Former Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar who was in office when Arvin Kejriwal took the chief minister's office in Delhi, on Sunday gave a public dressing down to the former at the India Today Conclave 2014.

"Kasam se bahut yaad aaoge Kejriwal. Woh tera Metro mein jaana, woh ruk ruk kar nazakat se khaansna (You will be remembered Kejriwal. You taking the Metro, you coughing delicately.)

See the video here

The success of Aam Admi Party in India seems to have crossed boundaries and inspired people in Pakistan, where a party has been launched with the same name. A group led by Arslan-ul-Mulk, a rights activist from Gujranwala, has registered Aam Admi Party with the election commission of Pakistan.

The AAP chairman said his party will strive to make Pakistan a country as dreamt by its founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Interestingly, Mulk has announced to sit on a hunger strike, a form of protest widely undertaken by the leaders of Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, outside Punjab Assembly next week.

The leaders of AAP will sit on strike in front of the Assembly demanding acceptance of Police Reforms and Anti Torture Bill 2014. The assembly is currently in session.

To ensure that riot victims are able to cast their votes, Election Commission would organise a special drive to register the displaced people, who have taken shelter in various relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas, and issue them temporary voter ID cards.

"A special camp will be organised for those living in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas," Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha told reporters here. He said that all of them would be registered and issued temporary voter identity cards, suspending their existing ones, if any, so that they could exercise their franchise.

At present, over 12,000 persons are living in such camps. Meanwhile, Sinha said that over 20 lakh persons participated in "Matdata chaupal" organised across the state. At these chaupals, voters filled forms to get their names included and corrected in the voters' list ahead of Lok Sabha elections, he said.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has complained to Mumbai Police, alleging that a smear campaign has been launched against him on some social networking sites to tarnish his reputation and that of his issue based show following which a preliminary enquiry has begun, police said today.

According to police sources, the 48-year-old actor met Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Sadanand Date at Mumbai Police Headquarters yesterday and briefed him about "false and malicious messages" that were being circulated in social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp to damage his image and reputation of his issue based show 'Satyamev Jayate'.

"Aamir Khan complained to us about some objectionable messages getting circulated (against him). Preliminary enquiry is on. Aamir is likely to share more details with us tomorrow," Date told PTI. Meanwhile, the actor asked Facebook to respond to his concerns.

With Arvind Kejriwal taking on Narendra Modi in Gujarat, BJP today hit out at the "cozy" relationship between Congress and AAP and said it will turn out to be "self-defeating" for both as AAP will eat into non-BJP space.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said Kejriwal has stopped speaking against the Centre as well as the "dynasty" running Congress and was going hard against the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

"The Congress is encouraging the AAP but it is today stamping on Congress' foot. BJP's constituency is intact and expanding. The Congress and the AAP have a cozy relationship but by dividing the non-BJP space, they will develop a self defeating relationship," he wrote on his blog.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, IT expert Nandan Nilekani, cricketer Mohd Kaif and several union ministers figure in Congress' first list of 194 candidates for Lok Sabha elections released on Saturday night.Party sources said 35 per cent of the candidates are under the age of 50.

Sonia and Rahul will seek re-election from Rae Bareli and Amethi.The first list includes more than 60 sitting members from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajashtan, Karnataka and some north eastern states.

See the full list here

CBI will be submitting a status report tomorrow informing Supreme Court about the progress made in the coal scam probe and on filing charge sheet in one of the cases registered by the probe agency in 2012.

Sources in the investigating agency said that a charge sheet was likely to be filed tomorrow before a designated court and the Supreme Court would be apprised about it.

The Supreme Court had asked the CBI, during the last hearing on February 11, to submit a status report about filing of charge sheet in six of the cases finalised by the agency.

The CBI has filed over 16 FIRs which included those against AMR Iron and Steel, JLD Yavatmal Energy, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog, JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd, Grace Industries, Jindal Steel and Power, Rathi Steel and Power Ltd, Jharkhand Ispat, Green Infrastructure, Kamal Sponge, Pushp Steel, Hindalco, BLA Industries, Castron Technologies and Castron Mining and Nav Bharat Power Private Limited.

Breaking his silence over the reported row in the BJP over a move to field Narendra Modi from Varanasi, Murli Manohar Joshi today said he would accept any decision the party takes like a "disciplined soldier" and hoped it would neither dent the PM candidate's prestige nor hurt party's electoral chances.

Joshi, who had won from Varanasi last time, said the party's Central Election Committee would take a decision on March 13 and rejected reports of a poster war between supporters of Modi and him in the constituency as the "mental fiction" of media.

"The decision will be taken by Parliamentary Board. A meeting (of CEC) is taking place on March 13," he told reporters. Asked if he would accept a decision to field Modi from the prestigious eastern UP seat, he shot back, "every disciplined soldier accepts" party's decision.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's helicopter today made an emergency landing in Beed district because of bad weather, police said. The chopper made emergency landing at 3.11 p,, the police said, adding that later the NCP chief left for Parbhani, where he was to attend a political meeting, by car.

"Pawar was going from Osmanabad in the helicopter to Parbhani for a political meeting. But his chopper had to make an emergency landing on SRT Medical College ground at Ambejogai in Beed district due to bad weather," a police official said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not ready to give credit to Narendra Modi for development work in Gujarat and feels her own model is much better and has paid good dividends.

In the 'development-versus-development' debate, she says there is a "huge difference" between the models pursued by her and Modi because of circumstances.

"Let me answer your question directly. Did Mr A, or Mr B, have the Junglemahal (naxal) problem to resolve? We have brought peace there. Did Mr A or Mr B have the Darjeeling-like problem to resolve? Darjeeling is now smiling. Did Mr A or Mr B inherit a debt burden for his state of over Rs 2 lakh crore," she told PTI in an interview.

"In spite of overcoming all these, we have been on the path of development," added Mamata who became the Chief Minister in August 2011.

Award-winning Indian author Pankaj Mishra is among eight writers from seven countries who have won a $1,50,000 Yale University prize each in recognition of their literary achievements.

Essayist and novelist Mishra has been selected for the prestigious Windham Campbell Literature prize in the non-fiction category, Yale University said yesterday.

"Pursuing high standards of literary style, Pankaj Mishra gives us new narratives about the evolution of modern Asia," the university said. The winners in the three categories '" fiction, non- fiction and drama '" will receive $1,50,000 each in recognition of their achievements and to support their ongoing work.

The Election Commission has convened a meeting of account auditors of all political parties tomorrow to discuss transparency guidelines norms and filing of financial statements by them after completion of Lok Sabha polls as part of efforts to to curb use of black money.

The EC has roped in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for preparing a reporting format for the parties and a total of 30 CAs are expected to attend the meeting which will also discuss a host of other measures initiated by the poll panel.

The EC, according to its revised transparency guidelines, has mandated that all political parties should file their audited accounts to it by October 30. As the Lok Sabha results will be out by May 16, after the nine-phase polls starting April 7, the EC expects these reports to come to it well in time.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, who is facing graft charges, today said his MLA wife Geeta Koda will contest the forthcoming general election in his place from Singhbhum (reserved) constituency.

The decision was taken by his 'Jai Bharat Samanta Party', Koda, who represents Singhbhum in Lok Sabha, told PTI. He refused to spell out the reason for not re-seeking election from the seat.

Singhbhum constituency will be the only seat where his party would field a candidate in the state, Koda, who was out on bail in connection with a money laundering case, said. He refuted speculation that Geeta Koda was likely to join Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

The Delhi government spent Rs 13.41 lakh on the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister at Ramlila Maidan and on the publicity of the mammoth function.

In response to a RTI, the Delhi government's General Administration Department said it had spent Rs 6.33 lakh on the Ramlila Maidan ceremony and Rs 6.7 lakh on its publicity.

The figure, however, does not include the expenses incurred on water, fire, power, transportation and decoration services.

In a significant political move, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today announced candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and also declared his party's support for BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi.

"We will contest the Lok Sabha elections. I will show my party's strength during the elections. We will support Narendra Modi for the PM's post. Modi should become the prime minister of the country," said Raj addressing his party workers on the eighth foundation day of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena at the Shanmukhananda hall in Mumbai.

The BJP has also welcomed the move by the MNS. The announcement by Raj comes days after former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari had met him at a five-star hotel, requesting him not to field candidates for the general elections.

An Art of Living yoga centre on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital has been set afire, allegedly by unknown miscreants, police said.

The centre, which is based in Peace Street in Bani Gala area, was set on fire last evening after some people reportedly entered the premises asking for money, Islamabad police sources told PTI.

"There were just two guards there. Around eight people came and asked where the money was kept. On told that they didn't know, the guards were tied up and the building was set on fire," a source said. The culprits fled the scene after the incident. However, Meena Gabeena, an official at the centre said, as per her information, the attackers did not speak a word.

Photo courtesy: AOL Pakistan's Facebook page.

The Congress' Vadodara chapter has approached the Election Commission of India, objecting to the shooting of advertisements for Gujarat Tourism when the Model Code of Conduct is in place.

Read the letter here

NDTV reports: Juhi Chawla's brother Bobby Chawla, who was in coma, has passed away at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai today. Bobby, who was the former CEO with Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, had been in coma since April 2010.

Juhi, who is 'loving the hate' she has been receiving for her recently released Gulaab Gang, will have to delay the celebrations a bit now.

Juhi had repeatedly mentioned in many of her interviews about her ailing brother.Close friend Shah Rukh Khan, when heard about the demise, tweeted, "When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. May Allah bless my friends soul."

Accusing Rahul Gandhi and Congress of flouting the Model Code of Conduct, the BJP today complained to the Election Commission over his remarks linking RSS to Mahatma Gandhi's killing and sought action against the Congress Vice President and derecognition of the party.

In a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, the BJP charged Gandhi and his party with being "habitual offenders" of the poll code and flaring up communal tension ahead of elections.

"It is prayed that appropriate action may kindly be taken against the Indian National Congress as well as Rahul Gandhi, MP and Vice President, Indian National Congress for violating the Model Code of Conduct and the recognition of Indian National Congress as a National Party may kindly be withdrawn immediately for repeated violations of the Model Code of Conduct," it said.

An Indian-origin woman has been nominated by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to lead the city's crucial taxi and limousine agency, which regulates the city's expansive network of yellow and green taxis and livery cabs.

Meera Joshi, nominated to serve as Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, had most recently served as the agency's General Counsel under former mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, a statement issued by the mayor's office said.

Her nomination has to be approved by the City Council. A University of Pennsylvania alumnus, Joshi has worked in the city government for more than a decade.

A 13-year old Indian-origin boy hasemerged as the winner of a spelling bee contest in the US in an epic verbal duel that lasted a total of 95 rounds, after judges ran out of words in a previous marathon round held last month.

Kush Sharma, a seventh-grader at Frontier School of Innovation spelled out "definition" to clinch the Jackson County Spelling Bee title in Missouri, and a berth in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.       

Yesterday's 29-round competition was lengthy in comparison to other spelling bees which typically run for about 20rounds. Sharma won the title in two installments after the judges ran out of words in a previous round held on February22.

Sharma beat fifth-grader Sophia Hoffman, 11, of HighlandPark Elementary to win Missouri county's annual bee contestyesterday, before a packed Kansas City Public Library.

Hoffman missed out after she misspelt the word 'stifling'. Between the two, they spelt over 260 words, including 'barukhzy', 'muumuu', 'hemerocallis', 'jacamar' and 'schadenfreude' in 28 rounds with Sharma clinching the title after correctly spelling the word 'definition' in the 29th round, NBC News reported.

An honest Italian cab driver who found $20,000 in cash in a handbag in his taxi has returned the money to the owner, a Russian tourist. The money, around $19,000 in euros and the rest in rubles, was left in a handbag by the tourist in a cab in the Italian capital Rome.

The woman did not know the number plate of the vehicle, but was able to tell police of her journey from Piazza Risorgimento, close to the Vatican, to Rome's Piazza del Popolo.

The police then contacted the city's transport operator, and they were able to track down the driver, The Local reported.

IBN Live reports: In a major set back to the AAP ahead of the crucial general elections, its leader Savita Bhatti on Sunday withdrew her candidature from Chandigarh.

The AAP leader sent an email to the party saying that she has decided to withdraw her nomination.The AAP had pitched Savita Bhatti against Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal in Chandigarh.


Read the full story here

Times of India reports:  She sits by her stall making bright bead and crystal jewellery. Women passing by stop to admire the beautiful ornaments she makes, but few pay heed to the scarred woman.

But 48-year-old Rani, an acid attack victim, has her own story to tell, one that is bound to inspire other women.

Read the full story here

Refusal to have sex with a life partner during honeymoon does not amount to cruelty, the Bombay high court has ruled while setting aside a family court judgement dissolving the marriage of a couple on this ground.

The court also ruled that a wife donning shirts and pants to office occasionally and going out of town for office work soon after marriage also would not amount to cruelty towards her husband.

"The married life should be assessed as a whole and a few isolated instances over certain period will not amount to cruelty", observed justices V K Tahilramani and P N Deshmukh in an order early this week.

As it seeks to gain a toehold in Karnataka, Aam Aadmi Party is scheduled to hold fund raising dinner during party chief Arvind Kejriwal's two-day visit to the city towards weekend.

The event is being co-ordinated by former Infosys Board Member and party's prospective candidate from Bangalore Central, V Balakrishnan, who quit the company before his political debut through AAP. Aiming big, the AAP has announced its decision to contest all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, where the battle is clearly between the ruling Congress and BJP, which also face a tough fight from JDS in its strongholds in the Gowda belt.

Times of India reports: Veteran leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari, just out of a long-drawn legal case that in the end proved him to be the father of a 34-year-old man, Rohit Shekhar, he had abandoned many years ago, may still spring a surprise '" this time politically.

The Samajwadi Party has offered Tiwari a chance to fight the Lok Sabha polls from Nainital, his old borough, and the party is at pains to convince him to take up the challenge.

Read the full story here

A cyber attack on Russian communication systems by anonymous hackers on early Saturday morning has compromised India's defence dealings with Russia and raised serious concerns about a possible major security breach. 

Presidents Francois Hollande of France and Barack Obama of the United States today warned of "new measures" against Russia if it fails to move on defusing the crisis in Ukraine, the French presidency said. 

Gujarat BJP today lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for his statement that Narendra Modi won three Assembly elections in Gujarat either by "buying out" or "killing" his opponents.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on American ambassadors around the world to make the fight against climate change a top priority ahead of new UN talks next year. 

1 killed, 2 injured in accident at under-construction nuke submarine
Cong comes out with first list of candidates for Lok Sabha poll
Stones pelted at Kejriwal Ahmedabad rally
5 Indians among 239 on board crashed Malaysian plane
Yogendra Yadav's face inked, attacker thrashed by supporters
Revolt in Lalu's RJD, loyalist Ram Kripal quits party posts

Yesterday's Live commentary