Top news: Delhi government gives nod to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar, others in JNU sedition case

JNU sedition case: Delhi government gives permission to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar, others

The Delhi government on Friday gave the sanction to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 sedition case, ANI reported. The sanction has been pending with the Arvind Kejriwal government since last year.

Delhi: Mosque in South West district attacked before dawn, allege residents

A mosque in Dwarka locality of South West Delhi was allegedly attacked by miscreants in the early hours of Friday. Police first described the incident as mischief, but later denied it took place, a resident told Scroll.in.

Delhi violence: Shiv Sena says Amit Shah was ‘nowhere to be seen’ during clashes

The Shiv Sena on Friday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the violence in Delhi, and asked why he was “nowhere to be seen” when the clashes broke out in the national Capital. At least 42 people have been killed so far in communal violence in parts of North East Delhi, that started on Sunday after supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act clashed with those who oppose it.

CAA: Opposition instigating riots, spreading misinformation, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused the Opposition of inciting riots and spreading misinformation about Citizenship Amendment Act, PTI reported. His comments came after at least 42 people were killed in large-scale communal violence in parts of North East Delhi over the amended citizenship law.

GDP growth marginally improved to 4.7% in October-December 2019, shows data

The Indian economy expanded 4.7% in the October-December quarter as a result of steady agriculture output and some support from government spending, official data showed on Friday. This is the first time in six quarters that the Gross Domestic Product growth has recorded an increase.

Hardik Patel gets anticipatory bail till March 6 in sedition case related to Patidar quota agitation

The Supreme Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to Congress leader Hardik Patel till March 6 in a sedition case filed against him in connection with the violence during the Patidar reservation protests in 2015, PTI reported. Patel had filed a plea seeking the quashing of the case against him.

2012 Delhi gangrape: Convict Pawan Gupta files curative petition in SC against death sentence

The fourth convict in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case on Friday filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court against the death penalty awarded to him, Bar and Bench reported. Pawan Gupta, along with the other convicts – Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh – are scheduled to be hanged at Tihar Jail in Delhi on March 3.

CAA: Case filed against Twitter, WhatsApp, Tiktok for letting users share ‘anti-national’ content

The Hyderabad cyber crime police have registered criminal cases against social media platforms Twitter, WhatsApp and TikTok for allegedly allowing people to carry out anti-national activities in the name of protests against the citizenship law, ANI reported on Thursday.

Maharashtra government to provide 5% reservation to Muslims in education

The the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has proposed to extend 5% reservation to Muslims in educational institutes, state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said on Friday, reported PTI. He told the Maharashtra Legislative Council that a legislation will be passed soon in this regard.

Malik said “appropriate action” will be taken in this regard before school admissions begin this year.

Delhi violence: BJP attacks Sonia Gandhi for ‘rajdharma’ jibe, claims she instigated unrest

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday lashed out at the Congress for submitting a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind, in which the party called for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s sacking and said that the government should follow “raj dharma” (duty of a leader) . Prasad said the party should not speak about such duties if it was going to “flip flop” on the Citizenship Amendment Act, the BJP tweeted.

Rakesh Asthana bribery case: ‘Big names’ being shielded, alleges former investigating officer

A verbal altercation broke out during a hearing in a Delhi court on Friday between the two investigating officers associated with a bribery case, allegedly involving senior officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation, reported Hindustan Times. The special CBI court had on February 19 asked former investigation officer Ajay Kumar Bassi to appear in court to explain the case diary.

The argument began after Bassi accused the current investigating officer Satish Dagar of covering up “big names” in the case. Bassi said that the key player, Manoj Prasad, had divulged the names being shielded during interrogation in October 2018 but Dagar allegedly did not investigate them.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari says Kejriwal, Tahir Hussain should be hanged for IB officer’s murder

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Manoj Tiwari on Friday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain should be hanged within a stipulated time for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma. Hussain has been suspended from the AAP’s primary membership after he was booked for Sharma’s death on Thursday evening.

IPS officer SN Shrivastava appointed Delhi police commissioner

The Centre on Friday appointed Indian Police Service officer SN Shrivastava the Delhi police commissioner, NDTV reported. Shrivastava will take over on March 1, the day after Amulya Patnaik, the current commissioner of police, retires.

Shrivastava is a 1985-batch officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory, or AMGUT cadre. Earlier this week, he was appointed the special commissioner of police (law and order), after being brought in from the Central Reserve Police Force, amid communal violence in North East Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 39 people have died so far in the violence.

Delhi violence: UN chief says spirit of Gandhi needed now more than ever, calls for restraint

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi was “needed more than ever”, as he expressed his sadness over the violence in North East Delhi that has claimed 39 lives as of Friday, PTI reported.

“The Secretary-General has been following the situation in India and the violence closely and [he] is saddened by the reports of deaths that we’ve seen over the past few days in New Delhi,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a daily press briefing. He added that the UN chief has reiterated the need to exercise maximum restraint and avoid violence in order to de-escalate tensions.

Delhi HC sends notices on pleas seeking FIR against Opposition leaders, others for hate speech

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notices in two impleadment applications seeking registration of first information reports against various individuals in connection with the Delhi communal violence plea, moved by activist Harsh Mander, reported Bar and Bench. Mander’s plea has sought filing of FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma, and Kapil Mishra for allegedly making provocative speeches over the past month.

Andhra Pradesh: Chandrababu Naidu taken into preventive custody briefly at Visakhapatnam airport

The Andhra Pradesh Police on Thursday took former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu into preventive custody at the Visakhapatnam airport, citing his “safety and security”. The Telugu Desam Party chief was escorted back to the VIP lounge of the airport after members of the ruling YSR Congress Party tried to block the passage of his convoy.

Chinmayanand sexual assault case: Supreme Court to hear complainant’s transfer plea on March 2

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear the plea of a law student against former Union minister Chinmayanand on March 2. The complainant wanted the trial to be transferred to a Delhi court from Uttar Pradesh as she feared for her life.

Sensex nosedives over 1,000 points as global markets slump amid fears of coronavirus spread

The Indian stock markets nosedived on Friday morning with benchmark indices hitting their lowest levels recorded since mid-October as global markets slumped on fears that the coronavirus outbreak will lead to recession. The slump in the market also comes on a day when the government is set to release the Gross Domestic Product figures for the October-December period.

At 11.33 am, the BSE Sensex traded 1,078.35 points lower at 38,667.31 while the Nifty was down 329.80 points at 11,303.50.

Delhi violence: Kapil Mishra alleges Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh are involved in IB officer’s death

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra on Thursday evening accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being involved in the murder of Intelligence Bureau employee Ankit Sharma, reported NDTV. He claimed that the mobile phone records of Tahir Hussain, an Aam Aadmi Party councillor who has named in the first information report in Sharma’s death, would prove the participation of Kejriwal and AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

NIA refutes reports of Pulwama terror attack accused being granted bail

The National Investigation Agency on Thursday refuted reports of a special court allowing bail to an accused in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, reported PTI. This came a day after reports claimed bail was granted to Yusuf Chopan on February 18 after the agency was unable to file a chargesheet against him.

In a statement, the agency clarified that bail was given to Chopan, an accused in a terror conspiracy case and not the Pulwama attack. “It is to clarify that Yousuf Chopan was never arrested in Pulwama attack case,” NIA said.

‘Democratic traditions unite US and India,’ says Mike Pompeo after Donald Trump’s visit

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said President Donald Trump’s visit to India highlighted the “value” of the relationship shared between the two countries. Trump visited three Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Agra, and New Delhi – during his trip on February 24 and February 25.

“President Donald Trump’s first official trip to India this week demonstrates the value the US places on the US-India partnership,” Pompeo tweeted. “Democratic traditions unite us, shared interests bond us, and under the President’s leadership our partnership has and will only grow stronger.”

Delhi violence: Toll goes up to 38, prohibitory orders expected to be relaxed for 10 hours today

Prohibitory orders under Section 144, barring a gathering of more than four people, is likely to be revoked for 10 hours on Friday, the home ministry has said.

At least 38 people were killed due to large-scale mob violence – mainly targeted at Muslims – in parts of North East Delhi. Security personnel conducted flag marches in violence-hit areas on Thursday night.

Case filed against Prashant Kishor for allegedly plagiarising ‘Baat Bihar Ki’ campaign

A case has been registered against political strategist Prashant Kishor in Patna for allegedly plagiarising the content for his “Baat Bihar Ki” campaign, PTI reported.

In the complaint filed by Shashwat Gautam, who worked as an advisor to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and later as a data analytics coordinator with the Congress, Kishor was accused of stealing the campaign’s slogan, logo and data for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Maharashtra Assembly clears bill making Marathi compulsory in school curriculum

The Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a bill making Marathi a mandatory subject in schools of all boards in the state, PTI reported.

The Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Bill, 2020, was introduced by Minister for Marathi Language Subhash Desai. He said it was on the lines of laws enacted by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala, making it mandatory for schools affiliated to national boards to teach local languages.

Maharashtra withdraws 348 cases related to Bhima Koregaon, 460 Maratha quota violence cases

The Maharashtra government on Thursday withdrew 348 of the 649 registered cases related to the Bhima Koregaon case, and 460 of the 548 cases in connection with the Maratha quota protests in 2018, ANI reported, quoting state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Delhi violence: AAP councillor Tahir Hussain charged with murder in IB officer’s death case

Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain was on Thursday charged with murder in connection with the death of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the violence in North East Delhi that broke out between groups opposing and supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act, ANI reported. Hussain has been charged under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (punishment for murder) at Dayalpur police station.

“We have registered a case of murder and kidnapping on the complaint of Ankit Sharma’s father,” a police officer told Hindustan Times. “Hussain has been named by Sharma’s father in the FIR.”

Delhi violence: UN human rights chief expresses ‘great concern’ about CAA, police inaction

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday expressed “great concern” over the Citizenship Amendment Act and reports of police inaction during the violence in Delhi. At least 37 people have been killed so far in violence between supporters and opponents of the Act.

Addressing the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Bachelet said: “Indians in huge numbers, and from all communities, have expressed – in a mostly peaceful manner – their opposition to the Act, and support for the country’s long tradition of secularism. I am concerned by reports of police inaction in the face of attacks against Muslims by other groups, as well as previous reports of excessive use of force by police against peaceful protestors.”