Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Sai was today subjected to a voice-matching test in connection with a case in which he is accused of hatching a plan to bribe cops and judicial officers so as to weaken the rape case lodged against him by a Surat-based woman

The test was conducted at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar.

"Narayan Sai was taken to the FSL where he willingly underwent voice spectrography test," said DCP (Crime), Surat, Shobha Bhutada.

The spectrographic voice identification test entails recording of sample voice of the concerned person (accused) and matching it with the voice which is already recorded or taped.

The wavelengths and frequency of both the voices are studied thoroughly and analysed.

The Aam Aadmi Party  Government in Delhi today fulfilled one of its most important promises of giving relief to domestic consumers of drinking water.

Despite his bad health, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today chaired meeting of the Delhi Jal Board and took a policy decision that domestic consumers, having functional meters consuming up to 20 Kilolitres of water per month will be exempted from making payment of water bills.Aam Aadmi Party has always been in favour of optimum use and conservation of water.

The party had promised in its manifesto that "JALMITRA' families, spending only upto 700 litres of water per day, will get the water free of cost. Families spending over and above this limit will have to pay the full bill. And families spending more than 1,000 litre per day will be charged with higher tariff. Party's initiative was to stop wastage of water.

The party had promised in the manifesto to apply this system of differential water tariff within 100 days of forming the government. But the promise has been fulfilled on the first working day after swearing-in of the government.People making late payment of water bills will also benefit from today's decision.

Benefit of the scheme will also be extended for the Late Payment Surcharge waiver and 30 per cent rebate n arrears up to 31st March 2013.As per the decision taken today, water consumers consuming more than 20 Kilolitres per month will be required to to pay the full bill amount as per the water tariff which has been increased by 10 per cent.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today asked his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to "penalise officials not working properly" in order to gain favour of the people and ensure that the party wins maximum seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a convention of panchayat representatives at Sefai, Mulayam said that the time has come to penalise the officers who were working properly. The SP supremo recalled that during his Chief Ministership he suspended three district magistrates after which the rest fell in line. Claiming that there was a good chance for SP to gain favour of the people in ensuring maximum seats in Lok Sabha, Mulayam said the situation should be such that no government could be formed without it.

ndian employees of the US Embassy and consulates in India are being grossly underpaid in camparison to their American counterparts working in these missions, according to information made available to the government.

Even as the External Affairs Ministry is awaiting details of Indian staff employed by the American diplomatic missions, some such current and former employees have come forward with details of their emoluments which are way below the wages being paid to American staff in similar positions.

In fact, in the case of some semi-skilled Indian staff, the wages may be below those prescribed under India's Minimum Wages Act.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen today congratulated Aam Aadmi Party on forming its government in Delhi.

"It is wonderful that they have succeded in mobilising people. I must congratulate them on their success," Sen told reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in Kolkata.

Several big leaders, who are competing to get in news, visited the relief camps of Muzaffarnagar riot victims but no one came forward for help, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today claimed.

"Big leaders went to Muzaffarnagar after riots. Requested them to move a step forward...but nobody came forward. We are in the government, we are taking required steps," Yadav told reporters here in a reply to a question. He claimed that there was "sort of competition among these leaders to get in news, but nobody came for help".

On a question regarding RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's visit to Muzaffarnagar, Yadav said, "he called me...he is a big leader and it is a good thing that he went to Muzaffarnagar. I told him that if he has any suggestion that he could tell...we will extend all help."

The CBI is checking into claims made by an insurance agent about depositing Rs five crore in a bank account in the name of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his family as the agency geared up its probe into alleged payments to the tune of Rs 2.8 crore to a person with the initials 'VBS'.

Having registered a Preliminary Enquiry against unknown persons last year after receiving a complaint from the State Trading Corporation, the CBI recently recorded the statement of an insurance agent who is said to have deposited Rs five crore in the bank account of Singh and his family towards buying life insurance policies.

People facing problems with nursery admissions can call on a helpline we are planning to setup, we will sort issues with that, says AAP's education minister Manish Sisodia.

Also part of the AAP manifesto is access to healthcare and education for transgenders. The party has said it would open more colleges for students from Delhi and roll back Delhi Universitys contentious four-year bachelors degree programme.

The Congress party should project its prime ministerial candidate for the general elections next year, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday.

"In my view, the party (Congress) should project a person as the leader of the party who will become prime minister if the party forms the government. That is my view, but it is for the party to decide," he said in an interview to a television channel.

He said that in today's parliamentary as well as state elections, voters tend to ask who the leader is.

AAP's poor decision to ban media at the Delhi secretariat has been reversed. Journalists are now being allowed in. 

Yogendra Yadav tweets: 5000 new members have joined Aam Aadmi Party in Gurgaon. The aam aadmi is looking for an alternative.

Union Minister Salman Khurshid today said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was at present high on his new-found power, even as he described the AAP leader and Narendra Modi as drums whose sound was understood only by those in the orchestra.

Reacting on the 10 days time sought by Kejriwal to put a system in place to address the grievances of people in Delhi, Khurshid said governments do not run on sentiments and that the Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party were right now high on their victory and new-found power. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is unwell and stayed home on Monday. But his six ministers, none of whom has held such an office before, had a rough first day at the Delhi secretariat.

The rookie appeal of the new government was on display as 25-year-old Rakhi Birla showed up to work in an auto. Her colleague in the cabinet, Somnath Bharti, took the metro, signalling that the Aam Aadmi Party is determined to drill huge holes in the VIP culture associated with politicians in the capital.  Read more

The body of noted actor Farooq Sheikh, who passed away in Dubai last week, has been brought to Mumbai.

The 65-year-old actor died on Saturday morning following a heart attack in Dubai.

The body was brought to Mumbai today by his family members, who arrived at the Mumbai airport at around 4.30 pm.

From 5 to 7 pm the body of the veteran actor will be kept for people to pay their last respects and then the last rites will be performed.

Read on Rediff.com: The actor who NEVER gave a bad performance

Arvind Kejriwals ill health may soon become a matter of concern. The new Delhi chief minister called in sick on Monday and moved all important meetings to his residence.

He is an acute diabetic and has a chronic cough problem that gets aggravated in New Delhis smoggy winter.

He has tried various remedies for his asthma-like symptoms but to no avail and has now settled for an Ayurvedic medicine, that he chews on when his symptoms become chronic.

He was even advised a weeks rest by his doctors when his cough problem became aggravated after the New Delhi elections but he ignored the orders.

Sagarika Ghose tweets: Free water worries me. Isn't this back to mai-baap sarkar of freebies and populism? TVs and laptops next?


... On AAP delivering on its promise to provide 700 litres of free water to domestic consumers in Delhi.

Former Karnataka CM BS Yedurappa will merge his political outfit the KJP with the BJP after the Pongal Makar Sankranti.

Insiders in the BJP welcome this move. Narendra Modi will be the chief guest to the merger, expected to be held in Mysore in the first week of February. But the merger formula has one drawback.

To take the heat off corruption charges against him, BS Yedurrappa has agreed to stay away from contesting elections till such time he is cleared from the charges. 

In other news, Rahul Gandhi, it seems has two go-to people in the party -- P Chidambaram or Kapil Sibal. Today, when Arun Jaitley made allegations of corruption against Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh. Rahul will apparently ask the CM to reconsider continuing in office.

The Jal Board CEO says he told Kejriwal that there will be a 10 per cent increase in costs per year.

However, this 700 litres of water will be provided free till only March 30, 2014. The free water will be provided from January 1. And this will be made available primarily to those who have water meters.

What the cost will be on the exchequer is yet to be revealed. 

The Delhi Jal Board meet with Arvind Kejriwal at his residence ends. 700 litres of water will be given free to each household in Delhi, while anything above 700 litres will be charged.

This was one of the promises made in AAP's manifesto. Next on the agenda is reducing electricity charges.

The CEO of the Delhi Jal board says that 20 kilo litre of water (700 litres) per month to customers will be provided to domestic customers who have functional water meters. This will be provided from January 1, 2014 to March 30. To encourage water conservation, consumers who use more than 20 kilo litres per month will be charged for the entire consumption. 

The Prime Minister's Office has initiated a process to get a Lokpal in position before the UPA demits office.

By end of the January, the PM will preside over the committee with BJP senior leader Sushma Swaraj and Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, as members.

And here's some insider gossip. Our sources in the PMO say that there was a communication from Rahul Gandhi to the Prime Minister to put the Lokpal in place before the UPA demits office. 

Dr Kumar Vishwas dares Rahul Gandhi, saying he will fight the Lok Sabha elections from wherever he contests.

AAP will be fielding Kumar Vishawas from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi's constituency.  He said it will send a strong message against dynasty politics.

Women and Child Development Minister Rakhi Birla commuting to the Delhi Secretariat in a shared auto. Pic tweeted by Kiran Kumar.

These are the responses to that picture...

BIJOY KUMAR PALIT: How long? such gimmick does'nt last long...so be realistic instead of showbazzi...

Amit Jain: Get to work...nautanki band ho

Kiran Kumar (Who tweeted the pic): They don't use official car, right? Watch the consistency before commenting.

Amit Jain: There is no q of consistency...u have not governed before...please do that..travelling by shared auto is not imp.

Outgoing Pakistan High Commissioner in India Salman Bashir today met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat in Kolkata.

The meeting was officially described as a "courtesy call" before Bashir leaves India.

Accompanied by his wife, Bashir spent about an hour with Mamata in her office and then went to the Press Club to address a press conference.

Veteran Pakistani diplomat Syed Ibne Abbas is scheduled to replace Bashir.

Just in: The Centre asks the UP govt how so many children have died in relief camps for riot victims in Muzaffarnagar.

Whoever wants to lose is welcome to contest from Amethi, says Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, reacting to news that AAP's Dr Kumar Vishwas will be contesting from there.  

Read: Arun Jaitley's letter to the PM on questionable transactions involving the Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh. 

Long valued for its scent by perfume makers and worshipers at Indian temples, sandalwood is proving irresistible to another group: packs of smugglers roaming the Australian outback. Read more

The high profile death of actress Natasha Richardson - Liam Neeson's wife - following a skiing accident in Canada in March 2009 highlights how dangerous head injuries can be.

Unlike Michael Schumacher, she was not wearing a helmet. A helmet helps protect the skull, but injury is still possible.Skiers who collide at speed with other people or hard objects, such as trees or rocks, can sustain serious damage.

Such injuries may include skull fractures and bleeding and swelling in and around the brain.The build-up of pressure on the brain can cause serious complications needing urgent treatment.

Primary concerns include insuring a good oxygen and blood flow to the brain and the rest of the body, while controlling the pressure.

Delhi's Jal Board officials will hold a meeting at Arvind Kejriwal's residence at 4 pm. The Delhi CM, as you must be aware, is unwell.   

Just in: The Gandhian, Kishan Trivedi is dead. He was manager at the  Gandhi ashram in Sabarmati.

Schumacher is under the care of Professor Gerard Saillant, a brain and spinal injury expert who is also president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Institute, reports BBC.

At the news conference Professor Stephane Chabarde said: "I came here not in terms of a doctor but as a friend. I'd like to thank everyone for the support and the excellent medical team who treated him so well.

"I am very worried just like his family, we are very worried about his condition. the doctors won't tell you more because they can't tell you more, they are working hour by hour.

"This kind of accident, luckily he's 45 which is better than if you were older."

On a better note ... celebrating its 100-year anniversary, Bollywood saw Indian stars get breaks in Hollywood, while a new independent cinema came to the fore -- and much else.  Read

"When the tiny, preschool-age girl named Shakuntala Devi effortlessly memorized an entire shuffled deck of cards at one of her fathers shows, he lifted her onto a table for her debut." 

The New York Times' obituary on Shankuntala Devi and other greats we lost in 2013. Read

Updates on the BBC on the condition of Michael Schumacher. A spokesperson from the hospital where he has been admitted says Schumacher was the victim of very serious trauma. He was very agitated when he arrived and we decided he was in a critical situation and he quickly went into a coma."We had to operate urgently to release some pressure in his head. Unfortunately, he has some lesions within his brain."

Germany's Bild tabloid reported that his condition had worsened and surgeons had drilled holes in his skull to reduce the pressure on his brain.

Read: Pay gap explains opinion gap in maid case.

A two-member Commission set up by Gujarat government to inquire into the alleged snooping on a woman by police has issued summons to Ashish Khetan of Gulail.com and asked him to file an affidavit by January 15 in connection with the release of audio tapes.

Two investigative news portals, Cobrapost.com and Gulail.com, had claimed on November 15 that former minister of state for Home in Gujarat government, Amit Shah had ordered illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of one "Saheb".

Also read: Snoopgate: What links the Soni family and Gujarat govt

Meanwhile, at the Delhi secretariat, AAP's education minister Manish Sisodia, who has been trying to placate angry journalists for the media ban at the secretariat says an information officer will be appointed by tomorrow to coordinate with the press. He says the new government needs some time for systems to fall in place. For now, the media has been allowed entry.

Terrible start to day 1 and one hopes these are simply teething troubles

Update: Michael Schumacher has undergone a second operation following a skiing accident in the French Alps. Read more

BJP senior leader Arun Jaitley holds a press conference, where he alleges that Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh is corrupt.

Just in: The Delhi government announces a Rs 1 crore compensation for the constable who was killed by the liquor mafia.

The Delhi police constable on deputation with the State Excise Department team was beaten to death while another received injuries after they were attacked by a gang of illicit liquor suppliers in South Delhi's Ghitorni. The injured constable has been admitted at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Meanwhile, back at the Delhi Secretariat, AAP health minister Satyendra Jain returns with education minister and Kejriwal's key aide, Manish Sisodia, to the press conference. Sisodia in a huddle with representatives from the Directorate of Information and Publicity over the unprecedented media ban at the Delhi secretariat. 

Another development is that AAP leader Dr Kumar Vishwas has applied for AAP's ticket from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. He will be up against none other than Rahul Gandhi, most likely to be the Congress Party's PM candidate in 2014.

Read why Kumar could topple Rahul in Amethi.

The BJP is quick to react: Meenakashi Lekhi ‏tweets: Lessons 4media, in the name of transparency Media banned from entering Delhi Secretariat!

Complete chaos at the Delhi secretariat on AAP's first day in office. Health minister Satyendra Jain who was scheduled to hold a press conference at 12 pm, arrives at 2.15 pm and faces a barrage of angry journalists. Jain then apologises for the inconvenience, but says he is not "very interested" in holding a press conference. However, the invitation to the presser came from Jain himself. 

More importantly, there is apparently a ban in place for entry to the secretariat even for accredited journalists -- a first in the last 15 years. 

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is unwell and has been advised rest till his fever and diarrhea subsides. If this is what happens in his absence, huge trouble ahead for AAP, especially since it has always got incredible coverage from the media.

Just in: UP minister of state for PWD and irrigation, Surendra Patel, slaps a boy during a blanket distribution camp in Varanasi. 

The Samajwadi Party minister was caught on camera slapping the boy at Rohania village yesterday, where he went to promote a government-sponsored blanket drive.

On Friday, making a mockery of deaths in the Muzaffarnagar relief camps, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary for Home Anil Gupta had said that children living in the relief camp did not die of cold.

Children died because they were taken for treatment outside the camps in which they were living, he said.

Gupta said that the children died of pneumonia, premature deaths and not of cold. "No one can die of cold. If people die of cold then nobody will survive in Siberia, " he said.

After a group of Bangladeshi tourists gained entry to Taj Mahal to offer prayers last Friday, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has banned foreigners from offering Juma namaz (Friday prayers) at Mumtazi Masjid situated on the monument's premises.

We were never a force of the city-state of Delhi. For us, Delhi was a deliberate choice, says AAP's Yogendra Yadav in an interview to the Indian Express. Read

The last rites of actor Farooq Sheikh will be performed at a burial ground at Four Bungalows, Andheri, on Monday evening. He will be laid to rest near the grave of his mother Farida, who passed away in February 2011.

"His wife and children will accompany the remains from Dubai in the afternoon. People who wish to pay their last respects can do so at his apartment at Highland Park in Lokhandwala Complex between 5.30 pm and 7 pm," said Feroze Abbas Khan, Sheikh's friend who directed him in the play 'Tumhari Amrita'.  Read more

Fires in running trains are not new to the Indian Railways, but the unfortunate fact is that when it happens in the dead of night and that too in an enclosed air-conditioned coach, the chances of survival are bleak.

Out of the 64 passengers in the ill-fated coach, 26 died, and some of them were reported to be passengers who came back to pick up their luggage. Read more

Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 18 Indian fishermen while fishing between Katchativu and Dhanushkodi.

The fishermen from Pamban near Rameswaram were arrested along with their three country boats for allegedly fishing in that country's territorial water, sources said.

The arrests had come as a shock to the fishermen's association members here especially after assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the fishermen's representatives on December 28 that steps would be taken to release the 200 fishermen lodged in Lankan prisons.

The navy had yesterday arrested 22 fishermen from Jagadapattinam and remanded to judicial custody.

While flood-hit people of Uttarakhand kept crying for succour, ration meant for them kept rotting in government godowns with villagers complaining that sacks full of foodgrain have been thrown in the Gori river. Authorities have now launched a probe into the complaints.

Sunday marks the one year anniversary of the death of the 23 year-old woman who was gang-raped in New Delhi in December last year -- an attack that triggered nationwide protests calling for harsher laws and better safeguards for women.

While Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced a new fund for women's safety in February, nearly a year on, the government is still undecided on how it plans to invest any of the 10-billion-rupees or $160 million. Read more

After 48 hours of being sworn in as chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal gets set to pass an executive order to provide 700 litres of free water to every household in the capital. Down To Earth analyses the challenges he is likely to face. Read more

Omar Abdullah tweets: "Really sad to hear about Schumacher. Hope he makes a quick recovery. Can't believe I've been skiing off piste all these years sans helmet. I have always shrugged off advice to get a skiing helmet but no longer, am going to have to arrange one PDQ."


The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is in a critical condition after a skiing accident. The 44-year-old German suffered serious brain trauma, was in a coma on arrival and underwent a brain operation.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has started a full-fledged inquiry into the functioning of Anant Media Pvt Ltd, the flagship company owned by Tarun Tejpal.

On December 23, instructions were issued to assessment officers to start inquiries encompassing share transfers, source of investments in what are described as "entry providing companies", as well as the evasion of capital gains tax, to a "logical conclusion". Read more

Tejpal, meanwhile, is still in judicial custody and that's where he will be over the New Year.

The deadline for an agreement which will shape the future of Afghanistan is due to pass tomorrow with negotiations at a stalemate amid warnings from Washington that a failure to find a solution will have "catastrophic' consequences. Read more

At least 70 journalists were killed on the job around the world in 2013, including 29 who died covering the civil war in Syria and 10 slain in Iraq, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Read more

The political equations are likely to change ahead of next year's assembly polls in Haryana, the home state of Aam Aadmi Party-founder Arvind Kejriwal, who took over as Delhi chief minister on Saturday. The party has also found grassroot support among Khap leaders. Read

When 22-year-old bride Harpreet Kaur entered a salon in Ludhiana on December 2 to get her bridal make-up, little did her family expect that she would fall prey to a feud in the groom's family and that they would lose her in a few weeks' time.

According to reports, two men barged into the salon and threw acid on Harpreet. She was later  taken to Mumbai and after battling for 20 days, Harpreet breathed her last on December 27 because the damage to her internal organs were too deep.   Read more

"The fact that Schumacher, 44, was in a coma meant he could have suffered a number of different injuries. He could have suffered a diffuse injury to his brain, which can then result in brain swelling.

"He could have sustained some sort of brain haemorrhage and if there was a blood clot within his brain or on the surface of his brain underneath his skull, that might need to be removed.

"Sometimes there is nothing actually to remove but you put in an intracranial pressure monitor, which basically is an operation that requires drilling a hole in the skull and putting a fine probe inside.

"Or if there is diffuse swelling of the brain, sometimes surgeons remove a large piece of the skull so there is space for the brain to swell to minimise the pressure on vital structure."

Read more

An Indian studying in Melbourne is in a coma after being attacked by a group of people over the weekend, Australian media reports. Manriajwinder Singh, 20, was with two friends when he was assaulted by a group of eight men and one woman.  

With no job or financial security, a young man from Tohana town of Fatehabad district, who has scaled Mount Everest, is forced to sell fruits and vegetables as a roadside vendor to fend for his family and take care of his bedridden father.   Read more

On Twitter: Offices of respective ministries changed at Delhi secretariat, staff confused about which floors to go to, chaos at pass issuing counters.

On Twitter: Mr. Kejriwal requests for 10 days to setup grievance cells.Sir please take 10 years ! We have waited for 66 yrs & have tremendous patience

"Bharat Mata ki Jai. Inqualab Zindabad. Friends, let me begin by thanking all those who voted for the Aam Aadmi Party and all others without whom we would not have reached where we are today.

It is an occasion for gratitude, civility and harmony.

Friends, this electoral victory is not the result of only the last one year of our political formation but a struggle which goes back several years, which had innumerable fellow architects. Hence allow me to recall a collective gratitude towards them."

Read Kiran Bedi's piece for the Hindustan Times today.

More on Yeddy's return to the fold: The first stumbling block for the BJP in Delhi was Ananth Kumar, who was coaxed by BJP president Rajnath Singh for his consent in the larger interest of the party in Karnataka. Kumar was asked to convey this to his supporters in Karnataka that the induction of Yeddyurappa into the BJP was is in the interest of the party and he had no objection to it.

And so it begins. There's a protest outside Arvind Kejriwal's home against reservations for Jats.

So, the prodigal returns. Former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa has made it official - he will join the BJP soon. Speaking at a function at his hometown in Shikaripura in Shimoga, Karnataka, Yeddyurppa said that he has decided to return to the BJP.

He also pointed out that he would merge his Karnataka Janata Party with the BJP. Yeddyurappa had earlier pointed out that he would ally with the BJP, but later that decision was reversed.

He said some formalities were left and that would be completed very soon, with a formal rejoining around the middle of January.

The biggest stumbling block for the return of Yeddyurappa was L K Advani.

However, the strong man of the BJP was convinced by Rajnath Singh to accept Yeddyurappa. Advani has learnt to have reluctantly agreed.
- Vicky Nanjappa

While Arvind Kejriwal is running a fever of 102 and has been told to remain at home, his cabinet, has decided to open the gates of their offices to the public. The cabinet is also expected to take an important decision on how much people will pay for water in the capital.

Suchitra Sen's health improves slightly, but she will continue to remain at the critical care unit of the Bellevue Clinic. 

The Congress party in Maharashtra stands isolated as ally NCP says it is open to reviewing the Adarsh report in the next cabinet meeting. NCP leader Nawab Malik said action can be taken against those indicted in the report. 

The NCP has put the blame on the Congress, in particular on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, with deputy CM Ajit Pawar of the NCP saying last week that the "decision to reject the report was taken by the Cabinet. The Chief Minister is the head of the Cabinet."

The Adarsh report names former Chief Ministers, Ashok Chavan and the late Vilasrao Deshmukh. It also indicts Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil, who served as Revenue Minister when the building received clearances. NCP Ministers Sunil Tatkare and Rajesh Tope, who were then Ministers of State for Urban Development, have also been criticised for their role in granting clearances

Suchitra Sen was supposed to undergo a cataract operation today, but it will be postponed because of her ill health.

Let us begin to view the law as not an 'end' in itself, but as a mere spoke in the wider societal wheel, a spoke requiring constant re-evaluation and recalibration. Read more

Death toll in blast on the trolleybus in the Russian city of Volgograd rises to 15, officials say. 

His courtroom activism has successfully put several political leaders in a tight spot on charges of corruption. Now legal eagle and Aam Aadmi Party  leader Prashant Bhushan is considering swapping the courtroom with the political arena and a lawyer's black robes with the AAP cap.

While Bhushan is open to contesting in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, renowned psephologist and key AAP leader Yogendra Yadav will contest from Haryana setting the stage for AAP as the undisputed leader in Delhi NCR. Read the full report here.

Update on the condition of Suchitra Sen: The condition of legendary actress Suchitra Sen, hospitalised after a respiratory infection, has deteriorated. She complained of breathlessness last evening after which she was shifted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of a super-speciality hospital where she was admitted on December 23.

A source at the Belle Vue Clinic told PTI that her condition was serious and there was fluid accumulation in her lungs.

The Congress, which has in the recent period been in denial on the issue of corruption and has been loathe to act on it unless forced by the courts, is demonstrating an election-eve resolve to do the right thing, on being prodded by the leader.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has forced the Maharashtra government to reconsider its decision to reject a judicial enquiry report into the Adarsh housing society scam. Read

It is the coldest December in more than a decade in Delhi with the minimum temperature recorded at 2.4 degrees Celsius today, five degrees below normal.

On Sunday, the minimum temperature in the national capital was 4.5 degrees.

Weathermen say conditions across north India would remain cold and dry over the next 24 hours with a possibility of rain or thundershowers at isolated places on the New Year eve.

Meanwhile, in Russia, 10 people were killed today in a blast on a trolleybus in the southern city of Volgograd, a day after a deadly suicide bombing at the city's main train station, officials said.

Kejriwal is expected to meet Jal Board officials at his residence in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad district, Aam Admi Party sources said.

Delhi Jal Board officials to meet at 4 pm, announcement on water supply likely today.

On Saturday, hours after Arvind Kejriwal assumed office in the national capital as the chief minister, he transferred Chief of Delhi Jal Board Debashree Mukherjee.

Eight other IAS officers were also shunted out. Senior IAS officer Vijay Kumar has been made the new CEO of Delhi Jal Board.


AAP had promised 700 litres of free water daily to each household along with a reduction by 50 per cent in power tariffs in the city.

Anaesthetic drug ketamine, notorious for its use as a date rape drug, has finally been included in the stringent schedule X of the Drug and Cosmetics Act to curb its easy availability. Now, its buyers and sellers have to maintain extensive documentation and be ready for governmental checks.

A hallucinogen, ketamine leaves the user with a sense of euphoria or "feeling of detachment," say experts. Available in liquid and powder form, its overuse is capable of numbing senses and playing havoc with the body's motor control.

Doctors abroad have documented life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest and paralysis, occurring from its overuse. 

In a series of tweets this morning, 45-year-old Kejriwal said, "Running 102 fever since yesterday. Severe loose motions. Sad that I won't be able to attend office today.

"It was so important to attend office today. We had planned the water announcement. God, bahut galat time par bimaar kiya. (God, you have made me ill at the wrong time)", he tweeted.

Doctors have advised him complete bed rest and have taken his blood samples.

Dr Bipin Mittal, who is treating Kejriwal, said, "The Chief Minister has been administered antibiotics to contain his diarrhoea and advised complete rest."

"He will rest for the day. As the day progresses we will see. He was very keen on going to the secretariat because he has very important announcements to make. I strictly advised him against going out," Kejriwal's doctor said.

The Delhi Chief Minister has been suffering from cough and cold since last month.

Yesterday, he had cancelled his meeting with people who had come to visit him due to fever. He later made a brief appearance and sought some time to put in place a system to redress their grievances.

Kumar Vishwas, an Aam Aadmi Party leader whose name is doing the rounds as the candidate Arvind Kejriwal might field against Congress Number 2 Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections, has dared the BJP to make it a three-cornered fight by fielding Narendra Modi.

"If Modi really wants to end Rahul Gandhi's reign in Amethi, let him contest from there. Or then field (BJP president) Rajnath Singh from there. Let Rahul Gandhi, Modi and me contest from Amethi and see who wins," Vishwas, a 43-year-old poet said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is unwell and will stay away from office today. Kejriwal tweeted this morning: "Running 102 fever since yesterday. Severe loose motions. Sad that i won't be able to attend office today."

"It was so imp to attend office today. We had planned the water announcement. God, bahut galat time par bimaar kiya," he added.

He was expected to make an announcement today on his promise to provide 700 litres of free water to every Delhi household.

Actress Suchitra Sen's condition improves slightly, but she is still not out of danger, sources told rediff.com. Her kidneys have started malfunctioning.

The medical board will send out the next bulletin by 11.

BBC takes a look at front pages of leading newspapers on Micheal Schumacher's ski accident. The F1 legend is in coma and has suffered critical head injuries.

A look at what newspapers have to say.

A fire has broken out at a timber depot in Hyderabad's Murshibad area. Nine fire engines have been rushed to the spot, reports Times NOW.

The fire has been brought under control and no casualties are being reported.  

More details are awaited.

Image: Representation purprose

Hospitalised after a respiratory tract infection, legendary actress Suchitra Sen was shifted to the ICU of a private hospital last night.   

"She complained of breathlessness in the evening after which she was taken to the ICU," a source at the super-speciality Belle Vue Clinic told PTI. The 82-year-old actress, who lives a secluded life and stays locked up inside her apartment, was admitted to the hospital on December 23 after she had respiratory troubles.

Image: Suchitra Sen with Sanjeev Kapoor in a shot from Aandhi

Shah Rukh Khan regrets not being able to spend time with renowned actor Farooque Shaikh who passed away recently in Dubai after suffering a heart attack.

"My biggest regret that I never got to spend time with you, Faroukh sahib, as I had requested. Should have done it earlier. I feel so sorry," SRK tweeted. "And all I ask is quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. Faroukh Sahib Allah bless your soul. U are dearly loved and missed," he added.

Update on Micheal Schumacher: The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is in a critical condition after a skiing accident, says the French hospital treating him.

The 44-year-old German suffered serious brain trauma, was in a coma on arrival and underwent a brain operation, reports the BBC.

A press conference will be held at 10 am (UK time) with the next update on his condition.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had a word of advice for New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on how to run a coalition government- follow Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's example.

Shinde said that running a coalition government is a "difficult task" and that those at the helm should choose what they say with care. "He has got elected as the chief minister and the Congress has supported from outside. Our policy is very clear that the government should function. But the person at the helm should talk with care," Shinde told reporters, a day after the Aam Aadmi Party leader assumed office as Delhi chief minister.