polls.

Floods continue to wreak havoc in Assam, Bihar, toll rises to 170

The flood toll in Assam and Bihar on Monday rose to 170, while 1.07 crore people were still affected by the deluge, PTI reported. On Monday, one person each died in Dhemaji and Dhubri districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said in its daily bulletin. With two more deaths in Muzaffarpur, the toll in Bihar climbed to 104.