Dozens of police officers are rushing to downtown Charleston, South Carolina, after police reported a possible 'active shooter situation' near a stretch of restaurants and shops popular with tourists.

The shooting was reported just after noon on King Street, Police spokesman Charles Francis said in a statement.

He did not say whether they were any injuries or give any description of a suspect.

A couple told a local newspaper that they were eating at Virginia's restaurant and saw a man come out of the kitchen with a gun who said, "There's a new boss in town."

The man looked like 'an ordinary grandpa, but he had a crazy look', the couple said.

They were able to escape out a back door.

Charleston Police sent SWAT teams and a bomb disposal unit to the area.

Authorities instructed people inside to stay inside and those outside to leave the area.

The site is a few blocks away from Emanuel AME church, where nine black members of a church were killed by a white man during a June 2015 Bible study. -- Agencies

Image only for representation.

JUST IN: Fire breaks out in Mumbai's Oberoi mall in suburban Goregaon.

Five fire tenders at the spot.

More details awaited. -- ANI

Two former Gujarat Congress MLAs, who had resigned after cross-voting in the recently held Rajya Sabha election, have joined the ruling BJP.

C K Raulji, who represented Godhra, joined the BJP today at a function held in his constituency, while former MLA of Jamnagar-North Dharmendrasinh Jadeja joined the party yesterday, a BJP statement said in Ahmedabad.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani were present on both occasions, it said.

On August 21, Rupani had announced that the former Congress MLAs who either resigned ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls or voted against Congress candidate Ahmed Patel will join the BJP soon.

Former MLAs Ramsinh Parmar and Mansinh Chauhan are supposed to join the BJP at a function at Dakor in Kheda district on August 27, while former MLA of Jamnagar-rural, Raghavji Patel, would join the ruling party on September 1.

A total of thirteen Congress MLAs, loyalists of former Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela, resigned from the party ahead of or after the August 8 election, along withVaghela himself.

Balwantsinh Rajput, Tejashreeben Patel and Prahlad Patel joined the BJP before the election.

Vaghela hasn't yet revealed his own plans.

Remaining five former MLAs -- Vaghela's son Mahendrasinh, Bholabhai Gohel, Chhanabhai Chaudhary, Amit Chaudharuy and Karmashi Patel -- are expected to follow the suit in the days to come. -- PTI

The Army was today called in the highly sensitive Panchkula and Sirsa districts to deal with any law and order situation that may arise in the wake of tomorrow's court verdict involving head of Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today spoke to Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Defence minister Arun Jaitley and apprised them of the emerging law and order situation ahead of tomorrow's court verdict in Panchkula, official sources told PTI in Chandigarh.

The Army has been called in the two sensitive districts, Panchkula and Sirsa, they said.

IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard at a road that was closed as part of security arrangements ahead of the verdict in the rape trial of Gurumeet Ram Rahim, in Chandigarh on Thursday. PTI Photo

For the second time in a fortnight, two sons of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani were today questioned by the National Investigation Agency in connection with a terror funding probe allegedly involving Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, officials said.

Nayeem and Naseem were questioned earlier on August 8.

The elder son Nayeem is a surgeon by profession, while Naseem is an employee of the Jammu and Kashmir government.

According to officials, who are not authorised to speak to media, the two were asked to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under the scanner of the NIA.

Nayeem is tipped as the natural successor to lead the Tehrek-e-Hurriyat, a separatist conglomerate comprising pro-Pakistan hardline groups, after his 87-year-old ailing father.

The NIA had registered the case of terror funding and named Saeed, leader of the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawah and banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, as an accused.

It had registered the case on May 30, accusing separatist and secessionist leaders of being in cahoots with terrorist groups.

The case was registered over raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including through hawala channels, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in the state.

The case also included causing disruption in the Valley by pelting security forces with stones, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India.

It was the first time since the rise of militancy in the early 1990s that a central probe agency conducted raids in connection with the funding of terrorist and separatist groups.  -- PTI

Nandan Nilekani has been named Infosys Chairman after R Seshasayee and co-chair Ravi Venkatesan quit, reports PTI.

Nilekani will be non-executive chairman of the Infosys board.

T V Mohandas Pai, a former Chief Financial Officer of the software giant, had earlier said that he expects Infosys Chairman and Co-Chairman to step down in the next few days and a new Chairman and Board to be appointed.


On August 18, the day Infosys' first non-founder CEO Vishal Sikka announced his resignation, investor advisory firm Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS) said it favoured Nilekani being brought back on the board as its non-executive chairman.

Nilekani was CEO of the company between 2002 and 2007. -- PTI

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of all help to deal with any situation which may arise after a court delivers its verdict in a sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, an official said.

In a telephonic conversation, the home minister, who is in Cholpon-Ata in Kyrgyzstan, took stock of the law and order situation in Haryana in view of a large number of followers of the Dera chief arriving in Panchkula, Chandigarh and nearby areas ahead of tomorrow's court verdict.

The chief minister briefed the home minister about the steps taken by the state government to maintain peace in the state, and Singh assured Khattar of help, the official said.

The home minister also spoke to Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and instructed him to provide all necessary assistance to the Haryana government.

The Centre has already rushed more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel to Punjab and Haryana for deployment in the two states.

Punjab and Haryana police forces are on high alert to deal with any law and order situation, the official said, referring to the court's verdict tomorrow in a sexual exploitation case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. -- PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to take over the investigation in the Bihar 'Srijan' scam in which government funds of over Rs 950 crore were allegedly diverted to the account of an NGO in Bhagalpur.

The cases were being investigated by the economic offences unit of the Bihar Police.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had recommended a CBI probe into the case.

Sources said the CBI has received the reference from the Centre to take over the investigation.

They said the agency received the necessary documents from the Bihar government today.

The state police had issued a lookout notice against Priya Kumar, the secretary of the NGO Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti, and her husband Amit.

Priya is the daughter-in-law of Manorama Devi, the founder of the NGO.

Devi died early this year after which the NGO was being run by Priya and Amit.  -- PTI

The mayor of Venice has warned that anybody who shouts 'Allahu Akbar' in the city's St Mark's Square will be shot within three steps.

Addressing a conference, Luigi Brugnaro boasted that Venice was safer than Barcelona, where recently 13 people were killed in a terrorist attack.

"In contrast with Barcelona, where they had not set up protection, we keep our guard up. If anyone runs into St Mark's Square shouting 'Allahu Akhbar', we will take him down. A year ago I said after four steps, now after three. I will say it in Venetian: 'Ghe Sparemo' (We will shoot him)," The Times quoted Brugnaro as saying.

However, his threat was not taken very seriously and later made him the butt of a joke at the conference he was attending.

Taking a jibe at the mayor of Venice, Mayor of Florence rushed up to Brugnaro shouting 'Allahu Akbar!' and started laughing but he later apologised saying that his intention was not to offend anyone particularly the Muslim community.

"I have never been politically correct, I am incorrect. I would shoot, we would shoot . . . if you want to kill me, maybe I will defend myself," he said while sticking to his words.

This is not the first time Brugnaro has created a controversy by saying something.

Brugnaro had removed 49 books about same-sex relationships from Venetian schools shortly after he became mayor two years ago.

His decision prompted more than 250 Italian authors to demand that he take their books away as well.

Brugnaro had said in 2015 that he would ban gay pride processions from Venice, calling them 'buffoonery, the height of kitsch'.

Italy has the fourth-largest Muslim population in Europe, according to a 2016 Pew Research survey. It is home to 2.2 million Muslims. -- ANI

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has pulled up the Haryana Government over the security arrangements provided in the state in the wake of the verdict on the 15-year-old rape case against the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, tomorrow.


The High Court has said that it doesn't want a situation like that of the Jat agitation to take place in Haryana and has, hence, asked the Centre to deploy additional forces, and take strong steps.


The court also said that it would direct the Army if the needful isn't done.


The Central Government has, on its part, assured that a necessary action would be taken to curb any agitation.


The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also said that it has been keeping a watch over the recent happenings in the states and reporting to the Information and Broadcast Ministry, and that all the necessary steps would be taken to restrict any agitation.


In addition to it, the security has been tightened in Sirsa district as Dera followers gathered on Court Road.


Meanwhile, the internet and train services in both states have been suspended for 72 hours in Chandigarh.A formal notification will also be issued soon.


The development comes after the state governments wrote a letter to the Railway Ministry to cancel 12 passenger trains coming towards Chandigarh.


The Dera chief had cited medical reasons for not attending court in person.The case was registered by the CBI in 2002 against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers through anonymous letters.


Image: Dera Sacha Sauda followers camp near the court where the hearing in the sexual exploitation case will take place tomorrow

Senior diplomat Randhir Kumar Jaiswal was today appointed as social secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.   

BJP chief Amit Shah today appointed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as in-charge of the Gujarat assembly polls, while handing over the responsibility of Karnataka to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.   

A day after 2008 Malegaon Blast case accused Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit was granted leave for 15 days after being released from the Taloja Jail on bail, his wife Aparna Purohit expressed delight at the decision of the court.

"It's great to have my husband back. We'll try and start afresh as a family," she said, while speaking to ANI.

After her husband applied for a 15-day leave on Thursday, she said that the family is waiting for further instructions from the court.

When asked if she'd let her sons join the Army after everything her husband went through, she said, "It is a matter of fate. It is always a matter of pride to serve your country in any way possible."

On Thursday, Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit was released from the Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai on bail after nine years, on the condition that he won't leave the country without the permission of the court.

His lawyer Advocate Shrikant Shivade, meanwhile, has confirmed that his leave has been approved.

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Thursday assured that his country would never allow any anti-India activities to stem from its soil.

"Nepal would never allow any activities against friendly neighbour India and there would be every support and cooperation from our side," said Prime Minister Deuba in a joint statement with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

He also hailed Prime Minister Modi's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and approach of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.

"I appreciate PM Modi's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and approach of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'. We are eager to see that these encouraging policies are translated into development activities," he said.

Prime Minister Modi had said earlier that India is fully committed to increase its partnership in the development of Nepal.

"Keeping in mind the priorities of Nepal, India is fully committed to increase its partnership in the development of Nepal," Prime Minister Modi said in a joint statement with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.

"Had a positive meeting reviewing the gamut of our partnership," he said.

He also said that the two sides are working together in different dimensions of their economic partnership.Speaking about floods in Nepal, Prime Minister Modi said that India has repeatedly proposed every possible assistance to Kathmandu in this natural calamity."I believe that our discussion of today and the agreements we have agreed upon, will run a new energy in our bilateral relations," he said.India and Nepal on Thursday signed multiple Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to strengthen cooperation in various spheres, following delegation level talks between the two sides.Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed the exchange of MoUs between the two sides.The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the Kataiya- Kusaha and Raxaul-Parwanipur cross border power transmission lines.

Tata Sons today announced the appointment of Roopa Purushothaman as its Chief Economist and Head of Policy Advocacy. Purushothaman, who will join Tata Sons with effect from September 1, comes from Everstone Capital, where she was leading the research function.

"In her role, Purushothaman will drive macroeconomic research as well as all policy and advocacy initiatives as relevant to the businesses of the Tata group," Tata Sons said in a statement.

A graduate from the Yale University with a post-graduate degree from the London School of Economics, she has previously worked with Goldman Sachs International as Vice-President and Global Economist.

"In her long-standing career, Purushothaman has published research papers covering a wide range of topics, including the path-breaking research on BRIC countries," the statement said.

Just in: BJP chief Amit Shah appoints Arun Jaitley, Prakash Javedekar as election in-charge for Gujarat and Karnataka assembly polls respectively.

During the hearing on the Right to Privacy matter, after which a landmark judgement was passed, the nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court also discussed the issue of LGBTQ, under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The discussion is further published in the 80th paragraph of the order passed.

According to the order, in the challenge laid to Section 377 of the IPC before the Delhi High Court, one of the grounds was that the said provision amounted to an infringement of the Right to Dignity and Privacy.

The Delhi High Court, inter alia, observed that the right to live with dignity and the right of privacy both are recognised as dimensions of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The view of the High Court, however, did not find favour with the Supreme Court and it was observed that only a minuscule fraction of the country's population constitutes lesbians, gays, bisexuals or transgenders and thus, there cannot be any basis for declaring the Section ultra virus of provisions of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

The matter did not rest at this, as the issue of privacy and dignity discussed by the High Court, was also observed upon.

The sexual orientation, even within the four walls of the house, thus became an aspect of debate.

In their judgement, the Supreme Court was also in agreement with the view of Dr Justice DY Chandrachud, who in paragraphs 123 and 124 of his judgement, stated that the right of privacy cannot be denied, even if there is a minuscule fraction of the population, which is affected.

The Court also observed that the majoritarian concept does not apply to Constitutional rights and the Courts are often called upon to take what may be categorised as a non-majoritarian view, in the check and balance of power envisaged under the Constitution of India.

One's sexual orientation is undoubtedly an attribute of privacy, says the order.In 2013, the apex court upheld Section 377 of the IPC, which discriminates against a section of individuals in society on the basis of their sexual orientation, and placed the onus of repealing it on the Parliament.

A writ petition, challenging Section 377 on the ground that it violates the privacy of citizens, is still pending.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, today, has upheld the Right to Privacy as "a fundamental right."

A five-judge constitutional bench will decide whether the Aadhar violates the Right to Privacy or not.

Hours after the Supreme Court verdict on the right to privacy, the government said it welcomed the judgement. Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government has been of the view, particularly with regard to Aadhar that Right To Privacy should be a Fundamental Right. "Subah se humein civil liberty ki duhaai di jaa rahi hai, vo bhi bina judgement padhe. Privacy is not an absolute right, it is a right within restrictions," he said.

Soon after the Supreme Court today unanimously ruled that individual privacy is a Fundamental Right, top ministers went into a huddle to discuss its implications, particularly on the use of the world's largest biometric ID card programme, Aadhaar.

Ravi Shankar Prasad and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Nripendra Misra went to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to discuss the possible ramifications.

"On behalf of the government, the Attorney General also argued that the Right to Privacy is a part of Fundamental Rights, with reasonable restrictions," he said.

Hitting out at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has the habit of talking without doing his homework, but senior Congress leaders also seem to be following in his footsteps. Rahul said that the verdict was a major blow to fascist forces.

When asked about the implications of the verdict on Section 377, Prasad parried the question saying privacy was a Fundamental Right and the government would revert.

Bus services on many routes has been suspended as a precautionary measure. Ahead of the verdict, a large number of Dera Sacha Sauda followers from various parts of Punjab and Haryana have flocked Panchkula. They could be seen along many roads and also in various public parks. The Dera followers have also been arriving in great numbers at the sect headquarters at Sirsa.

More than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab and Haryana ahead tomorrow's verdict by a Panchkula court verdict in a sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a Union home Mministry official said today.

The government has suspended mobile internet, data services for 72 hours in Punjab, Haryana & the Union Territory Chandigarh.

As many as 150 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the two states to assist the police forces in maintaining law and order, he said. One paramilitary company comprises over 100 personnel.

Punjab and Haryana police forces are on high alert to deal with any law and order situation, the official said, referring to the court's verdict tomorrow in a sexual exploitation case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Gurmeet Singh.

The case was registered in 2012 on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'sadhvis' (female followers) by the Dera chief.

The central government has assured all possible help to the two state governments to deal with any situation as a large number of followers of the Dera chief have started arriving in Panchkula, Chandigarh and nearby areas, another the official, privy to the development, said.

"We are in constant touch with the governments of Punjab and Haryana. We have given them adequate forces," the official, who did not want to be identified, saiD.

He said flag marches have been carried out by security forces in Panchkula, Sirsa, Hissar and some other places while several hospitals are also put on alert as a precautionary measure.

The police forces are keeping a close watch on social media, particularly WhatsApp groups, Facebook and Twitter, and have asked people not to spread rumours, the official said.

The special court in Panchkula has been hearing the case against Singh for the last few years and is scheduled to deliver the verdict tomorrow. While the alleged incident occurred in 1999, the FIR was lodged in 2002. The CBI investigated the matter against the sect head. The Dera chief and the sect management have refuted all charges against him. He has large followers in Haryana and Punjab.

Ride sharing company Uber today announced a partnership with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to offer easier options to riders for travelling from the airports. The service will be operational at the airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Bhubaneswar and Pune in the next couple of weeks, Uber said in a statement.


Uber will set up booking zones at the airports, where even those who do not have the app will be able to book a ride, it said. There will be a dedicated pick up zone outside arrival terminals, on-ground assistance and clear signages to guide the travellers to their car for pick up, it further said. The Uber app will also enable riders to get specific pick up instructions, like terminal and door number, to reach their Uber driver.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the privacy verdict:  The judgement was a "victory for every Indian", Gandhi said on Twitter. "Welcome the SC verdict upholding Right to Privacy as an intrinsic part of individual's liberty, freedom and dignity. The SC decision marks a major blow to fascist forces," he tweeted. It was a "sound rejection" of the BJP's ideology of "suppression through surveillance", Gandhi said.

Sonia Gandhi on the privacy verdict: The SC judgment on 'Fundamental #RightToPrivacy' heralds a new era for individual rights, personal liberty & human dignity.

The Reserve Bank will launch Rs 200 banknotes for the first time tomorrow, increasing availability of lower denomination currency in the system. The bright yellow notes will hit the market just a day after the announcement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that the government has given go-ahead to the RBI to issue the new currency bill.


"The Reserve Bank of India will issue on August 25, 2017 Rs 200 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (new) Series, bearing signature of Urjit R Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of India from select RBI offices, and some banks," RBI said in a press release.


As per new policy on theme-based currency notes, this currency notes bears motif of Sanchi Stupa, to depict India's cultural heritage. The base colour of the note is bright yellow, RBI said.


Following the demonetisation on November 9 last year, the Reserve Bank had introduced Rs 2,000 notes as also new Rs 500 notes with additional security features.


The move led to shortages in the system, putting pressure on small denomination currency, mainly Rs 50 and Rs 100. Now, with the introduction of Rs 200 notes, the problem people have been facing due to high-value Rs 2,000 notes is expected to be resolved.


The RBI has also introduced a new fluorescent blue Rs 50 banknotes bearing the motif of 'Hampi with Chariot' that depicts India's cultural heritage. Among other prominent features, the banknote will carry portrait of Mahatma Gandhi at the centre and the denominational numeral "200" with rupee symbol in colour changing ink -- green to blue -- on the bottom right on the obverse (front) side of the note, RBI said.


For visually impaired, the front of the note will have intaglio or raised printing of Mahatma Gandhi portrait, Ashoka Pillar emblem, raised identification mark 'H' with micro-text Rs 200, four angular bleed lines with two circles in between the lines both on the right and left sides. The reverse side of the note will carry a Swachh Bharat logo with slogan and the Sanchi Stupa motif, RBI said.

The US has asked India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue to reduce bilateral tensions and resolve issues, including Kashmir.


"I think one of the things that we would do is ask or encourage India and Pakistan to sit down together and engage in direct dialogue that is aimed at reducing tensions between both of those countries," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters yesterday.


Her remarks came in response to the statement made by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a day earlier in which he sought some rapprochement steps from India on issues with Pakistan.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim today said he will appear in person before the court that is slated to pronounce verdict in the sexual exploitation case against him tomorrow and appealed to his followers to maintain peace.


The CBI court in Panchkula has asked Gurmeet Ram Rahim to remain present in person tomorrow when the verdict in the case will be pronounced.


"I have always respected the law. Even though I am having a backache, still abiding by law, I will go to court (tomorrow). I have full faith in God. Everyone should maintain peace," the sect chief tweeted today.


The sexual exploitation case was registered against the Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'sadhvis' (female followers) by Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The Dera chief has denied these charges.

Full text of the Right to Privacy verdict. Read it here.

Congress reacts to the privacy verdict: P Chidambaram: The Aadhar we conceived was perfectly compatible with the Right To Privacy. It is the interpretation of this government of Article 21 which is an invasion of Right To Privacy. No fault in the Aadhar concept, there is fault in how this government plans to use or misuse Aadhar as a tool.


Other reactions: Congress leader Salman Khurshid tweeted: "Privacy Fundamental Right has far reaching implications 4 our democracy. Celebrate the defeat of forces that wish to intrude in our lives. Hope cheer leaders remember the govt aggressively opposed Privacy Right before Court. Shall await ministers congratulating the PM for this."


BJP leader Subramanian Swamy: Welcome the SC judgment that Right to Privacy is a fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Now onto Aadhaar modification.


Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "I have a right to privacy & it's a fundamental one. Yeyy."


Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala: Path breaking & seminal judgement of Supreme Court declares 'Privacy' as fundamental right. A great victory for liberty & freedom. S.C rejects Modi Govt's attempt to whittle down the right to privacy as a fundamental right by AG's plea of no mention in Constitution."


AIPWA secretary and CPI(ML) member Kavita Krishnan tweeted: "Supreme Court upholds Right to Privacy as fundamental right - Central Govt position denying this defeated. Cause for celebration as citizens."


A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar ruled that "right to privacy is an intrinsic part of right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a lunch for visiting Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at Hyderabad House. Deuba arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday on a five-day state visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Quintessential Bihari cuisine was on the menu, but strictly vegetarian fare, as is the case with all state lunches or dinners. But Deuba is believed to have relished the food.

We can tell you that the PM had asked for a Maithili-themed menu such as Arikonch ke Tarkari (marinated sun-dried Colocasia leaves, steamed  and cooked in a mustard gravy) and Khaja (deep fried pastry dipped in sugar syrup), among a host of others.

There were 85 invitees from both countries including Union Ministers, top bureaucrats and senior media persons from both countries. Famed artisans from Uttar Pradesh were also present.

Interestingly, both Hyderabad House and the Nepali embassy are located near India Gate. After lunch, Deuba drove to the Nepali embassy to meet top Nepalese in the city.

This is the story of how Home Minister Rajnath Singh very narrowly missed out being India's 15th President. Numerous reports had said that PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were looking at Rajnath Singh as the next President of India. But as we know, it is Ram Nath Kovind who now calls the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan as his home.

This is how Rajnath Singh missed the bus.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley was deputed to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur to sound out RSS top leadership on Rajnath's candidature. The RSS unanimously agreed to it and all that was left was for the announcement to be made. But then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Amit Shah to Delhi for a meeting and Rajnath's fortunes changed. Modi told Shah that Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind was the right choice and that the RSS should be informed first followed by Kovind. 

Amit Shah acted immediately. In fact, he did not even mention Rajnath Singh.

Everything took place in 30 minutes. Phone calls were made between New Delhi to many political leaders, the first call the PM made was to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. That's the long and short of how Rajnath lost out to Kovind.

In other news, in Mumbai, Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit joined service in the Army yesterday and applied for a 15-day leave. 

The lawyers who argued against including right to privacy as a fundamental right were: Attorney General KK Venugopal, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Arvind Datar, Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramaniam, Shayam Divan, Anand Grover, CA Sundaram and Rakesh Dwivedi, had advanced arguments in favour and against the inclusion of the right to privacy as a fundamental right.

In a landmark decision that will affect the lives of all Indians, the Supreme Court today unanimously declared that right to privacy was a fundamental right under the Constitution. A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that "right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution".

The ruling on the highly contentious issue was to deal with a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing the benefits of various social welfare schemes. The right to privacy "is protected as an intrinsic part of Article 21 that protects life and liberty," the Supreme Court ruled.   


Today's verdict does not comment on whether the government's demand for Aadhar to be linked to all financial transactions amounts to an infringement of privacy. That decision will be taken by a separate and smaller bench of the Supreme Court.

All fundamental rights come with reasonable restrictions, said SC lawyer Prashant Bhushan and whether Aadhar can be seen as a reasonable restriction has yet to be decided, he cautioned.   

The petitioners in today's case  had stressed that the Aadhaar database was originally presented as a purely voluntary programme that offered to provide every Indian with an identity card, but the government had said that Aadhaar is essential for all services including tax returns, opening bank accounts and securing loans, pensions and cash transfers for those entitled to welfare schemes. 

Point to note is that the Supreme Court verdict on privacy is not about Aadhaar. The Supreme Court has only given a verdict on whether the Right to Privacy is a fundamental right. It has not said anything about the use of Aadhar and biometrics, says Prashant Bhushan.

Right to Privacy is now part of Article 21 of the Constitution which ensures the protection of life and personal liberty. It says no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty, except according to procedure established by law.

The nine-judge bench overrules the previous two judgments by a six-judge and an eight-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which had ruled that Right to Privacy is not a fundamental right. The court today said that every fundamental right is subject to certain reasonable restrictions. Whether the Aadhar Act imposes reasonable restrictions will be decided by a separate bench.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the right to privacy is a fundamental right under the Constitution. Privacy is a part of right to life and liberty, the court rules. Privacy is also inherent in other fundamental rights. It was a unanimous verdict by the nine-judge bench. Details awaited.

A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar had on August 2 reserved its verdict after hearing marathon arguments for six days over a period of three weeks, during which submissions were advanced in favour and against the inclusion of the right to privacy as a fundamental right.

Besides CJI Khehar, the other judges of the nine-judge bench are Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, R F Nariman, A M Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, S K Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer. The verdict was announced in Courtroom No.1, the court of Chief Justice of India Khehar. 

Ganesha idols inspired by Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja popular among buyers in Hyderabad. The 10-day Ganesha festival begins tomorrow.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for halting immersion of Durga idols on Dashami and said she is trying to divide Hindus and Muslims by issuing such directives.

The West Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday issued an order against the immersion of Durga idols on Dashami during the procession of Muharram which will be observed on October 1.

Talking to ANI, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that the party would approach the Calcutta High Court against the order.

"Last year also she issued such directives on the immersion of Durga idol but the high court stayed the order terming it wrong. This time also she is repeating the same. She wants to divide Hindu and Muslim. We will not accept this. We will protest against it and also knock the doors of court," Sinha said.

Another BJP leader Sambit Patra accused Banerjee of doing vote bank politics sidelining the high court's order.

"She does not care about law of land or faith of communities. She only cares about politics of appeasement and vote bank politics. In the year 2016 also, she had come up with similar circular limiting the immersion of Durga idol. She was castigated by the Calcutta High Court. The high court had categorically stated that this is nothing but appeasement politics. Yet again she is indulging herself into appeasement politics. People of West Bengal will give an apt and befitting reply to her," he told ANI.

Hours after issuing the order, Banerjee, however, clarified that immersion of Durga idols on Dashami will be halted only for 24 hours."This year Durga Puja and Muharram fall on same day. Except 24 hour period on Muharram day, immersions can take place on October 2, 3 and 4," she tweeted.

Earlier, she had said that there will be no immersion of Durga idols on Dashami after 6 p.m."No idol immersion after 6 pm on Dashami (September 30) till October 1 due to Muharram processions, immersion will resume from October 2," Banerjee had said in an official statement.The Chief Minister had also issued a similar order last year, however, it was stayed by the Calcutta High Court.

The Allahabad high court on Wednesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to inform it about action taken on the inquiry report of the chief secretary into the deaths of children in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

The Lucknow bench of the high court set August 28 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice D S Tripathi was hearing a PIL moved by one Dilip Kumar Verma.

Earlier this month, 72 children admitted to the government-run hospital in Gorakhpur had died within a span of three days.

The government has maintained that the children died due to different illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis (JE).

According to the petitioner's counsel V K Singh, the petitioner had sought CBI or judicial probe into the Gorakhpur incident as well as into the corruption allegedly prevailing in government hospitals.

The PIL included the issue of fire in KGMU Lucknow recently.

The court was told on behalf of the state government that the government had already set up an inquiry by the chief secretary who has submitted the report.

The government is considering the report, the court was told. The committtee headed by chief secretary Rajive Kumar submitted the report to the government on Tuesday evening.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had formed the committee on August 12 to probe the incident, a day after death of scores of children in the state-run BRD Medical College was reported.

UP Medical Education minister Ashutosh Tandon had said that action would be taken against those found guilty in the probe.

As the first action, the government had suspended the college principal Dr Rajiv Mishra, who subsequently put in his papers accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.  -- PTI