Rajasthan crisis LIVE: Ashok Gehlot to address media at 9 am in Jaipur

Petition filed in Rajasthan HC on behalf of Sachin Pilot camp over disqualification notice from Assembly speaker. Stay tuned with Business Standard for all latest news updates.

6:26 PM

Sachin Pilot camp petition referred to division bench of Rajasthan HC

A division bench of the Rajasthan High Court will hear Thursday evening a petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders, challenging notices from the Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state assembly, according to a PTI report.

 

A two-judge bench is expected to hear the amended petition at 7.30 pm. The petition first came up Justice Satish Chandra Sharma at 3 pm. But advocate Harish Salve sought time to file a fresh petition. The matter was heard again at about 5 pm when the judge referred it to a division bench.

 

Earlier, Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi, who had written to the Speaker seeking the MLAs' disqualification, also approached the court, asking to be heard before it passes any order. The 19 MLAs were sent notices Tuesday by the Speaker after the Congress complained that they had defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings. The Pilot camp, however, argues that a party whip applies only when the assembly is in session.

6:16 PM

We are in the touch with UAE authorities regarding investigation in Kerala gold smuggling case: MEA

6:00 PM

Tuticorin custodial deaths: SC rejects PIL to restrain Tamil Nadu CM from holding charge of home ministry

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a PIL seeking to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswamy from holding the home ministry portfolio till completion of probe and the trial in the Sathankulum twin custodial death case of P Jayaraj and J Bennicks recently, according to a PTI report.

 

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices R Subhash Reddy and A S Bopanna, which heard the case through video conferencing, did not agree with the submissions of lawyer A Rajarajan on the issue.

 

Jayaraj and his 31-year-old son Bennicks were picked up by police at Tuticorin for questioning for keeping their mobile accessories shop open during the lockdown on June 19 and both succumbed to injuries allegedly received during their custody. Rajarajan, in the PIL, had alleged that the Chief Minister made a "public statement" on June 24 saying that the victims died of illness.

 

Referring to the statements of victims' family members, the plea had said the deceased persons were subjected to severe physical torture by the cops of Sathankulam police station before being remanded in the criminal case and the cause of death was custodial torture.

5:50 PM

Two-judge bench of Rajasthan HC to hear this evening amended petition filed by dissident Congress MLAs

5:47 PM

Portion of Bhanushali building at Fort collapses in Mumbai; families still in the building will be evacuated

5:46 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Rupee slips 3 paise to 75.18 against US dollar

The rupee settled 3 paise lower at 75.18 against the US dollar on Thursday, tracking a strengthening American currency amid worries over mounting COVID-19 cases, news agency PTI reported.

 

Forex traders said the rupee traded in a narrow range as a strong dollar, foreign fund outflows and rising COVID-19 cases dragged the local unit down. A positive trend in the domestic equity markets capped the losses, they added.

 

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 75.23 and swung between a high of 75.15 and low of 75.29 against the US dollar. It finally settled at 75.18, registering a loss of 3 paise over its previous close. The rupee had ended at 75.15 against the US dollar on Wednesday.

 

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.06 per cent to 96.13. On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex surged 419.87 points, or 1.16 per cent, to close at 36,471.68. Similarly, the NSE Nifty rallied 121.75 points, or 1.15 per cent, to 10,739.95.

5:30 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Gold price falls by Rs 32, silver declines Rs 124

Gold prices declined by Rs 32 to Rs 49,986 per 10 gram in the national capital on Thursday amid a weak global trend, according to HDFC Securities.

 

The yellow metal had closed at Rs 50,018 per 10 gram in the previous trade. Silver also fell by Rs 124 to Rs 53,810 per kg from Rs 53,934 per kg on Wednesday. In the international market, gold was quoting lower at USD 1,805 per ounce, while silver was trading flat at USD 19.14 per ounce, according to a PTI report.

 

"Gold prices traded down on Thursday on vaccine hopes. However, prices held the ground above USD 1,800 on US-China tensions," HDFC Securities Senior Analyst (Commodities) Tapan Patel said.

5:29 PM

Waterlogging in Sion area of Mumbai following heavy rainfall in the city

5:19 PM

Assam CM visits flood-affected Kaziranga National Park and takes stock of arrangements for animals

5:18 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Earthquake of 4.8 magnitude hits Rajkot, no casualty

A medium intensity earthquake of 4.8 magnitude hit rural areas near Rajkot city in Gujarat's Saurashtra region on Thursday morning, officials said. There was no report of any casualty or damage to property, Rajkot Collector Ramya Mohan said. The epicentre of the earthquake was 20 km south- southwest of Rajkot city, close to Shapar and Tranba villages, the official said.

 

"Earthquake of 4.8 magnitude hit near Rajkot city at 7.40 am. As per reports that we have collected from city as well as rural areas, it left no impact. There are no damages due to the quake," she said.

 

After the earthquake, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held telephonic discussions with collectors of Rajkot, Surendranagar and Amreli districts. He instructed them to gather information about any damage in their region and take necessary action, a government release said.

5:12 PM

Congress is on ventilator, has no future: Aam Aadmi Party

Alluding to the Rajasthan political crisis, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and National Spokesperson Raghav Chadha on Thursday said that the Congress party has no future, and is on ventilator, taking its last breath.

 

Addressing a digital press conference, Raghav Chadha rued that at a time when every party should be concentrating on increasing the availability of ICU beds, improving the recovery rate and working together, MLAs are being sold and bought in states.

4:45 PM

First trial movement of container ship from Kolkata Port to Agartala & Assam via Chattogram Port of Bangladesh

4:26 PM

Rajasthan HC defers hearing in Sachin Pilot disqualification case

After rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot and his 18 loyalist MLAs on Thursday moved Rajasthan High Court against Speaker C.P. Joshi's disqualification notice alleging that "Speaker was acting under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's influence", the court deferred the plea in the matter as Pilot camp appealed to amend the plea. The petition was filed by P.R. Meena, an MLA from Pilot group on behalf of 18 other MLAs who were slapped notice for not attending two CLPs meetings called in recently.

 

The plea filed against the Rajasthan Speaker said that they fear "Speaker would act as per Gehlot's instruction without giving us a fair hearing."

 

It questioned the validity and correctness of the notice issued by the Speaker. Pilot moved the court ahead of Friday deadline which the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker had given to him and 18 other rebel MLAs to respond. Mukul Rohatgi and Harish Salve represented Pilot group and were connected via video conferencing while Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented the Gehlot government.

4:04 PM

Sachin Pilot camp to file fresh petition against disqualification move; Rajasthan HC grants time

The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday granted time to Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs to file an amended petition challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the Rajasthan Speaker. The petition against the move to disqualify the rebel MLAs from the state assembly was taken up for hearing at 3 pm.

 

But senior Advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the petitioners, sought time to amend it. Salve argued that the MLAs wanted to challenge the constitutional validity of the notices and needed some time to file it afresh. The matter would now be heard by the division bench of the high court, according to a PTI report.

4:02 PM

LIVE: Kulbhushan Jadhav granted second consular access today