Here are the top headlines of the day:

  1. Hijab not an essential part of Islam, Karnataka government tells High Court: Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi also contended imposing a ban on hijab does not violate the freedom to practice and profess a religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
  2. Uttar Pradesh withdraws recovery notices against 274 alleged protestors of anti-CAA agitation: The Supreme Court directed the government to refund crores of rupees that was taken from the demonstrators for allegedly destroying public property.
  3. In 2008 Ahmedabad blasts case, 38 convicts sentenced to death, 11 get life imprisonment: As many as 22 explosions ripped had through the city on July 26, 2008, leaving 56 dead and over 200 injured. After a trial that lasted almost 13 years, Special Judge AR Patel had on February 8 held 49 accused persons guilty and acquitted 28 others.
  4. Amit Shah says he will look into allegations of AAP ties with separatist group: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had written to the Union home minister alleging that Aam Aadmi Party has ties with the banned organisation Sikhs for Justice.
  5. Karnataka lecturer resigns after college allegedly asks her to remove hijab: In her resignation letter dated February 16, lecturer Chandini Naz alleged that the administration of the Jain PU College had asked her to remove her hijab, which she said she had been wearing for the past three years. Meanwhile, the Dharma Samaj College in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh city banned the entry of students wearing hijabs or any clothing other than the “prescribed uniform” after a group of students wearing saffron scarves held a protest.
  6. Abhishek Banerjee reinstated as Trinamool Congress general secretary: He was removed from the post last week after a new national working committee was formed amid reports of rift within the party.
  7. Kerala HC asks state, Centre to reply on actor Dileep’s plea to quash FIR in murder conspiracy case: The Malayalam actor has been accused of conspiring to kill police officers investigating a 2017 sexual assault case against him.
  8. Tamil Nadu brings amendment to punish police officers harassing LGBTQIA+ persons: The move comes months after the Madras High Court had said that continuous efforts were required to tackle prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community. In October, the court had made the remarks based on a petition filed by a lesbian couple seeking protection against harassment from the police and their families.
  9. Yati Narsinghanand walks out of jail after getting bail in two cases: The seer has been booked for making derogatory comments against women and in the Haridwar hate speech case.
  10. On Ukraine crisis, UN secretary general says war would be ‘catastrophic’: At a conference in Munich, Antonio Guterres said it was high time to de-escalate the situation.