A look at the headlines right now:
- Consumer expenditure survey withheld because of data quality problems, claims Centre: Reports had said earlier in the day that consumer spending fell for first time since 1970s in 2017-’18. Meanwhile, Union minister Suresh Angadi claimed the economy was doing fine as people were getting married and airports were full.
- Sena closer to forming government with NCP-Congress in Maharashtra, to meet governor tomorrow: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar claimed the alliance would last the entire five years.
- SC raps northern states, says odd-even scheme not a long-term solution to solve air pollution: The bench said the governments of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana had failed to take effective steps to curb pollution. A parliamentary panel’s meeting on pollution was cancelled as key officials as well as 25 of the 29 MPs, including Gautam Gambhir, were not present.
- SC verdict on Rafale paved way for CBI inquiry, say petitioners Yashwant Sinha, Bhushan, Arun Shourie: Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the CBI had to seek the Centre’s permission to look into the case and had three months to do so.
- CBI searches Amnesty office in Bengaluru over alleged FCRA violations: In a statement, Amnesty India said that in the past year, a ‘pattern of harassment’ had emerged every time the organisation flagged human rights violations.
- Sabarimala is no place for women activists, says Kerala Devaswom minister: Meanwhile, SC Justice RF Nariman told the Centre to read the dissenting view in Sabarimala verdict and added: “our orders not to be played with”.
- ‘Bitter truths must remain in memory’, says CJI Ranjan Gogoi as he refuses interview requests on last day: The outgoing chief justice said judges speak only due to ‘functional necessity and no more’.
- India’s requests for Facebook user data shoots up, now second only to US, says transparency report: According to the social media company, the government made 1,615 ‘emergency requests’ in the first half of 2019, up from 861 in the second half of last year.
- Supreme Court holds former Ranbaxy promoters, Fortis Healthcare guilty of contempt: The court said the brothers can get away from contempt proceedings by depositing Rs 1,175 crore each.
- ‘Pakistan is a nearly failed state, has deep-rooted DNA of terrorism,’ says India at UNESCO: Indian diplomat Ananya Agarwal said Islamabad’s ‘neurotic behaviour’ has resulted in its decline.
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