LIVE! Indrani wants to divorce Peter Mukerjea

15:24  Indrani wants to divorce Peter Mukerjea :  Sheena Bora murder case: Indrani Mukerjea informs the trial court she wants divorce from husband Peter Mukerjea and seeks permission to file a case. The judge tells Indrani there is no need to take permission from the trial court.

A special CBI court today framed charges of murder and criminal conspiracy against Indrani Mukerjea, her husband Peter Mukerjea and former husband Sanjeev Khanna for the murder of Indrani’s daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.

All the accused were explained the charges framed against them. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and said they would face trial. Judge H S Mahajan kept the matter for trial to begin on February 1. All the three accused were charged under IPC sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping), 302 (murder), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 203 (giving false information in respect of an offence) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). Additionally, Indrani and Sanjeev were charged under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) for plotting to kill her son and Sheena’s brother Mikhail Bora.

Image: Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in happier times.

15:09  BJP to meet EC over Rahul’s hand of God speech:  A BJP delegation will meet the Election Commission today at 3:30 pm to complain against Congress VP Rahul Gandhi for his speech comparing Lord Shiva’s hand with the symbol of the Congress.

On January 12, at a Congress convention at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, Gandhi claimed that he saw the Congress’ party symbol (hand) in pictures of Lord Shiva and Guru Nanak. The speech went viral on the internet and set Twitter abuzz.

Slamming Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for comparing the Congress party symbol ‘Hand’ with the hands of Guru Nanak, Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal described the analogy as “shocking in the extreme and unpardonable”.  

14:26  When Obama read Jhumpa Lahiri :  … He points out, for instance, that the fiction of Junot Daz and Jhumpa Lahiri speaks “to a very particular contemporary immigration experience,’ but at the same time tell stories about “longing for this better place but also feeling displaced” —  a theme central to much of American literature, and not unlike books by Philip Roth and Saul Bellow that are “steeped with this sense of being an outsider, longing to get in, not sure what you’re giving up.”

Barack Obama on books and how they shaped his White House years.
Do read

14:16  Cannot accept anyone else in Jayalalithaa’s position: Niece :  Forty days after the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, her niece Deepa Jayakumar on Tuesday confirmed that she would foray into Tamil Nadu politics. Confirming her political ambitions, Jayakumar announced that “a landmark announcement’ would be made on February 24, which happens to be Jayalalithaa’s birthday. Speaking to reporters, she said “AIADMK cadres are already welcoming me.’

Earlier in the day, she paid homage to AIADMK founder MGR at his memorial at Marina beach. The party is celebrating his 100th birth anniversary. When Jayalalithaa was admitted at Apollo Hospitals Chennai, Jayakumar was allegedly not allowed to meet her aunt. She said, “I have two options — one is to join AIADMK or to float a new party. I will discuss with my supporters before making a decision. I cannot accept anyone else in Jayalalithaa’s position.”

14:13  Why Sasikala’s husband went to Delhi:  VK Sasikala’s husband Natarajan, the master strategist of the AIADMK in a post Jayalalithaa era was in New Delhi for two days last week. In Delhi, he met Congress leaders, but his visit was not political. It was to understand the progress of the disproportionate assets case filed against Sasikala in the Supreme Court and the possible date of the judgement. Natarajan had a meeting with the senior Supreme Court lawyers representing Sasikala in the case —  Kapil Sibal and Abhisekh Manu Singhvi.

13:45  Jawan video: HC seeks reply from Centre, BSF on food served to troopers:  The Delhi High Court today sought the response of the Ministry of Home Affairs on a plea seeking its status report on alleged poor quality food being served along the LoC as claimed by a BSF soldier on social media.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal also issued notice to Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles seeking their stand on the allegation of poor quality food being given to jawans.

It also directed the BSF to produce before it the investigation report and the steps it has taken with regard to allegations levelled by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav.

“The steps have already been taken by respondent 2 (BSF) in this regard. However, we would like to see their report. Whatever report you have, place before the court on next date of hearing, February 27,” the bench said.

The direction came after advocate Gaurang Kanth, appearing for BSF, informed the court that BSF has already done on the spot inspection after the incident.

“Things are in order. We have found nothing as was alleged by Yadav. However, we are further looking into the issue,” Kanth submitted. The bench, meanwhile, refused to issue any direction with regard to not taking any action against Yadav, as was sought by the petitioner, saying, “Sorry we will not go into it.”

The petition was filed by Puran Chand Arya, a former central government employee, in the wake of a video posted on Facebook by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, claiming corruption among officers and poor working conditions.

13:40  Pranab Mukherjee wants his term to end with GST:  President Pranab Mukherjee has been informally telling BJP ministers including Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh that he would like to append his approval and seal his signature on the the Goods and Services Tax bill when it is submitted to him for approval in the June. The GST Bill most likely is the last file the outgoing president will sign on.  Pranab Mukherjee wants the GST should be passed during his tenure.

13:36  Hamid Ansari for President, says Opposition:  Vice President Hamid Ansari is being tipped as the next Presidential candidate from the Opposition. The election is likely to take place in early June and informal talks have just begun at the highest level.

Our sources tell us that talks of the presidential polls will gain momentum once the Uttar Pradesh election results are out.

But the Congress Party has already initiated informal discussions at the top level with the CPM, BSP, SP and even the Shiv Sena and the initiative to gather the troops is being taken by Rahul Gandhi.

Whichever way the UP poll results go, Rahul Gandhi is of the view that the BJP should be given a tough fight by an united Opposition. The Parliament session will commence end of the month and a clear picture mayb emerge in April.

13:17  CBI files chargesheet: Indrani, Peter, Sanjeev Khanna charged with murder :  Just in: #SheenaBora murder case: CBI files a chargesheet against Indrani Mukerjea – prime accused in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora – along with husband Peter Mukerjea and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna.  All three accused have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy. All the accused were present in court today.

The CBI has maintained that Indrani Mukerjea killed Sheena Bora, her daughter from a previous relationship, with the assistance of Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai over a property dispute. Former media baron Peter Mukhejea, the CBI says, was aware of his wife’s motive and her crime. Mukerjea’s driver had turned approver for the CBI.

13:02  Cong-SP alliance in UP under Akhilesh :  There will be Congress and SP alliance in the upcoming UP elections, announces Congress senior leader and UP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad.  Highlights…

“Details about the alliance will be decided in the coming days, for now we can say there will be Cong-SP alliance under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav,” Azad says. “As of now it is an alliance of the Congress and SP, will think about ‘maha-gathbandhan’ in coming days,” Azad says.

Sheila Dikshit, Cong CM candidate says she will withdraw from CM candidature if Cong-SP alliance happens. There cannot be 2 CM candidates.

12:28  You are my role model: Aamir reaches out to trolled Dangal star Zaira Wasim:  Aamir Khan reaches out to Zaira Wasim a day after she was allegedly trolled for meeting J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti.

Aamir who plays Zaira’s father in the blockbuster Dangal, posted on Facebook: I have read Zaira’s statement, and I can understand and imagine what lead her to make that statement.

Zaira, I want you to know that we are all with you. The beauty is that bright, young, talented, hardworking, respectful, caring and courageous kids like you are a role model for kids not only in India, but across the world. You certainly are a role model for me! May god bless you.
Love. Aamir.
P.S. : I appeal to everyone to now leave her alone and respect the fact that she is just a 16 yr old girl trying her best to deal with life.

Zaira Wasim, the Kashmiri teen who shot to fame for her stellar role playing the young Geeta Phogat, was on Monday unwittingly caught up in controversy over her meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the backdrop of the unrest in the Valley.

Zaira, 16, first posted an apology for “offending” and “unintentionally hurting” people after her meeting with Mehbooba kicked up a row and trolled online but later deleted the post. She then posted again, this time asking everyone not to blow the issue out of proportion but deleted this post too.

Zaira, who played the younger version of wrestler Geeta Phogat in Dangal, took to Facebook and tendered an apology apparently over her meeting with the chief minister on Saturday that drew sharp reactions from the youth in the Valley because of the situation there during the last few months.

She also played down her performance in Dangal, saying she was “not proud of” what she is doing.

“This is an open confession/apology. I know that many people have been offended and displeased by my recent actions or by the people I have recently met,” the actress wrote on her Facebook page.

Zaira said she wanted to apologise to “all those people who I have unintentionally hurt and I want them to know that I understand their sentiments behind it especially considering that what had happened over the past six months” — apparently referring to the unrest in the Valley which left 86 people dead and thousands injured.

“But I hope people can also understand there are certain circumstances that emerge which one cannot control and I hope people still remember that I’m a just a 16 year old girl and I hope you treat me accordingly. I’m sorry for what I did but it was not a deliberate decision and I really hope people can forgive me,” she said.

Zaira also played down her projection as a role model for the youth of Kashmir, saying she does not want anyone to follow in her footsteps.

“There are few more things which are very important and I want to clear them as well. The first and foremost thing is that I am being projected as a role model for Kashmiri Youth. I want to make it very clear that I do not want anyone to follow in my footsteps or even consider me as a role model.

Zaira later removed her first post and came up with a new one, where she claimed that she has “not been forced into anything by anyone”. She, however, deleted that too after sometime.

IMAGE: Aamir Khan with Zaira Wasim (left) and Suhani Bhatnagar in Dangal

11:54  Jayalalithaa’s niece likely to announce new party today:   Former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar (42) is likely to launch her own party today. “I will begin the work left by the late M G Ramachandran from tomorrow (Tuesday),” she said in a statement.

Jayalalithaa’s niece bears a striking resemblance to her aunt and has used the resemblance to her benefit. Posters across Chennai show her dressed in a sari similar to the ones worn by her late aunt. Even the way she has draped her sari is similar to Jayalalithaa.

Deepa had on January 7 said that she would launch a party on her own “on the request from true fans of MGR and Jayalalithaa”. She has claimed to be the recipient of MGR and Jayalalithaa’s legacy and is expected to pay tributes to both the AIADMK leaders and hold a press conference and meet her supporters at 4 pm today.

Image: A poster of Deepa Jayakumar shows a marked resemblance to Jayalalithaa

11:53  After 24 months, search for missing Malaysian plane MH370 ends :  Search for Malaysian plane MH370 that disappeared in 2014 with 239 on board is suspended.

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has come to an end with passengers’ families being informed that the effort to find the plane has been suspended.

Next of kin were told in an emailed statement on Tuesday that Australian authorities’ underwater search of 120,000 sq km in the southern Indian ocean had concluded without success.

The search had been ongoing for more than two years.

Also read: 12 weird conspiracy theories on Flight MH370

11:05  Amarinder: Will defeat Badals in their home seat :  Capt Amarinder Singh on the upcoming Punjab elections: “This is my last election and I will defeat Badal on his home seat. There is no deal behind Sidhu’s joining. He himself said his father was in Congress and that it’s his ‘ghar wapsi’.

10:53  Chandra tells students to pursue social entrepreneurship:  Tata Sons Chairman-designate N Chandrasekaran on Monday stressed on the need to focus on social entrepreneurship programmes and suggested students to do a number of social projects, synthesising the real problems using artificial intelligence and machine learning. He was in Hyderabad to inaugurate FC Kohli Research Block on Monday. The block is a part of Kohli Center on Intelligent Systems (KCIS) at International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)-Hyderabad which was funded by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Foundation to give a fillip to research, teaching and entrepreneurship in the area of intelligent systems.

Addressing the students, Chandrasekaran said that the centre coordinated research among several active research areas, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, information retrieval, machine learning, cognitive science, robotics, data sciences, data analytics and other relevant groups within the country and abroad.

Sharath Chowdary/Business Standard

10:42  CBI to chargesheet Indrani Mukerjea, others in Sheena Bora murder :  Just in: A Special CBI court in Mumbai will frame charges against Indrani Mukherjee and others in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The CBI has said that Indrani Mukerjea killed Sheena Bora, her daughter from a previous relationship, with the assistance of her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai over a property dispute.

Also accused in the case is former media baron Peter Mukhejea, who the CBI says was aware of his wife’s motive and her crime. Mukerjea’s driver had turned approver for the CBI.

Defence in its argument, which concluded last week, has said the CBI will not be able to prove any of the allegations against the Mukerjeas.

Rahul Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea’s son from an earlier marriage, was in a relationship with Sheena Bora, who was murdered in April 2012. Indrani and Peter Mukerjea were allegedly opposed to the relationship.

10:31  ‘Gandhi should have won the Nobel Prize’:  Only 15 people of Indian origin have won the coveted prize.Hoping to correct this situation, reports Pallav Bagla, India has embarked on the most intense dialogue with the Nobel Foundation till date. Read more

10:24   The secret of a good life – Socialism for modern times :  Socialism had its golden age after World War II. Taxes in the belligerent countries had gone sky-high during the War; people had got used to paying high income taxes. Governments had no use for the revenue once the enemies were defeated; what better use for it but to improve the conditions of the poor? No country rewarded the poor for just being poor; they had to be young, or old, or unemployed – unfortunate in an additional dimension – to qualify for subsidies. India, for instance, invented a scheme and named it after its saint, Mahatma Gandhi: a poor man had to be prepared to do hard physical work in the open, however hot or cold it was, to get a paltry wage. No wonder middlemen found it easier to invent poor men and pocket the wage in their name.  Read more

10:22  Two day winter session of Delhi Assembly begins today :  The two-day winter session of the Delhi Assembly will begin today.The session comes in the wake of newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal returning file to the Delhi Government on slashing of DTC bus fares. The issue is likely to figure during the two-day session.Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta will seek to corner the government for not inviting the Lt Governor to address the House.

10:21  Bruce Springsteen cover band pulls out of Trump inauguration gala:   Among many other musicians and bands, popular Bruce Springsteen cover group called ‘B-Street Band’ has also decided to stay away from the ‘storm’ that is hitting up President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural function.

Will Forte, the group’s 63-year-old keyboardist, manager, agent and publicist, among other roles, recently told Rolling Stone, “We felt that we had to make it known that we didn’t want to seem disrespectful, in any way, shape or form, to Bruce and his music and his band.”

“I don’t want to upset them. We owe everything to him and our gratitude and respect to the band is imperative above all else. It became clear to us that this wasn’t working and we just had to do what we thought was the right thing to do and that was to pull out,” Forte explained.

Springsteen has repeatedly voiced his anger and disgust at the President-elect, mentioning him as a “moron” in excerpts from upcoming Rolling Stone feature.

10:01  Indira’s brush with the bike:  By saddling up the bicycle, Akhilesh Yadav has won a race that Indira Gandhi could not decades ago.

The cycle would catch up with Indira years later while she was fighting her second battle for political survival but – after almost losing out in long-distance translation – the now-familiar ” haath” stopped the two-wheeler in its tracks. In handing the cycle symbol to Akhilesh, the Election Commission has relied upon its 1971 order after the Congress had split in 1969, making numerical strength of the elected representatives the decider. Essentially, what it means is that the parliamentary wing, not the organisational machinery, is the party. Read more

09:40  Rift in Punjab BJP ahead of polls; Sampla offers resignation:  Hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party released six more names for the Punjab assembly polls, its state unit chief Vijay Sampla expressed his displeasure over the ticket distribution, and offered to step down from the post of party’s state unit chief as well as that of cabinet minister.

According to sources, Sampla, who is minister of state for social justice and empowerment, is unhappy with the BJP fielding Som Prakash from Fagwara constituency as he wanted a person of his choice to contest the polls from Fagwara.

Sampla has said that he is ready to offer his resignation from the party leadership and also from the cabinet minister’s post if the BJP top brass doesnt amend its decision of fielding Prakash from Fagwara.

The saffron party has dropped two ministers in Punjab government from the list of its remaining six candidates for the state assembly polls, which is scheduled to take place on February 4.

With announcement of these six more names for the Punjab assembly polls, the party has announced all its 23 candidates out of 117 seats for Punjab, where it is in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The BJP had on January 12 announced first list of 17 candidates for state assembly polls. The last date of filing the nomination is January 18. SAD-BJP is locked in a tough battle with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, which has emerged as a formidable third force in the state. — ANI

IMAGE: Union minister and Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

09:18  ‘Some sections’ of BJP want to bring down AIADMK govt, says Sasikala’s husband:  M Natarajan, husband of AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, has accused “some sections” in the BJP of trying to split the AIADMK and get the state government dismissed.    

“They are trying to break the AIADMK and dismiss our government. They are trying to besmirch our government. There are also attempts to saffronise Tamil Nadu but they will not succeed. I will tour the entire state and tear their mask,” he said.    

09:10  Season 8 of GoT may have more than 6 episodes:  HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys has hinted that the final season of the network’s popular series Game of Thrones might feature more than six episodes.   

It was earlier reported that the creators of the popular fantasy drama David Benioff and DB Weiss were ready to end the show with 13 episodes, including seven episodes in season seven and six episodes in the eighth season.   

Bloys, however, said that the show’s bosses are still contemplating over how many hours the final season will run for, reported Entertainment Weekly.   

“They’re still figuring out the shape of the season, what they want to do. I’ll take as many as they want to do. If they give me eight, I’ll want 10. But it’s really up to them. They’ll let me know,” he said.

09:07  Amarinder to fight Badal on home turf; Sidhu to contest from Amritsar East:  Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh is all set to fight the assembly elections against the Shiromani Akali Dal head and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from the latter’s home turf Lambi.

The Congress, in a press release, made his nomination official.

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who joined Congress recently, will contest from Amritsar East.

Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu has been placed against Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal from his constituency of Jalalabad.

Hockey player Pargat Singh is nominated from Jalandhar Cantt, while Jalandhar District Congress Committee Rural president Jagbir Singh Brar will fight from Nakodar seat.

Punjab will go for polls for 117 seats in a single-phase on February 4.

08:46  Owaisi booked for poll code violation in UP:  A first information report has been lodged against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi for violating the Model Code of Conduct in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.

Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh said apart from Owaisi, AIMIM assembly poll candidate Talat Khan has also been booked in the case.

Singh said according to a complaint filed by SI Anil Kumar, posters of AIMIM have allegedly been pasted on the walls of the power corporation property, religious places and private shops.

Police has registered a case under section 171H (illegal payments in connection with an election) of the Indian Penal Code, he said. — PTI

08:21  Istanbul nightclub attacker who killed 39 caught:  Turkish police has caught the gunman who killed 39 people, including two Indians, in an Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations.

The suspect was caught in a special operations police raid on a house in a housing complex in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, the Turkish media reported.

Agency reports said he had been staying in the house belonging to a Kyrgyz friend.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, asserting that it was in reprisal for ‘Turkish military operations in northern Syria’.

The local media has identified the gunman as Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek national. — Agencies

00:36  Trump considering naming Indian-American to lead FDA:  

Indian-American Balaji S Srinivasan, a successful Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and CEO of a bitcoin startup, is under consideration for Trump Administration’s pick to lead the Federal Drug Administration after he met the US President-elect.

Balaji Srinivasan met Trump at the Trump Towers in New York on Thursday. No official announcement has been made yet. 

But the incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that Balaji is under consideration for the position of heading FDA, the all-important federal agency for drug and pharma industry.

“Srinivasan along with Jim O’Neill, managing director of Mithril Capital Management are being considered for positions in the FDA,” Spicer told reporters.

Spicer said Srinivasan currently serves as the CEO and cofounder of 21.co and is a partner in Andreessen Horowitz. 

“He has won FDA approval as a genomics entrepreneurial,” he said. 

“I am broadly interested in new technology, with a particular focus on “real world” applications where digital bits interface with physical atoms and substantive problems, such as quantified self (healthcare), MOOCs/edtech (education), Bitcoin (finance), drones, and 3D printing,” Srinivasan wrote on his LinkedIn profile.

00:31  King’s daughter: Fight ‘no matter who is in White House’:  

As civil rights leaders and activists gather at sites across the country to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, the slain civil rights leader’s daughter is encouraging Americans to fight for his vision of love and justice “no matter who is in the White House”.

Bernice King addressed more than 2,000 people gathered at her father’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta four days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. She spoke hours before her brother, Martin Luther King III, is scheduled to meet with the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York. 

While Bernice King did not offer a detailed critique of Trump, who remains unpopular among black Americans, she said the nation still has a choice between “chaos and community”, the same dichotomy her father wrote and preached about. 

“At the end of the day, the Donald Trumps come and go,” Bernice King said. But, she added “we still have to find a way to create” what her father called “the beloved community”. 

Trump won fewer than 1 out of 10 votes from black Americans in November, and that lack of popularity was on display today beyond Bernice King’s remarks. 

00:30  Government to ally with charities to combat child porn online:  

India’s ministries focusing on children, health, education and technology plan to join forces with charities and police to stem a surge in images of children being sexually abused on the internet, the Indian government said on Monday.

The ministry of women and children said one of the aims of the partnership was to set up an internet portal to share information such as best practices for dealing with child abuse online and proposals for updating legislation and policies.

“Child abuse is finding new forms and channels through mobile and digital technologies. Online child abuse and exploitation amplifies existing forms of off-line bullying, stalking and harassment,” said a ministry statement.

“It also facilitates the sexual exploitation of children through the production and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials and by facilitating the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. Online abuse knows no national boundaries.”