NEW DELHI: West Bengal government on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court's April 10 order directing a thorough CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the allegations of land grabbing and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali. A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice B R Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta would hear the appeal of the West Bengal government on April 29, Monday. The Calcutta High Court in its order on April 10 had given a strong blow to the

US safe country, cares deeply for well-being of Indian students: Ambassador Garcetti

NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on hearing a petition filed by motivational speaker Shiv Khera. The petition seeks a direction that an election must be declared 'null and void' if the maximum votes from the constituency are polled for 'None of The Above' (NOTA), and a fresh election should be held for the constituency. After hearing from lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Khera, the bench led by CJI D Y Chandrachud stated, 'W

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday booked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and incumbent Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for posting a video on a social media platform and allegedly soliciting votes on the ground of the religion. Case is booked against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS u/s 123(3) for posting a video in X handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka posted on X. Case is booked agai

JAIPUR: Five people of a family, including four women were killed and two people were injured when their car collided with the rear of a truck on Friday in Rajasthan's Anupgarh district, police said. Additional Superintendent of Police Bhanwarlal said the accident occurred when the family of seven were travelling in a car from Raisingh Nagar to conduct some ritual. The accident occurred between Khokhrawali and Salempura when the car collided with a truck, killing five members of the family on th

NEW YORK: An Indian-origin female student studying at the prestigious Princeton University is among two students who have been arrested and barred from the campus for staging pro-Palestine protests on the campus. Achinthya Sivalingan, born in Coimbatore and raised in Columbus, has been barred from the campus and faces disciplinary action, said a university spokesperson. Protesters set up tents for a student-led pro-Palestine encampment in McCosh Courtyard at about 7 a.m. Thursday. After warnings

KOLKATA: The nomination of former IPS officer and BJPs candidate from Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency, Debashis Dhar, was cancelled on Friday on technical grounds. Following this, BJP veteran from the district, Debtanu Bhattacharya, who had already filed his nomination as the second candidate of the party on Thursday afternoon, is now the main contestant. It is learnt that the nomination of Dhar was cancelled since he could not provide the 'no dues' certificate from the West Bengal government fol

PATNA: Hours after the Supreme Courts judgement on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked the opposition INDIA bloc to apologise to the people for allegedly instilling doubts in their minds about the authenticity of the machines and demanding return to the ballot paper system. The Supreme Court earlier rejected the plea for 100 percent verification of votes cast on electronic voting machines with slips printed by the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VV

Implementation of Uniform Civil Code in country is PM Modi's guarantee: Shah

NEW DELHI: Why did the prime minister do nothing to prevent river erosion in Malda and what happened to the Malda airport, the Congress asked on Friday as Narendra Modi heads to the West Bengal district for campaigning. Posting a series of questions on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also raised the issue of cattle smuggling in the area. : 1. ? 2. ? 3. ? : 1. Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 26, 2024 The prime minister is scheduled to

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court rejected the batch of petitions seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre to ensure that voters can verify through VVPATs that their vote has been counted as recorded on Friday. A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta, pronounced the judgement on a number of petitions including NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and others. The verdict comes a big setback for the petition

BHOPAL/LUCKNOW : Taking his inheritance tax jibe at the Congress to another level, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that then PM Rajiv Gandhi had scrapped the tax in 1985 after his mother Indira Gandhis death to save her wealth from going to the government. The PMs attack targeted the opposition party leader Sam Pitrodas inheritance tax remark. At a rally in Madhya Pradeshs Morena on Thursday, the PM said, I want to tell you an interesting fact. When Indira Gandhi passed away, there

CHANDIGARH: The Congress on Thursday announced candidates for eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in Haryana, fielding former Union minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and youth leader Divyanshu Budhiraja, besides two sitting MLAs. The party has also fielded former MP Jai Prakash and leaders Satpal Brahmachari and Mahendra Pratap. Congress former Union minister Selja will contest from the Sirsa (reserved) seat and sitting MLAs Varun Choudhary and Rao Dan Singh fr

BHOPAL: Four months after the BJPs longest serving Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was replaced by Dr Mohan Yadav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dropped enough hints about big Delhi plans for the former MP CM. While addressing a poll rally in central MPs Harda district on Wednesday, where he was accompanied on the stage by BJP candidate from Vidisha seat Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the PM recounted his long association with Chouhan. Weve (Modi and Chouhan) been working together

NEW DELHI: The prestige of the ruling JD(U), a constituent of the NDA, and the principal opposition RJD the key constituent of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is at stake in the second phase of voting on Friday in states Seemanchal-based five prominent seats. As many as 86 candidates are in the fray for five seats Purnia, Kishanganj, Bhagalpur, Banka and Katihar. The ruling JD(U), led by CM Nitish Kumar, has fielded NDA-supported candidates against RJD and Congress. These constituencies have witness

LUCKNOW: Yeh Arun Govil ji ka election hee nahin raha. Yeh Ram ki pratishtha ka election hai (This isnt an election for Arun Govil but for the prestige of Lord Ram). We will do everything to get a high voting percentage, is the common refrain among the BJP cadre in Meerut, the land of revolution, which is poised for a battle of perceptions in the Lok Sabha elections. Remember, the first war of Independence in 1857 began in Meerut. The constituency goes to polls on Friday. While the BJP is riding

The second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will take place tomorrow, on April 26 (Friday). Voters in 88 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories will participate in this significant event, which stands as the largest festival of democracy in the world. This phase includes all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, 8 each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 each in Bihar and Assam, 3 each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Friday on a batch of petitions seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre to ensure that voters are able to verify through VVPATs that their vote has been counted as recorded. A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta, will pronounce the judgment tomorrow at around 10:30 a.m., according to the Supreme Court's updated cause list The apex court had on Wednes

NEW DELHI: India has rejected the remarks on it in the recent US State Department Report on Human Rights. This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday. The U.S. State Department, in its 2023 Human Rights Report (HRR) -- a country-wise compilation of human rights practices -- has listed what it terms as credible reports of more than a dozen d

LUCKNOW: Accusing the Congress and INDIA bloc of systematic and organised plunder, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated that they tend to loot people during their lifetime and even after it ('Zindagi ke Saath bhi, Zindagi ke Baad bhi'). Addressing an election rally in Kothi Meena market of Agra, the PM took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying: The Shahzadas X-ray machine now seeks to scrutinize the wardrobes of mothers and sisters. He was referring to the Congress leader Rahul Gan

CHANDIGARH: Sirsa and adjoining areas experienced mild tremors Thursday evening after a 3.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Haryana district. The earthquake struck at 6.10 pm at a depth of 10 km, the National Center for Seismology said. On April 4, tremors were felt in parts of north India as a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. on Wednesday evening, a 2.6 magnitude tremor was recorded in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district. Mild tremor felt in Bastar district of Chhattisg

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decided to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against former High Court judge and BJP candidate Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay who is contesting from Tamluk for his comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as he has questioned the nationality of CM Mamata Banerjee, suggesting that she is a Rohingya. Hitting at Bandyopadhyay during a rally at Tamluk Gangopadhyay said How can she say that the legal system has been purchased by BJP.

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered the first FIR in connection with the West Bengals Sandeshkhali case linked to the land grab and sexual assault allegations against five influential people there, officials said on Thursday. According to the officials the case pertains to a land dispute where women of the victims family had to allegedly face sexual assault from influential people in the area. The officials in the CBI, however, refused to disclose the identity of

MUMBAI: Mumbai police on Thursday arrested two persons in Punjab in connection with the recent firing outside actor Salman Khan's house in Mumbai, an official said. Subhash Chander (37) and Anuj Thapan (32) had provided weapon and cartridges to the shooters on March 15, the police official said. Both were arrested by a Crime Branch team and are being flown to Mumbai, the official said. Meanwhile, a Mumbai court on Thursday extended the police custody till April 29 of two men arrested in connecti

SHAHJAHANPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the alliance of Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that do shehzade (two princes) have come together for the politics of appeasement. Without taking any names but in an apparent attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Modi said, Can you expect development from the flop pair of 'Do ladkon ki jodi' (a pair of boys)? Modi addressed a rally here in support of the BJP

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday ordered a departmental inquiry against the then Vadodara municipal commissioner in connection with the January 18 boat tragedy after observing that, prima facie, he appears to have illegally granted the contract in 2015-16 for Harni lakefront project to Kotia Projects. Twelve students and two teachers were killed after a boat capsized in Harni lake on January 18 this year. Hearing a suo motu PIL of the incident, the division bench of Chief Justice Su

RANCHI: Kalpana Soren, wife of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, will be the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate for Gandey Assembly by-poll, to be heldon May 20. The (JMM) announced the candidates for Gandey Assembly seat and Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat, declaring Kalpana and Samir Mohanty as its candidates respectively. Gandey seat fell vacant in January this year after sitting MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad of the ruling party resigned from the seat. According to JMM sources, Kalpana Soren is likely t

BENGALURU: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his willingness to meet and clarify the reality of the Congress manifesto , which the latter has said ' bears imprint of Muslim League ' and accused of being biased towards Muslims in the elections. Kharge responded to Modi's statement that if Congress comes back to power it will conduct a census and redistribute the wealth among Muslims and will not even spare the 'mangal sutra' of the Hind

The controversy surrounding Nilesh Kumbhani, the Congress party's Surat constituency candidate who gave a walkover to the BJP, refuses to die down even after five days. On Thursday, his wife Nita Kumbhani appeared before the media and claimed that her husband Nilesh Kumbhani has been missing since the last five days. Nita, speaking to media persons, said, When Nilesh left home, he told me he was going to the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad, and since then, he has been unreachable and is missing.

DHARAMSALA: With US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken currently visiting China, Tibetans in exile in India are optimistic that he would raise the issue of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama with the Chinese authorities, even as his 35th birthday was celebrated here on Thursday. You are aware that the 11th Panchen Lama a few days after his name was announced was imprisoned by the Chinese authorities when he was just six years old. As we celebrate his 35th birthday today, we urge Secretar

Ashok Gehlot tapped phones of Sachin Pilot, other Congress leaders: Former Rajasthan CM's Ex-OSD makes big claim

Bihar YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who was arrested last year for allegedly creating 'fake videos' claiming attacks on Bihari migrants in Tamil Nadu, has joined the BJP. He joined the BJP in the presence of Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, expressing gratitude towards Tiwari and the BJP for their support during his time in jail. Yesterday we came from Bihar to Delhi with Manoj Tiwari. It was because of them (BJP) the bad days of my life ended. that I could come out of jail. So I have joined the BJP. He said.

Jai Dehadrai withdraws from HC defamation case against Mahua Moitra as peace offering

MORENA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had abolished the inheritance tax after his mother Indira Gandhi's death to save her wealth from going to the government. Addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh's Morena city, Modi stepped up his attack on the Congress by claiming that he stands as a wall between the people and the grand old party's plans to loot them. He claimed that after benefiting from it, the Congress now wants to impose

3 dead, over 20 rescued after major fire breaks out in Patna hotel

Elections have slipped out of Modi's hands: Rahul Gandhi

ITANANAGAR: A portion of National Highway-313 caved in due to a landslide, triggered by incessant rain in Arunachal Pradesh for the past few days, disrupting traffic movement, an official said on Thursday. Surface communication to Dibang Valley district in the northeastern state snapped after a stretch of the vital highway, connecting Roing in lower Dibang Valley with Anini was damaged. The road between Hunli and Anini, the Dibang Valley district headquarters, was damaged due to the landslide on

EC seeks BJP's response on Opposition charge of PM Modi violating model code

KANNAUJ: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday filed his nomination papers from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency. Yadav filed the nomination in the presence of party leaders, including Ram Gopal Yadav. Akhilesh replaced his nephew Tej Pratap Yadav as the SP candidate from Kannauj. Talking to reporters Ram Gopal Yadav said that SP will win the seat with a huge margin. The BJP candidate might lose his deposit in the seat, he said. Akhilesh had won the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat first in 2

PATNA: A JD(U) leader was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in the Punpun area on the outskirts of Bihar's Patna, police said on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Saurav Kumar. Another person accompanying him, Munmun Kumar, was injured in the firing, they said. The incident took place around 12.15 am on Thursday when Saurav along with Munmun were returning from a wedding ceremony. The assailants fired at them and fled. A search operation has been launched to nab the culprits,s

NEW DELHI: In yet another revolutionary step taken by the Supreme Court, it has announced the integration of its IT Services with WhatsApp. This is to ensure that the advocates of bar and Advocates on Record (AORs) receive automated messages about the filing of cases and cause lists as and when published. This small initiative will have a big impact, said Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, Adish Aggarwala, termed the move as a great step in bridging th

NEW DELHI: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil are among the key candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls with BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies. Staggered over seven stages, the first phase of the elections held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories saw a voter turnout of around 65.5 per cent. In the sec

NAGROTA (JAMMU): Kashmiri Pandit Ramesh Kumar Suri, 55, will be voting for the first time in an election in Jammu and Kashmir since the migration of Pandits from the Valley in 1990, thanks to the Election Commission of India doing away with Form-M for the migrants. We used to live near Court Road, Srinagar and my family was among the Pandit families that migrated from Kashmir in 1990 after the eruption of militancy. We have been living in government quarters established for migrant Pandits at Ja

VARANASI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken ough decisions to rid the country of corruption, terrorism and Maoism. He said the prime minister has brought glory to Kashi. Shah was addressing a gathering of party workers here after inaugurating the election office of Modi. Modi ji rid the country of corruption, casteism, nepotism, appeasement, terrorism and Naxalism. He even worked to rid the country of the signs of slavery which were there sin

NEW DELHI: After Hong Kong and Singapore banned four products of two popular Indian spices brands after detecting carcinogenic ingredients, most Indians are concerned about their safety, the latest survey has found. The survey also found that people have low confidence in Indian food regulators in ensuring food safety. Both Hong Kong and Singapore banned four products of MDH and Everest species, citing the presence of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent which raises the risk of breast cancer

NEW DELHI: A record 56 candidates, including two females, scored 100 NTA scores in the Joint Entrance Examination-main (JEE0Main) 2024, the results of which were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) Wednesday night. The maximum number of candidates who scored full scores were from Telangana. The toppers included two females - Sanvi Jain from Karnataka and Shayna Sinha from Delhi. For the third consecutive year, Telangana has reported the highest number of candidates who scored 100 perc

RAIPUR/BHOPAL/BENGALURU: Congress leader Sam Pitrodas faux pas on inheritance tax in the US gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi fresh ammunition on Wednesday to attack the party over its proposed wealth redistribution. Indian Overseas Congress chairman Pitroda, in an interview, said that in the US, 55% of a persons wealth is grabbed by the government when he or she dies and only 45% goes to children. He called it an interesting law. Addressing a campaign rally in Chhattisgarh, Modi cited Pitrodas

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on forming a new wing called Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with cyber financial fraud in real-time to save the victims money, sources said on Wednesday. Terming the move a real game-changer, the sources said that the FMC will onboard all the agencies dealing with such crimes, including the government, banks, telecom service providers, IT intermediaries and social media companies, who

JAIPUR : As the sun beats down on Rajasthans desert expanse, the political climate is heating up even more in anticipation of Fridays elections. With voting set to take place across 13 constituencies, the state has become a focal point of intense campaigning, with star campaigners from major parties leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory. Five to eight high-profile seats have caught the publics attention due to the stakes of the candidates involved. In the Jodhpur constituency, BJPs Gajendr

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday hit out at PM Narendra Modi over his barbs on Congress leader Sam Pitrodas remarks on inheritance tax and asserted that it has no plans to introduce such a tax. The party also cited former Union minister Jayant Sinhas endorsement of inheritance tax to allege that it was the Modi government that wanted to do so. Citing a statement by Pitroda, president of the Indian Overseas Congress, Modi said the Congress intends to snatch the assets and rights of Indians. P