LIVE! Sino-India ties actively moving forward: President Xi

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Fri, 21 December 2018

Sino-India ties actively moving forward: President Xi

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23:41 Sino-India ties actively moving forward: President Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said Sino-India relations are 'actively' moving forward with deepening mutual trust and cooperation, as the foreign ministers of the two countries held extensive talks in New Delhi under a newly established framework.

In his message of congratulations to the first meeting of 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' being held in New Delhi, Xi said China and India are both ancient civilisations boasting long history and splendid culture.

The two civilizations, with close exchanges and mutual learning from the ancient time, have both made significant contributions to the human development and progress, he said.

"Today, China-India relations are actively moving forward, with mutual political trust deepening, practical cooperation accelerating, people-to-people and cultural exchanges flourishing, and bilateral coordination in international and regional affairs sustaining," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying.

It has been proved by practice that a good bilateral relationship benefits not only both countries but also the whole world, Xi added.

The Chinese president also expressed the hope for the two sides to make proper use of the high-level people-to-people exchange mechanism.

With the help of the profound implication in the two Oriental civilisations, China and India should promote the communication between the minds of the two peoples and forge a closer development partnership, Xi said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday held extensive talks in New Delhi and agreed on 'ten pillars' of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The 10 pillars are cultural exchange, cooperation in films and television, cooperation in museum administration, cooperation sports, exchanges between youths, cooperation on tourism, exchanges between states and cities, cooperation in traditional medicine, cooperation in yoga and cooperation in education.

The 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' was decided upon during the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi. -- PTI

23:17 HAL capable of producing Rafale: Chairman

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited chairman R Madhavan on Friday said the HAL was capable of producing the Rafale aircraft but suggested that the question of transfer of technology does not arise in the current order of just 36 aircraft.

The Congress has alleged that Narendra Modi government is buying the military aircraft from French company Dassault Aviation at a much higher price than what was being negotiated by the previous United Progressive Alliance government, which planned to procure 126 aircraft.

The opposition has also accused the government of ignoring the state-owned HAL while negotiating the agreement, suggesting that some of the aircraft could have been manufactured by it through transfer of technology.

Madhavan said the HAL was capable of production when the initial discussions were on. But the current government decided to purchase 36 aircraft separately as 'it was necessary to buy them as soon as possible', he said.

"For the 36, the question of production here does not arise," he said.

If 126 aircraft were bought, some would have been purchased outright and others produced in the country, he said.

He said the HAL was not part of the process of the current deal.

The government has rejected the Congress charge that it paid an inflated price, saying that the cost of a fully-loaded aircraft could not be compared with that of a basic aircraft.

The HAL chairman was in the city to address an engineers' conference.

"We need to make our students employable and skilled. We also need to increase investment in research and development," he said. -- PTI

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and Hindu saints on Friday discussed ways to go ahead with the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, religious leaders who participated in the meeting said.

Bhagwat and saints present at the two-day Hindu Acharya Sabha meeting at Rajkot, which is 210 km from Ahmedabad, explicitly expressed the view that construction of the temple should start before May 2019, when the term of the Narendra Modi government ends, they said.

In the meeting, Shah gave the assurance that the temple will be built in Ayodhya, the Hindu leaders said.

"The issue was discussed in detail. One way is the legal route... Political leaders are doing their bit. Saints said they want to push for construction of Ram temple as early as possible," Acharya Satgiri Maharaj, who took part in the meeting which concluded on Friday, said.

"I hope they will do something in two-three months," said Satgiri Maharaj, who hails from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute in January.

When asked if the BJP was given an ultimatum to start the construction of the temple before the 2019 polls, Satgiri replied in the negative.

"Mohanji has expressed his desire that construction of the Ram temple should start before 2019 polls, but no ultimatum was given," Satgiri said.

Another saint said Shah shared details of the legal case during the meeting and spoke about the Supreme Court's possibility of taking up the matter in January.

"Shah assured us that the temple will be built at the same spot (in Ayodhya which is under dispute)," the saint said.

A third saint called for patience, saying, "They (RSS and BJP) will do whatever is required (for the construction of the temple)."

RSS spokesperson Vijay Thakar said social, political and educational issues concerning Hindu society are discussed at the Hindu Acharya Sabha, which is held every two years.

Apart from Bhagwat and Shah, senior BJP leaders Ram Madhav and Subramanian Swamy participated in Hindu Sabha.

Swamy said arguments were in favour of Hindus getting the land for Ram temple, but now the question was when will the Supreme Court hear the case.

"(Former prime minister) Narasimha Rao had said 'if it was proved that there was a temple at the same place we will give the land to Hindus'; the Archaeological Survey of India has proved it.

"The Supreme Court has also ruled that the masijd is not an essential part for 'namaz' (prayer) which can be performed anywhere. All things and arguments are in our favour," Swamy told reporters.

"Now we just have to see when the hearing takes place and when the judgement comes," he said.

The meet, attended by around 100 participants, was held at Arsh Vidya Mandir in Rajkot. Hindutva organisations, including the RSS, have in the past few months intensified their demand for early construction of the temple, with many of them, including Bhagwat, pitching for a law to enable it.

Though the BJP shares the sentiments expressed by these outfits, the party, which heads a coalition government at the Centre, has so far not come out in open support of a law to pave the way for temple construction.

There is a view within the saffron party that paving the way for the temple's construction will boost its prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. -- PTI

The organisers of the Ajmer Literature Festival on Friday called off an event, set to be addressed by Naseeruddin Shah, after protests by right-wing groups over the actor's recent remarks on mob violence.

The veteran actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman. The 68-year-old actor was supposed to deliver the keynote address of the fifth edition of the three-day literature festival in Ajmer.

Before the event, many right-wing activists protested outside the venue. One of the protesters also hurled black ink on the poster of Shah.

Raas Bihari Gaur, coordinator of the festival, said, "Shah was scheduled to inaugurate the festival but he did not come because of the protest by some locals over his comments."

He was also scheduled to launch his book in the opening session, which was also called off due to the protests.

He said the festival, however, kicked off on Friday and will conclude on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Shah visited his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School, where he was asked by the reporters about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah said.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

Shah said the 'poison has already spread' and it will now be difficult to contain it.

"It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is more significance than that of a police officer," he added.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after cow carcasses were found strewn around.

The main accused in the case is a local Bajrang Dal leader, Yogesh Raj. -- PTI

The Delhi assembly on Friday passed a resolution demanding that Bharat Ratna awarded to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which it termed as a 'genocide'.

The resolution moved by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jarnail Singh was passed by a voice vote in the House.

The Delhi government should 'strongly' convey in writing to the Union Home Ministry (MHA) that justice continues to elude the families and near-dear ones of the victims of the worst 'genocide' in the history of India's national capital, the resolution said.

The House directed the government to impress upon the MHA that it should take all important and necessary steps to specifically include crimes against humanity and genocide in India's domestic criminal laws, as recommended by the Delhi high court in its recent landmark judgment sentencing Sajjan Kumar and other convicts to life imprisonment.

A former Congress MP, Sajjan Kumar has quit the party following his conviction in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party and the government following his mother's demise, was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, in 1991. -- PTI

The Madras high court on Friday ordered status quo as existed before the National Green Tribunal set aside a Tamil Nadu government order for closure of Sterlite's copper plant in Tuticorin.

Justices K K Sasindhran and P D Audikesavalu of the Madurai Bench also restrained the Vedanta group from taking any steps to reopen the unit.

Hearing a petition against reopening of the Sterlite unit following the December 15 NGT order, the court directed that status quo will continue till January 21 and ordered the state government to inform by then whether it intended to file an appeal against the tribunal verdict.

The bench issued notice to the state chief secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of Sterlite to file their counter.

On an appeal by the Sterlite, the NGT had quashed the May 28 order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for permanent closure of the plant in the wake of protests by locals, holding that that it was 'non-sustainable' and 'unjustified'.

Sterlite had on Thursday said it had sought permission from the TNPCB for reopening the plant. -- PTI

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday condemned the Centre's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept 'any information' on computers and indicated that the party may move court against the ministry of home affairs order.

This is a direct attack on privacy of the people, he said adding that since independence, the country has never seen such an attempt to infiltrate into people's privacy.

"We condemn this move to snoop on people of this country. We will oppose it and if needed we will fight it in the court also," Singhvi told a press conference in Kolkata.

"The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order. It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy," he said.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt 'any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer'.

Singhvi, while speaking on the Rafale fight jet issue, said the BJP has misled the Supreme Court and only a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) can expose the web of lies of the BJP.

"Why is the BJP afraid to conduct a JPC into the issue? Are they afraid that they might be caught?" he asked.

The Supreme Court on December 14 gave the Narendra Modi government a clean chit on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and dismissed all the petitions seeking direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the United Progressive Alliance government.

The Congress has been demanding a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee to the deal while the government has denied any irregularity in the deal. -- PTI

India on Friday said there was a need to find a solution to its expanding trade deficit with China but largely expressed satisfaction over increasing trade and investment ties between the two countries.

After holding wide-ranging talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also hoped that China will provide support for market access to Indian goods and services.

Bilateral trade between India and China rose by 18.63 per cent year-on-year and reached a historic high of $84.44 billion last year. However, the trade deficit continues to remain high at $51.75 billion in 2017.

"Our bilateral economic ties have progressed well. While our bilateral trade is on the rise, we also need to find a solution to the continuously increasing trade deficit," Swaraj said in her media statement in presence of Wang.

She also thanked the Chinese side for specific steps taken by it in recent times to address the issue.

"We are confident that we will receive continuous support from the Chinese side so that we can increase our trade in a sustainable and balanced way," she said.

Swaraj and Wang held talks under the newly created framework -- High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges -- which was agreed to during the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

She also hoped that China will continue to provide cooperation for market access to India's goods and services.

"Thanks to the economic reform carried out by China in the last 40 years, it has grown rapidly and became the second largest economy in the world. India too has had robust growth and is on the path of becoming a five trillion dollar economy by 2025," she said.

India has been voicing its concerns to China over the huge trade deficit for several years. Both sides have held several rounds of talks on the issue in the last few years.

The issue of trade deficit, which is in China's favour, was one of the main focus areas of the Wuhan summit in April this year.

India has been asking China to provide market access to its food and agro products, pharmaceuticals, IT and IT-enabled services (ITES), tourism and services in which it has proven strengths and significant global presence but minuscule presence in China.

It is not known whether the issue of trade deficit figured in the talks as Swaraj said she and Wang devoted two hours of their talks in deliberating on enhancing people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges. -- PTI

An Army junior commissioned officer was killed and another personnel injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday, an official said.

There was an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector at 11.55 am.

One JCO was killed and another injured in the firing, the Army official said.

He said the Indian Army responded to the ceasefire violation effectively. -- PTI

Image only for representation.

A Delhi court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to cancel the look out circular (LOC) issued against former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi, who is an accused in the VVIP chopper scam case.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the probe agency to inform the concerned authorities about it.

CBI had issued LOC against Tyagi in 2013. It is a circular issued by the authorities to check if a person who is travelling is wanted by the law enforcement agencies.

The CBI on September 1, 2017, had filed a charge sheet in the case in which Tyagi and British national Christian Michel were named as accused along with others.

Eight others were also named in the charge sheet in connection with a bribery case in the VVIP chopper deal.

Tyagi, 73, is the first chief of the Indian Air Force to be chargesheeted in a corruption or a criminal case by the CBI and he has denied all charges against him.

On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal.

The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of 398.21 million (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million.

Besides Tyagi, the agency has also chargesheeted retired Air Marshal J S Gujral along with eight others, including five foreign nationals, in the charge sheet filed in the court.

The company, AgustaWestland, is also one of the accused.

Others named in the charge sheet are -- Tyagi's cousin Sanjeev alias Julie, advocate Gautam Khaitan, alleged European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel, Guido Haschke, former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and former Finmeccanica Chairman Giuseppe Orsi. -- PTI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi reacts to the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers.

@RahulGandhi tweeted, "Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are."

Opposition parties led by the Congress joined hands on Friday to oppose the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers, describing it as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

The parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the Union Home Ministry's order issued late night on Thursday.

The BJP government, opposition leaders said, was converting the country into a surveillance state.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

The Kerala High Court Friday granted bail to Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar, who was re-arrested earlier this week for defying the bail conditions imposed in a case related to violent protests at Sabarimala in October.

He was arrested on Monday after a local court revoked his bail.

Granting the fresh conditional bail, Justice Sunil Thomas directed the activist not to enter Pamba, an important pilgrim spot enroute to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.

The judge also directed him to sign at Pathanamthitta police station once every month. Easwar was arrested from a rest house in Palakad on Monday, two days after the court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district ordered his arrest for failure to appear before the local police as stipulated in the bail condition.

The Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader spearheaded protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple. -- PTI

17:25 NC chief meets Mamata

Howrah: Farooq Abdullah met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nabanna, earlier today.

Benchmark equity indices witnessed heavy selloff Friday after investors booked profits in realty, banking, IT and auto bluechips amid weak signals from global markets.

The BSE Sensex plunged 689.60 points, or 1.89 per cent, to 35,742.07, while the NSE Nifty slipped 197.70 points, or 1.81 per cent, to 10,754. The 30-share index ended the week 527.93 points lower, and the broader Nifty lost 134 points.

The equity market witnessed selling ahead of the weekend, mainly due to fears of lower global economic growth in the coming year, said Joseph Thomas, Head Research- Emkay Wealth Management.

Concerns over the rupee also loomed over IT and tech stocks, analysts said. The biggest losers of the session include Reliance, Infosys, TCS, ICICI Bank, HDFC twins, ITC, Maruti, L&T, HUL, Axis Bank, Wipro and IndusInd Bank, cracking up to 4 per cent. -- PTI

17:19 Paswan meets Jaitley amid indications of thaw

Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday met Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley amid indications that the two parties may soon arrive at a seat-sharing agreement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls.

Paswan's son Chirag, who has been vocal in airing his party's differences with the BJP, told reporters that talks were on and claimed there were other issues besides sharing of seats.

Another LJP leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that talks have been positive and they were hopeful of an early solution.

"If all goes well, we will contest six of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar," he said.

There is speculation that the regional party has also sought a Rajya Sabha berth.

If the LJP is given six seats, as many as it had won in 2014, then the BJP and its another ally Janata Dal-United, which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will contest 17 seats each.

BJP president Amit Shah had earlier announced that his party and the JD-U will be contesting equal number of seats in the politically crucial state where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance had won 31 seats in 2014.

The deployment of Jaitley, an old Bihar hand in the party with friendly relations with leaders of different parties, by the BJP to buy truce with the LJP underscores the importance the saffron party has attached to continuing its alliance with Paswan's party, which enjoys strong influence among Dalits.

Top BJP leaders, including its president Amit Shah and Jaitley, had held an hour-long meeting with LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and his son on Thursday to resolved their differences.

Chirag Paswan had earlier written a letter to Jaitley asking him to explain what benefits demonetisation brought to the country.

He had also tweeted that a delay in seat-sharing announcement may harm the ruling alliance. -- PTI

16:16

Delhi high court orders release of Sushil Sharma serving life sentence for killing his wife in 1995 Tandoor murder case.

16:02

2016 Nawada minor rape case: Convicted Bihar RJD leader Raj Ballabh Yadav sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000.

16:01 Woman for whom Hamid Ansari sneaked into Pak testified in court to clear his name

The woman Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari sneaked into Pakistan to meet testified in a Pakistani court in an effort to clear him though the two never got a chance to meet.

Ansari, 33, was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan to meet the woman he befriended online. He was held incommunicado for three years before he was given a three-year jail term by a military court in December 2015 on charges of espionage and possessing fake documents.

"The girl for whom he went to Pakistan actually testified in his favour, that he came to meet her but he was (still) put in jail,' external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday.

Read the full report here.

Ping pong: The Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice bench has now quashed the single bench's order allowing BJP's yatra in West Bengal.

The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Wednesday had approached the Chief Justice's division bench challenging the Calcutta High Court's single bench order permitting the BJP 'save democracy' Rath-Yatra in the state.

The Calcutta high court on Thursday gave the go ahead for the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Rath Yatra' in West Bengal, quashing the state government's decision to refuse permission over apprehensions of communal unrest but set some conditions.

However, the state government challenged the single bench order and the Calcutta High Court has now quashed the order.

On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court allowed the BJP to proceed with its Rath Yatra in West Bengal which is perceived as a major setback to the Mamata Banerjee government.

The Court gave permission to BJP to hold three yatras in West Bengal and directed that the administration should ensure that there is no breach of law and order.

The ball is now back with the BJP.

The BJP-led Manipur government is using all their power to silence people, said Ranjita, wife of journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha, who was arrested under the National Security Act last month for allegedly making derogatory comments against Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Wangkhemcha, who was working for a local news channel in the northeastern state, had reportedly uploaded several videos last month calling Singh, a puppet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government.

In his video clips, Wangkhemcha had apparently criticised the state government for observing Rani of Jhansi's birth anniversary and allegedly used derogatory words against the Chief Minister.

"We have filed a petition in the High Court. How did it affect the nation's security? How can they use NSA? We don't know what to do now. They are using all their power to silence people," Ranjita told ANI.

"This is not the right democratic process. In a democratic country, we can criticise. Even the Chief Judicial Magistrate in the bail itself said that it is not seditious even if you use a strict language and criticise the government. NSA is far away from this. Criticism in a democratic country is much to develop. We are in a developing country so without criticism how can we develop ourselves," she added.

"He has been in the jail for more than 20 days. He was booked under NSA after the state government failed to put charge under sedition," Wangkhem's lawyer Chongtham Victor told ANI.

On December 14, the state government had reportedly ordered that Wangkhemcha should be kept under detention for a year.

Image: Manipur journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha

The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed the plea by Associated Journals Ltd, publisher of National Herald, challenging the Centre's order to vacate the premises in the national capital. Justice Sunil Gaur said AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO in New Delhi within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated.

The court passed the order on AJL's plea challenging the Centre's October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease. In the order, the Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) has said that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed. -- PTI

Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala explains why he thinks Modi should be at the helm of India. Syed Firdaus Ashraf listens in. Read it here.

Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday opposed the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers, describing it as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

The parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the Union Home Ministry's order issued on Thursday. The BJP government, opposition leaders said, was converting the country into a surveillance state.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer'.

Several Congress leaders spoke out against the order. "If anybody is going to monitor the computer, including your computer, that is the Orwellian state. George Orwell is around the corner. It is condemnable," said the party's leader P Chidambaram.

His party colleague Anand Sharma said the BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order. "It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it," Sharma told reporters with other opposition leaders by his side. He said it gives ultimate powers to state agencies to monitor every information and intercept it through surveillance, which is unacceptable.

The Congress' Randeep Surjewala said the government was brazenly flouting privacy laws. "Modi Govt mocks and flouts Fundamental 'Right to Privacy' with brazen impunity! Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers? 'Big Brother Syndrome' is truly embedded in NDA's DNA!" he said.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav also termed the order unconstitutional and said the present government should refrain from making such moves with just a few months left for the general elections. "This government has only a few months left and it should not dig potholes for itself as a new government will be installed in the centre soon," he said.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to criticise the order. "I have come to know that Union Home Ministry has issued an order yesterday authorising 10 Central Agencies to carry out interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource. "If it is for National Security, then only for that purpose Central Government already has the machinery. But, why all commoners will be affected? Public Opinion please...", she tweeted.

RJD's Manoj Jha said it was a cause of concern for not just parliamentarians, but for every Indian. "We are perpetually living in a surveillance state," he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury voiced his opposition on Twitter. "Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," he said.

AAP's Sanjay Singh also spoke out, saying that the order was "undemocratic and unconstitutional" and an attack on the right to privacy. He alleged that the order was a result of BJP's recent election losses. According to the order, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies. Failing to do so will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine. -- PTI

13:28 Timeline of the Sohrabuddin case

Following is the timeline in the alleged fake encounter case of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and associate Tulsi Prajapati, in which all the 22 accused, including 21 policemen, were acquitted by a special CBI court today.

1) November 22, 2005 - Sohrabuddin, Kausar Bi and Prajapati are intercepted by a police team in a bus while returning to Sangli from Hyderabad and taken into custody. Shaikh and his wife taken in one vehicle, Prajapati in another.

2) November 22 to 25, 2005 - Shaikh and Kausar Bi kept in a farm house near Ahmedabad. Prajapati sent to Udaipur where he is lodged in the prison there to face trial in cases against him.

3) November 26, 2005 - Shaikh killed in an alleged fake encounter allegedly by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police.

4) November 29, 2005 - Kausar Bi also allegedly killed by the police, her body burnt and disposed of.

5) December 27, 2006 - Prajapati taken from the Udaipur central prison by a team comprising Rajasthan and Gujarat police and allegedly killed in an encounter near Sarhad Chapri on Gujarat-Rajasthan border.

6) 2005-2006 - Shaikh's family approaches Supreme Court for investigation into his encounter and also seeks to know the whereabouts of Kausar Bi. SC directs Gujarat state CID to conduct a probe in the case.

7) April 30, 2007 - Gujarat government files a report before SC stating Kausar Bi is dead and her body burnt and disposed of.

8) January 2010 - SC hands over the probe in the case to CBI.

9) July 23, 2010 - CBI files chargesheet in the case against 38 persons including the then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, the then Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and senior IPS officials.

10) July 25, 2010 - CBI arrests Amit Shah in the case.

11) October 8, 2010 - A special CBI court in Gujarat rejects Amit Shah's bail plea.

12) October 29, 2010 - Gujarat High Court grants bail to Amit Shah on a bond of Rs one lakh.

13) September 27, 2012 - SC transfers trial in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Kausar Bi alleged fake encounter case from Gujarat to Mumbai as sought by the CBI to ensure a fair trial.

14) April 8, 2012 - SC clubs trial in Shaikh, Kausar Bi and Prajapati encounter cases.

15) December 30, 2014 - A special CBI court in Mumbai discharges Amit Shah from the case. Fifteen other accused including Kataria and senior IPS officials also discharged subsequently.

16) November 2015 - Shaikh's brother Rubabuddin approaches the Bombay High Court to challenge Amit Shah's discharge in the case. The same month, he tells the HC that he does not wish to pursue the case and withdraws his petition.

17) December 2015 - Social activist Harsh Mander moves HC against Amit Shah's discharge.

18) April 2016 - Bombay HC dismisses Mander's petition after observing that he has no 'locus standi' (not an aggrieved party) in the case. Mander files appeal in Supreme Court.

19) August 2016 - SC rejects Mander's appeal.

20) October 2017 - Special CBI court in Mumbai frames charges against
22 accused.

21) November 2017 - Special CBI Judge S J Sharma commences trial in the case. Prosecution examines 210 witnesses, of which 92 turn hostile.

22) September 2018 - Bombay HC upholds discharge granted to senior police officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian, NK Amin, Vipul Aggarwal, Dinesh MN and Dalpat Singh Rathod.

23) November 23, 2018 - Court completes examination of witnesses and recording of statements of the accused persons under section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

24) December 5, 2018 - Court closes the case for judgment on December 21, 2018 after completion of final arguments by prosecution and defence lawyers.

25) December 21, 2018 - Court acquits all 22 accused in the case after observing that proseuction failed to establish charges against them.

-- PTI

Christian James Michel, arrested in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal case, moved a Delhi court on Friday seeking to be lodged in a separate cell in Tihar Jail.

Michel, who was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4, was remanded to judicial custody till December 28 on Wednesday.

The application, filed through advocate Aljo K Joseph and Vishnu Shankar, sought a direction to the "Superintendent of Tihar Jail to allocate a separate cell to accused Christian James Michel".

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. -- PTI

12:39 President meets China FM

Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, called on President Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The President said that India-China relations are an important part of India's foreign policy.

And a tiny boo boo from the normally propah Rashtrapati Bhavan missives was an image of former President Pranab Mukherjee with presumably, an employee.

Sometimes it's nice to see government wallahs are not infallible.

12:32

Alleged AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel moves an application before Delhi's Patiala House Court seeking a special cell in Tihar jail.

12:23 Sohrabuddin Sheikh case: All 22 accused acquitted

Sohrabuddin Sheikh case: All 22 accused have been acquitted by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai due to lack of evidence. The court says there no basis on the conspiracy theory and the evidence is not conclusive. The court said the prosecution has not been able to prove its case at all.

The Special CBI judge observed in his order that all the witnesses and proofs are not satisfactory to prove conspiracy and murder and observed that circumstantial evidence is not substantial.

The court said that the allegation that Tulsiram Prajapati was murdered through a conspiracy is not true.

The court observed that government machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort, 210 witnesses were brought but satisfactory evidence didn't come and witnesses turned hostile. No fault of prosecutor if witnesses don't speak, the court said.

A court in Mumbai was hearing whether alleged gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati were killed in fake encounters in 2005.

Twenty-two people, mostly police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, are accused in the cases, which triggered a political storm and continued to make headlines years later.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which probed the case, said the murders were a result of conspiracy for political and financial gains.

Of the 38 people charged, 16 people - including BJP chief Amit Shah, former top cop DG Vanzara and other police officers -- were discharged. Ninety-two prosecution witnesses had turned hostile.

Benchmark indices witnessed a sharp selloff in late morning trade Friday as heavyweights in realty, banking, IT and auto sectors bled as investors began booking profits in bluechip stocks.

Negative global cues amid fears of a potential US government shutdown and rising tension between the US and China, too, weighed on investor sentiment.

After plummeting over 400 points, the 30-share Sensex was trading 372.44 points, or 1.02 per cent, lower at 36,059.23 at 1100 hrs. The index had finished 52.66 points, or 0.14 per cent, lower at 36,431.67 Thursday. The NSE Nifty, too, was trading 120.25 points, or 1.10 per cent, lower at 10,831.45. Top losers include Maruti, Infosys, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Bajaj Auto, Reliance Industries, HDFC and TCS, cracking up to 3 per cent. -- PTI

The Mumbai hospital fire claimed its eleventh victim on Friday as a week-old baby girl succumbed to her injuries in the early hours, a civic official said. According to the official, eight other injured were in a critical condition.

"A week-old baby girl, Lalita, succumbed to her smoke inhalation injuries around 12.20 am today at the Seven Hills Hospital. With her death, the toll in the fire incident has now gone up to 11," said a senior official of the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

"Of the total number of people injured in the incident, 91 are still undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city. Of them, eight patients are in a critical condition. They are on ventilators and battling for life," he said.

The fire broke out in the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri on Monday, killing six people that day. Four others died in the last three days. About 175 people were injured in the incident.

According to officials, the 325-bed hospital did not have the fire department's no-objection certificate, mandatory for such facilities to operate. Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were in the five-floor hospital when the fire broke out, an official had earlier said.
-- PTI

11:40 NDTV signs over Rs 300-cr deal with Taboola

Media firm NDTV group's digital arm NDTV Convergence Friday said it has signed a five-year deal worth over Rs 300 crore with content recommendations engine Taboola.

"The five-year deal ties NDTV Convergence exclusively to Taboola and involves a minimum guarantee of more than Rs 300 crore for NDTV Convergence, making it one of the largest deals, not just for digital content, but for the media space in its entirety," NDTV said in a BSE filing.

In September 2015, NDTV Convergence had first signed around Rs 100-crore deal with Taboola for three years. NDTV said this is the largest deal that Taboola has ever signed in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

"Taboola uses its presence on sites like NDTV to recommend content from across the internet to the audience and to offer highly-personalised native advertising," the company added. NDTV Convergence owns and operates the flagship portal, www.ndtv.com and all other digital properties of the group. -- PTI

The West Bengal government Friday moved an appeal before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court challenging a single bench order that allowed BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme in the state.

Moving the appeal before the division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, the state government expressed urgency and sought an immediate hearing.

The court granted leave to the state government to move the appeal and asked it to serve copies of its appeal to respondent, the BJP, following which the hearing would commence.

A single bench presided over by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty Thursday allowed the BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme, setting aside the denial of permission for the yatra by a panel of three senior most officers of the state government.

On December 6, a single judge bench of the HC had refused permission to the BJP to hold the 'Rath Yatra', which was scheduled to be flagged off by BJP chief Amit Shah from Cooch Behar in North Bengal on December 7.

The party had then approached the division bench. The division bench had on December 7 asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on December 15 on the grounds that it might lead to communal tension. The state BJP had moved the court again challenging the government's denial of permission to its programme. PTI

1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Delhi High Court dismisses Sajjan Kumar's plea which sought more time to surrender. The HC says it sees no ground for granting extension of time to Sajjan Kumar to surrender.

Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar had approached the Delhi High Court Thursday seeking time till January 31 to surrender in connection with a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which he was recently sentenced to life imprisonment.

Kumar, who was directed by the high court on Monday to surrender before authorities by December 31, sought more time saying he has to settle family affairs.

Advocate Anil Sharma, representing Kumar, said they need some more time to file appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the high court's verdict and Kumar has to settle his family matters relating to his children and property.

10:43 Here's what Rahul did in Shimla

Congress President, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the Institute for Children with Special Abilities in Shimla yesterday. Rahul is on holiday in Shimla.

A Pakistani citizen has been deported from the US for his role in smuggling individuals from South Asia, some with suspected ties to terrorist organisations, into the country. Sharafat Ali Khan, 33, was the Brazilian-based facilitator of an alien smuggling organisation.

On Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations officers removed him from the country following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the FBI, into the alien smuggling scheme. He was turned over to Pakistani authorities Wednesday. -- PTI

09:56 No interest in being 2019 PM face: Gadkari

"No there is no chance. I am happy where I am right now", said Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari while responding to a question on probability of him becoming the Prime Ministerial candidate face in the 2019 elections, replacing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to media reports, the head of a government organisation in Maharashtra has written to the RSS, demanding Gadkari be allowed to lead the BJP if it wants to win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

In an exclusive interview to ANI Gadkari said, "No there is no chance. I am happy where I am right now. I have to complete Ganga work first, building of Express Highway Access Control in 13-14 countries and I also want to make roads for Chaar Dhams and other works. I am happy doing these works and want to complete it."

09:51 Sensex, Nifty turn choppy on weak global cues

Benchmark indices opened on a choppy note Friday on negative global cues amid fears of a potential US government shutdown and rising tension between the US and China. After falling over 100 points in opening session, the 30-share Sensex was trading 14.82 points, or 0.04 per cent, higher at 36,416.85.

The index had finished 52.66 points, or 0.14 per cent, lower at 36,431.67 Thursday. The NSE Nifty, too, was trading 2.25 points, or 0.02 per cent, lower at 10,949.45. Domestic and other Asian stocks followed Wall Street that fell sharply after US President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds pushed the federal government closer to a shutdown.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 8,00,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday. -- PTI

09:34 Mahagathbandhan is 'majboori': Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the reason behind Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of opposition parties is their "majboori" (helplessness), while adding that such an alliance is a game of compromises, compulsions and limitations.

Gadkari asserted that it is the might of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has compelled political rivals "those who used to avoid each other to hug each other."

Gadkari's statement comes on a day when disgruntled RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha joined the Bihar mahagathbandhan with Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD as its partners. Kushwaha accusing the BJP leadership of being arrogant severed allies with the NDA on Thursday.

"The meaning of Mahagathbandhan is - politics is a game of compromises, compulsions and limitations. When a party comes to know that they alone cannot defeat the other party, then they forge an alliance. No one comes in an alliance with happiness, they come due to helplessness," he said.

"The strength of the BJP and Modi ji is big, hence, the Opposition is thinking of an alliance. Those who earlier used to avoid each other are now hugging each other. The reason behind their friendship is our (BJP) strength. We are going ahead on the basis of our strength," he added.

A similar remark on the grand alliance was passed by BJP national president Amit Shah, who referred to 'Mahagathbandhan' as an 'illusion'.

-- ANI

The ministry of home affairs has issued an order authorising 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

The agencies are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation; National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

According to the order, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies and failing to do will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

The MHA gave the authorisation under 69 (1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which says that the Central government can direct any agency after it is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient to do so in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above or for investigation of any offence.

Fifteen students were injured following a "commotion" during a function at Mithibai College in suburban Vile Parle on Thursday evening, a civic official said.

While initial reports suggested that there was a stampede, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said it was not a stampede but a minor incident caused by panic.

Boys from the neighbourhood thronged the college auditorium during a singing performance and some students complained of suffocation which led to people running helter-skelter, said the official from the BMC's Disaster Management Unit.

Injured students were taken to the nearby hospital.

-- PTI

Having spent almost six years in a Pakistani jail, software engineer Hamid Nihal Ansari's advice to youth is simple: Don't fall in love over Facebook.

He should know. It was on Facebook that he fell in love with a girl from Pakistan, went there to prevent her 'forced' marriage and before he could meet her, was arrested and jailed.

That was six years ago. As he reached his home in suburban Mumbai, he was in a reflective mood.

"Never hide anything from your parents. Only your parents stand by your side in testing times. And never resort to any illegal means to go to any place," Ansari told the media.

Asked what advice will he give to people who fall in love on Facebook, Ansari said, "Don't take (that) risk. Don't fall in love. Don't fall in love by trusting (what is on) Facebook."

Ansari was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for allegedly entering that country from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a woman he had befriended online. Pakistan slapped espionage charges against him. He was repatriated on Tuesday and handed over to India at the Wagah-Attari border.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be "retiring, with distinction," in February, President Donald Trump has said, a day after he ordered American troops to rapidly withdraw from war-torn Syria in an abrupt decision criticised by many as premature.

In his resignation letter, Mattis told Trump it was the "right time" for him to step down because the US president deserved a defence secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects."

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," he said.

The 68-year-old Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder".

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump announced he will be "retiring" in February.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years," the president said.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said on Twitter.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mumbai is likely to pronounce on Friday the verdict in the sensational Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter case of 2005 in which 22 persons, most of them policemen, are on trial.

The case has attracted much attention as Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah, who was Minister of State for Home in Gujarat at the time of the incidents, was one of the accused before being discharged in 2014.

During the trial, as many as 92 prosecution witnesses turned hostile.

After the final arguments were wrapped up earlier this month, Special judge for CBI cases S J Sharma had said he will pronounce the verdict on December 21.

Most of the accused are junior-level police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The court earlier discharged, for want of evidence, 16 of the 38 persons charge-sheeted by the CBI.

These included Amit Shah, the then Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, former Gujarat police chief P C Pande and former senior Gujarat police officer D G Vanzara.

According to the CBI, Shaikh, an alleged gangster with terror links, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Prajapati were abducted by Gujarat police from a bus when they were on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on the night of November 22 and 23, 2005.

Shaikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter on November 26, 2005 near Ahmedabad. His wife was killed three days later and her body was disposed of, the CBI said.

A year later, on December 27, 2006, Prajapati was also shot dead by Gujarat and Rajasthan police in an alleged fake encounter near Chapri on Gujarat-Rajasthan border.

The case was initially probed by the Gujarat CID before the CBI took over in 2010. The Supreme Court in 2013 directed that the trial be shifted to Mumbai from Gujarat on the central agency's request to ensure a fair trial.

The prosecution examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Even as the trial has wound down to a close, two prosecution witnesses applied to the court Wednesday that they be re-examined.

One of them, Azam Khan, an aide of Shaikh, claimed in his plea that accused Abdul Rehman, a former police inspector who had allegedly fired on Shaikh, threatened Khan that if he did not depose as told, he would be framed up in false cases.

His wife was also threatened, Khan claimed. Another witness, Mahendra Zala, a petrol pump owner, has alleged that the prosecution did not furnish to the court his statement recorded before a magistrate.

The court will decide both pleas Friday. -- PTI

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