Bharat Stage IV vehicles should not be sold from April 1, 2020: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said no Bharat Stage IV vehicle would be sold in the country from April 1, 2020, PTI reported. This comes months after the Centre announced that the sale and manufacture of Bharat Stage VI non-compliant vehicles will not be allowed from that day.

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Amritsar train tragedy: Action will be taken based on investigation report, says chief minister

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said action will be taken based on the report of the investigation that is under way into the Amritsar train tragedy, PTI reported. At least 62 people were killed on October 19 during a Dussehra event held near railway tracks in Amritsar when a train drove through the crowd standing on the tracks

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West Bengal: Man allegedly rapes 100-year-old woman in Nadia district, arrested

A 20-year-old man allegedly raped a 100-year-old woman in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Monday night, the police said on Wednesday. “Argha Biswas alias Abhijit was caught by the family members of the old woman,” an unidentified police officer at the Chakdaha police station. “A complaint was filed on Tuesday.”

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Tamil Nadu tells Supreme Court it will constitute a Lokayukta by February 2019

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it will constitute a Lokayukta by February 2019. A Lokayukta is an independent investigative authority which can inquire into corruption complaints against elected representatives.

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Maharashtra: 68 villages in Yavatmal district declared hit by water scarcity

The district administration of Yavatmal in Maharashtra on Wednesday declared 68 villages affected by water scarcity, PTI reported. The district collector also imposed restrictions on the use of water resources in these villages, unidentified officials told the news agency.

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Mumbai: Boat carrying Maharashtra chief secretary capsizes near proposed Shivaji memorial

A boat carrying senior officials of the Maharashtra government, including Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain capsized near the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial, about 2.6 km off Mumbai’s coast on Wednesday.

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IndiGo posts quarterly loss of Rs 652 crore due to rising fuel costs and weakening rupee

InterGlobe Aviation, the owner of low-cost domestic airline IndiGo, on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss of Rs 652.1 crore in the three months that ended in September. The losses came on the back of rising fuel costs and a weaker rupee. This is the first time that the company has posted a quarterly loss since getting listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in November 2015.

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Virat Kohli becomes fastest batsman to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket

India captain Virat Kohli created history on Wednesday by becoming the fastest batsman to go past the 10,000-run mark in One-Day International cricket. Kohli achieved the landmark during the second ODI between India and West Indies in Vizag.

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Complaint filed against rape-accused bishop for allegedly harassing prosecution witness

The family of deceased priest Kuriakose Kattuthara, who deposed against former bishop Franco Mulakkal who is accused of rape, on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing Mulakkal of harassing the 60-year-old. Jose Kattuthara, the priest’s brother, lodged a complaint with Punjab’s Dasuya Police claiming that the prosecution witness was harassed mentally and physically at Mulakkal’s behest.

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Group of ministers set up to strengthen mechanisms to prevent sexual harassment at workplace

The Centre on Wednesday announced that it has formed a group of ministers to examine and strengthen “the existing legal and institutional frameworks for dealing with matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace”.

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Bhima Koregaon case: Bombay High Court quashes order giving police more time to file chargesheet

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed a special court’s order granting the police an extension of 90 days to file a chargesheet against five activists – Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale – arrested on June 6 in connection with the violencein Bhima Koregaon.

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Congress seeks to meet ailing CM Manohar Parrikar, cites his ‘almost zero public appearance’

The Congress has requested an appointment with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar citing his “zero public appearance”, PTI reported on Wednesday. In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Congress legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said his party MLAs and office bearers want to meet Parrikar in “person or via video conference at the earliest”.

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Supreme Court grants Reliance Communications until December 15 to repay Rs 550 crore to Ericsson

The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communication had sought a 60-day extension from the top court on October 2 to clear its dues to the Swedish telecom major. The Indian company has blamed the Department of Telecommunications for creating hurdles in its attempt to sell spectrum to Reliance Jio, and claimed that this prevented it from paying Ericsson.

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Supreme Court declines urgent hearing to review plea on activists’ arrests in Bhima Koregaon case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent hearing of a review petition challenging the decision to not order an inquiry into the arrests of five activists in the Bhima Koregaon case. Historian Romila Thapar had filed the review plea.

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Centre transfers CBI officers investigating top agency official Rakesh Asthana in bribery case

The Centre on Wednesday transferred a number of officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation who were investigating the alleged involvement of CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case.

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Madhya Pradesh: 35 devotees arrested following clashes with the police

The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested 35 people after a violent clash broke out between devotees and police personnel in the state’s Jabalpur city. At least ten police officials and several other civilians were injured in the clashes that broke out because devotees attempted to violate a ban on idol immersion in the Narmada river.

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Narendra Modi wins Seoul Peace Prize for 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contributions to international cooperation, economic growth and peace, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday. Modi is the 14th recipient of the biennial award.

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Tamil Nadu manufacturers plan to file plea against SC curbs on fireworks

Firecracker manufacturers in India’s fireworks production hub of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday said they would file a review plea against the Supreme Court’s order allowing only the use of “green crackers”. The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association said there “was no such thing”.

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Supreme Court to hear Alok Verma’s plea against his removal as CBI director on Friday

Central Bureau of Investigation Director Alok Verma, who was sent on leave late on Tuesday night, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the Centre’s decision. The top court said it will hear his petition on Friday.

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Law firm that found no evidence against Chanda Kochhar in 2016 has withdrawn its report

A law firm whose inquiry in 2016 found no evidence of nepotism against former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar has withdrawn its earlier report, the bank said on Tuesday. Kochhar stepped down from her role on October 4, months after the allegations resurfaced in media reports.

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Share indices recover in early trade after global crude oil prices drop sharply

The Sensex rose nearly 450 points early on Wednesday, a day after it had closed at a six-month low. The Nifty 50 also reclaimed its 10,250-level briefly. By 10 am, however, both indices had pared their gains – the Sensex was at 34,068.38, up 221.15 points since Tuesday, and Nifty 50 was up 63.80 points at 10,210.60.

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Petrol, diesel prices drop

Fuel prices dropped for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday with a litre of petrol in Delhi costing Rs 0.09 lower at Rs 81.25 per litre and Rs 74.85 per litre. In Mumbai, the price of petrol has been revised to Rs 86.73 per litre, lower by Rs 0.08, and diesel Rs 78.46 per litre.

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CBI sends two top officials on leave

The Centre on Tuesday sent two top officials at the Central Bureau of Investigation – Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana – on leave. The government has appointed M Nageshwar Rao the interim director. Rao is currently a joint director at the agency.

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Four women move Kerala HC seeking security to enter Sabarimala temple

Four women have moved the Kerala High Court to seek police protection to be able to pray at the Sabarimala temple. They accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress of instigating violence and forming organisations to prevent women’s entry to the shrine in defiance of a Supreme Court order.

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Two suspected militants killed in gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir

At least two suspected militants were shot dead on Wednesday morning during a gunfight at Soothu Kothair locality in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowgam village. The area has been cordoned off, the police said. Nowgam is located on the outskirts of Srinagar.

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SC raps Centre for delay in action against illegal structures in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday accused the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of stalling the process of taking action against illegal constructions in Delhi. The top court questioned the delay over the setting up of a procedure for the issuance of notices to defaulters.

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Reliance Group files Rs 7,000-crore defamation suit against ‘The Citizen’ over Rafale coverage

Businessman Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group on Tuesday filed a defamation suit worth Rs 7,000 crore against The Citizen’s founder-editor Seema Mustafa in connection with the news portal’s coverage of the Rafale deal. The lawsuit has been filed in Ahmedabad City Civil Court in Gujarat.

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