Top news: Rajya Sabha set to vote on Citizenship Amendment Bill soon

ISRO launches surveillance satellite RISAT-2BR1

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Wednesday successfully launched radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2BR1 on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C48 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Nine other foreign commercial satellites were also launched on board the PLSV-C48 to mark its 50th mission.

Citizenship Bill protests: List of districts in Assam where mobile internet has been suspended

Mobile internet services were suspended in 10 districts of Assam – Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup – till 7 pm on Thursday as the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill intensified in the state and other parts of the North East.

Ayodhya verdict: Supreme Court to hear review petitions tomorrow

The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the petitions seeking review of its Ayodhya verdict, NDTV reported. The petitions will be heard by a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde. However, it will be decided in-chamber and not in open court, as is normal procedure in the cases.

Pakistani Hindu refugee names daughter ‘Nagrikta’ to mark Citizenship Bill

A Pakistani Hindu refugee in a colony in New Delhi’s Majnu ka Tilla has named her newborn child Nagrikta, or citizenship, to mark the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. On Wednesday afternoon, as the Rajya Sabha discussed the draft law, several such refugees waved the Indian flag and chanted slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.

2002 Gujarat riots: Nanavati Commission clears Modi but raises questions about former IPS officers

The Nanavati Commission on Wednesday cleared then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his government and Cabinet colleagues in the 2002 communal riots, in which more than 1,000 people were killed. The report was tabled in the Assembly by Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja, five years after it was submitted to Anandiben Patel, who was chief minister at the time. The report by retired judges GT Nanavati and Akshay Mehta was withheld by the state government after it was submitted in 2014.

Telangana encounter deaths: SC looking to appoint a former top court judge to conduct inquiry

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought names of former top court judges who can conduct a judicial inquiry into last week’s controversial killing of four men accused of raping and murdering a veterinarian in Hyderabad, PTI reported. The court would select one retired Delhi-based judge.

Parliament: Send Personal Data Protection Bill to joint select committee, says Centre

The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday proposed sending the Personal Data Protection Bill to a joint select committee of both the Houses of Parliament amid Opposition’s claim that citizens’ right of privacy was being compromised. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the proposed committee might bring out a report before the Budget session, which is expected to begin in the last week of January.

Women don’t need firearms, others will protect them, says Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday evening said that he did not think women needed to carry firearms as other people would protect them. Naidu made the remarks as two women MPs asked for time to speak on the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 that was later passed in the Parliament on the same day.

Citizenship Amendment Bill: Fresh protests erupt in Assam, police fire rubber bullets, lathicharge

Fresh protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill began in Assam on Wednesday a day after the state witnessed a complete shutdown. The proposed legislation, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, will be discussed in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Parliament: Muslims don’t have to worry about Citizenship Bill, Amit Shah tells Rajya Sabha

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha at noon on Wednesday. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday after a seven-hour-long heated debate. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed that 13 parties will vote against the bill, while the BJP said it will be passed comfortably.

‘Opposition parties speaking Pakistan’s language,’ says Modi ahead of RS debate on Citizenship Bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said some Opposition parties were speaking the same language as Pakistan on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, hours before the legislation was to be taken up for debate in Rajya Sabha.

India’s growth forecast downgraded from 6.5% to 5.1% by Asian Development Bank

The Asian Development Bank on Wednesday downgraded its projection for India’s economic growth in the ongoing financial year from 6.5% to 5.1%. It said consumption was impacted due to slow job growth and that the rural sector was in distress due to aggravated poor harvest.

‘Citizenship Bill an attempt to ethnically cleanse North East,’ says Rahul Gandhi ahead of RS debate

Hours before the Citizenship Amendment Bill is to be taken up for debate in Rajya Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called it an attempt by the Narendra Modi-led government to “ethnically cleanse the North East”.

Scrapping of J&K special status against people’s will and unconstitutional, petitioners tell SC

The Indian government’s decision to abrogate the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was unconstitutional, petitioners told the Supreme Court on Tuesday, PTI reported. A five-judge bench of Justices NV Ramana, SK Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant began hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decisions in the erstwhile status.

Anglo Indians petition government to reconsider decision on revoking nominations to legislatures

The All-India Anglo Indian Association on Tuesday started an online petition on Change.org urging the Indian government to reconsider its decision regarding the nomination of members of the community to the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. The Lok Sabha on Tuesday approved a bill to extend the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for 10 years, PTI reported. However, the Narendra Modi government has done away with a similar quota for the Anglo-Indian community. The quota is set to expire on January 25, 2020. The bill will next go to the Rajya Sabha.

MJ Akbar defamation case: Journalist Ghazala Wahab says she quit after being sexually harassed

Journalist and author Ghazala Wahab on Tuesday told a court in Delhi that the alleged sexual harassment by former Union minister MJ Akbar forced her to quit her job at the Asian Age newspaper while he was the editor, The Hindu reported. The court was hearing a criminal defamation case Akbar brought against journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexually harassing her in a hotel room in 1993.

Citizenship Bill: BJP confident of numbers in Rajya Sabha even as Sena, JD(U) falter

The Rajya Sabha will take up the Citizenship Amendment Bill on Wednesday with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre expecting it to be passed in the Upper House. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday after a seven-hour-long heated debate.

Jharkhand mob lynching: High Court grants bail to six arrested in Tabrez Ansari case

The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday granted bail to six of the 13 people arrested in connection with the killing of Tabrez Ansari. Ansari, 24, was lynched by a mob in Seraikela-Kharsawan district in June.

Tripura government resumes ration supplies to Bru refugees, to continue till March 2020

The Tripura government on Tuesday resumed supply of ration to Bru relief camps in North Tripura district, nine days after it was stopped. This came a day after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to explain within two weeks why it had stopped supplying the rations, causing starvation deaths in one such shelter.

Nagaland extends Inner Line Permit system to whole of Dimapur district

The Nagaland government on Monday extended the Inner Line Permit system to the whole of Dimapur district with immediate effect. A government notification said every non-indigenous person henceforth entering the district would have to obtain an Inner Line Permit. Nagaland is ruled by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, which is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance.

Human Rights Day: Bhima Koregaon accused write letter on being imprisoned for dissent

Eight of the 10 accused in the Bhima Koregaon case on Tuesday wrote to the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, alleging that the state government had imprisoned them due to their dissenting views as defenders of human rights.

Citizenship Bill: Protests across North East, internet shut down in Tripura for 48 hours

Authorities in Tripura shut down internet and SMS services for 48 hours on Tuesday amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill in several parts of the North East. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday despite widespread opposition, and is expected to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.