Top news: Nirmala Sitharaman meets PMC Bank depositors, assures them of action

Here are the day’s top stories:

Kerala serial murders: Prime accused Jolly Joseph, two others sent to six-day police custody

A judicial first class magistrate court in Kerala’s Thalassery on Thursday sent three accused in the Koodathayi serial murder case to six days in police custody. The prime accused, Jolly Joseph, and her alleged accomplices MS Mathew and Prajikumar, will now be taken to various locations at Koodathai and Kodencheri, where the deaths took place between 2002 and 2016.

Kartarpur project: Pakistan says no date fixed for inauguration but work will be completed on time

Pakistan on Thursday said no date had been fixed for the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor from Narowal in the country’s Punjab province to the Indian state of Punjab. The project has to be completed before the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak Dev on November 9.

Kejriwal to address Denmark climate summit via video conference after Centre denies permission

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a mayors’ climate conference in Denmark via videoconferencing on Friday, the state government said on Thursday. The Centre had on October 7 denied Kejriwal permission to visit Denmark for the event.

India urges Turkey to exercise restraint against Kurdish militia in Syria

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said it was “deeply concerned” by Turkey’s offensive against United States-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria. “Turkey’s actions can undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism,” the ministry said in a press release. “Its action also has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress.”

GST reform: Centre sets up panel to suggest ways to raise revenue, gives it 15 days to submit report

The Centre on Thursday constituted a committee of officers to suggest measures to raise Goods and Services Tax revenue collection. In September, revenue from GST dropped for the second consecutive month to a 19-month low of Rs 91,916 crore.

PMC Bank crisis: Nirmala Sitharaman meets depositors, says Centre is considering amendments to laws

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government would consider amending laws to curb malpractices at cooperative banks such as the one discovered at the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank last month. She made the announcement after meeting angry depositors of the bank in Mumbai.

India calls for greater cooperation between global watchdog and UN to curb terror financing

India on Wednesday called for increased cooperation between the Financial Action Task Force and the United Nations to eliminate terror financing. The task force is an international watchdog that works to disrupt terror financing networks.

West Bengal: Schoolteacher murdered along with his wife and child, BJP claims he was RSS worker

A family of three in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, including an eight-year-old child, were murdered by “unidentified miscreants”, PTI quoted the police as saying on Wednesday. The incident in the district’s Jiagang area may have occurred on Monday night, the police added, citing prima facie evidence.

Maharashtra elections: ‘10 enemies will be killed for every Indian jawan’s death,’ says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the entire world now knew that “10 enemies would be killed even if one Indian jawan was killed”. Shah, addressing an election rally in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, claimed that national security had strengthened under the Narendra Modi government and India was seen differently after the “surgical strikes” in 2016.

Karnataka: Tax department searches former deputy CM G Parameshwara’s homes and medical college

The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted searches at the homes of former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader G Parameshwara in Bengaluru and Tumakuru, and a medical college owned by him in Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district.

Kerala: 17-year-old girl set on fire by suspected stalker, both die of burn injuries

A 17-year-old girl in the city of Kochi in Kerala died on Thursday after allegedly being set on fire by a suspected stalker. The 22-year-old man also died after sustaining severe burn injuries.

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Shiv Sena corporators resign after NDA fields BJP leader from Kalyan

Around 28 corporators and nearly 200 workers of the Shiv Sena have resigned as they were unhappy that their party was unable to field a candidate for the upcoming Assembly election in Kalyan (East) constituency in Maharashtra. The seat went to coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party in the sharing arrangement for the October 21 state elections.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pleads not guilty in defamation case in Surat court

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday pleaded not guilty before a court in Surat, Gujarat in a defamation case against him. The case was filed for him asking why all thieves share the Modi surname during a Lok Sabha election rally in Karnataka in April.

Jhansi encounter: UP Police file FIR into shootout as BJP government faces heat from Opposition

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday filed a first information report in the alleged fake encounter of a 28-year-old man from Jhansi district’s Karguwan village earlier this week as the Samajwadi Party targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. However, details of the FIR have not been made public yet.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s security flimsy, anyone can walk up to him and take a selfie, say police

Government agencies recently discussed the security arrangements for Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as they felt his security was very flimsy. The meeting involved the officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau.

Delhi records cleanest air since 2015 a day after Dussehra celebrations

Delhi recorded the cleanest air in five years a day after Dussehra celebrations concluded in the city, authorities said on Wednesday, according to the Hindustan Times. The celebrations include burning of firecrackers and effigies of Ravana, who is depicted as a 10-headed demon king in the Hindu epic Ramayana.

J&K: Public Safety Act charge dropped in three cases after family challenges detention, says report

The Jammu and Kashmir home department claimed to have revoked the Public Safety Act against three detenues after their detentions were challenged in the state High Court. The government made the claim on September 30 in its first three responses to more than 250 habeas corpus petitions filed against such detentions.

Jammu and Kashmir: Three detained leaders to be released after signing bond, says report

Authorities in the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday said they will release three political leaders who were detained since the Centre revoked the state’s special status on August 5.

14 states, Union Territories penalised for faring badly on parameters under National Health Mission

Fourteen states and Union territories were penalised under the National Health Mission for not performing well enough on various health parameters, according to a government report released on Wednesday. These states include Bihar, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram.

‘Congress needs introspection, some correctives,’ says party general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia

Congress General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that his party needed to do a bit of introspection, PTI reported. The Congress leader was reacting to party colleague and senior leader Salman Khurshid’s remark that there was a “leadership vacuum” in the party.

Chennai techie’s death: Woman’s father demands ‘maximum punishment’ for illegal hoardings

A Chennai man moved the Madras High Court on Wednesday to seek a special law against illegal hoardings after his daughter died when one such object fell on her head last month. The father of 23-year-old techie Subhashree sought “maximum punishment” for those who put such banners.

Coal India fourth worst polluter among state-owned companies since 1965: Global study

Coal India has been the fourth most polluting government-owned company in the world in terms of carbon emissions since 1965, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. An analysis by the Climate Accountability Institute in the United States showed that just 20 fossil fuel companies have accounted for 35% of all carbon emissions in the world in this period.

Sedition case against 49 celebrities is ‘maliciously false’, will be closed: Bihar Police

The Bihar Police on Wednesday ordered closure of the sedition case filed against 49 celebrities who wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn mob lynchings in July. The case was found to “maliciously false”. The police also said that the complainant, Sudhir Ojha, will be charged with filing frivolous complaints.

J&K: China tells Pakistan it is observing situation, India reiterates that it is an internal matter

The Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and that other countries should not comment on its internal affairs. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made the remarks after Chinese President Xi Jinping told Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that Beijing was observing the situation in Kashmir.