Tata Motors may stop production and sale of Nano from April 2020

Mayank Prateek, president of Tata Motors’ Passenger Vehicle Business unit, indicated that other existing vehicles may also be discontinued when Bharat Stage-VI norms are adopted, but did not specify the vehicles.

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EVM ‘hacking’ charge: Not going back to ballot papers, says Election Commission

“We are open to any criticism, any feedback, from any stakeholders, including political parties, because they are the biggest stakeholders,” said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora. “But at the same time, we are not going to be intimidated or bullied or pressurised or coerced into giving up these [EVMs and voter verified paper trail machines] and starting the era of ballot boxes.”

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BCCI lifts suspensions on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul pending appointment of ombudsman

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators lifted the provisional suspensions on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on Thursday pending appointment and adjudication of the allegations by the BCCI Ombudsman.

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Rose Valley scam: CBI arrests Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta in connection with the Rose Valley money laundering scam. Mohta is the co-founder of Shree Venkatesh Films, which has produced over 120 films, including Chokher Bali and Memories in March.

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JNU ‘sedition’ case: Delhi law minister issues notice to official for clearing prosecution sanction

Delhi Law Minister Kailash Gahlot has issued a notice to state Principal Secretary (Law) AK Mendiratta for clearing the sanction to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University students in a sedition case. Mendiratta had sent the law department’s opinion to the state home department, which is under Satyendra Jain.

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Gurugram: At least six people killed after building collapses, rescue work under way

At least six people were killed after a building collapsed in Gurugram early on Thursday. The incident took place in Ullawas village. The operation to rescue those trapped is still under way.

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Kerala: Congress leader apologises for saying Pinarayi Vijayan ‘turned out to be worse than a woman’

Senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran on Thursday apologised for making a sexist comment while criticising Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Sudhakaran claimed he was misquoted and the speech was taken out of context.

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Assam NRC: Supreme Court refuses to extend July 31 deadline for publication of final document

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to extend the July 31 deadline for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens in Assam. The court directed NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela, the Assam chief secretary, and the Election Commission of India to meet within a week to decide how to conduct verification hearings.

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Meghalaya: Rescuers pull out first body from coal mine, over a month after 15 workers were trapped

Rescuers on Thursday pulled out the body of the only miner spotted inside the coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills District, where 15 workers have been trapped since December 13.

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Rahul Gandhi claims work ‘stalled’ by UP government will restart when Congress comes to power

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that all the work in Uttar Pradesh
that has been “stalled” by the central and state governments will resume once the party comes to power at the Centre.

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Militant-turned-soldier Nazir Wani to be posthumously awarded Ashoka Chakra this year

Lance Naik Nazir Wani, who joined the Indian Army in 2004 after giving up militancy, will be posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra this year. The Ashoka Chakra is the highest peacetime military award in India.

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Videocon loan: Former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar, husband Deepak Kochhar named in CBI case

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday filed a case against former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Chief Executive Officer Venugopal Dhoot, and others in a case linked to alleged irregularities in loan.

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Kerala: One case of monkey fever confirmed in Wayanad district, another patient shows symptoms

Authorities in Kerala on Wednesday said that a case of Kyasanur Forest Disease, commonly known as monkey fever, has been confirmed in Wayanad. Such a case has been reported in the district after two years.

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Madhya Pradesh government writes to Delhi Police against arrest of blogger Abhishek Mishra

The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday wrote to Delhi Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik, protesting against the arrest of blogger Abhishek Mishra, who claims to be a Right to Information activist.

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Promise to fill up vacant posts in Indian Railways is ‘another jumla’, claims P Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday mocked the Centre’s claim that it will fill up posts lying vacant in Indian Railways. “Railways leave 2,82,976 posts vacant for nearly five years and suddenly wake up to say we will fill them in three months!” he tweeted. “Another jumla!”

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Gauri Lankesh’s murder not related to EVM ‘hacking’, says sister Kavitha Lankesh

The sister of Gauri Lankesh has refuted a self-proclaimed cyber-expert’s claims that the journalist was murdered because she knew about the alleged hacking of electronic voting machines ahead of the 2014 General Elections and had agreed to write an article on it.

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SC/ST Act: Supreme Court refuses to stay amendments passed by Parliament

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the amendments made by Parliament to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act last year. The amendments, passed in August, had ruled out anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against the communities.

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Tibetan spiritual leader claims India has not responded to his request for a visa since October

Tibetan spiritual leader Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjem has claimed that Indian authorities have not responded to a visa application he submitted in October, reports said. The Karmapa, who leads the Kagyu sect, said the delay made him miss a meeting with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Buddhists.

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Citizenship Bill: Manipur CM N Biren Singh calls all-party meeting on January 28

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has called a meeting of all political parties in the state on January 28 to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment Bill) even as protests against the legislation continued in the state. Singh’s media advisor Irengbam Arun on Thursday said the meeting would be held at the chief minister’s official residence in Imphal at 9 am on Sunday.

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Delhi HC judge recuses herself from hearing former Himachal Pradesh CM’s plea in illegal assets case

A Delhi High Court judge on Thursday recused herself from hearing a petition submitted by former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife in an illegal assets case. The former chief minister and his wife Pratibha Singh had moved the court on Wednesday challenging a trial court order to frame charges against them. Justice Mukta Gupta said the matter will be listed before another judge on Friday.

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Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistan has violated ceasefire along LoC in Rajouri district, says Army

The Indian Army on Thursday accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire agreement by targeting forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district. A defence public relations officer said Indian soldiers had responded to the Pakistani Army’s unprovoked attack by firing mortars and small arms.

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Tamil Nadu: Ban practice of pouring milk on actors’ cutouts ahead of movie releases, say dealers

The Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association has filed a complaint with the state police against fans stealing milk from outlets and pouring it on giant cut-outs of movie stars to celebrate new releases. The association has demanded a ban on “paal abishekam”, or the practice of pouring milk on actors’ cutouts and banners, saying it leads to unnecessary wastage of milk.

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Bihar: RJD leader shot dead in Samastipur district

A local Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was shot dead on Thursday by unidentified people in Bihar’s Samastipur district. Raghuvar Rai was out for a morning walk near his home at the time of the incident. He was shot dead by two people on a motorcycle, District Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur said. Rai was a former member of the district council.

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Videocon loan case: CBI files FIR, searches company’s offices in Mumbai and Aurangabad

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday began searches in connection with alleged irregularities in a Rs 3,250-crore loan that ICICI Bank sanctioned to Videocon Group in 2012. The agency also filed a first information report. The agency searched the headquarters of Videocon Group in Mumbai and its offices in Aurangabad, as well as the offices of NuPower and Supreme Power.

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CBI row: Justice AK Sikri recuses himself from hearing plea against interim chief’s appointment

Justice AK Sikri of the Supreme Court on Thursday recused himself from hearing a petition challenging the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as the interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

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BJP received 80% of six national parties’ income from unkown sources in 2017-’18: Report

The source of around 53% of the income of six national political parties in the last financial year is untraceable, the Association for Democratic Reforms said on Wednesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party alone accounted for as much as 80% of such income.
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Upper-caste quota: Gujarat to limit benefits to those living in the state since 1978

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat on Wednesday tweaked the new reservation law, which grants 10% reservation to the poor among upper castes, to restrict it to citizens who have been residents since 1978.

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Revoke the voting rights of those who have more than two children, says Ramdev

Yoga guru Ramdev on Wednesday suggested revoking the voting rights of those who have more than two children as one of the means of controlling the country’s population.

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Jayalalithaa estate theft: Madras HC restrains journalist from linking Tamil Nadu CM to break-in

The Madras High Court on Wednesday passed an interim order restraining a journalist and six others from making statements linking Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami to a robbery attempt at J Jayalalithaa’s estate in April 2017.

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After Priyanka Gandhi formally enters politics, Shiv Sena says voters will see Indira Gandhi in her

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said voters would see Indira Gandhi in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra when they go out to vote. Vadra, the granddaughter of the former prime minister, formally joined the Congress earlier in the day as a regional general secretary in Uttar Pradesh. “The party will benefit from her good personality, her ways of presenting herself and her ability to strike a chord with the voters,” Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.

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Upper-caste quota: Constitution does not allow reservation for economically weak, says Chelameswar

Retired Supreme Court Justice J Chelameswar on Wednesday said the Constitution does not have provisions for reservations for economically weak sections but only allows legislators to make reservations for socially and educationally backward sections of society. “To what extent the current programme will be sustained in court, I do not know and it is to be seen,” he said.

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CBI row: Narendra Modi-led panel likely to meet today to select new agency director

A panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on Thursday to select a new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The panel also comprises Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, who is the leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha. They will meet at Modi’s official residence.

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Congress leader makes sexist remark about Kerala CM, says he ‘turned out to be worse than a woman’

Former state minister and state Congress Working President K Sudhakaran on Wednesday made a sexist comment while taking a dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Congress leader said the party expected him to run the administration effectively “but he turned out to be worse than a woman”.

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Pakistani court stays Mumbai attacks trial to allow prosecution to produce 19 witnesses

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday stayed the hearing of a case related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in an anti-terrorism court to allow the prosecution to produce 19 witnesses. The court gave the prosecutors a week’s time.

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Tripura: Arrested Rohingya women and children sent back to jail despite being granted bail

Most members of a group of 31 Rohingya Muslims who were arrested near the Tripura border on Tuesday were granted bail by a Tripura court the next day. However, they were all sent to jail as no one appeared to submit bail bonds for them. The group had been stranded on the India-Bangladesh border for four days before the Border Security Force handed them over to the state police.

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Piyush Goyal to lead Arun Jaitley’s finance ministry while he is away for treatment

Union minister Piyush Goyal will handle the finance and corporate affairs ministries while the incumbent minister, Arun Jaitley, recovers from an ailment. Goyal already holds the charge of the Ministry of Railways. Jaitley, meanwhile, will be a minister without portfolio, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

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