West Bengal Assembly passes bill against mob lynching, Congress and CPI(M) back legislation

The West Bengal Assembly passed an anti-lynching bill on Friday. The legislation was introduced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and supported by the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Bharatiya Janata Party neither supported nor opposed the West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill, 2019, as it felt that the legislation might be used for settling political scores.

‘We will never restrict media freedom, restrictions in J&K being lifted’, says I&B minister

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said that the Narendra Modi-led administration “will never restrict media freedom”, and that restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir were being lifted progressively everyday. The minister was speaking at the Manorama News Conclave in Kochi.

Supreme Court collegium recommends appointment of four High Court chief justices to top court

The Supreme Court collegium has recommended to the Centre the appointment of the chief justices of four High Courts to the top court to fill the newly created vacancies. The Parliament had passed a law earlier this month to raise the sanctioned strength of the top court from 31 to 34.

INX Media case: P Chidambaram to remain in CBI custody till Monday

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday got three more days of custody of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram for its inquiry into the INX Media case. The agency had requested a special court for five more days of custody. Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI late on August 21.

Nirmala Sitharaman announces merger of 10 state-run banks into four entities

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced multiple mergers of public sector banks. The Narendra Modi government had announced two bank mergers in its previous term. Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank will be merged to create the country’s second largest public sector bank.

Bihar: Government engineer booked for allegedly burning contractor to death over pending dues

A chief engineer at Bihar’s Water Resources Department in Gopalganj district and three others were booked late on Thursday for allegedly killing a contractor. The contractor was allegedly murdered when he had gone to the engineer’s official residence in Gandak Colony to demand a payment of Rs 85 lakh for construction work by the water resources department.

Himachal Pradesh government passes new bill to prohibit forced conversions

The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday passed a bill against forced conversions by a voice vote in the Legislative Assembly. The bill was passed unanimously. The Bharatiya Janata Party government had introduced the bill in the Assembly on Thursday. It prohibits conversion by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement, or any fraudulent means.

NRC: Those excluded from final list will get enough opportunity to prove citizenship, says Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said the state government will take all possible steps to help genuine Indians prove their citizenship, and asked people not to panic. Sonowal’s statement came a day before the publication of the final National Register of Citizens.

Kartarpur corridor: Technical meeting between India, Pakistan under way at Zero Point in Punjab

A technical meeting between the Indian and Pakistani delegations to discuss the Kartarpur corridor project began at Zero Point in Gurdaspur, Punjab, on Friday. The Kartarpur Zero Point is the point at which the Indian and Pakistani sides of the corridor will converge.

India’s economic growth slipped to 5% in April-June – slowest in over six years

India’s Gross Domestic Product growth slipped to 5% in the April-June quarter, government data showed on Friday. This is the fourth straight quarter of slower growth and the slowest growth in over six years. India lost its tag of the fastest growing major economy to China in the last quarter of the financial year 2018-’19 after its Gross Domestic Product growth declined to 5.8%.

Karnataka: BJP government discussing ban on sale and possession of beef, says minister

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka is discussion a petition to reintroduce a ban on the sale and possession of beef in the state, a minister told The News Minute on Friday. “No decision has been taken but we are discussing a petition made by the BJP Cow Protection Cell on Friday,” Karnataka Minister for Tourism and Kannada and Culture CT Ravi said. On Thursday, the Cow Protection Cell of the BJP had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa requesting a ban on cattle slaughter.

Missing student who accused BJP leader of harassment found in Rajasthan, to be produced in SC soon

A 23-year-old law student from Uttar Pradesh, who went missing after posting a video about alleged harassment from influential people, was found in Rajasthan on Friday. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court decided to hear the matter on Friday after a group of lawyers approached it two days ago. The Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh Police to produce the woman before it by 3.30 pm. The bench will speak to the woman separately, and then pass an order in an open court.

Ghulam Nabi Azad calls Centre’s decision on J&K a ‘drama to divert attention’

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Wednesday that the government’s decision to revoke special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was “drama” designed to divert people’s attention from pressing problems in the country. “The people will one day understand that all this is being done because the government has totally failed on all the fronts,” he said.

UP: Inquiry ordered into alleged caste discrimination by students at government school in Ballia

The Ballia district administration in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday ordered an inquiry into a video that purportedly showed caste-based discrimination by schoolchildren while being served mid-day meals.

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar gets ED summons for today, says ‘sudden scheduling malafide’

Senior Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar said that the Enforcement Directorate had asked him to appear before it in Delhi on Friday in connection with a money laundering case. The investigating agency decided to issue fresh summons after the Karnataka High Court on Thursday rejected Shivakumar’s plea challenging the notice sent to him.

Pakistan says it is in contact with India on granting consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

Pakistan on Thursday said it was in contact with India on the matter of providing access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer who was captured and sentenced to death in Pakistan for allegedly being a spy. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal made the announcement at a media briefing in Islamabad.

Narendra Modi urges civility in public life to hear others’ views, says ‘we needn’t agree always’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for civility in public life to deal with different opinions. Addressing an event organised by a Malayalam media outlet, Modi said there must be constant dialogue irrespective of one’s thought process.

‘People had false impression that Article 370 empowered them’: J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik to HT

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday said that people in Jammu and Kashmir had a “false impression” that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution under which the state’s special status was revoked “had empowered them” in an interview to Hindustan Times. He also said that mainstream political party leaders should enjoy the life that they are leading under house arrest and claimed that their “utterances will spoil the ground situation”.

Ayodhya case: Demand to examine whether Babur dedicated mosque to Allah is ‘problematic’, says SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said a Hindu body’s demand to examine if 16th-century Mughal emperor Babur dedicated the Babri Masjid to Allah according to Islamic tenets was “a little problematic”, PTI reported.

Chhattisgarh: Case filed against former CM Ajit Jogi after panel rules that he is not Adivasi

The police in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district registered a case against former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi after a government-appointed panel concluded that he is not from the Adivasi community, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday.

Delhi: Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital go on indefinite strike to protest attack on colleagues

Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi went on an indefinite strike on Thursday after the attendants of a patient brutally beat up two of their colleagues, ANI reported. The patient, a 40-year-old man suffering from chronic liver disease, had died during treatment.

Indian economy growing at fastest rate with strong macroeconomic fundamentals, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the economy was currently growing at the fastest rate as the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals were quite strong. The home minister’s assessment came amid fears of an economic slowdown.

US says it is ‘very concerned’ about reports of detentions, curbs in Jammu and Kashmir

The United States on Thursday said that it was “very concerned” about the reports of detentions and restrictions imposed on Jammu and Kashmir residents and also called for curbing cross-border terrorism. The comments came three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United States President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France where Trump said that the Indian prime minister had the Kashmir situation “under control”.

Unnao: Another rape complainant, her mother try to immolate themselves over police inaction

A woman and her mother tried to immolate themselves outside the district magistrate’s office in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao city on Thursday alleging police inaction in a rape case. The complainant is from the same village as the woman who has accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of rape.

Missing UP law student: Supreme Court agrees to hear case tomorrow

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take suo motu cognisance of the case of a missing law student in Uttar Pradesh. The court agreed to hear the matter on Friday, two days after a group of lawyers approached it.

Himachal Pradesh: Bill against forced religious conversions introduced in Assembly

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday introduced in the Assembly a bill against forced conversions, and marriages solemnised for the sole purpose of converting to another religion. It claimed that forced conversions were on the rise in the state.

New FDI rules: BJP government is serving the interests of multinational companies, alleges Congress

The Congress on Thursday criticised the Narendra Modi government for relaxing sourcing rules of local products, and permitting online sale in single-brand retail. The Opposition party accused the government of serving the interests of international companies.

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