A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Uttar Pradesh Police file FIR against BJP MLA in Unnao rape, CBI to take over case: The Allahabad High Court will pass its order on Friday, but asked the state government why the accused MLA has not been arrested.
  2. ‘We failed as humans,’ says minister VK Singh on Kathua case as other leaders are criticised for silence: He made the statement even as Narendra Modi and his BJP ministers, as well as Rahul Gandhi and the Congress were criticised for their silence on the crime.
  3. Order on SC/ST Act did great damage to the country,’ Centre tells Supreme Court: In a written reply to the top court, the government said the judgement amounted to ‘judicial legislation’.  
  4. India’s factory output grows by 7.1% in February, retail inflation down to 4.28%: The industrial group ‘other manufacturing’ showed the highest negative growth of minus 27.3%.
  5. Punjab government seeks conviction of minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in 1988 road rage case: The cricketer-turned-politician had allegedly beaten up 65-year-old Gurnam Singh, and the man later succumbed to his injuries.  
  6. Narendra Modi leads BJP fast, Congress points out ‘lunch’ in Amit Shah’s itinerary: The BJP president observed the fast in the poll-bound Karnataka, while other BJP MPs fasted in their own constituencies.
  7. Home ministry asks states to step up security during Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14: The Centre said the advisory was issued in the wake of reports of statues of the leader being vandalised in various parts of the country.  
  8. When consulted, RBI had warned Centre demonetisation wasn’t a good idea, says Raghuram Rajan: The former central bank governor reiterated that the note ban ‘was not a well-planned, well thought-out, useful exercise’.  
  9. Narendra Modi rejects claims that Centre is biased against southern states: The government has suggested that states like Tamil Nadu, that worked on population control, must be incentivised, the prime minister added.
  10. Chemical weapons watchdog confirms Britain’s analysis of Russian nerve agent used to poison ex-spy: The agency backed UK’s claim that the expertise with which the nerve agent was manufactured indicated the hand of national government.