Highlights of the day: Delhi Metro to commence services at 4 am on polling day

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Metro rail services will commence at 4 am on the day of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, scheduled for May 25, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said on Wednesday. The decision was made to ensure convenient transportation for the staff deployed for election duty, Principal Executive Director of Corporate Communications at DMRC, Anuj Dayal said. In a post on X, the DMRC said, "On the day of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on 25th May, 2024 (Saturday), the Delhi Metro train services on all Lines will start from 04:00 AM so that the staff deployed for election duty can avail the facility." "The metro trains will run with a frequency of 30 minutes on all Lines from 4 am to 6 am. Subsequently, normal metro train services will resume and continue throughout the day," Dayal said.

The bail of the Pune teenager who rammed his Porsche into a motorcycle, killing two IT professionals in their 20s, has been cancelled by the Juvenile Justice Board. Wednesday's decision comes three days after the Board had granted bail to the 17-year-old and asked him to write an essay on road accidents, prompting nationwide outrage. The Board has sent the juvenile to a remand home till June 5. It did not, however, give a decision on whether he should be tried as an adult. 

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar arrived in Tehran on Wednesday afternoon to pay condolences and attend the memorial ceremony of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and other officials who died in a tragic helicopter crash.Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also died in the chopper crash on Sunday afternoon.

The Calcutta High Court today dismissed all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010. A division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakrabirty and Rajasekhar Mantha pronounced the verdict, while delivering a judgement on a PIL challenging the process of granting OBC certificates.

A Member of Parliament (MP) from Bangladesh's ruling party Awami League, Anwarul Azim, who had allegedly gone missing in India since May 18, was found dead in Kolkata under mysterious circumstances today.

The Supreme Court  today refused to entertain former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's plea challenging the Enforcement Directorate's arrest and seeking interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Supreme Court today cancelled the bail granted by the Madras High Court to eight men booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for being members of banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and having conspired to commit terrorist acts across the country.

Six people are missing in Maharashtra after a boat capsized on Tuesday evening in Ujani dam waters near Kalashi village in Pune district. Pune Rural Police said on Wednesday, "NDRF, SDRF, local administration and police are deployed for search and rescue operations."

At least seven Palestinians were dead as Israel raided Jenin in the West Bank on Tuesday. The Israeli military claimed that the operation struck  militants in the city. The Israeli forces also widened their Gaza offensive, targeting a hospital and annihilating residential areas with tank and air bombardments. Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan has said his office applied for arrest warrants against top Israeli and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

Khan announced his office had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant bear “criminal responsibility” for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday rejected the four nominations Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan made to the senate of Kerala University last year. The CPI(M) and its student wing had stated that the four students the governor nominated were activists of the RSS’s student wing, ABVP, and added that they were recommended by the Sangh Parivar.The party also claimed that that the governor’s nominees did not have an outstanding academic track record.

10:51 PM

Delhi Metro to commence services at 4 am on polling day

Metro rail services will commence at 4 am on the day of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, scheduled for May 25, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said on Wednesday.

The decision was made to ensure convenient transportation for the staff deployed for election duty, Principal Executive Director of Corporate Communications at DMRC, Anuj Dayal said.

In a post on X, the DMRC said, "On the day of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on 25th May, 2024 (Saturday), the Delhi Metro train services on all Lines will start from 04:00 AM so that the staff deployed for election duty can avail the facility."

"The metro trains will run with a frequency of 30 minutes on all Lines from 4 am to 6 am. Subsequently, normal metro train services will resume and continue throughout the day," Dayal said.

10:33 PM

UK PM Rishi Sunak calls general election for July 4

Rishi Sunak Live News Updates: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set a general election date for July 4, ending months of speculation but not doom-laden forecasts about the size of the government's expected defeat.

 

9:13 PM

Pune teen whose Porsche killed 2 techies sent to remand home till June 5

The bail of the Pune teenager who rammed his Porsche into a motorcycle, killing two IT professionals in their 20s, has been cancelled by the Juvenile Justice Board. Wednesday's decision comes three days after the Board had granted bail to the 17-year-old and asked him to write an essay on road accidents, prompting nationwide outrage. The Board has sent the juvenile to a remand home till June 5. It did not, however, give a decision on whether he should be tried as an adult. 

 

7:44 PM

Non-recovery of cash can't be proof there wasn't corruption, says HC while denying bail to Sisodia

Non-recovery of cash cannot be a prima facie proof that no corruption has taken place as the offender's mind uses new technology to commit offences without leaving behind any trace, the Delhi High Court has held while denying bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam cases. The high court said it cannot accept the argument put forth by Sisodia about non-recovery of cash from him in view of the statements of some hawala dealers and other witnesses recorded during the investigation.

7:27 PM

Shah Rukh Khan admitted to hospital apparently due to heat stroke, say police

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad on Wednesday after suffering from a heat stroke, police said. He was admitted to multi-speciality K D Hospital, they said. Khan was in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to attend an Indian Premier League (IPL) match of his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team at the Narendra Modi Stadium. "Actor Shah Rukh Khan was admitted to K D Hospital after suffering from a heat stroke," Ahmedabad (Rural) Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat said.

 

6:47 PM

Over 50% of world's mangroves at risk of collapse, climate change leading factor: IUCN

More than half of the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse, with nearly one in five facing severe risk, according to the findings of the first global mangrove assessment. Climate change threatens one-third (33 per cent) of the mangrove ecosystems, according to the study done using the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems -- a global standard for measuring the health of ecosystems.

6:21 PM

VP Dhankar reaches Tehran to pay condolences on demise of Iran Prez Raisi

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar arrived in Tehran on Wednesday afternoon to pay condolences and attend the memorial ceremony of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and other officials who died in a tragic helicopter crash. Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also died in the chopper crash on Sunday afternoon.

5:57 PM

Chromium contamination in abandoned chemical plant: Madras HC orders issuing notice to Centre, TN govt

The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered issuing notice to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on a petition which sought a direction to the authorities to take immediate action on remediation process of chromium contamination in an abandoned chemical unit in the state's Ranipet district. A division bench comprising Justices G R Swaminathan and P B Balaji ordered issuing notice and posted to June 10, further hearing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate K Balu, also President, Advocates' Forum for Social Justice.

5:51 PM

Aviation investigators to begin probe of Singapore Airlines turbulence incident that left one dead

Aviation investigators arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday to learn how and why severe turbulence sent a Singapore Airlines plane into a sudden dive that tossed passengers and crew around the cabin, leaving a British man dead and dozens others injured. Twenty people remained in intensive care in hospital after Flight SQ321, which was flying from London's Heathrow airport to Singapore, hit the turbulence Tuesday over the Andaman Sea.

5:32 PM

ED summons IAS officer in money laundering case against Jharkhand minister Alam

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer Manish Ranjan for questioning in a money laundering case in which it recently arrested state minister Alamgir Alam, official sources said on Wednesday. Ranjan is a former secretary of the rural development department. He is currently the secretary of land, road and building department and has been asked to depose before the federal agency at its zonal office here on May 24, the sources said.

5:18 PM

Home ministry office receives bomb threat mail, bomb disposal squad rushed

 A bomb disposal squad along with fire tenders to the spot, Delhi police said on Wednesday after the Ministry of Home Affairs office in Delhi's North Block received an email threat about a bomb.

4:55 PM

Calcutta High Court dismisses all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010

The Calcutta High Court today rejected all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010. The court directed that a fresh list of OBCs be prepared based on the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes Act of 1993 by the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes.

4:50 PM

Pune Porsche case: Juvenile's father, two pub employees sent in police custody

A sessions court today remanded the father of a 17-year-old juvenile allegedly involved in a car accident and two employees of a pub in police custody till May 24.

The teenage boy's father, a real estate developer, and employees of Black Club pub Nitesh Shevani and Jayesh Gavkar, were produced before additional sessions judge S P Ponkshe.

4:49 PM

Vice-President Dhankhar arrives in Tehran to pay condolence on death of Iranian President Raisi

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar arrived here on Wednesday to attend an official ceremony to pay condolences on the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.

4:14 PM

Pune Porsche Crash: Father of accused teen, sent to police custody till May 24

The father of the Pune teen who killed two people with speeding Porsche was sent to police custody till Friday.