Top news: Modi addresses Parliament, asks Congress if they forgot the Constitution during Emergency

Tamil Nadu: Actor Vijay questioned by I-T department, Rs 77 crore seized from his film financier

The Income Tax department on Thursday said that they have seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 77 crore from various locations in Chennai and Madurai, belonging to a financier in the Tamil film industry. Officials are also investigating actor Vijay’s investment in immovable properties and remuneration received from his last film Bigil.

Adityanath gets EC notice for claiming Arvind Kejriwal gives biryani to Shaheen Bagh protestors

The Election Commission on Thursday issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath for his remarks about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal being “busy sponsoring and offering biryani in Shaheen Bagh” at a rally last week. The commission asked the chief minister to respond by Friday 5 pm. However, campaigning for the Assembly elections ended at 6 pm today.

Delhi polls: ‘Goli maaro’ chants during Amit Shah’s roadshow for BJP candidate Tajinder Bagga

Chants of “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko [shoot the traitors]” were heard on Thursday at a roadshow by Union Home Minister Amit Shah for Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Singh Bagga, News18 reported.

‘Alternative site for Ayodhya mosque too far’: Muslim litigants criticise UP’s choice of land

Muslim parties in the Ayodhya title dispute case have expressed displeasure over the location of the five-acre land plot provided by the Uttar Pradesh government to build a mosque, Hindustan Times reported. The land, allotted in Dhannipur village in district’s Sohawal tehsil, is located on the Lucknow highway, around 18 km from Ayodhya city.

Online platforms should be accountable for fake news, revenge porn: Information technology minister

The Centre on Thursday said that “public platforms” such as YouTube, WhatsApp and Google were being abused to send out fake news, to propagate provocative content, and revenge porn. Minister for Law and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said the digital world has to be accountable and responsible for the content.

‘Those in Opposition who were silent are now violent’: Modi takes a dig at rivals over CAA protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Opposition of conducting a “campaign” to misinform people about the Citizenship Amendment Act, and asked them why they were not concerned for the religious minorities in India’s neighbourhoods who would benefit from the citizenship law.

Sabarimala review: SC reserves order on whether questions of law can be referred to larger bench

A nine-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on whether it can refer legal questions to a larger bench while exercising its review jurisdiction in the matters related to the entry of women into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple and discrimination at other religious places.

Peter Mukerjea gets bail in Sheena Bora murder case

The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to INX Media co-founder Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case. He was arrested on November 19, 2015 in the case, in which Indrani Mukerjea, his estranged wife is the prime accused.

Rahul Gandhi says Modi skirted ‘real problems’ to speak about Nehru, Pakistan instead in Lok Sabha

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his speech in the Lok Sabha, alleging that Modi spoke about [former Prime Minister] Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan but skirted real problems like unemployment.

No one in BJP worthy of being Delhi’s chief minister, says Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said no one in the Bharatiya Janata Party was capable of becoming the chief minister. In an interview with PTI, the chief minister said that the public wanted to know who would be the chief ministerial pick of the saffron party.

They might turn Shaheen Bagh into Jallianwala Bagh after Delhi elections, says Asaduddin Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday raised suspicions that the government will use force against protestors at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh after the Assembly elections in the city-state. Assembly elections in Delhi will be held on February 8, and the results will be declared on February 11.

Madhya Pradesh: Mob lynches farmer in Dhar district, injures 5 on suspicion that they are kidnappers

The Madhya Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested three people in connection with a mob attack on six farmers in Dhar district the previous day, in which one of the farmers was killed, and the others injured. A mob of hundreds of villagers attacked the farmers, suspecting them to be kidnappers, in Borlai village on Wednesday.

CAA: ‘Was Nehru communal for wanting to protect minorities of Pakistan?’ Modi asks in Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the Congress whether India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was communal for wanting to protect the minorities of Pakistan. The prime minister made the remarks in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the presidential address.

Delhi: Driver arrested for allegedly raping 5-year-old girl inside embassy premises in Chanakyapuri

A 25-year-old driver has been arrested for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl in the servants’ quarters of a foreign embassy in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. The alleged incident took place on February 1 while the accused was taken into custody on Sunday.

Shaheen Bagh protests: Giriraj Singh claims demonstrations are a breeding ground for suicide bombers

Union minister Giriraj Singh claimed on Thursday that the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in New Delhi are no longer merely a demonstration, but a breeding ground for suicide bombers. In a tweet, Singh added that a conspiracy against the country is being hatched in the capital itself.

RBI pegs GDP forecast for 2020-’21 at 6%, keeps interest rates unchanged amid slowdown

The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday pegged the economic growth rate for the 2020-’21 financial year at 6%. It retained the estimate of growth rate at 5% for the 2019-’20 financial year ending in March, the slowest in 11 years.

Karnataka: 10 new ministers, all defectors from Congress and JD(S), inducted into state Cabinet

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday inducted 10 new ministers into his six-month-old Cabinet, reported PTI. The ministers took the oath, administered by Governor Vajubhai Vala, during a ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

2012 Delhi gangrape: SC to hear on Friday Centre’s challenge to HC verdict on convicts’ execution

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the Centre’s petition against a Delhi High Court verdict regarding the hanging of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 gangrape-and-murder case. The High Court had on Wednesday turned down a plea of the Union government and said the four would have to be hanged together since they were convicted for the same crime. The Supreme court said it will hear the Centre’s plea on Friday.

‘Change of mindset’ needed before giving permanent commission to women in Army, says SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the Centre’s petition against a Delhi High Court verdict regarding the hanging of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 gangrape-and-murder case. The High Court had on Wednesday turned down a plea of the Union government and said the four would have to be hanged together since they were convicted for the same crime. The Supreme court said it will hear the Centre’s plea on Friday.

‘My son is a supporter of Modi’: Shaheen Bagh shooter’s father contradicts claims of link with AAP

The father of Kapil Gujjar, who had fired shots in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh locality on February 1, on Wednesday claimed that his son was a “supporter” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, reported NDTV. Earlier in the day, Gujjar’s father and brother had denied any connection with the Aam Aadmi Party. “Neither me nor my family has anything to do with AAP,” said Gaje Singh.

Adani Group fined AUD 20,000 for providing false information about coal mine

Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group has pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information to the environmental regulatory authority in Queensland state in Australia, ABC News reported on Thursday. A local court fined the Adani Group AUD 20,000 (Rs 9.63 lakh).

Uttar Pradesh: Azamgarh Police arrest 19 during Citizenship Act protest, charge them with sedition

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested 19 people and charged them with sedition, during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens in Azamgarh town, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. The police also fired tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators.

Ashok Lavasa’s family cleared by Haryana government in alleged stamp duty evasion case: Report

The Haryana government has given Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa and his family members a clean chit in a case of alleged stamp duty evasion, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. The case was referred to it by the Income Tax Department. Haryana is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The supplementary deed stated that Novel Lavasa sold the Gurugram property to Shakuntala Lavasa for Rs 1.73 crore and the same was not shown in the transfer deeds on December 27, 2018, and January 21,2019. “To rectify this ‘error and omission’ and to ‘avoid all disputes about the ownership’ of the property, stamp duty of Rs 10,42,200 was paid on September 16, 2019,” read the supplementary deed, which has been accessed by The Indian Express.

Delhi elections: The biggest gainers from Shaheen Bagh protest are BJP, says Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of letting the Shaheen Bagh blockade of a critical road continue for close to two months only for electoral gains. “Why are they not ending the protest – can a home minister as powerful as Amit Shah not get a road vacated?” Kejriwal said in an interview with the Hindustan Times. “They are trying to polarise the voters.” Assembly elections for all 70 seats in Delhi will be held on February 8, and the results will be announced on February 11.

Shaheen Bagh has emerged as a centre of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Hundreds of women have been peacefully protesting at Shaheen Bagh since December 15, against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

No plan to link Aadhaar with social media accounts, Centre tells Lok Sabha

The Centre on Wednesday said there was no plan to link Aadhaar with social media accounts. The idea has been mooted several times to combat fake news and curb child pornography on the internet.

“There is no proposal with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar number(s),” Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written answer to Lok Sabha. Prasad added that the government was taking several steps to curb the “serious menace” of child pornography and rising “revenge porn”.

EC pulls up Delhi police officer who linked Shaheen Bagh gunman to AAP, removes him from poll duty

A senior Delhi Police officer was taken off poll duty by the Election Commission on Wednesday, a day after he told reporters that a gunman who had fired shots in the city’s Shaheen Bagh locality on February 1 was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo had told reporters that photographs recovered from Kapil Gujjar’s phone established that he had joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party a year ago along with his father.

Bihar: Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy attacked again – this time in Supaul town

Communist Party of India leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy was attacked in Bihar’s Supaul town on Wednesday, PTI reported. This is the second such incident in the last four days. Kumar’s convoy had been pelted with stones in Saran district on Saturday.

In Supaul, the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader addressed a public meeting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens as part of the “Jan-Gana-Man yatra”, which will conclude at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on February 29.

2012 Delhi gangrape case: Convict Akshay Thakur’s mercy petition rejected by President Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday rejected the mercy petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 gangrape-murder case, ANI reported.

Singh had filed the appeal on Saturday, hours after the president rejected the mercy plea of fellow convicts Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh. The fourth convict, Pawan Gupta, has not yet filed a petition for presidential pardon.