Artists, historians, writers support 49 personalities in their appeal to PM Modi to stop lynchings

Eighty-nine eminent personalities on Tuesday joined their counterparts who had last month urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop mob lynchings in the country and expressed solidarity with them.

AgustaWestland scam: Delhi court dismisses Ratul Puri’s anticipatory bail plea

A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by Ratul Puri, the nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in connection with a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam. Puri, the chairperson of Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt Ltd, had filed the plea on July 27.

‘Will give our lives for this region’: Amit Shah says in Lok Sabha over revoking J&K special status

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin were part of Jammu and Kashmir and that the region was an integral part of India. He asserted that when he spoke about Jammu and Kashmir, the two disputed territories were also included.

Tarun Tejpal rape case: SC asks accused why he apologised to complainant if he was not guilty

Tejpal is accused of raping a junior colleague in 2013 in a hotel lift at an annual event organised by Tehelka magazine in Goa. In September 2017, a trial court had charged Tejpal with rape, sexual harassment and wrongful restraint. He pleaded not guilty. Tejpal had challenged the trial court’s charges in the Supreme Court and sought discharge from the case.

Jammu and Kashmir: Plea in Supreme Court challenges Presidential order on Article 370

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging the Presidential order on Article 370, that removes special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir and to bifurcate it into two Union Territories.

‘Sad that home minister can lie like this’: Farooq Abdullah counters Amit Shah’s claims

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claims in the Parliament that he was “neither detained nor arrested”. Abdullah said that he had been detained in his house and expressed sadness “that Home Minister can lie like this”.

J&K special status: Pakistan PM Imran Khan says India may start ‘ethnic cleansing’

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed a joint session of the Parliament to discuss its course of action after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and proposed its bifurcation into two Union Territories. Khan said that India’s decisions on Kashmir were in accordance with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election manifesto, adding that the party had “a racist ideology”.

Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says Kashmir not ‘internal matter’, Amit Shah criticises remark

Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday was criticised by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party after he seemingly suggested that decisions taken on Jammu and Kashmir was not an internal matter. Chowdhury demanded to know the Centre’s stand on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, pointing to a 1994 resolution by the House, and said that the entire state was an important part of India.

Unnao rape complainant on life support after being shifted to Delhi, still in critical condition

The Unnao rape complainant who was airlifted to Delhi from Lucknow on Monday night following a Supreme Court directive remains in critical condition and was put on life support systems on Tuesday. According to a press release from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, “the patient remains critical and is undergoing treatment under multi-disciplinary team of doctors.”

A day later, Rahul Gandhi says Centre’s move on J&K has ‘grave implications’ for security

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Centre’s decision to remove special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir and to bifurcate it into two Union Territories has “grave implications for our national security”. Gandhi’s response to the government’s move came over 25 hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement first in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Delhi: DCW asks police for inquiry status of alleged rape of student by cab driver

The Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to the city police on Tuesday, asking for details of the investigation into the alleged rape by a cab driver on August 2. The complainant, a student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, was allegedly drugged and then raped by the driver of the cab she had taken to return to her hostel from her friend’s home in south Delhi.

Uttarakhand: At least 9 children killed as bus falls into gorge; 5 feared dead in another accident

At least nine children were killed after a school bus fell into a gorge on Tuesday in Kangsali village of Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, ANI reported. Officials said that the children who had died were between the ages of four and 13 and were from the village where the accident occurred.

IMD predicts heavy rain in parts of western coast, schools closed in some Karnataka districts

The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday advised fisherpeople along the entire western coast to not venture into the sea for the next five days due to the likelihood of strong winds reaching up to 40 km per hour to 50 km per hour. The weather body also forecast heavy rain along the Konkan and Goa coasts over the next five days.

J&K special status revoked: Concerned about reports of detentions in the state, says US

The United States on Monday said it was closely observing the events in Jammu and Kashmir following the Centre’s resolution to recommend to the President that the special status of the state under Article 370 of the Constitution be revoked. The US urged all parties to “maintain peace and stability” along the Line of Control but added that it was concerned about reports of detentions in the state.

‘New political grammar’, ‘Mission Kashmir victory’: What newspaper headlines said on J&K moves

Indian newspapers on Tuesday used large headlines on their front pages to report on the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s decisions on the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Some English newspapers used neutral headlines, others seemed to oppose the move, while vernacular language newspapers sounded celebratory.

Delhi: At least 6 killed, 16 injured in fire at residential building in Zakir Nagar

At least six people were killed and 16 were injured in a fire in New Delhi’s Zakir Nagar area early on Tuesday. The fire broke out at a residential building around 2.30 am. The fire was doused about three hours later. Chief Fire Officer of the Delhi Fire Services Atul Garg said two people were charred to death and the others died of asphyxiation.

Ayodhya dispute: Supreme Court to begin daily hearings today

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday begin the daily hearings of the Ayodhya land dispute case after a mediation panel set up in March failed to resolve it. A five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer will conduct the hearings.

J&K special status revoked: US urges all parties to maintain peace and stability along LoC

The United States said it was closely observing the events in Jammu and Kashmir. “We call on all parties to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told PTI. However, she added, “We are concerned about reports of detentions [in Jammu and Kashmir] and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with the affected communities.”

‘Congress is committing suicide’: Party whip in Rajya Sabha resigns over Article 370

Bhubaneswar Kalita, who is Congress whip in Rajya Sabha, resigned on Monday. He quit the party saying he disagreed with its stand on Article 370 as it was “against the mood and emotions of the nation”. “Congress is committing suicide,” said Kalita. The Congress said that political parties will fight the Centre’s move and stand with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

J&K special status: Pakistan summons Indian envoy, calls Centre’s action on Article 370 ‘illegal’

Pakistan on Monday summoned Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria to the Foreign Office and conveyed a “strong demarche on the announcements made and actions taken” by the Indian government. “The Foreign Secretary conveyed Pakistan’s unequivocal rejection of these illegal actions as they are in breach of international law and several UN Security Council resolutions,” the foreign office said in a statement.

Lok Sabha passes transgender persons protection of rights bill

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. The bill was passed by a voice vote even as opposition parties shouted slogans against it. The bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the one assigned at birth and that a person would have the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender person, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy. But, it requires transgender persons to go through a district magistrate and district screening committee to get certified as a trans person and a revised certificate may be obtained only if the individual undergoes surgery to change their gender either as a male or a female.