Uttar Pradesh: Madrasa students allegedly beaten up in Unnao for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’

A group of men allegedly attacked madrasa students at the GIC Ground in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday for not chanting “Jai Shri Ram”, said the police. The students were beaten up with a cricket bat and their kurtas were torn.

Chhattisgarh: Security forces kill Maoist wanted for deaths of BJP MLA, four policemen

Security forces on Friday killed a Maoist allegedly involved in the killings of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Bheema Mandavi and four policemen in April, police officials said. Hurra, who was gunned down in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head.

Bihar: Dalit JD(U) leader found hanging inside police station toilet, three arrested

A leader of the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar was found hanging in the toilet of a police station in Bihar Sharif area on Thursday night. Ganesh Ravidas, 45, was found hanging from the ceiling of the toilet at Nagarnausa police station in Nalanda district.

Fodder scam: Lalu Yadav gets bail in Deoghar Treasury case, but will remain in jail

Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case related to the Deoghar treasury. However, Yadav will remain in jail because he has been serving time in two other related cases.

State Bank of India waives charges on NEFT, RTGS transactions

The State Bank of India said on Friday that it has waived charges on National Electronic Funds Transfer and Real Time Gross Settlement from July 1. The move is aimed at promoting a cashless economy, the country’s biggest lender said.

SC dismisses appeals by Kiran Bedi, Centre against Madras HC order curtailing her powers

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed appeals filed by the Centre and Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi challenging a Madras High Court order that had curbed her powers.

Ahmedabad: Rahul Gandhi granted bail in criminal defamation case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Friday granted bail in connection with a criminal defamation case. The case was filed by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank and its chairman Ajay Patel. The plaintiff alleged that the former Congress party president and party’s national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had made false allegations against the bank.

Pakistan says it won’t open airspace till India withdraws fighter jets from forward airbases

Pakistan said it will not open its airspace for Indian commercial flights until New Delhi removes fighter planes from forward bases. “The Indian government approached asking us to open the airspace,” Aviation Secretary Shah­rukh Nusrat said. “We conveyed our concerns that first India must withdraw its fighter planes placed forward.”

Piyush Goyal says there is ‘no question’ of privatising Railways

Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal on Friday said there was “no question” of privatising Indian railways, but added that the ministry will invite investments for new lines and projects “in national interest”. Goyal was replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha the previous day over privatisation of railways.

Supreme Court refuses to stay Delhi government order to install CCTV cameras in schools

The Supreme Court had in May issued a notice to the Delhi government based on a petition by Amber Tickoo, a law student at National Law University, Delhi. The petitioner, in a plea filed through advocate Manisha Ambwani, alleged that the order to install CCTVs in schools violates the fundamental right to privacy.

SC stays proceedings in Madras HC in case against Tamil magazine ‘Nakkheeran’ for report on governor

A report published by the magazine allegedly insinuated that the governor and senior Raj Bhavan officials had links with Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor of a college in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu. Devi was arrested in April on charges of attempted trafficking of college girls.

Karnataka crisis: HD Kumaraswamy says he is ready for a trust vote in Assembly

“Today there are many things happening in our state’s politics because of the decisions of many MLAs, which has created a difficult situation,” Kumaraswamy said according to News18. “I am not here to sit in power, I appeal to you that in light of the developments I want to move a trust motion.”

Nirmala Sitharaman says Union Budget will boost investment without compromising fiscal consolidation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the Union Budget for 2019-’20 will boost investment. The minister was replying to a discussion on the Budget in the Rajya Sabha. The minister said the Budget will not compromise on India’s road map for fiscal consolidation. She said that the Budget has set a medium-term target of making India a $5 trillion economy, and this is “not without a plan”.

US concerned about treatment of Muslims in India, says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

United States Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said the US Congress was and continues to be concerned about the treatment of Muslims in India. Pelosi made the comment during a conversation with John Chambers, chairperson of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum at an event in Washington DC.

Maratha quotas: Supreme Court refuses to stay Bombay High Court order allowing reservation

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Bombay High Court’s decision to uphold reservations for the Maratha community in educational institutions and jobs in public services in Maharashtra. Non-governmental organisation Youth For Equality had filed a petition against the High Court’s verdict. However, a bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose ordered that the reservations cannot be applied with retrospective effect.

Assam: FIR filed against 10 people for poem criticising National Register of Citizens

The Assam Police on Thursday filed a case against 10 people, most of them Bengali Muslim poets and activists whose work is often pejoratively referred to as Miyah, after a complaint about a poem on citizenship problems being faced by sections of the state population.

Karnataka crisis: SC puts MLAs’ resignations on hold, wants to decide larger questions first

The Supreme Court ordered status quo on the resignations by rebel legislators from the ruling coalition in Karnataka and disqualification proceedings against them till it decides larger constitutional questions in the matter. The matter will be heard again on Tuesday. The resignations have brought the state government to the edge of collapse.

Dubai bus crash: Omani driver sentenced to seven years in jail

The Dubai Traffic Court on Thursday sentenced an Omani bus driver who was involved in a crash last month to seven years in jail and ordered him to pay 3.4 million dirham (approximately Rs 6.34 crore) to the families of the victims. He will then be deported.

Vikas Swarup, India’s envoy to Canada, appointed secretary of Overseas Indian Affairs

The Centre on Thursday appointed diplomat Vikas Swarup secretary of Overseas Indian Affairs, the Department of Personnel and Training said in an order. He will replace Sanjiv Arora on August 1. Arora took over the post in February.

India reduced poverty fastest among group of 10 developing nations, Jharkhand best region: UN report

India reduced “multidimensional poverty” the fastest among a select group of 10 developing countries between 2005-’06 and 2015-’16, a report released by the United Nations Development Programme said on Thursday.

‘Rahul Gandhi is a fake Gandhi, he left the Congress rudderless,’ says Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for resigning as party president and leaving it without a leader. Gandhi had announced on July 3 that he would no longer lead the Congress, and asked the party’s leadership to find a replacement soon.

Indian Army breaks protocol to hand over body of seven-year-old boy to Pakistan

The Indian Army on Thursday handed over the body of a seven-year-old boy to Pakistan after it was recovered from the Burzil Nala close to the Line of Control near Achoora village in North Kashmir. The Army called it a “humanitarian gesture”.

Lok Sabha discusses railways privatisation till 11.58 pm, minister claims ‘it is a record’

The Lok Sabha on Thursday discussed till 11.58 pm the demand for grants to the Ministry of Railways. Almost 100 members participated in the debate, which started in the afternoon. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal is expected to reply to the debate on Friday afternoon, after which the demand for grants will be put to vote. During the debate, the Opposition accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to sell off Indian Railways’ assets instead of focusing on services.

Mob lynching: UP law panel drafts stringent law, proposes seven years to life in jail for attackers

The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission has drafted a stringent law to deal with increasing incidents of mob lynching. The panel has recommended jail terms ranging from seven years to life imprisonment for assailants and up to three years in prison for police officers and district magistrates who neglect their duty.

Pehlu Khan lynching: Rajasthan Police get court approval to re-open case against sons, truck driver

A Rajasthan court on Thursday accepted the police application that sought permission to reopen an investigation into a case against a truck operator and the sons of Pehlu Khan, who was lynched in Alwar district in 2017 by a mob of cow vigilantes.