Top news: Shiv Sena leaders meet Maharastra governor, no confirmation on Congress support yet

Industrial output contracts 4.3% in September, falls for second month in a row

Industrial output contracted 4.3% in September compared to the same month last year, government data showed on Monday. This is the second consecutive month that the index has contracted. In August, industrial output had contracted 1.1% and was the worst performance in six years. It had grown 4.6% in July, and 4.8% in September 2018.

Ayodhya: Muslim personal board will decide on review of SC verdict on November 17

The counsel for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Monday said the decision on whether to seek a review of the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute or file a curative petition will be taken on November 17, PTI reported.

‘When election commissioners were brave’: Politicians across India mourn TN Seshan’s demise

Tributes for former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan poured in from across the nation after his demise on Sunday in Chennai. The top electoral officer’s last rites will be performed on Monday evening.

Andhra Pradesh: CM defends plan to turn government schools into English medium institutions

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday castigated Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for opposing the move to turn all government-run schools in the state into English medium schools from the next academic year.

Cyclone Bulbul claims 20 lives in India and Bangladesh, displaces thousands in both nations

Cyclone Bulbul, which made landfall on Sunday, has claimed at least 20 lives, injured many and displaced thousands, India Today reported on Monday. The cyclonic storm has killed 10 people in West Bengal, two in its neighbouring state Odisha, and eight in Bangladesh.

Hyderabad: At least 12 injured after local train clashes into express train near Kacheguda station

At least 12 people were injured after a local train crashed into a halted express train and was derailed near Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad, Telangana on Monday. The Multi-Modal Transport Services or MMTS local train was travelling from the Falaknuma area to the city of Secunderabad.

Police use water cannons on JNU students protesting against revised fee in draft hostel manual

The Delhi Police on Monday used water cannons on protesting students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday. They were demonstrating against a draft hostel manual that proposes higher fees, curfew timings and dress code restrictions for students.

Passenger vehicle sales rose marginally in October, car sales continued decline

Passenger vehicle sales rose for the first time in 12 months in October, albeit a marginal 0.28%, PTI reported, quoting data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. The slowdown so far was one of the worst to have disrupted the automobile industry since the collection of data on vehicle sales started in 1997.

Gurugram: Cousin allegedly rapes woman after persuading her to stay with him at hotel

A 24-year-old woman has accused her cousin of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in Gurugram when she had visited the city from Mahendragarh district to take an examination, PTI reported on Monday. Although the alleged incident took place on September 22, the woman filed her complaint at the Mahendragarh Police Station on Saturday.

Greater Noida: Five of a family killed as vehicle rams into car, eight hospitalised

Five members of a family were killed in Greater Noida on Sunday night after an unidentified vehicle crashed into their car, police officials told PTI. Eight members of the family received injuries and have been admitted to a hospital.

Ayodhya case: NSA Ajit Doval meets Hindu and Muslim leaders after Supreme Court verdict

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met several leaders from the Hindu and Muslim communities after the Supreme Court’s landmark Ayodhya verdict, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday. A Constitution Bench of the top court directed the Centre on Saturday to set up a trust should within three months to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The court also asked the government to provide a five-acre plot elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a new mosque as a relief for the “unlawful destruction” of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Maharashtra: NCP Mumbai chief says party is waiting for Congress to decide on support to Shiv Sena

Nationalist Congress Party Mumbai chief Nawab Malik said following a party core committee meeting that the ball is in the Congress’ court to take a decision on supporting the Shiv Sena to form a government in Maharashtra. The Congress also held a working committee meeting on Monday morning.

Delhi: Haze keeps air quality ‘very poor’, odd-even plan to be relaxed for two days

Delhi’s air quality deteriorated slightly on Monday morning and remained in the “very poor” category with a hazy sky. The odd-even road rationing plan, which intends to curb pollution by reducing the number of vehicles on roads, will be relaxed on Monday and Tuesday.

Manipuri separatist leader RK Meghen released from Guwahati jail after completing sentence

Rajkumar Meghen, the chairperson of the Manipur-based insurgent group United National Liberation Front, was released from the Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday after serving a sentence that lasted nearly a decade. However, the next evening, he was picked up by a team of the National Investigation Agency and taken to a government guesthouse in Guwahati, unidentified officials told The Indian Express.

Tis Hazari clash: Lawyers to resume strike today after talks with Delhi Police fail

Lawyers in Delhi on Sunday said they will resume their strike at all district courts from Monday, after talks with the city’s police reportedly failed. A meeting between top Delhi Police officers and members of the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Delhi was held at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s office on Sunday.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant resigns as Union minister, attacks BJP

Shiv Sena MP and Union Minister of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises Arvind Sawant resigned from his post in the central government on Monday. In a tweet, Sawant said he was resigning because the Bharatiya Janata Party had gone back on its promise to implement the 50:50 seat sharing formula following the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

TN Seshan, former chief election commissioner known for electoral reforms, dies at 86

Former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan died on Sunday at his residence in Chennai. He was 86. “Sad to announce that Shri TN Seshan passed away a short while ago,” Dr SY Quraishi, a former chief election commissioner, said. “He was a true legend and a guiding force for all his successors. I pray for peace to his soul.”

Seshan’s last rites are expected to be performed on Monday.

Maharashtra: Governor invites Shiv Sena to form government after BJP says it doesn’t have numbers

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday invited the Shiv Sena to form the new government in the state. Earlier on Sunday evening, the Bharatiya Janata Party refused the governor’s offer, saying the party does not have the required numbers.

J&K: Suspected militant killed in gunfight with security forces in Bandipora district

A suspected militant was killed on Sunday in an encounter with security forces in a village in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir. The gunfight took place in Lawdara village, about 55 km from Srinagar and is still under way, according to reports.

Jharkhand Assembly polls: BJP, Congress announce first lists of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Sunday released the first list of its candidates for the Assembly elections in Jharkhand. The polls will be held in five phases from November 30 to December 20 and the votes will be counted on December 23.