LIVE! Davinder's DGP medal, certificate forfeited

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Mon, 20 January 2020

Davinder's DGP medal, certificate forfeited

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23:26 Davinder's DGP medal, certificate forfeited

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday forfeited the Director General of Police's commendation medal and certificate given to suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh, who has been arrested for helping terrorists travel out of Jammu and Kashmir, five days after he lost his Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry.

An order issued by the DGP Dilbag Singh announced the forfeiture of DGP's commendation medal and certificate which was awarded the now disgraced officer on December 31, 1998.

'Consequent upon the arrest of Davinder Singh, Dy SP on January 11, while trying to assist terrorists to travel outside J&K and recovery of arms and ammunition, which amounts to disloyalty and conduct that has brought the force into disrepute, the DGP commendation medal along with certificate awarded to him on December 31, 1998 is hereby forfeited,' the order read.

On January 15, the Jammu and Kashmir administration forfeited the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Davinder Singh in 2018.

Police had arrested Singh at Mir Bazar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Baba and Altaf, besides a lawyer who was operating as an overground worker for terror outfits.

Searches were carried out at Singh's residence in Srinagar, right next to the Army's XV corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered Naveed, Altaf and a new joinee in the banned terror outfit, leading to the recovery of two pistols, an AK rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. -- PTI

22:21 Cong ally RJD declares candidates for Delhi

Congress alliance partner in Delhi assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal, on Monday announced candidates on all the four seats allotted to it.

The party in a tweet declared its four candidates -- Pramod Tyagi (Burari), Riyazuddin Khan (Kirari), Shakti Kumar Bishnoi (Uttam Nagar) and Niram Kumar Singh (Palam).

Seeking to expand its footprint outside Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD is contesting the Delhi elections in alliance with the Congress for the first time.

Polling for the 70 member-Delhi Assembly will be held on February 8.

The RJD had initially demanded 10 per cent seats in Delhi from the Congress, but finally it was decided that the party would contest on four constituencies -- Burari, Kirari, Palam and Uttam Nagar, senior RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha had earlier said.

The Congress, which ruled the city for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2013, is for the first time contesting the Delhi assembly polls in alliance with another party.

Out of the four seats RJD has got in the pre-poll alliance, the party had earlier unsuccessfully contested in Kirari, Burari and Palam seats.

As a member of United Progressive Alliance (UPA), RJD contested recent Jharkhand Assembly polls along with JMM and Congress and bagged a seat. -- PTI

In his first remarks after taking over as the new Bharatiya Janata Party president, J P Nadda on Monday set the target of winning power in the states where his party has not yet registered electoral success.

Nadda, 59, who was unanimously elected as the BJP president on Monday at a ceremony in the presence of the party's top brass including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a simple worker like him, hailing from a village, can become the party president only in the BJP.

"I will work day and night along with all the party workers to take the party to newer heights," he said in his address to the party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi after being elected.

He applauded his predecessor and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his work as the party chief, and said under his leadership the BJP become the world's largest party.

"Today, we are the world's largest party that is in power in India. We have the highest number of MPs and MLAs in the country. We are not going to stop at this. There are some states left and we have set our aim there. We will make sure we reach to them as well," he said.

Though he didn't mention the states, his remarks assume significance coming at a time the BJP is fighting against the Aam Aadmi Party to wrest Delhi and working overtime to dethrone Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress from West Bengal.

Talking about Modi's leadership, Nadda said the Prime Minister talked about the work culture of the BJP and how it is different from rival parties.

"We are not just different in our principles, but the results of those principles are different as well."

Nadda thanked the party's top brass for showering love on him and said he has worked with all the members of the party's parliamentary board in different capacities and also with the veterans such as L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

"A simple worker like me, who didn't have a political background, who hails from a remote place in Himachal Pradesh -- if someone like me is being given this responsibility then it is the speciality of the BJP and it is possible only in the BJP," he said.

Recalling his old association with Nadda, Modi said they used to ride on a scooter together for party works.

Modi said Nadda's leadership will give the party new energy, hope, and inspiration.

"We must ensure that he is successful. Whatever he asks for, we must deliver. As a party worker, we must walk with our core values in the journey ahead with love for our motherland," he told the party workers. -- PTI

20:24 Akalis pull out of Delhi polls for CAA stand

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday said it will not contest the Delhi assembly polls next month after it was asked by its ally Bharatiya Janata Party to change its stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Addressing a press conference, SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that during three poll related meetings with the BJP, his party was asked to consider its stand on CAA.

"During our meeting with the BJP, we were asked to reconsider our stand on CAA but we declined to do so. Shiromani Akali Dal is of the firm stand that Muslims cannot be left out of CAA.

"We are also strongly against the National Register of Citizens (NRC)," Sirsa, who contested on a BJP ticket from Rajouri Garden seat, said. -- PTI

20:06

All the presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

19:38 IMF revises downwards global growth outlook

The International Monetary Fund on Monday slightly revised downwards the growth outlook for the global economy and flagged fundamental issues of reform in trade systems.

The new projections estimate growth at 2.9 per cent in 2019, 3.3 per cent in 2020 and 3.4 per cent in 2021.

Ahead of the inaugural of the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the fund's simplest advice to policymakers is that they should keep doing what works.

She cautioned that everyone must be ready to act again and immediately in a coordinated manner if growth begins to slow down again.

Noting that a turning point is yet to be reached, the IMF said it was slightly revising downwards the growth outlook for the global economy.

Fundamental issues of reform in trade systems are still there and we have seen there have been some developments in the Middle East, Georgieva said.

IMF's Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said some risks have partially receded since October with developments on US-China trade deal.

The slight downward revision of 0.1 per cent for two years and 0.2 per cent for the year after that in the global growth is largely due to downward revision for India estimates, she said. -- PTI

Amid registration boycott by the students' union, Jawaharlal Nehru University administration on Monday said over 80 per cent of students have registered for the winter semester.

Out of 8,500 students at JNU, 82 per cent of students have cleared their hostel dues for winter semester registration as on Monday, the varsity's vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said.

The remaining students are also expected to complete their registration process since the registration is still open with a late fee, he said.

"The University is putting every effort to help the willing students in registering for the winter semester. The campus is peaceful and active in pursuing academic activities," he said.

Kumar said the University is gearing up to celebrate Republic Day.

This year, for the first time, the NCC cadets of the University will be participating in a parade at the venue during the Republic Day celebrations, he said.

The students' union has given a call to boycott registration over the issue of hostel fee hike. The registration for the winter semester had ended on January 17. -- PTI

18:06 BJP will scale newer heights during Nadda: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated J P Nadda on his election as the Bharatiya Janata Party president and said he was sure that the party will scale newer heights during his presidency.

Modi, who felicitated Nadda at the BJP headquarter in New Delhi, also praised Amit Shah for his contribution, describing him as an "outstanding karyakarta (worker)"

"I do not think words can do justice to the rich contribution of Amit Shahji as BJP president. During his presidency, BJP got opportunities to serve in several parts of India," Modi said in a series of tweets.

Wishing Nadda very best for his tenure, the Prime Minister said, "Nadda Ji is a dedicated and disciplined Karyakarta who has worked for years to strengthen the party at the grassroots. His affable nature is also known to all."

"Be it as a young party karyakarta, MLA, minister in Himachal Pradesh or organisational duties at the Centre, MP and Union minister, Naddaji has added value to any responsibility he has held," Modi added. -- PTI

Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat on Monday said it was very difficult to predict if a scenario of a war with Pakistan would emerge or not but all the defence services were prepared to take on any challenge.

The top general, who inducted the Sukhoi-30 MKI squadron in Thanjavur, was responding to a question about any possibility of a war emerging between India and Pakistan.

"All the defence services are tasked to be prepared for any option that may emerge. It is very difficult to predict a scenario. But, we are always prepared for any task that may be assigned to us," Rawat said. -- PTI

A 'live' bomb was found placed in an unattended bag near the ticket counters at the Mangaluru airport in Karnataka on Monday, creating panic.

According to police, the bomb was found in the unclaimed laptop bag and has been taken in a bomb disposal unit vehicle for controlled explosion at an open place here.

"According to the preliminary reports, a live bomb was found at the Mangaluru Airport today. Steps have been taken to neutralise it and carry out further inquiry to identify people behind it," said Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Earlier, after the suspicious bag was noticed, the Central Industrial Security Force, which is maintaining security at the airport, cordoned off the area and reported the matter to the police.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner P S Harsha rushed to the airport along with a police team and bomb disposal squad. -- PTI

17:32 Those rejected in polls, spreading lies: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at opposition parties, saying those rejected by people in elections have been left with few weapons and were spreading confusion and lies.

Without naming his rivals, Modi also targeted the "echo system" backing them, and said it has always been against the BJP.

Asserting that despite attempts by the Opposition to spread confusion and lies, people's faith in the BJP and his government have remained "unshaken", he said the party returned to power with a bigger mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls despite its rivals fighting with their full strength.

He was addressing the BJP leaders and workers at a ceremony to felicitate newly elected party president J P Nadda.

Modi also said that he was sure that the party will scale newer heights during Nadda's presidency.

The Prime Minister also praised Amit Shah for his contribution, describing him as an "outstanding karyakarta (worker)". -- PTI

17:01 BJP will become stronger under Nadda: Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah, who handed over the presidentship of the Bharatiya Janata Party to J P Nadda on Monday, said that under his successor's leadership the party will become stronger and expand further.

Nadda was elected unopposed as the BJP national president after he emerged as the only leader in the fray following the nomination process in which his candidature was endorsed by top party brass.

"Heartiest congratulations to J P Nadda Ji on being elected the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. I firmly believe that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's guidance and your leadership, the BJP will become stronger and expand even further," Shah said in a tweet.

"The party will benefit from Nadda ji's organizational skills and experience and will set new records," he said in a series of tweets.

Under Nadda's leadership, all BJP workers will continue to walk on the organization's path, he said.

Nadda was appointed as the BJP's working president in June last.

"I am grateful for the affection and support that I got from the organization as the BJP national president. I thank Prime Minister Modi, all senior leaders and colleagues for always keeping faith in me," Shah added.

"I consider myself fortunate to have had the privilege of working as president for five years in this great organization, nurtured by many great personalities and great men," Shah said.

He also expressed gratitude to activists and well-wishers for standing with him "like a rock". -- PTI

15:54 Kejriwal fails to file poll nomination

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was expected to file his nomination today for the assembly elections at the end of a grand roadshow, had to postpone the paperwork as he failed to reach the venue on time. The papers, he said, would be done tomorrow, which is also the last day for the filing of nomination.

A candidate has to reach the office of the Election Commissioner -- where the papers have to be filed -- by 3 pm.

"I was told I'll have to file nomination, but I said how can I leave them (the people at road show) and go? I'll go to file the nomination tomorrow," Kejriwal told reporters.

The roadshow, which started from the iconic Valmiki Mandir, was expected to go through the roads of Mr Kejriwal's New Delhi Constituency before ending at the election office. But it ran into extra time while making its way through the crowded Connaught Place.

Visuals from the area showed the Chief Minister standing in a slow-moving vehicle, surrounded by a sea of supporters waving brooms, the party symbol.

15:44 NPR dangerous game, a precursor to NRC: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to her counterparts in the

northeast and non-BJP states to take a note of the "clauses" mentioned in the NPR form, before participating in the exercise to update the register.

Dubbing the NPR exercise as "a dangerous game", Banerjee said the form, which seeks birth details of parents, could be nothing but a precursor to NRC implementation.

"I will appeal to all chief ministers, governments including those in BJP-ruled northeast states -- Tripura, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal -- and the opposition party-ruled states to read the law properly and consider the clauses in the NPR form before arriving at a decision.

"I request them not to participate in this matter because the condition is very bad," the chief minister said.

The TMC boss asserted that the West Bengal Assembly would soon pass a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Banerjee also said that she came to know from the news media that fields which seek birth details of parents in the NPR form were not mandatory.

"If the fields are not mandatory, why are they a part of the form? Efforts should be made to remove those questions.

"If they continue to exist on paper (form), those that do not enter birth details of parents might be automatically excluded. There is an apprehension..." she claimed, before leaving for Siliguri.

The CM is scheduled to lead anti-citizenship law rallies in north Bengal over the next four days.

-- PTI

The Supreme Court today rejected the claim of one of the four Nirbhaya convicts, set to hang on February 1, that he was underage at the time of the incident. Pawan Kumar Gupta's plea had been rejected by the Delhi High Court earlier.

"We don't find any ground to entertain this petition. Once the issue of juvenile is examined and rejected by courts it can't be raised again," the Supreme Court said.

"How many times we will hear the same things, you have raised it already many times," the court had said earlier.

Advocate AP Singh, appearing for Pawan Gupta, argued that his school certificate showed he was a minor at the time of the crime and no court had ever considered his documents.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, said the claim was considered at each and every judicial forum and it would be a "travesty of justice" if the convict was allowed to raise the claim of juvenility repeatedly and at this point of time.

He said the convict was 19 years old at the time of offence and there is a certified copy of his birth certificate as well as school leaving certificate which was taken on record by each and every judicial forum.

The police also said Pawan's parents had confirmed his age and did not dispute that he was above 18 when Nirbhaya was gang-raped, tortured and killed in December 2012.

One of the six men arrested for the crime was proven to be a juvenile at the time and has been released after three years in a reform home.

Pawan Gupta's complaint was filed on Friday, on a day a new date was announced for the hanging of the four convicts - February 1 at 6 am. They were earlier supposed to be executed on Wednesday, but the date was put off after a convict filed a mercy plea.

15:10 Brajesh Thakur convicted in Bihar shelter case

A Delhi court Monday convicted Brajesh Thakur and 18 others for sexual and physical assault on several girls in a Muzaffarpur shelter home.

Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha convicted Thakur for aggravated sexual assault under POCSO Act and gang rape.

The court acquitted one of the accused in the case.

The shelter home was run by Thakur, former MLA of Bihar People's Party.

The accused included 12 men and eight women.

The matter had come to light after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted a report to the Bihar government on May 26, 2018, highlighting the sexual abuse of minor girls in the shelter home for the first time.

-- PTI

14:41 JP Nadda elected unopposed as president of BJP

Jagat Prakash Nadda elected unopposed as the national president of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Nadda, who was appointed as BJP's working president last June, will take over from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was at a helm for an eventful five-and-a-half years during which the party won its biggest majority in 2019 Lok Sabha election and expanded its footprint across the country.

Nadda's name was proposed by the top party leaders, including Union ministers Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, besides several chief ministers during the nomination process.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke of Nadda's rise through the ranks and said he had always been an "inspiring" worker.

Prasad noted that the leader from Himachal Pradesh worked his way up as an "excellent" organisational leader, be it in the RSS students' wing ABVP or the BJP youth wing, and was also a successful health minister in the first Modi government.

"He brings with him an enormous experience, be it as a party leader or administrator," Prasad said, expressing confidence that Nadda would consolidate the great successes the party achieved under Shah.

The Supreme Court will decide on Monday at 2.30 pm if Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the four convicts facing the gallows in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder who has claimed that he was a juvenile at the time of the offence in December 2012, was a minor.

Gupta, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, had approached the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, alleging that his ossification test was not conducted by investigating officers and claimed benefit under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

In the petition, his lawyer AP Singh has claimed that Gupta's school records determine his date of birth to be October 8, 1996, but the Delhi High Court had ignored this point.

The high court rejected his revision petition after which he challenged it before the top court on Friday.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi and comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and AS Bopanna are hearing Guptas Special Leave Petition (SLP) and will give the order at 2.30pm.

Besides Gupta, the other three convicts in the case are Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh.

A 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of 16-17 December, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before being thrown out on the road. She died on December 29, 2012 at a hospital in Singapore.

A Delhi court issued a fresh death warrant against the four death-row convicts, who will now be executed on February 1 at 6 am.

Three terrorists linked to terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen were gunned down in an encounter by the army in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Monday.

It was a joint operation by the army, the CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. "Three terrorists eliminated in Jt Ops in Op Watchi (Shopian), affiliated proscribed terrorist outfit #HizbulMujahideen. Weapons & warlike stores recovered. Other details being ascertained," Chinar Corps of Indian Army tweeted.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter.

-- ANI

The Supreme Court on Monday commenced hearing on the plea of a death-row convict in the Nirbhaya case against a Delhi High Court order dismissing his claim that he was a juvenile when the crime was committed.

A bench headed by Justice R Banumathi is hearing the plea of convict Pawan Kumar Gupta.

Gupta's counsel told the bench that the convict was minor at the time of commission of offence in December 2012 and the high court had wrongly dismissed plea.

The bench said the claim of being a juvenile was not taken initially during trial in the Nirbhaya case. However, Gupta's lawyer contended that it was taken as a 'mitigating circumstance' at the time of sentencing in the case.

Gupta had moved the apex court on Friday. He has also sought a direction restraining the authorities from executing the death penalty, scheduled for February 1.

A Delhi court on Friday issued fresh death warrants for February 1 against the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Akshay Kumar Singh and Pawan -- in the case.

A 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before she was thrown out on the road.

-- PTI

Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal will file his nomination today for the New Delhi assembly seat.

Before his nomination, Kejriwal sought his parents' blessings. Before filing the nomination, he will begin a roadshow from the historic Valmiki temple on Mandir Marg.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and depty CM Manish Sisodia said his party will win all the 70 seats in the February 8 assembly elections as there is no competition from either the Congress or the BJP. Sisodia said people can see the work done by the BJP and the Congress in the other states and if they compare it to that of the AAP, the two parties are not in competition with Delhi's ruling party.

12:30 Sweet beginnings

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at 'Halwa ceremony' being held at ministry of finance, North Block, to mark the beginning of printing of documents relating to Union Budget 2020-21.

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government after hearing a plea filed by a petitioner challenging the validity of Allahabad's name being changed to Prayagraj.

The petitioner has said that the state government cannot change the names of railway stations, central universities and other institutes as they are controlled by the central government.

The Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of the historic city of Allahabad to Prayagraj in a move which the BJP justified was to correct the wrongs made by Mughal emperor Akbar 500 years ago.

The BJP government had said it was restoring the old name of the city that was changed by Akbar.

The move came under heavy criticism from the Opposition, scholars and historians who said the government is tampering with history.

Allahabad got its name in 1575. The Mughal Emperor Akbar called it Illahabas, meaning the abode of God.

Before Akbar rechristened the city, it was known as Prayag. Some medieval texts, including Akbar's court historian Abul Fazl, called it Piyag. The Rig Veda and some of the Puranas mention it, giving it a high religious value in India.

Coco Gauff has defeated seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open -- 7-6, 6-3.

Two months short of her 16th birthday, Gauff is the youngest woman in the Australian Open draw, while Williams, who will turn 40 in less than six months, is the oldest.

Her victory comes six months after their meeting at Wimbledon.

Making her main draw debut at Wimbledon in July, Gauff defeated Williams in straight sets, kickstarting an exhilarating run that saw the teenager become the youngest player to reach the round of 16 at the All England Club since Martina Hingis achieved the feat in 1996.

Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters

PM Narendra Modi is conducting his 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' with school students from across the country today.

The event is being held at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. This is the third year of the unique program that started in 2018. Held right ahead of the board exams, the interaction with PM aims to help students combat stress and gain perspective on various aspects of student life.

Speaking at the event, Modi said, "I thought I should share the burden your parents have to bear. I am also a member of your family, why not share your parents' burden on a community scale."

He says that we often tend to ignore what our own parents or guardians or teachers say but listen to what an outsider says. He says that I do this job acting as a friend and that is why I feel you all reciprocate.

Referring to the social media trend #WithoutFilter, PM has requested students to raise questions without any filter.

11:31 Extremely happy today: Nadda's wife

As J P Nadda is all set to become the BJP president, his wife Mallika Nadda expressed happiness and said it was a very important day for the family and state of Himachal Pradesh.

Mallika said, "It is a very important day for all of us. Everyone, including family, Bilaspur and our state of Himachal Pradesh is extremely happy today as it is about a big responsibility being given to a person from such a small state."

BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda is all set to formally take over the reins of the party from Amit Shah today when the BJP will initiate the process of electing a new party boss.

A press statement released by the BJP Central Election Committee chief Radha Mohan Singh gave out the full schedule.

"After successfully conducting phase 1 of the BJP enrolment and expansion drive, creating 75 percent booth committees, 50 percent Mandal committees and holding election as per BJP's constitution in 21 states to elect party presidents, I am pleased to announce the elections for the post of national president of the BJP," Radha Mohan Singh said.

The time for filing nomination for the post of BJP president is from 10 am to 12:30 pm. The scrutiny of the nominations will be done between 12:30 and 1:30 pm. Any withdrawal of candidature can be done between 1:30 and 2:30 pm.

Since Nadda is likely to be the only candidate, there may not be a need for carrying out voting which would have taken place on Tuesday.

One gauge -- and an important one at that -- of an article's importance and merit is its reproduction by another publication after giving due credit (and not just ripping it off illegally as many are wont to do).

So we are happy to report that Ambassador T P Sreenivasan's column on our high commissioner in Colombo, Taranjit Sandhu, who has been named our next ambassador in Washington, DC, has been reproduced by the Daily Express of Sri Lanka (image alongside).

In the article, Ambassador Sreenivasan waxes eloquent on the man who 'was my ablest soldier at the battle we waged in the embassy of India, Washington following the nuclear tests of May 1998. The situation had to be seen to be believed'.

'Much of the credit for coordinating the work on the Hill, which changed the mind of the Clinton administration, went to Taranjit, whom we designated as the 'Congressman' in the embassy,' he writes on Rediff.com, here.

11:09 Preparing for his masterclass

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an exhibition ahead of his interaction with school students during 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020'.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter

11:00 States can't say no to CAA: Congress's Hooda

Even as Congress-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh are set to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, following the footsteps of Punjab, senior Congress leader, and former Haryana CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda opined that a state cannot deny the implementation of the CAA.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "Once a law or Act is passed by Parliament, I think that the constitutional view is that, any state cant and should not say no but this has to be legally examined."

Earlier, senior Congress leader and former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal said that a state cannot deny the implementation of the CAA when it is already passed by Parliament.

He, however, added that state assembly is empowered with the constitutional right to pass a resolution and ask the central government to withdraw the CAA.

If the Supreme Court passes a verdict declaring the CAA as constitutional, it will become problematic for the state to oppose its implementation, Sibal has added.

-- ANI

A stream of visitors from the film fraternity who visited Shabana Azmi at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital had to return without meeting the injured actress.

Her husband Javed Akhtar explained, She is in the ICU and shes not allowed visitors. But she should be out of the ICU by Tuesday. She is responding very well to the treatment. Providentially, there were no internal injuries. But her face is badly bruised.

I am thankful to everyone who has stood by us during this sudden setback. Shabana is strong. She has fought her way out of the injury, says Javed saab.

-- Subhash K Jha reports

10:24 What BJP leader advised party on CAA

West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president and Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose has said that a law should not be thrust on the citizens in a democratic country. He was speaking about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act passed by Parliament last month.

Our job is to explain to people that we are right and they are wrong. You cannot be abusive. Just because we have numbers today we cannot do terror politics. Let us go to people explaining benefits of CAA, Bose said.

Once a bill has been passed as an act, it is binding on the state governments, that is the legal position but in a democratic country you cannot thrust any act on the citizens of our country, he added.

Bose also said that he has suggested some modifications to the bill which will puncture the entire Opposition campaign. We need to specifically state that it is meant for persecuted minorities, we should not mention any religion. Our approach should be different, he said.

The CAA led to protests in the entire country where the Congress-led Opposition called for the scrapping of the new act. The protests have been most vehement in West Bengal where the ruling Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed that she will not allow the act to be implemented in her state.

READ: BJP leader: 'Netaji would support anti-CAA protests'

10:10 CM Arvind Kejriwal to file nomination today

Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal will file his nomination today for the New Delhi assembly seat. The process will be preceded by a roadshow after seeking the blessings of Bhagwan Valmiki at the historic Valmiki Mandir.

The roadshow will go to Connaught Place via Panchkuian Marg into the Inner Circle and then towards the Outer Circle on to Baba Kharak Singh Marg. It will end near the Patel Chowk Metro station, it said.

09:34 Sensex at record high of 42,273

The equity market on Monday has opened at record highs, amid a volatile market backed by December earnings season.

Sensex has climbed to a fresh all-time high of 42273.87 from 42,062 recorded earlier and Nifty traded near the record high of 12,430.50 from 12,385 earlier.

Currently, Sensex trades 135 points higher at 42,060 and Nifty is up 78 points at 12,430.

Investors are also awaiting December quarter earnings of several firms that are scheduled to be released today.

Companies set to announce their earnings are Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Securities, Federal Bank, Can Fin homes, Hindustan Zinc among others. HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, L&T Technology Services, Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies are the shares that will be in focus today after the private companies reported earnings for the quarter ended December 31, 2019.

Amid anti-CAA and National Register of India protests across the country, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said that 50 lakh Muslim infiltrators will be identified and chased out of the country if needed.

Addressing a rally in the North 24 Parganas district, he said, "50 lakh Muslim infiltrators will be identified, if needed they will be chased out of the country."

Cornering West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for opposing Citizenship Amendment law and NRC, he said, "Firstly, the names of Muslim infiltrators will be removed from voters' list then didi (in reference to Mamata Banerjee) cannot appease anyone."

He said there will be a reduction in the number of votes to Banerjee in the 2021 state assembly elections following the process of removing infiltrators' names from the voters' list.

"Once this is done Didi's votes will be reduced and in the coming elections, we will get 200 seats, she will not even get 50 seats," he said.

Launching an attack on the opposition parties for nationwide anti-CAA and NRC protests, he said, "their hearts bleed for infiltrators".

Ghosh had, last week, sparked controversy by threatening to shoot down those who damaged public property and accused Banerjee of not taking action as "they are her voters". He later doubled down on his remark by stating that such people "will never be spared".

Several protests were held across West Bengal, many of which turned violent and caused damage to public property.

-- ANI

09:08 PM to share tips with students on acing exams

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with students, teachers and parents on Monday and share "valuable tips" with them to ensure they take the upcoming board and entrance exams in a relaxed manner.

The third edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha is being organised at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in Delhi. A total of 2,000 students and teachers will attend the event, of which 1,050 students have been selected through an essay competition.

We will once again have extensive discussions and insightful conversations on a wide range of subjects relating to examinations, especially how to remain happy as well as stress free during exam season. Inviting you all to join 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020'!" PM Modi said in a series of tweets.

Officials said the event will start around 11am and will be broadcast on YouTube.

The Supreme Court will today hear a Special Leave Petition filed by Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the death row convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, claiming that he was a juvenile at the time of crime, and the Delhi high court had ignored this fact during the proceedings in the case.

The Delhi HC had rejected the revision petition of Pawan Gupta and thereby, he had challenged this before the top court on January 17, Friday.

Pawan Gupta's date of birth as per his school record is October 8, 1996, but the Delhi HC had ignored this, his lawyer AP Singh claimed in the petition.

A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice R Banumathi and comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and AS Bopanna, will hear the SLP filed by one of the death row convicts, Pawan Gupta today.

A Delhi court issued a fresh death warrant against the four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case, who will now be executed on February 1 at 6 am.

Four convicts, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan, and Mukesh were convicted and sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012.

BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda is all set to formally take over the reins of the party from Amit Shah today when the BJP will initiate the process of electing a new party boss.

Nadda will file his nomination at 10:30 am. In all likelihood, Nadda will be elected unopposed.

The BJP is expected to host a grand function at the central headquarters, which will be attended by all functionaries of the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to deliver a speech as well as formally congratulating Nadda on his elevation.

Sources say Nadda's name will be proposed by the party's ex-chiefs and parliamentary board members, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. The proposal will be seconded by other members of the BJP National Council.

A press statement released by the BJP Central Election Committee chief Radha Mohan Singh gave out the full schedule.

Since Nadda is likely to be the only candidate, there may not be a need for carrying out voting which would have taken place on Tuesday.

The BJP is expected to make the announcement of Nadda as party chief today itself.

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