A look at the top stories of the day:

  1. Supreme Court agrees to hear Madhya Pradesh’s plea against HC order on anti-conversion law: The High Court had said that a provision requiring a person to inform the administration before converting to another religion was prima facie unconstitutional. At Monday’s hearing, the Supreme Court remarked that all religious conversions cannot be presumed to be illegal.
  2. Delhi accident victim did not suffer injuries indicating sexual assault, says autopsy: The postmortem report said that the woman, Anjali Singh, died due to injuries to her head, spine and lower limbs.
  3. Cinema hall owners can decide on allowing food and beverages in theatres, says Supreme Court: The judges set aside a Jammu and Kashmir High Court order that had directed owners not to prevent people from carrying their own food and water inside theatres.
  4. No need for additional restrictions on ministers’ right to free speech, says Supreme Court: Remarks made by a minister in an official capacity cannot be vicariously attributed to the government under the principle of collective responsibility, it said.
  5. Focus on ‘love jihad’ rather than roads or sewage, Karnataka BJP chief tells party workers: The Congress said that Nalin Kumar Kateel’s remarks were proof that the saffron party was trying to spread hatred instead of working for development.
  6. Third Russian found dead in Odisha in a fortnight: Russian meat tycoon and politician Pavel Antov had died under mysterious circumstances on December 25, just three days after the death of his friend.
  7. India does not believe in war but is prepared for any challenge, Rajnath Singh says in Arunachal: The defence minister made the remarks nearly a month after a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Tawang sector of the state.
  8. Adani, Ambani bought leaders but couldn’t buy Rahul Gandhi, says Priyanka Vadra at Bharat Jodo Yatra: She said that the government spent thousands of crores of rupees to destroy her brother’s image, but he remained on the path of the truth.
  9. Andhra Pradesh bans large gatherings on public roads after stampede deaths: Eleven persons died in stampede at two public meetings held by Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu
  10. China warns of countermeasures as countries impose Covid curbs on passengers: India, US, Spain, France and some other nations have made negative coronavirus tests mandatory for those arriving from China.