External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said India was also in touch with the Australian government regarding the changes in that country’s work visa programme.
“The government is in touch with the governments of the United States and Australia on these matters and is also making full assessment of impact of these recent changes, in consultation with all stake holders,” he said.
21:45 Now, recharge Delhi Metro card using Ola Money:
Commuters can now get their metro card recharged with ‘Ola money’ app as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation today entered into a partnership with the app-based cab aggregator.
The integration allows commuters to recharge their metro cards directly from the Ola Money app in Delhi-NCR.
According to Ola, the website of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will also have Ola Money as a payment option for recharging metro cards.
Anuj Dayal, Executive Director (Corporate Communications), DMRC, said, “We hope to make the transition smoother for metro commuters by integrating Ola Money as a payment mechanism for metro rides.
“Other than offering an eco-friendly and affordable daily commuting option, DMRC is committed towards encouraging people to use online payment alternatives,” he said.
Anand Subramanian, Senior Director (Marketing Communications) at Ola, said, “This integration will make the process simpler and seamless as they would be able to use their Ola Money balance to recharge their cards with just a few taps on the Ola Money app or by visiting the DMRC website.”
21:43 Every Indian is a VIP: PM Modi on red beacon ban :
Every Indian is a VIP and the culture of beacon should have gone long ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said tonight, hours after deciding to bar their use by the VVIPs, including the president, the prime minister
and the chief ministers.
“..These symbols are out of touch with the spirit of new India,” Modi said.
He was responding to a tweet by a follower who described as “historic” the decision to prohibit all vehicles, except emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigade, from using the beacon lights from May 1.
The vehicles with beacon lights, which are seen as a symbol of VIP culture, “have no place in a democratic country”, the government said after the decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting.
“It should have gone long ago. Glad that today a strong beginning has been made,” prime minister said in response to another tweet.
“Every Indian is special. Every Indian is a VIP,” he added.
Pakistani troops today violated the ceasefire for the seventh time this month by resorting to mortar shelling and firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.
“The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons and mortar shelling at 1115 hours on Indian posts along the LoC in Poonch,” a senior Indian Army officer said.
Indian troops deployed on forward posts retaliated. The exchange of fire was continuing till reports last came in.
Pakistan has breached the truce seven times this month.
On Monday, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing and shelling mortars on forward posts in Noushera sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.
They had broken the ceasefire in the same sector on April 8, in Poonch district on April 5, in Bhimbher Gali (BG) sector on April 4 and twice on April 3 in Balakote and Poonch sectors.
20:39 Theresa May wins Parliament vote to hold snap elections on June 8: British Prime Minister Theresa May today won the backing of Parliament to hold an early general election on June 8.
The House of Commons voted by 522 to 13 in favour of the snap poll, which the prime minister had announced yesterday.
There was a short debate on the motion in the House of Commons to over-ride the Fixed Terms Parliaments Act, which would have seen an election being held only in 2020.
Opening the debate, May said a snap general election was “in our country’s national interest” and urged MPs to do the “right and responsible thing” and back an early poll.
She told MPs, “There are three things a country needs, a strong economy, strong defence and strong, stable leadership.
“That is what our plans for Brexit and our plan for Britain will deliver, and that is what the Conservative Party will be offering at this election.”
20:26 Katy Perry slammed for posting image of goddess Kali:
Pop star Katy Perry has been slammed for sharing a picture of Hindu goddess Kali on Instagram, with many calling it disrespectful.
The 32-year-old “Chained To Rhythm” singer took to photo-sharing website to share an image of Kali, who is the destroyer of evil forces and wrote, “current mood”.
However, this did not go down well with many of her Indian followers.
“Don’t disrespect Indian Goddess… this can’t be called as mood.. have some values. Just delete this picture. (No hate for her),” one person wrote.
Another said it was not a good idea for the singer to use a religious image to represent her mood.
“This is a little offensive to the Hindu community because the meaning behind this photo and god symbolises something different. Not sure what you intended it for, but its supposed to symbolise strength, and courage,” an Instagram user posted.
Perry is no stranger to Indian culture — in 2010 she got married to her now former husband, Russell Brand, in a traditional Indian ceremony in Rajasthan.
She also found some support within the community on Instagram as many of her fans asked not to take things seriously.
“Ma’am please don’t listen to the hatred…some of us have made their habit of getting offended… it has become a national past time,” a fan said.
“I really appreciate your interest regarding Hindu religion. Loads of love from India.”
Image: Katy Perry’s Instagram post
20:18 Sonu needs to fulfil other conditions to get Rs 10 lakh: Cleric:
Cleric Syed Sha Atef Ali Al Quaderi today said no ‘fatwa’ was issued against Sonu Nigam for his tweets over use of loudspeakers in shrines and that the singer will get Rs 10 lakh award announced by him only if he fulfils
the rest of the conditions.
“I wish to state that there was no fatwa issued against Nigam…I reacted to his tweet on azaan. I would like to say that if you (Nigam) need to live in a democratic, secular country like India you have to live with every religion,” Syed Al Quaderi, the vice-president of West Bengal Minority United Council, told PTI.
“Today Sonu has shaved off his head. But he still needs to perform two other deeds to get the reward of Rs 10 lakh. I had mentioned a garland of old shoes and that he would have to roam around the entire nation.
“Once he fulfils the two deeds I will hold a press conference and hand over the cheque to Nigam,” he said.
The cleric had yesterday announced a Rs 10 lakh reward to anyone who can shave the singer’s hair, put a garland of old torn shoes around his neck and tour him around the country.
The Bollywood playback singer today got his head tonsured by a celebrity hairstylist at a press conference in Mumbai where he said that his tweets were against the use of loudspeakers in morning sermons and not aimed at any particular religion.
“The one who is cutting my hair is a Muslim and I’m a Hindu. There is no animosity. The same language of ‘fatwa’ can be communicated in a language of love,” Nigam said.
“I don’t think my religion is the best and yours isn’t. I don’t believe in that. You have to fight fanaticism. You can’t be quiet,” he added.
19:37 Jadhav case: India summons Pak deputy high commissioner:
India today summoned the Pakistan deputy high commissioner on the issue of death penalty being given to Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court there and made a fresh demand for consular access to the retired Indian navy
officer.
Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haidar Shah was called by the external affairs ministry which reiterated that Jadhav was innocent and false charges were framed against him, according to sources.
Shah’s summoning comes five days after Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale had met the Pakistan foreign secretary and sought a certified copy of the charge sheet and the army court order in the case, besides consular access to the retired Indian navy officer.
“We definitely want to appeal against the judgement but we cannot do it unless we have the details of charges and a copy of verdict. So, my demand was that the details of the charge sheet and a copy of the verdict be provided to us,” Bambawale had said after the meeting.
Expressing disappointment over Pakistan turning down India’s request for consular access to Jadhav, the Indian envoy had also said, “They have denied our request for consular access 13 times (in the last one year).
“I have forcefully asked for consular access on the basis of the international law and on humanitarian grounds as he is an Indian national.”
19:30 No info on death of Indians in US bombing: Centre:
The government has no information about the death of any Indian when the United States dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb in an Islamic State stronghold in Aghanistan.
A top home ministry official said the central government has received no information regarding death of any Indian when the ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ was dropped on an Islamic State tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistani border on April 13.
“We have no information about death of Indians in the bombing in Afghanistan,” the official said.
There were media reports that 13 suspected Islamic State fighters from India were among the 96 militants killed when the US military dropped the non-nuclear bomb.
Kabul-based Pajhwok Afghan News agency quoted an unnamed security official as saying that “13 Indian Daesh militants were also among those killed”.
Daesh, an acronym for the Arabic phrase al-Dawla al- Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)
19:11 Advani made ‘bali ka bakra’ in Babri case: Lalu : Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday taunted the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that LK Advani was made a bali ka bakra’ (sacrificial goat) in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.
Soon after the Supreme Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation plea and restored the criminal conspiracy charges against 13 BJP leaders including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, Lalu told mediapersons that as Advani was a strong candidate for the Rashtrapati’s (President) post, he now stands no chance.
“The CBI is under the control of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used it to sideline and oust Advani from the Presidential race. Advani was hopeful about becoming at least the President after he was not able to become PM in 2014” Lalu said.
Lalu said Advani was made a bali ka bakra in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case, under a well planned political strategy.
“Advani race se bahar ho gaye hai, unka Rashtrapati banane ka sapna bhi sapna raha gaya, jaisee PM ban-ne ka tha,” Lalu said.
Lalu said that it was he who ordered Advani’s arrest in 1992.
He said those accused of demolishing the Babri Masjid should get harsh punishment because it will send a message that it was an attack on the secular structure of the country.
He said the RJD has been fighting for social and communal harmony.
MI Khan/Rediff.com.
17:46 India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian tweets: @arvindsubraman Humbled/honoured. Mumbai Univ. formally adopting Economic Survey as textbook replacing all current ones bcoz of quality of recent Surveys.
17:38 Indian envoy to meet Pak FS to discuss Kulbhushan Jadhav: Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale is expected to meet Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua later today to discuss the issue of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Sources in the Foreign Office said that Bambawale has sought the meeting with the Foreign Secretary.
“The meeting is expected in the evening,” they said. They said that the issue of Jadhav is likely to be the focus of the meeting as India has been seeking consular access to its convicted citizen. Pakistan has denied India’s request for consular access to Jadhav over a dozen times in the last one year.
Pakistan army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor has already rejected any chance of granting consular access to Jadhav who was sentenced to death for espionage and subversive activities.
It would be Bambawale’s second meeting in less than week with the foreign secretary, showing increasing concern of India about the fate of Jadhav.
He told media after his previous meeting on April 14 that he had asked for list of charges and authentic copy of verdict of military tribunal against Jadhav to launch appeal against his conviction.
He also said that India was seeking consular access on the basis on international law humanitarian grounds. FO in statement issued after the meeting said that the Foreign Secretary told Bambawale that during the period of trial of Jadhav, due judicial process was followed and he was provided a lawyer in accordance with relevant laws and the Constitution of Pakistan.
Jadhav, 46, was awarded death sentence by the Field General Court Martial last week, evoking a sharp reaction in India which warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the “pre-meditated murder” was carried out.
Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. It also claimed that he was “a serving officer in the Indian Navy.”
The Pakistan Army had also released a “confessional video” of Jadhav after his arrest. However, India denied Pakistan’s contention and maintained that Jadhav was kidnapped by the Pakistan authorities. India had acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.
17:17 The good of the IPL: “Many of the players in IPL are the sons of men and women who are in ordinary jobs and not well off.
”These players are the first in their family ever to move into another social class.
”I think it is a very fine thing that young men from ordinary backgrounds get exposed to fame and money, and playing with legends from abroad and India,” says Aakar Patel. Read the column here.
Yeah, you read that right. The MNS thinks Zara given its Asian sounding name, is Pakistani. In fact, the brand is Spanish.
Those arrested included an MNS corporator Datta Narvankar and three women, who were later released on bail.
The activists barged into the showroom inside Phoenix mall yesterday after coming to know of the outlet selling the apparel and accessories of ‘Pakistani brands,’ said the official.
Mazurier, accused of sexually assaulting his 3-year-old daughter, was not found guilty in the probe, compelling the court to drop all charges against him.
The high-profile child molestation case dates back to 2012. Mazurier, an official at the French Consulate, was accused by his wife of sexually assaulting their 3-year-old child.
Based upon preliminary probe and the nature of charge levelled against him, Mazurier was arrested by the Bengaluru police, after booking him under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. He was granted bail by the High Court after nearly four months after he was put under arrest.
Speaking out after the verdict, Mazurier’s wife said: “Pascal’s acquittal means my daughter did not get justice. I will still not allow him access to meet my daughter. I am Very unhappy and so is my daughter. We will challenge the acquittal in the High Court. I did not not expect so much evil to come into our lives.”
16:42 May asks public to trust her decision on snap poll: British Prime Minister Theresa May today appealed to the public to trust her decision to call for an early general election on June 8, saying the move will strengthen her hand in the complex Brexit negotiations.
Her plea came as MPs prepare to vote on the motion in the House of Commons. The move is expected to receive the two-thirds majority it requires for May to overturn the UK’s Fixed Term Parliaments Act, which would have seen an election being held only in 2020.
“I trust the British public. I am asking them to put their trust in me and if they do that, if they give me a mandate for these negotiations for the plan for Brexit that the Government has, the plan for a stronger Britain beyond Brexit that we have, then I think that will strengthen our hand,” 61-year-old May said.
“I genuinely came to this decision reluctantly having looked at the circumstances and having looked ahead at the process of negotiation. I want this country to be able to play the strongest hand possible in those negotiations and be in a position to get the best possible deal. That is in our long- term interest. That is what this is about,” she said.
The Prime Minister had stunned the UK when she called for a snap poll in an announcement yesterday.
16:38 Just in: Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale to meet Pakistan Foreign Secretary over consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
16:25 BSF jawan who complained about food dismissed : BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav who had complained about food dismissed from service.
Yadav, who had posted video clips on social networking sites showing the poor quality of food served to security forces personnel posted in frontier areas adjoining Pakistan, was dismissed today from service by the Summary Security Force Court at Samba.
He has been found guilty of committing an act prejudicial to good order and discipline of the force in which he made false allegations on social media regarding quality of food and did not adhere to formal grievance redressal mechanism of the force.
Apart from this, he was also found guilty of neglect to obey general orders of the force in which he carried two mobile phones while on operational duty against the SOP (standard operating procedure) and also posted photographs in uniform on social media in contravention of instructions, he added.
As per the BSF Act and Rules, he can now submit a petition/appeal against the punishment to the higher HQ within three months, the spokesperson said. The SSFC commenced from April 13-19 and during the proceedings, all opportunities were given to Constable Yadav to defend himself, he added.
15:59 1996 FERA case: TTV Dinakaran, appeared before Economic Offences Court in Chennai in case registered against him by ED. Next hearing is May 10.
15:54 Will analyse SC’s verdict on Babri in detail: BJP:
Following the verdict of the Supreme Court on Babri Masjid demolition, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said it will analyze the decision in details.
“The Supreme Court has given the verdict. The party would study the verdict in detail,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said Ram Mandir is the responsibility of the Centre demanding the withdrawal of chargesheets filed.
“We have always bowed our heads in front of every judicial decision. The implementation of construction of Ram Mandir was taken up under the leadership of L.K. Advani. Every BJP leader was up for it,
The apex court has directed the sessions judge in Lucknow to conduct the trial in the Babri demolition case on a daily basis and that the judge will not be transferred. It also ruled out a fresh trial in the case.
The top court has also ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure that witnesses are produced in court everyday so that there is no delay in the Babri demolition case trial. The trial will have to be completed in two years.
However, the apex court has clarified that Kalyan Singh, being Governor of Rajasthan, will not be tried due to constitutional immunity unless he ceases to be in that post. In effect, his trial will begin after his term as governor ends.
Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the demolition took place.
Others who will face criminal conspiracy charges are Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Ritambara, Satish Pradhan, Champat Rai Bansal. The late Giriraj Kishore is also among the names in the original chargesheet.
15:49 Congress leaders including ex-Councillor SK Puri Goswami and other State Cong office bearers joining BJP today.
15:47 Ready to sacrifice my life for Ram Mandir: Uma Bharti: Union minister Uma Bharti reacts to the Supreme Court decision to reopen the Babri Masjid demolition case against her, LK Advani, MM Joshi and 20 others.
“I am ready to sacrifice my life for Ram Mandir. I am unapologetic about being part of the Ayodhya movement. Congress has no moral right to seek my resignation, they themselves were responsible for anti-sikh riots in Delhi.
The Supreme Court restored criminal conspiracy charges against the senior BJP leaders in the Babri Masjid demolition case on Wednesday.
A bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman pronounced the judgement, ordering the separate trials being conducted in trial courts at Rae Bareli and Lucknow to be clubbed and conducted in the capital of Uttar Pradesh only, and directed it to be completed in two years.
15:36 Dinakaran cancels MLAs’ meet, OPS says merger talks will begin: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) deputy chief T T V Dinakaran cancelled a meeting of party MLAs and district secretaries he had convened earlier in the day.
Dinakaran earlier said that a ‘good decision’ will be taken in the interests of the party, stating that there was no opposition against him in the party.
Meanwhile, former chief minister O Panneerselvam said that the ouster of Dinakaran and Sasikala from the AIADMK was their first victory, declaring that talks of the merger will now begin.
“Both the factions will talk to fulfil the aspirations of lakhs of party workers. This is our faction’s first victory that Sasikala and her family have been ousted from the party,” he said. — Agencies
15:14 Sonu Nigam gets his head shaved after a Fatwa was issued announcing 10 Lakhs for anyone who shaves Nigam’s head. Photograph: ANI
15:01 From May 1, no ‘laal batti’ for PM, ministers: Red beacon will be removed from cars of the prime minister and all ministers from May 1, transport minister Nitin Gadkari has said after a cabinet meeting.
Gadkari said beacon to be allowed only on emergency service vehicles from May 1 to end VIP culture, as he removed his own beacon.
In recent meetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly been emphatic about ending ‘lal batti culture’ that has come to symbolise VIP arrogance at the cost of public convenience, NDTV said in a report.
Newly elected chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab — Yogi Adityanath and Amarinder Singh — have already given up use of beacons on their official cars.
In 2013, a court order said the use of beacons should be restricted and only constitutional authorities should be allowed to use it. — PTI
13:22 Time for all good men to fight BJP, says Kejriwal, Pinarayi by his side: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today stressed the need for an alliance of “all good people” to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party after a meeting in the national capital with his Kerala counterpart, Pinarayi Vijayan.
“There is an atmosphere of fear. The business community, industrialists, media people or commoners, everybody is afraid of the situation in this country, which is wrong,” the Delhi CM said.
Kejriwal, who called on Pinarayi at Kerala House, told reporters they discussed “a range of issues” at their breakfast meeting.
“I feel that power is in the hands of wrong forces and they are getting an edge in the country…To fight this, all good people should come together,” he said when asked if this was the beginning of a new alliance between his Aam Aadmi Party and other political forces.
“Those who raise the voice of dissent against the Centre are being muzzled,” Kejriwal, with Pinarayi by his side, added.
Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi to attend a central committee meeting of the CPI-M, agreed with Kejriwal about a “situation of fear” in the country. But “there was no point” in relying on the Congress to fight the BJP, he added.
“The situation in our country is very serious. We have discussed the fear in the society created by the RSS,” Vijayan said.
12:49 High Court reserves order on plea to direct MEA to move International Court of Justice for release of Kulbhushan Jadhav, on death row in Pakistan.
12:45 Cabinet clears proposal for Rs 3000 cr voting machines with receipts: Cabinet clears EC’s proposal of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The government has agreed to release Rs 3,000 crore to buy new electronic voting machines that print a paper receipt for each vote cast. The decision comes as opposition parties have attacked the machines currently in use as being vulnerable to rigging and is expected to be announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley later today.
12:32 OPS: Our first victory!: O Panneerselvam reacts to the news of Dinakaran stepping aside: This is our faction’s first victory that Sasikala and her family have been ousted from the party. Both factions will talk to fulfill the aspirations of lakhs of party workers.
OPS had laid down two conditions for a merger: 1. A probe into the circumstances leading to J Jayalalithaa’s death and 2. the eviction of Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dinakaran from the party
12:25 I have no regrets because I don’t have any expectations, says TTV Dinakaran. It’s not like he has any choice in the matter.
There’s been a power outage in Mahim at the Rediff.com HQ. Updates on the website have consequently been affected. Apologies.
12:19 Have stepped aside in the interest of the party: Dinakaran:
Update: AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran says he has stepped aside in the interest of the party, so the question of resigning does not arise. “I will have to consult Sasikala on resigning as she appointed me as Deputy General Secretary.
The beleaguered Beleaguered AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran today said none in the party were against him, asserting that all party MLAs stood behind him.
“There is no opposition to me in the party,” he said, breaking his silence since influential section of ministers revolted against him last night and decided to keep general secretary V K Sasikala and him out of the party.
According to Jaya Plus Tamil TV channel, Dinakaran said a ‘good decision’ will be taken in the interest of the party.
Party sources indicated that he was expected to appear at the Economic Offences court in Chennai later in the day on a case against him for alleged violation of FERA regulations.
Dinakaran has called a meeting of party MLAs and district secretaries at 3 pm today. — PTI
10:55 SC sets 2-year deadline for verdict: Update on the Babri masjid demolition conspiracy case: The Supreme Court sets a two-year deadline for the verdict. The CBI will ensure the presence of at least one prosecution witness every day. The court also says the judge at Lucknow will not be transferred. There are two trials being held — one at the Lucknow court and one at Rae Bareli.
Advani, 89, along with party colleagues like Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi, are charged with making inflammatory speeches that motivated lakhs of right-wing volunteers or karsevaks to pull down the mosque in 1992. This trial is being held in Rae Bareli.
However, 20 people in connection with the actual demolition of mosque are also being tried in a court in Lucknow.
10:44 Babri demolition: SC to reopen conspiracy case against Advani, Joshi, Uma : The Supreme Court says the Babri case against LK Advani and senior BJP leaders will be reopened. The BJP’s top leaders will be tried for criminal conspiracy in the demolition of the 16th-Century Babri Masjid, as requested by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Advani, 89, along with party colleagues like Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi are charged with making inflammatory speeches that motivated lakhs of right-wing volunteers or karsevaks to pull down the mosque in 1992. That trial is being held in Rae Bareli.
It will be a day-to-day trial with no adjournments.
He said Muhammad, who used the alias “Black Jesus” and was wanted in the killing last week of an unarmed security guard outside a motel in the city, had indicated in postings on his Facebook page that he hated white people and the government.
“This was a random act of violence,” Dyer said. “These were unprovoked attacks by an individual who was intent on carrying out homicides today.” He said all the victims were white males and there was every reason to believe Muhammad had acted alone.
10:14 SC verdict on conspiracy case against Advani, Joshi today: The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce its verdict today on a plea seeking restoration of conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders, including LK Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharti in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
A bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman is scheduled to pronounce the judgement. There were two sets of cases relating to the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992.
The first involved unnamed ‘karsevaks’, the trial of which is taking place in a Lucknow court, while the second set of cases relate to the VVIPs in a Rae Bareli court.
On April 6, the bench had indicated that they may order holding of joint trial of the two sets of cases by transferring the trial from Rae Bareli to the Lucknow court.
The bench had also said since 25 years have already passed, in the interest of justice, it would consider ordering time-bound trial on day-to-day basis, to be completed preferably within two years.
10:07 ‘Kashmir is a battle of the mind’: “Tying somebody to the jeep is not the military way, but the officer was able to come out of the situation without any bloodshed. I am not supporting him, but I am also not criticising him. He had to use some mechanism to save the uniformed personnel, many of whom were Kashmiri boys of the J&K police,” points out Lieutenant General D B Shekatkar (retd), who was instrumental in the surrender of a record 1,267 terrorists in Kashmir. Readthe Lt General’s interview with Archana Masih/Rediff.com.
09:53 China renames 6 places in Arunachal on its official map after Dalai Lama’s visit: China announces “standardised” official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Hindustan Times reports: China has unilaterally renamed six places in Arunachal Pradesh in standard Chinese in what appears to be the first sign of retaliation against the 14th Dalai Lamas visit to the northeastern state earlier this month.
Calling the remote Indian state as part of the border dispute with India, Beijing says Arunachal Pradesh is part of south Tibet with close Buddhist links with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the Mainland. Official Chinese maps show the state as part of south Tibet.
The names were changed to show to India the sovereignty of the region, Chinese state media said.
China has standardised the names of 6 places in south Tibet, a region that is part of Chinas territory but in which some areas are currently controlled by India, a state media report said.
The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wogyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidngarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bmo La and Namkapub Ri, the report added.
Image: Chinese premier Xi Jinping.
AIADMK leader and state Finance Minister D. Jayakumar yesterday announced that V.K. Sasikala and her nephew Dinakaran were decided to be ‘delinked’ from the party.
Earlier, Jayakumar announced that a new committee was formed to administer the affairs of the AIADMK.
Demanding the ouster of Sasikala and her nephew from the AIADMK, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam said the party should not be controlled by one family, adding it was nothing short of treason to allow the former to control the party’s affairs.
He said that he had sent a petition to the Election Commission to declare Sasikala’s appointment as AIADMK general secretary ‘illegal’.
09:35 Why the 2 videos from Kashmir show our Army is the best: “When the Pakistani army let loose a reign of terror in Bangladesh in 1971, nearly ten million Bangladeshis crossed over to India. The number of refugees is directly proportional to the degree of victimisation. If the atrocities perpetrated by the Indian army on the Kashmiri Muslims are so widespread and gruesome as Pankaj Mishra claims, then why are Muslims not fleeing the valley? Why are refugees not pouring into Pakistan?”
Indian soldiers in Kashmir are not on a joy ride scouting for people to kill, says Vivek Gumaste in this column on Rediff.com. Do read
Sketch: Dominic Xavier
09:10 Delhi police issues lookout notice against Dinakaran: The crime branch of Delhi Police has issued a lookout notice against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran.
Dinakaran was on Monday booked for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official in a failed bid to obtain the coveted ‘two-leaves’ party symbol for his faction.
Concerned that he may try to escape, the cops have alerted all sea and air ports with his details, a Times of India report said.
On Monday, police had lodged a first information report against Dinakaran soon after arresting an alleged middleman who, according to police, was purportedly helping the AIADMK leader reach out to an unidentified official in the Election Commission in return for an astounding Rs 50 crore.
No arrest warrant has been issued against Dinakaran. But the police have in their custody Sukesh Chandrasekhar, the alleged middleman who was picked from a 5-star hotel in New Delhi on Sunday, a senior police official said. — Agencies
08:38 France: Two detained for planning attack ahead of Presidential elections: The police in southern France’s Marseille city arrested two people and seized guns and bomb-making materials for planning an ‘imminent and violent attack’ ahead of the first round of France’s Presidential election.
French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said the Mahiedine Merabet and Clement Baur, aged 24 and 30, were French nationals and were detained at different addresses in the southern port city.
“These two radicalised men . intended to commit in the very short-term — by that I mean in the coming days — an attack on French soil,” The Guardian quoted Fekl as saying.
Franois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, has said that an Islamic State (IS) flag and jihadist propaganda were recovered from one of the suspect while the second suspect had links to a Belgian cell.
Molins said the two men met in 2015, who were sharing a prison cell for petty crime.According to local media sources the tip-off had come from the United Kingdom which had ‘intercepted data on two individuals known to the intelligence services’.
The suspects have been detained under arrest warrants for terrorist criminal association.French President, Franois Hollande, hailed the ‘remarkable’ arrests.
On Sunday April 23, the French people will vote in the first round of their presidential elections. If no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the votes, the top two candidates will go to a second round on May 7. — ANI
08:15 ‘Sidelined’ Dinakaran calls MLAs’ meet today: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran has called a meeting of MLAs and district secretaries at party headquarters in Royapettah at 3 pm.
Dinakaran’s move comes after senior cabinet ministers, led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami, decided on Tuesday night to ‘de-link’ him and party general secretary V K Sasikala from the ‘government and the party’.
Hours after Tamil Nadu Finance Minister D Jayakumar announced that Sasikala and Dinakaran will be ‘de-linked’ from the party, several MLAs and Dinakaran supporters rallied behind him and denounced the former’s statement.
“Former chief minister O Panneerselvam, while going to Madurai, had said that he was ready for the merger without any conditions, which was acceptable to us. But when he imposed the condition today, we decided not to consider this. We will never accept this condition. Because it was T T V Dinakaran, who gave a new direction to the AIADMK,” party leader Nanzhil Sampath said.
On Tuesday, Panneerselvam had put forth a condition that merger between the two factions would take place only if Sasikala and Dinakaran were ousted from the party.
Hinting that more leaders would join the Dinakaran camp, Sampath said, “In the coming two days, the AIADMK will emerge strongly under the leadership of Dinakaran. All party cadres, members and support Dinakaran. All the splitters would join Dinakaran.”
Sampath also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that the AIADMK would not get bogged down by the pressure imposed by the saffron party.
Jayakumar’s statement was also criticised by MLA P Vetrivel, who said they would ‘never accept the decision’. — ANI
01:33 Erdogan insists Turkey reforms don’t make him a dictator:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that his plans to assume sweeping new powers do not make him a dictator.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Erdogan said that a constitutional reform package — backed by a narrow majority of Turkey’s voters in a referendum on Sunday — was not about him.
“I am a mortal really, I could die at any time,” he told Becky Anderson inside Ankara’s presidential palace Tuesday, in his first interview since the vote.
01:09 US intercepts 2 Russian bombers off Alaska coast:
Two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Alaska by two United States F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft on Monday, the Pentagon confirmed to CNN.
The intercept, which was described by a US military official as safe and professional, took place about 100 miles from Kodiak Island after the Russian aircraft flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.
There was no cockpit-to-cockpit radio communication between the US and Russian pilots, the US official told CNN.
Representative image
Source: Rediff