Top news: All six accused in Pehlu Khan lynching case acquitted by Rajasthan court

Pehlu Khan lynching case: All six accused acquitted by Rajasthan court

The court of the additional district judge in Rajasthan’s Alwar district on Wednesday acquitted all the six accused in the Pehlu Khan lynching case, giving them benefit of doubt. Three other accused, who were minors at the time of the crime, are being tried separately at a juvenile court.

VVIP chopper scam: Delhi HC grants interim protection from arrest to Ratul Puri till August 20

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to businessman Ratul Puri, who is the nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam. The court gave Puri protection from arrest till August 20, when it will hear the businessman’s plea against a trial court’s order denying him anticipatory bail last week.

Floods: Toll rises to 240 across four states, 102 killed in Kerala

The toll in floods in four states of India rose to 240 on Wednesday. Kerala has recorded 102 deaths over the past eight days, while the toll in Karnataka rose to 58. As many as 49 people have died in Maharashtra and 31 in Gujarat.

Faridabad: IPS officer shoots himself dead, accuses colleague of blackmail in suicide note

The Faridabad deputy commissioner of police shot himself dead with his service revolver on Wednesday morning. In his suicide note, Vikram Kapoor accused two people, including a police official, of blackmailing him, said a Faridabad Police spokesperson.

Priyanka Gandhi’s aide booked for threatening journalist during her visit to Sonbhadra district

A journalist in Uttar Pradesh has filed a complaint against an aide of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for allegedly assaulting and threatening him during her visit to Sonbhadra district on Tuesday. Ghorawal police station official CP Pandey confirmed that they have filed a case based on the complaint by ABP News journalist Nitish Kumar Pandey.

Activists claim Press Club of India didn’t let them share footage from Kashmir at press conference

A group of activists who visited Jammu and Kashmir this week claimed that the Press Club of India in New Delhi had barred them from showing visuals they recorded in the region. The group was at the Press Club on Wednesday to present a report at a press conference to share their findings from the visit after the state lost its special status. Parts of the region continue to be in a security and information clampdown for 10 days now.

Trump says India and China no longer developing nations, can’t keep taking advantage of the tag

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that India and China were no longer “developing nations” and cannot continue taking advantage of the tag from the World Trade Organization. The developing nation tag allows countries some exemptions and rights in global trade under the WTO’s rules.

Delhi government school students won’t have to pay CBSE exam fee: Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday announced that students of government and government-aided schools in the National Capital Territory will not have to pay any fee for Class 10 and Class 12 exams to the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Twitter launches ‘Ashoka Chakra’ emoji to mark India’s 73rd year of independence

Twitter on Wednesday announced the launch of a custom emoji to mark this year’s Independence Day. The emoji is the “Ashoka Chakra” – a depiction of the wheel with 24 spokes in the country’s national flag, which was also a symbol for India’s highest peacetime military decoration.

J&K leader Shah Faesal detained in Srinagar after being sent back from Delhi airport: Reports

Kashmiri bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal was on Wednesday detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and sent back to Kashmir, where he was detained again, officials said. Faesal was taken into custody in Srinagar under the Public Safety Act.

On Pakistan’s Independence Day, PM Imran Khan says ‘saddened’ by the plight of Kashmiris

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that he was “saddened” by the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who he claimed were “victims of Indian oppression”. His comments, made on Pakistan’s Independence Day, came a week after India revoked the state’s autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution.

Full text: BJP has made baiting Nehru-Gandhi family fashionable, says social activist Agnivesh

Social activist Agnivesh on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party had made baiting the “Nehru-Gandhi family” fashionable by attacking the Congress for practising dynasty politics. He said political dynasties were also prevalent in the saffron party.

Wholesale price inflation fell to two-year low of 1.08% in July, shows data

India’s wholesale price inflation stood at a two-year low of 1.08% in July, data released by the government showed on Wednesday. This was lower than the 2.02% recorded in June, and 5.27% recorded during the corresponding month the previous year.

Ayodhya: Babur or Aurangzeb constructed another structure in place of Ram temple, lawyer tells SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday continued its hearings in the Ayodhya case. Advocate CS Vaidyanathan, representing the deity Ram Lalla in the Supreme Court, made his arguments by citing a book about the demolition of a temple and construction of a mosque by either Mughal emperor Babur or Aurangzeb, Bar and Bench reported.

J&K: Restrictions withdrawn in Jammu but will continue in Kashmir Valley, says senior police officer

The Jammu and Kashmir government has removed restrictions on public movement and gathering that were imposed in Jammu last week following the Centre’s move to end the state’s special status, a senior police officer told NDTV on Wednesday. However, the curbs will remain in place in Kashmir Valley.

‘Their heart only beats for Maoists’: PM Modi lashes out at critics of government’s J&K decisions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday claimed that people protesting against the Centre’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status were belonged to the “usual vested interest groups [and] political dynasties”, and sympathised with terrorists. In an interview to IANS, Modi assured that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would develop according to the wishes of local people.

Rahul Gandhi accepts J&K governor’s offer to visit the state without any condition

“Dear Maalik ji, I saw your feeble reply to my tweet,” Gandhi tweeted. “I accept your invitation to visit Jammu and Kashmir and meet the people, with no conditions attached. When can I come?”

UP: Adityanath government seeks details of cases filed against BJP MLA Sangeet Som

The Uttar Pradesh government has sought details of cases filed against Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sangeet Som, a senior Muzaffarnagar district official said on Wednesday. One of the cases is about a fake video that was shared widely on social media and triggered communal violence in Muzaffarnagar district in 2013, PTI reported.

Automobile sector crisis: 286 dealerships shut in 18 months, 15,000 jobs lost in last quarter

With car sales declining precipitously, 286 dealership outlets have closed in the last 18 months, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday, quoting the Federation Of Automobile Dealers Associations. Fifteen thousand jobs have been lost in the last quarter, the newspaper added.

Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to be awarded Vir Chakra on Independence Day

Varthaman was involved in a dogfight with Pakistani jets that entered the Indian air space on February 27, days after after the Indian Air Force’s airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot. Varthaman became the first Indian Air Force pilot to shoot down the Pakistani Air Force’s advanced F-16 jet. However, his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in Pakistan while he was chasing the Pakistani jets. He was captured by the Pakistani Army.

PM Modi has discarded Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Kashmir policy, says Digvijaya Singh

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, claiming Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dumped former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Kashmir policy, PTI reported.

Madhya Pradesh: Congress ends practice of felicitating Emergency detainees on Independence Day

The practice was started by the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008. It had also introduced a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 for those detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act and Defence of India Rules. They were felicitated in Bhopal and at district headquarters. The pension was later hiked twice to make it Rs 25,000, on par with the amount given to freedom fighters.

Pakistan seeks emergency UNSC session on Kashmir, claims India’s actions have threatened world peace

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday said he had written a letter to United Nations Security Council President Joanna Wronecka asking for an emergency meeting of the council to discuss India’s “illegal” actions in Jammu and Kashmir. On August 5, India had revoked the autonomy granted to the state under Article 370 of Constitution, and bifurcated it into Union Territories.

‘Why does CBI do a good job in cases without political overtones?’ asks CJI Ranjan Gogoi

“True, in a number of high-profile and politically sensitive cases, the agency has not been able to meet the standards of judicial scrutiny,” Gogoi said while delivering the 18th DP Kohli memorial lecture at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday. “Equally true it is that such lapses may not have happened infrequently.”

Curbs imposed in Kashmir Valley will be lifted in phases, says state government

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said restrictions imposed in the Valley since August 4 would be lifted in a phased manner. The restrictions were imposed a day before the Centre revoked the state’s special status by hollowing out Article 370 of Constitution, and split the state into two Union Territories.

J&K lockdown: Amnesty International says SC’s refusal to pass orders a blow to residents

Amnesty International India on Tuesday said the Supreme Court’s refusal to pass any orders on lifting the restrictions placed in Jammu and Kashmir was a blow to the people of the state. The human rights organisation urged the government to ease restrictions on communication channels and the media in the state and to release political leaders.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor gets arrest warrant for his ‘Hindu Pakistan’ comment

A court in Kolkata on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for a controversial remark last year. Speaking at an event in Thiruvananthapuram in July 2018, Tharoor had claimed that India would transform into a “Hindu Pakistan” if the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.