PM Narendra Modi announces service to sanction loans for small businesses within 59 minutes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the Goods and Services Tax portal will sanction loans up to Rs 1 crore for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises within 59 minutes. The prime minister made the announcement at the launch of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Support and Outreach at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

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Supreme Court refuses to hear petitions challenging triple talaq ordinance

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the ordinance promulgated by the government outlawing instant triple talaq. The court said it does not want to interfere with the ordinance.

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Supreme Court ‘insulted’ Hindus by saying Ayodhya case isn’t a priority, says RSS leader

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi on Friday said that the Supreme Court’s decision to defer a hearing on the Ayodhya land dispute case on the grounds that it was not a priority had “insulted” Hindu sentiments.

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MJ Akbar refutes rape claims, alleges he was in consensual relationship with latest accuser

Former Union minister MJ Akbar on Friday said journalist Pallavi Gogoi, who has accused him of raping her in 1994, had had a “consensual relationship” with him. On Thursday, Gogoi wrote a first-person article in The Washington Post, alleging that Akbar had raped her when she worked with him at The Asian Age.

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Delhi air quality continues to be ‘very poor’, four areas fall under ‘severe’ category

The air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category on Friday recording 368 on the Air Quality Index, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board. According to the CPCB, four areas in Delhi recorded “severe” air quality while 29 areas recorded “very poor” air quality.

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Sabarimala row: Devotee who was found dead in forest didn’t die in action by authorities, say police

The Kerala Police on Friday refuted allegations that an Ayyappa devotee whose body was found in a forest in Pathanamthitta district was killed in police action against those who protested the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple.

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Court quashes tax department’s order against Chidambaram family for allegedly not disclosing assets

The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed sanction orders issued by the Income Tax Department to prosecute former Union minister P Chidambaram’s wife, son and daughter-in-law under the Black Money Act in May.

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Rafale deal: Rahul Gandhi claims PM Modi will ‘not survive’ an investigation

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the Rafale jet deal between India and France was an “open and shut case” and a “[businessman] Anil Ambani-Prime Minister Narendra Modi partnership”.

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Madhya Pradesh: BJP releases list of 177 candidates for Assembly elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday released its first list of 177 candidates who will contest the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh scheduled for November 28. The party’s Central Election Commission finalised the names after a meeting on Thursday attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, and other senior leaders.

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SC dismisses CBI’s appeal challenging Delhi HC verdict in Bofors case

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s appeal challenging a Delhi High Court order quashing charges against the accused in the Bofors case. The top court dismissed the petition citing inordinate delay.

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ABVP wanted Ramachandra Guha out of Ahmedabad University, shows letter

Days after the Ahmedabad University made Ramachandra Guha’s appointment public on October 16, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad threatened the institution with a “radical movement” if the historian continued with “anti-national activities” after joining, shows a letter that Scroll.in has accessed.

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Bombay HC rejects plea challenging Amit Shah’s discharge in Sohrabuddin Sheikh case

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a petition against the Central Bureau of Investigation’s decision to not challenge Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah’s discharge in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, ANI reported. The petition was filed by the Bombay Lawyers’ Association in January.

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Supreme Court’s working strength goes up to 28 after four new judges are sworn in

Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, MR Shah and Ajay Rastogi were sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court on Friday. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi administered to them the oath of office.

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Army stages flag march in Kishtwar after militants kill BJP leader, his brother

The Indian Army on Friday staged a flag march in Kishtwar town of Jammu and Kashmir, where suspected militants killed Bharatiya Janata Party Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar on Thursday.

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Independence of RBI cannot be grounds for supremacy, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said that the independence of the Reserve Bank of India cannot be a ground for supremacy. The party’s economic cell chief Gopal Krishna Agarwal said all institutions will have to work together to achieve the goal of economic growth.

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Dantewada killings: Maoists claim they did not know journalists were accompanying policemen

“Journalists are our friends not our enemies,” said the handwritten note, signed by Sainath, the secretary of the Darbha Divisional Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The note was dated October 31.

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#MeToo is ‘watershed moment’, says Tata Group after former employee complains of sexual harassment

The Tata Group has responded to a former employee’s allegations of sexual harassment against former Taj Hotels Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Sarna. The group termed the #MeToo movement as a “watershed moment occurring across the country and the world” and that they “hear” Anjuli Pandit and “recognise the opportunity to raise the bar”.

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TN allows bursting of firecrackers from 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm on Diwali

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced that firecrackers can be burst in the state from 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm on Diwali, PTI reported. People in the state will celebrate Diwali on November 6. The government asked people to burst firecrackers with low decibel and pollution levels and to avoid exploding them near hospitals and places of worship.

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Sensex rises nearly 600 points, Nifty above 10,500 in morning trade

Indian indices surged in morning trade on Friday on the back of gains in shares of oil marketing companies, as well as positive cues from other Asian markets. At 12.26 pm, the BSE Sensex was trading 572.69 points up at 35,004.66. The National Stock Exchange Nifty was up 180.40 points at 10,560.85.

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Some politicians who are part of an alliance against Modi may join him after 2019 polls: Ram Madhav

Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav claimed on Thursday that some of those who are forming an alliance to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 General Elections may join him later.

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Ahead of sanctions, India says it is engaged with US on import of oil from Iran

India on Thursday reiterated that it was engaged with the United States, Iran and other stakeholders regarding the American sanctions on import of oil from Tehran, PTI reported. The US administration’s renewed sanctions on Iran are set to come into effect on November 5.

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ULFA(I) denies role in Assam killings

The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) on Friday said it had no role in the killing of five people in Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday. One person was injured in the attack. Romel Asom, a member of the militant organisation’s publicity department, issued a press release denying responsibility for the murders.

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Centre-RBI rift: IMF says it is against government interference in independence of central banks

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that it is monitoring the rift between the government and the Reserve Bank of India. The statement came days after reports claimed the government was undermining the central bank’s authority.

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JD(U) refutes ally’s claim that Nitish Kumar will not be CM after 2020 Assembly polls

The Janata Dal (United) on Thursday rubbished Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha’s claim that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will relinquish his post after the 2020 Assembly elections. A Janata Dal (United) spokesperson said Kumar would continue in the post for as long as the people of Bihar want him to.

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ISRO case: Former labour contractor who was falsely accused of espionage dies

SK Sharma, one of the six men falsely accused in the Indian Space Research Organisation spying case, died on Thursday, reports said. He was suffering from esophageal cancer. The former labour contractor’s civil defamation suit against the Kerala government and the state police – in which he sought a compensation of Rs 55 lakh for being tortured – had reached the Supreme Court.

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J&K: BJP state Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother gunned down in Kishtwar, say police

Unidentified gunmen on Thursday shot dead Bharatiya Janata Party state Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar at around 8 pm while they were on their way home, multiple reports said. State BJP General Secretary Ashok Kaul said two gunmen had carried out the attack.

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Bhima Koregaon: Inquiry panel penalises Hindutva leader’s lawyer for appearing late at hearing

The Bhima Koregaon Commission of Inquiry on Thursday fined Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote’s laywer Niteen Pradhan Rs 25,000 after he was three hours late for a hearing, causing a delay in the cross-examination of a witness. Pradhan, who was held in the Bombay High Court because of another case, was told to pay the penalty to the Tata Memorial Hospital and submit a receipt to the commission.

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