Indian Navy inducts its first woman pilot, gives her front-line combat role

The Indian Navy on Monday got its first woman pilot as Sub-Lieutenant Shivangi completed operational training in Kochi in Kerala. Shivangi, who is from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, will fly the Naval Dornier surveillance aircraft. She received her “golden wings” from Vice Admiral AK Chawla, who said it was a front-line combat role.

Parliament: Jaya Bachchan says rapists should be lynched publicly, another MP suggests castration

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Monday suggested in the Rajya Sabha that the accused in crimes such as the alleged rape, and murder of a 27-year-old Hyderabad veterinarian should be lynched in public. Both Houses of Parliament discussed women’s safety on Monday, and MPs across party lines demanded stringent action against such crimes.

Hyderabad vet murder: Police seek 10-day custody of four accused

The Cyberabad police, which is investigating the alleged rape and murder of a Hyderabad veterinarian, on Monday approached a court to seek the custody of the four men who were arrested in the case. The accused are presently in judicial custody.

Ayodhya verdict: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind files review petition in Supreme Court

Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Monday filed a review petition challenging the the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict. Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi, the legal heir of original litigant M Siddiq, filed the petition in the top court. The Jamiat’s chief, Maulana Arshad Madani, said earlier in the day that the majority of Muslims want a review petition to be filed.

Cyclone Bulbul: Mamata Banerjee says Centre hasn’t given a single penny so far as aid to West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the Centre had not yet sent funds to the state government as financial help in the aftermath of Cyclone Bulbul. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on November 10, assured “all possible assistance” to the West Bengal government. Home Minister Amit Shah had also offered assistance to the chief minister.

Maharashtra: Pankaja Munde removes BJP from Twitter bio after a cryptic post on ‘future journey’

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pankaja Munde on Monday removed the party’s name from her Twitter biography a day after she spoke about a “changed political scenario” in Maharashtra and the need to introspect on a future course of action.

Centre seeks seven-judge Supreme Court bench to revisit ‘creamy layer’ for SC/STs in reservations

The Centre on Monday urged the Supreme Court to set up a seven-judge bench to revisit the 2018 ruling that sought to exclude “creamy layer” within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from reservation benefits. The court will take up the request after two weeks.

Supreme Court agrees to hear DMK’s plea on delimitation ahead of Tamil Nadu local body elections

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s plea seeking a direction to the Election Commission to carry out the delimitation exercise in newly created districts in Tamil Nadu before conducting panchayat and local body elections. The top court will hear the plea on Thursday.

Fadnavis was made Maharashtra CM hurriedly to ‘save’ Rs 40,000 crore: BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anantkumar Hegde has claimed that party colleague Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra chief minister so that he could save Rs 40,000 crore of the state exchequer from being “misused” by the Shiv Sena-led coalition government, ANI reported on Monday.

“A CM has access to around Rs 40,000 crore from Centre,” Hegde is seen saying in the video. “He [Devendra Fadnavis] knew if Congress, Nationalist Congress Party [NCP] and Shiv Sena government comes to power it would misuse funds meant for development. So it was decided that there should be a drama. Fadnavis became CM and in 15 hours he moved Rs 40,000 crore back to Centre.”

Citizenship Bill: Protests held across Assam, student leaders to meet Amit Shah tomorrow

Students across Assam held separate protests on Sunday against the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill during the Winter Session of Parliament. The government has listed the Bill in its items of business for the session.

The All Assam Students’ Union criticised Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for not opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The students’ union leaders will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday to convey their opposition to the bill.

Man who shot dead 25-year-old student from Mysuru surrenders

The police on Sunday said the man who shot dead a 25-year-old student from Mysuru in California last week has surrendered, PTI reported. Abhishek Sudhesh Bhat studied computer science at the California State University in San Bernardino. He was shot outside a hotel where he worked part-time, on Thursday.

The San Bernardino Police Department said the accused has been identified as 42-year-old Eric Turner. “The motive for the shooting is under investigation,” Police Sergeant Albert Tello said in a statement.

Telangana vet murder: Even death penalty won’t stop such heinous crimes, says minister Babul Supriyo

Union minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday said that stringent punishments were not a deterrent for criminals. Supriyo’s comments come in the backdrop of several people demanding the death penalty for four men who raped and murdered a 27-year-old Hyderabad veterinarian.

“I am convinced that no punishment, however stringent it may be, would act as a deterrent to stop such heinous crimes, even if it’s the death penalty, because such cannibals/animals will continue to exist in society with their sick belief that they can get away with it!” Supriyo tweeted.

Rajasthan: 6-year-old allegedly raped, strangled to death with school belt in Tonk district

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death in Tonk district of Rajasthan. The child had gone missing on Saturday, and her body was found the next day in Aligarh town. Preliminary investigation suggested that the girl was raped and then strangled to death with the school belt that she was wearing, the police said. Some locals found her body among bushes in a remote area in Aligarh and then informed the police.

Maharashtra: CM Uddhav Thackeray to withdraw cases against Aarey protestors

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday night announced that his government will withdraw cases registered against activists who tried to stop the felling of trees in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony for a metro car shed project. In October, 38 people were booked in connection with the protests against the authorities’ move to cut trees, even as the Bombay High Court dismissed a series of petitions to stop the work and give it the status of a forest. Of the protestors, 29 were arrested but later granted conditional bail.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea raise mobile and data charges by up to 40%

Telecommunication services majors Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio on Sunday announced up to 40% increase in tariffs. This is the first rate hike in around five years. The move is expected to affect around 90 crore customers from this month onwards. Vodafone and Airtel both announced new prepaid plans with options for validity of two days, 28 days, 84 days and 365 days in a price range of Rs 19 to Rs 2,399. Jio has not yet announced its plans.

2012 gang rape: Delhi government strongly recommends rejection of mercy plea of convict

The Delhi government on Sunday recommended that the mercy petition of one of the four convicts on death row in the December 2012 gangrape case be rejected as it was among the “most heinous crimes”. According to file notings, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain wrote that this was “the most heinous crime of extreme brutality committed by the appellant” and strongly recommended the rejection of a convict’s mercy petition.

Day after industrialist Rahul Bajaj’s comments, BJP minister claims ‘fake narratives’ being created

Union ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Sunday responded to industrialist and Bajaj Group Chairperson Rahul Bajaj’s concerns about the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it was better for a person to seek an answer than spreading their own impressions, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri alleged there were fake narratives.

Tamil Nadu: 15 die as wall collapses in Coimbatore district amid heavy rain

Fifteen people died after a wall collapsed early on Monday in Nadur village of Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district during heavy rain. Twelve bodies have been recovered so far, according to The News Minute. Operations are on to rescue people trapped under the debris. Heavy rain has lashed coastal Tamil Nadu for the last three days and is likely to continue on Monday.