Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed's group Jamaat-ud-Dawah is seeking to enter the political sphere by launching a new party.

Saifullah Khalid, a religious scholar and longtime official of the group, is president of the newly-formed Milli Muslim League party.

He said in Islamabad on Monday that his party will work to make Pakistan 'a real Islamic and welfare state' and that it's ready to cooperate with like-minded parties.

Pakistan has placed Saeed under house arrest earlier this year.

The JuD widely is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e- Tayiba, the terrorist group behind the 2008 deadly attacks in Mumbai. -- Agencies

An Army jawan was injured today in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said.

Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing towards an Indian post in the Uri sector, resulting in injuries to a jawan, an Army official said.

He said the injured soldier has been taken to the Army hospital in Srinagar for treatment.

Further details of the incident are awaited, he added. -- PTI

Representative image.

The Nationalist Congress Party on Monday evening announced it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajya Sabha Polls in Gujarat.

This has come as a major blow to Congress, which had announced having support of the NCP.

NCP leader Kandhal Jadeja told ANI that his party has decided to support the saffron outfit.

"Our party has asked us to support BJP in tomorrow's RS elections," Jadeja said.

However Congress' candidate Ahmed Patel earlier in the day said that the NCP is extending its support to him.

"The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat," Patel told ANI.

"I have full faith in my MLAs. Apart from these 44 (Congress) legislators, two of NCP, one of JD-U would vote for me," he told PTI.

The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held tomorrow for three seats.

The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput. -- ANI

JUST IN: Five terrorists have been killed as army foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Machhil sector of Kashmir, the defence spokesman said on Monday evening.

The security forces have also recovered weapons from the gunned down terrorists.

More details about the operation are awaited. -- PTI, ANI

Image for representation only.

On the eve of the crucial RajyaSabha polls in Gujarat, Congress candidate Ahmed Patel today said he has support of 'enough' number of MLAs, including those belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party and the Janata Dal-United, to win the polls.

The political secretary of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also accused the ruling BJP of 'intimidating and torturing' Congress MLAs and their families to 'trigger more defections', which forced his party to shift 44 legislators to Bengaluru.

Patel was talking to reporters after he met the 44Congress MLAs at Nijanand Resort located on the outskirts of Anand, where they have been put up after their return from Bengaluru. The party legislators will stay there till tomorrow morning.

"This poll is not at all about anyone's prestige. I have full faith in my MLAs. Apart from these 44 (Congress) legislators, two of NCP and one of JD-U would give their votes to me," he said in response to a query on how he would get the magic number of 45 to win the poll.

"Apart from them, seven other Congress MLAs, who have not opened their cards yet, may vote for me. Even Shankersinh Vaghela has announced that he will give his vote to me," Patel said outside the resort.

The senior Congress leader claimed that although NCP had yesterday said that it had not decided about giving support to any party, 'latest reports suggest that NCP has taken a decision to support me'.

Patel also hit out at the saffron party for forcing Congress MLAs to shift their base to Bengaluru.

"I do not understand why the BJP decided to field its third candidate (against him) when they are still short of 16 votes. The way Congress MLAs were targeted for defection, our democracy has been turned into a 'banana republic'. We were even kept under surveillance. Even I was kept under surveillance by the government," he claimed.

"In a bid to trigger more defections, our MLAs and their families were intimidated and tortured. That is why our MLAs were shifted to a safer location," he added.  -- PTI

JUST IN: Activist Medha Patkar, on hunger strike in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, demanding rehabilitation of those displaced by Sardar Sarovar Dam has been forcibly taken away by police.

The subsidy on liquified petroleum gas cylinder for domestic use for the poor will continue, Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said today.

"We have no plan to withdraw subsidy on LPG for domestic use. Subsidy on LPG and kerosene will continue for the poor and common people," Pradhan told reporters in Agartala.

Pradhan said the ministry has taken up with Bangladesh the laying of a pipeline to carry natural gas from Chittagong to Tripura to tackle the LPG crisis in the North-East.

"We are laying a pipeline for transportation of diesel from Siliguri in West Bengal to Parvatipur in Bangladesh. There is a pipeline for carrying diesel from Numaligarh oil refinery in Assam to Siliguri," he said.

"In exchange, we have given the proposal for a gas pipeline from Chittagong to Tripura. We are pursuing the matter diplomatically and I will visit Bangladesh soon."

The pipeline, if approved by the Bangladesh government, would be laid next to the railway line near the Indo-Bangla international border, he said.

Pradhan launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in Tripura in Agartala and distributed LPG connection to 20 below poverty line families.

In Tripura, 9.22 lakh households have LPG connection and efforts are on to extend it to all.

The oil minister laid the foundation for a new 60 tmtpa (thousand metric tonnes per annum) capacity grassroots bottling plant here at an estimated cost of Rs 143 crore.

It will be completed by 2019. Pradhan said requirements of nearly 4.5 lakh households are catered to by the existing bottling plant.

With the completion of the new facility, the capacity of LPG supply is expected to double and cover most households.  -- PTI

The Supreme Court has constituted a three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Allahabad high court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case from August 11.

The bench, whose other members are justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer, would adjudicate the dispute over ownership of Ram temple-Babri masjid land.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court had in 2010 ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres area at the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri masjid site in Ayodhya.

The three-judge bench of the high court, by a 2:1 majority, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

On July 21, a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar had said that it would soon take a decision to list the matter for early hearing.

The court's remark had come on a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy who sought urgent listing and hearing of the matter.

Swamy had said that the main appeals against the Allahabad high court order are pending for the last seven years in the apex court and these required urgent hearing.

He had also said that a separate petition had earlier been filed by him seeking enforcement of his right to worship without much hassle at the site.

The BJP leader had told the court that he has been allowed by the apex court to intervene in the matter and is seeking expeditious disposal of the cases.  -- PTI

Three unidentified persons tried to snatch a weapon from a bank guard in Charar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district in Kashmir today but an alert policeman foiled the attempt, a police spokesman said.

He said the three attempted to snatch the J&K Bank guard's rifle but were foiled by the policeman deployed at the bank.

The trio managed to escape, but were caught in CCTV footage, the spokesman said.

He said a case has been registered and investigation has been taken up.

He said anyone who helps the police in the identification of the perpetrators would be suitably rewarded and their identity would not be revealed.  -- PTI

A case has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Darshan Nagpal, after a patient died as the politician allegedly stalled an ambulance.

The BJP leader allegedly stopped the ambulance for half an hour as it rammed into his vehicle on August 5 in Haryana's Fatehabad district.

The patient, Naveen Soni, 42-year-old, lost his life as the ambulance reached the hospital late.

The patient's relatives in their complaint alleged that the BJP leader chased the ambulance down, blocked its way and refused to let it pass for about half an hour.

"Pradhan chased the ambulance and stopped it. He asked for compensation and argued for half an hour. He let us go after we pleaded and apologised to him," said the patient's brother.

The BJP leader, however, refuted the allegation and said he did not stall the ambulance and let it go.

"We didn't stop the ambulance. There is no question of stopping the ambulance, ask anyone present there. I believe in service, so how can I stop an ambulance," Pradhan said.

The police is investigating the case for detailed information.

"The man died after Nagpal stopped ambulance for half an hour after it hit his vehicle. We have called both sides for further investigation," the police said. -- ANI

Image for representation only.

A day prior to the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP said it is confident that it will acquire all three seats in Gujarat. Addressing a  press conference in Ahmedabad, BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said all members of the party are in the state to support the three candidates.

"All leaders of the party, from our party head to our state president," he said. He also said that all MLAs in the state will be briefed with a presentation about the Rajya Sabha elections that will take place tomorrow.

Pandya said, 'All MLA's have come. Only a few could not come because of personal reasons."

BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani, and former Congress party chief whip Balwantsinh Rajput are contesting on BJP tickets, while Congress has fielded Ahmed Patel for a seat.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy today accused the Chandigarh Police of doing a "somersault" on a case involving the Haryana BJP chief's son, accused of stalking a woman, and said he would file a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for a court-monitored CBI probe into the incident.

"With my associate lawyer AP Jagga on attempted abduction of an IAS officer's daughter by two drunk goons, I will file a PIL in Chandigarh," he tweeted.

Asked what prompted him to file a Public Interest Litigation, the Rajya Sabha member told PTI it appeared the Chandigarh Police was in no position to conduct "a fair and free" probe. The police, he claimed, had first filed non-bailable offences against the accused and then "withdrawn them all and let him (accused) go after having caught him red-handed".

"Hence This matter should be court-monitored and the CBI should be asked to take it over. You can have an SIT if you want, other agencies also. This is my prayer," he said. The woman had on Fridayb night called the police up, complaining that two men had chased her along a stretch of over five kilometres in Chandigarh.

Just in: BEST bus strike in Mumbai called off. Union leaders have met the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Details awaited.

Over 3,500 buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking went off the roads in Mumbai after its workers' union went on a strike to press for their demands, including timely payment of salaries.

Nearly 36,000 BEST employees went on strike since midnight, inconveniencing the citizens.

The BEST operates around 3,700 buses on 483 routes, ferrying over 30 lakh passengers every day. Its transport wing is facing daily losses of over Rs 2 crore.

The BEST employees and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have been at loggerheads for the past few days over several issues, including irregular payment of salaries.

The BEST employees union, led by Shashank Rao, claims to have the support of around 16,500 workers.

Rao on Sunday said, We wanted a written assurance from the BMC administration but they did not give it. Now, we have decided not to report to duty from midnight. No bus will ply tomorrow (August 7).


Monday morning blues for Mumbaikars.

The Congress is facing an "existential crisis", senior party leader Jairam Ramesh today said and pitched for "a collective effort" by party leaders to "overcome" the challenges it faced from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. Ramesh also said that business as usual approach will not work against Modi and Shah and advocated for a flexibility in approach to make Congress relevant.

"Yes, the Congress party is facing a very serious crisis," Ramesh told PTI in an interview. He said the Congress had faced "electoral crisis" from 1996 to 2004 when it was out of power. The party had also faced "electoral crisis" in 1977 when it lost the elections held soon after the emergency.

"But today, I would say that the Congress is facing an existential crisis. It is not an electoral crisis. The party really is in deep crisis," he said, when asked whether the threat of "poaching" of MLAs posed by the BJP in Gujarat had forced the party to transport its MLAs to Karnataka to ensure party leader Ahmed Patel's victory in the Rajya Sabha polls.

He, however, justified the Gujarat Congress's decision to send 44 of its MLAs to a resort in party-ruled Karnataka on July 29 to fend off the alleged "poaching" attempts by BJP, saying the saffron party had also "transported" MLAs in the past.

He said it was wrong for the Congress party to think that anti-incumbency will work automatically against the Modi-led government in the states being ruled by the BJP in the elections.

"We have to understand we are up against Mr Modi, Mr Shah. And they think differently, they act differently, and if we are not flexible in our approach, we will become irrelevant, frankly," the Congress leader said.

He said the Congress party must also recognise that India has changed. "Old slogans don't work, old formulas don't work, old mantras don't work. India has changed, the Congress party has to change," he said.

The former union minister hoped that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi would end the uncertainty over his taking over as the Congress president to make the party ready for crucial electoral battles in key states in 2018 and the Lok Sabha polls scheduled a year later.

"I think in all probability, Rahul Gandhi will take charge (as Congress president) before the end of 2017," he said. The senior leader lamented that he had been proved wrong in the past about his prediction about Rahul's assuming charge of the top party job.

Trinamool Congress MLAs from Tripura Sudip Roy Barman, Ashish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Pranjit Singh Roy and Dilip Sarkar have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed that the TMC and Congress MLAs are joining the saffron party, adding that Tripura will be headed by a BJP chief minister in 2018.

"They are joining my party, a strengthened party in Tripura. It is very clear that next party in Tripura will be headed by a BJP Chief Minister," Pradhan told media in Agartala.

Meanwhile, TMC MLA Sudip Roy Barman said that his party was searching for a platform from where they can give a solid fight to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, thereby defeating and uprooting it form the government.

"We have been observing the BJP since a long time, their natural leadership and the central government. We thought for the greatest interest of the people of state that the BJP has given a platform to fight the CPI-M in Tripura," he said.

"Therefore, we have preferred to join the BJP. There will be heavyweight leaders of West Bengal also joining our footsteps and within few months they will also join the BJP to dislodge the communist forces in West Bengal as well," Barman added.

Former leader of the opposition and Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath said that the BJP has no link with the CPM at any level and they would work together to eradicate CPI-M from the state.

Nath is also set to join the BJP but it may get delayed for some time due to legal issues.

Less than seven months from assembly elections in Left-dominated Tripura, the BJP is set to become the main opposition party in the state.

The development is politically significant because the BJP has never won an assembly seat in Tripura, whose politics is dominated by Manik Sarkar-led CPI-M.

The BJP has seen a recent surge in support in the North East, after winning elections in Assam and forming governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, it wants to establish a strong presence in Tripura as well. -- ANI

The Bombay High Court on Monday accepted Maharashtra government's statement that it would not allow children below the age of 14-years to participate in the 'Dahi Handi' festival.


A division bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and M.S. Karnik, however, refused to impose restrictions on the height of human pyramid formations during the festival.


"It is not for the High Court to impose restrictions on the age of the participants and height of the pyramids as this falls exclusively in the domain of the state legislature. We accept the statement made by the State government that it would ensure children below 14-years of age would not participate in the Dahi Handi festival," Justice Gavai said.


Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State government, told the court that as per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, children below 14-years of age will not be allowed to participate in the festival since the government had in August last year declared 'Dahi Handi' as an adventure sport.


The court was on Monday hearing two petitions filed by city residents, raising concerns over the participation of minors in the festival and lack of safety measures, due to which several untoward incidents occur.


In 2014, the High Court had passed an order saying children below the age of 18 years cannot participate in the festival, and had also imposed a height restriction of 20 ft for the pyramids.


The State government had then appealed in the Supreme Court, which on August 1 this year referred the matter back to the High Court directing it to hear the petitions afresh.

The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the Board of Control for Cricket in India to lift the lifetime ban on cricketer S Sreesanth that was imposed on the basis of spot-fixing charges against him.


The court issued the order after considering a petition filed by the cricketer in March challenging the BCCI's decision not to lift the ban despite a Delhi court exonerating him in 2015. The ban was imposed by BCCI on the allegation of spot-fixing in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League.


Challenging the ban, Sreesanth had contended at the high court that not lifting the ban violated his constitutional rights. It was on the basis of information provided by Delhi Police that BCCI imposed a ban on him and it was the case registered on the basis of the same information that was considered by the court while exonerating him. BCCI's decision not to withdraw the ban amounts to violation of constitutional rights, the player had argued.


File pic.

-- Kerala High Court lifts ban imposed by BCCI on cricketer Sreesanth. Orders BCCI to lift ban.


-- Bombay High Court accepts the Maharashtra governmen't undertaking that children below 14 years of age will not be allowed to participate in the Dahi Handi festival.


-- Ahmed Patel (Congress) claims NCP support for the Rajya Sabha polls.

Deepa Malik, who scripted history by becoming India's first-ever woman to win a medal at the Paralympic Games, said on Monday that she was "shocked" that her name was not there in the list of recipients for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.

Last Thursday, the awards selection committee of Khel Ratna recommended para athlete and Rio Paralympics gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia for the prestigious award for 2017.

Along with Jhajharia, former Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh was nominated for the Khel Ratna award.The Arjuna awardee list was also revealed and 17 prominent sports persons including Cheteshwar Pujara (Cricket) and SV Sunil (Hockey) were nominated for the honour.

Two other medalists from Rio Paralympics - Varun Singh Bhati and Mariyappan Thangavelu - were recommended for the Arjuna Award.

Surprisingly, Deepa, who also won a silver in the women's shot put F53 at the prestigious quadrennial event, was omitted from the list.

Speaking to ANI, the46-year-old athlete said, "It is shocking for me that my name is not there in the list of awardees.""However, I do think that the competent panel, who recommended the names for the prestigious awards, must have thought something. Or it can also be the case that some details must have been overlooked."

Deepa further said that her application for this year's Khel Ratna must be considered."I think my application for the Khel Ratna must be reconsidered. I have put forward my case before the committee and the government. I have written a mail to the Sports Minister," she said.

The Gurugram-based athlete further insisted that it was wrong reported in the media that she was furious after the recommendations made by the Sports Authority Committee for the awards.

BJP Yuva Morcha national president Poonam Mahajan on Sunday met superstar Rajinikanth at his home in Chennai, reported ANI. Mahajan visited Tamil Nadu to participate in a rally that was attended by BJP leaders. After meeting Rajinikanth and his wife Latha, Poonam tweeted pictures of the meeting and posted, "One of the most humble couples I have ever met Lathaji and Thalaiva @superstarrajini ji."

This meeting comes amid speculation of Rajinikanth's possible political plunge. On Thursday, when reporters asked the Tamil superstar about his recent comments on entering politics, he declined to answer any political questions and said, "Please don't ask political questions," PTI reported.

Rajinikanth has maintained that the political system is 'corrupt' and democracy is in a 'rotten' state in Tamil Nadu. The actor then hinted that he will join politics as he appealed fans to be ready for 'war' at the right time.

However, PTI reported that last week, the 66-year-old superstar had said he had no desire to join politics, but if he did, he would show the door to all 'money-minded' people.

BJP national secretary H Raja on Wednesdays said Rajinikanth is a 'popular' personality. Raja added that he is welcome to join the saffron party.

Also read: Rajini 2.0 and the making of a political Thalaiva

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Raksha Bandhan with school children and widows of Vrindavan in the PMO.

Height of Dahi Handi shouldn't be more than 20 feet: Maharashtra Government on Janmashtami celebrations. Details awaited. 

The 40-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas ended today, with 2.60 lakh pilgrims offering prayers this year despite a terror attack on a bus that left eight devotees dead. The pilgrimage concludes on the festival of Raksha Bandhan each year.

This year's figure of pilgrims visiting the shrine is the second lowest in the past 14 years. Last year, only 2.20 lakh pilgrims had visited the cave shrine due to the summer unrest. The holy mace of Lord Shiva -- Chhari Mubarak -- carried by a group of 'sadhus' and devotees led by its custodian Mahant Deepindra Giri, arrived at the holy cave in the early hours for day-long prayers, officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.

The group of sadhus and devotees trekked 42 km from Pahalgam to reach the shrine with night halts at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarani.

After traditional rituals at the sanctum sanctorum, the holy mace would start the return journey before dusk later today. While the holy cave will be closed for darshan from today, pujan and visarjan (immersion) ceremonies for the journey of Chhari Mubarak would be performed on the banks of Lidder river in Pahalgam on 9 August.

It will be followed by a traditional open kitchen, the last ritual of the pilgrimage. The holy mace would return to its abode at Amareshwar temple at Dashnami Akhara here the same day, the officials said. The yatra had commenced from Pahalgam and Baltal routes amid strict security arrangements on 29 June.

While stringent security arrangement had been put in place for the yatra, Lashkar-e-Taiba militants managed to target a bus full of pilgrims on 10 July.

Eight pilgrims were killed while 21 others were injured in the attack. Forty other pilgrims, including 16 in a road accident on Jammu-Srinagar Highway on 16 July, died during this edition of the pilgrimage with cardiac arrest being the major cause of deaths due to medical reasons.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Hindus -- mostly labourers from other states of the country -- today made a beeline for the Shankaracharya Temple atop the Zabarwan hills here to take part in prayers to mark the culmination of the yatra. The devotees, residing in various parts of the city, started their journey to the temple by foot before day break.


Image: J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti laying a wreath on the coffin of one of victims of the Lashkar attack on a bus carrying Amarnath yatris

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday assured that attempts are being made to normalise the situation in the Valley after the Awantipora Police, 50 RR and CRPF jointly gunned down a Lashkar-e-Taiba's terrorist. Deputy General, J-K, SP Vaid while speaking to ANI said, "The resolve of security forces is to get freedom from the menace of Pakistan sponsored terrorism.

"Vaid informed that following a specific intelligence input about the presence of two to three terrorists in Samboora village, the Awantipura Police in joint efforts with the Central Reserve Police Force launched a cordon-and-search operation at Akram Dar Mohalla.

LeT terrorist Umer of Abu Ismail group was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Samboora area of Pulwama district. The role of Umer in different crimes committed by Abu Ismail group was being ascertained.


Representational image.

Some TLC and family time for former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav after the divorce with the JDU. Rakhi celebrations at the Yadav household, seen here with his sister, brother Tej Pratap and mother Rabri Devi.

The Congress party on Monday cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Chandigarh stalking incident and accused the BJP of pressurizing Chandigarh administration to protect the son of Haryana BJP Chief Subhash Barala.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala (pictured) said that the BJP is hatching a conspiracy to shield the Haryana state chief's son, who harassed and stalked an IAS officer's daughter in an alleged inebriated state in Chandigarh.

"This is extremely clear that BJP is pressurizing Chandigarh administration and hatching conspiracy to protect the son of its political leader. May we ask on behalf of people of India if drunken youth, goons chase a girl for seven kilometers, attempt to block her car and forcibly open the door and try to enter the car, is it not the case of abduction and outraging the modest of a woman? Why have these offences not been lodged? The Prime Minister and chief minister must answer these questions to the people of country," Surjewala told ANI.

As the CCTV footage of five cameras has reportedly gone missing, Surjewala said, "Now new things have come out that five out of seven CCTV cameras were non functional. How have they suddenly become non functional? We have lost the importance piece of evidence."

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan also highlighted that the stalking incident has raised questions over the existence of campaign 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'."The state of Haryana and its campaign Beti Bachao Beti Padhao has fallen flat. A young girl was stalked in the capital city of Chandigarh. It is sad. If this is what Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is, then false campaign must be immediately withdrawn," he told ANI.He further said that Chandigarh police is diluting the matter under the pressure of the BJP.  -- ANI

The 40-day annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas concludes; 2.60 lakh pilgrims at the yatra this year.

After a prolonged administrative and legal process, the Amethi district administration has asked the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust to immediately vacate the 1.0360-hectare land at Rokha village in Jais, where it was imparting vocational training to the members of self-help groups, said officials.

They added that the said land was initially registered in the name of a vocational training centre but subsequently, it was allegedly captured by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.

The question regarding the ownership of the land was first raised by Union minister Smriti Irani, after she unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Four of the five Assembly segments of the Amethi parliamentary seat come under the jurisdiction of the district administration.

Irani's protest, however, fell on deaf ears during the rule of the previous Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.

After Yogi Adityanath of the BJP became the chief minister of the state earlier this year, the district administration took note of Irani's letter and sprung into action.

Subsequently, Amethi District Magistrate Yogesh Kumar asked Tiloi Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashok Kumar Shukla to consider the matter with a "special attention".

The first notice to the trust was issued by District Development Officer (DDO) O P Pandey on March 27, which was followed by notices from Chief Development Officer Om Prakash on April 10 and Shukla on April 28.

The notices asked the trust to produce the documents pertaining to the ownership or use of the land.Shukla told PTI that the trust did respond to them, but the response was "neither clear nor sufficient".

Meanwhile, one Kiran Singh, claiming to be representing the self-help groups, the members of which were being trained by the trust, approached the Allahabad High Court, which asked the district administration to throw light on the status of the land and the activities of the self-help groups.

Subsequently, the SDM again asked the trust to furnish the documents pertaining to the use of the land.As the trust failed to do so, the SDM last week directed the Tiloi tehsildar to initiate the process to vacate the land.

Meanwhile, the Congress blamed Irani for the development."The current scenario is nothing but a result of the ill intentions of Irani, who lost the parliamentary poll against our popular leader Rahul Gandhi," district Congress chief Yogendra Mishra told PTI.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who had to settle for bronze in the 100m on Saturday night at the World Championships after being defeated by Justin Gatlin, has hailed the American as one of the best competitors he has faced.

Gatlin surprised everyone with a season's best 9.92 as he denied Bolt his last individual gold medal. Christian Coleman (9.94) took silver, with Bolt clocking 9.95 seconds.

Gatlin, a two-time dope cheat, was greeted with boos while he was handed his gold at Sunday's medal ceremony.

But, Bolt, the eight-time Olympic Gold winner, insisted that the reactions of the crowd were unfair.

"I always respected him as a competitor," the Guardian quoted Bolt as saying. "He's one of the best I have faced.

"For me he deserves to be here, he's done his time and he's worked hard to get back to being one of the best athletes. He's run fast times, he's back and he's doing great. I look at him like any other athlete, as a competitor," he added.

Bolt, who will be turning 31 this month, also insisted that he has no regrets, adding that he tried his best. "I have no regrets," Bolt said."I came out and did my best; win, lose or draw. I did it for the fans, they wanted me to do one more season. No one is going to be happy to not win. But it doesn't change anything in my career," he added.

Meanwhile, 35-year-old Gatlin also paid his tribute to Bolt and said that the Jamaican's exit would leave a massive hole in track and field.

"Usain is a great athlete, a great man," he said. "He leaves a huge void with his character and athleticism. I respect him utmost. Every time we come across the finish line I shake his hand, I gave him a hug and tell him congratulations.

"This was not the last time the world saw the eight-time Olympic champion on the track though, as the 30-year-old is set to race in August 12's 4x100m final.Bolt holds the world record for the 100m (9.58 seconds), the 200m (19.19 seconds) and the 4x100m relay (36.84 seconds). At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Bolt won the 100m in 9.81 seconds.

Varnika Kundu, the 29-year-old music producer and disc jockey who showed the presence of mind to call police and thwart her pursuers in Chandigarh on Friday night, has said she and her family are not letting "fear take over us".

The following are excerpts from an interview to the Telegraph. 

The Janata Dal Party JD(U) on Monday advised the Congress Party that hiding its MLAs is not the way to give a strong response to Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling government's horse trading.

Speaking to ANI, JD (U) leader Ali Anwar cornered the BJP for misusing the power for political vote trading."Open misuse of power, pressurizing and blackmailing is happening blatantly. Some are running to Karnataka, some are staying here. The Congress party should understand that public is the one who takes the decision. They should understand that who is weak in everyone's eyes is actually the strongest. Going to some other place and protecting yourself is a shortcut measure but this is the fact that ruling government is misusing the power," Anwar told ANI.

Earlier in the day, all the 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs who were holed in Karnataka's resort as a result of the alleged horse-trading by the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, returned back to the state. -- ANI


Image: Earlier visuals of Gujarat Congress MLAs on board the flight to Ahmedabad

Vice president-elect M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said he will uphold the dignity and decorum of the vice presidential institution, as his appointment speaks the beauty of the Indian parliamentary democracy.

After offering prayers to Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati, the Vice President-elect said he is grateful to the Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties who in an overwhelming manner have supported his candidature cutting across party line.

"Now I am not a BJP man, I do not run to any political party. I have resigned from the Ministry and from the party and in two three days I will resign as the Member of Parliament. Elected to this post I must be independent and must uphold the dignity and decorum of the institution. It is all the love and affection of the people of India and affection of Narendra Modi and also the various party members," he added.

Stating that his visit to the temple was completely apolitical, Naidu stated that today marks a new chapter in his life."This is my responsibility and I will do my best. This is all happening because of the blessing of lord Venkateshwara. I feel very inspired whenever I come here. Today onwards I am going to open a new chapter in my life. I feel blessed that coming from a humble agricultural background I have been able to be in this position," he said.

Naidu secured 516 votes as against 244 got by Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.In all, 771 out of 785 MPs cast their votes. Votes of 11 MPs were, however, declared invalid.

Fourteen MPs of different political parties did not vote due to varied reasons.Naidu will take oath of his office on August 11. The term of incumbent Hamid Ansari will come to an end on August 10. Ansari held the position for two consecutive terms during (2007-2017).

The benchmark BSE Sensex continued its rising trend by gaining over 61 points to 32,386.52 in early trade today on sustained foreign fund inflows amid positive global cues. The 30-share index rose 61.11 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 32,386.52. The gauge had gained 87.53 points in the previous session. Also, the NSE Nifty was quoting 19.10 points or 0.19 per cent higher at 10,085.50.

@nistula Sharing this pic just for the expressions of the guys in the background!

An earlier visual from Bengaluru: Gujarat Congress MLAs staying in Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort before departing for Gujarat.

More on the terrorist killed in an encounter in Pulwama: Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Umer of the Abu Ismail group was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Samboora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday.

The role of Umer in different crimes committed by the Abu Ismail group is being ascertained.

One AK 47 rifle has been recovered from the encounter site. Awantipora Police, 50 RR and CRPF jointly participated in the encounter.

In the wake of the gunfight, authorities have blocked internet services in Pulwama as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in the district.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is contesting for a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat, will meet the 44 party MLAs who returned on Monday morning from Bengaluru.

In the early hours today, all the 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs who were holed up in a Karnataka resort as a result of the alleged horse-trading by the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha election, returned to the state.

As soon as the MLAs landed at the state capital they were taken to the Neejanand Resort in Gujarat's Anand district, located 77 km from Ahmedabad, ahead of the Rajya Sabha Election which is to be held tomorrow for three seats.

After reaching the resort, senior Ahmed Patel expressed confidence in his party and said all the MLAs of the party stand united. "We are confident of victory, all MLAs are with us," he told ANI.

Another leader Shaktisinh Gohil said, "All of us are united, BJP can't threaten any MLA... horse trading not possible with those who are with us now."

All the MLAs were whisked away to Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort, after six of the Gujarat Congress MLAs quit the party and joined the BJP. The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput against Congress' Ahmed Patel. -- ANI