Over 150 dead as Jammu and Kashmir faces worst floods since 60 years
Eleven more people were killed on Saturday in the worst floods to have hit Jammu and Kashmir in nearly six decades, taking the death toll to over 150. Union minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the state to meet Oman Abdullah to assess the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the valley on Sunday. Twenty five thousand villages have been affected by the floods and more than 450 villages have been inundated.
VK Singh hits back on Sukhna land scam verdict
Union Minister and Former Army chief Gen VK Singh on Satuday questioned the Armed Forces Tribunal's verdict on the Sukna land scam, which cleared retired Lieutenant General PK Rath of charges of misconduct in a real-estate deal in West Bengal. The tribunal on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Army for harming Rath's reputation . Singh said the government should appeal against the Tribunal order, which had made a "personal attack" on him.
Kerala asks CBI to investigate RSS activist's murder
The Kerala government on Saturday said it would hand over the investigation into the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist E Manoj to the Central Bureau of Investigation. State home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the decision was based on the findings of the Director General of Police that the case had inter-state links. RSS-Bharatiya Janata Party leaders alleged that Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers were responsible for the murder. Meanwhile, the state police have charged the accused group with Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
RJD, Congress may join JD(U) government in Bihar
Janata Dal (United) Parliamentary Affairs minister, Shrawan Kumar hinted at the possibility of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress joining the Bihar government under Jitan Ram Manjhi. Stating that all three parties have been working together in the state, Kumar said that legislators of the RJD and the Congress were likely to join the Manjhi cabinet. Last month, the three-party alliance won six of the 10 seats in the Assembly by-elections.
Centre pushes states to expedite trial of politicians with criminal records
The Central government on Saturday gave chief ministers and chief justices of state high courts one year to complete probe and trial of MPs and MLAs facing charges for serious crimes like rape, murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reiterated a Supreme Court directive which said that in the event of a court not being able to conclude trial within a year, it will have to submit a report to the chief justice of the high court outlining reasons for the delay.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
Eleven more people were killed on Saturday in the worst floods to have hit Jammu and Kashmir in nearly six decades, taking the death toll to over 150. Union minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the state to meet Oman Abdullah to assess the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the valley on Sunday. Twenty five thousand villages have been affected by the floods and more than 450 villages have been inundated.
VK Singh hits back on Sukhna land scam verdict
Union Minister and Former Army chief Gen VK Singh on Satuday questioned the Armed Forces Tribunal's verdict on the Sukna land scam, which cleared retired Lieutenant General PK Rath of charges of misconduct in a real-estate deal in West Bengal. The tribunal on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Army for harming Rath's reputation . Singh said the government should appeal against the Tribunal order, which had made a "personal attack" on him.
Kerala asks CBI to investigate RSS activist's murder
The Kerala government on Saturday said it would hand over the investigation into the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist E Manoj to the Central Bureau of Investigation. State home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the decision was based on the findings of the Director General of Police that the case had inter-state links. RSS-Bharatiya Janata Party leaders alleged that Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers were responsible for the murder. Meanwhile, the state police have charged the accused group with Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
RJD, Congress may join JD(U) government in Bihar
Janata Dal (United) Parliamentary Affairs minister, Shrawan Kumar hinted at the possibility of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress joining the Bihar government under Jitan Ram Manjhi. Stating that all three parties have been working together in the state, Kumar said that legislators of the RJD and the Congress were likely to join the Manjhi cabinet. Last month, the three-party alliance won six of the 10 seats in the Assembly by-elections.
Centre pushes states to expedite trial of politicians with criminal records
The Central government on Saturday gave chief ministers and chief justices of state high courts one year to complete probe and trial of MPs and MLAs facing charges for serious crimes like rape, murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reiterated a Supreme Court directive which said that in the event of a court not being able to conclude trial within a year, it will have to submit a report to the chief justice of the high court outlining reasons for the delay.
