The toll in Bihar flood today rose to 367 with 26 more deaths even as 1.58 crore people are affected by the deluge in 19 districts of the state.

The flood toll stood at 341 till yesterday in the state.

Siwan was added to the list of flood-affected districts, a state disaster management department statement said in Patna.

Around 7.76 lakh people have been shifted to safer areas, and with water receding in some places, many people have returned to their homes.

The statement said 1.67 lakh people are putting up in 696 relief camps. Araria district alone accounted for 80 deaths, followed by Sitamarhi and West Champaran (36 each), Katihar (35), Madhubani (24), Kisanganj (23), Darbhanga (22), Madhepura, East Champaran and Gopalganj (19 each), Supual (15), Purnea (9), Khagaria, Saran and Muzaffarpur (7 each), Sheohar and Saharsa (4 each) and Samastipur district (1).

Meanwhile, a baby was born on a rescue boat of the National Disaster Response Force in the flood-hit East Champaran district today. This is the third child born on NDRF boat in the current flood in Bihar.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is touring flood-hit districts of Kisanganj, Araria and Katihar, inspected a centre distributing flood relief to victims at Milia Engineering College in Kisanganj.

Kumar handed over a cheque of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of four deceased in Kochadhaman II block.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that all Bharatiya Janata Party legislators will donate at least one month's salary of about Rs 30,000 for flood relief while BJP ministers would contribute at least three months' salary of around Rs one lakh.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the state on August 26 to take stock of flood situation.

A total of 28 teams of the NDRF comprising 1,152 personnel are engaged in flood relief and rehabilitation work with 118 boats.

Likewise, the Army's seven teams comprising 630 personnel are rendering services with the help of 70 boats and 16 State Disaster Response Force teams giving service with the help of 92 boats.

The MeT department office said that rains or thunder showers are likely to occur in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Purnea districts tomorrow.  -- PTI

The government today appointed senior IAS officer Rajiv Bansal as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India for three months.

Bansal, who is additional secretary and financial adviser at the petroleum ministry, will replace Ashwani Lohani -- who has been appointed as the Chairman of Railway Board.

A senior civil aviation ministry official said that Bansal has been appointed as Air India CMD for three months.

Bansal is from the Nagaland cadre of 1988 batch and hails from Haryana.

He is taking over as Air India CMD at a time when the government is working on the modalities for the disinvestment of the loss-making national carrier.

He had served at the civil aviation ministry between 2006and 2008.  -- PTI

Yuvajan Shramika Rythu Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was today booked for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the campaign for the by-election to the Nandyal Assembly constituency.

Based on a letter by Returning Officer and district Joint Collector Prasanna Venkatesh, the Nandyal police booked the Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly under sections 188, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and section 125 of the Representation of People's Act.

The IPC sections relate to disobedience to order promulgated by public servant, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and criminal intimidation.

The RPA section relates to promoting enmity between classes in connection with election.

The bypoll in Nandyal took place today.

During the campaign early this month for his party candidate Silpa Chandra Mohan Reddy in Nandyal, Jagan allegedly said "There is nothing wrong in shooting a person like Chandrababu Naidu who did not honour even one of the promises made".

In another instance, Jagan reportedly replaced shooting with 'hanging' while lashing out at the chief minister.

The TDP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission over Jagan's remarks based on which the EC directed the returning officer to file a case against the opposition leader.

"As per the EC directions, I wrote a letter to the police today to file a case," the Joint Collector told PTI over phone.

Rayalaseema Zone Inspector General of Police Sheik Mohammad Iqbal said a case has been registered against Jagan under relevant sections and an investigation was launched.

Official sources said the YSR Congress chief may be arrested since it was a criminal case. -- PTI

Pakistan is not seeking material or financial help from the United States, but Washington must trust and treat it with respect, Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today told the US envoy in Islamabad, a day after President Trump asked Islamabad to stop providing safe havens to terrorists.

While announcing America's new Afghanistan and South Asia policy -- which calls for greater US troop deployment and Indian involvement in Afghanistan -- Trump had hit out at Pakistan for offering sanctuaries to 'agents of chaos'.

The US Ambassador David Hale met Gen Bajwa at the Army's Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the latter was briefed on the US's new South Asia policy announced by President Trump, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations -- the Pakistani military's media wing.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations," the US president had said.

Responding to the invective, Gen Bajwa said: "We are not looking for any material or financial assistance from the US, but trust, understanding and [an] acknowledgment of our contributions."

According to the ISPR statement, the Pakistan Army chief highlighted the importance of peace in Afghanistan for Pakistan and highlighted the efforts made by the country.

He added that such efforts were 'not [meant] to appease anyone but [were taken] in line with [Pakistan's] national interest and policy', the ISPR statement said.

Gen Bajwa further said that collaboration between all stakeholders in the key to bringing the war in Afghanistan to its logical conclusion, the statement said.

Hale said that the US values Pakistan's role in the 'War against Terror' and seeks the country's cooperation in resolving the Afghan issue, the statement added.

The US ambassador had similarly briefed Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday on Washington's new policy and statements made by Trump regarding Pakistan.

During the meeting, Asif had told the envoy that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.  -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and rebel Jnata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav would attend the Rashtriya Janata Dal rally in Patna on August 27 and Mayawati's absence from the event was not a 'setback', party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said today.

"I had a talk with Mayawati. She said senior BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) leader Satish Mishra would come for the rally," he told reporters.

The RJD chief said senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and C P Joshi would also attend the rally with a message from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Asked about the chances of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attending the event, Lalu said, "He could also be there."

He also claimed that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and rebel JD-U leader Sharad Yadav would be on the dais that day.

At the time of announcing the 'BJP Bhagao Rally' (oust Bharatiya Janata Party rally) at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Lalu had boasted of bringing Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav together on one platform, which would mean the 'end of the match for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls'.

Back then, JD-U chief Nitish Kumar was in the Grand Alliance, also comprising the RJD and the Congress, and Lalu, while heralding his coming together with Kumar in Bihar, had said joining hands by the SP and the BSP -- the two arch rivals in Uttar Pradesh -- would spell doom for the BJP in the next general election.

Asked about Kumar's and JD-U principal general secretary K C Tyagi's comments that if Sharad Yadav attends the rally against the party line, he would lose his Rajya Sabha membership, Lalu claimed that there was no such provision.

"Is there any provision like this in any party?...Political party leaders attend rallies organised by others...it does not come under the anti-defection law," he said.

Lalu further said, "Sharad Yadav represents the true JD-U."

Sharad Yadav, who had attended a parallel 'Jan Adalat' meeting, instead of attending the JD-U national executive meeting on Saturday, had asserted, "Mahagathbandhan jaari hai (the Grand Alliance is continuing)."

The RJD chief is criss-crossing the state to mobilise people for the August 27 rally, which he has claimed would be a major occasion to bring together the secular forces on one platform against the BJP ahead of the 2019 polls.  -- PTI

A class 8 student in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, allegedly poisoned her classmate by mixing mosquito repellent in her water bottle, apparently envious of her for securing higher marks in exams, police said on Wednesday.

The accused girl later allegedly tried to commit suicide, fearing police inquiry into the incident, and was stated to be serious, an official said.

She put the liquid mosquito repellent into the water bottle of her classmate on Monday at their school.

Later, the victim drank water from her bottle following which she complained of uneasiness and started vomiting.

The girl was later taken to a hospital where she is undergoing treatment and is reported to be stable, Civil Lines police station in-charge Bhupendra Singh said.

"Both the girls, aged around 13-14, study in the same class. After drinking water from her bottle, the victim suspected something unusual and told her friend that the water smelt like mosquito repellent. After she began to feel uneasy, the school administration informed her parents, who took her to a hospital," Singh said.

Later, the school staff informed the police about the matter.

"In the CCTV footage of the classroom, the accused girl was seen pouring the mosquito repellent into her classmate's water bottle and then hiding it inside the bag of another student," Singh said.

The victim, in her statement, told police she suspects that what her classmate did was because she secured more marks than her in exams, he said.

Meanwhile, the accused allegedly tried to end her life by consuming mosquito repellent at her house in the city yesterday, as she feared a police inquiry into the incident, he said.

"The accused girl also consumed the mosquito repellent at her home yesterday and is currently admitted to the district hospital. We are investigating the incident," Singh said.

A doctor at the district hospital said the accused's condition was serious.

"We are treating her. She is serious but her condition is under control," Dr Sudhir Singh said.

A case was registered under Indian Penal Code section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) against the accused girl, police added. -- PTI

Representative image

Ahead of the Central Bureau of Investigation court's verdict in the 15-year-old rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 97 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) including the Rapid Action Force will be deployed in Panchkula during the hearing on Friday.


Thousands of policemen and paramilitary troops were, meanwhile, deployed in Punjab and Haryana today with Section 144 being imposed in both states, as thousands of followers have gathered near the Panchkula courthouse where the judgment will be delivered.

Over one lakh followers are expected to gather within the next two days, while schools and colleges in the area have been shut down.More than 50,000 Dera followers, who call themselves 'Premis', have reached Panchkula, and are camping near the courthouse.

These devotees have been requesting Gurmeet Ram Rahim to not appear in the court and have even issued 'violent' threats.Furthermore, all private and government schools in Panchkula are slated to remain shut on August 24-25.

In 2002, a case was registered by the CBI against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers surfaced through anonymous letters.

The hearing has been going on since 2007.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim also faces trial in another case involving the murder of a journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati.

Terror funding case: Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's sons Naeem Gilani and Naseem Gilani summoned by NIA tomorrow. Naeem is the head of the separatist conglomerate Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelanis younger son Naseem works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

The judicial remand of separatist leader Shabir Shah on Wednesday was further extended till August 31. Earlier on Tuesday, a Delhi Court dismissed the bail application of Shah.

He was arrested on charges of money laundering and was sent to a 14-day judicial remand earlier on August 9.

"The remand time of 14 days got concluded so we had requested for a custodial remand of another 14 days, which the court has granted. We also have a lot of electronic evidences and telephonic information and call records. Basically we have been confronting him with the information we have. Rest cannot be disclosed more," Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyer, Rajeev Awasthi told ANI.

Earlier on August 6, the Enforcement Directorate questioned Shah's wife in the ongoing money laundering case.

On July 25, Shah was arrested from his residence, where he was under house detention for a very long time, in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.

On July 26, Shah was produced in the Patiala House Court, following which he was sent to seven-day ED custody.

All seven separatist leaders -- Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate - were sent to 10-day NIA custody.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned several Separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.

Wayne Rooney has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect, ending his reign as England captain after holding talks with manager Gareth Southgate.31-year-old Rooney, who joined Everton from Manchester United in the summer after 13 years at Old Trafford, was dropped from Southgate's latest squad for the summer fixtures against Scotland and France in June. Read more

A late surge in banking stocks, spurred by Cabinet decision on consolidation of public banks, pulled markets higher today as the Sensex closed up 276 points, in line with a firming global trend. The broader Nifty ended on top of 9,800 again.

The government today decided to set up an alternative mechanism to oversee proposals for consolidation of public sector banks (PSBs) with a view to creating fewer but stronger lenders. State-run Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Allahabad Bank, Union Bank of India and Bank of India were at the centre of investors' attention, which recorded moderate to sizeable gains.

The 30-share Sensex stayed in the positive zone all throughout and hit a high of 31,593.39 before settling up 276.16 points, or 0.88 per cent, at 31,568.01. The gauge had gained 33 points yesterday.

The killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare were "well planned" and the perpetrators had organisational backup, the Bombay High Court said today, and asked the investigators to look beyond their current line of probe to apprehend the culprits.

The bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and Vibha Kankanwadi also said there was a "clear nexus" between the two killings.

"The reports reveal that these were clearly not one or two stray incidents. Certain organisations must be backing them, helping them financially. These incidents were well planned," Justice Dharmadhikari noted after perusing the probe reports submitted by the state CID and the CBI in Pansare and Dabholkar murder cases respectively.

Considering that Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar, the two men identified by the CBI as those who allegedly gunned down Dabholkar in 2013, were still to be traced, the court said the agency must "look beyond its current line of probe."

"There is a clear nexus between the two murders. These men must have some roots in the society. Coordinate with the state CID, use modern technology, look at bank transactions, ATM withdrawals, check rail bookings, there are just four or five states with porous borders to which these men could have fled," Justice Dharmadhikari said.

"It is impossible for someone to remain in hiding for so long in today's time," he said. The bench also directed the two probe agencies to take note of the above suggestions and submit fresh progress reports by the next date of hearing on September 13.

Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani has been appointed as the new chairman of Railway Board, reports ANI.

The announcement comes close on heels of reports about A K Mittal's resignation as Chairman Railway Board in the wake of two railway mishaps in five days.

According to media reports, Mittal tendered his resignation to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu after Kaifiyat Express derailed in UP's Auraiya district early today after dashing against a dumper carrying construction material for railway work, leaving over 74 people injured.

On Saturday last, Kalinga-Utkal Express had derailed in Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar in the state, killing 22 people and injuring 156 others.

There was, however, no official confirmation about Mittal's resignation.

Mittal became the first Railway Board chairman in history to be granted a two-year extension till July 2018.

He would have become the longest serving CRB in history had he remained in office till the end of his tenure, a report in the Indian Express said.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi has called his predecessor and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav's protests in the Assembly premises demanding the latter's resignation in connection with the Srijan scam as 'shameful.'

Speaking to ANI, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, "People are facing hardships due to floods, the Chief Minister is conducting surveys, whole Bihar government is busy in providing relief to the victims, over 1.5 crore population of Bihar is affected by floods and the main opposition party (RJD) is organising a rally at this time. This is shameful."

"I appeal to Lalu ji to cancel his rally and have a tour of the flood-affected areas of Bihar and see the efforts of the government. I would also appeal Tejashwi Yadav, who might not have seen floods in his life. He might have never got a chance, so now he has that chance to see how floods look like," he added.

Modi further said that he appeals to "Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and all the big political leaders who are supposed to attend the rally that they should rather come to Bihar to provide help at this time of humanitarian crisis. Attending a political rally in such circumstances would be similar to rubbing salt on the wounds of the flood victims."

The Rs. 1,000-crore Bhagalpur Srijan scam, which has created a political fuss in Bihar politics, involves transferring of government funds to private accounts between 2005 and 2013, when Sushil Modi was the finance minister.

According to reports, the public money which was kept in the state government and the district administration bank accounts had been diverted to the bank accounts of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Srijan, its employees and bank officials.

The NGO was founded by Manorma Devi and is being run by her son and his wife after her death.


Image: A poster of Tejashwi Yadav portrayed as a gladiator

Haryana and Punjab are maintaining maximum alert ahead of the court judgement in a sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh on August 25.

As a precautionary measure, government has ordered closure of schools and colleges in Panchkula district on August 24 and 25, Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Gauri Parashar Joshi told PTI today.

Over 35,000 followers of the Dera are estimated to have already reached and many more are still arriving at the sect's Sector-23 based 'Naam Charcha Ghar' (congregation/prayer centre) in Panchkula to show their solidarity with the sect chief, who has been asked to appear in person in the special CBI court on Friday.

Joshi said that the administration and police were keeping an eye to ensure that law and order is maintained. There is heavy police and para forces deployment near the routes leading to the district court complex in Panchkula, where the lawyers have suspended work for three days from today to avoid inconvenience to the public visiting the courts.

When asked if Dera chief will appear before the court in Panchkula on Friday, a spokesman of Dera Sacha Sauda today said that the sect and its head has always followed law and will do so in future also.

Hours after Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday tweeted saying he was personally monitoring the situation of the Kaifiyat Express derailment, he said he took moral responsibility for the accidents that have caused him deep anguish over the loss of lives. He said he met PM Narendra Modi, who asked him to wait.


This is what the minister tweeted over the last 10 minutes. "In less than three years as Minister, I have devoted my blood and sweat for the betterment of the Railways. Under the leadership of PM, tried 2 overcome decades of neglect thru systemic reforms in all areas leading 2 unprecedented investment & milestones. New India envisioned by PM deserves a Rlys which is efficient and modern. I promise that is the path, on which Rlys is progressing now. I am extremely pained by the unfortunate accidents, injuries to passengers and loss of precious lives. It has caused me deep anguish. I met the Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi taking full moral responsibility. Hon'ble PM has asked me to wait."


In back-to-back rail accidents, As many as 74 passengers were injured as nine bogies of the Kaifiyat Express derailed in UP's Auraiya district early today after dashing against a dumper carrying construction material for railway work, officials here said. Yesterday, 14 coaches of Utkal Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Katauli in which 23 people were killed.


File pic.

Sidelined AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran today removed Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar as the secretary of a party forum named after J Jayalalithaa and appointed his aides to various party posts.

Dinakaran, the nephew of VK Sasikala, in a statement said Udhayakumar was being "relieved" of his role as secretary of the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma Peravai.

He replaced Udhayakumar with MLA S Mariappan Kennedy, a loyalist. MLA V V Rajan Chellappa has also been "relieved" of his duties as secretary of the party's Madurai suburban unit. Dhinakaran, who had yesteray dubbed the merger of the two factions led by Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam as "betrayal" of party general secretary Sasikala, also named Thanjavur MLA M Rengasamy as the organisation secretary.

The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu is safe for the time being. Governor Vidyasagar Rao after consultations with New Delhi has decided not to act on the withdrawal of support by 19 MLAs to the Edappadi Palaniswami government. Rao, who is also governor of Maharashtra, is being replaced by a full-time governor for Tamil Nadu by the end of this month, according to sources in the Prime Minister's Office. A reshuffle of governors is scheduled to take place in any case, to fill the five vacancies. Governor Rao believes the person who will replace him in Tamil Nadu should not voice his opinion on the withdrawal of support to the EPS government. He has just a week more in the state, and Governor Rao naturally does not want to rock the boat and hopes the crisis will pass without having to step in. Political observers say the merger of the EPS and OPS governments have worked out well.

Anilkumar Manibhai Naik isn't riding off into the sunset - at least not yet.But the strongman of engineering and construction giant Larsen and Toubro - who has earned a reputation for pugnacity because of the way he faced down takeover threats from Reliance Industries and the A.V. Birla group in the '90s - has decided to cash in on his retirement benefits, running into Rs 38.04 crore. The sum includes a staggering leave encashment component of Rs 32.21 crore. Read more

PM Narendra Modi posts this picture on his Instagram page: "Adorning traditional headgear from #Maharashtra, presented to me by Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare."

The Government Railway Police has begun its investigation into the derailment of Kalinga Utkal Express with its personnel visiting the accident site and recording statements of locals in Khatauli, an official said today.

Investigating officer (IO) of the GRP, Deputy Superintendent of Police Randhir Singh yesterday met shopkeepers, house owners and others for their account of the what had happened on the evening of August 19.

"We will file our report against those found guilty for the derailment as soon as we will finish our probe," Singh said.

Thirteen bogies of the train derailed on Saturday in Khatauli near here, killing 22 people and injuring 156, 26 grievously. The GRP had registered a case of death by rash and negligent act in connection with Utkal Express train accident under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and The Railway Act.

The Reserve Bank of India will soon issue 200-rupee notes, which it hopes will fill the still vast demand for cash after demonetisation wiped out over 85 per cent of the cash in circulation.

The Reserve Bank of India proposal to bring in the 200-rupee notes for the first time in history was cleared by the Finance Ministry and the design has reportedly been approved by the Prime Minister's Office, reports NDTV.

Finance Ministry sources told NDTV that the new notes, which are being printed at a government press in Mysuru, will help liquidity.

Currently, there is no denomination between Rs 100 and Rs 500, the introduction of Rs 200 note is likely to make cash transactions smoother.

Last week, the RBI introduced new Rs 50 denomination banknotes. The new notes will be of a dimension 66 mm x 135 mm. It will feature the motif of Hampi with a chariot and will have the signature of Urjit R Patel, Governor, RBI. The note will be in fluorescent blue.

The Windflower resort near Chennai where MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran are lodged. 

AIADMK supporters hold protests near the Windflower resort in Puducherry where MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran are lodged. At least 19 MLAs have withdrawn support to the AIADMK government and are now at the resort.

A day after the merger of the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy's (EPS) government faced a crisis yesterday, when 19 of his MLAs withdrew their support, leading to the government falling short of majority.

The MLAs resigned when EPS declared, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), as his new Deputy Chief Minister, and the convenor of the party.The 19 legislators, owing allegiance to former deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, met Governor Vidyasagar Rao and withdrew support to the Chief Minister.

The MLAs reportedly told Rao that EPS had "forfeited" their confidence of the public as well, urging him to "intervene and institute the constitutional process."

Later, Opposition leader and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin wrote to the Governor demanding an early floor test to prove the government's majority and prevent horse trading, while other Opposition leaders also endorsed the demand.

EPS, OPS and other senior ministers, meanwhile, held meetings at the Secretariat on the threat to the government.

In identical letters submitted to Governor Rao at the Raj Bhavan, the resigned MLAs claimed they were "disillusioned with the functioning of the government headed by Palaniswami, as there has been abuse of power, favouritism, misuse of government machinery, widespread corruption".

On the other hand, Stalin has claimed that "twenty two MLAs" have resigned.

Stalin wrote a letter to the Governor and said that any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the case will pave the way for continuance of an "unconstitutional" government and will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House.

Polling for the high-stakes Bawana bypoll in Delhi began at a slow pace, with a little over 5 per cent votes being cast in the first hour. Voting began at 8 am for the election, in which the BJP, the AAP and the Congress are locked in a triangular contest.

"EVM issues were faced at a couple of booths in the morning, but they were all fixed. Voting is going smoothly and about 5 per cent votes have been cast till 9 AM," a senior polling official said. Over 2.94 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll in which EVMs equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail are being used at all polling stations.

The Assembly seat that falls in the north-west Delhi area is reserved for the SC category. Eight candidates are in the fray in the election that is being carried out through 379 polling stations. The counting will take place on August 28.

Army vehicles escort Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit after his release from Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.

Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit walks out of jail after nine years. Earlier in the day, army vehicles arrived at the Taloja jail ahead of his release. He is likely to join his unit in 24 hours.

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who has been languishing in jail for almost nine years for his alleged role in 2008 Malegaon blast case, observing there were contradictions in the chargesheets filed by different investigating agencies.

The top court also said it cannot deny the relief to him merely because "sentiments of community was against him".

Six people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008, at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nasik district of north Maharashtra.

The army officer was to have walked out of jail yesterday, but his bail procedure could not be completed in time as the required papers did not reach the jail authorities before sunset.

He had said yesterday that he was waiting to return to his two families -- the army, and his wife, children and dogs.

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today left for India on a five-day state visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Leading a 59-member delegation, Deuba, on his first official trip abroad, departed for New Delhi at around 10 am (local time). The prime minister's delegation comprises four ministers, 12 lawmakers from various political parties and nine secretaries. A separate business delegation is also accompanying him.