Highlights: Telangana Police say Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, give clean chit to all accused

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The Telangana Police on Friday closed the Rohith Vemula death case by giving clean chit to all the accused and claiming that Vemula was not a Dalit. It further added in its report that the 26-year-old killed himself  because he was afraid of his “real caste identity" getting revealed. However, Vemula's family has countered the police's claim and called it "absurd".

The top court will hear the interim bail plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said it will hear the interim bail plea on Tuesday and asked the Enforcement Directorate and Kejriwal's counsel to be prepared.

Responding to a question about the remarks made by President Joe Biden at an election fundraiser on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president was making a "broader point". Biden termed India, Japan and other nations, "xenophobic", asserting that none of these countries, unlike the US, welcome immigrants. Pierre said that the President's comments were part of a broader message emphasising the strength derived from America's immigrant heritage. "Our allies and partners know very well how much this President respects them...He was making a broad comment speaking about this (US) country, speaking about how important it is to be a country of immigrants and how it makes our country stronger."

Labelling it as an "engineered narrative," Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has rejected allegations of sexual harassment by an employee of the Raj Bhavan. "If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal," the governor said. NDTV reported that on Thursday, a woman claiming to be a temporary staff member in the Raj Bhavan had approached the police post located inside the governor's house and accused Bose of molesting her.

Americans' freedom of expression is 'constitutionally protected' for a very good reason, US whistleblower Edward Snowden responded to tech billionaire Elon Musk after the latter created a poll as to what should be done with a person who 'disrespects the American flag' Among the replies to the post, one response came in from whistleblower Edward Snowden, whose revelations about espionage by the US National Security Agency (NSA) revealed the extent to which government surveillance had taken hold of the live of US citizens.

"First of all, Americans' freedom of expression, which includes all manner of flag-trampling and other unlikable acts, is constitutionally-protected for a very good reason. Secondly, what are you going to do when they tear it down and replace it with this?," Snowden posted on X with a picture of fast food giant McDonald's in his reply.

9:39 PM

Biden will award Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 politicians, activists, athletes and others

Clarence B. Jones says he thought a prankster was on the line when he answered the telephone and heard the person on the other end say they were calling from the White House. “I said, Is this a joke or is this serious?'" Jones recalled. The caller swore they were serious and was calling with the news that President Joe Biden wanted to recognize Jones with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Jones, 93, will be honoured for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement. He's a lawyer who provided legal counsel to Martin Luther King Jr. and helped write the opening paragraphs of the “I Have a Dream” speech that King delivered at the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington. Jones is among a diverse group of 19 individuals to be honoured Friday by the Democratic president for making what the White House said are “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” The 10 men and nine women hail from the worlds of politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy, science and religion. Three medals will be awarded posthumously.

9:03 PM

Sebi show cause notices 'illustrate hollowness' of claim of 'clean chit' to Adani Group: Congress

The Congress on Friday claimed that the show cause notices from the Securities and Exchange Board of India to seven of the 10 listed firms of the Adani Group illustrate the "hollowness of the false claim" by the conglomerate and the BJP that the Supreme Court expert committee issued a "clean chit" to the group.

Seven of the 10 listed companies of the Adani Group have received show cause notices from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for alleged violation of related-party transactions and non-compliance with listing regulations, the companies said in their regulatory filings to the stock exchanges.

While the flagship Adani Enterprises, renewable energy company Adani Green Energy and city gas distributor Adani Total Gas said Sebi sent notices to their parent or holding company controlled by the conglomerate's Chairman Gautam Adani, ports company Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, electricity transmission company Adani Energy Solutions, and commodities company Adani Wilmar said they have received Sebi notices.

9:02 PM

Vemula was not a Dalit; faked his caste identity: Telangana Police

The Cyberabad police that investigated the case informed the court that Rohith Vemula did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that he was aware of it.

Vemula died by suicide in 2016. "The deceased had multiple issues worrying him which could have driven him to commit suicide," the report said.

"In addition to this, the deceased himself was aware that he did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that his mother got him a SC certificate. This could be one of the constant fears as the exposure of the same would result in a loss of his academic degrees that he earned over the years and be compelled to face prosecution."

Further, the report said, "Despite best efforts, no evidence could be found to establish that the actions of the accused have driven the deceased to commit suicide." The then UoH vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile and incumbent Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya were among the accused.

Vemula's death snowballed into a political controversy with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi taking on the Central government in Parliament and the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani slamming alleged attempts to project it as a caste battle.

8:01 PM

UK PM Rishi Sunak under pressure amid dire local election results for his party

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership is under severe pressure on Friday as the results of local elections and a crucial by-election poured in overnight, delivering what is being characterised as one of the worst poll outcomes for the governing Conservative Party in 40 years, PTI reported. In a sliver of hope, Tory Mayor Ben Houchen was re-elected for a third term in Tees Valley and gave his party leader something to cheer about amid results Sunak admitted have been “disappointing”. But rebels from within his party are expected to renew their attacks on the British Indian leader after the Opposition Labour Party made definitive gains, including overturning the Tory majority in the Blackpool South by-election which was necessitated following a resignation amid a lobbying row. Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer declared the result as a "seismic" victory and an overall poll verdict in favour of the party as it comes on the eve of a general election, expected later this year.

7:04 PM

Carborundum Universal records consolidated Q4 net profit at Rs 142.56 cr

Abrasives manufacturer Carborundum Universal Ltd (CUMI) has recorded a consolidated net profit of Rs 142.56 crore for the January-March 31, 2024 quarter, the company said. The city-based company part of the diversified conglomerate Murugappa Group had registered a consolidated net profit of Rs 148.79 crore during the corresponding period of last year. For the year ending March 31, 2024, the consolidated net profit stood at Rs 476.18 crore as against Rs 441.70 crore registered a year ago. The consolidated total income during the quarter under review stood at Rs 1,213.73 crore, as against Rs 1,219.43 crore registered in the same period of last year.

6:24 PM

Berlin's government offers to give away villa once owned by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels

Berlin's government is offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital, AP reported. “I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site, to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin,” Berlin's finance minister, Stefan Evers, told the state parliament on Thursday, dpa reported. Berlin has repeatedly tried to hand off the site to federal authorities or the state of Brandenburg, where the villa lies, rather than continue to pay for maintenance and security at the complex, which has become overgrown and fallen into disrepair. Evers renewed that offer on Thursday, calling for proposals that reflected the site's history. He didn't say if proposals from private individuals would also be considered.

5:49 PM

Chinese share of French EV market slumps after incentives curbed

Sales of the three most popular Chinese-made electric vehicles in France have collapsed since the government made them ineligible for cash purchased incentives, industry data analysed by Reuters shows. A surge in imports of Chinese electric cars into Europe has triggered EU tariff threats, which are expected to be a bone of contention when President Emmanuel Macron hosts his Chinese counterpart for a state visit on Monday. France, however, did not wait for a European Union decision on implementing tariffs, instead redesigning its cash bonus scheme in December to exclude the purchase of models made in China, which have rapidly gained market share. In the months ahead of the move, the three most popular Chinese-made cars sold in France - the Dacia Spring (Renault ), Tesla's Model 3 and SAIC's MG4 - accounted for 22% of the market, according to Reuters calculations using data from the companies and industry body AAA Data.

5:24 PM

Indian jeweller Titan misses Q4 profit view on higher discounts, gold prices

Titan reported fourth-quarter profit below estimates on Friday, as the Indian jeweller offered big discounts on its products to attract customers amid high gold prices.

Analysts and traders said increased gold prices could dull demand during the wedding season in India, the world's second-biggest gold consumer, forcing many retailers to offer large offers to lure customers. In an earnings presentation, Titan said that a soft demand environment due to "volatile and elevated gold prices" necessitated promotions to drive customer acquisition. Titan reported a profit of 7.86 billion rupees ($94.2 million) in the quarter ended March 31, up 7.1% from last year, but missed analysts' expectation of 7.99 billion rupees, according to data from LSEG.

4:56 PM

Obscene videos case: Rape case booked against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, says Karnataka CM Siddarmaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said a rape case has been booked against JD(S) leader and NDA's Hassan candidate Prajwal Revanna. Siddaramaiah said he has ordered police to identify, trace and secure the victims in view of the alleged kidnapping of a victim at Krishnaraja Nagar town in Mysuru district. The mother of three children was allegedly abducted by Holenarasipura MLA and Prajwal's father H D Revanna and his confidant Sathish Babanna from her home after her 20-year-old son complained to the police.

4:41 PM

Pak journalist killed, 7 others injured in bomb blast in Balochistan

 A senior journalist was killed and seven other people were injured in a bomb attack in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Friday, police said. Muhammad Siddiq Mengal, a senior journalist and also the president of the Khuzdar Press Club, was killed when a remote-controlled bomb hit his vehicle on the Sultan Ibrahim highway on the outskirts of Khuzdar town,na police official said.

4:40 PM

NIA chargesheets 4 CPI (Maoist) cadres in case related to firing at police commandos in Kerala

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today chargesheeted four cadres of CPI (Maoist) in a case related to firing at the commandos of the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Thalapuzha area of Wayanad district in Kerala last year. The team came under attack as it zoomed in on the cadres present in a house, it said.

4:24 PM

Salman Khan firing case updates: Post mortem confirms Anuj Thapan's hanging, says police

The post mortem report of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the April 14 firing incident outside the Bandra house of actor Salman Khan, confirmed he died of hanging as there are ligature marks on the neck and signs of asphyxia, a Mumbai police official said on Friday.

4:11 PM

News update: Supreme Court says, will hear Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's bail plea on Tuesday

Arvind Kejriwal, who has decided to continue as chief minister from jail, is being kept in Delhi's Tihar under judicial custody after his arrest on March 21.

4:08 PM

Kejriwal case hearing in SC: Why 2 prime accused in the case, Supreme Court asks ED

4:05 PM

WB teacher recruitment scam: School job losers seek justice, clash with police

Hundreds of job losers in the teacher recruitment scam case on Friday clashed with the police in Salt Lake area during their demonstration to seek justice.

The job losers, who assembled at the busy Karunamoyee crossing in Salt Lake, were prevented by the police from moving further.