The fire broke out on Friday evening and it has impacted water supply in some of the eastern suburbs as well as supply from Golanji, Fosbery, Raoli and Bhandarwada reservoirs, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a release. 

"Consequently, there will be no water supply in these areas for the next 24 hours. Water supply pressure in the western suburbs and other parts of Mumbai may also be affected. The BMC administration requests citizens to co-operate and use water judiciously during this period," the release said. -- PTI

The services of Pushpa Sahu, Tripti Dasar and Tej Kumari, who were daily wage staff nurses at Dau Kalyan Singh PG Institute and Research Centre Raipur, were terminated on February 23 after a complaint was received against them, said facility deputy superintendent Dr Hemant Sharma. 

On February 5, reels shot by the trio inside the operation theatre of the burn and plastic surgery unit came to the notice of the assistant nursing superintendent following which higher authorities were informed, he said. 

"Clicking pictures and making reels inside operation theatres is against rules. The nurses are also seen wearing shoes and sandals that they usually wear outside the OT. They allegedly misbehaved with the ward incharge when she objected to their act," he said. -- PTI

As many as 37 people were rescued from the commercial centre, they said, adding no burn injuries were reported in the blaze that started at around 5:15 pm. 

The rescue operation was carried out by Fire Brigade personnel on the second floor and the terrace of Options Commercial Centre, located near the busy Milan subway, via the staircase, said the officials. 

The blaze was confined to electric wiring and installations in two units of the commercial centre and was put out after two hours, they said. 

A 19-year-old woman, who suffered from suffocation due to smoke inhalation, was rushed to nearby Cooper Hospital. 

However, she took discharge from the hospital against medical advice, the officials said. -- PTI

The bridge, which connects Dadarpada and Dhudus villages, collapsed at 5:30pm, leading to the death of labourers Rajesh Laxman Waghmare (30) and Avinash Suresh Murkute (22), while two others were injured, he said.

"They worked at a nearby brick kiln and had ventured out for fishing. They got trapped after the 35-year-old bridge fell. The two labourers who were injured have been hospitalised," the Uran police station official said. -- PTI

The NHRC in a statement observed that the content of the media report, if true, "indicate negligence" on the part of the jail authorities, raising an issue of human rights violations. 

The NHRC has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 45-year-old HIV-positive prisoner died inside the Ajmer Central Jail under suspicious circumstances on 19th February, 2024." 

Reportedly, the prisoner died after "hitting himself with an iron rod during a fight with the prison staff," it added. 

The jail authorities should have taken extra care and protection to keep such items as iron rods out of the reach of prisoners. 

Accordingly, it has issued notice to the director general of prisons of Rajasthan, seeking a detailed report in six weeks, the statement said. 

"The report is expected to include his complete medical record right since entry to the prison, inquest report, post-mortem report, video recording of the same and magisterial enquiry report besides the steps taken/proposed to be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur," it said. -- PTI

Speaking to reporters in Latur, the Dalit leader said Raj Thackeray's party can benefit more if it fights elections alone instead of joining hands with the BJP-led alliance. 

A buzz is on about MNS' potential tie-up with Mahayuti-Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP-for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar recently met the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president at his residence in Mumbai. 

"There is no need to induct MNS in the NDA fold. I am with NDA and the MNS should not be taken on board," said the Minister of State for Social Justice. 

He said the RPI-A headed by him will stake a claim on Solapur and Shirdi constituencies for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and also on at least 8 to 10 seats for the assembly elections. 

"Leaders of Mahayuti should take the RPI into confidence while finalising seats for LS polls," he added. Athawale said he joined politics because of veteran politician Sharad Pawar. -- PTI

No injuries were reported in the blaze, whose cause was not immediately known, he said. 

According to the official, the fire broke out in a flat on the 14th floor of the staff quarters building of GT Hospital located close to Mumbai Police Commissionerate at around 8.45 pm. 

Besides fire fighters, as many as four fire engines and other vehicles were engaged in dousing the flames, he said.

"As per the preliminary investigation, Paytm staffer Gaurav Gupta was under stress for the last few days fearing that the company might close down and he might lose his job. We are investigating," said police inspector Taresh Kumar Soni. 

He said Gupta allegedly hanged himself at his house on Sunday. 

The police have not found any suicide note from the spot, Soni added. 

Notably, the Reserve Bank has barred the PPBL from accepting deposits and credits from any customer post-March 15 for persistent non-compliance and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank. -- PTI

In the wake of the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress alliance in Delhi, buzz is growing stronger that the BJP may not field all its sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha polls to be held in April-May. 

Further, in the run up to the selection of candidates, the BJP has been conducting three surveys and doing a performance analysis of its 7 MPs in Delhi, said a top functionary of Delhi BJP. 

"There are talks of at least half of the present MPs losing ticket this time. Buzz is also strong that all will be replaced, but it's too early to say anything because these matters are decided by the national leadership," he said. 

In 2019, the BJP repeated its sitting MPs on five of the seven seats. Gautam Gambhir and Hans Raj Hans were fresh candidates in East Delhi and North West Delhi constituencies. 

All the BJP candidates won with huge margins in 2019 and polled more votes than that obtained by the candidates of the Congress and the AAP that fought the elections independently. 

"We never take any election lightly. But we are not bothered by the alliance between the AAP and the Congress in Delhi and making our preparations with full dedication to win all the 7 seats third time in a row," said another senior Delhi BJP leader. 

The district level leaders, including president, general secretary, sitting councilors, candidates of previous assembly polls, state functionaries, district incharges and co-incharges took part in the feedback gathering exercise conducted by teams of two senior leaders sent from the state unit. -- PTI

A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act has been issued to attach these properties. 

"The immovable properties are in the form of flats owned by accused Upendra Rai located at Noida, Uttar Pradesh and movable properties are in the form of fixed deposits and balance in savings account," the federal agency said in a statement. 

Rai is the CMD and Editor-in-chief of Hindi news channel Bharat Express. The money laundering case stems from two FIRs of the CBI. 

Rai was first arrested by the CBI and later by the ED in May 2018. He subsequently got bail. 

The ED investigation found that Rai, his brother Narender Rai and other associates "were involved in extortion of money from various persons/entities by threatening action from investigative agencies." 

"The money so extorted was received in cash/kind in various bank accounts in the garb of consultancy services. The total money, extorted as proceeds of crime in the case, is to the tune of Rs 52.55 crore," the agency alleged. -- PTI

The Reserve Bank has barred the PPBL from accepting deposits and credits from any customer post-March 15 for persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank. 

PPBL has reconstituted its board of directors with the appointment of ex-Central Bank of India chairman Srinivasan Sridhar, retired IAS officer Debendranath Sarangi, former executive director of Bank of Baroda Ashok Kumar Garg, and former IAS officer Rajni Sekhri Sibal, Paytm said in a regulatory filing on Monday. 

These persons had recently joined as Independent Directors, it said. One 97 Communications Ltd is the owner of the Paytm brand. 

"The company has been separately informed that Vijay Shekhar Sharma has also resigned from the Board of Paytm Payments Bank to enable this transition. PPBL has informed us that they will commence the process of appointing a new Chairman," the filing said. -- PTI

Sudru Madvi, Ram Bedja, Budhram Tati and Sukhram Kalmu, who were held from a market in Kattur village in the district's Kutru area, have confessed they planned to plant an IED to target security forces, Bijapur superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said. 

"They were arrested by a team of the District Reserve Guard and the local police on an anti-Maoist patrol in Ranibodli, Kutru, Mukram and Tadmer areas. We seized a tiffin bomb, a pencil cell packet, detonating cord, safety fuse, electric wire, firecrackers etc from them," the SP informed. -- PTI

The Tripura government has suspended Indian Forest Service officer Pravin L Agrawal following the row over naming a lion and lioness 'Akbar' and 'Sita', on which a case was filed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), officials said on Monday.

The lion and lioness were sent to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park on February 12.

The VHP's northern West Bengal unit filed a petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta high court, praying that the names be changed as it has hurt the religious sentiments.

Agrawal, who was posted as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife & Ecotourism), was suspended on February 22 in connection with the incident, Tripura's Forest Secretary Avinash Kanfade told PTI.

The court had asked the West Bengal Zoo Authority to consider renaming the lioness and lion, and wondered why create a controversy by giving such names.

Taking into consideration the entire gamut of the row, the BJP government in Tripura had sought an explanation from Agrawal, who was earlier the chief wildlife warden.

Agrawal denied naming the lion and lioness, but later, it was found that the animals were named before they were sent to West Bengal as per the dispatch register, another official said.

"Since Agrawal was the chief wildlife warden of Tripura during the relocation process of the animals, he was placed under suspension," the official said.

Agrawal, a 1994-batch officer, was not available for comments.   -- PTI

The incident took place in south Delhi's Aya Nagar on February 15 when the 30-year-old victim, Bhrim Singh, was on his way to work.

"I left home at around 12.30 pm and my neighbour Jiwan Jyoti was on the street with his dog. As the canine was barking at me, I asked the owner to keep the dog on a leash," read the FIR, registered at Fatehpur Beri police station.

This angered Jyoti who physically assaulted Singh while his dog bit him multiple times on one leg, face and a hand. Singh informed the police about the matter on February 16.

"We have registered an FIR under sections 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animal), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 341 ( wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code. We will question the dog owner," a senior police officer said.

There has been a string of dog attacks in Delhi since the turn of the year.

On Saturday, a two-year-old girl was allegedly mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in the Dhobhi Ghat area of New Delhi's Tughlaq Lane.

In another incident on January 22, a two-year-old girl was allegedly attacked by a pet dog in northeast Delhi's Vishwas Nagar.

A day before that, a seven-year-old boy was injured in northwest Delhi's Mahendra Park area after allegedly being attacked by a pitbull.

In the Shahbad Dairy area, a seven-year-old girl was allegedly attacked by an American Bully when she was playing near her home.

In another incident, a pitbull allegedly snatched an 18-month-old child from her grandfather's lap and mauled her in Burari's Uttarakhand Colony. 

Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader T K S Elangovan on Monday said his party wants to 'maintain status quo' on seat-sharing with its alliance parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) is a 'victorious' one and the Bharatiya Janata Party will not find support among the TN voters, he said.

"We are trying to maintain the last election (2019) numbers. We don't want to reduce or we don't want to increase. That was a victorious alliance. So we want that to continue. There may be changes in the constituencies but the number wise almost the same thing will be maintained. That is what we are talking about," the former MP told PTI Videos.

He claimed the BJP may not even secure deposit in many constituencies in the coming elections as people of the state have been 'suffering' from lack of employment, among others.

He also slammed the party-led Central government over the devolution of funds.  -- PTI

Patkar, however, won't walk out of jail as he is in judicial custody in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. 

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate, SP Shinde, granted bail to Patkar on Friday.

A detailed order became available on Monday.

The court noted that the investigation in the matter is completed and a chargesheet has been filed against Patkar and other accused.

The investigation into the alleged scam is being conducted by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

"The trial of the accused has not commenced yet. It may take some time. Charges are not yet framed against the accused persons, thus there is no possibility of the conclusion of the trial in future," the court said.

The court also noted that since other accused with similar roles have been granted bail, Patkar is also entitled to bail on the "ground of parity".         

Partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services identified as Hemant Gupta, Sujit Patkar, Sanjay Shah, and Raju Salunkhe, submitted false and forged partnership deed with the Mumbai civic body for getting a contract to provide medical facilities to jumbo Covid centres, as per the prosecution.

They used false and fabricated partnership deeds to secure contracts from the BMC and the Pune Mahanagar Pradesh Vikas Pradhikaran, falsely claiming to have past experience in the medical field.

The accused persons have not supplied services as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the agreement and hence defrauded the civic body of Rs 38 crores, the prosecution said. 

The Bombay high court on Monday said the Maharashtra government cannot remain a mute spectator amid the Maratha quota protests and had powers to maintain law and order.

A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Shyam Chandak said the government does not require orders from the court to control the situation. 

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Gunaratan Sadavarte against the protests initiated by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange.

Last week, Jarange's advocate V M Thorat had assured the court they were carrying out a peaceful agitation.

On Monday, Sadavarte told the bench the agitation had turned violent in many places across the state.

Advocate General Birendra Saraf and public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, appearing for the government, told the court 267 cases had been registered across Maharashtra following instances of violence.

The bench then remarked that the state has powers to control the situation.

"It is for the state to take care of the situation. The state cannot be a mute spectator. It has to remove blockades," the HC said.

If the assurance given by Jarange that the agitation would be peaceful is not kept then it is for the state to 'take care of the situation', the HC said.

Thorat submitted to the bench that these were political issues and should not be brought to court.

He claimed Jarange had called off the agitation on January 26 after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that his demands would be met.

"However, since the demands were not met, a second phase of agitation has started," Thorat said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 5.   -- PTI

Special Judge A K Lahoti passed this direction on February 22 while granting Thakur's plea for exemption for the day on medical grounds. Thakur and six others are facing trial in the case under provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

The National Investigation Agency court is currently recording statements of the accused under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). 

In his order, special judge Lahoti observed that Thakur and some other accused are not attending the court regularly on the fixed date. 

"Time to time, their exemption applications for the reasons put forth by them are also considered by the court. It is observed that some accused are residents of other states and while moving the application they used to mention that they face difficulty in getting tickets at eleventh hour. So, they could not attend the court," the court said. 

However, to overcome the aforesaid difficulty, dates are given in advance to all the accused and, hence, exemption on the same ground will not be considered, the court said. 

The court considered Thakur's plea, filed on the ground that she was under medication, for the day. It, however, directed her to remain present from February 27 onwards "without fail, else, necessary steps will be taken". 

Further, the court said all the accused must remain present on the fixed dates given to them till completion of recording of statement. 

"Needless to say they (accused) could stay in Mumbai and if there is ill health, they could get medication in Mumbai also," the court noted. 

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. 

The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. 

Thakur is BJP MP from Bhopal.

Notably, senior party leader Annie Raja has been nominated to contest from the pivotal Wayanad constituency, a seat presently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. 

Party veteran and former MP Pannian Raveendran will contest from Thiruvananthapuram, another crucial seat represented by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. 

The announcement was made by Party State Secretary Binoy Viswam at a press conference. 

Former agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar and the party's youth wing AIYF's leader C A Arunkumar will be fielded from Thrissur and Mavelikkara seats respectively, he added.

 Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam on February 26, 2023. 

He was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also in the case and then sent to the Tihar jail. Sisodia is presently lodged in Tihar jail number 1, where he stays in his separate cell shared with two more inmates, who are lodged in non-heinous cases, official sources said. 

 Tihar has 16 jails. All the cells, wards and barracks in the jails are heavily mounted with CCTV cameras installed by the prison authorities. 

 An official said Sisodia spends most of his time reading the Bhagvad Gita and books issued from the Tihar library and playing badminton, a facility provided by the jail authorities for all inmates. 

 According to the Tihar jail officials, Sisodia does some meditation before having the morning tea. The officials said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has not yet demanded any specific thing and is housed in the jail like other inmates. 

 The officials said because of his gentle behaviour in the prisons, he was never shuffled to other jails of the Tihar. 

 The timings for the tea, food and watching television is same for him like the other inmates, he said. Morning starts with tea, biscuits and snacks including 'dalia' between 7 and 8 am. Lunch is served either with chapati or rice along with dal and one vegetable, an official said. 

 He said the wards remain closed between 12 pm and 3 pm. At 4 pm, tea is served again. The official said dinner is served by 7 pm with the same set of food items - dal, rice, chapati and vegetable. 

 Sisodia is one of the three AAP leaders who were arrested and remained in Tihar jail. Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh are the other two arrested Delhi ruling party leaders. Jain is out on bail on medical grounds. Singh, however, is lodged in Tihar jail number 2. 

 Sisodia spends most of his time reading books, including the Bhagavad Gita. In March 2023, the court had allowed him to carry the Hindu holy book, a pen and a dairy. He also plays badminton in the evening, an official said. 

 In the initial days, Sisodia also wrote public letters related to the educational qualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the importance of education for the underprivileged children. These letters were shared by his party leaders out of the prisons. 

 Another official from Tihar said Sisodia avails the facility of 'inmate calling system' where a prisoner can talk to his family once in a day for five minutes. Sisodia's bail plea has been rejected multiple times by the Supreme Court. 

However, he was granted permission to meet his ailing wife twice. In October and November, he was allowed to go home, located at Mathura Road, and meet his wife on the court's order. An official said Sisodia often goes for medical check up in hospitals outside Tihar, whenever doctors in Tihar advise him. In January, he was taken to Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital for consultation on orthopaedic issues, the official said. PTI

According to party sources, the meeting will feature discussions on the AAP's choice of candidates for the 4 Lok Sabha seats that it will contest in the national capital.

After much haggling and extensive deliberations over weeks, the AAP and the Congress finally broke the deadlock and announced a 4:3 seat-sharing deal for the national capital ahead of the crucial general elections.

As part of the deal, the AAP will contest 4 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi while the Congress will field candidates in the remaining 3. 

As part of the bargain, the grand old party will also set aside seats in Haryana, Goa and Gujarat while contesting the prized Chandigarh seat.

The meeting of the AAP's highest decision-making body is scheduled to be convened at party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi residence.
-- ANI

There is a possibility of the formation of an induced circulation system in western Rajasthan and surrounding areas due to the activation of another intense western disturbance from March 1, according to the Meteorological Center Jaipur. 

 Due to its effect, there is a possibility of thunder, lightning, strong winds/storm at a speed of 30-40 km and rain in some parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions on March 1 and 2.

His daughter Nayaab shared a statement on Instagram which read, "With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on 26th February 2024 due to a prolonged illness."

Jarange's decision came a day after he announced a march to Mumbai to press for his demands related to quota in jobs and education for the Maratha community and coincided with the start of the budget session of the state legislature in Mumbai. 

Last week, both houses of the state legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent separate reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. 

Jarange, sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since February 10 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, however, insisted on quota for the Marathas under the OBC category and had continued his fast. 

"Although I am suspending my agitation (hunger strike) today, there will be 3 to 4 youths who would sit here and fast every day for our demands. I will also visit some villages and explain my stand to them. They could not come to meet me here (at Antarwali Sarati village) because of restrictions imposed by the home department," he said. 

Asked about several police complaints filed against him over the quota stir, the activist appeared unfazed. 

"If they want to prosecute me, I have no issues, but (by doing so) they will invite trouble. People would get angry, and the CM and the home minister would face consequences. It is their call now," he said.

Jarange has alleged that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to kill him. Jarange also announced that he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of the deputy CM. He had also said a poisoning attempt was made against him through saline, though he did not elaborate on the claim. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said Jarange must not test the patience of his government.

 The TMC leader's assertion comes immediately after the Calcutta High Court clarified that there is no stay on the arrest of Shajahan. 

 "About the arrest of Sheikh Shajahan, Abhishek Banerjee is correct. The matter was stuck in the legal tangle of the court. The opposition was doing politics using this opportunity. Thanks to the High Court today for clarifying the matter and allowing the police to take action. Shajahan will be arrested within seven days," Ghosh posted on X. 

 TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had on Sunday claimed that Shahjahan could not be arrested because of legal tangles and stay on FIRs filed by the police. 

 The court directed that Shahjahan, the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the state home secretary be impleaded as parties in the suo motu matter initiated on the allegations of sexual atrocities on women and the land grab of tribal people. 

 The riverine Sandeshkhali area -- situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata -- has been on the boil for more than a month with protests against Shahjahan, who is absconding, and his supporters. 

 The unrest in the area stems from accusations against Shahjahan and his supporters of land grabbing and sexual assault with the local TMC strongman evading authorities since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5. PTI

Exactly a year ago, on February 26, Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, and by the Enforcement Directorate a month later, in the excise policy case.

Speaking about Sisodia's arrest, the CM said, "Central Government arrested him in a false case. Today marks the completion of one year since his arrest. In this one year, the government could not present even one piece of evidence in the court...This is a false case."

"After 75 years, Manish Sisodia had brought hope for quality education and a bright future for the children of the poor. Manish Sisodia gave the children of the poor, the right to dream. Such a man has been framed in a false case and put behind bars...He is an inspiration for us. Had he joined the BJP, all cases against him would have been withdrawn. But he did not leave the path of truth," he added.When asked about him skipping ED's seventh summon he said, "They want us to break the alliance (INDIA). When ED itself has approached the court, then why can't they wait for the court's decision? The matter is in court and they sending summons repeatedly. Informally, we have got messages to break the alliance. We will not leave the INDIA alliance."

 The PM laid the foundation stone of the railway projects in Bihar under the Amrit Bharat Stations scheme. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Ministers -- Samrat Chudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, joined the PM's function virtually from the state capital.

"BrahMos will be our primary weapon now as the surface-to-surface missile weapon. Probably the Air Force and the air fighters also will have that as the primary air-to-surface weapon. This has evolved in range, in capabilities, in its lethality, and so on. So, this is going to be the mainstay for some time and that is why we are replacing all old missiles with this... and we are installing the BrahMos. Now, we have the expertise to install it in a very quick time," Navy chief told ANI in an interview.

Highlighting the fact that BrahMos is made in India the Navy Chief said that the missile is "a great advantage".

"It is a very potent missile, and it has been evolving also, in range capability and so on. So the fact is that it is made in India, so we are not dependent on anybody else. It can be repaired, and spares are available. So it's a great advantage," he said.

The Navy chief remarks come soon after the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the deal for over 200 BrahMos missiles under a Rs 19,000 crore contract set to be signed on March 5.The Navy Chief said this on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the Defence expo in Pune.

The Navy Chief visited the Defence expo on Monday in Pune. During his visit to various stalls of various defence manufacturing MSME industries , the Navy Chief highlighted the significance of MSME in India's mission to become Atmnirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing.

The Navy Chief said, "This is a unique exhibition. They have been able to bring together several MSMEs... It is very important that we develop the ecosystem and environment for indigenization. Defence Expos facilitate this and encourage indigenous production... MSME expos like this have huge significance. Over 118 contracts have been signed and around 10-12 products have also been approved. There are a lot of things we are getting from MSMEs and startups."

 According to a company statement, this will make Airtel the first operator to deliver seamless connectivity through the 4.8km stretch in Kolkata's East-West Metro corridor connecting Howrah Maidan with the Esplanade. High-capacity nodes at each of these stations have been deployed for seamless connectivity allowing commuters to use high-speed internet, voice calls, and data transmission, it said. 

 "This initiative to provide under-river tunnel connectivity will certainly make a difference to commuters where they will get to access to high-definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos, and more, along with enjoying the scenic stretch below river Ganga," CEO, Bharti Airtel West Bengal and Odisha, Ayan Sarkar said.

 India's first underwater metro connecting Howrah to Kolkata via a tunnel underneath the Hooghly River is set to start operations in June 2024. PTI

 "I joined the BJP today. The Congress has put the country in trouble by indulging in appeasement politics. The party says it will take everyone along, but it takes only its family along," she said. The BJP-AJSU alliance had won 12 out of the 14 parliamentary seats in Jharkhand in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. PTI

 A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, without issuing notice on a plea of Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order which upheld summons issued to him as an accused in the criminal defamation case, asked the complainant whether he wanted to close the matter in view of the chief minister's apology.

 The bench also asked the trial court not to take up the defamation case involving Kejriwal till March 11. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, said, "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting."

In its judgement dated February 5, the high court had said that reposting alleged libellous content would attract the defamation law. 

 The high court had said a sense of responsibility has to be attached while retweeting content about which one does not have knowledge and added that retweeting of defamatory content must invite penal, civil as well as tort action if the person retweeting it does not attach a disclaimer. 

 The chief minister had said in the high court that the trial court failed to appreciate that his tweet was not intended or likely to harm the complainant, Vikas Sankrityayan.

 Kejriwal's plea before the high court said the trial court erred in not providing any reasons for issuing the summons and the orders were 'ex-facie' devoid of judicial application of mind. Sankrityayan claimed the YouTube video titled 'BJP IT Cell Part II' was circulated by Rathee, who lives in Germany, "wherein a number of false and defamatory allegations were made". PTI

 The West Bengal Police on Monday arrested TMC leader Ajit Maiti from the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district on the charges of land grabbing from villagers, an officer said. 

 Maiti, considered a close aide of absconding TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, was detained on Sunday evening from the residence of a civic volunteer where he had locked himself for over four hours after being chased by villagers, he said.

 "We have arrested him from Bermadjur area after getting complaints from villagers regarding land grabbing. We will produce him before a court later in the day," the police officer told PTI. After getting over 70 complaints, the police lodged an FIR against Shajahan Shiekh, he said.

 Speaking to ANI on Monday, Jitendra Rathee, son of Nafe Singh Rathee, said, "We will not allow the post-mortem to be conducted until the police catch my father's murderers. I suspect that local BJP leaders have a hand in my father's murder."

 He alleged that the police refused security for his family despite multiple requests. "The police administration is sitting silent. My family and I are not getting security. My father was demanding security for five years. My father was a national leader. All political parties should have supported my father before he was murdered," Jitendra Rathee said. 

 Kapoor Rathee, Nafee Singh's nephew, also reiterated the demand, saying, "We will not conduct a post-mortem until the accused are arrested. We have again gotten the names of those people." 

 Meanwhile, the Haryana police registered a case against four persons in connection with the case. "We have registered an FIR based on the complaint received. Five teams have been constituted with 2 DSPs to arrest the accused. An investigation is underway. We are collecting physical and scientific evidence," Jhajjar DSP Shamsher Singh said. 

 "We are collecting evidence from all CCTV cameras and also checking the suspected vehicle," he added. INLD chief Nafe Singh Rathee was shot dead on Sunday by some unidentified assailants near the railway crossing at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar.

Hailing the 'strong leadership and correct decision-making' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Pawar said that he found the development work done under their leadership 'important'.

Drawing parallels, the NCP leader said that he identified with the working style of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

"The decision taken by the Nationalist Congress Party to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena is still being discussed in different media. This letter is to make my role in this matter more clear," Ajit Pawar mentioned in his statement.

"I find it important that the development work that is being done in this country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Strong leadership and correct decision-making process, these are their qualities that I like very much. My and their working methods are very similar," the statement said.

"I felt that it would be possible to carry out some of my future plans for development with them in a more effective manner, so I decided to go with them with the aim of taking this state towards development. Since I have taken this role, it has been my experience that since joining the government, development work has gained momentum," it added.

Pawar asserted that his intention was not to hurt or insult anyone but undertake and complete development works without compromise.

"I have taken my own role with the aim of completing the development works without any compromise with the ideology and objective etc. In this, I do not dare to insult anyone in any way, hurt anyone's feelings or cheat anyone or harm anyone. It was never my intention to have a dagger in my back or anything like that, nor will I ever have one," he stated.

He said that to undertake any service for the people it is important to be in power.

"I have seen it done both by being in power and by being in opposition. While in power, we have seen development slowing down rapidly and while in opposition, we have also seen development works getting stuck. So one truth which cannot be denied is that for development work it is necessary for you to be in power," the Deputy CM said.

 The stock of crisis-hit fintech company climbed 5 per cent each to Rs 428.10 and Rs 427.95 apiece -- also its upper circuit limit -- on the NSE and BSE. 

 In the morning trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex benchmark slumped 288.71 points or 0.39 per cent, while NSE Nifty fell 71.55 points to 22,141.15. On Friday, the scrip of One97 Communications rallied 5 per cent and locked in upper circuit limit on the BSE.

 The TMC leader, identified as Bijan Das, was killed when he went to the house of a party colleague, he added. Das, the deputy head of Guma 1 panchayat, was shot twice from point-blank range, the police officer said, adding that one bullet hit his head and another pierced through his left ear.

 "He was declared brought dead when he was taken to the Barasat Medical College and Hospital. The accused are absconding. We are investigating the matter," the police officer told PTI. Barasat MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, who went to the hospital, said that it was a "tragic incident". 

 "Bijan's death is an irreparable loss to the party. He started his political career from student politics and has been with the party since then. The police are investigating the case, Ghosh Dastidar said. PTI

 The woman's brother was also injured in the attack and the two are undergoing treatment at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. 

Two of the accused have been arrested while the main accused, Rajendra Yadav, is on the run, they said. 

 On Saturday night, the woman was returning home on a two-wheeler with her brother when Yadav and two others, Mahipal Gujral and Rahul Gujral, attacked them near Pragpura police station. 

The accused followed the siblings before attacking them, police said. 

 Yadav shot the woman in the back while the other two accused stabbed her and her brother with a sharp-edged weapon. 

The woman sustained multiple injuries in the head, legs, hands and shoulders, they said. An FIR has been registered in the matter based on a complaint lodged by the woman's family. 

 According to the FIR, Yadav allegedly raped the woman on January 16 last year and was subsequently arrested and fired from his job. He recently came out on bail and started threatening the woman to withdraw the case against him. Yadav attacked her as she did not withdraw the case, the FIR stated.

 The Gautam Buddha Nagar Police stated that they will conduct thorough checks and erect barriers along all borders from Gautam Buddha Nagar to Delhi, which will likely lead to traffic snarls on routes from Gautam Buddha Nagar to the Delhi border and Yamuna Expressway, including Luharli Toll Plaza. 

The traffic advisory from Noida police mentioned that emergencies will prompt traffic diversions as necessary. To mitigate congestion, commuters heading to Delhi are encouraged to utilize metro services. 

Restrictions on various types of goods vehicles will be enforced along specific routes, such as from Yamuna Expressway to Delhi via Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and from Sirsa to Surajpur via Parichowk. Meanwhile, amid the ongoing farmers' protest, work to open the road below the Singhu Border flyover, which was sealed in the wake of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' protest, has begun, according to a Delhi Police source. 

 The source mentioned that the lanes on the road below the flyover are being opened one by one. The Singhu border, the gateway to Haryana and Punjab, was closed on February 13 due to the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' March. However, alternative routes were opened for vehicular movements.

 The high court said worship in the "Vyas Tehkhana" will continue. Dismissing both the appeals, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said, "After going through the entire records of the case and considering the arguments of the parties concerned, the court did not find any ground to interfere in the judgment passed by the district judge on January 17, appointing the Varanasi district magistrate as the receiver of the property, as well as the order dated January 31 by which the district court permitted puja in the tehkhana." 

 Justice Agarwal had reserved his verdict in the matter on February 15 after hearing the counsel for the parties. The appeals before the high court were filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Mosque Committee that manages the affairs of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi. -- PTI

The Haryana police on Monday registered a case against four persons, a day after Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) chief Nafe Singh Rathee was shot dead near a railway crossing in Haryana's Jhajjar district. 

 The four accused have been identified as Naresh Kaushik, Ramesh Rathi, Sathish Rathi, and Rahul, all hailing from Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar.

 According to the police FIR, the accused have been booked for offences under various sections of the IPC, 1860, and the Arms Act, 1959, including criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, and carrying prohibited arms or ammunition.

Speaking to PTI from Massachusetts, USA, Sen said that the move will lead to greater transparency among people in the electoral context.

 "Electoral bonds were a scandal, and I am glad that they have now been dropped. I hope there will be more transparency in the support that people give to each other in the electoral context," Sen said. 

 In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court annulled the electoral bonds scheme earlier this month, citing violations of the Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, as well as the right to information. 

 The apex court directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties to the Election Commission. 

This information should include the date of encashment and the denomination of the bonds and be submitted to the poll panel by March 6. According to Sen, India's electoral system has been significantly affected by the nature of politics, making it difficult for the common people to be heard. 

 "The electoral system in India is much affected by the nature of party politics, which makes it very hard for common people to get the hearing that they should get in the polls," he said. 

 The economist said the country's electoral system is influenced by how the government treats opposition parties. 

 "It is influenced by the treatment of opposition parties and those that the government would like to keep under restrictions. We do want a free electoral system as much as possible, in addition to freedom of speech and action of citizens," he said. 

 Sen stressed that "the Indian Constitution wanted to give all citizens substantial political freedom and did not want any particular community to have privileged standing." -- PTI

Kejriwal did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate last week for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy matter, with his party terming the summons as "illegal".

Kejriwal has been summoned six times by the ED. The agency had earlier this month approached a city court after Kejriwal skipped its multiple summonses related to the case.

 Maiti, considered a close aide of absconding TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, was detained on Sunday evening from the residence of a civic volunteer where he had locked himself for over four hours after being chased by villagers, he said. 

 "We have arrested him after getting complaints from villagers regarding land grabbing. We will produce him in the court later in the day," the police officer told PTI. 

 After getting over 70 complaints, the police lodged an FIR against Shajahan Shiekh, he said. 

 Most of the complainants claimed that Shajahan was actively involved in the forcible acquisition of their land and torturing of local women, the police officer said. 

 Angry villagers had attacked Maiti a couple of days back for his alleged ties with Shajahan and his group, accused of land grabbing and sexual assault on local women. 

 The police action comes after a TMC delegation visited the restive Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Sunday and heard the grievances of villagers who have been protesting against alleged atrocities by local leaders of the ruling party. 

 The riverine Sandeshkhali area -- situated on the borders of the Sunderbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata -- has been on the boil for more than a month with protests against Shahjahan, who is absconding, and his supporters. PTI

Jarange made the remarks late Sunday night after CM Shinde said the activist must not test the patience of his government. Speaking in Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district earlier on Sunday, Jarange alleged Fadnavis was trying to kill him. He also announced that he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of the deputy CM. 

Jarange had also claimed that a poisoning attempt was made against him through saline, though he did not elaborate on it.

 He was speaking to reporters on the eve of the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. Jarange later left from Antarwali Sarati and stopped at Bhamberi village in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar while on way to Mumbai.

 The Maharashtra legislature during a one-day special session last Tuesday unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category, but Jarange has been firm on his demand for quota for the community under the OBC head and converting the notification on blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into a law. 

 Asked about the CM's comments, Jarange told Marathi news channel ABP Majha, "I have not heard it. But he should tell why the notification for quota of relatives (of Marathas) was not implemented. I respected him a lot. He should not listen to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and speak his (Fadnavis') language." Jarange said nobody is bigger than the Maratha community. 

 "It was his (Shinde's) responsibility to implement the notification for the relatives (of Marathas) and consider taking the gazette (of Nizam state, Satara) as proof for issuing certificates of Kunbi caste. The distribution of certificates has been stopped. Which demand was extra from our side?" he asked.

The incumbent Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Sunday declared his son "as his successor" in a 'dastarbandi' (investiture) ceremony held the courtyard of the grand mosque.

In his address before making the formal declaration, Bukhari traced the history of the mosque and said the first Shahi Imam was appointed by Emperor Shah Jehan.

The first Imam of Jama Masjid (Hazrat Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, Shahi Imam) was appointed the Shahi Imam at the age of 63, the current Shahi Imam said.

As per traditions, Imams have declared their successors in the life times.

So, in line with the over 400 years of tradition, from this Jama Masjid, "I declare that Syed Shaban Bukhari is my successor", he announced to a gathering of Islamic scholars, and other dignitaries present on the occasion.

After the announcement, the tying of 'dastarbandi' (turban) on the head began according to the old 'riwaz' (tradition) associated with the investiture.

Syed Shaban Bukhari (29) was anointed as the mosque's Naib Imam in a 'dastarbandi' ceremony in November 2014, the official said.

In the event of Syed Ahmed Bukhari's death or ill-health, he will serve as the 14th Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, it was announced by his father.

The ceremony at the Mughal-era mosque built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century lasted more than an hour.

Several 'ulemas (Islamic scholars)' are attending the ceremony for which the mosque -- a veritable symbol of old Delhi or Shahjehanabad and a celebrated landmark -- was decked up.

Some congratulatory posters bearing images of the Shahi Imam and his son have been put up along the street running in front of the mosque, whose architecture draws awe from both locals and foreign tourists.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari -- the 13th Imam in the line of descent -- is the son of Syed Abdullah Bukhari, the 12th Shahi Imam, who died aged 87 in 2009. 

He succeeded his father in October 2000 as the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid. -- PTI 

An advisory committee, set up by Paytm owner One97 Communications after the Reserve Bank's action on its payments bank business, is at a stage of engagement with the company on matters related to the terms of reference for the panel, the panel's head and former chairman of Sebi M Damodaran said.

"We have been engaging with the group on matters relating to the Advisory Committee's terms of reference," Damodaran said on Sunday in response to a query about his engagement with Paytm.

He said that the panel members are external advisors and at present Paytm is engaged in dealing with the RBI.

On January 31, the RBI asked PPBL (Paytm Payments Bank Ltd) to stop further deposits, credit transactions, or top-ups in any customer accounts, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, and National Common Mobility Cards, after February 29. Later, the central bank extended the deadline till March 15.

Paytm on February 9 announced setting up of a group advisory committee headed by Damodaran. The committee was set up to advise the company on strengthening compliance and on regulatory matters.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank on Friday asked the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to examine the possibility of migrating Paytm Payments Bank customers using the UPI handle '@paytm' to 4-5 other banks, in a bid to prevent any disruptions in the payment ecosystem.

Damodaran was speaking at the release of his biography The Turmeric Latte compiled by one of his former colleagues.

During a panel discussion at the event, when he was asked about his views on the functioning of Sebi at present, Damodaran said the capital markets regulator has bandwidth problems with respect to the large amount of issues that it has to handle.

"Sebi has a huge challenge. The bandwidth seems inadequate to tackle the large number of issues that they have to tackle. In the process, it sometimes feels like they are biting more than they can chew," Damodaran said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make the announcement in Thiruvanathapuram tomorrow, February 27, 2024.

Gaganyaan is the Indian Space Research Organisation's mission to put an Indian in space.Group Captain Nair is from the 163rd Course at the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on June 19, 1999.