Union Cabinet approves bill to scrap 58 redundant laws

“Once the principal Act was amended, these amendment laws have lost relevance,” a government official said. “Their presence in the statute books as independent laws is unnecessary and they are only clogging the system.”

Rajya Sabha unanimously passes National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The bill empowers the investigating agency to look into terror attacks targeted at Indians and Indian interests abroad. It would also allow the National Investigating Agency to seize properties of suspects without waiting for the local police.

Uttarakhand: BJP MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion expelled from party for six years

The party said it had taken note of the lawmaker’s indiscipline. Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said the saffron party had also taken note of Champion’s continuous public misconduct. Champion had been sent a showcause notice by the state leaders after the video surfaced.

Uttar Pradesh: Nine shot dead over land dispute in Sonebhadra, five arrested

The police said the incident took place when Ubha village head Ek Dutt had gone to take possession of the land that he had purchased two years ago. Villagers gathered at the spot and started to protest. Dutt and his supporters allegedly opened fire on the victims.

Karnataka Congress calls Supreme Court’s verdict on rebel MLAs a ‘bad judgement’

“Supreme Court order seems perfectly coordinated to help the rebel MLAs to violate the whip,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted. “It has set a wrong precedent as the value of the Whip as per 10th schedule of the Constitution is now redundant. An extraordinary order indeed!!!”

Pakistan breached Vienna Convention, must not execute Kulbhushan Jadhav for now, rules ICJFinding that Pakistan had breached international law by not giving consular access, the court ordered Islamabad not to execute Jadhav. However, the ICJ also rejected India’s demands for Jadhav to be released, and said instead that Pakistan would have to decide how to review the trial and conviction of the Indian.

J&K: Suspected militant killed in encounter with security forces in Baramulla

A suspected militant was killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The identity and the affiliation of the militant is yet to be ascertained, according to officials.

Centre will extend NRC to rest of India, deport ‘illegal immigrants’, Amit Shah tells Rajya Sabha

“We will identify all the illegal immigrants and infiltrators living on every inch of this country and deport them as per the international law,” Shah said, replying to a supplementary query by Samajwadi Party member Javed Ali Khan.

Karnataka crisis: BS Yeddyurappa says SC ruling is a ‘victory of Constitution and democracy’

Yeddyurappa claimed that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had lost his majority and must resign on Thursday, when the Assembly holds a trust vote. Welcoming the verdict, he called it a “moral victory for the rebel MLAs”.

Robert Vadra fails to respond to ED’s plea against anticipatory bail, gets two more weeks

On May 27, the court had given Vadra until July 17 to file his response, but he failed to do so. Vadra’s counsel said he was abroad when the court’s notice was served and he returned on July 11. Justice Chander Shekhar accepted Vadra’s plea for additional time and posted the next hearing in the case for September 26.

Assam flood victims go back to fetch NRC documents, some refuse to leave homes

As Assam reels with floods just days before it releases the final National Register of Citizens, there is one item that residents must keep safe apart from their lives: their proofs of citizenship. Flood rescue workers are coming across residents who are not ready to be evacuated until they have their documents safe in hand, reports say.

Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed arrested by Counter Terrorism Department, say reportsJamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was arrested on Wednesday by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department in Punjab province. Saeed was travelling from Lahore to Gujranwala when he was arrested. He is the alleged mastermind of the terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

Sewer deaths: Centre asks states and Union Territories to set up emergency response units

The Centre directed states and Union territories to bring an end to the practice of manual scavenging and cited the rising number of deaths during the cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. In a letter dated July 12, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra advised the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories to set up Emergency Response Sanitation Units in major cities having a municipal corporation, a water and sewerage board and population of more than one lakh people.

Delhi University syllabus: ABVP protests against ‘anti-RSS’ content in English and History courses

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and a member of the Delhi University’s Academic Council on Tuesday alleged that there was “anti-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh” content in the syllabus for undergraduate courses. The ABVP is affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Bihar government asked police to collect information on RSS leaders, Sangh outfits in May: Reports

The Bihar police instructed district police officers in May to gather details on functionaries and office bearers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and associate Sangh outfits, The Hindu reported on Wednesday. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is an ally of the Janata Dal (United) in the state.

Odisha: Four arrested for allegedly raping college student in Sundargarh district

The Odisha Police arrested four people, including three students, in Sundargarh district for allegedly raping a woman who was returning home after college. The police are searching for the fifth accused in the case.

Karnataka crisis: SC says 15 rebel MLAs cannot be compelled to participate in Assembly proceedings

The Supreme Court on Wednesday passed an interim order on petitions filed by 15 rebel MLAs from Karnataka. The court asked Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to decide on the resignations of the legislators within an appropriate time frame, and added that the MLAs cannot be compelled to participate in Assembly proceedings till a decision is taken.

Uttar Pradesh: Mob vandalises madrasa in Behta village after rumours of beef found in the area

A mob vandalised a madrasa at Behta village in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday following allegations that beef was found in the area. Sub-Inspector Uma Shankar Yadav of Bindki police station said around 50 people had demolished the boundary wall of the madrasa and set the building on fire.

NRC row: Centre, Assam government move Supreme Court seeking an extension of July 31 deadline

The Centre and the Assam government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension of the deadline for publication of the National Register of Citizens from July 31 to a “future date”. The Centre and the state filed identical but separate applications, requesting the top court for more time to conduct a “sample re-verification process” of the names included in the draft National Register of Citizens published on July 30, 2018.

Mob lynching: Rajasthan will enact laws against hate crimes, says Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday announced in the Assembly that his government will enact laws to curb incidents of mob lynching and other hate crimes. He expressed concern over the rising incidents of mob lynching. “Incidents like mob lynching disturb all...someone is killed because of a misunderstanding, which is very disturbing,” he said.

Mumbai building collapse: Toll rises to 13 as search operations continue

The toll in the building collapse incident in Dongri area of Mumbai rose to 13 on Wednesday even as efforts to rescue people from under the debris were still on, PTI reported. At least 40 people were feared to have been trapped when a four-storey building collapsed around 11.40 am on Tuesday.

Assam floods: Centre releases Rs 251 crore aid as toll touches 17

The Centre released Rs 251.55 crore on Tuesday to help Assam, which continued to reel under floods, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. At least 17 people died due to the flooding in the state, and 30 of 33 districts were submerged.

DGCA suspends one Vistara pilot, one Air India pilot and two from SpiceJet: Reports

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday suspended a Vistara airlines pilot for issuing a Mayday distress call due to low-fuel near Lucknow airport on Monday. A senior Vistara official told the news agency that the pilot has been de-rostered.

Aircraft fumigation: Supreme Court asks Centre to submit expert panel’s report by October 31

The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted an eight-member expert panel to investigate whether spraying insecticides or fumigation to ward off mosquitoes in the aircraft is harmful to passengers. The Supreme Court gave the panel time till October 31 to submit a final report and suggest interim measures in the matter.

Anysuya Uikey, BB Harishchandran appointed governors of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday appointed Bharatiya Janata Party leaders
Anysuya Uikey the governor of Chhattisgarh and Biswa Bhusan Harishchandran the governor of Andhra Pradesh.