Congress leader Digvijay Singh, whohad sparked a political storm by claiming that Batla encounterwas fake, today said that he still stood by his statement andrefused to apologise for it.

On a day a Delhi court convicted the lone IndianMujahideen militant facing trial in the 2008 case, Singhclaimed that had his demand for a judicial inquiry been met,"many things may have come to light"

The Congress General Secretary told reporters said that hestill stood by his statement and claimed that he had made iton the basis of the information given to him at that time.

Singh said he had asked for a judicial inquiry into thewhole thing but it was denied and "now since the courthad given its judgement, it was for the aggrieved party eitherto accept or go against it in appeal".

After the CBI filed the first chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case earlier in July, the Gujarat high court, which is monitoring the probe, will hold a further hearing on Friday.     

As political consensus eluded the Indo-Bangla land boundary pact, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni today hoped that all Indian parties would "see the larger picture and act accordingly".        

Incessant rains continued to lash Uttarakhand today, triggering landslides in Uttarkashi and Chamoli and damaging many houses in the two districts.        

Faced with over Rs 11,200 crore tax liability, Vodafone India chief Analjit Singh today met Finance Minister P Chidambaram for the second time this week and expressed hope that there will be clarity soon on the proposal to settle the dispute through conciliation.     

Hours after the Supreme Court refused to give an urgent hearing on Reliance Telecom Ltd's plea against the trial court order summoning Anil Ambani as a prosecution witness, the business tycoon rushed to the Special CBI court, which exempted him from personal appearance in the 2G scam case.        

The neighbours of one of the accused in the December 16 gang-rape case today claimed in a Delhi court that he was attending a music function with friends and was not in the bus in which a 23-year-old girl was gang-raped by six persons.

Two of the neighbours, appearing as defence witness for accused Vinay Sharma, told Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna that "the accused is innocent as he was with us at the time of the incident".

"We, along with them (Vinay and his family members), went to the district park to attend a musical programme," the witnesses said.

The police submitted that as per the horticulture department of DDA, which maintains the park, no such type of activities are held there after 7 pm and nor is anyone allowed inside the park after that time.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who was then home minister monitored the probe into the Batla House case, on Thursday said he felt the gunfight between police and the Indian Mujahideen terrorists was genuine and was satisfied that the prosecution could prove the case in court.

Chidambaram said the encounter in Delhi's Batla House area took place before he assumed the charge as Union home minister in 2008 and he personally went through the evidence and talked to investigators after one of his colleagues suggested that it might not be genuine.

"I spent a lot of time pouring over the papers and talking to officers involved. And I was satisfied that it was a genuine encounter. Unfortunately, we have lost a brave police officer. It was also unfortunate that some of the suspects have escaped. I am told that the lone captured terrorist was held guilty. I am glad that the police have been able to prove their case," he told reporters. 

A man was today killed in a clash between Trinamool Congress and CPI-M supporters in North Dinajpur district during the fifth and final phase of West Bengal panchayat elections, taking the toll in poll-related violence to 21 since the exercise began.

Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor today avoided commenting on BJP's RS MP Chandan Mitra's criticism of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, saying there is no question of taking back the 'Bharat Ratna' from the renowned economist. 

Congress spokesperson Digvijaya Singh says he stands by what he said on the Batla House encounter in 2008, that it was in fact, a fake encounter. He said he had demanded a judicial probe, but that was never done.

The BJP today welcoming a court's verdict which convicted the lone accused and Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Shahzad Ahmad in the 2008 Batla House shootout, said Digvijay should apologise for his statement.

The BJP has demanded an apology from Digvijay Singh for demoralising security forces and raising doubts on the martyrdom of Inspector MC Sharma.  

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today hit out at the BJP for its hostile reaction to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's comment on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and termed Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra's demand that the renowned economist be stripped off the 'Bharat Ratna' to be a reflection of fascist mentality.

"So what is it that Mr. Amartya Sen has done? In this country or in this world aren't people entitled to a view? If this is not pure fascism then what is it?,' Tewari said.

Duplicated many million times on the new 10 banknote will be a line in praise of reading -- it's a shame it was uttered by an Austen character who had no genuine interest in reading at all! Read

Amartya Sen reacts to BJP MP Chandan Mitra's remarks that he should be stripped of the Bharat Ratna. Speaking to Times Now, Sen says, "Mr Chandan Mitra may not know that the Bharat Ratna was given to me by the BJP-led government and was handed to me by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If Mr Vajpayee wants me to return it, I will certainly return it."

He said it was unfortunate that such a demand had come forth and termed it as a "personal" view of Mitra.

 "To get into a political debate and somebody takes a view which seems to me is rather unfair...to all the people as well....I think it is unfortunate....It is so unproductive actually," Sen said. More

Chhapra school principal Meena Devi has been sent to 10 days in jail. She is the prime accused in the mid-day meal tragedy in Bihar that killed 23 kids. The absconding headmistress was arrested on Wednesday near Chhapra and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) took her to an undisclosed place where she was interrogated. 

The wife of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who was killed by alleged IM terrorist Shahzad Ahmed says, now that it has been proved that the Batla House encounter was genuine, the punishment should be swift.

"I will not say I want the death sentence, but the strongest possible punishment should be given. I'm happy with the order, but the government should set an example by delivering exemplary punishment. We have lived with insinuations that the encounter was fake. He (slain inspector MC Sharma) was an only son, imagine what his parents went through," she said.  

So, who was Shahzad Ahmed? Read Praveen Swami's piece. 

So the court has agreed with the Delhi police that the encounter was genuine. It may be recalled that while campaigning in Azamgarh during the Uttar Pradesh elections last year, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid had said party chief Sonia Gandhi "cried" when she was shown photographs of the Batla House encounter. After political whiplash, Khurshid said that he had been misquoted.

Three lakh primary school teachers across Bihar today boycotted mid-day meal duties on the ground that it interfered with their teaching work, a decision slammed as "irresponsible" by the state government which said it would inform the Supreme Court.

Bihar Primary School Teachers Association President Brajnandan Sharma said the mid-day meal duties interfered with teaching duties and also brought a bad name to them because of corruption indulged in by others.

Repeated requests made to the government to remove primary teachers from midday meal duty and to appoint an agency for the task, were ignored, he said.

Nearly five years after the Batla House encounter that killed Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, a session court has declared the lone suspect in the case, Shahzad Ahmad, guilty of killing the police officer.

During the trial, two defence witnesses and 70 prosecution witnesses were examined by the court. Shahzad Ahmad, reportedly a member of the Indian Mujahideen, was one of the occupants of the flat in Jamia Nagar, and was among those who had fired at the police party on September 19, 2008, leading to the death of Inspector Sharma.

Shahzad was also found guilty of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

A Delhi court convicts Shahzad Ahmad from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, for opening fire at a police team to kill Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in what is called the Batla House encounter, five years ago.

The police alleges that Shazad is an Indian Mujahideen operative, and one of four men respsonsible for serial blasts in Delhi in 2008. The quantum of punishment to be pronounced on Monday.

In September 2008, seven officers of the Delhi Police stormed an apartment building in Batla House in Delhi's Jamia Nagar. They later alleged that terrorists from the Indian Mujahideen were holed up there.

Two suspected terrorists were shot dead. Shahzad was arrested and a fourth managed to escape.

Former US president George Bush Sr, who lost son to leukaemia, joins campaign for the sick child of one of his secret service agents. Read

Britain's new royal baby, Prince George, has got an unusual first 'pet' - a tiny crocodile - gifted by an Australian state. The baby crocodile is not just any reptile - it has a special connection with the little prince.

It was born from an egg that was laid on the same day the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced they were having a baby.

"The croc will be named George in honour of the Royal baby and is a fitting Territory gift for a future king," said Chief Minister of Northern Territory, Adam Giles.

The parents of one of the accused in the 16 December gang-rape case on Wednesday told a court that their son was innocent with his father weeping during his testimony. Both the father and mother pleaded with folded hands to the judge that their son should be acquitted from the case as he was falsely implicated in the crime. Read

Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde adds to the chorus on Amartya Sen. Shinde said Dr Sen was a noted economist and his point of view was right. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen had said he does not want Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to become India's prime minister as he does not have secular credentials.

At least six people were killed and over 35 others were injured when some unknown militants attacked Pakistan's Inter services Intelligence (ISI) in the country's southern district of Sukkur on Wednesday evening, local media and police said.

Masood Bangash, the deputy superintendent of police said that a suicide bomber rammed his explosive laden vehicle into the ISI building complex, constituting of a number of government offices in Sukkur, a main district in the country''s southern Sindh province.

Ambani filed an application in the court, saying he had received the summon on July 23 and "owing to extremely short notice of just two days", it would not be possible for him to appear before it.

"I wish to state that owing to the extremely short notice of just over two days and my large number of pre-scheduled and pre-committed business engagements, it will not be possible for me to travel to Delhi on July 26, 2013," he said, adding that he would appear before the court any day after August 15.

"I request your honour to kindly grant an adjournment for my appearance and fix a new date at any time after August 15, 2013 at your convenience," Ambani said.

Sporadic violence was today reported in the fifth and last phase of panchayat elections in West Bengal covering four districts of north Bengal with 30 per cent voter turnout reported till noon.

At least seven CPI(M) supporters were injured in clashes with Trinamool Congress workers since last night in Jalpaiguri district.

Three persons were injured at Talguri in the Maynaguri police station area during a clash today while another person was hit on the head when he was going to cast his vote, the police said. All four persons were stated to be CPI(M) supporters.

In attempts to defend the claim that poverty has declined by 22 per cent since the government came to power, Congress spokespersons are barreling new controversies.

After Raj Babbar said a hearty meal in Mumbai can be bought for Rs. 12, another Congress leader, Rasheed Masood, has said Rs. 5 in Delhi is sufficient for a meal.

"You can eat a meal in Delhi in Rs 5, I don't know about Mumbai. You can get a meal for Rs. 5 near Jama Masjid," Masood said. Read

The Congress Working Committee will discuss a three-paragraph draft resolution on the Telangana statehood issue, which will presented before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Before this draft resolution is circulated on Friday, the Congress Core Committee is expected to redefine the contents of the CWC resolution.

Broader outlines will be incorporated in the draft resolution by P Chidambraam, Gulam Nabi Azad, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Kapil Sibal on Telangana.

The main issue remains whether Hyderabad will remain a common capital for 11 years till such time the Andhra region builds its own capital.

Meanwhile, there is much opposition from the Congress to divide the state. The Samaikyandhra Movement Joint Action Committee (which includes 16 Congress ministers from AP belonging to Seemandra region) led by Shailajanath (Minister) are coming to Delhi tomorrow to meet Sonia Gandhi before the Core Committee meeting begins tomorrow. 

Jill Biden, wife of US Vice President Joe Biden, today said the world is a tough place for women but insisted that education is the key to success. Biden, an educator for over two decades, visited a girl's school - Anjuman-I-Islam - in Mumbai this morning.

School girls welcomed Jill, who was accompanied by her daughter Ashley, by playing the band. Thereafter, the US second lady briefly toured the school and met the girls studying in tenth standard, interacted with them, motivated them to study hard and wished them luck.

"The world is a tough place for women everywhere including work place. It feels good to see young girls getting educated. Education is a powerful weapon, it helps in some or the other way," said Jill. "Everyone wants to pursue their dreams and do better in life. I think all this is possible because of education. I love teaching young women," she said.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP and proprietor-editor-in-chief of The Pioneer newspaper Chandan Mitra had demanded that Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen be stripped of his Bharat Ratna.

The renowned economist had said in a recent interview that he would not like to see Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the country's Prime Minister.

This riled Mitra, who tweeted: "Is Sen even a voter in India? Next NDA government must strip him of Bharat Ratna.' He went on to tell 'Dr. Sen,' "Don't peddle your unsolicited comments on India. We know you as an economist who sells Congress line for a living.' More

The BJP has distanced itself from party MP Chandan Mitra's remarks against Noble laureate Amartya Sen. Sources say that the BJP leaders insist that Mitra's tweet is his personal view.

The Congress, meanwhile, has hit out at Chandan Mitra calling it 'height of intolerance'. "Amartya Sen doesn't want Modi as PM, rates him below Nitish. For this sin BJP wants to strip his Bharat Ratna. Isn't it height of intolerance," tweeted Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad.

This came after BJP MP Chandan Mitra demanded that Amartya Sen's Bharat Ratna be taken back. Mitra said, "Amartya Sen says he doesn't want Modi to be India's PM. Is Sen even a voter in India? Next NDA government must strip him of Bharat Ratna."  -- CNN IBN

This week the Indian government released its latest estimates on the number of people living poverty in the country. Here's how to understand them. Read

An active politician for over four decades, Pranab Mukherjee today completed one year in office as a copybook President, a period that was marked by proactive steps within and outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mukherjee (77), a stickler for rules and conventions in his heydays as parliamentarian or minister, used occasions, whenever he got in the last one year, to impress upon the lawmakers to shed disruptions in the House while asking the judiciary to avoid overreach.

He shed the "honorific" of "His Excellency" in people addressing him and sought to reach out to them taking Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the common man.

He was seen as proactive when he disposed of the mercy petitions of 26/11 attack convict Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru that had triggered a controversy but his aides explain that as President he had no choice but to go by the Cabinet advice.

"A President has to function by the book," Mukherjee told a journalist at an informal tea with the media in Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday when he was asked about people calling him an active President.

The Juvenile Justice Board has deferred the verdict on the December 16 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in New Delhi, to August 5. The board was to pass judgement on the juvenile, who was 17 at the time of the horrific assault, and has since turned 18 in custody.

In the Chandni Chowk area of north Delhi, a dilapidated mansion built in 1923 houses a government-run primary school.

Every day, Raj Kumar, 42, a contractor, transports boxed free lunches to the school. Earlier this week, he opened a container to show out how it was still half full.

"Look how much food went to waste today,' he said. "These children have been eating less since they heard about the deaths in Bihar.' Read

US President Barack Obama has nominated Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former president John F Kennedy, as his next envoy to Japan. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would replace US Ambassador to Japan John Roos, who has been serving in this position since 2009.

The Juvenile Justice Board is expected to deliver its verdict today on the December 16 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in New Delhi. The board is expected to pass judgement on the youngest suspect, who was 17 at the time of the horrific assault.

The family of the medical student and the accused have arrived at the court in New Delhi. Last week, the juvenile court had found the teenager guilty of robbing a carpenter just before the girl and her male friend boarded the bus near a South Delhi mall and were assaulted with an iron rod. The couple was thrown onto the road after the young woman was raped. She died in a Singapore hospital two weeks later. More

Ewie Cronje, father of deceased former South African captain Hansie Cronje, has threatened legal action against the Indian police for filing a chargesheet which implicates his son in the 2000 match-fixing scandal.

The Indian authorities have brought charges against Cronje and fiveinternational bookmakers 13 years after the scandal that rocked the international cricket fraternity.

But a New Delhi court has ruled that charges against Cronje should be dropped because he died in a plane crash in 2002.However, the original chargesheet alleges that Cronje received more than Rs 12 million in two payments from bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla but Cronje senior said Hansie had received less than a quarter of that amount.

"It's nonsense. Where is the money?" Cronje told the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld' in Johannesburg."I'm considering legal action against the Indian police," he added.

The Supreme Court today said its special bench seized of report of the 2G spectrum matter will hear the plea of Reliance Telecom Ltd challenging a special court's order making its boss Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani as witnesses in the case. "It will go to the bench hearing the matter," a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda said. Read

The Central Bureau of Investigation has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on the two people killed along with college student Ishrat Jahan in the fake encounter by Gujarat cops in 2004. Read

Five years after an encounter between the Delhi Police and suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives allegedly involved in the 2008 Delhi serial blasts took place at L-18 Batla House in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, a trial court is set to pronounce its verdict in the case today.

Shahzad Ahmad, the only accused standing trial in the case, is charged with the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, criminal conspiracy and firing on the police team.

The controversial encounter case has been questioned by various political parties including by a few within the ruling Congress. More

Rajasthan Revenue Minister Hemaram Choudhary has resigned from the state Cabinet, apparently upset over the shifting of the oil refinery site from Lilala to Pachparda in Barmer district.        

 

Though the revenue minister, who represents Gudhamalani assembly constituency in Barmer, has not mentioned a reason for his resignation in the letter sent to the chief minister, the legislator and another prominent Congress MLA Sonaram had publicly sparred over the issue at a meeting in the district on Wednesday.  

 

The meeting between farmers and elected representatives was called over the issue of shifting the site of the refinery from Lilala to Pachpadra (both in Barmer district).        

 

While Choudhary could not be reached for comment, Sonaram told PTI, "It was the farmers who had questioned the minister on shifting of the location, and on their pressure, the minister announced that he would resign from the government. "Why should I ask him (Choudhary) to do so. I have very good relations with him," Sonaram said.

The BSE benchmark Sensex today fell over 17 points in early trade as funds and retail investors kept their commitments restricted in view of monthly expiry in the derivatives segment.        

 

The 30-share barometer fell by 17.44 points, or 0.09 per cent, to trade at 20,073.24 points. The index had lost 211.45 points in the previous session.        

 

Consumer durables, realty and banking sector stocks were down due to selling pressure. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 7.70 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 5,982.80 points.        

 

Brokers said cautious approach adopted by participants as today being the last session of current month expiry in the derivatives segment and a weak trend in the Asian region mainly dampened the trading sentiment.     

 

Besides, investors were cautious ahead corporate earnings from bluechip companies, they said.      Stocks of Cairn India fell by 1.19 per cent to Rs 304.20 after company reported 18 per cent drop in the April-June quarter net profit, while Hero MotoCorp spurted by 3.26 per cent to Rs 1,815.10 despite 10.86 per cent decline in its net profit for the first quarter.    

Ireland's justice minister has described the country's existing abortion laws as a "great cruelty" which requires women to bear children conceived out of rape or having congenital genetic defects.        

 

Alan Shatter predicted that legislators, fresh from months of debate over the 'Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill,' would be forced to face the question again as the Irish public wants wider access to abortion for the most difficult cases.        

 

"I personally believe it is a great cruelty that our law creates a barrier to a woman in circumstances where she has a fatal foetal abnormality being able to have a pregnancy terminated, and that according to Irish law any woman in those circumstances is required to carry a child to full term knowing it has no real prospect of any nature of survival following birth," he said in Dublin on Wednesday, a day after the Pregnancy Bill was passed by the Seanad.

A train has derailed in north-western Spain, killing at least 60 people and injuring many more, officials in the Galicia region have said. All 13 carriages of the train, which was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol, came off the tracks near the city of Santiago de Compostela.

 

Images from the scene showed bodies strewn near ruined carriages, and emergency crews searching the wreckage. Analysts say it is the worst rail accident in Spain in four decades. Leader of the regional government Alberto Nunez Feijoo confirmed the death toll but told radio Cadena Ser that it was too early to say what caused the accident.

 

Read the full report on BBC

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