Headlines from today's papers:
SC dismisses Centre's appeal in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case
The Supreme Court affirmed its decision to commute the death sentences of the three men convicted in the assassination case of Rajiv Gandh. They will now serve life imprisonment. The Centre had filed a review petition against the apex court’s February 18 judgement, contending that the court did not consider the merits of the case and that the court had ventured into the domain of the government by commuting the death sentence. However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the review petition stating that they found no merit in it.
DGCA bars SpiceJet from selling Re 1 tickets
Hours after SpiceJet announced a three-day offer of Re 1 tickets for domestic travel, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation came down heavily on the airline, ordering it to repeal the offer immediately, branding it “predatory pricing” and an attempt to “deceive the public”. The sale was announced on Tuesday morning. The airline wasn’t even charging the fuel surcharge from passengers in certain seats and only the statutory taxes and fees.
Grounded Modi lashes out at Congress for ‘sabotage’
After spending more than five hours grounded at Delhi and Bareilly waiting for flight clearances, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday accused the Congress of sabotaging his campaign. At a rally in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Modi said, “The Congress can stop my flights, but not my ride to Delhi." The charter companies hired by Modi had reportedly failed to provide proper flight plans to the civil aviation authorities. The BJP later requested the Election Commission to instruct civil aviation authorities to ensure quick clearances for Modi’s flights.
RBI for scrapping minimum balance penalty
In its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement, the Reserve Bank of India said that banks should not levy a penalty on customers who do not maintain a minimum balance in ordinary savings bank accounts. Instead, services to them should be limited. The RBI added that banks should restore the services when the balance improves to above the minimum level. While the decision is yet to be finalised, senior bankers said that this would mean increasing the charges customers pay for transactions of all kinds.
Mamata may support Modi in exchange for financial relief for Bengal
The Times of India quoted political sources saying that there is a strong possibility that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee would agree to extend outside support to a Narendra Modi-led government in exchange for a generous financial package to ease West Bengal's debt burden. The TMC's internal estimates place its Lok Sabha tally at 25 to 30, which would make it the third-largest party in the house after the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
SC dismisses Centre's appeal in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case
The Supreme Court affirmed its decision to commute the death sentences of the three men convicted in the assassination case of Rajiv Gandh. They will now serve life imprisonment. The Centre had filed a review petition against the apex court’s February 18 judgement, contending that the court did not consider the merits of the case and that the court had ventured into the domain of the government by commuting the death sentence. However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the review petition stating that they found no merit in it.
DGCA bars SpiceJet from selling Re 1 tickets
Hours after SpiceJet announced a three-day offer of Re 1 tickets for domestic travel, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation came down heavily on the airline, ordering it to repeal the offer immediately, branding it “predatory pricing” and an attempt to “deceive the public”. The sale was announced on Tuesday morning. The airline wasn’t even charging the fuel surcharge from passengers in certain seats and only the statutory taxes and fees.
Grounded Modi lashes out at Congress for ‘sabotage’
After spending more than five hours grounded at Delhi and Bareilly waiting for flight clearances, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday accused the Congress of sabotaging his campaign. At a rally in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Modi said, “The Congress can stop my flights, but not my ride to Delhi." The charter companies hired by Modi had reportedly failed to provide proper flight plans to the civil aviation authorities. The BJP later requested the Election Commission to instruct civil aviation authorities to ensure quick clearances for Modi’s flights.
RBI for scrapping minimum balance penalty
In its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement, the Reserve Bank of India said that banks should not levy a penalty on customers who do not maintain a minimum balance in ordinary savings bank accounts. Instead, services to them should be limited. The RBI added that banks should restore the services when the balance improves to above the minimum level. While the decision is yet to be finalised, senior bankers said that this would mean increasing the charges customers pay for transactions of all kinds.
Mamata may support Modi in exchange for financial relief for Bengal
The Times of India quoted political sources saying that there is a strong possibility that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee would agree to extend outside support to a Narendra Modi-led government in exchange for a generous financial package to ease West Bengal's debt burden. The TMC's internal estimates place its Lok Sabha tally at 25 to 30, which would make it the third-largest party in the house after the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
