The big news: Two judges elevated to Supreme Court amid disquiet, and nine other top stories
Other headlines: The new CBI director is expected to be picked on January 24, and more than 1,400 people died due to extreme weather in India in 2018.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Justices Dinesh Maheswari and Sanjiv Khanna elevated to Supreme Court amid row: The Bar Council and three former judges had questioned the Supreme Court Collegium’s decision.
- Narendra Modi-led panel to meet on January 24 to select new CBI director: The government appointed M Nageswara Rao the interim director after Alok Verma was removed from the post on January 10.
- Over 1,400 people died due to extreme weather events in India in 2018, says Ministry of Earth Sciences: Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of such casualties, at 590.
- Sheila Dikshit says Congress upset about AAP’s comments on Rajiv Gandhi, no talks of alliance yet: In Telangana, YSR Congress discussed tie-up with K Chandrasekhar Rao, while Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Vice President Jayant Chaudhary met Akhilesh Yadav to talk about seat-sharing in Uttar Pradesh.
- Jadavpur University professor who compared virgin women to sealed bottles barred from teaching: Kanak Chandra Sarkar has refused to apologise and retract his misogynistic statement, pointing out that the Constitution guarantees him freedom of expression.
- BJP will win 74 seats in Uttar Pradesh during Lok Sabha elections, predicts Union minister JP Nadda: He said that the party’s goal is to bag at least 50% of the vote share in the state.
- Four nuns who took part in protests against rape-accused bishop in Kerala transferred from convent: The nuns said they would not follow the order and called it a plan to ‘torpedo the case and isolate the victim’.
- Drug lord ‘El Chapo’ paid former Mexican president $100 million in bribe, claims witness: Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera was extradited to the US in January 2017 and his trial began in November last year.
- One-third of UN employees have faced sexual harassment in the past two years, says report: However, only one in three workers said they took action after experiencing sexual harassment.
- Coalition is running smoothly, says Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy: ‘This drama is going to end in a day or a two,’ said Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.