LIVE: SC protects Setalvad from arrest, stays Gujarat HC order for a week

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3:08 PM

Rajnath Singh meets Padma Shri Ajay Mandavi in Kanker

2:49 PM

HC to pass order on cognisance of charge sheet against Brij Bhushan on Jul 7

A Delhi court on Tuesday posted for July 7 the pronouncement on whether to take cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi police against BJP MP and outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case of alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal, who was scheduled to pass the order on Saturday, noted the submission of the city police that its probe is still in progress and a supplementary charge sheet is likely to be filed.

 

2:23 PM

Bus tragedy: Shinde assures steps to curb accidents on Samruddhi Expressway

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said his government has taken the Buldhana bus tragedy, in which 25 persons were charred to death, seriously, and assured that measures would be taken to prevent accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway.

 

2:19 PM

NIA files supplementary charge sheet against 9 in Karnataka ISIS conspiracy case

The National Investigation Agency has filed its first supplementary charge sheet against nine people for their alleged involvement in a case related to a conspiracy by the global terror group ISIS to carry out terror attacks across the country.

Five of the accused in the charge sheet have tech backgrounds and had allegedly been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue courses in robotics to pick up skills for carrying out attacks in the future in furtherance of the terror group's agenda for the country, the federal agency said.

It identified the accused charge-sheeted on Friday as Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).

2:01 PM

Shinde, Fadnavis reach Buldhana bus accident site

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have reached the Buldhana bus accident site at Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Maharashtra. The ministers are currently inspecting the accident site. They will meet with the injured in the hospital. The accident, in which 25 people have lost their lives, took place at around 1:30 am on Saturday on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana.

 

1:55 PM

MP High Court requests Centre to reduce women's consent age to 16 from 18

The Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the Centre to reduce the consent age of females to 16, observing that the present age of 18 has disturbed the fabric of society as injustice is going on with adolescent boys.

The court's request came on June 27 through an order quashing a First Information Report (FIR) against a man who was accused of repeatedly raping a minor girl and impregnating her in 2020.

Nowadays, every male or female near the age of 14 years, due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity, is getting puberty at an early age, the judge said.

1:49 PM

Economy has moved away from twin-balance sheet problem, banks now profitable: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday that the Indian economy has moved away from the twin-balance sheet problem of banks and corporates to twin-balance sheet advantage because of the concerted efforts of the Modi government. Profit of public sector banks increased to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in 2022-23, tripling from what it was in 2014, the minister said while inaugurating the corporate office of Punjab & Sind Bank here.

 

1:45 PM

Improving Delhi's air quality has been most difficult task, says CM Kejriwal

A day after the Environment Ministry said Delhi registered the highest number of 'good to moderate' air quality days this year since 2016, barring 2020, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday said improving air quality in the city has been the most difficult task.

Delhi also experienced the least number of days with 'poor to severe' air quality in the first half-year period (January to June) in 2023, compared to the corresponding period since 2016, except for COVID-19 affected 2020.

"This was perhaps the most difficult task -- improving air quality. But a series of steps taken by Delhiites helped us achieve this seemingly impossible task. Still a long way to go. But Delhi people have always done what others thought impossible," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

1:30 PM

Broadway drops vaccine mandate, COVID-19 testing requirements

Broadway has dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for actors and workers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Broadway has moved to a more lenient testing model, which allows individual productions not to test cast and crew members on a weekly basis or to test as often as they want.

"The move away from COVID-specific protocols to flexible, long-term guidance on responding to infectious disease fosters continued collaboration between employers and Equity, and responsiveness to old and new workplace threats as they arise," said Actors' Equity Association Assistant Executive Director Andrea Hoeschen.

1:23 PM

Bengal Guv visits violence-hit Dinhata, meets oppn leaders ahead of rural polls

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday visited the violence-hit areas of Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and met the family members of a man who was killed during an incident of firing on June 27 ahead of the panchayat elections, an official said.

The governor also visited a hospital in Cooch Behar where the injured in clashes are undergoing treatment.

Bose is on a trip to the northern districts of the state.

1:22 PM

IMD predicts heavy to very heavy showers in Goa till July 4

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall for parts of Goa till July 4, even as showers continued to pummel the coastal state, an official said on Saturday.

As per a bulletin issued by the IMD on Friday, heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at a few places till July 4.

Squally winds gusting at a speed of 45-55 kmph going up to 65 kmph will also be witnessed along and off the coast, the bulletin stated.

1:22 PM

IAS officer Anurag Verma assumes charge as Punjab chief secretary

Senior IAS officer Anurag Verma Saturday took charge as chief secretary of Punjab here.

Verma, a 1993-batch IAS officer, succeeded Vijay Kumar Janjua of the 1989 batch, who retired on June 30.

Janjua and other IAS officers, including Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Kumar Rahul and Sonali Giri, were present at Punjab Civil Secretariat when Verma took charge.

1:11 PM

Gujarat HC rejects bail plea of activist Teesta Setalvad, asks her to surrender immediately

The Gujarat High Court on Saturday rejected the regular bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvad's bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail.

As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately, the court said in its order.

1:03 PM

Parliament's Monsoon Session from July 20 to August 11

Parliament's Monsoon Session will start on July 20 and continue till August 11, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Saturday.

Making the announcement, he urged political parties to contribute towards productive discussions during the session.

The session is expected to be a stormy one as the Opposition parties were closing ranks to put up a united front against the Narendra Modi-led BJP in view of the Lok Sabha elections next year.

12:58 PM

Govt spending Rs 6.5 trn annually on agriculture, farmers' welfare: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government was spending Rs 6.5 lakh crore annually for the agriculture sector and farmers' welfare, and called upon cooperatives to help in making the country self-reliant in cooking oils. Speaking at an event on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives, the prime minister also highlighted the work done by his government, like PM Kisan scheme, MSP operations, and fertilizer subsidy since coming to power in 2014.