LIVE: Delhi HC rejects anticipatory bail to ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar

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Three Khalistani terrorists were killed in an encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district. The three were accused of allegedly attacking a police post in Punjab's Gurdaspur district. The accused, identified as Gurwinder Singh, Virendra Singh and Jasanpreet Singh, belonged to a banned organisation named Khalistan Commando Force. 

Security personnel in Pakistan killed 11 suspected terrorists, including a commander of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in two intelligence-based operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday. Among the militants killed was a commander who was leading the group. The suspected terrorists belonged to the banned extremist organisation's Hafiz Gul Bahadur group. 

Arguing that shippers are charged ridiculous fees to pass through the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States foolishly ceded to its Central American ally. The Republican president-elect used his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov 5 to bask in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along. Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his dream team. Cabinet would deliver a booming economy, seal U.S. borders and quickly settle wars in Israel and Ukraine. His appearance capped a four-day pep rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and projected an image of Republican cohesion despite the past week's turbulence in Washington with Trump pulling strings from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown heading into the Christmas holiday.

 

3:27 PM

Somnath Suryavanshi's demise is a custodial death, alleges Rahul Gandhi

Somnath Suryavanshi was killed because he was Dalit and was protecting Constitution, Rahul Gandhi claimed today.

3:21 PM

Turned dreams of people into source of income: Priyanka hits out at govt over GST on exam forms

Sharing an examination form of the Kalyan Singh Super Speciality Cancer Institute, Sultanpur Road, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday attacked the BJP over levying GST on examination forms. "The BJP cannot provide jobs to youngsters but it is definitely rubbing salt on the wounds by charging 18 per cent GST on examination forms. GST is being charged on every government job form, including Agniveer," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

2:53 PM

Delhi HC refuses anticipatory bail to Puja Khedkar in UPSC cheating case

Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in the criminal case lodged against her for alleged cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination.Justice Singh said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and investigation was required to unearth the conspiracy. It was a classic case of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as society, the judge said.

 

2:37 PM

BJP issues 'chargesheet' against Kejriwal, vows to remove AAP from power

Senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Monday issued a "chargesheet" against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of turning Delhi into a "corruption lab" through a series of "scams". Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the state unit of the BJP has formed a "chargesheet committee" that has so far issued detailed reports listing the alleged failures of the ruling AAP MLAs.

2:18 PM

Excluded from Cabinet, Bhujbal meets CM Fadnavis

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal,who is sulking over not being included in the new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here on Monday. "Fadnavis told me that the Other Backward Classes have played an important role in the landslide victory of the Mahayuti in the assembly elections (held on November 20) and he will take care that the OBC community's interest is not harmed," Bhujbal stated.

2:14 PM

Four children killed in brick kiln wall collapse in Hisar

Four children were killed when a wall of a brick kiln collapsed on them while they were asleep in Budana village of Haryana's Hisar district, police said on Monday. A girl was critically injured in the incident that took place on Sunday night in the Narnaund police station area. The deceased were identified as Nisha (3 months), Suraj (9), Nandini (5) and Vivek (9), they said.

2:12 PM

Congress calls for strict action against BJP MLC

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, on Monday urged the state government to take strict action against BJP MLC C T Ravi for allegedly using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council recently. "The BJP has repeatedly insulted the women of this country. BJP's very character is anti women, anti youth, anti farmer and anti dalit, tribes and backward classes. The way in which BJP leaders are using derogatory language against women leaders once again is deplorable. I urge the Karnataka government to take strict action against the culprits," Surjewala said.

2:03 PM

BSP supremo Mayawati hits out at BJP, Congress over Ambedkar row

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday accused the BJP and the Congress of disrespecting the legacy of B R Ambedkar and exploiting Dalit votes for political gains. She also called on people from all communities to ensure the success of the BSP's nationwide protest on Tuesday against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.

1:43 PM

Bangladesh owes Tripura Rs 200 crore in electricity dues, says CM Manik Sabha

Bangladesh owes Tripura Rs 200 crore in electricity dues but no decision has been taken on halting power supply to the neighbouring country yet, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Monday. "Bangladesh has not paid us about Rs 200 crore for supplying electricity. The outstanding (amount) is increasing every day. We hope that they will clear their dues so that the power supply is not disrupted," Saha said.

1:34 PM

Japan's former Emperor Akihito marks his 91st birthday

Japan's beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace. Akihito, who abdicated in 2019 and handed over the Chrysanthemum throne to his son, Emperor Naruhito, now holds the title of Emperor Emeritus.

1:21 PM

Isro to launch robotic arm with Spadex in space

Isro's Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEX), set to launch on December 30,  will feature a sophisticated robotic arm designed to capture tethered space debris. The arm has been developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

1:15 PM

Man killed in accident in Kerala's Alappuzha district

A man was killed and another sustained injuries after the motorcycle they were travelling on lost control and crashed into a tree in Thanneermukkam near Cherthala in this coastal district of Kerala, police said on Monday. The accident occurred late on Sunday night near the Veliyambra Pranamam Club.

12:47 PM

Police to train Delhi school teachers to deal with bomb threats

With frequent hoax bomb threats triggering panic among school authorities, Delhi Police has decided to train teachers and school staff in dealing with such crises, an official said on Monday. Police will organise a seminar in collaboration with the Education Department for teachers of all government and private schools, he said. "We will teach how to stay calm, react and coordinate with police during a bomb threat in schools," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.

12:41 PM

Record govt jobs provided in one, one and a half years, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Monday that his government has provided nearly 10 lakh permanent government jobs to youths in the last one or one and a half years which, he asserted, is a record. Addressing recruits at a Rozgar Mela through a virtual event, where over 71,000 people were given appointment letters, he said never before in the tenure of any previous government jobs were provided in such a "mission mode".

12:32 PM

After 8 years, Thane court acquits 10 accused in murder case

A Thane court has acquitted 10 persons accused in a case of murder in 2016, observing that the probe agency committed a grave error or was "misguided or directed" by witnesses. The accused were charged with murder, rioting and also booked under provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Special MCOCA Court Judge Amit M Shete, in the 56-page judgement passed on December 19 after the trial spanning more than seven years.