Supreme Court orders sealing of nine properties of real estate company Amrapali Group

The nine properties are in Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, and Rajgir and Buxar in Bihar, where documents related to its 46 subsidiaries are kept, PTI reported. Justices UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud also ordered that keys of the nine properties be handed over to the Supreme Court registrar after they are sealed.

Read more here.

Tushar Mehta appointed solicitor general of India

The government on Wednesday appointed Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta the new solicitor general of India, reported Bar and Bench. The post was vacant since Ranjit Kumar resigned on October 20, 2017, citing personal reasons. Mehta’s name was confirmed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He will remain in office till June 30, 2020.

Read more here.

Congress demands MJ Akbar’s resignation over sexual harassment allegations, actor Sandhya Mridul accuses Alok Nath of sexual harassment

The Congress on Wednesday demanded a reply from Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar to the sexual harassment allegations against him, or step down from his position. At least eight journalists have accused the veteran journalist of sexually harassing them in the past.

Two days after writer, director and producer Vinta Nanda accused actor Alok Nath of rape, actor Sandhya Mridul on Wednesday also claimed he had sexually harassed her years ago.

Read more here.

Calcutta HC allows West Bengal government to distribute funds among Durga puja committees

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday refused to stop the West Bengal government from disbursing funds to Durga puja committees, PTI reported. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Sourabh Dutta, whose petition argued that the distribution of funds was unconstitutional.

Read more here.

Two more succumb to injuries after explosion at Bhilai Steel Plant, toll rises to 11

The toll in the gas pipeline explosion that took place at the Bhilai Steel Plant on Tuesday has risen to 11 after two employees succumbed to the injuries they sustained in the incident. A Bhilai Steel Plant spokesperson said 12 people are still being treated for injuries.

Read more here.

Supreme Court asks police not to enter Jagannath Temple with weapons and shoes

The Supreme Court on Wednesday prohibited police personnel from entering the Jagannath Temple in Odisha carrying arms or wearing shoes. The top court took note of the violence on October 3 during protests against a queue system for visiting pilgrims at the temple in Puri district.

Read more here.

Pune: Symbiosis media college invites students, alumni for discussion on sexual harassment on campus

The Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication in Pune wrote to its students and alumni on Tuesday inviting them for discussions on sexual harassment on campus. The college also apologised to former students.

Read more here.

BJP made tall promises, Union minister Nitin Gadkari says on TV show

The Congress on Tuesday tweeted a video in which Union minister Nitin Gadkari is seen claiming that his party had made “tall promises” before coming to power. The Congress said it was “good to see Gadkari concurring with our view that the government was built on jumlas [gimmicks] and fake promises”.

Read more here.

Vikas Bahl sends legal notice to Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane

Queen director Vikas Bahl, who has been accused of sexual assault, has sent legal notices to his former Phantom Films partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, accusing them of defaming him. Bahl accused Motwane and Kashyap of orchestrating a campaign against him. Bahl accused his former partners of using the allegation as an opportunity to disband Phantom Films and pin the blame on him.

Read more here.

Supreme Court asks Centre for details of decision-making process of Rafale deal

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to provide details of the decision-making process on the Rafale jet deal with France. The court asked the government to apprise it of the details in a sealed cover.

Read more here.

Delhi: I-T officials raid 16 premises linked to minister Kailash Gahlot in alleged tax evasion case

Officials of the Income Tax department on Wednesday carried out searches at 16 locations linked to Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot in the national Capital and Gurugram in connection with an alleged tax evasion case. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged political vendetta behind the raids.

Read more here.

DRDO official held for allegedly spying made himself an ‘easy target’ on Facebook, police tell court

An engineer working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre in Nagpur, who was arrested on Monday on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and other countries, made himself an “easy target” through his activities on the internet, a police official told a Nagpur district court on Tuesday.

Read more here.

As Cyclone Titli intensifies, schools, colleges in four districts of Odisha closed for two days

The Odisha government has announced that all schools and colleges in four districts of the state – Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Jagatsinghpur – will remain shut for two days from Wednesday as a precaution against Cyclone Titli. The cyclone is likely to make landfall near Gopalpur on Thursday. The weather department said on Tuesday that a deep depression that has been present for some time over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm and is heading towards the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast. It is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.

Read more here.

At least seven die as New Farakka Express train derails near Raebareli

At least seven passengers died and up to 35 were injured after eight coaches and the engine of the New Farakka Express train derailed near Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli on Wednesday morning, quoting Additional Director General (law and order) Anand Kumar told PTI. No live victim is trapped any more.

Read more here.

Second phase of polling for urban local bodies in 13 districts begins in Jammu and Kashmir

As many as 384 wards in 13 districts will vote in the second phase of urban local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir that began on Wednesday morning. Of these, seven districts are in the Kashmir Valley. The voting began at 6 am and will conclude at 4 pm. Earlier, state Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra had said that the polling would begin an hour early. This was because of the low turnout in the first phase of voting on Monday.

Read more here.