Uddhav Thackeray unanimously chosen to be Maharashtra CM, says Sharad Pawar: Reports

A meeting between senior leaders of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party was held in Mumbai on Friday. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, who emerged from the meeting while it was under way, told reporters that the name of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has been unanimously agreed upon for the chief minister’s post.

Maharashtra crisis: Do not invite ‘unholy alliance’ of Shiv Sena, NCP & Congress, says plea in SC

A resident of Mumbai on Friday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking an order to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to refrain from inviting the “unholy alliance” of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to form the government.

#MeToo: ‘Symbolic victory for women,’ says Sona Mohapatra after Anu Malik steps down from TV show

Singer Sona Mohapatra on Thursday called music composer Anu Malik’s decision to step down as a judge of talent show Indian Idol a “symbolic victory” for all the women who have faced sexual harassment.

AAP, BJP MPs clash in Rajya Sabha during discussion on Delhi’s water quality

MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party clashed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday over the quality of water in Delhi. The trouble began when BJP MP Vijay Goel began to talk about the alleged poor quality of water in the national Capital, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh countered him in a loud voice.

Jharkhand: Civil rights group accuses state of spreading misinformation on repression of Adivasis

Civil rights group Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha on Friday accused the state government of spreading misinformation to downplay the repression of Adivasis in Khunti district.

Jaipur: 21-year-old set to become youngest judge after topping Rajasthan judicial services exam

A 21-year-old boy from Jaipur is set to become the youngest judge in the country after topping the Rajasthan Judicial Services examination.

Nithyananda case: In touch with MEA, other agencies to catch him, says Gujarat Police

The Gujarat Police on Friday said they are in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and investigative agencies to find self-styled godman Nithyananda. This came a day after the police said he fled the country.

Maharashtra may stop bullet train project if Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP form government: Reports

The Rs 1.08 lakh crore bullet train project connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad may come to a halt if a Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress party government takes power in Maharashtra, The Indian Express reported. Expenditure for the project may be diverted towards farmers’ welfare programmes and a general farm loan waiver, according to the Common Minimum Programme drawn up between the three parties.

Kerala snakebite death: Police baton-charge protesting SFI activists in Wayanad

The Kerala Police on Friday beat activists from the Students’ Federation of India with batons during a protest against the death of 10-year-old Shehla Sherin from snakebite in a government school in Wayanad district two days back, Mathrubhumi reported. The federation is affiliated to the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Twitter rolls out ‘hide replies’ feature globally in an effort to make platform less toxic

Social media platform Twitter on Thursday launched a feature letting users across the world hide unwanted replies to their tweets. The feature intends to give people more control over their conversations, the company said in a blog post.

Kochi flats demolition: Supreme Court agrees to hear residents’ pleas seeking relief

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed for an open court hearing of the review petitions filed by some flat owners of the Maradu apartment complexes in Kochi in Kerala, PTI reported. The petitioners have sought appropriate relief from the builders after the top court ordered demolition of their flats for violation of rules for coastal regulation zones in May.

Aadhaar Act: SC asks Centre to reply to plea against amendments allowing private firms to use data

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Narendra Modi government’s response to a petition challenging the constitutional validity of amendments made to the Aadhaar Act by Parliament in July. The amended law allows the voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of identity for opening bank accounts and getting mobile phone connections.

JNU defends fee hike, says it is facing fund deficit of over Rs 45 crore

The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Thursday defended the move to increase hostel fees, saying the institution is facing a financial deficit of more than Rs 45 crore. The varsity students have been protesting for the last three weeks against the university’s decision to revise the fees.

Telangana: TRS MLA Ramesh Chennamaneni moves High Court after losing citizenship

Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Ramesh Chennamaneni on Thursday moved the state’s High Court against the Centre’s order cancelling his citizenship. The legislator requested the court to suspend all proceedings related to the order till it disposes of his plea.

Ayodhya verdict: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind decides not to file review petition

Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Thursday changed its stance on filing a review petition against the Ayodhya verdict, saying it had decided to no longer do so even though the Supreme Court’s judgement was “one-sided”. However, the organisation said it would not accept the five-acre plot for a mosque at an alternative place in Ayodhya.

West Bengal: Two lynched allegedly on suspicion of cattle theft in Coochbehar, 13 arrested

Two men were lynched allegedly over suspicion of cattle theft in Coochbehar district of West Bengal on Thursday. Thirteen people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident, said the police. The incident took place in the district’s Mathabhanga area when Babul Mitra and Prakash Das were ferrying two cows in a van. A mob of around 20 people stopped the pick-up van, which did not have a number plate.

Centre might as well declare Puducherry ‘transgender’: CM V Narayanasamy

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Thursday likened the Union Territory to a “transgender” while complaining about the way the Centre treats it. He said the Centre treats Puducherry as a state in some cases and as a Union Territory in others – “neither here nor there”.

Chhattisgarh: CRPF soldier injured in IED blast in Bijapur district, say police

A Central Reserve Police Force soldier was injured on Friday after suspected Maoists triggered an improvised explosive device blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. District Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said the incident took place near Tarrem village in Basaguda police station’s jurisdiction when a patrolling team of the armed police force’s 168 Battalion was out on an area domination operation.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena will not tie up with BJP even if Indra’s throne is offered, says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said the party would not get back with the Bharatiya Janata Party, its former alliance partner, even if it were offered Hindu god Indra’s throne. In Hindu mythology, Indra is the king of gods. Talking to reporters in Mumbai, the Rajya Sabha MP said the Sena would get the chief minister’s post after the confirmation of its alliance with the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party.

Surrogacy Bill referred to Rajya Sabha select committee, to submit report by end of next session

The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, was referred to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after many parliamentarians raised concerns about several provisions of the legislation, including one that makes it mandatory for the surrogate to be a close relative.

Jharkhand police responds to Scroll.in’s report, silent on ‘unknown’ thousands accused of sedition

In a statement on Friday, Jharkhand police said media reports have given “totally incorrect and hugely inflated figures” about the number of people booked in sedition cases in Khunti district. On Monday, Scroll.in had reported that the police had filed sedition cases against more than 10,000 people in the district over 2017 and 2018 when Adivasi villages erected stone monoliths with engravings of the Indian Constitution related to tribal autonomy.

Becoming $5-trillion economy by 2025 is ‘simply out of question’, says ex-RBI governor C Rangarajan

Former Reserve Bank of India Governor C Rangarajan on Thursday said it was “simply out of question” for India to become a $5-trillion economy by 2025. He said India will need another 22 years of sustained growth to become a “developed country”.

Maharashtra crisis: Shiv Sena chief meets Sharad Pawar, formal announcement on alliance likely today

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya met Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar at his home in Mumbai on Thursday night, reported PTI. Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut was also present at the hour-long meeting. However, no Congress leader attended it.

CBSE exam fee was increased for Classes 10 and 12 on ‘no profit, no loss’ principle: HRD minister

The Central Board of Secondary Education increased the examination fee for Classes 10 and 12 on a “no profit, no loss” principle, Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ told Parliament on Thursday.

Medha Patkar passport row: Social worker says there is a ‘deliberate attempt to target activists’

Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar on Thursday said there was a “deliberate attempt to target” social workers, News18 reported. Patkar made the comments hours after she received a notice from the Regional Passport Office in Mumbai to explain why her passport should not be impounded after she allegedly failed to disclose information about criminal cases pending against her.

Electoral bonds: Piyush Goyal says ‘defeated and dejected’ Congress leaders among critics

Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Piyush Goyal on Thursday said electoral bonds “brought in honest money” in politics. The minister made the remark hours after the Congress protested in the Lok Sabha, saying that through the issuance of electoral bonds, the government had made corruption “official”.

‘Part of politics’, says Priyanka Gandhi on Centre removing SPG cover

Amid the controversy over the removal of Special Protection Group cover for the Gandhi family, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said the move was “part of politics”, PTI reported. “This keeps happening,” she said.

Nithyananda case: Police say religious leader fled abroad, MEA claims it has no ‘formal information’

Self-styled godman Nithyananda, accused of abducting children and confining them in his ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has fled the country, PTI reported, citing police officials on Thursday. This came a day after the Gujarat High Court issued a notice to Nithyananda and the state government after a couple in Bengaluru filed a petition accusing him of detaining two of their daughters at his ashram.