Top news: Amit Shah tells Lok Sabha he was with Delhi Police the ‘whole time’ during violence

Delhi violence: Amit Shah claims he did not visit affected areas to avoid diverting security forces

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday claimed that he did not visit areas where communal violence took place in Delhi last month because he did not want the police to divert resources towards his security arrangements, ANI reported.

Jammu and Kashmir High Court rejects petition to ban use of pump action guns

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Wednesday refused to ban the use of pump action guns by security forces in the region, The Tribune reported. A division bench of Justices Ali Mohammad Magrey and Dhiraj Singh Thakur dismissed the petition filed by the Kashmir High Court Bar Association in 2016, seeking a ban on the use of pump action guns.

Sexual harassment at workplace violates women’s fundamental rights: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has said that sexual harassment at work violates women’s fundamental right to equality, their right to live with dignity and to practise any profession, Live Law reported on Wednesday. The top court made the observation on February 25 while upholding a verdict of the Madhya Pradesh High Court cancelling the transfer of a bank employee who had accused a senior colleague of sexual harassment, according to PTI.

BJP names Jyotiraditya Scindia Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday named Jyotiraditya Scindia one of its Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh, ANI reported. Scindia had joined the BJP hours earlier, a day after quitting the Congress party.

Congress appoints DK Shivakumar to lead party in Karnataka, Anil Chaudhary in Delhi

The Congress on Wednesday appointed DK Shivakumar its Karnataka state president. He replaces party MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao. The party also announced the appointments of three working presidents – Eashwar Khandre, Satish Jharkiholi and Salim Ahammed.

Delhi violence: High Court allows hospitals to dispose of unidentified bodies

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed hospitals in the Capital to dispose of unidentified bodies recovered in the large-scale communal violence that took place in Delhi last month, Bar and Bench reported. The court had earlier directed government hospitals in Delhi not to dispose of unidentified bodies till further orderswere given, and had asked them to videograph the post-mortems. The court had also ordered that DNA samples from the bodies be preserved.

UP government moves SC against HC order to remove posters with CAA protestors’ names and addresses

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court order asking it to remove all posters with names, photographs and addresses of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters that have been put up in Lucknow, PTI reported.

Lok Sabha: Suspension order of seven Congress MPs for gross misconduct revoked

The suspension of seven Congress MPs for causing a ruckus in the Lok Sabha last week was revoked on Wednesday, reported NDTV. Speaker Om Birla had suspended the parliamentarians from attending the rest of the session on charges of gross misconduct on March 5.

Bengaluru civic body to evict street food vendors to curb spread of cholera, activists decry move

The civic body of Bengaluru has decided to evict street vendors and food sellers from all the wards of the city in view of the cholera outbreak, News18 reported on Wednesday. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s decision comes after 17 cases of the disease were reported in the past week.

Madhya Pradesh crisis: Jyotiraditya Scindia joins BJP, says ‘India’s future safe in PM Modi’s hands’

Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose exit from the Congress triggered a political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of party president JP Nadda in Delhi. Scindia quit the Congress party earlier on Tuesday after which at least 22 MLAs, including six state ministers, resigned from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

Parliament: Opposition leaders disrupt sessions in both Houses, raise Delhi violence, MPs’ expulsion

Proceedings in both Houses of the Parliament were disrupted on Wednesday as Opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha protested against the expulsion of seven MPs last week, and the parliamentarians in the Rajya Sabha raised the matter of communal violence in Delhi. The Lok Sabha was expected to begin discussions on the riots in the national Capital that claimed at least 53 lives and injured over 200 last month with Union Home Minister Amit Shah scheduled to respond on the matter.

Delhi violence: ED files money laundering case against suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against suspended Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with last month’s communal violence in Delhi that left 53 people dead, PTI reported on Wednesday. Hussain is already in police custody for the killing of Intelligence Bureau employee Ankit Sharma.

Meghalaya: Over 20 people arrested for allegedly lynching man due to kidnapping rumours

The police in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district arrested more than 20 people for allegedly lynching a man on Sunday night under the suspicion that he was a kidnapper, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. A mob allegedly attacked a group of nine youngsters in Mawkynrew block of the district while they were on their way back from a picnic at Syntung village.

Coronavirus: PIL filed in Madras High Court to stop Indian Premier League 2020 from happening

A plea has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the central government not to allow the Board of Control for Cricket in India to conduct this year’s Indian Premier League from March 29 to May 24 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Madhya Pradesh crisis: 13 of 22 rebel MLAs won’t quit Congress, claims Digvijaya Singh

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday said that the government in Madhya Pradesh will win the floor test. He claimed that 13 of the 22 rebel MLAs have assured that “they are not leaving Congress”. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of destabilising the government in Madhya Pradesh.

Kerala doctor alleges clinic sacked her for alerting authorities about suspected coronavirus patient

A doctor in coronavirus-affected Thrissur district of Kerala on Tuesday alleged that she was sacked by the management of a private clinic for alerting the health department about a suspected coronavirus patient who reportedly refused to undergo the mandatory check.

Delhi violence: Man who pointed gun at police officer remanded to 14 days judicial custody

A court in Delhi on Tuesday remanded the man who pointed a gun at a police officer and fired shots in the national Capital’s Maujpur neighbourhood last month to 14 days in judicial custody. The Delhi Police had arrested the man, identified as Shahrukh Khan, on March 3 from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.

Lok Sabha to discuss Delhi violence today, Amit Shah expected to respond at 5.30 pm

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday will discuss the communal violence in Delhi that has claimed at least 53 lives last month after a tumultuous start to the second phase of the Budget Session. On March 3, the Centre had agreed to discuss the violence in North East Delhi after the Holi break following repeated disruptions in both Houses of Parliament.

Fuel prices go down as crude oil rates drop amid price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia

Petrol and diesel prices in India were slashed by 30 paise a litre and 25 paise a litre, respectively, on Wednesday as crude oil rates dropped due to a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. In Delhi, however, the prices of petrol and diesel went down by Rs 2.69 and Rs 2.33 per litre, respectively.

Madhya Pradesh crisis: Kamal Nath says ‘will prove majority’ in Assembly as BJP, Congress guard MLAs

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday voiced confidence that his government will withstand the political crisis triggered after former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit from the party, NDTV reported. Scindia quit the party earlier on Tuesday after which at least 22 ministers, including six state ministers, resigned from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. “There is nothing to worry about,” Nath said. “We will prove our majority. Our government will complete its term.”

Coronavirus: Infections in India rise to 62; in UK, health minister tests positive

One new case of the novel coronavirus infection, officially known as COVID-19, was confirmed in Jaipur on Wednesday morning. This takes up the total number of cases in India to at least 62, according to figures from state health agencies but the Centre has so far confirmed only 50 cases. Fourteen new cases – three each from Karnataka and Pune, and eight in Kerala – were confirmed as of Tuesday night. There have been no deaths due to coronavirus in India.

Yes Bank partially restores IMPS and NEFT services

Crisis-ridden lender Yes Bank on Tuesday said that it has partially restarted its NEFT and Immediate Payment Service, or IMPS. “Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled,” Yes Bank said in a tweet. “You can make payments towards YES BANK Credit Card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Mukesh Ambani loses ‘Asia’s richest man’ title to Alibaba’s Jack Ma

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani lost the ‘Asia’s richest man’ title to Alibaba’s Jack Ma as steep fall in oil prices and global stocks reduced his net worth by $5.8 billion, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. With a net worth of $44.5 billion, $2.6 billion more than Ambani, Ma is back on the number one spot that he ceded in 2018.

Supreme Court grants protection to inter-caste couple from arrest, provides them security

The Supreme Court on Monday granted protection to an inter-caste couple from getting arrested and ordered the police in the national Capital and two other states to provide them security in light of threat to their lives from family members, PTI reported.

FIR lodged against Nithyananda case investigators for showing porn to children in ashram

A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court in Ahmedabad filed complaints against several police officers investigating a case of abduction against religious leader Nithyananda, for allegedly showing pornographic content to children at his ashram, PTI reported on Tuesday. The first information report was lodged on the basis of a complaint petition filed by a follower of the religious leader on Friday.