Top news: Supreme Court says it will hear pleas against CAA once violence stops

J&K: Peoples Democratic Party expels eight leaders for meeting delegation of foreign envoys

The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday expelled eight leaders for meeting a delegation of foreign envoys who arrived in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, at the behest of the central government, NDTV reported. The party said the leaders had “gone against the will of the people” by negotiating with the central government.

Arvind Kejriwal claims BJP has turned Delhi into ‘garbage capital of India’

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for turning the city into the “garbage capital of India”. “There are two models of governance in Delhi before the eyes of the people,” Kejriwal said, referring to the saffron party’s control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Police. “Be it education, sanitation, health or finance, BJP’s MCD has failed miserably.”

Treat Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad in AIIMS, Delhi court tells Tihar Jail authorities

A court in Delhi on Thursday ordered Tihar Jail authorities to immediately take Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for medical treatment, Live Law reported. “It is the duty of the state to preserve life whether person is incarcerated or outside prison,” said Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arul Verma.

‘Remove JNU vice chancellor,’ demand students, politicians and activists at Delhi march

Students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University gathered at Mandi House in Delhi on Thursday afternoon to demand the removal of Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar in the wake of violence on the campus earlier this week. The students’ union posted videos of sloganeering against the government and police.

JNU mob attack is ‘officially sponsored goondaism’, alleges Congress

The Congress on Thursday alleged that the mob attack at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University earlier this week was “officially sponsored goondaism”. A masked mob attacked and injured at least 34 students and teachers on the campus on January 5.

Name ‘Chhapaak’ protagonist’s real-life lawyer in credits, Delhi court orders film-makers

A Delhi court on Thursday ordered the makers of the Deepika Padukone-starrer Chhapaak to include the lawyer of acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal in the film’s credits, Bar and Bench reported. The movie is based on Agarwal’s life after she was attacked with acid at the age of 15 by a 32-year-old man whose marriage proposal she had turned down.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena supports woman who held up a ‘Free Kashmir’ placard at Gateway of India protest

The Shiv Sena on Thursday backed writer Mehak Mirza Prabhu, who had displayed a “Free Kashmir” placard during a protest at the Gateway of India in Mumbai earlier this week.

Mumbai: Yashwant Sinha begins 3,000-km march against CAA-NRC, will arrive at Rajghat on January 30

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday began a 3,000-km “Gandhi Shanti Yatra” from the Gateway of India in Mumbai. The march will cross five states and end at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat in Delhi on January 30, his death anniversary.

Citizenship Act protests: Mamata Banerjee to boycott Opposition meeting convened by Sonia Gandhi

Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she would boycott a meeting of Opposition leaders called by the Congress on January 13 to discuss the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, PTI reported.

Bengaluru: College students opposing CAA allegedly heckled by BJP, threatened with JNU-style attack

Students of Jyoti Nivas College in Bengaluru on Wednesday alleged that a group of men claiming to be Bharatiya Janata Party workers threatened a JNU-style attack on them if they refused to sign a poster supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act, Deccan Herald reported.

Former member of Dawood Ibrahim’s gang Ejaz Lakdawala arrested in Patna by Mumbai Police

Fugitive gangster Ejaz Lakdawala – a former aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim – has been arrested, Mumbai Police said, reported NDTV on Thursday. Lakdawala has been remanded to police custody till January 21, according to ANI.

‘Country is facing difficult times’: SC says it will hear pleas challenging CAA once violence stops

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would hear the challenges to the Citizenship Amendment Act once violence stops. The top court rebuked a petitioner who sought that the law be declared constitutional, and said such pleas do not help the cause.

2012 Delhi gangrape case: Convict Vinay Sharma files curative petition against death penalty

One of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, Vinay Sharma, filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court on Thursday. Death warrants for the four convicts were issued on Tuesday, and their hanging is scheduled for January 22 at 7 am.

World Bank lowers India GDP growth projection for 2019-’20 from 6% to 5%

The World Bank on Wednesday lowered its projection for India’s economic growth from 6% to 5% in 2019-’20 fiscal year, but said it would recover to 5.8% in the following year, PTI reported. The projection for 2019-’20 is in line with the estimates given by the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India.

Judge Loya’s death may be reinvestigated if there is substantial evidence, says Maharashtra minister

The Maharashtra government will consider reinvestigating Central Bureau of Investigation Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya’s death if there is substantial evidence, state minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik said on Wednesday, PTI reported.

Union Budget 2020 to be presented on February 1: Reports

The Union Budget for 2020 will be presented on February 1, PTI reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The Budget Session of Parliament will be held in two phases from January 31 to April 3, according to recommendations by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. The first phase of the session will be from January 31 to February 11 and the second phase from March 2 to April 3.

Nagaland People’s Front suspends leader for voting in favour of citizenship law in Parliament

Nagaland People’s Front, the main opposition party in the state, has suspended its Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye on Wednesday for voting in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament on December 11, NDTV reported.

Gujarat school asks students to write congratulatory pro-CAA postcards to PM Modi: Report

Teachers at a school in Ahmedabad asked students to write congratulatory postcards for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support to the Citizenship Amendment Act, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. The school apologised to parents, who protested against the exercise on Wednesday.

J&K: 16 foreign delegates to visit today, EU envoys skip ‘guided tour’, say reports

A delegation of at least 16 officials from several countries are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday morning. They are expected to hold meetings with civil society groups and journalists, Scroll.in has learnt. NDTV reported that members from the European Union will not be a part of this visit as they did not want a “guided tour” of Jammu and Kashmir. They wanted to have the freedom to move freely, sources told the news channel.

PM Modi likely to skip inauguration of flagship sports event in Assam, reports link it to CAA row

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the first two editions of the Centre’s flagship sporting event Khelo India Youth Games, is not likely to do so this year in Guwahati, reports said. There is no confirmation yet on whether this is linked to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act going on in Assam since last month.

Delhi: One killed after fire breaks out in paper factory

One person was killed after a huge fire broke out at a paper factory in East Delhi’s Patparganj Industrial Area early on Thursday, ANI reported. Thirty-two fire engines have been sent to the spot.

Sedition charges against CAA protestors in Dhanbad dropped, says Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday said that sedition charges filed against more than 3,000 people in Dhanbad city for protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act have been dropped. Police had filed the charges on Tuesday, naming seven people and 3,000 unnamed protestors.

Maharashtra district polls: BJP loses five zilla parishads, including RSS bastion Nagpur

The Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra lost the Zilla Parishad elections in Nagpur on Wednesday, Maharashtra Times reported. Nagpur is the headquarters of the BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and the Lok Sabha constituency of Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Citizenship Act: BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta claims he was held hostage by a ‘mob’ at Visva Bharati

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta on Wednesday claimed he was locked in a room at Visva Bharati University in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, and surrounded by a mob. Dasgupta, a well-known columnist, was at the university to address a meeting on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

JNU vice chancellor briefs HRD ministry officials about steps taken to restore normalcy on campus

Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday briefed Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare and Ministry of Human Resource Development official GC Hosur about the steps being taken to restore normalcy on campus.