The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to clarify on its intention to release former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from detention, or it would go ahead with hearing his sister’s plea challenging the same. The top court asked the government to let it know of its intention by next week.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the Centre’s plea seeking 20 years’ time to recover dues from telecom companies in annual instalments. The top court said the government’s proposal was “sheer contempt of court”.
MP crisis: SC says won’t interfere with floor test, asks Speaker to decide on Congress resignations
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will not interfere in matters related to the legislature in Madhya Pradesh to decide which party enjoys the trust of the people, The Hindustan Times reported. The top court was hearing a petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking a floor test for the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. The state has been in a political crisis, with a collapse imminent for the Congress government, after 22 of its MLAs resigned last week.
CAA: Calcutta HC sets aside order asking Polish student who attended rally to leave India
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday set aside the Centre’s notice asking a Polish student to leave India for participating in a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, ANI reported. Kamil Siedczynski had moved the High Court earlier this month, seeking a restraining order against the Centre and a recall of its notice.
Coronavirus: 255 Indian pilgrims in Iran have tested positive for COVID-19, confirms MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that 255 Indians were infected with the novel coronavirus in Iran and the total number of Indians with the virus abroad is 276.
2012 gangrape: Convict challenges rejection of plea claiming he wasn’t in Delhi at time of crime
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a petition by Mukesh Singh, one of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case, who had challenged a trial court’s dismissal of his plea stating that he was not in the city when the crime took place, ANI reported.
Coronavirus: BJP MP Suresh Prabhu goes into self-quarantine after visit to Saudi Arabia
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday has gone into self-quarantine for 14 days after returning from Saudi Arabia in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported. He was on a visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the second G20 Sherpas’ meeting in Khobar that was held on March 10. The former Union minister, however, tested negative for COVID-19.
Coronavirus: SC asks states how children are getting mid-day meals with schools shut
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the states and Union Territories asking how students are being provided their mid-day meals when most of them are shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bar and Bench reported.
Sensex down 1,000 points, Nifty trades below 8,700 after registering early gains amid COVID-19 fears
The stock markets on Wednesday registered early gains but eventually succumbed to the fears over the coronavirus pandemic to stagger 3% lower early afternoon amid fall in the banking and financial stocks.
MP crisis: Speaker cannot sit on rebel MLAs’ resignations, they quit due to ideology, BJP tells SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking a floor test for the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. The state has been in a political crisis, with a collapse imminent for the Congress government, after 22 of its MLAs resigned last week.
SC says it will hear plea against Omar Abdullah’s detention if Centre doesn’t release him soon
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to clarify on its intention to release former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from detention, or it would go ahead with hearing his sister’s plea challenging the same, PTI reported. The top court asked the government to let it know of its intention by next week.
“If you are releasing him, then release him soon or we will hear the matter on merits,” said the bench of Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah.
‘Respect Sovereignty’: India criticises China, Pakistan for reference to J&K in joint statement
India on Tuesday criticised China and Pakistan for making a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in their joint statement and said that it expects other countries to not comment on its internal matters, PTI reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi discussed Jammu and Kashmir at their meeting in Beijing, with China saying that it is “paying close attention” to the situation in the region.
Telecom dues: Supreme Court lashes out at Centre for seeking 20 years’ time to recover amount
The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the Centre’s plea seeking 20 years’ time to recover dues from telecom companies in annual instalments. The top court said the government’s proposal was “sheer contempt of court”.
NEET has led to greater transparency, will not be scrapped, says health ministry
The Centre told Parliament on Tuesday that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical aspirants will not be scrapped. Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that the exam has ensured transparency and has reduced the burden of students, who had to appear for multiple exams earlier.
‘The Telegraph’ gets Press Council notice for ‘Kovind-Covid’ wordplay on former CJI’s RS nomination
The Press Council of India on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to the editor of The Telegraph for its frontpage headline for the news report about former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha.
COVID-19: Indian Army has its first case, soldier put in isolation in Ladakh, say reports
The Indian Army has reported its first case of COVID-19 infection, after a soldier from the Ladakh Scouts regiment was placed in an isolation ward, IANS reported on Wednesday.
Coronavirus: Railways increases platform ticket price to Rs 50 at major stations, cancels 85 trains
Most zones of the Indian Railways on Tuesday increased their platform ticket charges – from Rs 10 to Rs 50 at major stations – in an effort to discourage gathering of large crowds in view of the spreading coronavirus pandemic. The Railways also cancelled at least 85 trains on major routes due to low occupancy.
MP crisis: Congress’ Digvijaya Singh in preventive custody in Bengaluru after his sit-in protest
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was on Wednesday placed under preventive custody after he sat in protest outside a hotel in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where rebel Madhya Pradesh MLAs are staying, reported NDTV. At least 19 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs are allegedly holed up in a hotel in Bengaluru, even as the state government teeters on the brink of collapse. Karnataka is a state ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Coronavirus: 147 confirmed cases in India, one more person tests positive in Pune
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India has gone up to 147, and three people have died after being infected, the health ministry confirmed on Tuesday.
India has extended its ban on flights from foreign countries, adding Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to the list. The ban will be in force till March 31. On Monday, it prohibited travelling to India from 27 European Union countries, all four European Free Trade Association member nations, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Coronavirus: Centre makes it compulsory for all private and government facilities to notify cases
The central government has made it mandatory for all hospitals, including government and private, and independent medical practitioners to notify suspected COVID-19 cases to the district authorities. The number of positive coronavirus cases in India rose to 137 on Tuesday, and one more death was reported, taking the toll to three.
Narendra Modi praises Bangladesh freedom fighter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hails Delhi-Dhaka ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that India and Bangladesh have scripted a “golden chapter of bilateral ties” and “given new dimension and direction to their partnership” due to the increasing trust between the two countries. Modi made the remark in a video message to mark the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, one of the founding fathers of Bangladesh and a freedom fighter in the 1971 war.
India’s institutions are under ‘great threat’, says former Vice President Hamid Ansari
Former Vice President Hamid Ansari said on Tuesday that a “very dangerous” process was underway in India, as the country’s institutions were under “great threat” and the principles on which the Constitution’s Preamble was drafted were being “thrown out”, PTI reported. Ansari said Indians are living in very difficult times, and it was important to act now because if this continues, it would be “too late to wake up”.
CAA: Centre files response in SC, says law passed by Parliament not within scope of judicial review
The Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Citizenship Amendment Act does not affect the “legal, democratic and secular” rights of any citizens, and that the law passed by Parliament may not be “within the scope of judicial review”, Bar and Bench reported.
“Matters concerning the sovereign plenary of the Parliament, especially in regard to citizenship, cannot be questioned before the court by way of a public interest petition,” the government said, responding to petitions challenging the validity of the citizenship law.