A special NIA court on Friday summoned 13 Pakistani witnesses for deposing before it in connection with the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case in which 68 people were killed. 

Four Border Security Force personnel were today injured during mortar firing practice near this town in Rajasthan along the Indo-Pak border.

India and Russia today signed two key agreements for long-term maintenance and technical support for Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets of the Indian Air Force.

Prime Minister Theresa May today said that a second referendum on Scotland's independence from the UK would be bad for all and accused Scottish First Minister for trying to use Brexit as a pretext to engineer divisions within the country. 

A Delhi Court will continue the hearing on the gang-rape case of an American tourist on March 21.


The Delhi Police have claimed that ample incriminating evidences have been found against the accused and a 5000 page chargesheet has been prepared containing the names of 50 witnesses.


The Delhi Police have chargesheeted four persons for allegedly gang-raping and committing unnatural sex with an American tourist at a five-star hotel in Connaught Place last year.


The chargesheet against the four accused -- Anirudh Singh, a tour guide, Vivek, a hotel employee, Om Prakash, a driver of a tourist bus, and Maqsood Khan, the cleaner of the bus -- has been filed in the Patiala House Court. The police had identified the accused with the help of call records available with the hotel.


The complainant had contacted the erstwhile Police Commissioner of Delhi, Alok Verma, on December 3 last year to get the complaint registered. She has claimed that she was brutalised on March 8 and 9 March last year when she had visited India.

OCD? And you don't know why?

Read this.

Absence of a protein may trigger the obsessive-compulsive disorder that can lead to repetitive ritualised behaviour such as washing hands or body time and again, a new study has found.

An overactive molecular signal pathway in the brain region of the amygdala can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), researchers from University of Wurzburg in Germany said.

Some people have an extreme fear of dirt or bacteria. As a result, they may develop a habit of compulsive washing and repeatedly cleaning their hands or body. They are trapped in a vicious circle, as the fear of new contamination returns quickly after washing.

President Pranab Mukherjee today said there should be no room for intolerance, prejudice and hatred in educational institutes which should act as flag bearers for coexistence of multiple views.


Addressing a special convocation of the University of Mumbai to confer Honorary Doctor of Law to famous agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, he said the higher education sector has a crucial role in national developmental effort.


"We should embrace free conversation and even argument, leaving behind narrow mindsets and thoughts. The lesson for a modern Indian university is to ensure that this great tradition finds new life and vigour within its precincts," Mukherjee said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has invited all insurgent outfits of the state for peace talks and said his government wants to rid the state of the militancy, the illegal foreigners and the corruption. Sonowal gave the invitation in form of an appeal that he made while taking part in an All India Radio talk show last night and said all the insurgent outfits in the state should come forward for the peace talks as his government is trying to create a conducive atmosphere for peace in Assam.

Just in: Decision on UP CM by 4 pm tomorrow. The swearing-in will take place at the Smriti Van near the Ambedkar memorial in Lucknow. 

Security has been enhanced at the Taj Mahal in the wake of a media report of a threat to the 17th century monument from terror outfit ISIS.

"A link has been circulated in which it is claimed that Taj Mahal is on the target of ISIS. We are probing it. However, security has been enhanced in and around the monument," Additional Director General, Law and Order, Daljeet Singh Chowdhury said.


The security was jacked up after a website showed graphics of the Taj Mahal with a terrorist standing alongside holding what looked like a weapon.


According to reports, a pro-ISIS media group published a graphic depicting Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, as a possible target of the terror outfit.


The graphic was released almost a week after security agencies carried out combing operation in Uttar Pradesh in which one accused Saifullah was killed and six others were arrested.


It was reported that Saifullah was brainwashed by ISIS through the online medium and had carried out an attack on a train in Bhopal.


The graphic features an ISIS fighter wearing combat fatigues and black headgear armed with an assault rifle standing near the Taj Mahal.


It also features three inset pictures an image of Taj Mahal within crosshairs with the words "New Target" below it, a van with the Arabic text "Agra istishhadi" (Agra martyrdom-seeker) written in English, implying the threat of a suicide bombing, and an image of a "bomb".


The internal security of Taj Mahal, the biggest draw for foreign and domestic tourists, is provided by the Central Industrial Security Force, a central para-military force entrusted with the task of protecting industrial units, airports, metro rail and various other sensitive places.


The Uttar Pradesh Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) man the outer periphery.


Outside the 500 metre security ring, police teams keep a strict watch on the movement of vehicles both on the western gate parking and the Shilpgram parking slot towards the eastern gate.

On a sombre note, at least 33 Somali refugees including women and children have been shot dead aboard a boat on the Red Sea, officials in Yemen's rebel-held Hodeida said today. The bodies of 33 refugees were taken to hospitals in the western port city. At least 35 wounded had also been admitted. A port official in Hodeida, held by Shiite Huthi rebels, confirmed the toll of 33 dead.

Just in: Trivendra Rawat to Uttarakhand Chief Minister, will take oath tomorrow. Rawat has been elected leader of the legislative party.

Rawat, a leader with RSS background, was the front-runner in the race for the coveted chief minister's post in Uttarakhand. 

The Bombay High Court today asked the CBI to submit details of all the convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case related to the sentence prescribed to them and the period they have spent in jail so far.


A division bench of Justices V K Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar had last year reserved its judgement on the appeals filed by 11 persons convicted in the case and also the appeal filed by the central agency seeking death penalty for three of them. The bench today asked CBI counsel Hiten Venegaonkar to submit the details of the convicts, the sentence awarded to them and the period they have spent in jail so far. "We want the exact time period they (convicts) have already spent in jail pending trial and till date," the bench said.


A special court had on January 21, 2008 convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 11 men for gang-raping Bilkis and murdering seven of her family members in the aftermath of the Godhra riots. The convicts later approached the HC and sought quashing of the trial court's order.

The opposition today accused the government of reducing the allocation for the defence ministry to the lowest level since the 1962 war with China and claimed that the 'achhe din' (good days) have not come for soldiers.


Leading the opposition charge in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the Demand for Grants of the Defence Ministry, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said security challenges from China and Pakistan had increased and the lack of modernisation of the defence forces is a "ticking time bomb".


He said the defence allocation had been increased to 2.5 per cent of GDP during the UPA government but it has now been reduced to 1.5 per cent, which is the "lowest" since 1962. The allocation for capital expenditure was only Rs 86000 crore and 90 per cent of it will go to service the existing contractual liability, Scindia said.


"Our army is not getting new weapons. The budget for them is not adequate and still all of it is not being spent. Rs 7000 crore of the capital expenditure has been returned and Rs 13000 crore was returned in the preceding year...," he said.


While Pakistan had been "caged" by the UPA government, it is now launching counter attacks on us, he said. He added that China had sided with Pakistan during the BRICS Summit held in India last year. This government has neither a proper defence policy nor has it right intentions, the Congress leader said.


Describing the 'Make-in-India' programme as "big cheating", he said not much has happened under it. He hit out at the government over terror strikes in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota while recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on the previous UPA government during the Lok Sabha polls, when he was the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

Krishnamurthy, a resident of Erode, has filed a complaint with chief secretary of the state claiming that he is the only son of Jayalalithaa and that his mother was killed. Read more

Rishi Kapoor @chintskap tweets: Karan Kapoor. The handsome cousin of mine showing his 'prize winning' picture. Congratulations dear Karan. Much love!


If Karan Kapoor still makes you go weak in the knees, here's some on the man, the model, the photographer. Do read.

Only two people know who the next chief minister of UP will be, but time and date for the swearing-in ceremony has been announced. 5 pm, March 19.  

Punjab's new tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu is not new to controversies. Neither does he shy away from them.

The cricketer-turned politician, who took oath as a cabinet minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh's government on Thursday, was given the portfolios of Local Government and Tourism & Culture Affairs.

Sidhu has however decided to continue being a part of the Kapil Shama comedy show on Sony Entertainment channel.

This has provoked immense controversy as many Congress leaders are opposed to this decision. As an aside, both Sidhu and Kapil Sharma are Amritsari munde, but the point is that Sidhu's decision to continue being on the show means he gets a monetary benefit.

The Congress fears that as an MLA it attracts the Office of Profit clause and leaders in the party (who have been sharpening their knives against him) are considering writing to the Election Commission and the Governor of Punjab to restrain Sidhu.

What the Congress doesn't realise is that the Office of Profit Clause (a) of Article 102 of the Constitution of India is applicable only if you hold a government post, irrespective of whether you get monetary benefits.

The clause says: A  person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either house of Parliament, if he holds any "office of profit" under the Government of India or the Government of any State other than an office. More on Office of Profit here.

Sonia Gandhi, a member of Lok Sabha, was appointed the chairperson of national advisory council by the UPA 1 government. After the issue of office of profit was raised, she quit as an MP and sought re-election. Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachachan lost her seat for holding the post of chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Federation.

Turkey's constitutional referendum on April 16, which is aimed at eliciting a 'yes' vote for President Recep Erdogan's plans to transform the country into a presidential system and concentrate all executive powers in his hands, is turning out to be a milestone in regional politics as well. Erdogan is a first-rate demagogue and sees seamless potential to whip up nationalist sentiments by berating Europe (Christian world) as 'anti-Muslim'. 

Read MK Bhadrakumar's blog here.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee blames the BJP for orcehstrating the sting operation on TMC leaders by the website Naradanews.com.

Holding a press conference today, Mamata said, "Everyone knows this that the sting was published from the BJP office."

Responding to the course of action she would take after the Calcutta HC ordered a CBI probe into the bribery allegations, Banerjee said, "I will not comment on this, we'll approach higher judiciary. It is really unfortunate that BJP state president had "predicted" that CBI investigation would be ordered."


Mamata Banerjee suffered a huge setback on Friday with the court ordering a CBI probe.


Web portal Narada News had released a sting operation conducted on 11 Trinamool Congress leaders which showed them allegedly accepting bribe. The sting operation video was released by the portal on March 14, 2016 just ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The video showed 11 Trinamool MPs, ministers, MLAs and even a senior police officer accepting bribe from a fictitious company.

There is staid, colourless, boring court reportage and then there is this.

Rediff.com's Vaihayasi P Daniel's fourth report from the Sheena Bora murder trial.

If there is one thing you will read today, let it be this.

Priyanka Gandhi will visit the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan along with her husband and children today. Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter will remain in the state till March 22, police said. She will be accompanied by husband Robert Vadra and their two children, they added.

Ranthambore used to be a favourite for the Gandhi and Bachchan families during Rahul Gandhi's time.

File pic.

Friends star Matthew Perry has revealed he once beat up Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister. The actor has recalled being at school with Mr Trudeau, whose father, Pierre, was the leader of the country at the time. "I was reminded of this -- my friend Chris Murray who was also in the fifth grade -- we actually beat up Justin Trudeau," Perry said on Jimmy Kimmel's chat show. Read more

The padlock says it all.

In Uttar Pradesh defeated MLAs vacate their official residences in Lucknow. That's the lock on the residence of MLA and minister Ravidas Mehrotra of the SP who vacated his official residence after losing the election.

Drinking a cup of tea daily can reduce the risk of dementia, especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the debilitating disease, a new study has claimed.


The study involving 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50 per cent, while those genetically at risk of Alzheimer's disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment by up to 86 per cent. Researchers at National University of Singapore (NUS) also discovered that the neuroprotective role of tea consumption on cognitive function is not limited to a particular type of tea - so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black or oolong tea. "While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well," said Assistant Professor Feng Lei from NUS.

BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya says the chief minister will be decided by tomorrow. Maurya has been credited for his role in the BJP's victory at the Uttar Pradesh polls. He discharged this morning from Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital following complaints of physical exertion.


Maurya is being seen as one of the strong contenders for the chief minister's post in Uttar Pradesh after the BJP's landslide win in the assembly polls.

BJP's national president, Amit Shah, also claimed that he had given Maurya the responsibility of "selecting the next Chief Minister". "We will give our stamp of approval to Keshav's pick", Shah said.

Uttar Pradesh may get 24X7 electricity during sweltering summer months ahead.

We hear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed Principal Secretary Nripender Mishra and Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha to look inot the state's power generation and supply issue. They will be in consultation with the power ministry and the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. At least four adjacent states will give extra power to UP this summer and ensure continuous power supply.


A promise of unrestricted electricity supply was one of the mandates of the BJP's and especially PM Modi's election rallies in the state. Power generation and supply is the basis on which UP can be kept happy, the party feels.

Now that the BJP has got a mandate in the state, the PM has asked these top officials to work out the logistics involved. And what better platform for the new UP CM to take oath?

West Bengal DGP and Kolkata Police Commissioner, along with a 100 cops at Calcutta HC Judge Justice C S Karnan's house to serve bailable warrant in contempt case.

Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's crushing comeback on the Congress party's dreams of a grand alliance to defeat the BJP. "Ek kahawat hai ki sau langde mil kar bhi ek pehlwan nahi ban sakta. There is a saying that even a 100 lame together cannot defeat a mighty person."

The Congress has reacted to both it's decimation and the BJP's tunning victories in the five-state assembly polls saying an alliance of like-minded parties can defeat the BJP.

This morning, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh gave an inkling of the way ahead of the once grand old party of India. "Narendra Modi is not god, he can be stopped. For that political will is needed among parties who are against communal forces," Singh said.


The Congress has said it would explore all options, including a grand alliance, to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pose a formidable challenge to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.


Riding on Modis popularity, the BJP stormed to power in UP getting 312 seats in the 403-member House. Along with allies, the number rises to 325.

The Congress got just seven seats and partner SP got 47.

Chaos in Rajya Sabha over Goa government formation.  Congress questions Goa governor's decision of inviting the BJP to form the govt even though the Congress had got more numbers. AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, tasked with Goa, raises the issue. However, Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker PJ Kurien says the governor's conduct can only be discussed on the basis of a substantive motion. Union Minister MA Naqvi tells the Chair  the government is ready for discussion if they (Congress) brings the substantive motion.

The Congress party has maintained that Goa Governor Mridula Sinha unilaterally invited the BJP to form the next government in the state, despite a letter by the Congress party to her seeking an invitation to form the government. "We wanted to stake claim since March 12. We had even given her a letter by the night of March 12. She still did not give us time, and went against 'established conventions' and invited the BJP to form government," Digvijaya Singh told a press conference in Panaji on Wednesday.

 Net result: Uproar continues in the Rajya Sabha.

Calcutta High Court orders CBI to probe Narada sting operation.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday that an Indian request seeking assistance for the recovery of two clerics had been received, the Dawn reports.   He said the request had been forwarded to the interior ministry, which is actively pursuing the matter.

External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted this morning saying she had approached the Pakistan government for details. "We have taken up this matter with the Government of Pakistan and requested them for an update on both the Indian nationals in Pakistan," she said.


According to official sources in New Delhi, Asif Nizami, the chief priest, and Nazim Nizami had gone to visit the famous Daata Darbar shrine in Lahore and were to catch a flight from there to Karachi on Wednesday.

As per their families, while Asif was allowed to go to Karachi, Nazim was stopped at the Lahore airport on grounds of incomplete travel papers.

While Nazim went missing from Lahore airport, Asif went missing after arriving at the Karachi airport, a source said.


Image: The last pictures of the two clerics from Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, who have gone missing in Pakistan. Pic courtesy: ANI.

Calcutta High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan, has thrown up another first. He has written a letter to the Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and other judges of the Constitution Bench, seeking compensation of Rs 14 crore for 'disturbing his mind and insulting him in public'. The Calcutta High Court judge said in the letter addressed to the seven senior most judges that he sought this compensation on the grounds that all administrative and judicial work was restrained from him thereby disturbing his mind and his normal life.

He said he also felt insulted by the constitutional bench in the general public due to "lack of (their) legal knowledge".

He has demanded compensation within seven days failing which he has threatened to restrain the administration and judicial responsibilities of the seven judges.

The seven judges named in the letter are Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Jasti Chelameshwar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice PC Ghose and Justice Kurian Joseph.

Justice Karnan is the first sitting judge to be slapped with contempt proceedings by the Supreme Court.  More on that here.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tasked with Goa attempts to shift the blame for the party's clumsy followup after the polls.

@digvijaya_28 Congress was blamed for being late in deciding its Leader. BJP yet to decide leader in UP and Uttarakhand. Results came on 11th evening.

J-K's fomer CM Omar Abdullah responds, @abdullah_omar  Only difference in this case Jenab is their inability to decide isn't giving anyone else a chance to snatch a majority unlike Goa/Manipur.

He had also said that given the way the BJP had won UP, the opposition might as well forget the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

PTI: Following the fire at the hotel at which MS Dhoni and his teammates were staying, the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal between Bengal and Jharkhand has been postponed.

Update: MS Dhoni, his Jharkhand teammates evacuated from Dwarka's Welcome Hotel complex after it catches fire, all players safe. The match will take place tomorrow.

The cricketer was reportedly rescued from the spot along with his teammates. A call was made to the Delhi Fire Service at around 6.30 am following which at least 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

The cricketer was in Delhi to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
No casualties have been reported from the spot.

Taking a jibe at Mayawati for making 'false allegations' against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering row, the saffron party has called on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo to instead ponder over why the Dalit community chose to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi over her.

"Before pointing fingers at others, Mayawati should first look into herself and her party. She is filled with faults and mistakes and so is her party which rightly proves her name. Mayawati should actually think why did the Dalits who support her voted for PM Modi, then only she can improve and so will her party," BJP leader Rahul Sinha told ANI.


Sinha further warned Mayawati that even after her poll drubbing if her behaviour remains the same, then very soon her party will vanish someday.


"My small advice to her is to try to overcome the flaws that she and her party have made during the Assembly Elections, then only she can move ahead in life. Otherwise very soon, Mayawati and her party will break and someday vanish," said Sinha.


The Election Commission on Thursday said that given effective technical and administrative safeguards, EVMs aren't tamperable and integrity of electoral process is preserved.


Earlier on March 11, Mayawati put the onus on the EVMs for her loss in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying the machine accepted votes only in favour of the BJP.Supporting the same, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the EVMs were tampered during the recently conducted assembly polls in the five states which ultimately resulted in his party's dismal show especially in Punjab.

The National Health policy will provide free medicines and 'assured' health services to all and aims to reduce out of pocket health expenditure, Health minister J P Nadda said on Thursday.

He said the newly unveiled policy unlike the earlier one stresses on 'preventive and promotive' health care and also has a 'target-oriented' commitment for elimination of diseases for which an implementation framework has also been envisaged.

The policy envisages the creation of National Health Care Standards Organisation which will formulate guidelines and protocols for healthcare while there is a provision of establishing a separate empowered tribunal for speedy resolution of disputes and complaints, the minister said.

"In order to provide access and financial protection at secondary and tertiary care levels, NHP 2017 proposes free drugs, free diagnostics and free emergency care services in all public hospitals," he said.

"Every one in the country will be given assured health services. Every section of the society belonging to any financial status, whosoever comes to our public health facility, will get assured services. This policy is patient centric and the patient has been empowered, Nadda told reporters.

The Health Minister said that under the policy, family health card will be made which will be connected to Public Health care facility so that a patient's history can be digitally accessed.

"There will be a periodic measurement of all the health institutions, both public and private which has been envisaged in the policy. What is their (institution's) grading, facilities provided and their quality levels will be checked," Nadda said.

As a crucial component, the policy proposes raising public health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the GDP in a time-bound manner, Nadda said while asserting that the health budget has increased in the last two years, nearly 27 per cent this time. The real problem is that we are not able to spend the entire amount, he said. -- PTI