Later, interacting with reporters, the Congress president said his party is seeking answers as to who ran away with people's money, while the BJP is trying to distract from the main issue. NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday refuted BJP chief J P Nadda's allegation that Rahul Gandhi compared OBC communities to thieves and accused the ruling party of defending the likes of fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, and indulging in caste politics. Amid a political fight between the BJP and Congress f

No damages have been reported so far, he said. Mild jolts occurred at 10.31.49 am, India Meteorological Department's Bhopal office duty officer SN Sahu told PTI. BHOPAL:An earthquake of magnitude 4 hit Gwalior and areas in its vicinity in Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning, an official said. No damages have been reported so far, he said.Mild jolts occurred at 10.31.49 am, India Meteorological Department's Bhopal office duty officer SN Sahu told PTI. The epicentre of the magnitude 4 quake was 2

A senior Punjab police official on Thursday said, As soon as we came to know that he has sneaked out of Punjab, we immediately alerted the other states. CHANDIGARH: Haryana Police Friday said it has stepped up vigil across the state and its personnel have been put on alert after radical preacher Amritpal Singh's last location was traced in the Kurukshetra district. However, the whereabouts of Amritpal and his associate Papalpreet Singh remain unknown. They were allegedly harboured by a woman at

The chairman tried to restore order but adjourned proceedings as MPs continued to shout slogans. Earlier, Dhankhar read out the notices received under Rule 267. NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned in the pre-lunch session on Friday amid sloganeering by ruling BJP and opposition members over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's democracy remark and a demand for a probe into allegations against the Adani Group. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the House is in disorder from both sides before

Of these 189 cases registered in the last two years, 35 persons died in police custody and 154 others in judicial custody, the CM said in his written reply. GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government on Friday informed the Legislative Assembly that 189 cases of custodial death were reported in the state in the last two years. Responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia during the Question Hour, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who also holds the Home portfolio, told the House that 10

The House was adjourned three times as pandemonium prevailed due to sloganeering by Congress legislators and the treasury benches. MUMBAI:Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Friday after Congress members demanded suspension of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena members for hitting a poster of Rahul Gandhi with footwear over his alleged remarks against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. The House was adjourned three times as pandemonium prevailed due to s

Pune police had alleged that provocative speeches there led to caste violence at Bhima Koregaon war memorial located near Pune city the next day, and the Parishad itself was backed by Maoists. NAGPUR: Former Delhi University associate professor Dr Hany Babu, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case and currently lodged in a jail in Navi Mumbai, is set to get an honorary doctorate degree from a university in Belgium, his wife has said. In a release issued on Thursday, Hany Babu's wife J

The House was adjourned seconds after convening amid ruckus over various issues, and Rahul Gandhi left Parliament soon after that. NEW DELHI: A day after being convicted in a 2019 defamation case, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attended the Lok Sabha session on Friday. However, he could not speak as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla, adjourned the proceedings till noon due to protests by both the Opposition and Treasury Benches. The House witnessed noisy scenes as Congress members demanded Rahul s

The top court said the 2011 verdicts were passed while relying on American court decisions which cannot be done without considering the condition prevailing in India. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday held as bad in law its 2011 verdicts that ruled that mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person criminal unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence. A bench of Justices MR Shah, CT Ravikumar and Sanjay Karol, while deciding a reference made by a two-judge

A court in Surat on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the case filed against him over his Modi surname remarks. NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday held a meeting with opposition leaders and deliberated on the strategy going forward in the wake of Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case. Besides the Congress, senior leaders of parties such as the DMK, National Conference, RSP, VCK, JDU, CPI(M), SP, SS, IUML, AAP and CPI attended the meeting at L

The parties are seeking pre- and post-arrest guidelines to be followed by the central probe agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to list for hearing on April 5 a plea by 14 opposition parties, led by the Congress, alleging arbitrary use of central probe agencies against political opponents. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud took note of the submissions of senior advocate AM Singhvi, appear

Researchers say that even with our present technological tools, human beings will be able to detect certain signatures of biological life outside or even within the Solar System. SPACE DUST BEST BET TO FIND ET LIFE SIGNS The University of Tokyo is exploring a new way to look for alien life from the far reaches of the Universe. The researchers have proposed to peep into microscopic space dust that is constantly bombarding Earth, and which is likely to carry fossils of microorganisms from planets

The PM will also lay foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 1,800 crore including a passenger ropeway from Varanasi Cantt station to Godowlia facilitating smooth movement of tourists. LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi to participate in multiple programmes besides inaugurating and laying foundation stones of development projects worth around Rs 1,800 crore on Friday. The PM will also address One World TB Summit on World Tuberculosis Day. T

An annual fee of Rs 12,000 will have to be paid for the licence. Besides, the excise department will collect an amount of Rs 50,000 as guarantee at the time of applying for the personal bar permit. DEHRADUN: Ina move that could cheer up liquor lovers, the Uttarakhand government has amended its excise policy to allow residents of the state to open authorised personal bars in their homes for a fee. Permit holders will be able to stock up to 60 litres of English liquor (whisky, imported and Indian

The verdict of the Surat court has led to a confusing situation as the operation of the sentence has been suspended by 30 days. Congress leader Rahul Gandhis conviction in a defamation case has triggered a debate on his impending disqualification as Member of Parliament. First of all, we need to understand the wordings of Section 8(3) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951 that deals with disqualification of a member convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than

In January this year, the ECIs new proposal of Remote Voting Machines (RVM) to allow domestic migrant workers to cast their vote kicked up a debate. NEW DELHI: With the general election only 14 months away, several Opposition leaders came together on Thursday to flag their concerns about electronic voting machines (EVM) and urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to address their doubts over EVMs. The meeting called by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was attended by lead

Their brief interaction was apparently limited to exchanging pleasantries, but their coming together to the Vidhan Bhavan made all tongues wag about whether they are ready to bury their differences. MUMBAI: A brief meeting between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray at Vidhan Bhavan set off speculation about the nature of talks between the erstwhile allies. The two arrived almost simultaneously to attend the ongoing Budget session of the state assembly on Thu

According to reliable sources, around 1,000 personnel of CRPFs contingent from across the country will participate in the function. RAIPUR: In a first, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will hold its 84th annual Raising Day ceremony on Saturday in Maoist-hit Bastar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be attending the event as chief guest. The function will be organised at the Karanpur base camp, the headquarters of 204 CoBRA battalion of the CRPF, some 18 km from Jagdalpur. Shah is expecte

He said that the government expected the selected candidates to keep in mind that peoples welfare had to be their priority. The CM also inaugurated the e-adhiyachan portal. LUCKNOW: Usually under attack by the Opposition over unemployment, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that his government had provided government jobs to over 5.5 lakh youth and generated employment opportunities forover 1.61 crore with fairness and transparency in the lastsix years. While handing over appointment lett

He said an advisory board under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act would also be constituted to check the menace, besides setting up of a STF. CHANDIGARH: To tackle the increasing drug menace in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to form a Special Task Force (STF) to break the supply chain of drug mafia.The government will alsotake stringent action, including confiscating the property of drug peddlers. Addressing a meeti

The remaining four Cheetahs from Namibia, awaiting their release from the big enclosures, include a female named Sasha, which reportedly has fully recovered from a kidney-liver infection. BHOPAL: Two male Cheetahs who were part of the eight cheetahs flown from Namibia to Madhya Pradeshs Kuno National Park (KNP) on PM Narendra Modis 72nd birthday in September 2022 were released into the open jungle of the same national park in Sheopur district on Wednesday. The Cheetah coalition, wearing satellit

Partha dropped the names of Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition, Dilip Ghosh, former BJP state president, and Sujan Chakrabarty, CPMs central committee member, linking them to the scam. KOLKATA: Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested last year in connection with alleged hiring irregularities in schools, on Thursday dropped the names of Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition, Dilip Ghosh, former BJP state president, and Sujan Chakrabarty, CPMs central committ

An FIR under sections related to culpable homicide against the raiding team has been lodged. RANCHI: Taking swift action in a case wherein a newborn was crushed to death by a police team, the Jharkhand government has suspended five policemen. The police was raiding the house of an accused, who has sbeen absconding in an assault case, in Giridih district on Wednesday. An FIR under sections related to culpable homicideagainst the raiding team has been lodged. An FIR has been lodged under section 3

The news, which came on the eve of World TB Day, will help bring down the treatment cost for the disease that affects the lungs. NEW DELHI: In a major development, the Indian Patents Office on Thursday rejected global pharma major Johnson and Johnsons (J&J) application seeking an extension to its patent on anti-Tuberculosis (TB) drug Bedaquiline beyond July 2023. The news, which came on the eve of World TB Day, will help bring down the treatment cost for the disease that affects the lungs. The d

The appointment of Chandra Prakash Joshi, Chittorgarh MP, for the top party post in Rajasthan has drawn more attention in political circles. NEW DELHI: After months of consultations, the BJPs central leadership on Thursday appointed new party chiefs in four states Bihar, poll-bound Rajasthan, Odisha and Delhi. The appointment of Chandra Prakash Joshi, Chittorgarh MP, for the top party post in Rajasthan has drawn more attention in political circles. Joshi has close links with the RSS and started

However, the rest of the 10 states that have seen a reduction in forest areas are Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Ladakh. NEW DELHI: According to India State of Forest Report (ISFR), there is an overall increase in forest cover of the country by 5,516sq.km between ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2021. Some states have shown an increase in forest cover, while others have shown a decline. Meanwhile, in 13 Himalayan states, only three states fore

That of course did not prevent BJP from supporting the same Conrad Sangma again, Jairam Ramesh said. NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to summon Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark describing Meghalaya government headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, in its previous term, as most corrupt and to investigate the claim. Attaching his letter to CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, he tweeted: I have written to the D

In the future, tipplers need not fear keeping excess alcohol at home. DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has made a historic change in its excise policy. It has chosen to show leniency towards liquor lovers. The new policy would enable the natives of the state to open an 'authorized personal bar' at his home. The government will charge excise duty from the person For this, each person will be allowed to keep 60 liters of IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor) at home, which is equivalent to 80 bott

The judgment was given in a plea filed by two TB survivors, Nandita Venkatesan, a two-time TB survivor, and Phumeza Tisile, another TB survivor from South Africa. NEW DELHI: In a major development, the Indian Patents Office on Thursday rejected global pharma major Johnson &Johnson (J&J) application seeking an extension of its patent on anti-Tuberculosis (TB) drug Bedaquiline beyond July 2023, when it is set to expire. The news, which came on the eve of World TB Day, will help bring down the trea

The BJP-led government wants to get Gandhi removed from Lok Sabha through disqualification as he speaks the truth, Kharge said. NEW DELHI: The conviction of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court in a defamation case was erroneous and unsustainable and will be challenged in a higher court, the Congress said on Thursday while expressing hope that the judgment will be stayed and quashed. Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by the court in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark

The appeal remained pending before the top court for 13 years. NEW DELHI: A cleaner, who worked in the office of a civil surgeon in Punjab, was on Thursday acquitted by the Supreme Court of the charges of allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 300 two decades ago for preparing a death certificate. The top court acquitted Jagtar Singh (65), who was convicted by the trial court in 2005 for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and awarded one-year imprisonment. On March 2, 2010, the Punjab an

There is no freedom of speech in the country and those exercising the freedom are being jailed, Hemant Soren said. RANCHI: Expressing his displeasure over conviction of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court over his remarks about the Modi surname, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that non-BJP governments are being targeted under a conspiracy which is a cause of concern for democracy and politics in the country. Targeting the rivals while replying on the issue of recruitment rules in Jharkhand Assembly,

The inductions will enhance the surveillance, detection, tracking & electronic warfare capabilities of the force, IAF said. NEW DELHI: With the intent to induct indigenous defence equipment to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Ministry of Defence (MoD), on Thursday signed two separate contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), at a total cost of over Rs 3,700 crore. The IAF in a statement said, The first contract, worth over Rs 2,800 crore, pertains to the

A single bench of the CAT headed by Justice Om Prakash on Monday dismissed the government's review petition. DEHRADUN: Former Uttarakhand forest department chief Rajiv Bhartari has received a big relief from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). A single bench of the CAT headed by Justice Om Prakash on Monday dismissed the government's review petition, following which orders were passed once again to make Rajiv Bhartari the head of the forest department. The Circuit Bench of the Central

In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said drafting of legislation in line with the government's philosophy of empowering women is an evolving and innovative practice. NEW DELHI: No proposal is under consideration at present to rework the Constitution based on the recent introduction of the she/her pronouns while referring to all genders in the Digital Data Protection Bill, 2022, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said drafti

Authorities had last week suspended internet and SMS services in the state following the police crackdown against elements of 'Waris Punjab De,' headed by radical preacher Amritpal Singh. CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police on Thursday said some sensitive material recovered from an associate of radical preacher Amritpal Singh indicates that they were involved in anti-national activities. Earlier in the day, Khanna Police said they had arrested one Tejinder Singh Gill who was part of the private se

The subvariant has been found in states such as Maharashtra (105), Telangana (93), Karnataka (57), Gujarat (54) and Delhi (19). NEW DELHI: Amid a gradual rise in daily Covid-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday that the XBB.1.16 subvariant of Omicron might be the dominant virus strain in the country but there has been no reported increase in the rate of hospitalisation or death so far. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 344 samples have tested positive in the last three months

The final go-ahead to arrest 30-year Singh, a secessionist preacher who demands an independent country for Sikhs, was given on March 18, with police maintaining a close watch on his itinerary. CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police's apparent miscalculation allowed radical preacher Amritpal Singh to avoid imminent arrest resulting in a chase that is still on since he escaped on March 18 and there is a possibility that he may have crossed the border to neighbouring Haryana, officials said Thursday. The police

Article 103 of the Constitution, which says the President shall take a final call on whether a member of Parliament is subject to disqualification, could provide some respite to Gandhi THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction for two years by a Surat court has led to a debate on whether he stands disqualified as an MP. Going by the Representation of People Act 1951, conviction in a criminal case will lead to instant disqualification. However, Article 103 of the Consti

Singh along with his men started looking for ex-servicemen who had been retired from the Army for bad behaviour so that they could be used for imparting arms training, the officials said. CHANDIGARH: Radical preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh had been targeting drug addicts and rogue ex-servicemen to help him build a gang that could be easily transformed into a terrorist outfit, officials here said on Thursday. Giving details of his journey and plans that he was likely to execute

Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May, for which the schedule is likely to be announced by the Election Commission of India in the coming days. BENGALURU: Back-to-back visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to poll-bound Karnataka is set to raise the election fever in the state as the BJP banks on the two senior leaders to give fresh impetus to its campaign. Shah, who is arriving here on Thursday night, will have a breakfast meeting with Karnataka BJP s

Rahul's sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted, accusing the BJP of trying to frighten Rahul into silence THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a court in Gujarat sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case , Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP government was rattled by the Opposition. Coward, dictator BJP government is rattled by Rahul Gandhi and the opposition because we are exposing their bad deeds by deman

What kind of words were used by the Prime Minister and BJP leaders against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The BJP called Rahul Gandhi Mir Jafar, Baghel added. RAIPUR: Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a criminal defamation case regarding his Modi surnameremark, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday spoke of the barbs such as Mir Jafar used by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for Gandhi. Talking to reporters on the Assembly premises here, he also accused the

As per officials, this is the seventh incident this year when a case has been filed for unruly behaviour by flyers. MUMBAI:Two passengers on board a Dubai-Mumbai IndiGo flight were arrested for allegedly hurling abuses at crew and co-passengers in an inebriated condition, a police official said on Thursday. They were placed under arrest after the flight landed in Mumbai on Wednesday and were granted bail by a court here, the official said. The two accused are from Nalasopara in Palghar and Kolha

Chaudhary had joined BJP barely six years ago, previously having been associated with both Lalu Prasad's RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD(U). PATNA: The BJP's new Bihar unit chief Samrat Chaudhary on Thursday asserted that securing all 40 Lok Sabha seats of the state next year and ensuring an absolute majority for his party in the assembly polls of 2025 will be his top priorities. Currently, the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative council, Chaudhary, who was a minister in the Niti

The Samajwadi Party chief said that in the name of freeing the state bird of Uttar Pradesh the forest department took away the sarus crane from the man who was looking after it. LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Thursday alleged the Sarus crane, which was taken away by forest department officials from a man in Amethi who rescued it and was taking care of it for a year, to the Samaspur bird sanctuary, went missing and was later rescued by some locals. However, Divisional Forest Office

Gehlot alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was also misusing agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. BHARATPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday claimed the judiciary is under pressure and the Modi surname remark over which a Gujarat court sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail was just a political comment. But at the same time, the Congress veteran said he has faith in the Judiciary and the right verdict

CBI needs consent from the respective state government for conducting an investigation in its jurisdiction, he informed the Rajya Sabha through a written reply. NEW DELHI: Nine states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, have withdrawn general consent to the CBI to probe cases, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. According to Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) needs consent from the respective

The latest edition of the party's mouthpiece, People's Democracy, also hit out at the government over its response to the allegations made against the Adani group. NEW DELHI: The CPI(M) on Thursday defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his democracy remark in the UK, saying while his appreciation of American democracy is aive, his right to criticise the government's authoritarianism was inalienable. The latest edition of the party's mouthpiece, People's Democracy, also hit out at t

Dhankhar rejected 12 notices under Rule 267 that sought discussion on the allegations against the Adani Group by setting aside the business of the day. NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday as the logjam between treasury and opposition benches continued over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'democracy in danger' remark in London and a demand for a probe into allegations against the Adani Group. As soon as the upper House resume its proceeding at 2 pm, Deputy Cha