The Independence Day telecast of the celebrations that take place at the Red Fort every year has always attracted eyeballs, whether it is on public broadcaster Doordarshan or on the many news channels the country has, reports Business Standard.   

A senior Pakistani police officer was sacked after he refused to tender an apology to former husband of Prime Minister Imran Khan's third wife Bushra Bibi for stopping him at a picket.


The Punjab government today removed District Police Officer (Pakpattan) Rizwan Omar Gondal from his post and ordered him to report to the central police office Lahore following his refusal to tender an apology to Khawar Manika, ex-husband of Bushra Bibi.


A senior police officer told PTI that Khawar Manika was coming from Lahore to Pakpattan (some 175-km from Lahore) when he was stopped at a picket at 1 am on August 23. "Manika didn't stop his car when police signalled him at the picket. Police chased his car and intercepted it a few kms away.


Khawar Manika hurled abuses at police officials for not letting him go despite his introduction. Opposition PML-N has criticised Imran Khan for intervening in the matter of his wife's ex-husband. -- PTI


Image: Imran Khan with his third wife Bushra Bibi.

A special Lokayukta court acquitted Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today in a case of alleged illegal de-notification of a government land in 2007, when he headed the JD(S)-BJP coalition government.


In his order, judge D B Patil said he did not find any proof to establish Kumaraswamy's guilt in the case. Kumaraswamy, who now leads a Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government, had filed a petition seeking dismissal of the case contending that there was no proof to establish that he had de-notified the land. The court also discharged three others, including retired IAS officer K Jothiramalingam, who were also named as an accused. -- PTI

After a day's breather, the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty resumed record-setting rally to scale new peaks and logged their best single-day gains in nearly five months, tracking positive global cues as investors took heart from the US Federal Reserve's "gradual approach" comments on monetary policy tightening.


The BSE Sensex surged over 442 points to close at its life-time high of 38,694.11 and the broader NSE Nifty ended at a fresh record of 11,691.95, rising 134.85 points. Both indices recorded their biggest single-day gains in nearly five months. On April 5 this year, the 30-share Sensex had rallied 577.73 points and the Nifty 50 had jumped 196.75 points. -- PTI

The Congress today accused the central government of stonewalling questions over the Rafale fighter deal, saying there was a "conspiracy of silence" and an attempt to "bypass the national interest".


Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi also claimed that the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was not in the loop when the agreement to procure 36 fighter planes from France was signed in 2016 and demanded that he "break his silence" on the issue.


Addressing a press conference here on the issue which her party has been raising at various fora, Chaturvedi said Parrikar's "silence amounts to agreement to the conspiracy that has betrayed the nation."

Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, one of the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, on Monday moved the Supreme Court and sought a Special Investigation Team probe into the matter pertaining to his alleged abduction and torture by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in 2008.


Purohit was arrested for allegedly masterminding the blasts in Malegaon in 2008.


In April, the apex court also allowed Purohit to challenge the charges framed against him.


Purohit, after spending nine years in jail, was granted a conditional bail by the top court in August last year.


According to media reports, in June Purohit revealed that he was beaten, abused and tortured while he was in custody of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).


Purohit, in a letter, claimed that he was threatened to own up to a crime which he never committed.The Malegaon blasts, that took place on September 29, 2008, killed six people and injured several others. -- ANI

VS Naipaul leaves behind a formidable body of work -- and a troubling legacy. Read Meena Kandasamy's piece here

Mumbai: Fire breaks out in a building near Premier Talkies in Parel. Four fire tenders rushed to the spot, more details awaited.

The Shiv Sena today accused the BJP of giving a "political colour" to the ritual of immersion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ashes, saying the "staged" affection made the great leader look small after his death.


After the 93-year-old leader's death on August 16, the BJP had decided to immerse his ashes in various rivers across the country. In remarks laced with sarcasm, the Sena said while no importance is given to veteran BJP leaders, their ashes are treated with importance.


A true obituary to a person is to carry forward his thoughts, instead of projecting a "staged" affection towards him, it said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.


"The vacuum created after Vajpayee's death is being attempted to be filled in (by some) with ridiculous and unsuitable ways. There is no importance given to veterans in the BJP but their ashes are treated with importance," it said.


Vajpayee had a pan-India appeal and senior leaders of various political parties were present at his last rites because he was great in all ways, it noted. "But there have been attempts to make him look small after his death," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. Instead of the ashes immersion ritual being performed by one party, it should have been carried out as a national event involving all parties, it said. -- PTI


Image: PM Modi and Amit Shah with urns containing Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ashes at the BJP's Delhi HQ.

The RSS may invite Congress president Rahul Gandhi to attend a three-day lecture series by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat in New Delhi next month, sources in the organisation said today.


The idea is to invite people from different ideologies for the event, a source in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said, adding that the list is being prepared and may also include CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.


Indications that Gandhi could be invited came on a day the RSS criticised him for drawing parallels between the Sangh and Islamic radical outfit Muslim Brotherhood.


Giving details of the September event, RSS prachar pramukh Arun Kumar said the Sangh was for the first time organising a three-day lecture series of its chief Mohan Bhagwat on the theme, 'Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective'.


"Bhagwatji will address and interact with select audience comprising prominent citizens on 'Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective' in a three-day lecture series," Kumar told reporters. The event will be held at Vigyan Bhavan from September 17 to September 19. Kumar said people across the country wanted to know and associate with the RSS.


Replying to a question on whether Gandhi will also be invited, Kumar said the list had not been finalised. "It is our prerogative to choose who to invite or not. Leave this to us... But people from all walks of life, including from different political outfits, ideologies and religions, will be invited," he said.


In June this year, Congress veteran and former president Pranab Mukherjee attended an event at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on the Sangh's invitation, for which he was criticised by the party leaders. The RSS, an ideological mentor of BJP, was the focus of Gandhi's attack during his recent visit abroad. -- PTI

BJP chief Amit shah, the Chanakya of splits and mergers has a grand plan for the general elections of 2019.

We are being told that senior leader Shivpal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party is in touch with BJP chief Amit Shah to split the party soon and align his new party with the NDA.

It's a crisis that has been brewing for a while in UP's first family, all the more apparent now from Sunday's speech by Shivpal Yadav at a public function.


Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother and senior party leader Shivpal Yadav questioned how long he should be waiting in the wings before he is assigned a "responsibility." The SP leader hit out at party chief Akhilesh Yadav saying he is being "ignored" for over a year.

A grand strategy has already been worked out by the BJP to reduce the SP's influence in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll and to ensure BSP chief Mayawati does not pose a big threat to the BJP.  


There are many similarities between the Samajwadi Party and the DMK with its familial rifts.  In Tamil Nadu, too, Shah's hand is being seen. If you recollect, the BJP president had said that in October the party will announce its poll strategy in Tamil Nadu. Shah is in fact waiting for a signal from one of the sons of the the late DMK chief M Karunanidhi. Whether the BJP will support MK Stalin or rebel leader MK Alagiri remains to be seen.


Just today, Alagiri said that he and his faction want to join the the DMK. Karunanidhi had expelled Alagiri in favour of Stalin. "If they don't include us in the party, they will have to face the consequences," he said.


Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh together make up 120 seats in the Lok Sabha and the BJP is trying to shore up its numbers in the event of a loss of 15 to 20 seats.

This can be achieved only if it splits and weakens vote banks of the DMK and SP.

All will be revealed in October. Hang on till then.

India can seek extradition of fugitive billionaire Mehul Choksi without an Interpol Red Corner Notice as it is not a mandatory requirement for the process, the CBI has told the Ministry of External Affairs.


In a communication to the ministry earlier this month, the agency said the purpose of a Red Corner Notice is to locate an absconding accused which has already been achieved in Choksi's case after confirmation from Antigua that he is their citizen, officials said.


They also said that having an RCN is of little value now as Antigua has granted him citizenship and Choksi is now an Antiguan passport holder. The agency has communicated to the ministry that it has already written to its counterpart agency in Antigua for the provisional arrest of Choksi, who is the alleged mastermind of the over 2 billion USD bank fraud in the Punjab National Bank.


"The contention of Antiguan authorities that the only way the movement of Choksi could be restricted is through issue a Red Corner Notice is not legally sound as primary objective of locating the subject has already been addressed," the letter said.


The subsequent steps for a provisional arrest and an extradition will have to be taken by Antigua for which an RCN is not a "prerequisite", the officials said. Choksi has appealed to the Interpol to not issue an RCN against him as the charges are politically motivated, they said. He also said the conditions of jails in India are not good and staying their would violate his human rights, the officials said.


Choksi, the uncle of his alleged partner in crime Nirav Modi, also said the charges against him have been hyped by the media and he might not get a fair trial in India as courts may be influenced by news reports, they said.
--   PTI

A Delhi court today acquitted two men, accused of hijacking a New Delhi-Srinagar Air India flight and forcing it to land in Pakistan in 1981. Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey granted the relief to Tajinder Pal Singh and Satnam Singh. According to the prosecution, on September 29, 1981, the two allegedly hijacked an Air India plane from New Delhi en route to Srinagar via Amritsar and forced it to land in Lahore, Pakistan, where they were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. Both were deported in 2000 from Pakistan after serving life-term for hijacking. They had later sought their discharge from the case but a sessions court had dismissed their plea. -- PTI

Diesel prices today hit a record high of Rs 69.46 per litre while petrol rates inched towards Rs 78 a litre mark after a fall in rupee made imports costlier. Diesel price was today hiked about 14 paise per litre and petrol by 13 paise, according to price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. The increase pushed diesel price to its highest ever level of Rs 69.46 a litre in Delhi.


In Mumbai, the fuel now costs Rs 73.74 a litre. Fuel prices in Delhi are the cheapest in all metros and most state capitals due to lower sales tax or VAT. Diesel price had previously hit its highest level on May 29 when it reached Rs 69.31 a litre mark in Delhi. Petrol in Delhi today costs Rs 77.91 per litre, and Rs 85.33 in Mumbai. The rates are however lower than the peak hit on May 29 when they touched Rs Rs 78.43 a litre in Delhi and Rs 86.24 in Mumbai. -- PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday, urged 'Malayalis' all over the world to contribute their one month salary to rebuild the flood-hit state.


In a Facebook post, Vijayan said, "We can overcome any hurdle if Malayalis across the world stand united. Money will not be a hurdle for rebuilding Kerala. Let Malayalis across the world contribute their one month's salary for rebuilding the state. We should think about this."


"Everyone won't be able to give their one month's salary together. You can give it in ten month's time. The non-resident Malayalis should try to ensure the support of those who are with them," he added.Kerala has recently been hit by the worst floods in the century, which caused it a loss of Rs 19,512 crore to the state.


The flood-ravaged state has received financial help from various states, Central government, organisations, and individuals.


Several Members of Parliament and IAS Officers Association of Andhra Pradesh also donated their one day income to support Kerala. -- ANI

Major Leetul Gogoi, who was detained by police in a Srinagar hotel after he was seen with a local woman in May, has been found guilty of fraternising with a local and being away from his place of duty while in an operational area by a Court of Inquiry, army sources said today. Orders have been issued to initiate disciplinary action against him, they said.


The court has held him accountable for "fraternising" with a local in spite of instructions to the contrary and "being away from the place of duty while in operational area", the sources said.


On May 23, police detained Gogoi following an altercation when he was allegedly trying to enter a Srinagar hotel with an 18-year-old woman. Days later, the Army ordered the CoI into the incident. Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat had said in Pahalgam that exemplary punishment would be given to Gogoi if he was found guilty of "any offence". PTI


Read what happened that night.

A special SIT court has held two out of five persons guilty and sentenced them to a life term in jail, for burning to death passengers on board the Sabarmati Express at Godhra in 2002.


They had been arrested during 2015-16 and were on the run for nearly a decade.


Different agencies arrested six persons, who were absconding at the time when the special court had first delivered its verdict against 94 accused in February 2011.


They were put on trial later. One of the six, Kadir Pataliya, died of cardiac arrest in January this year.


The five persons put on trial were Hussain Suleman Mohan, Kasam Bhamedi, Faruk Dhantiya, Faruk Bhana and Imran alias Sheru Bhatuk, all residents of Godhra.


Fifty passengers, mostly kar sevaks, returning from Ayodhya were killed in S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, triggering state-wide communal riots that left at least 1,000 dead.


Investigations in the train carnage was carried out by local police before the Supreme Court transferred the probe to a special investigation team (SIT) in 2008.


However, it did not make any arrest but prosecuted 94 persons. Out of 94, then special SIT judge Jyotsna Yagnik convicted 31 persons and acquitted 63 others. Of those convicted, 11 were handed down death penalty while 20 got life imprisonment. In October last year, Gujarat high court reduced the death sentence to life imprisonment for 11 convicts. The HC also directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to kin of the victims.

2007 Hyderabad twin blasts case: National Investigation Agency Special Court postpones its judgement till September 4

As flood waters rose to engulf their homes at Kainakary, a picturesque village in Alappuzha district, at least 20 families took refuge in a church cemetery and are living in the company of the dead with their domestic animals.


Thankachan and his family refused to accept help and go to a safer place leaving behind their cows and goats.


However, as the water rose to a dangerous level, the family took shelter in the St Mary's church cemetery at Kainakary village, a taluk in Kuttanad, with the animals. Kainakary is a sought-after spot by television serial makers due to its scenic beauty.


"We are not scared of living in the cemetery in the company of the dead. This is the final resting place of my father, elder sister and many other relatives who are buried here," Thankachan said.


"We had cows and goats and we did not want to leave them behind," he added. Presently, there are 20 other families who have taken shelter at the graveyard. They cook meals with whatever they are able to lay hands on, including fish. Water is a problem though and the stranded people have to depend on bottled water from Alappuzha.


Five rivers originating from the Western Ghats, including the sacred Pamba river, drain into the Vembanad lake at the tip of Kainakary, famous for its snake boat race rowers. -- PTI


Image: Men paddle their boat through the lawns of a partially submerged church at Kuttanad in Alleppey.

"To deny our people help in the time of their greatest need is cruelty," says Aakar Patel, winner of the 2018 Prem Bhatia Award for Political Reporting.
Read the column here.

In a fresh appeal to the Election Commission of India, the Congress Party has once again requested the poll body to bring back ballot papers for the 2019 general elections.


According to sources, the party made the appeal ahead of the all-party meeting, called by the EC later today.Earlier in March, the Congress had asked the EC to allow voters to exercise their franchise by stamping the ballot paper in the 2019 elections, alleging tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).


On August 2, at least 17 political parties, including Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal sang in tune with the Congress and expressed their distrust on the existing voting process.


However, the BJP brushed aside the tampering allegations, saying, it's an attempt by the opposition parties to cover up their own defeats in the recently concluded polls. -- ANI

Even as Kerala begins the task of recouping after the devastating flood, the tourism industry has been hit hard.


The tourism industry in Kerala, which accounts for 12 per cent of the state's economy, has come to a grinding halt as the floods damaged roads, airports, rail lines, forcing tourists to cancel their trips.


Speaking to ANI, General Secretary of Homestay Owners Welfare Association, Kerala, Joseph Domnick said that the tourism sector is badly affected by the flash floods as it was not prepared for the situation that arose suddenly.


"The situation arose suddenly, and no one was prepared. We were shocked. This created chaos as the airport was shut and there were many tourists who were stranded. We made arrangements to transport the tourists to Trivandrum airport for them to fly back home," he said.


"International flights are cancelled. During Onam we have monsoon tourism and we expected good business, but suddenly hotels, restaurants, and home-stays are empty," he added.


As the situation subsided, locals and the government are trying to bring Kerala back to normalcy.


"We are hopeful; it'll recover soon with the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale art exhibition. Our local MLA is trying to help us and has suggested making videos and spreading the word that the situation is getting better. We are hopeful," Domnick added. -- ANI

EAM Sushma Swaraj is likely to meet her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York next month, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) meet.


Both the foreign ministers will be present at the 73rd session of the UNGA which will begin on September 18.


The development comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Imran Khan on being sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.


Last week, Pakistan signaled that Imran Khan may not be able to attend the meet in order to cut down government expenses. However, senior Pakistani diplomats urged him to reconsider the decision, saying that representing Pakistan was not a waste of funds, particularly on key issues like Kashmir and Afghanistan, Dawn reported. -- ANI


Image: EAM Sushma Swaraj addressing the United Nations in 2016.

Sparking controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, Basangouda Patil Yatnal has said that the devastating floods in Kerala are the result of ruthless cow slaughtering in the state.


The BJP lawmaker from Karnataka's Vijayapura further said that the people of Kerala suffered because of hurting the sentiments of Hindus.


"Slaughtering cows is against the feelings of the Hindu community. One should not hurt the feelings of other religions. Now you see what happened to Kerala, they openly slaughtered cows and you see in less than one year they've come to this stage," he said on Sunday.


"Whoever hurts Hindu community's feelings will be punished this way", Yatnal added.

Last month, the BJP MLA stirred a similar controversy when he said that had he been the Home Minister of Karnataka, he would have ordered the police to shoot the intellectuals in the state as they find them to be dangerous.


In June, right after the Karnataka elections, Yatnal urged his party workers to stop working for the Muslims as, according to him, they had not voted for the party.  -- ANI

The rivers that caused the maximum problem were the ones that had dams built on them, says S P Ravi one of the directors at the River Research Centre, an environment support group that works mainly on the Chalakkudy river basin in Kerala, one of the areas badly affected in the Kerala floods after water in the puzha rose to dangerous levels.


When Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier spoke to Ravi a month ago, he had said, "Unless we are ready to reverse our ways and rectify our mistakes very soon, I don't see a very bright future for the state."


Read the interview here.

An all-party meeting called by the Election Commission will begin shortly.

The parties that are likely to attend are: the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), DMK, CPI, YSR Congress, Kerala Congress Mani (KCM) and AIUDF.


The EC has sent out invitations to seven national and 51 regional parties.


The Election Commission has called an all-party meeting to discuss several key questions that will help the Commission prepare the poll roadmap. The agenda of the does not lay down the one-nation-one-poll demand of the Cenre, but political parties are expected to raise the point.


On the agenda are: the place of electoral rolls, placing a ceiling on political parties expenditure, procedural and timely submission of annual audited reports by parties, demand for paper ballots, etc.

The opposition parties have recently upped their demand to use paper ballots and do away with EVM machines, however, the Commission is likely to discuss how usage of paper trail machines, along with EVMs, can be made into a norm.


Image: CEC OP Rawat with Election Commissioners.

A chowk has been named after legendary actor Pran in Bandra. Actor Jackie Shroff seen here with Pran at the inauguration.

Also read: The most memorable roles of Pran

Late Republican Senator John McCain's body will lie in state at the capital city of Arizona, Phoenix on Wednesday (local time), Governor Doug Ducey announced.


Ducey further said that he will wait until the burial of the senator before announcing the name of his successor."Out of respect for the life and legacy of Senator John McCain and his family, Governor Ducey will not be making any announcements about an appointment until after the Senator is laid to rest," Ducey's senior adviser Daniel Ruiz II told The Hill.


"Now is a time for remembering and honouring a consequential life well lived.A service has been scheduled in Arizona, after which McCain's body will be brought back to Washington, where he will lie in state.


A full funeral service will be held for him at the Washington National Cathedral, a Republican close to the McCain family told CNN.


McCain will be laid to rest in Annapolis after the ceremonies in the United States capital.To honour the senator, the US embassy in Vietnam, where McCain was a prisoner of war for five and a half years, announced a new fellowship after his contributions. -- ANI

The BSE Sensex rallied over 300 points to hit a fresh record high of 38,585.44, while NSE Nifty touched life-time record of 11,651 in early session today amid positive global cues and smart gains in banking, metal and FMCG stocks.


The 30-share index spurted by 333.64 points, or 0.87 per cent, to hit a new peak of 38,585.44, breaching its previous high of 38,487.63 reached on August 23.


The gauge had lost 84.96 points in previous session on Friday. All sectoral indices, led by metal, banking, consumer durables and PSU stocks were trading in the positive zone with gains of up to 1.52 per cent. The 50-share NSE Nifty rallied 94.40 points, or 0.82 per cent, to scale its lifetime high of 11,651, bettering its previous intra-day high of 11,620.70 touched on August 23. -- PTI

JUST IN: Sensex rallies 259.42 pts to hit all-time high of 38,511.22; Nifty scales fresh peak of 11,633.30, up 76.20 pts.