Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to conduct a floor test in the state Assembly by Tuesday, reported ANI. Earlier in the day, the Assembly was adjourned without a floor test till March 26 as a preventive step to contain coronavirus.
The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 114 on Monday, with east India reporting its first patient in Odisha and one new case each in Kerala, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Four new cases were reported in Maharashtra, but the Centre has not yet confirmed these cases. The Centre’s tally of 114 included 97 Indians and 17 foreigners.
MP political crisis: Governor orders Kamal Nath to prove majority in Assembly tomorrow
Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to conduct a floor test in the state Assembly by Tuesday, reported ANI. Earlier in the day, the Assembly was adjourned without a floor test till March 26 as a preventive step to contain coronavirus.
COVID-19: India’s count rises to 114 cases as all states tighten restrictions to tackle crisis
The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 114 on Monday, with east India reporting its first patient in Odisha and one new case each in Kerala, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Four new cases were reported in Maharashtra, but the Centre has not yet confirmed these cases. The Centre’s tally of 114 included 97 Indians and 17 foreigners. Thirteen of these people have been cured and discharged from hospitals, while two died – one each in Delhi and Karnataka. According to the real-time tracker by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, there were 1,69,387 confirmed cases and 6,513 deaths across the world by 5.30 pm on Monday.
Delhi violence: HC issues notices to Centre, AAP government, police in plea to preserve CCTV footage
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre, the Delhi Police and the Aam Aadmi Party-led government on a plea seeking directions for CCTV footage of last month’s communal violence to be preserved. At least 52 people died and over 500 were injured in the national Capital, after protestors who opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act clashed with those who supported it.
Telangana Assembly passes resolution against amended Citizenship Act, NPR and NRC
The Telangana Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the proposed National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register, PTI reported. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who said the three exercises will result in the exclusion of a large number of people from the ambit of citizenship.
Don’t address me as ‘my lord’ or ‘lordship’: Justice Muralidhar to lawyers at Punjab and Haryana HC
Justice S Muralidhar, whose abrupt transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court after large-scale communal violence in the Capital last month raised several questions, on Monday asked lawyers to not address him as “my lord” or “lordship”, PTI reported.
Bhima Koregaon case: SC rejects Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde’s anticipatory bail petitions
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail petitions of civil rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde in the Bhima Koregaon violence case and ordered them to surrender within three weeks, PTI reported.
Coronavirus: Chhattisgarh asks Centre to expand testing facilities, do individual screening
The Chhattisgarh government on Monday wrote to the Centre seeking the expansion of testing facilities for the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country, to reduce the spread of the infection.
Yes Bank to resume all services from 6 pm on Wednesday, RBI tells depositors their money is safe
Troubled lender Yes Bank on Monday said that it will resume full banking services from 6 pm on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of India confirmed the same, and said the the bank’s resolution framework was under way as planned.
Gujarat: Fifth Congress MLA resigns ahead of Rajya Sabha elections
A fifth Congress MLA in Gujarat submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi on Monday, ahead of the elections for the Rajya Sabha, PTI reported. Four Congress legislators had quit on Sunday.
Parliament: Rahul Gandhi asks Centre for list of wilful defaulters, Rajya Sabha discusses COVID-19
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday asked the government details of the top 50 wilful defaulters in India. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi alleged that he had not received any answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the topic.
Coronavirus: Delhi bans gatherings of over 50 persons – protests included, weddings exempted
The Delhi government on Monday banned gatherings of more than 50 persons – including ongoing protests – till March 31 in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Gyms, nightclubs and spas will also remain closed till that date, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced at a press conference.
Coronavirus: P Chidambaram claims states are ahead of Centre in fight against pandemic
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday said that the video conference of members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on novel coronavirus “left us no wiser” and that India needed stronger measures to fight the pandemic. He alleged that states were ahead of the Centre in dealing with the situation.
Kerala nun rape case: Former bishop Franco Mulakkal’s bail plea rejected by trial court
A Kerala court on Monday dismissed a discharge petition filed by former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of sexually assaulting a nun, PTI reported. Mulakkal has been out on bail since October 2018.
Wholesale inflation declined to 2.26% in February, shows government data
Wholesale price inflation declined from 3.1% in January to 2.26% in February compared to the same month in 2019, government data released on Monday showed.
BJP moves Supreme Court seeking floor test within 12 hours in Madhya Pradesh Assembly
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly within 12 hours, The Indian Express reported. The petition was filed soon after Assembly proceedings were adjourned till March 26 over due to fears about the coronavirus. The governor had earlier ordered a trust vote to be held in the Assembly on Monday.
Uttar Pradesh: Two Congress workers arrested for posters against Adityanath in Lucknow
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday arrested two Congress workers in Lucknow for putting up posters labelling Chief Minister Adityanath, his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders “rioters”, The Indian Express reported.
2012 Delhi gangrape: Ahead of convicts’ hanging, families seek permission for euthanasia
The families of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case have written to President Ram Nath Kovind, seeking permission for mercy killing ahead of their scheduled hanging on March 20, ANI reported on Sunday.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly adjourned till March 26, no trust vote today
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly was on Monday adjourned till March 26, with no trust vote held, ANI reported. However, the news agency said the session was adjourned due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed two people in India and over 6,000 worldwide.
During the short session, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon addressed the Assembly, telling the MLAs to uphold the law, The Indian Express reported. “All must follow the rules under the Constitution so that dignity of Madhya Pradesh remains protected,” he said.
CAA: IIT-Kanpur says recitation of Faiz’s poem ‘Hum Dekhenge’ during protest was ‘unsuitable’
A committee set up by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, has concluded that the recitation of a Faiz Ahmad Faiz poem by students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act on campus last year was “unsuitable to the time and place”, The Indian Express reported on Monday. The committee also found the role of five teachers and six students who participated in the protest to be “less than desirable” and recommended that the college counsel them.
Yes Bank: Anil Ambani summoned by Enforcement Directorate in money laundering case
Reliance Group chairperson Anil Ambani on Monday was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case against Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor for alleged bank loans to the scam-hit Dewan Housing Finance Limited, PTI reported. Reliance is one of the largest borrowers from the crisis-hit bank, with bad loans worth Rs 14,000 crore.
Kashmir: Pakistan asks India to lift restrictions during SAARC video conference on coronavirus
Pakistan on Sunday raised the matter of Jammu and Kashmir during a video conference of member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the region, PTI reported. The conference was held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion.
Indian markets decline over 5% in early trade on US Fed cutting interest rates amid COVID-19 fears
Stock market volatility, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, continued on Monday, with both the Sensex and the Nifty trading over 5% down in early morning trade. At 9.50 am, the BSE Sensex was trading 2,001.64 points (5.87%) lower at 32,101.84. The National Stock Exchange Nifty was 538.80 points (5.69%) down at 9,416.40.
The Indian markets responded to the United States Federal Reserve slashing key interest rates to almost 0%. On the Nifty, all sectoral indices traded in red on Monday morning, Mint reported.
Madhya Pradesh: No clarity yet on floor test today for Kamal Nath-led Congress government
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly Secretariat did not mention holding of a floor test on Monday in the List of Business it issued on Sunday night. Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon had ordered a floor test last week after 19 MLAs sent their resignations to him.
Coronavirus: Number of cases in India spikes to 110, Italy reports 368 deaths in a single day
The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 110 on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Meanwhile, 368 people died in Italy, the country second worst-hit by the virus. The toll in Italy has now crossed 1,900.
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad launches political party
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Sunday launched his political party – the Azad Samaj Party – reported PTI. The launch coincided with the 86th birth anniversary of Bahujan Samaj Party founder and Dalit leader Kanshi Ram.
Fuel prices: Rahul Gandhi hits out at Centre, PM Narendra Modi over excise duty increase
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Centre decided to increase excise duty on petrol and diesel. The former Congress chief’s criticism came on the day petrol prices were reduced by 12 paise and diesel by 14 paise per litre, a day after special excise duty on the fuel was increased.
Coronavirus: Modi proposes COVID-19 emergency fund for SAARC nations, offers $10 million
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed to set up a COVID-19 emergency fund for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations to help tackle the spread of the virus, and said India can initially offer $10 million. Modi had on Friday called on the other seven SAARC nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – to chalk out a strategy to fight the pandemic.