Kolkata Rape Case Adjourned in Supreme Court Due to CJI’s Absence

 Ruling BJP on Wednesday fielded Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from the Ladwa seat, shifting him from Karnal, and rewarded several recent entrants to the party with poll tickets as it released the first list of 67 candidates for the elections to the 90-member assembly.

Members of some of the prominent political families also find their names in the list released a day before the nomination process starts, with the party trying to accommodate many senior leaders as well.

Eight women also figure in the first list of candidates. More than half of BJP's 41 MLAs in the state have been renominated.

Former Haryana BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar, who is the party's national secretary, has been fielded from Badli while veteran party leader Anil Vij will seek re-election from his Ambala Cantt stronghold.

Naveen Goyal, a BJP ticket aspirant from Gurugram constituency, on Wednesday tried to show his strength through a 'padyatra' in the city. Hundreds of people took part in the foot march and expressed faith in Goyal.

Haryana will go to polls on October 5.

The padyatra started from Gurugram court parking at around 5 pm and ended at Agrasen Chowk after passing through Sohna Chowk and Sadar Bazaar.

 Kolkata experienced a unique and powerful display of civic solidarity on Wednesday evening when residents turned off their lights for an hour from 9pm to 10 pm and came down to the streets with burning candles to protest the murder of the doctor at RG Kar hospital and to express support for the deceased doctor's family.

Significant pockets across districts of West Bengal also witnessed spontaneous protests from citizens hitting roads late in the evening with burning torches, candles and even backlit mobile phones demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital victim.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, which had called for the protest, titled the event 'Let There Be Light, Let There Be Justice' had planned it to coincide with the Supreme Court's scheduled hearing in the rape-murder case on September 5.

The protesters demanded that the case, which is currently being heard by an apex court bench, be resolved expeditiously so that justice doesn't get delayed any further.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the National Nutrition Month at the Lok Bhavan here on Wednesday and said that building a healthy society and a strong nation requires collective efforts that transcend caste, creed and religion.

It is crucial to improve children's health to ensure the prosperity of future generations, the chief minister said in his address on the occasion.

Malnutrition is a significant challenge to society, Adityanath said, adding, "We need to focus on the well-being of every child to ensure India's development by 2047. The realisation of the dream of a developed India means happiness on every face." "This National Nutrition Month programme will further strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign for a developed India. When the children of our state are well-nourished, India will prosper. If the children of the state develop in terms of health, so will our nation," he said.

According to a statement, the chief minister also criticised the opposition for their actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, alleging that some of its leaders fled abroad or went on vacations.

He praised the dedication of Uttar Pradesh's Anganwadi and ASHA workers, saying they played a crucial role in the state's effective pandemic management.

Highlighting his government's achievements, the chief minister said that in the last seven-and-a-half years, the BJP's double-engine government has constructed over 18,000 Anganwadi centres across the state.

Demanding justice for murdered woman doctor at the state-run R G Kar hospital last month, hundreds of people from various walks of life gathered across the city on Wednesday night to press for a swift probe into the heinous crime and arrest of the guilty.

Echoing the 'Reclaim the Night' movement of August 14 midnight, people assembled at various places such as New Town's Biswa Bangla Gate, Shyambazar, Sinthir More, Sodpur Traffic More, Hazra More, Jadavpur 8B bus stand, Lake Gardens, and Behala Sakher Bazar to demand justice for the doctor.

An elderly homemaker said, "We cannot be stopped by any obstruction. Our only goal is to secure justice for the woman doctor." People sang Kazi Nazrul Islam's revolutionary song "Karar Oi Louho Kapat, Bhenge Phel Korre Lopat" (Let's unshackle the iron grill) to press for the cause.

Bengali film personalities Swastika Mukherjee and Sohini Sarkar joined gatherings at Golf Green and Shyambazar, respectively, supporting the call for justice and freedom from oppression.

Earlier in the day, several lawyers formed human chains outside Calcutta High Court and Bankshall Court, advocating for justice for the victim.

Heavy rains lashed parts of Rajasthan on Wednesday with Jodhpur recording the highest rainfall of 90.6 mm.

According to Jaipur Meteorological Center, from Wednesday morning to 5.30 pm, 90.6 mm rain was recorded in Jodhpur city, 70 mm in Sirohi, 25 mm in Mount Abu, 22.5 mm in Karauli, 21 mm in Vanasthali, 19.2 mm in Barmer and 10 mm in Anta.

According to the Meteorological Center Jaipur, there is a strong possibility of the monsoon remaining active in most parts of eastern Rajasthan for the next four to five days and heavy rain activities continuing at some places.

In the last 24 hours, heavy rains was recorded at many places in Udaipur, Bhilwara and Barmer districts.

According to the department, another new low pressure area is likely to form in the Bay of Bengal in the next 24 hours and due to its effect there is a possibility of heavy and very heavy rains at some places in Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer divisions on Wednesday.

There is a possibility of moderate to heavy rains in some parts of Jaipur, Bharatpur and Bikaner divisions.

The Rajasthan Cabinet on Wednesday approved 33 per cent reservation to women in the police force and five per cent additional allowance to pensioners.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, also approved a proposal to allot land for a 3,150 MW solar power project.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr Prem Chand Bairwa said an amendment to the Rajasthan Police Subordinate Services Rules, 1989, was approved in the cabinet meeting, paving the way for the one-third quota for women in police.

A notification will be issued soon by the Personnel department in this regard, he added.

Dr Bairwa said the cabinet has also taken measures in connection with beneficiaries of pensions for retiring state government employees.

If there is no other eligible member, then the names of specially-abled (vishesh yogya) children, dependent parents, and specially-abled siblings can now be permanently added to the Pension Payment Order, he said.

For this, approval has been given to amend Rules 67 and 87 of the Rajasthan Civil Services Pension Rules, 1996 under the pension rules of the central government, he said.

He also said that consequent to the CM's announcement of giving a 5 per cent additional allowance to pensioners of 70 to 75 years of age during a discussion on the Rajasthan Appropriation and Finance Bill in the Assembly, approval was given to replace Rule 54B of Rajasthan Civil Services Pension Rules, 1996.

BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Wednesday slammed the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh as "anti-people" and said that the financial crisis faced by people was a result of bad policies.

The Congress government has money for cars and bungalows for its political appointments, but not for salaries of the state's employee, said Thakur while addressing party functionaries at Samirpur in Hamirpur district during a BJP membership drive here.

The BJP's Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in-charge Rajesh Thakur started the membership drive in the district by making Thakur a member. Thakur, a former Union minister, appealed to the people to join the BJP in large numbers.

Thakur said, "Today, along with the party officials and dedicated workers of Hamirpur district, I renewed my membership as a dedicated party worker and reiterated my resolve to serve the nation." He said that the BJP was the largest party in the world and it is fortunate to have the world's most popular leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

The BJP leader also addressed a party workers' meeting in Bharedi and Tauni Devi. 

Due to the absence of CJI Dy Chandrachud's bench tomorrow, the case of murder and rape of a trainee doctor in RG Kar medical college will not be heard in the Supreme Court tomorrow.

Zero Hour would be introduced in the Himachal assembly after framing standard operating procedures (SOPs), Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said on Wednesday.

Only urgent issues of public interest which cannot be listed or are not listed under the rules can be raised during the Question Hour but the Speaker has the discretion to allow any issue and giving the reply immediately is also not binding, he added.

The Speaker's remarks came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan raised the issue immediately after the Question Hour.

Chauhan said the government was not taken into confidence before taking the decision to introduce Zero Hour which proves that the Speaker is neutral and does not act under the pressure of the government as often claimed by the opposition.

Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Harvinder Singh outclassed Tseng Lung-Hui of Chinese Taipei 7-3 to make the men's recurve open pre-quarterfinals in archery competition of the ongoing Paris Games on Wednesday.

Harvinder, the only Paralympics medal-winning Indian archer, drew the first set 25-25, before he shot one 10 and 9 to win the second 27-26 and take 3-1 lead.

Lung-Hui dished out a near perfect third set when he dropped just one point to win it 29-26 and bring the scores level at 3-3.

But Lung-Hui faltered in the next two sets as Harvinder held his nerves to win 24-23 and 25-17 and seal his last-16 berth.

In recurve open class, archers shoot from a standing position at a distance of 70m at a 122cm target made up of 10 concentric circles, scoring from 10 points down to 1 point from the centre outwards.

The Centre has sanctioned construction of more than 8 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) in rural areas of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Wednesday.

The CM also informed that his government, which assumed office nine months ago, has requested the Centre to approve houses under PMAY separately for surrendered Naxalites and people affected by Maoist violence in the state.

Slamming the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh (2018-23), he alleged it failed to implement the scheme in the state, as a result 18 lakh families were deprived of pucca (concrete) houses.

"The Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress dispensation had been inactive in implementing the housing scheme and therefore 18 lakh families could not get homes under it. The Baghel government did not disburse the state's share of 40 per cent for the scheme as the 'PM' word was linked to it and they were scared the credit will go to the BJP government (at the Centre) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Sai alleged.

 The Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches and frozen funds to the tune of Rs 1.90 crore as part of a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities at the Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), a Bhopal-based premier engineering institute.

The raids were carried out on Monday at premises in Bhopal, and Sohagpur and Pipariya in Narmadapuram district, and Ranchi and Bokaro in Jharkhand.

"The searches covered the residential premises of the key persons of the university including that of ex-Vice Chancellor (Dr Sunil Kumar), ex-registrar and ex-finance controller.

"Incriminating documents and details of immovable and movable properties were seized," the federal agency said in a statement.

Tamil Nadu: Fire breaks out at firecracker godown in Salem, injured rushed to hospital
 

Rainfall in Gurugram causes traffic jams in several parts of the city. 

 Tripura CM Manik Saha arrives at North Block for the signing of an agreement between Govt of India, Govt of Tripura, NLFT and ATTF, in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah

Police on Wednesday conducted a raid at a spa in Navi Mumbai and rescued three women who were found to be pushed into flesh trade, an official said.

Officials of the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) raided the spa at Sanpada following a tip-off, he said.

CM Yogi distributes appointment letters to 1,334 selected by UPSCC, compares "Chacha-Bhateeja" to Bharaich Bhediya

 Vehicular movement on the busy Ghodbunder Road in Thane city was affected for over five hours after a truck fell from a flyover on Wednesday morning, civic officials said

 A team of nine shooters has been deployed in Bahraich forest here to shoot a man-eating wolf at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's order, an officer on Wednesday said.

Six of the shooters are from the forest department and three from police

 Five people, including Mukhtar Ansari's MLA son Abbas Ansari, have been booked under the Gangsters Act, police on Wednesday said.

Besides the lawmaker, his driver Niaz Ansari, jail canteen manager Navneet Sachan, Varanasi accountant Shahbaz Alam Khan, and local SP leader Faraz Khan have been named in the FIR lodged at Karvi Police Station on Tuesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Changi Airport on a two-day official visit to Singapore  During his visit, PM Modi will meet Singapore PM Lawrence Wong. PM Modi will call on President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam and interact with Singaporean leadership. He will also meet with business leaders from Singapore.

 Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’ didn’t get any relief on Wednesday from the Bombay High Court which refused to pass any order in the wake of a directive by the Madhya Pradesh HC directing CBFC to consider objections to the movie before certifying it.

The film was scheduled to release on September 6 but will now be pushed back for two weeks as the HC directed the censor board to consider the objections raised against the film and then certify it by September 18.

Tamil Nadu Ministers Udhayanidhi Stalin, KN Nehru and PK Sekarbabu hold the Northeast monsoon preparedness meeting at the Amma Maligai Building in Chennai.

 Five Bangladesh nationals, including four women, were apprehended and pushed back from Assam's Karimganj district on Wednesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

They were nabbed by the Assam police while trying to enter Karimganj from neighbouring Tripura.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the Police Headquarters in Dehradun.

 High Commissioner of Singapore to India Simon Wong tweets, "Singapore's Capital, one of Asia's largest diversified real estate groups, plans to more than double its funds under management in India to more than US$14.8 billion (>INR 90,280 Cr) by 2028..."

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday made a pitch for replicating in Maharashtra the bill passed by West Bengal assembly that seeks capital punishment for rape convicts.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday accused the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party of taking support from ex-militants for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and said the two parties want to take the Union territory back to its "trouble-filled days".

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia likely to contest Haryana Assembly elections on Congress ticket; might resign from their posts today: Sources

West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha arrives at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Kolkata. ED had conducted a raid at his residence in March 2024 in connection with the West Bengal school recruitment scam.

The two leaders witnessed the signing and exchange of an MoU on Cooperation in the operation of Telemetry, Tracking and Telecommand Station for Satellite and Launch Vehicles by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Brunei’s Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Pengiran Dato Shamhary Pengiran Dato Mustapha. They welcomed the upcoming commencement of direct flight connection between Bandar Seri Begawan and Chennai. A Joint Statement was adopted after the talks, said the MEA on PM Modi's visit to Brunei 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says "I express my heartfelt gratitude to you and the entire Royal Family for your kind words, warm welcome and hospitality. This is the first bilateral visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Brunie. Brunei will complete 40 years of Independence this year. Under your leadership, Brunei has progressed with an important confluence of tradition and continuity. Your vision of Wawasan 2035 for Brunie is commendable. On behalf of 140 crore Indians, I extend my best wishes to you and the people of Brunie. There are deep historical and cultural ties between India and Brunie. This year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of our political relations. On this occasion, we have decided to give our relations the status of Enhanced Partnership. To give a strategic direction to our partnership, we had a comprehensive discussion on all aspects. We are committed to strengthening our cooperation in the economic, scientific and strategic fields..."

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat met Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says "I express my heartfelt gratitude to you and the entire Royal Family for your kind words, warm welcome and hospitality. I convey my greetings to you and the people of Brunei on the 40th anniversary of Independence on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians. We have centuries-old cultural ties. The basis of our friendship is our great cultural tradition. Under your leadership, our relations have been growing stronger day by day. The memories of your visit to India as the Chief Guest on our Republic Day in 2018 are still remembered with great pride by the people of India. I am extremely happy that I have had the opportunity to visit Brunei at the beginning of my third term and to discuss the future with you. It is also a happy coincidence that this year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of our bilateral partnership. Brunei being an important partner in India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision is a guarantee of a bright future for us."

'India's Act East policy and pacific region Brunei's presence is significant' said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Darusellam

Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia are likely to meet top Congress leadership Today amid speculations to join the party ahead of Haryana Assembly polls 

Several areas in the state continue to reel under severe waterlogging and flood-like situations.

"PM Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed at the Istana Nurul Iman by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and his close family members," tweeted MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

The ceasework by junior doctors at state-run hospitals in West Bengal continued on Wednesday to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee medic at RG Kar hospital here last month.

Health services remained crippled at most state-run medical facilities due to the ceasework, which has been underway for over three weeks now.

 Celebrations underway for the first Parkash Gurpurab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Amritsar

Drone attack in Imphal: Rajya Sabha MP Sanjaoba Leishemba forms committee to probe incident

 An analysis of recent flooding in parts of Gujarat showed that it was caused by severe weather conditions and exacerbated by extensive urban development, altered elevations and compromised drainage patterns, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-GN) have said.

Four Ukrainian Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to parliament late Tuesday, ahead of an expected government reshuffle, according to the speaker's office.

 Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday took a dig at the opposition, especially his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, and said those born with a golden spoon will not realise the value of Rs 1,500, the amount the state government is giving to underprivileged women per month under a new welfare scheme.

Search operation is underway in Bahraich to catch the man eater wolves left. So far 4 wolves have been caught.

“I feel sad that Chief Minister of West Bengal ignored her most sacred duty of providing quick Justice for women & children. This letter of 2021 clearly shows it. In 2018, a stringent law was passed by- Parliament to deal with heinous crimes like Rape..  State Govts must act ”, Stated Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in a statement.

As Ganesh Chaturthi festivities approach, artisans in Nashik craft eco-friendly idols of Lord Ganesha.

On the second day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brunei, he is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of Brunei and Sultan, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah

BJP is likely to release manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls on September 06, as per sources.

Home Minister Amit Shah will unveil party's manifesto in Jammu. Meanwhile, around a dozen national leaders of BJP to remain present during manifesto launch in Jammu. 

BJP's manifesto was given nod by high command; Many leaders are claiming that it will be BJP's roadmap for 'good governance' in J&K

 An attempted jailbreak in Congo's main prison left 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility, authorities said Tuesday. One prominent activist put the death toll at more than 200.

National Investigation Agency conducts searches in Chhattisgarh in CPI (Maoist) road blockade case

Indians won silver and bronze in both men's high jump T63 and javelin throw F46 after Deepthi Jeevanji's bronze in the women's 400m T20 category as the country's track and field athletes clinched five medals at the Paralympic Games here on Tuesday.