Forced into the confinement of jail after his bail plea was rejected, self-styled godman Asaram Bapu today sought for his routine diet, gangajal and a special bed besides other facilities which were denied by the jail administration.

His counsel Pradeep Choudhary said Asaram had sought facilities such as his routine food which includes herbs and medicines, gangajal, bed, books and some other material required for his prayer.

"These demands had been made to the jail administration as per jail rules but they were rejected. The rule has a provision under which if any prisoner (undertrial) wants reasonable facilities in the jail, he can be provided upon the discretion of the jail administration.

"All these demands are reasonable considering his age and should be made available to him but since the jail administration rejected the demand, we have to move to the court," said Choudhary.

Apparently impervious to a storm created by suspended IPS officer D G Vanzara's explosive letter slamming him, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today announced a blitz in which he would address a string of events including a video conference speech to Indian diaspora in the US this month.

Modi, head of BJP's Election Campaign Committee, has disclosed details of his scheduled itinerary through his blog on twitter.

"Many friends have been asking me about my public meetings through this month. Sharing the schedule decided as of now," Modi tweeted today on the mircoblogging site sharing a link leading to the details of the schedule.

Moody's today said the India's sovereign rating outlook depends on the depth and extent of current slowdown along with trends in the balance of payment situation, and noted that the country's inflation and fiscal metrics are weaker than its emerging market peers.

In a presentation, Moody's analyst Atsi Seth said the slowdown appears steeper for the country with inflation and fiscal metrics weaker than its emerging market peers. "Higher subsidy burden and lower growth will weaken fiscal metrics," it further said.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to raise the foreign equity cap in the sector to 49 per cent, will be taken up in the winter session of Parliament.

The government has agreed to a suggestion by opposition parties to take up the insurance bill in the next session of Parliament, after passing the pension bill in the current session, Chidambaram told reporters.

New RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today said stewardship of the central bank is not a popularity contest or a social networking trend, indicating he is ready for taking some tough decisions.

"Any entrant to the central bank governorship probably starts at the height of their popularity," he said at his maiden press briefing after taking over as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

"Some of the actions I take will not be popular. The Governorship of the central bank is not meant to win one votes or Facebook "likes."

More than 100 militants, including foreign fighters, and eight soldiers were killed during an operation conducted to flush out the Taliban from Pakistan'srestive Khyber tribal region, a top army officer said today.   

Security forces killed 104 militants and injured 64 more in the 22-day operation in Maidan and Bagh areas of Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency, Maj Gen Humayun Aziz said.

The minor accused in the gang-rape case was identified on Wednesday by the photojournalist and her male colleague during an identification parade held at juvenile remand home in south Mumbai, police said.

"The test identification parade was conducted at a juvenile remand home in south Mumbai's Dongri area where the minor accused is lodged. The victim photojournalist has identified the minor as one of the five culprits who had sexually assaulted her on August 22 in Shakti Mills compound. The victim's male colleague has also identified the minor," said a crime branch official.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G scam is set to get a fresh extension beyond September 6 with the Lok Sabha on Wednesday unanimously adopting a resolution to this effect.

The term of the JPC will be extended till the end of the Winter session as the Rajya Sabha was informed this evening about the resolution adopted by the lower house.

This will be the sixth extension to the JPC set up in March, 2011. The term of the committee was scheduled to end on September 6. The resolution, moved by panel chief P C Chacko, was adopted unanimously.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G scam is set to get a fresh extension beyond September 6 with the Lok Sabha on Wednesday unanimously adopting a resolution to this effect.

The term of the JPC will be extended till the end of the Winter session as the Rajya Sabha was informed this evening about the resolution adopted by the lower house.

This will be the sixth extension to the JPC set up in March, 2011. The term of the committee was scheduled to end on September 6. The resolution, moved by panel chief P C Chacko, was adopted unanimously.

PTI reports: Jet Airways hikes fares by 25 per cent with immediate effect, say sources.

Self-claimed godman Asaram drove a tonga for a living in Ajmer for at least two years before reinventing himself as a spiritual man, reports The Times of India.

Read the full report here

The international community "cannot be silent" about suspected chemical attack in Syria, US President Barack Obama said today.

"The United States wants to join with the international community in an effective response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria," he added.  

Amid simmering tensions between the two countries, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent a bouquet of flowers to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi when he learnt of her visit to hospital last week, a media report said on Wednesday.

Gandhi was taken to the hospital in New Delhi on August 26 after she felt unwell during a debate in parliament. On Sharif's directive, Pakistan's foreign office asked its high commission in New Delhi to have flowers delivered to Gandhi, The Nation reported. The bouquet was sent with a "get well" message and warm wishes on behalf of Sharif, the report said.

In a daring raid, Saudi Special Forces arrested one of the most wanted extremist leaders, Abu Jarara Al-Yemeni, from a hotel located in one of Pakistan's most popular vacation spots in Murree, reports Dawn.

Read the full report here

India today dismissed the latest projection by Standard & Poor's that there was a more than one-in-three chance of ratings downgrade for the country in the next one to two years, saying there was "no chance" of this prospect.

Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram while giving India's assessment of the S & P projection said the country has taken several measures to stabilise the economy despite the turmoil in the global economy. He also wondered which mathematical model was relied upon by S & P to come to the statistical conclusion of a potential downgrade.

Pope Francis @Pontifex: With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons. War! never again! Never again war!

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will begin his campaign trail across the country from September 5. The first few places on the trial are Gandhinagar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, New Delhi and Mumbai.  

The Lok Sabha passes the crucial Pension Bill. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill 2011 aims to create a regulator for the pension sector and extend the coverage of pension benefits to more people. 

Beyond Land Bills and Food Bills, an MP loses her ring in Parliament.

BJP MP Smriti Irani created a flutter in Central Hall when she announced that two of her rings were missing. She searched the carpeted floor of the entire Central Hall, but could not find it. Senior BJP MPs also joined in the search.

She then rushed to the Rajya Sabha and returned with a broad smile on her face -- rings aloft. She said they were at her seat along with her files. Not one to lose a chance at making a political quip, Irani said she had the presence of mind and the political instinct to find anything, and if the PM permitted her, she could locate the missing coal files as well.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha passes the crucial Pension Bill.

Raghuram Rajan says that besides inflation control, RBI mandate is inclusive growth and development and financial stability. Banks will not be required to approach RBI for opening branches.

RBI will give out new bank licences soon -- Bimal Jalan to chair committee that will screen applications for bank licences. New bank licences to be given out around January 2014. 

Rockstar economist and now RBI governor Raghuram Rajan's first address after he took charge this afternoon. Rajan says the economy faces challenges, but remains fundamentally strong. He will be making the first policy statement on September 20. 

Mumbai gang rape: The woman survivor has identified the juvenile accused at the remand home. 

Additional Advocate General Anand Purohit said two persons named in the FIR -- Shilpi (warden of the hostel at Chhindwara Gurukul) and Sharad (caretaker in the gurukul) -- were absconding and their interrogation was necessary to complete the investigation.

He also justified registration of the FIR in Delhi instead of Jodhpur, where the crime happened, saying the girl initially did not tell her parents about what had happened with her and when her parents came to know about the incident, they moved to Delhi to confront Asaram.

Just in: The Jodhpur court has rejected Asaram Bapu's bail plea in the sexual assault case. The prosecution opposed the bail plea saying investigations in the case will be affected if bail is granted.

The prosecution told the court of District and Sessions Judge (Rural) that Asaram, during the investigation, had allegedly tried to influence police and, in view of the fact, he may further try to influence the investigation if the bail application is considered.  

A few Union Ministers have felt that the Prime Minister should have stayed back in India and not gone for the G-20 meet when the Parliament is in session and that too when Sonia Gandhi is away. Dr Singh should have excused himself from the meet saying Syria was under attack etc., and they blamed his absence for the washout of the monsoon session. 

'Mini Cabinet meetings' were held in the Central Hall of Parliament today. Union Ministers were seen in groups inside Central Hall and the ambiance was  relaxed.

Many Congress MPs went up to Congress general secretary Ambika Soni to seek her guidance and ask after Sonia Gandhi's health. Salman Khurshid and Anand Sharma were seen talking to Kapil Sibal and Rajiv Shukla. Jairam Ramesh was seated with MPs from the ADMK-DMK and BJP, CPM seeking their support for the Land Acquisition Bill.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and PM Dr Manmohan Singh may be away from India, but the Parliament was seen to be functioning perfectly well in their absence, but attendance was skeletal, and few MPs from the Treasury benches bothered to participate in the discussions.

Sonia Gandhi is in the US after she fell ill last week, while the PM is attending the G20 summit in St Petersburg.

Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Wednesday criticized the BJP for their repeated allegations against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and said the opposition partys recurring disrespectful statements against the leader of the country is highly condemnable.

The countrys Prime Minister is the countrys respect. No one can put a rupees worth of corruption allegation against Dr. Manmohan Singh. The BJP repeatedly plays with the Prime Ministers respect. Even if I say that they play with the nations respect, I will not be wrong, Alvi said

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stood by its order to disqualify convicted politicians from serving as parliamentarians or state legislatures.

The judges of the Supreme Court said that the Government had no case in its appeal against the verdict, which was delivered in July this year.

The verdict of the Supreme Court cancels the present law which permits convicted lawmakers to continue in office if an appeal, filed within three months of conviction, is pending in a higher court. .

How DG Vanzara, IPS, IGP (Suspended) must wish that he had chosen to wear green khakis instead of brown ones.

How he must wish that he was fighting the ISI's evil designs not in Gujarat but in Jammu and Kashmir or Manipur, protected by the blanket cover of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

In another reality, the trigger happy Vanzara would have had a chest overflowing with medals, sitting in a plush assignment; certainly not languishing in prison without even the prospect of bail.

Read more

Venting her anger against Asaram Bapu, the 16-year-old girl, who has accused the self-styled godman of sexual assault, on Monday alleged that he is "a criminal in the garb of a guru". Read more

Retreating from one-week lows, the BSE benchmark Sensex today soared nearly 333 points on value buying in bluechips like ICICI Bank, TCS and RIL in step with the recovery in the rupee.

A high-level Congress panel tasked with looking into grievances arising out of decision on Telangana will visit Andhra Pradesh after Monsoon Session as protests continue in Seemandhra region against bifurcation of the state.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday indicated that the Monsoon Session of Parliament may be further extended as crucial bills are pending.

Coalgate along with ponzi frauds and other alleged scams involving an amount of over Rs 7,000 crore were detected by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) last year.

Raghuram Rajan takes over as the 23rd governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Rajan, 50, is taking over the top job at a time when the Indian economy is going through difficult times.

Rajan, an economics professor who also served as chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, took charge from D Subbarao.
The duo shook hands warmly and hugged after Rajan signed papers taking over as the 23rd Governor of the central bank.

"Ten minutes ago, I handed over charge to Raghuram Rajan," Subbarao said after stepping out of Mint Road. "The country could not have asked for a more capable person to lead the RBI in these most difficult times."

On Saturday, the juvenile convicted of raping and murdering the Delhi Braveheart was handed out a three-year sentence in a remand home. The Wall Street Journal compares the juvenile law across borders. Read

In the Lok Sabha, the government has pushed ahead with a discussion on the Pension Bill. The Land Bill may be discussed tomorrow. 

The Supreme Court refuses the Centre's plea seeking review of its verdict on disqualification of MPs and MLAs on being convicted in criminal cases.

Prosecution today opposed the bail plea of Asaram Bapu, accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl, in a court here saying investigations in the case will be affected if bail is granted.

The prosecution told the court of District and Sessions Judge (Rural) that Asaram, during the investigation, had allegedly tried to influence police and, in view of the fact, he may further try to influence the investigation if the bail application is considered.

The debate on the missing coal files continues in the Lok Sabha.
Barkha Dutt tweets: Good point from Gurudas Dasgupta: "Where's the coal minister during debate?" 

Media reports say that on the basis of a complaint by a Sikh group, a US federal court has issued summons against Congress party president Sonia Gandhi for shielding party officials allegedly involved in inciting attacks on Sikhs in November 1984, an attorney said. Read

Parliament deadlock likely to end. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, speaking on the missing coal files.
Earlier, Kamal Nath and P Chidambaram met her, LK Advani and Ravi Shankar Prasad on the issue.

Swaraj says 189 files have gone missing. She says the files are not missing, they have been stolen.

She says the government is yet to file an FIR on the missing files. "If the government does not file an FIR, it's motives will be questioned."

Unlike the other scams, the PM is directly responsible for the missing files in coal-gate, therefore the government has to file an FIR. "The PM should therefore volunteer to be part of the CBI probe," she says. 

On the Telegraph. Attention has been centred for the past few months on the opposition of the Trinamul Congress and the Asom Gana Parishad to the conclusion of the land boundary and the river Teesta sharing agreements with Bangladesh. Read

Both Dr Singh and the Congress party are culpable for India's aimless drift. This crippling, self-destructive impasse of vacuous leadership cannot be allowed to persist for even a day longer. India demands and deserves better leadership, says Vivek Gumaste. Read

Police sources told Rediff.com that the abandoned bag found inside the BEST bus DID NOT contain explosives. The bag, likely to have been forgotten by a passenger, held clothes and documents.

Just in: There's been a bomb scare in a BEST bus outside the Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumbai. Early reports indicate that an abandoned bag was found in the bus. No confirmations on what the bag held.

Incidentally, RBI's new governor Raghuram Rajan took charge today. 

Furniture giant Ikea has bent over backwards to accommodate Chinese keener on sleeping than shopping, and is now seeing rapid sales growth. Read

Just in: Hizbul Mujahideen top Talib Lall arrested in Srinagar. He is wanted in many attacks on security personnel and civilians. This is the third big arrest after LeT bomb-maker Abdul Karim Tunda and IM boss Yasin Bhatkal.

Lali was arrested along with two other suspects from Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir after a brief exchange of fire with the forces.

A native of Margigul, Ajas, in Bandipora, Talib Lali was one of the longest surviving Hizbul terrorist in the valley with deep rooted contacts in the terror network that works on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.

Lali (41), also known as Waseem and Abu Umer, was allegedly involved in procuring regular and systematic funding from across the border for Hizbul, to promote terrorist activities in India.

The funding from across the border was allegedly being routed through Jammu & Kashmir Affectees Relief Trusts (JKART), a frontal organization of HM, reports said.-- Zee News

Desperate to break the deadlock in Parliament, the A-team of the government is now meeting the BJP. 

A judicial magistrate in Chandigarh has summoned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to present himself in court in connection with a 21-month-old case, wherein he has been accused of allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Rahul Gandhi is said to have asked the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as to how long they would beg for work from Maharashtra and Punjab.

Gandhi had made the statement at a Congress rally in Phulpur on November 14, 2011. Judicial Magistrate Jaswinder Singh issued the summons to Rahul Gandhi and asked him to appear in court before September 19.

Security forces have busted a transit naxal camp following an encounter with the ultras during a search operation conducted in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and recovered a large cache of arms and explosives, police said today.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm after uproar by BJP over missing coal allocation files, and by Left over fuel price hike.

President Vladimir Putin warned the West against taking one-sided action in Syria but also said Russia "doesn't exclude" supporting a UN resolution on punitive military strikes if it is proved that Damascus used poison gas on its own people.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press and Russia's state Channel 1 television, Putin said Moscow has provided some components of the S-300 air defense missile system to Syria but has frozen further shipments.

He suggested that Russia may sell the potent missile systems elsewhere if Western nations attack Syria without UN Security Council backing. The interview comes ahead of the summit of G-20 nations in St. Petersburg, which opens tomorrow.

The Jodhpur court is likely to give its order on the bail application by 4 pm. 

Just in: The Jodhpur court has reserved the bail order of Asaram Bapu. The court says that if Asaram has been given bail he may tamper with evidence and influence the case.

Asaram, 72, who was arrested from his ashram in Indore in Madhya Pradesh last week, sought bail claiming that police erred in booking him under rape charge, which is non-bailable.

He claimed if the minor girl's complaint was found to be true, it would at best amount to a rape attempt.

In other reads:Researchers from Cambridge University analyse soil sample from pelvis and find eggs where intestine would have been. Read

Calling for an orderly exit from unconventional monetary policies pursued by the developed world to avoid the damaging growth prospects of developing nations, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the Group of Twenty (G-20) should focus on job creation and promote investment in infrastructure to stimulate global growth.

In his departure statement issued before leaving New Delhi for St. Petersburg to attend the 8th G-20 summit on the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, Dr Singh said: "It is also important that G-20 encourages and promotes policy coordination among major economies in a manner that provides for a broad-based and sustained global economic recovery and growth.

India has been an active participant in this endeavour as co-Chair of the Working Group on the "Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth".

Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice during pre-noon sitting today following uproar over demand for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's resignation, missing coal block allocation files and demand by SP and BSP for reservation in promotions in government jobs. The RS will reconvene at 12.30 pm.

Emerging economies that are feeling the pain as the U.S. winds down its liquidity injection must use the G-20 summit that begins tomorrow to formulate a pragmatic response. Read

Three Indian Air Force officers captured as Prisoners of War by Pakistan during the 1971 War made a daring escape from a Rawalpindi jail. M P Anil Kumar recounts that heroic story. Read the fascinating account on Rediff.com

Just in: Gujarat Cabinet has refused to accept the resignation letter of suspended IPS officer DG Vanzara.

Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case accused and jailed Gujarat police officer Vanzara, resigned from his post, yesterday.

In a 10-page letter to the Gujarat home ministry, Vanzara has claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and then home minister Amit Shah were well aware of the actions of senior police officials like him.

Vanzara alleged that the Narendra Modi government has done little to save him from the ordeal he is currently facing.

Read

Also read: Did Asaram's arrest provoke Vanzara?

Duvvuri Subbarao's biggest accomplishment was sustaining the RBI's legacy of independence. Read

Ariel Castro, who held three women hostage in Cleveland for about a decade, killed himself in prison, authorities told CNN affiliate WOIO.

Castro was sentenced last month to life in prison without parole, plus 1,000 years.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts in a plea deal that allowed him to avoid the death sentence.Castro abducted Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus separately in a two-year period starting in 2002, authorities said. 

Economists and market participants may argue over the efficacy of outgoing Reserve Bank of India governor D Subbarao's policy measures, but the common man has reaped a bounty in terms of customer-friendly steps during his tenure. Read

Airlines have started raising air fares by anywhere up to 30% with immediate effect following the massive increase in price of jet fuel, which is now at an all-time high. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet raised both spot and advance purchase fares from Tuesday evening by over 25%. Jet Airways said it was planning a hike shortly. Read

Self-claimed godman Asaram rode a tonga for a living for at least two years in Ajmer before reinventing himself as a spiritual man.

As young Asumal, he carted pilgrims on a pony cart from the railway station to Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Others of his ilk still remember him as Asumal, the tongawala with cushion seats - most of them had wooden boards. Read

The RBI has barred banks from giving upfront loans for under-construction projects through schemes like 80:20.

Providing such loans help a bank as they are classified as mortgage and not construction finance which is considered a risky business by the RBI and requires higher provisioning.

The builder too gains as home loans are far cheaper than construction loans.

Pakistani military officials plotted to kill prominent human rights activist Asma Jahangir while she was on a visit to India, according to new US intelligence disclosures arising from the Snowden affair. Read

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today left for St Petersburg to attend the eighth G20 Summit during which he is expected to push for a coordinated plan to avoid disruption in India and other large developing economies by imminent phasing out of fiscal stimulus by the US Federal Reserve. 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned that any "punitive" action taken against Syria for an alleged chemical weapons attack would be illegal without the backing of Security Council and any military action against the country may unleash more turmoil.

Ban called for handling any action against the Syrian regime within the framework of the United Nations charter.

"For any course of actions in the future, depending upon the outcome of a scientific analysis will have to be considered by the Security Council for any action, and that's my appeal, that everything should be handled within the framework of the United Nations charter," Ban told UN reporters during a news conference.

"The use of force is lawful only when -- in exercise of self- defence in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations charter, and/or when the Security Council approves such action. That is the principle of the United Nations," he said in response to a question.

"If confirmed, any use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances will be a serious violation of international law and outrageous war crime," Ban told reporters at a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to reach out to BJP to end the parliamentary stand-off over the missing coal files issue failed tonight with BJP not giving him any assurance on the smooth running of the House tomorrow.

Singh held a meeting with BJP leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley late this evening and requested them to cooperate in the passage of important financial legislations in Parliament but the opposition was unmoved and said it will take a call on the issue after a meeting of its senior MPs tomorrow morning.

Asking the opposition to forget the past, the Prime Minister sought BJP's support in passing of important financial legislations including the Pensions Bill and Securities and Exchange Board of India (Amendment) Bill, sources said.

During the nearly 90-minute meeting at the Prime Minister's residence, BJP maintained it is not responsible for the disruptions in Parliament and accused Congress MPs of causing disruptions.

The Bombay high court today granted six weeks' time to Maharashtra government to inform it about steps being taken to ensure that video conference facilities were in place in jails for producing accused before courts through this system.

The order was given by a bench headed by Justice P V Hardas on a bunch of PILs which alleged that the accused were not produced in courts due to inadequate or lack of escort services by police resulting in delayed justice to them.

The state said it had already introduced the video conference system in jails but the project had not been completed.

The government sought six months time to file a reply to the PILs but the court allowed only six weeks, saying the issue was important and should be quickly addressed.

The court called upon the Maharashtra State Electricity Board to assist the judicial system by assuring power supply in jails for the purpose of video conference.