Cong releases first list of candidates for Rajasthan polls

The list includes the names of Sachin Pilot, the leader of opposition in the state, and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot

Politics News : The Congress has released its first list of 152 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections. The list includes the names of Sachin Pilot, the leader of opposition in the state, and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

After detailed deliberations at the party’s Central Election Committee, it was decided that Pilot, who is the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief, will contest from Tonk, while Gehlot will contest from his home turf – Sardarpura constituency.

Meanwhile, senior party leaders CP Joshi and Giriraj Vyas will contest from Nathdwara and Udaipur, respectively. Also, ex-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former top cop of Rajasthan Harish Meena, who recently joined the Congress, has also managed to register his name in the candidates’ list and will…read more

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→News Source: BS / Business Standard←

Marriage of two adults can't be annulled just because man is under 21: SC

An adult couple has a right to live together without marriage, the Supreme Court said, while asserting that a 20-year-old Kerala woman, whose marriage had been annulled, could choose whom she wanted to live with.

The top court held that live-in relationships were now even recognised by the Legislature and they had found a place under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

The observations came while the apex court was hearing a plea filed by one Nandakumar against a Kerala High Court order annulling his marriage with Thushara on the ground that he had not attained the legal age of marriage.

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act states that a girl can't marry before the age of 18, and a boy before 21.

Nandakumar, who had approached the top court, will turn 21 on May 30 this year.

The high court had also granted the custody of Thushara to her father after noting that she was not Nandakumar's "lawfully wedded" wife.

A bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said their marriage could not said to be "null and void" merely because Nandakumar was less than 21 years of age at the time of marriage.

7-year-old girl raped, killed in UP's Etah district; Oppn slams BJP govt

A seven-year-old girl attending a wedding ceremony was allegedly raped and strangulated to death here early on Tuesday by a man hired to set up tents on the occasion, police said.

Enraged over the incident, the victim's family blocked the Etah-Farrukhabad road while opposition parties slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the "sudden spurt" in rape cases.

The incident in western Uttar Pradesh comes at a time when the Yogi Adityanath government is fighting public anger over the rape of a teenager allegedly by a ruling party MLA in Unnao.

According to police, the incident took place at around 1.30 am near Mandi Samiti gate on the Aliganj road here where the girl had gone with her family to attend a wedding.

Sonu Jatav (19), who was given the task of putting up tents for the marriage ceremony lured the girl, raped her and subsequently killed her, Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Chaurasia said, adding that the man was in an inebriated state.

At Rs 10.34 bn, BJP four times richer than Congress in FY17: ADR

Seven national parties declared a total income of Rs 15.59 billion in 2016-17, with BJP having the highest -- Rs 10.34 billion, says a report.

"This forms 66.34 per cent of the total income of national parties added together during 2016-17," Delhi-based think-tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in a report released today.

Indian National Congress (INC) followed with Rs 2.25 billion -- 14.45 per cent of the total income, it said, adding that CPI has declared the lowest income of Rs 20.8 million which forms a mere 0.13 per cent.

The data has been compiled from Income Tax returns filed by the parties across the country.

The seven national parties declared a total expenditure of Rs 12.28 billion, the report added.

BJP declared the maximum expenditure of Rs 7.1 billion in 2016-17, while Congress incurred a total expense of Rs 3.21 billion (Rs 963 million more than its total income).

Bhagwat feels RSS can do the Army's job: Why Modi should take him seriously

"Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days which the Army would do in 6-7 months. This is our capability. Swayamsewak will be ready to take on the front if the country faces such a situation and Constitution permits to do so," the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh(RSS) - A Cultural Organisation™ said to workers on a six day trip to Muzaffarpur (unfortunately not beamed live by Doordarshan like his Dussehra address to the nation).

Sangh is neither a military nor a paramilitary organisation, rather it is like a “parivarik sangathan” (family organisation) where discipline is practised like the Army, he said adding that workers are always happily ready to make supreme sacrifice for their country. If the country ever needs and the Constitution permits the Swayamsewaks will hold the fort, he further added.

'Patidar only' global business summit? 3-day event to host 10k Patel bizmen

Having played a pivotal role in a closely fought Assembly elections in Gujarat, the Patidar community is making itself heard through a global business summit at Mahatma Mandir in state capital Gandhinagar.

The three-day business summit is being organised by Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra, an organisation formed by the community members. The summit will host over 10,000 Patidar industrialists and businessmen from 32 countries.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel, will look to placate the community, which had voted against it in parts of Saurashtra and has been facing joblessness among the youth. On the other hand, Congress leaders from the community are also expected to be present at the event.

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also invited, he might give the summit a miss. Prominent industrialists such as Cadila Healthcare's Pankaj Patel, Suzlon's Tulsi Tanti, and diamond exporter Govind Dholakia, among others, are expected to be there.

The event will see business networking and exhibition through 500 stalls and a 300,000 strong footfall over three days. Apart from MoUs and investment commitments, the summit will see announcements in training and skill development for the Patidar youths for enhancing employability. 

Lucknow-Agra Expressway: Over 10 cars pile up in dense fog, dozen injured

At least a dozen people were injured after dense fog led to the collision of several vehicles on the busy Lucknow-Agra Expressway here this morning, police said today.

Reduced visibility due to dense fog was stated to be the reason behind the accident, police said.

"Pile-up of around a dozen vehicles took place early this morning on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Jogikot village under Bangarmau police station," said Additional Superintendent of Police Ambrish Bhadauria.

Around a dozen people have sustained injuries in the accident, he added.

"The injured persons were administered first aid at the community health centre in Bangarmau, and were subsequently sent home," he informed.
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Hotels can charge you more than MRP for bottled water: What you should know

Can a hotel or a restaurant charge for a bottle of drinking water more than the maximum retail price marked on the container? The answer is yes. In a major blow to consumers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday held that hotels and restaurants are not bound by the maximum retail price (MRP) when they sell bottled mineral water and packaged food items.

The court rejected the government’s argument that overcharging for pre-packed or packaged products was an offence under the Legal Metrology Act, which attracts a fine of Rs 25,000 or a jail term, according to ET.

A bench headed by Justice Rohinton Nariman said the provisions of the law will not apply to hotels and restaurants, and these establishments cannot be prosecuted for selling such items above the MRP.

“It is not a case of simple sale. Nobody goes to a hotel to buy or take away a bottle of mineral water,” the bench observed, hearing a petition by the Hotels and Restaurant Association of India.

Earlier, in its affidavit in response to a petition filed by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that overcharging for pre-packed or prepackaged products was an offence under the Legal Metrology Act.

“Sale of packaged water over MRP by hotels and restaurants may have implications regarding tax evasion as a bottle purchased by a hotel at cost price, which should be sold at MRP or less, is being sold at much higher prices, leading to possible loss of additional revenue to the government in the form of service tax or excise duty etc.,” the government had said.

Parliament attack ceremony: A day after war of words, Modi & Manmohan meet

Days after their bitter war of words over a meeting with Pakistani officials, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh greeted each other and shook hands on Wednesday at an event here to pay homage to the victims of the 2001 Parliament attack.

Also present were Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi and party chief Sonia Gandhi, who too met and greeted Modi and other BJP leaders at the event in Parliament House.

A smiling Rahul Gandhi went ahead and met Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sushma Swaraj.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Home Minister Rajnath Singh were also present at the occasion.

"We pay homage to those who laid down their lives protecting the temple of our democracy on December 13, 2001. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten," the Prime Minister tweeted after the event.

President Ram Nath Kovind also remembered those "martyred while defending Parliament from terrorists on this day 16 years ago".

"Forces of hate and terror targeted what we cherish most. India's democracy and democratic values. They did not succeed. And we will never let them succeed," Kovind said in his tweet.

On December 13, 2001, five heavily-armed gunmen stormed the Parliament complex indiscriminately firing and killing nine persons.

Those killed included five Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer, two Parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener.

A journalist, who was injured, died later. All five terrorists were shot dead.

A year later, four accused, including Afzal Guru, were arrested for the attack and found guilty after a trial. Guru was hanged on February 9, 2013.

Note ban made Manushi Chhillar 'Miss World': Shiv Sena's latest dig at BJP

Taking a dig at the BJP, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday wondered why no one from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed credit after Manushi Chhillar brought the 'Miss World' crown to India.

"This charming woman from Haryana has indeed made the country proud by bagging the 'Miss World' title after a gap of 17 years. This was possible only 'because of the government of (Narendra Modi-Amit Shah)' which assumed power with divine blessings," the Sena said in a tongue-in-cheek edit in the party mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana'.

What was even more surprising was that "nobody from the ruling establishment" had yet come forth to grab the glory for her victory in the global beauty arena, it said.

"Manushi's surname is 'Chhillar', hence she won. This is actually a victory of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi's demonetization policy. After the Rs 1,000-Rs 500 currency notes were spiked, people were left with only 'chhillar' (small change) in hand.

"Why nobody has yet come forward to snatch the credit for this is a mystery," the Sena said.

Hazarding its own guess, the editorial said the clue could be in the winning answer given by Chhillar in the competition that impressed the pageant jury which was convinced that she had both beauty and brains.

To the clinching question 'Who should get the highest salary?', Chhillar responded: "A Mother should get that highest honour, and not just salary but also lots of love and respect.

"But it was not her grand triumph, but the success of demonetization. After the note spiking, the situation in the country causes concern. All cash has dried up and people have to eke out a living with 'chhillar' (small change) only," the Sena said.

The editorial came a day after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor remarks on 'chhillar' evoked sharp criticism, forcing him to apologise.

Gujarat elections 2017: BJP declares list, Rupani to contest from Rajkot

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday declared its first list of 70 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly polls with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani being nominated to contest from his traditional Rajkot West constituency.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel will contest from Mehsana, his traditional constituency, while state BJP chief Jitubhai Vaghani will contest from Bhavnagar West.

Gujarat will have two-phased polls on December 9 and 14. The first phase will cover 89 constituencies in 19 districts, and the second phase 93 seats in 14 districts.

The list comes days after the deliberations at the BJP Central Election Committee attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the presidentship of party chief Amit Shah.

The filing of nominations for the polls began on November 14.

Counting of votes will be taken up along with that of Himachal Pradesh on December 18.

Dawood Ibrahim's south Mumbai properties auctioned for Rs 12 cr

Three south Mumbai properties belonging to fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim were auctioned for Rs 11.58 crore on Tuesday, according to an official involved in the process.

The properties were put on auction by the ministry of finance, under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act.

The three properties are Hotel Raunaq Afroz, also known as Delhi Zaika, Shabnam Guest House and six rooms in Damarwala building.

The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust was the highest bidder for the three properties, the official said.

While the Raunaq Afroz hotel attracted a bid of Rs 4.53 crore, Shabnam Guest House got a bid of Rs 3.52 crore and the rooms in the Damarwala building went for Rs 3.53 crore, he said.

Elphinstone stampede: HC pulls up activists for closing eyes to problem

The Bombay High Court today castigated "so-called activists" for approaching it on the issue of safety of commuters only after the Elphinstone Road station stampede and asked why they woke up to the "serious and sensitive" issue only after the death of so many people.

On September 29, a stampede on the stairwell of a narrow foot over bridge (FOB) at the station left 23 dead and over 30 injured.

Soon after the mishap, four public interest litigations (PILs) were filed in the high court seeking directions to the railways to take measures to ensure that such an incident is not repeated at any other railway station.

The HC today noted that only after so many people died that the activists realised and came up with petitions.

"The station concerned and bridge is in existence since 1867, according to the petitions. Till date...till 23 people died...till the incident everybody closed their eyes to the problem. Now after the incident, these so-called activists have woken up and come with PILs," a division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice N M Jamdar said.
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Reliance Digital offers 70% buyback on iPhone 8 & 8 Plus, Rs 10000 cashback

Reliance Digital has announced a buyback offer wherein customers of the to-be-launched Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus would be "eligible for 70 per cent of the original purchase price as buyback amount on return of the device after a year". According to sources, customers can avail this offer at Reliance Digital or Amazon.in as well as MyJio, Jio.com and Jio Store.
 
Further, according to sources, Reliance Digital will offer customers who have pre-booked the phones between September 22 and September 29 a Rs 10,000 cashback on the day of the launch (September 29) if they use a Citibank Credit Card to purchase the devices.

Reliance Jio has also launched a tariff plan especially for iPhone 8. The Rs 799 plan provides 90 GB of data per month for postpaid users, over and above the free voice, SMS and complimentary subscription to Jio’s premium applications. The Rs 799 plan is also available for prepaid users with a 28-day validity.

Customers will be able to pre-order the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus beginning September 22 at Reliance Digital, Amazon.in, Jio.com and Jio Store, and both will be available in stores starting September 29.

Additionally, the iPhone X will be available for pre-order from October 27 and for purchase from November 3.

Mumbai building collapse: 12 killed, 14 injured, 30 others feared trapped

MUMBAI BUILDING COLLAPSE - A five-storey residential building in the congested Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai collapsed today, killing at least 12 people and injuring 14 others, officials said. About 30 others were feared trapped.

Fire brigade officials said some nine families lived in the dilapidated Husaini Building. Some media reports said it also housed a play school but children had not arrived yet when the tragedy occurred.

The building, mostly housing lower-middle class families, was located in the Muslim-dominated Pakmodia Street near the J J Hospital.

The building, which also had six godowns on the ground floor, crumbled at around 8:30 am. It's not clear if the heavy rains that inundated Mumbai this week had weakened the building, said to be over 100 years old.

What remained was a large mound of concrete rubble and steel rods encircled by other houses including what appeared to be a tall building. Rescue workers in hard hats clambered up the mound and hammered at concrete slabs with hammers to reach underneath. Cranes and bulldozers were also deployed to scoop up the debris. Residents helped with bare hands.

"The exact number of trapped people cannot be known immediately," deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) Manoj Sharma said.

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Gorakhpur tragedy: 48 children dead in 48 hours at BRD Medical College

As many as forty two children were killed in last 48 hours in Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, which is already under scanner for deaths of over 70 infants at the Gorakhpur hospital in a week in the month of July.

"42 children died in 48 hours of which seven due to encephalitis, rest due to other reasons," PK Singh, Principal BRD Medical College said.

July tragedy:
Last month, 70 children died in BRD Medical College. It is alleged that the children died due to the lack of liquid oxygen in the hospital. The Yogi Adityanath government received flak from the Opposition over the same.

Earlier in the day, suspended principal of the B.R.D. Medical College Rajiv Mishra and his wife Purnima were arrested from Kanpur in connection with the deaths of over 70 infants.

The couple has been taken to Gorakhpur by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police.

Earlier, an FIR was lodged against the suspended principal of the B.R.D medical college, Dr. Rajiv Misra, along with six other hospital personnel, and two officials of the oxygen-supplying agency Pushpa Sales Private Limited, Manish Bhandari and Uday Pratap Sharma under the charges of criminal negligence.
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SC raps Gujarat govt over slow trial in rape case against Asaram Bapu

The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now.

It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman.

The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a "fictitious document" to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

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Doklam standoff ends: MEA says troops begin 'disengaging'

Troops involved in the border standoff between India and China at Doklam have begun disengaging, a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

Shortly after the MEA statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Indian troops had withdrawn to the Indian side of the disputed border at Doklam, where the two countries’ soldiers had been locked in a standoff for more than two months, news agency Reuters reported.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the disputed Doklam region, the report added.

New Delhi and Beijing have reached an understanding for disengaging troops involved in the Doklam standoff, the MEA press statement said.

According to the statement, "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at the face-off site has been agreed to and "is ongoing".

The MEA statement said that during bilateral communications, "we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests". It was on the basis of these communications, according to the statement, that the agreement to disengage was reached.

The People's Daily has also tweeted that India has withdrawn its troops.
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Sasikala accused of paying Rs 2-cr bribe for special menu, kitchen in jail

AIADMK General Secretary and convict V.K. Sasikala Natarajan was on Wednesday accused of bribing Karnataka Director General of Prisons (DGP) Satyanarayana Rao and city central jail officials for undue favours.

"Sasikala has given Rs 1 crore bribe to Rao and another Rs 1 crore was distributed among officials, including warden of the central jail where she is serving 4-year sentence in an illegal wealth case for allowing her special privileges," said a local news channel thats quoted Deputy Inspector of Prisons (DIG) Roopa Moudgil submitted to the state government.

While Roopa was not reachable to confirm the bribery and other charges, Rao, however, denied them and accused Roopa of gross sub-ordination.

"I have served a memo to her (Roopa) seeking explanation and evidence to prove her wild allegations. She has not given any report to me or the government against me or other jail officials," Rao told IANS.

In a sensational revelation, Roopa said 59-year-old Sasikala was getting royal treatment in the women's cell where she has been lodged since February 15 to serve her sentence.

Co-convicts Sasikala's sister-in-law Elavarasi and nephew V.K. Sudhakaran were also held guilty by a trial court in September 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court on February 14 in the two-decade-old disproportionate assets case of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

"As a reward for bribing the prison authorities from Rao to jail warden, Sasikala gets special menu daily, cooked by special chefs in a special kitchen near the women's cell," Roopa is said to have mentioned in the report.

GST impact: TV, fridge, AC, washing machine prices may rise twice this year

Prices of televisions, air-conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators may rise twice this year because of higher input costs and a new tax structure.

Videocon, Panasonic, LG and Whirlpool are considering immediate price hikes to pass on the additional tax burden under the goods and services tax (GST). The rise in material prices over the past few months may be passed on during the festive season.

Prices of steel, copper and plastic have been rising since February. Prices of components like compressors for ACs and refrigerators have risen up by 4 per cent and prices of TV panels have risen by by 3 per cent.

Under margin pressure, companies had postponed price hikes till the festive season. Rajeev Bhutani, vice-president, marketing, Samsung India Electronics, had told Business Standard earlier that the increased cost ofTV panels would have to be passed on.

"We have not yet decided the price hikes under theGST. We are also calculating the effect of higher prices of steel, copper and plastic. Hopefully, the increase will be spread over the coming months," said Kapil Agarwal, vice-president, Whirlpool of India.

Double Whammy

* Prices of key materials such as steel, copper and plastic have been rising since February

* TV-Panels got dearer by 3%, compressors for ACs & fridges by up to 4%

* Manufacturers reeling under margin pressure had to postpone price hikes to avoid impact on demand

* GST comes as second blow with up to 4% rise in effective taxation

* Companies can’t absorb additional costs, may have to hike prices again to pass on input costs ahead of festive season