Timeline Refresh
Memon, the lone death row convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts that left 257 dead and over 700 injured, will hang with the Supreme Court dismissing his curative petition, the last legal remedy available to avoid execution of death sentence. Earlier, his mercy plea was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Clashes were reported in parts of the old city area as Muslim youths, while defying curfew, pelted stones at policemen. About 15 people, who were defying the curfew, have been arrested, District Magistrate of Rajouri, Deepti Uppal, said, adding that the situation was being brought under control.
The army was also called and it carried out flag march late this afternoon. "Restrictions under Section 144 of CrPc was imposed in the town for banning of assembly of four or over four persons, but still people are trying to violate the restrictions and it has become necessary to impose curfew restrictions in the town," the DM said.
The situation is tense but under control after reports of burning of IS flag by some VHP activists some days ago, police officials said. Muslims in Rajouri have threatened to hold protests and 'bandh' if the police do not arrest the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists for burning the flag bearing Quranic verses.
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh has appealed for calm from both the communities. "There should be no communal tension. We appeal to both the communities to observe calm," he told reporters. But Singh ruled out arrest of VHP activists. "As far as the setting afire the IS flags is concerned, it is a terrorist outfit symbol," he added. "Is it possible? Burning of the symbol of terrorists and anti-national elements is the work of nationalism."
One rain n the city comes to a standstill. Good governance is not about selfies n makin us do yoga,its making sure ur citizens r safe, she tweeted.
With this Twitter post, which has been retweeted over 900 times, Dhupia was among the top trends in the country.
A delegation of Shiv Sena comprising Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai, Lok Sabha MPs Anand Adsul, Bhavana Gawli, Rajan Vichare, Arvind Sawant and Gajanan Kiritkar met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and raised the issue with her today.
With their MPs strength increasing to 21, the Shiv Sena said it was of "great inconvenience" to carry out their work smoothly in the existing premises. "Shiv Sena's strength has now increased to 21. We have 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 3 in the Rajya Sabha. We cannot conduct any meeting as the existing space is too less for carrying out any business," said Anil Desai.
"We, therefore, met the Lok Sabha speaker and demanded a bigger space for us. Also, as per the rules, the party which has more members should get a bigger office room. The Speaker has assured us that we will be soon allot a bigger room," he added.
The Shiv Sena has its office on the third floor of the Parliament. After its highest ever tally in the Lok Sabha poll, the existing room is too short to accommodate the increased MPs. Parties have office space allocated to them as per their strength.
The collection of data is being done by National Crime Records Bureau based here which has introduced three new categories -- attack on mediapersons, attack on whistleblowers and attack on RTI activists -- in its form circulated to police stations across the country this year.
There was no centralised data on attacks of RTI activists, whistleblowers and journalists as investigation of cases were handled by state police and there was also no clarity on definition of these three categories. NCRB will be collecting the data under the heading of grievous hurt of varying degrees which are being registered under relevant sections of IPC.
JDU chief Sharad Yadav and BJP senior leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi were seen discussing the Bihar elections in the Central Hall of Parliament. Other MPs gave them a clear berth.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar was talking to media persons about the way ahead in the Rajya Sabha. Will all 18 days be a washout or will sense prevail and work get done, asked reporters. Pawar replied saying it was a wait-and-watch situation.
Dileep Singh Bhuria (71), a sitting BJP member from Ratlam, passed away on June 24. A veteran politician, he was a member of five Lok Sabhas earlier as well as a member of the Madhya Pradesh assembly. The Lok Sabha also paid tributes to former members Ismail Hussain, Denzil B Atkinson, Sheshrao Deshmukh, Rana Vir Singh, Manoranjan Bhakta, Sheila Kaul, Shashi Prakash, Chand Ram, Rajshekhar Singh, Pratapsinh Shankar Rao Mohite, S M Bhattam, Moreshwar Save and Namdeo Harbaji Diwathe.
Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar was the conversation piece.Young BJP MPs -- first timers ignored Shanta Kumar. Few party leaders greeted him perfunctorily, but a majority ignored him and turned away as they saw him approach.
Not that it mattered to Shanta Kumar, for party mentor LK Advani made it a point to greet him. BJP seniors who watched the exchange remembered the 2013 Goa conference where Advani refused to support Narendra Modi's candidature as PM candidate. Shanta Kumar was one of the few BJP leaders with Advani at the time.
To bring you up to speed, Shanta Kumar wrote to BJP president Amit Shah today demanding a 'Lokpal' in the party to tackle the cases of corruption like Vyapam which he said "made all of us bow our heads in shame".
Reacting to the letter, senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, "Shanta Kumar ji is a mature leader but it seems he was influenced by Congress's misinformation campaign,we reject this."
That's known. What isn't, is the gossip. Read on...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked in to the Lok Sabha at 10:57 am today, precisely three minutes before the Lok Sabha session was to begin.
On seeing the PM, there was pin-drop silence in the House. Narendra Modi walked up to SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Deputy Speaker Thambidurai and spoke briefly to them.
Many MPs watching the interact with the opposition leaders wondered at the power Modi wields that he can bring a House to complete silence since MPs from across parties were exchanging pleasantries just before he walked in.
Usually the Parliamentary Affairs Minister (in this case Venkaiah Naidu) walks in with the Leader of the House (the Prime Minister), but Modi does not like anyone accompanying him. He walked alone.
Now a person travelling on train can order KFC meal, while booking ticket through IRCTC from July 20 onwards, under e-catering service initiatives, KFC said in a statement.
Presently, this facility is available only on 12 trains passing through New Delhi railway station.
However, it will be expanded to Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad (Kacheguda) and Bangalore (Yeshwantpur) stations over the next 10 days, the statement added.
"Consumers will have to visit the IRCTC website or call on 18001034139 (Toll Free) to place their order. A password will then be sent by KFC to the consumer's mobile phone which will have to be mentioned at the time of delivery," it said.
The service will initially be limited to trains which do not have pantry cars and subsequently would be expanded to trains like Rajdhani and Duronto. E-catering service is a joint effort from KFC and IRCTC to provide fresh food to the passengers on trains.
The Supreme Court said today that the Centre has a parental duty to voice the grief of families who lost loved ones in the 1991 assassination of former Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur and challenged the Tamil Nadu governments decision to "tinker" and order the release of convicts whose death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment in the case.
The five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu said this while dismissing Tamil Nadu's preliminary challenge to how the Centre can file a public interest litigation in Supreme Court questioning the States' decision to use their power of remission and order release of life convicts, including in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
In February 2014, the Tamil Nadu Government decided to release all the seven members, who are convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a message that those who indulge in terror acts against India will be hanged .I welcome this message and I thank the Prime Minister," senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam told reporters.
Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi welcomed the apex court ruling with mixed feelings about the course of the case. "I welcome the Court decision with bowed head," Azmi said. The SP MLA, who was running a travel agency at the time of the blasts, recalled that he had spent over a year in jail in the blasts case before being discharged by the Supreme Court.
"I can say that the agencies can go to any extent to frame anyone," he said. "Someone had come to surrender. A noted counsel had said that the prosecution obtained a treasure trove of information (from him)," Azmi said, recalling that Yakub had returned of his own volition to surrender before the Indian authorities.
"The information he provided played an important role in the trial of the 1993 blasts case accused but instead of being treated as an approver of sorts, he became a fall guy," he said.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh issued summons to Maran, the company and its Managing Director S Natrajhen after taking cognizance on two complaints filed against them by the IT Department. The court directed them to appear before it August 21.
She rejected any notion of any tacit alliance with BJP saying TMC will not cooperate with any communal force. She also gave a stern message to her party cadres saying that indiscipline will not be tolerated. She urged the party cadres to work hard towards ensuring victory for the party.
Mamata said that all the opposition parties are busy in name calling and are devoid of any ideology.
The West Bengal chief minister launched her 2016 state assembly poll campaign throwing a challenge to the CPM, BJP and the Congress to come and test the ground of Maa Mati Manush in the state.
The communists have been taken care of in Bengal. It is time for them to wear lipstics and sit quiet. Our target is Delhi now. Tinamool Congress will take the fight to Delhi against the Central government, said Banerjee while addressing the martyrs day rally in Kolkata.
They have enjoyed all the rosogollas for 35 years and had left only the gollas (zeros) for the people. People in Bengal will never pardon them, she said.
The picture was tweeted by TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien.
At least 250 FTII students are on strike against Chouhan's appointment and are demanding the formation a committee which will make the rules for the FTII society.
A number of filmmakers have also resigned as members of the Film and Television Institute of India Society expressing their solidarity with the students. Students have continued their strike for almost 40 days, boycotting academic work after failure of their talks with I and B minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on July 3 and after asking PM Modi to intervene.
In a letter to Gandhi, the President of FTII Students Association Harishankar Nachimuthu said the appointment of Chouhan has raised question over the process of appointments in the institute and sought his intervention to resolve the "crisis" in the FTII, the sources said. FTII students' association (FSA) has declared that the strike will continue till their main demand for removal of Chauhan--who they allege lacks vision and stature to head FTII--and reconstitution of the FTII Society is accepted.
1993 blasts convict Yakub Memon will be hanged on July 30 at 7 am. The Supreme Court heard his curative petition seeking commutation of his death sentence today and dismissed the plea. The plea was the last legal option available to Memon.
Memon, 53, was found guilty of conspiracy in 2007 for the serial blasts that killed 257 people. He is currently in the Nagpur Central jail, which has facilities for hanging. The anti-terror TADA court in Mumbai has issued a warrant for his execution. It will be the first execution related to the 1993 blasts.
Maharashtra home minister says Memon's family was informed on July 14 and the government will go ahead with the preparations for the hanging.
Earlier today, Secretary General Anup Mishra walked around the Parliament building probably absorbing the mammoth task at hand.
Mahajan's meeting comes in the wake of alarming report by IIT Roorke about whether the Parliament is structurally safe. The report said that it cannot withstand an earthquake of a greater magnitude than 6.5 on the Richter scale.
Former speaker Meira Kumar had directed the then secretary general T K Viswanathan to commission the study by IIT. The Estimate Committee of Lok Sabha will now take stock of the reports.
The question doing the rounds is whether the Modi government will convert the existing Parliament building as a monument and build a new Parliament with modern facilities in say 10 years? Watch this space.
We understand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has plans to convene an meeting of 50 countries which use solar energy to discuss and resolve solar strategy. The External Affairs Ministry is gearing up for the meeting, but the Union Cabinet is likely to take a final call in the first week of August.
1993 blasts convict Yakub Memon will be hanged on July 30 at 7 am. The Supreme Court heard his curative petition seeking commutation of his death sentence today and dismissed the plea. The plea was the last legal option available to Memon.
Memon, 53, was found guilty of conspiracy in 2007 for the serial blasts that killed 257 people. He is currently in the Nagpur Central jail, which has facilities for hanging. The anti-terror TADA court in Mumbai has issued a warrant for his execution. It will be the first execution related to the 1993 blasts.
Retd Justice PD Kode, the man who presided over the 1993 blasts trial, reacts: "This is a victory for the common man who keeps faith in the law. I think there must be no substance found in the point kept forward by the accused." Judge Kode presided over a special TADA court which heard the 13-year- long Mumbai blast case of 1993 and held Sanjay Dutt guilty of possessing arms illegally. He retired in February this year.
It was Justice Kode gave the death penalty to Yakub Memon.
Judge Kode presided over a special TADA court which heard the 13-year- long Mumbai blast case of 1993 and held Sanjay Dutt guilty of possessing arms illegally, has retired as additional judge of the Bombay High Court.
In the 22 years since the serial blasts, 129 people were accused and a 100 were convicted for the attack. Yakub Memon, a chartered accountant and the younger brother of Tiger Memon, is likely to be hanged on July 30 at the Nagpur jail where he is currently incarcerated.
Other members of the Memon family, including Yakub's brothers, Yusuf and Essa, and sister-in-law Rubina, were also arrested and are serving their sentences. Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim are in Pakistan.
The Supreme Court heard his curative petition seeking commutation of his death sentence today and dismissed the plea. The plea was the last legal option available to Memon who is likely to be hanged on July 30.
Memon, 53, was found guilty of conspiracy in 2007 for the serial blasts that killed over 250 people. He is currently in the Nagpur Central jail, which has facilities for hanging. Sources say an anti-terror court in Mumbai has issued a warrant for his execution. It will be the first execution related to the 1993 blasts.
Memon's cousin, Usman Memon, accompanied by a local lawyer, Anil Gedam, met Memon on the jail premises on Monday, a day ahead of his last legal attempt to escape the gallows, which will come up in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Usman and Gedam spoke to the Mumbai blast accused for around 40 minutes. The BJP-led government had cleared the file to execute him for his role in the Mumbai blasts.
Yakub's family, particularly his wife, Raheen and young daughter, are expected to arrive either on Tuesday or Wednesday for a visit, probably their last one, before his hanging.
Tight security has already been clamped on the jail premises following the development.
Meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj tweets: I am ready for a debate today itself. I asked Shri Arun Jaitley to convey this to Rajya Sabha. Arun Jaitley has conveyed this to the House. We are looking forward to the Opposition's response.
Tharoor responds: "He would know: it must all seem familiar to @arunjaitley. He orchestrated & justified disruption of RS for 10 years!"
Hitting out at the BJP, Vadra posted on his Facebook account: "Parliament begins and so do their petty diversion political tactics... People of India are not fooled. Regret to see India led by such so called leaders!!"
Vadra's remarks came days after the Prime Minister took an apparent swipe at the culture of dynastic politics by mocking Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law while addressing a gathering on the 100th birth anniversary of late Congress leader Girdhari Lal Dogra in Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi praised Dogra for having a keen eye to judge the character of people and cited his selection of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as his son-in-law as an example of this.
He also took the opportunity to take a dig at Vadra by saying that Dogra did not give undue advantage to his son-in-law unlike "some others these days".
"Both Dograji and Jaitleyji have stayed away from each other in political life. Both the leaders have held a different political approach. Son-in-laws should not be known by their father-in-law's name and vice versa. Dograji did not give an undue advantage to his family but today, we know what things are heard because of son-in-laws," unlike other political families," he said.
Jaitley says the government is ready for discussions in any format, at any time. "We proposed that the external affairs minister (Sushma Swaraj) will join the discussion and make her stand, but it is clear the opposition doesn't want a discussion. All that the opposition wants is to not let the session run. We offered that we can adjourn till 2 pm, they only want disturbance, not discussion. Discussion can be held, Sushma-ji can begin the discussion or give explanations at the end. Even that is not acceptable to the opposition. The government is publicly declaring that we are ready for discussion at any time."
Some years ago, our President invited Nicolas Sarkozy, then President of France, to be his guest on Republic Day. At the party the President threw in his honour that evening, Sarkozy had no time for the guests; all the time, he talked on the phone - presumably to Carla Bruni, his next-wife-to-be. Read more
A special CBI court in Mumbai has adjourned the verdict on the bail plea of activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand till July 24. A case has been filed against their firm for allegedly receiving around $2.9 lakh in foreign donations in violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
The CBI, which registered a case on July 8 against Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Limited, has alleged that SCPPL was not registered under FCRA for collecting money from abroad and the amount of nearly Rs 1.8 crore was, therefore, received in violation of the Act as the organisation needed to seek prior approval of the Union home ministry.
The Congress has decided to disrupt the house from tomorrow. For today, it's protests and sloganeering at the Gandhi statue outside Parliament. Congress MPs and party workers wearing black arm bands are at the Gandhi statue. The Congress has said it will move adjournment motions in both houses tomorrow.
Some express trains of Western Railway were cancelled due to water-logging while local train services of Central Railway were suspended for a short while between Kurla and CST after tracks got submerged between Sion and Kurla.
In the Palghar district adjoining neighbouring Thane, schools were shut today due to heavy rains since last evening, officials said. During the last 24 hours, Colaba in south Mumbai received 15.8 mm rainfall while Santacruz weather station recorded 61 mm downpour.
"We are having good to very good clouding at the offshores and expect good rainfall in next 48 hours," IMD Mumbai centre's director V K Rajiv said.
The heavy rains affected the suburban train operations since morning. Due to heavy rains and breaches between Palghar and Boisar, five express trains of Western Railway scheduled to leave Mumbai this morning were cancelled.
A 'point failure' reported at Bandra station resulted in cancellation of some local train services on the Western line and halting of services on two tracks. The trains were running late 15 to 20 minutes on the western line.
"Efforts are on to restore the services," senior PRO Western Railway Gajanan Mahatpurkar said. The cancelled trains are Ahmedabad Express, Bandra-Surat Inter-city Express, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, Mumbai Central-Porbundar Express and Bandra Terminus-Vapi passenger train.
Meanwhile, suburban trains services were suspended for over 35 minutes between Vikhroli and Ghatkopar stations after tracks submerged between Kurla and Matunga, according to a statement by the Central Railway. The CR's suburban services were also hit due to the heavy rains and running 45 minutes late.
Central Railway PRO A K Singh said, "There have been reports of water-logging on tracks near Kurla, Sion, Thane that have slowed down the speed of suburban trains," another official said.
According to BMC's disaster management control room, there was traffic jam on Western Express Highway and few BEST buses were diverted on some routes, including at Chembur and Matunga.