LIVE! Navneet gets threat calls, approaches Delhi police

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Wed, 25 May 2022

Navneet gets threat calls, approaches Delhi police

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23:40 Navneet gets threat calls, approaches Delhi police

Independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana, who was recently granted bail by a Mumbai court in connection with Matoshree-Hanuman Chalisa case, on Wednesday filed a complaint with Delhi police alleging that she received multiple life threatening calls, officials said.

According to the complaint filed by her personal assistant, the MP received 11 calls on Tuesday from 5.27 pm to 5.47 pm on her personal mobile number.

The person on the other end spoke to her in a very inappropriate way, abused her and also threatened that if she comes to Maharashtra, she will be killed, the complaint said.

The caller threatened the Amravati MP that "if you recite Hanuman Chalisa again, you will be killed," the complaint stated.

The complaint lodged at North Avenue police station in New Delhi district further said that Rana was traumatised.

The complaint has been received and legal action is being taken, a senior police officer said.

In April, Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana had announced that they would recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the private residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sen president Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. -- PTI

A special court here on Wednesday convicted the son and nephew of fugitive gangster Guru Satam in connection with an extortion case registered in 2014.

Satam's son Bhushan and nephew Narhari were found guilty by the court of offences committed under relevant provisions of the IPC and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act for being part of an organised crime syndicate and conspiracy to extort money from a builder eight years ago.

Special judge RR Bhosale, who convicted the duo, will pronounce the quantum of sentence on May 30.

As per the prosecution, an employee of the complainant in the case, a real estate developer, received a call on November 26, 2014.

The caller introduced himself as an aide of Satam and sought money from the builder.

The next day the employee informed his boss (the builder) about the call following which they approached the Mumbai police's Anti-Extortion Cell, said the prosecution.

The complainant claimed on December 2, 2014, he again received a call from Satam who demanded Rs 20 lakh from him. -- PTI

A special court here on Wednesday granted exemption from personal appearance for the day to former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in an alleged corruption case.

The Bharatiya Janata Party veteran's counsel submitted a medical certificate saying the 79-year-old was advised bed rest for 10 days by doctors from Sagar Hospital, who are treating him especially for bi-lateral pneumonitis.

The special court that deals exclusively with criminal cases related to legislators in Karnataka exempted his appearance on medical grounds and adjourned the case to June 17.

Yediyurappa will have to appear in person on the next date of hearing.

The private complaint was filed in 2013 by Vasudeva Reddy, who alleged that Yediyurappa who was deputy chief minister in 2006 had illegally denotified several parcels of lands in Whitefield and Electronics city in Bengaluru.

Yediyurappa informed the court that he suffered from diabetes and hypertension and was being treated for it.

For the last few days he was suffering from cough, cold and fever because of which he has been advised total bed rest and could not attend court.

The court said that the accused "was exempted from appearing before the court for the day," and adjourned the case to June 17. -- PTI

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22:56 Keep suspected monkeypox cases in isolation: Govt

With several countries reporting monkeypox cases, the Union health ministry has advised all states to direct hospitals to watch out for symptomatic patients who have travelled to these countries recently and isolate them at designated healthcare facilities.

According to sources, so far only one traveller from Canada having symptoms of monkeypox infection had been isolated.

However, samples collected from the passenger turned out negative for the infection following test conducted at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

They refrained from divulging the name of the airport where the passenger had landed.

The ministry recently had asked health officials at airports and ports to step up surveillance and isolate symptomatic travellers from monkeypox-affected countries and send their samples to the NIV for investigation.

"The incubation period is usually 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days and during that time there are mostly no symptoms. The aim is to detect those persons who were missed during the screening at the airport due to lack of symptoms at health facilities after they manifest the symptoms," an official explained.

Monkeypox cases have been reported from Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Canada and the US, among others. -- PTI

22:45 Modi, Amit Shah to visit Gujarat over weekend

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Gujarat on May 28 and take part in public functions in different parts of the state, the government said.

Gujarat minister and the state government's spokesperson Jitu Vaghani informed reporters about the visit in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state would be facing assembly elections by the end of this year.

On May 28, Modi will inaugurate a multispeciality hospital built by the Shree Patel Sewa Samaj at Atkot village in Jasdan tehsil of Rajkot district at 10:00 am, as per the official programme.

The 200-bed KD Parwadia Multispeciality Hospital, located on Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway, has been built at a cost of Rs 40 crore, said its managing trustee Dr Bharat Boghara.

"We will provide free treatment to those having Ayushman Bharat and other cards issued by the government," said Boghara, who is also vice president of the Gujarat BJP.

The prime minister would also address a rally on this occasion, he said. In the evening, Modi would attend Sahkar Sammelan in Gandhinagar and address nearly 10,000 elected representatives of various cooperative bodies, said Vaghani.

On May 28, Shah would visit the Dwarkadheesh temple at Dwarka in the morning and then meet trainees at the Coastal Police Academy near Dwarka town, he said.

The Union home minister would later attend the Sahakar Sammelan in Gandhinagar, Vaghani added. -- PTI

22:21 President arrives in Kerala for 2-day visit

President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on a two-day state visit on Wednesday.

Upon his arrival here by a special air force flight, Kovind was received by a host of dignitaries, including Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Transport Minister Antony Raju and city mayor Aryan Rajendran.

The President is accompanied by his wife Savita Kovind and daughter Swati.

He will inaugurate the two-day National Women Legislators' Conference-2022 at the Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall of the legislative assembly complex on Thursday.

The President will leave for Pune on Thursday evening. -- PTI

22:08 Terrorists kill woman, hurt nephew in J-K

Terrorists gunned down a woman and shot at and injured her 10-year-old nephew at their house in Chadoora are of Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, said the police.

The deceased has been identified as Amreen Bhat.

Terrorists fired upon Amreen Bhat at her residence in Chadoora.

The police said that she was shifted to a hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.

Her 10-year-old nephew also received a bullet injury on his arm, said the police.

The police said that three terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayiba were behind this attack.

The area has been cordoned off and searches started to nab them.

An offence has registered and investigation is underway, said the police. -- ANI

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21:22 By-polls to three Lok Sabha, 7 assembly seats on June 23

The by-election to three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats across six states will be held on June 23, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.

The three Lok Sabha seats are Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh -- vacated by Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Mohd Azam Khan respectively after winning the assembly polls -- and Sangrur in Punjab vacated by Bhagwant Mann who became the chief minister of the state after the Aam Aadmi Party won the recently-held assembly polls there.

One of the seven assembly seats where by-election will be held is Rajinder Nagar in Delhi, vacated by Raghav Chadha of the AAP who became a Rajya Sabha member recently.

The remaining assembly seats where by-polls will be held are Mandar in Jharkhand, Atmakur in Andhra Pradesh, and Agartala, Town Bordowali, Surma and Jubarajnagar in Tripura.

Votes will be counted on June 26 and the notification for the by-polls will be issued on May 30, the EC said in a statement.

The bypolls will help the poll panel fill up vacancies in the electoral collage which elects the President of India.

The presidential election could be held sometime in July. -- PTI

The Allahabad high court on Wednesday quashed the FIR lodged against The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan and another journalist over a news report on a man who died during the farmers' protest in Delhi last year.

Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Rajnish Kumar passed the order on a petition filed by the senior journalist.

The FIR was lodged over a report in the news portal -- and Varadarajan's tweets -- giving the version of the family of Rampur farmer Navreet Singh Dibdiba, who died when protesters took out an unauthorised tractor rally on January 26, 2021.

The farmer's family had alleged that he died due to a bullet injury.

But the police made it clear that the death was due to injuries suffered when the tractor the man was riding overturned.

The Wire report was headlined Autopsy Doctor Told Me He'd Seen the Bullet Injury but Can Do Nothing as His Hands are Tied.

Later, The Wire also reported the denial of this version by the police.

The FIR was lodged by Rampur police on January 31, 2021 under Sections 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity between classes) of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of a complaint by one Sanju Turaiha.

The Republic Day tractor rally, during which farmers clashed with police, was part of a year-long protest against three agri-laws that were later repealed.

The protesters had been camping at Delhi's borders. -- PTI

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20:54 Mobile internet suspended in Kashmir

Mobile internet was suspended in Kashmir as a precautionary measure after a court awarded life imprisonment to separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case on Wednesday, officials said.

They said the mobile internet has been suspended across all network service providers in the Valley.

However, the officials said, internet services were working on fixed-line, including fiber and broadband.

The officials said the decision to suspend the mobile internet was taken as a precautionary measure after Malik's sentencing by a court in Delhi. -- PTI

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20:36 Army jawan injured in landmine blast along LoC in Poonch

An Army jawan was injured in a landmine blast along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Wednesday, officials said.

The incident took place in Krishna Ghati sector, they said.

The injured jawan has been hospitalised, the officials said. Further details are awaited. -- PTI

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20:10 Eye on 2024 LS polls, BJP kick-starts booth strengthening campaign

With an eye on the 2024 parliamentary elections, the BJP kick-started a week-long campaign on Wednesday to strengthen the organisation and boost outreach activities in around 74,000 electoral booths across the country where it is relatively weak.

BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday addressed a 'booth empowerment campaign' event at the party headquarters in New Delhi, the party said in a tweet.

The meeting was attended by several Union ministers and leaders from across the country.

The campaign will continue till May 31.

To steer the campaign, the BJP has formed a committee chaired by party vice president Baijayant Panda.

Party vice president Dilip Ghosh, general secretary CT Ravi, and the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha head Lal Singh Arya are its members.

The party has identified around 74,000 booths across the country that are to be strengthened under the campaign.

All party MPs have been asked to strengthen 100 weak booths in their respective constituencies and a 30-member team will be formed for the purpose, party sources said.

Similarly, party MLAs have been given the task of strengthening 10 weaker booths in their constituencies, sources said.

The BJP's Rajya Sabha MPs have been given the responsibility of strengthening polling booths in those Lok Sabha constituencies where the party lost, sources said.

The weaker booths have been identified on the basis of the results of the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and state assembly polls, they said. -- PTI

19:48 Yasin Malik's life term a setback: Gupkar

The Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration on Wednesday termed 'unfortunate' the life imprisonment awarded to Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik by a Delhi court in a terror funding case and said it is a 'setback' to the efforts for peace.

The court verdict will only fuel more alienation and separatist feelings, PAGD spokesperson MY Tarigami said in a statement in Srinagar.

Besides the life term, special judge Praveen Singh on Wednesday awarded varying jail terms for various offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code to Malik, the chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

The court also imposed a fine of over Rs 10 lakh on Malik.

"Life imprisonment given to Yasin Malik is unfortunate and a setback to the efforts for peace. We are afraid that this will further compound the uncertainties in the region and will only fuel more alienation and separatist feelings," Tarigami said.

He said the NIA court has delivered its verdict "but not justice".

The PAGD also suggested Malik to avail all legal opportunities to contest the verdict.

Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a section of the media, Tarigami said, "The triumphalism being displayed by the BJP and the corporate media is bound to prove counterproductive." -- PTI

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday issued another apology over partygate after top civil servant Sue Gray's damning report into breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules at Downing Street concluded leadership failures were behind a culture of rule-breaking within UK government offices.

Making a statement in the House of Commons soon after Gray's findings were published, Johnson said he took "full responsibility" for everything that happened and said all the senior management has changed within Downing Street since the time of those rule-breaking parties in 2020-2021.

Amid jeers and shouts from the Opposition benches, the prime minister insisted his statement is aimed at setting out the context, not to mitigate or excuse what happened.

"I am humbled and I have learned a lesson...I also want to say above all that I take full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch," said Johnson.

"Whatever the failing of No. 10 [Downing Street] and the Cabinet Office throughout this difficult period and my own, I continue to believe the civil servants and advisers... are good, hard working people motivated... to do the very best for our country," he said.

He went on to explain how he thought it was "appropriate" to thank staff who were leaving for the work they had done, with reference to a particular farewell drinks party that was found to have been in breach of COVID rules.

He admitted to "briefly attending the gatherings" to praise the staff as a key part of "leadership" and to keep the morale high during a tough time. That such gatherings carried on afterwards and that security and cleaning staff faced the brunt of some misbehaviour was something that "shocked" and "appalled" him.

"I had no knowledge of those subsequent proceedings as I simply wasn't there," he said.

With reference to what he told the Commons previously about parties at his No. 10 Downing Street office-residence, Johnson reiterated that he believed it to be the truth at the time.

"I am happy to set on the record now that when I said I came to this House in all sincerity that the rules and guidance had been followed at all times, it was what I believed to be true. So, I would like to correct the record to take this opportunity, not in any sense to absolve myself of any responsibility that I take and have always taken, but simply to explain why I spoke as I did in this House," he said.

The Opposition renewed its call for Johnson to resign, with Labour Leader Keir Starmer saying Gray's report has made it impossible for the government to defend the prime minister's words to this House.

"This is about trust," said Starmer, pointing out that government officials were hiding bottles of booze after a press conference where Johnson told the British public that "normal life is a long way off".

"This wasn't the case in No. 10," he said, as he derided the Conservative Party for setting the bar for the conduct of its leader lower than a snake's belly".

Gray's damning report declared that while there is no excuse for some of the behaviour she has set out, it is important to acknowledge that those in the most junior positions attended gatherings at which their seniors were present, or indeed organised". Her report included pictures of some of the events detailed featuring Johnson as it sums up findings on 16 events in 2020 and 2021.

19:10 Sharad Pawar bats for caste census

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday demanded a caste-based census, saying such an exercise was necessary to ensure social equality.

Addressing a meeting of the NCP OBC cell, Pawar said everybody should get what is rightfully due to them.

"We are not asking anything for free. There is no option but to conduct a caste-based census," the former Union minister said.

Pawar said Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had benefitted due to reservations granted to them by the Constitution and similar concessions are required for the Other Backward Classes."

The NCP leader's comments came in the backdrop of demands to restore OBC reservation in local body polls in Maharashtra, where elections are due this year in a number of local self-government institutions. The Supreme

Court earlier this year rejected the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission's interim report recommending the restoration of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in local body polls.

"To provide concessions, the government should know the exact OBC population and hence a caste-based census was needed," Pawar said.

Based on the census figures, justice can be provided to the community, said the NCP leader, whose party is a key constituent in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Attacking the BJP for criticising the MVA government over the issue of political quota for OBCs, Pawar said, "You were in power here (in Maharashtra) for five years (from 2014 to 2019) and continue to rule in Delhi (at the Centre) since 2014. Were you sleeping till now?"

He said the NCP will face the upcoming local body polls only after resolving the OBC quota issue and added that the social group will surely get its share in decision making.

The rupee recovered 3 paise to settle at 77.54 (provisional) against the US currency in a restricted trade on Wednesday as interventions by banks supported the local unit while a stronger dollar in overseas markets restricted the gains.

Uttar Pradesh minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jitin Prasada on Wednesday took a swipe at Kapil Sibal after he quit the Congress and filed his nomination for a Rajya Sabha seat from UP as an Independent backed by the Samajwadi Party, asking him "how's the 'prasad'", in an apparent payback.

Prasada, a former member of the G23 who had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking an organisational overhaul before quitting the party and joining the BJP, took to Twitter to say, "How's the "Prasad" Mr. Sibal!#Rajyasabha," seeking to get even with the former Congress veteran.

When Prasada joined the BJP months before the UP assembly elections, Sibal had written on the microblogging website, "Jitin Prasada Joins BJP. The question is will he get 'prasada' from BJP or is he just a 'catch' for UP elections? In such deals if 'ideology' doesn't matter changeover is easy."

Sibal had used the "prasada" analogy to hint at the benefits the leader could possibly reap from joining the BJP.

The pun did not go down well with Prasada, who got a payback moment when Sibal announced he quit the Congress on May 16 and filed his nomination as a Samajwadi Party supported Independent candidate on Wednesday.

Prasada tagged Sibal's tweet and gave it back to him in words the latter had used when he quit the Congress. -- PTI

18:23 Yasin Malik gets life imprisonment

Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik was today sentenced to life in prison by a special Delhi court.

The National Investigation Agency had demanded the maximum punishment, the death penalty, while the defence pleaded for life imprisonment.

Malik had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in a terror funding case.

17:52 Abandoned fishing boat found in Kutch

The BSF launched a search operation in the creeks at Kutch and found one abandoned Pakistani fishing boat at Harami Nala Creek Border (Kutch).

17:47 Yasin Malik produced in court

Yasin Malik produced in the courtroom in NIA court, Delhi ahead of the sentencing order.

The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday urged the court to award the death penalty to Yasin Malik, while the Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader said he will not beg for anything and left the decision to the court, reports ANI.

There have been several instances of stone throwing ahead of the sentencing.

Malik's lawyer told the court: 'Yasin said if I have been involved in any terrorist activity or violence in 28 years, if Indian intelligence proves this, then I will also retire from politics. I will accept the hanging. With seven prime ministers, I have worked.'

On the NIA demand that he be awarded the death penalty his lawyer, speaking on Malik's behalf, said: 'I will not beg for anything. The case is before this court and I left on the court to decide."

The NIA special public prosecutor told the court that Malik is responsible, in part, for the Kashmiri Pandit exodus. The judge, who is set to pronounce the quantum of punishment, said, "Let's not go into all this. Stick to the facts. This is a terror funding case."

17:22 Dog squads, thermal scanning clear court room

Update: A dog squad checks the court room and thermal scanning takes place before presenting Yasin Mailk at the court room in Delhi. The court to pronounce the quantum of sentence shortly.

17:11 Deepika's flaming hot

Deepika Padukone has knocked it out of the park with every appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. Here she is, attending the screening of Louis Garrel's French film L'Innocent (The Innocent), in a gorgeous orange gown custom-made by Syrian designer Mohammad Ashi. The unusual turquoise earrings were designed by Farah Khan Ali. More pictures here.

17:03 Rajiv Gandhi's assassin meets Sasikala

AG Perarivalan went to meet former AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, at her T Nagar residence in Chennai today. Perarivalan was released by the Supreme Court on May 18 in ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassination matter.

16:50 J&K HC grants bail to PDP leader Waheed Para

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday granted bail to PDP leader Waheed Para, who was arrested by the NIA in a terror conspiracy case in November 2020.

While granting bail to Para against a surety of Rs 1 lakh, a division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice V C Koul laid down several conditions on the PDP leader.

The court directed Para to present himself before the investigating officer as and when required to, surrender his passport to the investigating officer of the case and not leave the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir without the prior permission of the trial court. Para, perhaps, has become the first person to benefit from the Supreme Court putting on hold trial of cases under section 124 A (sedition).

The division bench listed the apex court ruling as one of the mitigating factors while allowing Para's appeal for bail. -- PTI

16:41 Won't beg: Yasin Malik ahead of sentencing

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday urged the court to give the death penalty to Yasin Malik, a separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir while the latter said that will not beg for anything and left the decision on court.

The lawyer who attended the court proceeding said, in the courtroom, "Yasin said that if I have been involved in any terrorist activity or violence in 28 years, if Indian Intelligence proves this, then I will also retire from politics. I will accept the hanging. With seven Prime Ministers, I have worked."

On the demand by NIA for the death penalty to the separatist leader, he said, "I will not beg for anything. The case is before this court and I left on the court to decide it." NIA SPP (Special Public Prosecutor) told the court that Yasin Malik is responsible, in part, for the Kashmiri exodus. The court which is set to pronounce the quantum of punishment said, "let's not go into all this. Stick to the facts. This is a terror funding case." -- ANI

A district court in Varanasi on Wednesday transferred a petition seeking permission to worship a "Shivling" claimed to have been found in the Gyanvapi complex during a videography survey to a fast-track court for hearing on May 30.

District court judge A K Vishevesh ordered the transfer of the suit to a fast-track court, government counsel Rana Sanjeev Singh said.

The plea was filed on behalf of the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh. The petition filed by Kiran Singh, wife of Sangh president Jitendra Singh Bisen and its general secretary, on Tuesday sought a ban on the entry of Muslims into the complex, handing over the complex to it and permission to offer prayers at the "Shivling".

On a request by the plaintiffs, the court had agreed to hear the third aspect -- permission to offer prayers at the Shivling -- on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the judge had fixed May 26 for hearing on the maintainability of the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case as per the directions of the Supreme Court. PTI

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said his country will not give up its land to end Russia's war.

Speaking by video link at a Ukrainian breakfast" during the World Economic Forum's gathering in Davos, Zelenskyy said he didn't believe Russian president Vladimir Putin fully understood what was going on in Ukraine.

Responding to a question from CNN's Fareed Zakaria about whether it was possible to negotiate an end to the conflict, Zelenskyy said through a translator that Ukraine is not going to concede our territory. "We are fighting in our country, on our land."

He added that "it's a war not against anybody but for our land, for our freedom, for our independence, and for our future."

As a first step to diplomatic negotiations, Zelenskyy says Russia would need to demonstrate its desire to engage in talks and should demonstrate at least something like steps withdrawing their troops and equipment to the position before the 24th of February, when the invasion began.

Image: Canadian artist Ivanka Siolkowsky paints flowers and butterflies around the many bullet and shrapnel holes in the war torn suburb of Bucha. Pic: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Reacting to former Union Minister Kapil Sibal quitting the Congress, party General Secretary KC Venugopal said that "people come and go from our party" and did not blame anyone for the move.

"He had already written a letter to the Party President. The letter says that he firmly believed in the values of Congress. He said nothing else. Let him state his position. Then I can say. The resignation letter is of a very high standard. People come and go from our party. This is a big party. Some may be leaving the party. May some going to other parties. I am not going to blame anybody who left the party. Congress has a vast space," Venugopal said.

He added, "The party will be completely rebuilt. It intends to go with a comprehensive re-organization. A lot of guidelines are going to come. Each person will have a task."

"During this regime, the Central Government is using the CBI, intelligence and all other agencies to eliminate political opponents. They are working to eliminate other political parties by using vicious methods that have never been used by any government. It's hard to survive. But we have confidence. The Congress has the strength to overcome this. The Congress also has leaders for that. There will be temporary setbacks here and there. We will study the problems. The party will be strengthened and taken forward brilliantly," he said.

Sibal revealed today that he has quit the Congress party, dropping a bombshell moments after filing his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate supported by the Samajwadi Party.

"I had resigned from the Congress party on May 16," Kapil Sibal told reporters, slipping in information that had stayed concealed since the Congress "Chintan Shivir" or strategy meet a week ago.

Justifying the decision to cap sugar exports at 10 million tonnes this year, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey on Wednesday said the government took a "timely and precautionary" measure to ensure an adequate availability of the sweetener during the festival season in October-November and to maintain price stability.

Although prices of sugar are "more stable" when compared to other commodities, the decision to curb sugar exports was taken to prevent any undue spike in retail prices amid global shortage of the commodity, he said.

Pandey also mentioned that India has emerged this year as the world's largest sugar producer, toppling Brazil which faced shortage of output this year.

India is also the second largest sugar exporter in the world. On May 24, the government notified capping of sugar exports to 10 million tonnes in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year (October-September).

Shipments will be allowed with special permission between June 1 and October 31.

Addressing the media, the Food Secretary said, "Sugar exports have risen sharply from about 50,000 tonnes in 2016-17 to 10 million tonnes this year. Please take it out of mind that it is any kind of curb." The country's sugar exports this year are the highest ever. Already 9 million tonnes of sugar have been contracted, out of which 7.5 million tonnes have been exported, he said.

Sugar exports stood at a record 7 million tonnes in the 2020-21 marketing year.

The curbs had to be imposed to ensure enough availability of sugar during the festival season in October-November, which is also the beginning of the new sugar marketing year and when domestic demand of sugar is met from old stocks, he said.

The NIA on Wednesday sought the death penalty before a Delhi court for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case, court sources said.

The agency told Special Judge Praveen Singh in an in-chamber proceedings that Malik was responsible for the Kashmiri exodus.

On the point of sentence, sources said that Malik submitted that he would not beg for mercy, and that court could decide at its discretion.

The amicus curiae appointed by the court to assist Malik, sought minimum punishment, i.e., life imprisonment in the matter. Malik, meanwhile, said that if Indian Intelligence can prove that he had been involved in any terrorist activity or violence in 28 years, then he would retire from politics, and will also accept the hanging.

The judge, however, said that since he has already been convicted, there was no point in arguing on the facts of the case and that he was already given the opportunity.

After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its order and is likely to pronounce it later in the day.

The court had on May 19 convicted Malik and had directed the NIA authorities to assess his financial situation to determine the amount of fine likely to be imposed. Malik had on May 10 told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him that included sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.

The court had, meanwhile, formally framed the charges against Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

The Mumbai traffic police on Wednesday issued a notification making helmets mandatory for pillion riders as well and warned of action against those who violate the rule. The rule will come into effect after 15 days, following which the traffic authorities will start taking action against violators, an official said.

As per the notification, the traffic police have found that most two-wheeler riders in the city do not wear helmets and violate traffic norms.

At present, the traffic police impose a fine of Rs 500 on helmet-less riders or suspend their licenses. After 15 days, the same penalty will be imposed on pillion riders found without helmets, the official said. PTI

Ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal refuses to comment on his former party. "I'll not say anything about Congress. I've resigned, so it's not appropriate for me to say anything about the Congress. It's not easy to leave a relationship of 30-31 years," Sibal said after filling nomination of the Rajya Sabha with the support of the Samajwadi Party.

"In the past, only a few came to House by getting elected independently, especially in the Rajya Sabha. I've got a big opportunity and it has been given to me by Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, Azam Khan. I will raise the issues of the country in the House," Sibal added.

Kapil Sibal on Wednesday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha as an Independent candidate from Uttar Pradesh supported by the Samajwadi Party.

Sibal, whose exit from the Congress is another jolt for the electorally battered party, went to the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises to file his papers with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav and other senior leaders.

A prominent member of the G23, which had sought an organisational overhaul in the Congress, Sibal's tenure as Congress' Rajya Sabha MP ends in July,

"I have filed the nomination as an Independent candidate. I thank Akhileshji for supporting me," Sibal told reporters in Lucknow.

"I resigned from the Congress on May 16 and am no longer a senior Congress leader," he said.

Sibal, who has been vocal in his criticism of the Congress leadership, had called for a non-Gandhi as the new party chief. "We are all constrained by the fact that we are members of parties and have to abide by the discipline of that party but it is important to have an independent voice," the former Union minister told reporters.

Former Congress leader Kapil Sibal has filed nomination for Rajya Sabha elections, with the support of SP, in presence of party chief Akhilesh Yadav and party MP Ram Gopal Yadav.

He says, "I've filed nomination as Independent candidate. I have always wanted to be an independent voice in the country. I had tendered my resignation from the Congress party on 16th May.

"It is important to be an independent voice. While staying in Opposition we want to create an alliance so that we can oppose the Modi govt," says Sibal.

Sibal, whose tenure as Congress Rajya Sabha member ends in July, went to the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises with Akhilesh Yadav and other senior leaders to file his papers.

A screen grab of Yasin Malik being taken to court. He is in blue

12:24 Separatist Yasin Malik appears before NIA court

Kashmiri Separatist leader Yasin Malik produced before NIA Court in Delhi.

A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday its judgment on the quantum of punishment for Yasin Malik, who had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case.

Special judge Praveen Singh had on May 19 convicted Malik and had directed NIA authorities to assess his financial situation to determine the amount of fine likely to be imposed.

Malik is facing a maximum punishment of the death penalty, while the minimum sentence for the offences committed by him is life imprisonment.

12:17 Hansal Mehta gets married

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta tied the knot with his longtime partner, Safeena Husain, in an intimate ceremony in San Francisco, California. On May 25, Hansal took to social media to post some pictures from the beautiful wedding ceremony. While Hansal has delivered several award-winning films, Safeena works for education of girls.

Mehta tweeted, "So after 17 years, two children, watching our two sons grow up and chasing our respective dreams we decided to get hitched. As always in life this marriage was also impromptu and unplanned. Ultimately love prevails over all else. And it has'"

A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday challenging the constitutional validity of certain sections of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991, saying that it barefacedly violates the principles of secularism and rule of law.

The plea filed by Swami Jeetendranand Saraswati, a religious leader, challenged the constitutional validity of Sections 2, 3, 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991.

The plea said the sections not only brazenly offend Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29 but also barefacedly violate the principles of secularism and rule of law, which are an integral part of the Preamble and the basic structure of the Constitution.

The plea said the injury caused to the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs is extremely large because Sections 2, 3, 4 of the Act have taken away the right to approach the Court and thus the right to judicial remedy has been closed.

Section 3 of the Act bars the conversion of places of worship. It states, "No person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any section thereof."

Section 4 bars filing of any suit or initiating any other legal proceeding for a conversion of the religious character of any place of worship, as existing on August 15, 1947. -- ANI

12:11 Partha Chatterjee appears before CBI

Senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee abiding by the CBI summons appeared before the investigation agency on Wednesday morning for interrogation in the alleged irregularities in recruitment in government run and aided schools by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

This is the second time that Chatterjee, who is also the TMC secretary general, appeared before the central agency.

He was grilled by CBI sleuths on Wednesday last week for three and half hours and was asked to come again with documents. Chatterjee, who is presently the minister for industries and commerce, was the education minister when the alleged malpractices took place.

He was directed to present himself before CBI on Wednesday last week by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of Calcutta High Court. The directive to the minister to appear before the agency came after a division bench of the Calcutta High Court upheld orders of the single bench that directed CBI to inquire into the alleged illegal appointments given by WBSSC.

11:58 Gota appoints PM Wickremesinghe as Lanka FM

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Finance Minister of the debt-ridden country on Wednesday by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, an official statement said.

Wickremesinghe, 73 was sworn in as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stability and National Policies.

The five-time prime minister was re-appointed to the job on May 12 following the political circus precipitated by the unprecedented economic crisis in the island's history.

He replaced Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned to make way for his brother's plan to appoint an all-party interim government to handle the economic crisis.

Wickremesinghe's office said during the two weeks he had been at the helm.

He re-established the island's foreign relations, took steps for constitutional reform with the draft of the 21 amendments to the constitution, ensured fuel supplies and has been making preparations for an interim budget.

Wickremesinghe with just his seat in the 225-member assembly relies on all political parties to support him in his immediate task of reviving the ailing economy.

Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy in mid-April saying it was unable to meet its international debt payments this year. -- PTI

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting during his return flight from Japan where he attended the Quad Summit.

In a prime-time address on Tuesday, a visibly emotional Biden asked what it would take to convince fellow lawmakers that it's time to act. President Biden again tried to comfort a nation grieving after a mass shooting, urging action to counter powerful gunmakers and repeatedly questioning why the country he leads lacks the backbone to stem the bloodshed.

"How many scores of little children who witnessed what happened seen their friends die as if they're on a battlefield, for god's sake," said Biden.

"To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There's a hollowness in your chest." Turning to the issue of gun control legislation, Biden implored lawmakers to turn this pain into action" as he ticked through some of the mass shootings since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when he was vice president.

"I am sick and tired of it. We have to act. And don't tell me we can't have an impact on this carnage," he said, asking: Why do we keep letting this happen?"

"Where in God's name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies?" he said.

Biden has ordered the US flag to be flown at half-mast until sunset on Saturday, May 28, in memory of those killed in Texas. The US flag across all public buildings, grounds, military posts, naval stations, naval vessels, embassies, consular offices and military facilities will be in half-mast.

In Uvalde, all schools were locked once the gunshots were heard. In addition to the confirmed deaths, a number of people have been injured. No number of the injured has been released.

People mourn outside the Sgt Willie de Leon Civic Center.

10:47 US school massacre: Gunman first shot his grandma

In one of the worst school shootings in American history, an 18-year-old gunman in body armour massacred at least 21 people, including 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Texas state, with an emotional President Joe Biden urging lawmakers to "turn this pain into action" to control the powerful gun lobby.

The youth opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde town, Texas, 134 km from San Antonio, at about 11.30 am on Tuesday before he was killed by law enforcement, officials said.

Investigators say the suspect was armed with a handgun, an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazines.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott identified the killer as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the area where the school was located. The shooter's motive remains unclear.

The teenager is suspected of shooting his grandmother at the start of the rampage, US media reports said.

"He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly. Fourteen students and a teacher were killed," Abbott said.

Later the toll was raised to 19 children and two adults dead.

Two law enforcement officers were shot but are expected to recover, Abbott said. Names of the deceased and other details were yet to be released. According to the school website, its students are aged between 5 years and 11 years.

Chief of Police, Uvalde, Pete Arredondo said the "mass casualty event occurred at Robb Elementary School at about 11:32 this morning". He said the killer acted as a lone wolf - who was shot dead in a police exchange. The deceased children are in the second, third and fourth grades - aged between 7 years and 10 years, he said. -- PTI

India saw a single day rise of 2,124 new coronavirus infections, taking the infection tally to 4,31,42,192, while the active cases rose to 14,971, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The Covid-19 death toll has climbed to 5,24,507 with 17 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The active cases comprised 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent, the health ministry said.

An increase of 130 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.46 per cent and weekly positivity rate was 0.49 per cent, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,26,02,714, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.22 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 192.67 crore. India's Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

10:10 Benchmark indices recover after two-day fall

Equity benchmark indices bounced back on Wednesday after declining for two days, with the Sensex climbing 327 points in early trade, helped by buying in index major Reliance Industries and positive trends in the Asian markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 326.98 points to 54,379.59 points in early deals. The broader NSE Nifty gained 98.2 points to 16,223.35 points. From the Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank, Nestle, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Reliance Industries Limited, NTPC and HDFC were the prominent gainers in early trade.

In contrast, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, TCS, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Tata Steel were among the laggards. The BSE benchmark declined 236 points or 0.43 per cent to settle at 54,052.61 points on Tuesday. The Nifty dropped 89.55 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 16,125.15 points. -- PTI

Section 144 has been imposed within 500-meter area of Malali Juma Masjid, Mangaluru on Tuesday.

According to Mangaluru authorities, Section 144 will be in place from 8 pm of May 24 to 8 am of May 26.

A Hindu temple-like architectural design was discovered underneath an old mosque on the outskirts of Mangaluru on April 21.

The development came to the fore during the renovation work at Juma Masjid in Malali, in the outskirts of Mangaluru.

The renovation work was being conducted by the mosque authorities. -- ANI

As a mark of respect for the victims killed in the Texas school shooting, United States President Joe Biden ordered on Tuesday that the flags will fly at half-mast at the White House and other public places until Saturday.

'I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, May 28, 2022,' President Joe Biden said in a press release.

According to the release, US President said that the flag will be flown at half-mast for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

Earlier, President Biden was briefed on the Texas shooting incident.

Taking to Twitter, White House new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, 'President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available.'

'His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event, and he will speak this evening when he arrives back at the White House,' Jean-Pierre added.

Upon the mass shooting in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott released a statement which stated that people across Texas are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. -- ANI

In an emotional address following the school shooting incident in Texas, the US Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the attack on Wednesday while calling for 'action and taking a stand'.

'Enough is enough. As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and have the courage to take a stand,' she said, calling the attack a 'heartbreaking tragedy'.

Addressing a room full of American leaders, she urged everyone to understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again.

She condoled the deceased and expressed sympathy for the people of Uvalde, saying 'we stand with you and grieve with you'.

Meanwhile, First Lady Jill Biden also responded to the incident, saying 'Lord, enough.'

'Stunned. Angry. Heartbroken,' she stated in her tweet. -- ANI

08:45 Stand up to gun lobby: Biden seeks gun control

US President Joe Biden asked Americans to stand up to the gun lobby and urged the members of the Congress for an immediate gun control legislation as he highlighted that the 'sensible gun laws' need to be passed in the wake of Texas school shooting in which 21 were killed including 18 children.

"When we passed the Assault Weapons Ban (in 1994), mass shootings went down. When the law expired [in 2004], mass shootings tripled. The idea that an 18-year old kid can walk into a gun store and buy assault weapons,it's just wrong," the US President said hours after one of the deadliest school shootings in Texas.

Suggesting to reinstate the assault weapons ban and other 'common-sense gun laws', Biden said, "We have to act."

He said, pointing to Congress members, "It's time for those who have struck or delayed or blocked the common-sense gun laws, we need to let you know that we will not forget."

Addressing the presser, Biden hoped that when he became the President, he would not have to do this, again.

Biden drew on his own experience with grief, having lost his first wife and young daughter in a car accident in 1972 and an adult son to cancer in 2015.

"To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away," he said.

"There's a hollowness in your chest you feel like you're being sucked into it ... you're never quite the same."

US President asked the nation to pray for them and 'give the parents and siblings strength in the darkness they feel right now as a nation'.

US President mentioned the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, and said, "Since then they have been over 900 incidents of gun fires reported on school grounds."

He spoke of the shooting in Buffalo 10 days ago and lamented that in both incidents an 18-year-old was able to purchase a gun and commit such heinous crimes.

Earlier in the day, Biden was briefed about the shooting aboard Air Force One as he returned from a trip to Asia, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter.

He called Texas Governor Greg Abbott to offer any assistance needed.

'His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event,' Jean-Pierre said.

In a statement issued before he landed, Biden ordered the flags at the White House and at US federal and public buildings to be flown at half-mast until Saturday. -- ANI

IMAGE: Law enforcement officers guard the scene of a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters

In one of the worst school shootings in American history, an 18-year-old gunman has killed 21 people, including 18 children, and rendered several other grievously injured at an elementary school in Texas state, before the assailant was eliminated in police firing.

Gunshots rang out of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde town, Texas, 134 km from San Antonio, at about 11.30 am on Tuesday.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott identified the killer as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the area where the school was located.

The shooter's motive remains unclear.

"He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly. Fourteen students and a teacher killed," Abbott said in the evening; later the toll was raised to 18 children and three adults dead.

Two law enforcement officers were shot but are expected to recover, Abbott said.

Ramos was armed with a handgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, law enforcement sources confirmed.

The shooter also carried high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Names of the deceased and other details were yet to be released.

According to the school website, its students are aged between 5 years and 11 years.

Chief of Police, Uvalde, Pete Arredondo said the 'mass casualty event occurred at Robb Elementary School at about 11:32 this morning'.

He said the killer acted as an lone wolf -- who was shot dead in police exchange.

The deceased children are in the second, third and fourth grades -- aged between 7 years and 10 years, he said.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting during his return flight from Japan where he attended the Quad Summit.

Biden will address the media on the shooting in the evening after he returns to Washington, DC, his Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

In a tweet, Jean-Pierre wrote: 'His (Biden's) prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event.'

Biden has ordered the US flag to be flown at half-mast until sunset on Saturday May 28, in memory of those killed in Texas.

The US flag across all public buildings, grounds, military posts, naval stations, naval vessels, embassies, consular offices and military facilities will be in half-mast.

In Uvalde, all schools were locked once the gunshots were heard.

In addition to the confirmed deaths, a number of people have been injured.

No number on the injured has been released.

Texans across the state grieved for the victims.

Abbott said: 'Cecilia (wife) and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering.'

Abbott said he had instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to work with the local law enforcement to investigate the shooting.

A disturbing message on the school's website read: 'Robb Elementary Parents, please do not pick up students at this time. Students need to be accounted for before they are released to your care. You will be notified to pick up students once all are accounted for.'

Officials said Houston's civic center was being used as a reunification center where the kin of victims can procure information from the state and coordinate other functions.

The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center issued a public appeal for blood donations.

They have already sent over 15 units of blood and are running out.

There is currently a blood shortage at the local hospitals where the wounded are being treated.

Emergency blood donation appointments are being held for Wednesday.

The shooting stoked the fiery debate on guns control.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said teachers should be armed to stop such incidents in the future.

Speaking to a conservative news outlet, Newsmax, Paxton said, 'Having potentially teachers and other administrators be armed would help stop future attacks while authorities arrived.'

'First responders typically can't get there in time to prevent a shooting. It's just not possible unless you have a police officer on every campus,' he said.

'I think you're going to have to do more at the school.'

US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said in a tweet: 'Today, the entire state of Texas is in mourning. The shooting at Robb Elementary School is every parent and teacher's worst nightmare. My heart goes out to those in the hospital receiving care and to the loved ones of those who lost their lives. As a parent, I cannot imagine the pain they must be feeling.'

'I am in touch with local officials in Uvalde and plan to travel there as soon as I can get there. No parent, child, or teacher should ever have to wonder whether it's safe to go to school. This is an excruciatingly painful time for the tight-knit Uvalde community and for all Texans.'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz described the Uvalde shooting as 'truly horrific', but said gun reforms were not the way to prevent such crimes.

Speaking to reporters, he said that restricting the rights of 'law-abiding citizens... doesn't work. It's not effective. It doesn't prevent crime.'

He said 'going after felons' is what prevents such crimes and he criticised other politicians for trying to 'advance their own political agenda' by calling for gun control.

He added that from past experience, armed law enforcement on campus is the most effective way of keeping children safe.

'We don't know the details of what happened at Robb Elementary School, but there will be a lot of time to examine what steps could have been taken proactively to enhance the safety and security of the school right now,' he said. -- PTI

IMAGE: People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. Marco Bello/Reuters

00:58 Terror funding: Yasin Malik's sentence today

A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday its judgment on the quantum of punishment for convicted Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who had earlier pleaded guilty of all the charges including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, in a terror funding case.

Special judge Praveen Singh had on May 19 convicted Malik and had directed NIA authorities to assess his financial situation to determine the amount of fine likely to be imposed.

Malik is facing a maximum punishment of death penalty, while the minimum sentence for the offences committed by him is life imprisonment.

On May 10, Malik had told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him that included section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act) and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.

The court had, meanwhile, formally framed charges against Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

The charge sheet was also filed against Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case. -- PTI

Representational image

00:30 Delhi reports 418 new Covid cases, 2 deaths

Delhi on Tuesday logged 418 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 2.27 per cent, while two more people succumbed to the viral disease, according to data shared by the city health department.

With this, Delhi's COVID-19 tally increased to 19,04,240 and the death toll climbed to 26,203.

A total of 18,451 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the national capital the previous day, the department said in its latest bulletin.

On Monday, the national capital reported 268 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the positivity rate stood at 2.69 per cent.

The city saw 365 cases with a positivity rate of 1.97 per cent and one death on Sunday.

On Saturday, 479 cases were reported with a positivity rate of 2.06 per cent and one death.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi increased to 1,841 from 1,819 on Monday, the bulletin said. -- PTI

The government on Tuesday imposed restrictions on sugar exports from June 1, a move aimed at increasing availability of the commodity in the domestic market and curbing price rise.

"Export of sugar (raw, refined and white sugar) is placed under restricted category from June 1, 2022 onwards," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification.

However, it said that these restrictions would not be applicable on sugar being exported to the EU and the US under CXL and TRQ.

A specified amount of sugar is exported to these regions under CXL and TRQ.

In a statement, the government said that with a view to maintain domestic availability and price stability of sugar in the country during sugar season 2021-22 (October-September), it has decided to regulate the sugar exports with effect from June 1.

"The government has decided to allow export of sugar up to 100 lakh metric tonne with a view to maintain the domestic availability and price stability during the sugar season 2021-22 (October-September)," it said. -- PTI

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