Dissident Congress leader Kalikho Pul was sworn-in as chief minister of crisis-ridden Arunachal Pradesh. 

The Supreme Court today sought the response from Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Maharashtra government's appeal against his acquittal in the 2002 hit-and-run case, observing that exoneration from the top court would "vindicate him once and for all".

"Acquittal from this Court is important. If you (Salman Khan) are acquitted from here, you will be vindicated once and for all," a bench comprising justices J S Khehar and C Nagappan said while issuing notice to Khan on the plea of Maharshtra government. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state, said the Bombay high court had erred on two points while acquitting the filmstar.

"Firstly, the high court had erred in its finding by holding that there was 'erroneous application' of Section 33 of Evidence Act (relevancy of certain evidence for proving, in subsequent proceeding, the truth of facts therein stated) by the trial court," he said.

Rohtagi said that on second count, the high court had erred by holding that the prosecution witness Ravindra Patil, a constable who was guarding the actor and had first called the police, was not a "wholly reliable witness" and his version needed corroboration with accounts of other witnesses.

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly stripping and whipping a duo with belts on the Mumbai local train system while accusing them of stealing a mobile phone days after videos of the purported episode went viral on social media.

The duo identified as Harish Sheik, 24, and Nazim Sheikh, 23 were arrested by Dadar Government Railway Police after a railway inquiry was launched to ascertain the time, place and the identity of the persons involved in the incident, which officials said had taken place in 2013.

Inquiries revealed that the incident had taken place on a CST-bound local and then at Parel railway station. A person who is visible in the clippings as witnessing the incident was tracked down and he identified the two accused, who were in the business of selling fish, a GRP official said.

The accused had switched off their mobile phones after the videos of the incident surfaced on social media. GRP laid a trap and arrested them this morning after one of the victims in the video clips, Wasim Shaikh, who was traced by the investigators, lodged a complaint y

Son of suspended RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadav detained by police over suspicion of destruction of evidence in a rape case, reports ANI.

Bimal Julka, former secretary to the Government of India, is a frontrunner for the post of information commissioner, something which Delhi police chief B S Bassi was so angling for.

The decision was taken by a 3-member panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. MoS in the PMO, Jintendra Singh, was the special invitee.

Julka, who is said to have ties with the Congress leadership, was backed by Kharge in a bid to keep Bassi, under fire for the police inaction during the violence by lawyers in a Delhi court, out.

The panel was racing against time to meet the 6-week deadline issued by the Delhi high court to fill the three vacancies in the Central Information Commission.

Sources said the government has sent all the three shortlisted names to the President for his approval.

According to reports, others in contention are ex-secretaries to Government of India Shyamal K Sarkar and Anup K Pujari.

In December 2015, the government had appointed former defence secretary R K Mathur as Chief Information Commissioner, and he will hold the post till he reaches superannuation at 65 years, on November 25, 2018.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the Centre is ready to hold talks with Maoists if they shun violence unconditionally.

"I want to appeal to them (Maoists) to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream ... Government is ready to hold talks with them if they give up violence without any condition," Singh told reporters in this Maoist-hit district after reviewing the situation arising out of Left wing extremism in Odisha.

The BJP may be weak in Tamil Nadu, but its state leaders occupy positions of strength. The Modi government has become saviours of BJP leaders from the state. The former BJP state President CP Radhakrishnan has been appointed as Chairman of the Coir Board and will operate from Kochi. This means that Radhakrishnan will get Union Minister of state status. The other BJP leader is H Raja, who has appointed  Chairman of the Railway Amenities Committee. Raja is well known to Modi as he always translates the PM's speeches Modi into Tamil.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra will be the new Chairman of Empowerd Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST.

Former DU professor SAR Geelani's bail plea dismissed by Patiala House Court. Geelani booked for sedition charges in connection with a Press Club event.

Shane Warne has been bitten by an anaconda after plunging head first into a tank of snakes on the reality television show I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here.


The episode, which aired on Thursday night on Channel Ten, required Warne to dunk his head into boxes filled with African clawed frogs, scorpions, Madagascan hissing cockroaches and rats as part of the show's "Tucker Trial'.

He was then presented with a Perspex tank of snakes -- reportedly his biggest fear.


"Aw, no, come on," the spin legend said. Read

A controversial circular from the Narendra Modi government about rating the integrity of government servants has created a flutter in the bureaucracy.

According to this circular, the integrity of government officers would now be classified as beyond doubt, doubtful, most doubtful, in their annual performance appraisal reports (APAR).

On Friday, soon after the Central Secretariat opened, the confidential circular dated February 11, 2016,issued by the department of personnel and training was circulated among joint secretaries.

The circular asks supervisory officers to maintain a confidential diary to note the integrity of government staff, and consult this diary when filling the integrity column in their subordinates' APAR.


The officers have been asked to make a note in the diary about any instances that raise suspicion about the integrity of a subordinate and the action taken to verify the truth. They should also note the action taken by the supervisors,like making confidential departmental inquiries or referring the matter to the special police establishment for further action.


The circular justifies this system by saying that reporting officers often do not make a clear and categorical noting about the integrity of the officer being appraised.


Soon after receiving this circular, personal assistants and private secretaries started consulting legal experts to understand the implications of this circular and its legal validity.


Our correspondent tried to get hold of a copy the circular but no senior officer was ready to part with it.

Haryana Minister Capt Abhimanyu's house attacked and car set on fire in Rohtak.

Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats Lawyers march to India Gate to patriotically defend India. Go back dejected when they realise that other side of India Gate is also India.

On Thursday February 18, Irani decided to give Vice Chancellors of central university a sample of her venom when she played an irate headmistress at a meeting of 42 VCs. Reports in several newspapers including Hindustan Times mention the intemperate behaviour of the HRD minister on a few counts. She accused the senior academicians of not "performing up to the mark' and for failing to set their "house in order.'

The HT report states: "Irani asked them to perform better and scolded them for not responding to the queries sent by the ministry regarding appointment of ombudsman."


In her speech the HRD minister chastised the senior academicians and asked them why they continued to remain in their cocoons. While admonishing them, she reminded them that they were at "the mercy of tax payers' money."


Making the charges without giving any of those targeted and opportunity to present a defence is grossly unfair. Irani's behaviour reflects the top-down culture that is embedded in this government.


The 'boss' comes and admonishes those sitting front '" remember the Modi picture that went viral that portrayed one party leader after another standing up like school students to introduce themselves -- while those getting the sock do not have an opportunity to even raise hands to defend their visage. Read more

Finance minister Arun Jaitley at the Halwa ceremony marking the beginning of the Budget printing process. The process of printing documents for the Budget 2016-17 began today with the ritual halwa ceremony, which was attended by the finance minister in North Block.


As part of the ritual, halwa is prepared in a big kadhai (vessel) and served to the staff of the ministry.


The significance of the sweet dish is that after it is served, a large number of officials and support staff, who are directly associated with budget making and printing process, are required to stay in the Ministry and remain cut off from their families till the presentation of the budget by the Minister.

They are not even allowed to contact their near and dear ones through phone or any other form of communication, like email. Only very senior officials in the Finance Ministry are permitted to go home. The budget, will be presented on February 29. 

JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar files bail petition in Delhi HC. His lawyers Vrinda Grover and Sushil Bajaj filed the bail application directly in the Court of Registrar Lopen Bomniyal. Both advocates were escorted by the police while they filed the bail application.

Yesterday, delegations from the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party called on President Pranab Mukherjee. And today it was the turn of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Nripendra Misra, to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Because this visit was such a hush-hush one, the bureaucracy has gone into speculation mode over what was discussed.
 
One theory goes that Jaitley and Misra, armed with thick files, went to discuss developments in Arunachal Pradesh, but the question then arises: If Arunachal was indeed the topic of discussion, why was Home Minister Rajnath Singh not part of the delegation?

Another theory goes that the discussion centred around the imminent appointment of information commissioners. But, again, the question arises as to why Jaitley would go to discuss CIC appointments.

In the absence of any clear indications, babudom continues to speculate about the real purpose of the meeting and, needless to say, all sides are tight-lipped about it.

Which is why theres not even a mention of it in any of the Twitter feeds.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India was authorised by its members on Friday, at its Special General Meeting in Mumbai, to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court on pointing out the anomalies and difficulties encountered in implementation of the Justice Lodha Committees recommendations.

The members authorized the president and secretary to discuss the governance and financial restructuring of the International Cricket Council subject to such restructuring being incorporated in the constitution of the ICC for permanency.

Further, they also authorised the president and secretary to rework the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 2016 to 2023 and ensure equitable distribution of the matches.

The members approved the recommendation of the BCCIs affiliation committee to grant full member status to Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh. It will be a part of Central Zone for all BCCI tournaments.

Meanwhile, the Working Committee authorized the president and secretary to appoint an agency to search for candidates for the posts of BCCI CEO and CFO.

Just in: Thousands of lawyers marching from the Patiala House Court to India Gate in support of Patiala House Court lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan. The lawyers are raising slogans against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar calling him anti-national. The lawyers say action should be taken against Kanhaiya Kumar, even saying he should be hanged. The men in black raise slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, wave the national flag, amidst tight security.

Several bar asscoiations have called for this protest march demanding action against Kanhaiya Kumar.

Chauhan, the lawyer who played a key role in two rounds of mob violence at the Patiala House court this week, did not report to the police for questioning yesterday, as ordered.

Just in: Chattisgarh confirmed as BCCI full member at the cricket body's Special General Meeting in Mumbai.

They will play in the Ranji Trophy from next season. Baldeo Singh Bhatia is the president of the Chattisgarh State Cricket Sangh.

"Recent events at the Jawaharlal Nehru University raise many questions pertinent to us as citizens of India. The questions have become imperative because it is apparent that many who govern us have little sensitivity to understanding the fundamental issues crucial to governance.


"For example, what are the necessary aspects of a democratic system, or how essential are the centrality of equality and human rights as components of democracy to be taught and nurtured in educational institutions. Every articulation of thought and action is judged these days by its immediate political implications and seldom by the wider context of ethics, society and the citizen."

A must-read column by Romila Thapar, Professor Emeritus, JNU. Take a look.

Siddharth @svaradarajan Which journalists helped circulate the doctored video of Kanhaiya? I know Swapan and Reshmi Dasgupta did. Who else? Name and shame please.

The bail hearing of former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani, arrested for sedition in connection with an event at the Press Club of India, will be take place now.


Geelani has been sent to 14-day judicial custody and is kept in the "High Risk Ward" of Jail No. 1 of Tihar Jail. 

Swapan Dasgupta on the doctored video of Kanhaiya Kumar shouting anti-India slogans. "I checked with responsible people. There is a part of video clip I retweeted that may be dodgy. I erred & say so openly. Larger q's remain."

Security increased at Delhi High Court ahead of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar's bail hearing.

Vijay Rupani elected President of Gujarat BJP.

From fabricating a case to resorting to violence and peddling forged 'evidence', all those who have worked to ruin a young life must be brought to account. Read more

In the face of relentless police intimidation, Scroll.in's contributor Malini Subramaniam has left Jagdalpur. The lawyers of the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group will follow shortly. Read more

Patiala House Court reserves order on bail plea of SAR Geelani. Order likely to be pronounced by 2 pm.

"I was in the sixth row of the economy class and vividly remember how they shot her at point blank range in front of me.

''I was shocked to see her dying.

"Whenever I think of that moment, I wonder: Is this humanity? What has a 23 year old done to deserve this? She was only trying to help people."


Dr Kishore Murthy was just 31 years old when he boarded a Pan Am flight to the United States on September 5, 1986.  That was the flight that would be hijacked by Libyan terrorists at the Karachi International Airport. The flight that had a 23-year-old air hostess, Neerja Bhanot.

Read the eyewitness account here.

While transferring the bail plea of Kanhaiya, who has been charged with sedition, the bench took an assurance from Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar that in the "prevailing extraordinary situation" pertaining to this matter, the Government of India and the Delhi Police Commissioner would provide adequate safety and security to the accused and a stream of lawyers who will be appearing in the High Court.


The bench also said that the counsel for all the parties would be given preference while entering into the court room at the High Court and the Registrar General would be responsible for limiting number of people to be allowed to enter inside.

Delhi HC rejects plea against second phase of Odd-Even formula in Delhi; terms the plea premature.

Just in: The AAP-ruled Delhi secretariat recommends the expulsion of BJP MLA OP Sharma. The Ethics Committee of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha has made the recommendation saying Sharma is a habitual offender.

Sharma, who has been accused of assaulting a man outside Patiala House court complex on Tuesday, was on Thursday questioned for eight hours by the Delhi Police., but was released immediately on bail.

"He was arrested under charges of causing hurt and later granted bail," said a senior police official.

After coming out of the police station, Sharma told reporters, "If someone has to pay such a price for stopping a person who raised pro-Pakistan slogans, then I have got nothing to say."

Sharma was caught on camera beating a CPI activist at Patiala House.

Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi's name dropped from shortlist of candidates for Information Commissioner. The selection panel is slated to choose the information commissioner today. Bassi's abysmal handling of the JNU row is the probable reason behind this. Bassi is set to retire at the end of the month. Reports had suggested that he was the frontrunner for the Information Commissioner's post.

Just in: Supreme Court notice to Salman Khan on Maharashtra government's plea challenging his acquittal in the 2002 hit-and-run case. 

Just in: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer Vrinda Grover will move the Delhi High Court for his bail at 2 pm.

The SC directs the HC to expeditiously hear Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea.

Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer likely to approach the Delhi HC today.

Kanhaiya Kumar bail plea: The SC said that the counsel for all parties will be permitted in the HC court room but entry of others including journalists would be regulated by the Registrar General.

Kanhaiya's lawyers tells SC that their lives are under threat. SC agrees that the situation in the Patiala House Court is not proper.

This means that Kanhaiya Kumar will remain in jail till the High Court decides to hear his bail plea. He is in judicial custody at Tihar jail till March 2.

The SC says it cannot set a precedent where accused move the apex court at the initial stages.

The Supreme Court transfers the bail plea of jailed JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar to the Delhi High Court. The SC agrees that the situation in Patiala House courts is not proper and says, "we can't ask you to approach the Patiala House Court."

The SC asks the Centre and the Delhi Police to ensure proper security arrangements for the counsel of the student union leader on the HC premises.

Explaining the reason for the transfer of the bail plea to the Delhi High Court, the Supreme Court said that if it took up the case it would send out the message that other courts are incapable.

Just in: Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyers will now have to move the Delhi High Court for his bail after the SC refused to hear it. 

Read the full text of Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea here.

Just in: Supreme Court declines to hear Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea "at this stage". Court asks petitioner to move appropriate court.

Donald Trump has called Pope Francis "disgraceful' over the pontiff's suggestion the Republican presidential front-runner was "not a Christian' for his plan to build a wall at the Mexican border.Flying back to Rome from a trip to Mexico, the pope said: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."

Trump responded swiftly at a campaign event in South Carolina, saying: "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful."

Read

Kanhaiya's family in Begusarai return police protection, say police wasn't able to protect him when he was attacked. That's his mother, Meena Devi in the picture.

Yesterday, she told PTI over the phone from Begusarai, "I am not a terrorist's mother. I know it will be proved some day but until then if my son dies in custody, who will be responsible for it? They can call Kanhaiya a threat to nation but cannot protect him from other threats?"


"What if he had died that day and it was proved later that he was innocent? Will the government give me my son back then? They acted so fast on complaint against my son but they haven't arrested anyone for the attack on Kanhaiya in court," she added.

On a happier note, emraan hashmi @emraanhashmi  tweets: So happy to announce the title of my book... The Kiss of Life : How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer.

Just in: Hearing on Kanhaiya Kumar 's bail plea in Supreme Court begins for the day. Delhi Police has not sought extension of police remand for the JNUSU leader, says his lawyer. Kanhaiya Kumar has moved the Supreme Court for bail and release from custody under Article 32 of the Constitution. Article 32 is an extraordinary judicial relief sought from the highest court when a citizen seeks protection of his fundamental rights, including his life and personal liberty.

Kanhaiya is represented by senior advocates Soli Sorabjee and Raju Ramachandran and advocate Vrinda Grover.


Delhi Police also submits their report on Patiala House Court violence in SC


He was supposed to move the magistrate court for bail on February 17, but was thwarted by the mob.

He has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, ending March 2. 

Kanhaiya has argued that there has been an exceptional and unprecedented breakdown of the justice delivery mechanism and administration of justice even after the writ of the Supreme Court.


The petition said the failure of the Delhi Police to provide security on February 15 and 17 was in violation of the fundamental rights of the student, his lawyers and journalists.

Narendra Modi has to take control of his troops. His Sanghi allies react with anger and emotion to every provocation. Cold calculation needs to replace hot-headed responses to emotive issues like the sloganeering at JNU. Read

Congress workers vandalised Rajasthan BJP MLA Kailash Choudhary's residence (Jaipur) for his statement on Rahul Gandhi. Choudhary, on Wednesday, had termed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as a 'traitor' and said the 'Rajkumar' should either be hanged or shot to death.

"The message the government is sending out is you are not safe if your dare oppose this regime. The entire incident gives you an understanding of what happened in Germany during the Third Reich. This is jingoism and not nationalism of any kind."

Yogendra Yadav, the distinguished social scientist and psephologist, spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com on how the raging debate is not about Afzal Guru or Kashmir, but about the freedom of expression.

Read

Obama signs legislation hitting North Korea with more stringent sanctions over nuclear weapons programme