Top news: Supreme Court to pronounce verdict tomorrow on CBI Director Alok Verma’s plea
The biggest stories of the day.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will pronounce verdict on a petition challenging the Centre’s move to send CBI Director Alok Verma on leave. The court had reserved its order on December 6.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet has approved amendments to allow 10% reservation for economically weak sections of people belonging to the general category castes in jobs and education.
India’s Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow at 7.2% in 2018-’19, the Centre said. It had grown at 6.7% in 2017-’18.
Kerala High Court bans hartals organised without seven-day notice
Hartals organised without a seven-day notice are unconstitutional, the division bench of Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar ruled.
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GDP likely to grow at 7.2% in 2018-’19, says Centre
The GDP at constant prices for 2017-’18 was estimated to be Rs 130.11 lakh crore, the government press release said. In 2018-’19, this figure is likely to reach Rs 139.52 lakh crore, it added.
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Match-fixing: UK court allows extradition of bookie Sanjeev Chawla to India
Chawla is an accused in the match-fixing case involving former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje. He allegedly tried to influence the outcome of matches by bribing members of the South African team.
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RBI governor says central bank will act if there is a shortage of liquidity in the economy
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Monday that the central bank will take steps if there is a shortage of liquidity in the economy. Das said the liquidity requirement of the economy and financial institutions are met to a great extent.
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CBI row: SC to rule on Tuesday on Alok Verma’s plea against Centre’s move to send him on leave
The Supreme Court will announce on Tuesday its verdict on a petition filed by Central Bureau of Investigation Director Alok Verma challenging the government’s move to divest him of his powers. The non-governmental organisation Common Cause had also filed a similar petition. The court had reserved its order on December 6.
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Assam: Asom Gana Parishad walks out of coalition government with BJP over Citizenship Bill
The Asom Gana Parishad on Monday broke alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, PTI reported, citing AGP chief Atul Bora. The Asom Gana Parishad and the BJP are part of the coalition government in Assam along with the Bodoland People’s Front.
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‘The Accidental Prime Minister’: Delhi High Court rejects plea seeking ban on trailer
The Delhi High Court on Monday turned down a petition that sought a suspension on the trailer of the soon-to-be-released film The Accidental Prime Minister, PTI reported. Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the petitioner to file a public interest litigation instead.
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Rafale debate: Rahul Gandhi asks Nirmala Sitharaman if Air Force opposed ‘Centre’s interference’
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday continued his criticism of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in connection with the Rafale deal, asking again whether the Air Force had opposed the “Centre’s interference” in the agreement.
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Cabinet approves 10% reservation for the economically weak among upper castes: Reports
The Union Cabinet on Monday approved amendments to allow 10% reservation for economically weak sections of people belonging to the general category castes in jobs and education, reports said.
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Muzaffarpur rape case: Main accused forced girls to have sex with guests, CBI says in chargesheet
The Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that the main acccused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case coerced girls to dance to vulgar songs and have sexual intercourse with guests. Brajesh Thakur is lodged in a high-security prison in Punjab at present.
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Sensex rises over 250 points due to gains in banking and auto stocks
The benchmark indices began the week with gains on Monday, aided by global markets and continued buying of stocks by investors. A good performance from banking, auto, metal and fast moving consumer goods stocks also helped the markets.
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SC seeks Centre’s response on plea claiming several people are still arrested under scrapped IT Act
The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre’s response on a petition claiming that several people were arrested under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act though it was scrapped several years ago. The statute criminalised sending offensive messages online.
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MNS is not against Nayantara Sahgal’s participation at Marathi literary event, says Raj Thackeray
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Monday expressed regret for the trouble faced by the organisers of a literary meeting in Vidarbha’s Yavatmal after they rescinded author Nayantara Sahgal’s invitation following objections raised by a MNS worker.
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Karnataka: Expert panel to investigate outbreak of ‘monkey fever’ in Sagar taluk
The Karnataka government has decided to form a committee to investigate the outbreak of the Kyasanur Forest Disease, or monkey fever, in Sagar taluk. Six people have died and 18 people have tested positive for the disease in Aralagodu Gram Panchayat limits since December. Two of the six people died at a private hospital in Shivamogga on Saturday.
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Kerala: Frost in Munnar as temperature dips in the hills, tea plantations affected
Kerala hill station Munnar experienced frost over the weekend with the temperature dipping to minus three degrees Celsius on Saturday. The hills and valleys of Kannimala, Chenduvara, Chittuvara, Sevenvalley, Nallathanni and Munnar town were covered in frost, leading to a rise in the number of tourists visiting the scenic station.
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Anil Ambani gets Supreme Court notice on Ericsson’s contempt plea over dues
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani seeking a response on a contempt petition filed by Ericsson India in connection with non-payment of dues. The court had in October granted Reliance Communications until December 15 to repay Rs 550 crore to the Swedish telecom major. Reliance Communications had sought a 60-day extension from the top court to clear its dues.
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Parliament: Nirmala Sitharaman defends herself after Opposition moves privilege motion against her
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday addressed the Lok Sabha, providing details contracts given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. She acccused the Opposition, which had earlier moved privilege motion against the minister for allegedly misleading the House on the matter, of misquoting her.
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United States: Indian man shot in Detroit, left for dead in freezing conditions
An Information Technology professional from Mahabubabad in Telangana has been hospitalised after he was shot by unidentified gunmen in Detroit, Michigan, on January 3. He is 26.
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Lok Sabha elections: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asks people not to vote for Congress or BJP
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday warned people against voting for either the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported. “Don’t vote for the Congress at all, if you vote for the Congress it will strengthen Narendra Modi,” he said at an event in New Delhi. “Let your votes not be split and give all seven parliamentary seats [in Delhi] to the Aam Aadmi Party.”
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West Bengal BJP leader asks public to take up arms against police, not Trinamool workers
A Bharatiya Janata Party leader in West Bengal exhorted people to take up arms against the state police, claiming that it was the security forces and not the Trinamool Congress that was their opponent. While addressing a rally on Sunday, the party’s Birbhum leader Kalosona Mondal claimed that police personnel were selfish and corrupt and would do nothing to save even their own colleagues.
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Geologist claims Hindu god Brahma discovered dinosaurs, mentioned them in Vedas: Indian Express
Geologist Ashu Khosla, who has been conducting research for more than 25 years on the origin and existence of dinosaurs in India, on Sunday suggested that Hindu god Brahma knew about dinosaurs and documented them in Vedas. Khosla, who teaches at Panjab University, made the remarks while presenting a research paper at the 106th Indian Science Congress at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
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Before polls, Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis tell Maharashtra BJP workers to forget about alliances
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday suggested to party workers that they may have to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections without an alliance. The Shiv Sena is currently in alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra but their relationship has soured in recent months.
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Delhi experiences heavy fog and rainfall, all flight operations delayed
Delhi experienced a cold and foggy Monday morning as the temperature dipped after light showers in the city, PTI reported. The India Meteorological Department said that the minimum temperature may go down to seven degrees Celsius on Monday. The fog led to a delay in all flight operations from the Delhi airport.
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Tamil Nadu: Thiruvarur Assembly bye-poll called off by Election Commission
The Election Commission on Sunday rescinded the bye-election to the Thiruvarur Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu scheduled for January 28, The Hindu reported. The commission postponed the bye-election as the district administration remained “preoccupied with relief and rehabiliation work”.
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Amartya Sen supports Naseeruddin Shah, says losing ability to tolerate others is cause for concern
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday came out in support of actor Naseeruddin Shah and said that attempts were being made to “disturb” him, PTI reported. Last week, Shah appeared in an Amnesty India video and expressed concern about “walls of hate in the name of religion” and an increasing “crackdown” on freedom of expression in the country.
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Author Nayantara Sahgal’s invitation to Marathi literary meet withdrawn after threats
The organisers of a literary meet in Maharashtra on Sunday withdrew their invitation to author Nayantara Sahgal to inaugurate the event after a political outfit allegedly threatened to disrupt the event, PTI reported.
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Meghalaya: Another mine collapse leaves two dead even as 15 are still trapped in Ksan
Two people were reported dead in another mine collapse in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on Sunday after a man said that his miner nephew Elad Bareh had been missing for two days. Two bodies were recovered at the mine in Jalyiah village, which is around five km from the district headquarters in East Jaintia Hills.
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