CBI row: Narendra Modi-led panel to meet on January 24 to select new agency director

A committee comprising Modi, Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge removed former CBI Director Alok Verma from his post on January 10, two days after the Supreme Court reinstated him.

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Jadavpur University professor who compared virgin women to sealed bottles barred from teaching

“In view of the recommendation of the student-teacher committee of the department, Professor Kanak Sarkar is divested of his teaching duties with immediate effect,” read a note signed by Omprakash Mishra, the head of the department. “Substitute arrangements would be decided in the meeting of the Board of Studies scheduled on January 18, 2019.”

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Assam: Nurse arrested for allegedly raping three patients at Guwahati cancer institute

“Following complaints from the patients to the hospital superintendent, a case was lodged and efforts were undertaken to nab the culprit,” said Inspector Dharani Barman of the Paltanbazar police station. “He was arrested in Tripura on Sunday.”

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Jet Airways says SBI, other lenders and stakeholders are working on a plan to revive it

Jet Airways has posted losses of over Rs 1,000 crore for three consecutive quarters since March 2018.

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Kerala: Four nuns who took part in protests against rape-accused bishop transferred from convent

Sister Alphy Pallasseril, Sister Anupama Kelamangalathuveliyil, Sister Josephine Villoonnickal, and Sister Ancitta Urumbil have been asked to leave the Kuravilangad convent and return to the convents previously assigned to them by the Missionaries of Jesus. Sister Nina Rose – the fifth nun who also took part in the protests – has not been transferred.

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#MeToo allegation: Javed Akhtar defends Rajkumar Hirani, says he is ‘one of the most decent people’

Akhtar described Hirani as one of the “most decent people” he has met in his time in the film industry. “After so many years if I am asked who are the most decent people you met in this industry over almost five decades, perhaps the first name that will come to my mind is Raju Hirani,” Akhtar tweeted.

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J&K: Release journalist Aasif Sultan, Committee to Protect Journalists urges governor

“Sultan, a journalist with the Kashmir Narrator, has been falsely accused under the Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act,” the committee said in a statement. “His name was included in a First Information Report filed after a gunfight in Batamaloo on August 12, and he has been accused of having contact with and promoting militants.”

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Karnataka political turmoil: Coalition is running smoothly, says Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy

“It is not necessary for me to carry out any [poaching] operation, actually there is sufficient numbers with me,” PTI quoted Kumaraswamy as saying. “Everything is under control... don’t worry.” The ruling coalition now has 116 legislators in the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while the BJP has 104 MLAs. The majority mark is 113.

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Punjab AAP MLA resigns from party, calls Arvind Kejriwal ‘dictatorial and arrogant’

“As a result of your dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning, pioneers of AAP like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Medha Patikar, Kiran Bedi, Dr Gandhi, HS Khalsa, Sucha Singh Chottepur, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh, HS Phoolka etc. have all left the party or have been thrown out in a humiliating manner,” he alleged.

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Criminal defamation case against Arnab Goswami stayed by Kerala HC, notice issued to Shashi Tharoor

The Congress leader, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, filed the case in June, accusing Goswami of making baseless statements in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. A chief judicial magistrate’s court in Thiruvananthapuram had issued summons to Goswami, contending that there was enough material for a prima facie case against him.

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Jayalalithaa estate theft: AIADMK delegation meets governor, accuses DMK of trying to discredit CM

A delegation led by deputy coordinators KP Munusamy and R Vaithilingam met the governor a day after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin met Purohit, requesting a Special Investigation Team to investigate the alleged role of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the theft.

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Sheila Dikshit says Congress upset about AAP’s comments on Rajiv Gandhi, no talks of alliance yet

On December 21, the Delhi Assembly had passed a resolution to demand the setting up of fast-track courts to deal with cases related to the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. There were also reports that the resolution demanded that Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna be revoked for allegedly justifying the violence.

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Supreme Court turns down urgent hearing of Karti Chidambaram’s plea to travel abroad

“We have better things to do,” said a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. “We will see what can be done.”

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Kerala: Shashi Tharoor says he was not allowed to enter temple during Narendra Modi’s visit

Modi had inaugurated developmental works carried out at the temple under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The scheme is aimed at developing basic facilities at religious sites across the country.

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Scrap sedition law, it’s a colonial hangover, says Congress leader Kapil Sibal

His comments come days after the Delhi Police charged former Jawaharlal Nehru University students Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and eight others with sedition.

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First cotton seeds germinate on moon onboard China’s Chang’e 4 lunar probe

Cotton seeds transported to the moon by China have sprouted, marking the first instance of biological matter growing on Earth’s natural satellite. The seeds were carried by the Chang’e 4 lunar lander, which touched down on the far side of the moon on January 3.

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Mumbai: BEST workers to call off strike after High Court appoints mediator to resolve wage concerns

Workers of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport on Wednesday decided to withdraw their bus strike after the transport service agreed to increase the workers’ salaries with effect from January, reports said. Commuters in Mumbai continued to suffer on Wednesday morning as the bus strike entered the ninth day.

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Central body has not released FDI data in the last six months, despite inputs from the RBI, says report

The Centre has not published Foreign Direct Investment data since June 2018, despite receiving regular inputs from the Reserve bank of India, a news report said. The data, which is published every quarter, was last published in August 2018, for the April-June quarter.

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NHRC issues notice to Rajasthan government after newborn was decapitated in botched delivery

The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday said it has issued notice to the Rajasthan government over reports of a newborn being decapitated in a botched delivery in Jaisalmer’s Ramgarh last week.

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CBI row: SC to hear next week a plea challenging Nageswara Rao’s appointment as interim chief

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear next week a petition challenging the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as the interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The plea was filed by non-governmental organisation Common Cause on Monday.

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Nitish Kumar says Amit Shah had suggested he induct poll strategist Prashant Kishor to JD(U)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah had twice suggested him to induct election strategist Prashant Kishor to the Janata Dal (United).

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Mehbooba Mufti supports government talks with local militants, calls them ‘sons of the soil’

Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that the central government should have talks with the militant leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to end the “gun culture” in the state.

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Three more former judges question SC collegium decision to elevate Justices Khanna and Maheshwari

Three more retired senior judges of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court raised questions over the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation to elevate Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dinesh Maheshwari to the top court.

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Sabarimala: Two women who attempted trek to hill shrine return after protests erupt

Protests erupted near the Ayyappa temple in Kerala’s Sabarimala on Wednesday morning when two women, reportedly in their 30s, attempted to enter the hill shrine.

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Delhi HC seeks Centre’s response on plea alleging illegal tapping of NSA Ajit Doval’s phone

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the Centre’s response on a petition which claims that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s phone was illegally tapped by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

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Christian Michel’s family to move UN after claims that he was extradited in swap for Dubai princess

The family of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter case, has decided to approach the United Nations after several reports claimed that the businessman was extradited from Dubai in a swap for India sending back runaway Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa last year.

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Rajnath Singh says mass conversions are a matter of concern

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said mass conversion from one religion to another was a matter of concern and it needed to be checked.

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Upper-caste quota: Jharkhand implements Centre’s 10% reservation for the economically backward

The Jharkhand government on Tuesday announced the implementation of 10% reservation in government jobs and educations institutions to the economically weaker sections of the upper castes.

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Kolkata: Two students arrested after 16 puppies beaten to death

Two students were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the killing of 16 puppies outside Kolkata’s Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital. The animals were found dead in a plastic bag outside the hospital on Sunday.

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Kashmiris don’t see their future with India, says former IAS officer Shah Faesal

The struggle in Kashmir has always been for “self determination”, two words in the public narrative that the Indian state “must be convinced to be tolerant of”, former IAS topper Shah Faesal told Kashmir Reader on Tuesday.

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Philip Kotler endorses award to Narendra Modi, says he was selected for ‘outstanding leadership’

Marketing author and economist Philip Kotler on Tuesday endorsed the Philip Kotler Presidential award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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J&K governor urges Hurriyat Conference to approach him with complaints about police atrocities

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday asked the Hurriyat Conference to apprise him directly of cases of alleged atrocities against civilians by security forces in the state.

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Chhattisgarh government adds eggs to mid-day meal menu to increase protein intake

The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday announced its decision to introduce eggs into the menu of mid-day meals served across the state. Officials said that eggs can be substituted with milk or other protein-rich products if the children or their parents do not approve of consuming eggs.

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