LIVE! Akola trader threatened for supporting Nupur

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Mon, 04 July 2022

Akola trader threatened for supporting Nupur

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23:50 Akola trader threatened for supporting Nupur

The police on Monday registered a complaint against three to four unidentified persons for allegedly threatening a businessman in Maharashtra's Akola city for keeping his 'WhatsApp status' in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, an official said.

The police action came after a delegation of local Vishva Hindu Parishad office-bearers submitted a representation to Akola resident deputy collector Sanjay Khadse.

In the representation, the VHP alleged the businessman has been threatened with dire consequences for backing Sharma, who is facing widespread criticism over her objectionable comments on Prophet Mohammed during a TV show, and keeping his WhatsApp status in support of her.

The delegation said there was nothing in the post which hurts feelings of any community.

Fearing that he may be targeted, the businessman has kept his shop in the city closed for the last three days, the outfit said.

Kotwali police station inspector Chandrashekar Kadu said they have registered a complaint against three to four unidentified persons over the alleged threat to the businessman and launched an investigation.

The VHP has demanded that the matter be probed by the National Investigation Agency. -- PTI

23:24 Will work for the party: Mithun Chakraborty

Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who had joined the saffron camp ahead of the assembly polls, on Monday arrived at the state BJP office, his first visit since last year's assembly polls, and vowed to work for the party.

Yesteryears' Bollywood heart-throb Mithun Chakraborty, had joined the BJP at a mega-rally at Brigade Parade Ground in March last year, just days ahead of the assembly polls.

Although he didn't contest the election, he took an active part in the election campaign as he crisscrossed the length and breadth of the state canvassing for BJP candidates.

However, after the elections, Chakraborty had withdrawn from active politics.

"I was not well for the last year, so I could not participate in political activities and neither come to the party office. The party has assigned me a few tasks, and I will do my best to fulfil those duties. I will work for the party in the state," Chakraborty told reporters at the state BJP office.

He said he had always wanted to work for the underprivileged, and the saffron camp has given him a platform to fulfil his aspiration.

"I want to continue to work for the people of the state. For me, Bengal comes first," he said.

Earlier in the day, he arrived at the state BJP office and held a marathon meeting with state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and other senior state BJP leaders. -- PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah

23:05 NIA chief briefs Shah on Udaipur, Amravati probe

The chief of the anti-terror probe agency NIA on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and is understood to have briefed him about the progress in the ongoing investigations in the killings of two persons in Rajasthan's Udaipur and Maharashtra's Amravati, officials said.

Both the cases were handed over to the NIA by the home ministry.

Director general of the National Investigation Agency Dinkar Gupta had a 40-minute meeting with the home minister at his North Block office where the former is said to have apprised him about the probe into the two cases.

The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and the fatal stabbing of Umesh Kolhe in Amravati were allegedly carried out by the people who wanted to take "revenge' on the victims for supporting now-removed BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma after her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammed. -- PTI

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22:46 IMD issues orange alert for next 5 days in Konkan; NDRF teams deployed in Mahad, Chiplun

The National Disaster Response Force has deployed two teams in coastal Konkan in Maharashtra in view of an orange alert issued by the IMD for the next five days and considering the last year's massive floods in two districts in the region, an official said on Monday.

A team of NDRF is stationed at Chiplun in the Ratnagiri district and another team at Mahad in the Raigad district.

The orange alert, predicting heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places from June 4 to June 8, has been issued for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

A yellow alert has been issued for Mumbai and Thane districts predicting heavy rains at isolated places and heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places.

A yellow alert has also been issued for the Palghar district for the next two days and an orange alert for the three days thereafter.

Out of the eight NDRF teams in Maharashtra, one each is stationed at Nagpur, Chiplun and Malad, while the rest five teams are in Mumbai.

The official said that these teams have been deployed at the above locations in consultation with the local administration.

Chiplun and Mahad cities witnessed massive floods last year, prompting authorities to launch major rescue operations.

Incidents of landslides were also reported. -- PTI

22:33 Shots fired at July 4 parade in Chicago

The Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, USA, erupted in panic when shots were fired about 10 minutes after the parade kicked off, according to media reports. An active shooter has been spotted in Highland Park, IL, US media reported.

'Shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route, we are assisting the Highland Park Police for the same,' he Lake County Sheriff, Illinois, said.

-- ANI

Sidhu Moosewala

22:24 Moosewala case: Punjab police get transit remand of 4 accused

The Punjab police on Monday said it has got a transit remand of four people, including two shooters, in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case from Delhi's Patiala House Court.

Punjabi singer Moosewala was killed on May 29 in Mansa.

The police have been granted transit remand of accused Priyavrat, alias Fauzi (main shooter), Kashish, alias Kuldeep (shooter), Deepak, alias Tinu (close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi), and Keshav Kumar (who provided vehicle and helped in escaping shooters), according to an official statement.

The court said in its order that as the arrested have been accused of committing a cognisable offence, the transit remand was granted to produce them before the court concerned as early as possible.

The order further stated that a medical examination of the accused be conducted as per rules and guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.

The Delhi police had arrested three people, including Fauzi, on June 19 from Kutch in Gujarat in connection with the killing of Moosewala.

Fauzi was the main shooter and executioner of the murder, the Delhi Police had said.

Earlier, Punjab additional director general of police and head of Anti-Gangster Task Force Pramod Ban said gangster Bishnoi has admitted that he was the mastermind in Sidhu Moosewala's killing. -- PTI

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, arrested by Delhi police last week, was produced in a court in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh on Monday in connection with an FIR lodged against him for allegedly calling Hindu seers "hate mongers".

Zubair was produced in the court of the Sitapur judicial magistrate, who sent him to 14 days' judicial custody.

The Delhi police took Zubair back to the national capital afterwards.

Additional superintendent of police, Sitapur, NP Singh said the district police had issued a production warrant against Zubair in connection with a case registered at Khairabad.

Now, the district police has sought his custody and will act as per court orders, the officer said.

The FIR was lodged against Zubair under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and section 67 of the IT Act here on a complaint by Hindu Sher Sena Sitapur district president Bhagwan Sharan on June 1.

Mohammed Zubair, a fact-checker, was arrested by the Delhi police last week in a case related to an 'objectionable tweet' he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity. -- PTI

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21:41 Uttarakhand cancels leave of its employees till Sept 30 to tackle monsoon damages

Bracing for the monsoon, the Uttarakhand government on Monday cancelled leave of all its employees till September 30.

The order was issued by chief secretary SS Sandhu in view of the state's extreme vulnerability to natural disasters, especially during the rainy season.

Government employees should not be granted leave till September 30 unless it is unavoidable, the order said.

The competent official sanctioning leave due to unavoidable circumstances should also name the employee to be deputed as a substitute, it said.

Landslides, cloudbursts and flash floods are common in Uttarakhand during the monsoon and often call for massive rescue and relief efforts. -- PTI

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21:00 UP police outpost in-charge shunted after confrontation with local BJP leader

A police outpost in-charge was shunted following a confrontation with a local BJP leader in Gaziabad, officials said on Monday.

BJP workers staged a sit-in outside the police outpost claiming that Raj Kumar, the in-charge of the outpost at Nasirpur railway crossing, had slapped president of BJP Yuva Morcha of Raj Nagar Mandal, Sagar Mishra.

The protesters also demanded action against SHO of Sihani Gate Police Station Pradeep Tripathi and raised slogans against the police department.

According to police, Mishra was stopped by Kumar near the Nasirpur railway crossing for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet.

An argument ensued between the two and according to Mishra, he was slapped by Kumar.

Senior superintendent of police Muniraj G has shifted the outpost in-charge to police lines, officials said. -- PTI

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20:32 Security plan for Ayodhya's Ram temple finalised

The committee entrusted with the task of deciding on the security of the Ram temple in Ayodhya finalised a plan for it, which will now be submitted to the government for final nod.

According to an official, a high-tech security system will be put in place.

"The new security system will be devotee-friendly," said additional director general of police Binod Kumar Singh, adding that they had also received recommendations for it from a central agency.

He said the security plan will be implemented in a phased manner.

The officer, however, refused to give details of the proposed plan. Currently, security personnel including those from the Central Reserve Police Force and the Provincial Armed Constabulary are deployed for the security of the Ram Janmabhoomi. -- PTI

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20:22 2 incidents of wall collapse reported in Thane amid rain, one injured

Two wall collapse incidents were reported in Thane city on Monday amid heavy rain, leaving one person injured, a civic official said.

In the first incident, which took place in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the compound wall of the MSRTC divisional office in Vandana collapsed on a nearby chawl, leaving one person with minor injuries and damage to two rooms, Thane Municipal Corporation regional disaster management cell chief Avinash Sawant said.

"As a precautionary measure, the adjoining four rooms have been vacated and the occupants shifted elsewhere," he said.

In the second incident, the compound wall of a chawl in Mumbra caved in at around 5:30pm on Monday, though no one was injured, he added. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi on Thursday during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth over Rs 1,800 crore focussed on improving infrastructure and enhancing ease of living.

At around 2 pm, the prime minister will inaugurate the 'Akshay Patra Mid-Day Meal Kitchen' at LT College, Varanasi, which has a capacity of cooking mid-day meals for around one lakh students.

At around 2:45 pm, Prime Minister Modi will visit the International Cooperation and Convention Centre -- Rudraksh, where he will inaugurate 'Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam' on the implementation of the National Education Policy, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Thereafter, at around 4 pm, the prime minister will reach Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium, Sigra where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 1,800 crore, it said. -- PTI

19:40 Kangana pleads not guilty in defamation case

Actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday appeared before the court of the metropolitan magistrate in suburban Andheri and pleaded not guilty in connection with a defamation complaint filed against her by Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar, though proceedings were held behind closed doors on the actor's request.

This is her third appearance before the court after Akhtar filed the complaint against her in November 2020.

The court proceedings unfolded behind closed doors as the magistrate directed everyone, including lawyers and media, to leave as Ranaut, who arrived at 4:45pm, didn't want a "media trial".

Before the proceedings could begin, her lawyer requested the court to ask everyone to leave as his client didn't want a "media trial", though reporters present in the court attempted to speak to the magistrate RN Sheikh.

The proceedings began in the presence of the lawyers of both the sides behind closed doors, with one of them later stating that the actor pleaded not guilty, which means trial can now begin in the case.

Ranaut also recorded her verification statement in the cross complaint filed by her against the scriptwriter-lyricist.

For recording her statement in the counter complaint, the actor had secured an order for in-camera proceeding for a particular date in April. -- PTI

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19:31 Tax evasion worth hundreds of crores unearthed after raids on Chhattisgarh group, bureaucrat

The Income Tax department has seized "undisclosed" cash and jewellery worth Rs 14 crore and detected tax evasion of a "few hundreds of crores" after it recently raided a Chhattisgarh-based group engaged in coal transportation and linked businesses, and a senior state government officer, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said on Monday.

The searches were launched on June 30 and more than 30 locations in Raipur, Bhilai, Raigarh, Korba, Bilaspur and Surajpur were covered, apart from the premises of the officer.

The CBDT said in a statement, without identifying the group, that the business entity indulged in "unfair regular collection on coal transportation throughout the state of Chhattisgarh leading to generation of huge unaccounted income".

"Evidence of such collection of more than Rs 200 crore during a short time period has been found. The same has been corroborated by the key trusted associates of the group," it said.

The statement added that sleuths have found "instances of certain cash payments made to government officials".

The BDT frames policy for the I-T department.

A senior state police official had told PTI on June 30 that the residence of Soumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary-rank officer posted in the Chief Minister's Office, was also searched by tax sleuths in Bhilai town of Durg district, apart from that of some businessmen.

"Undisclosed cash exceeding Rs 9.5 crore and jewellery of Rs 4.5 crore have been seized during the search operation, so far.

"A preliminary investigation of such incriminating evidence gathered during the search suggests that the group has evaded income tax running into a few hundreds of crores," the statement said.

The CBDT said the group made "unaccounted" cash payments of about Rs 45 crore in purchasing coal washeries. -- PTI

The Varanasi district court on Monday heard arguments on the maintainability of a plea by five Hindu women seeking permission to worship the Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Masjid complex, and adjourned the matter to July 12.

Earlier, claims were made by the Hindu side that a structure resembling a Shivling was found in the mosque complex. The masjid committee contested that it was a fountain and not a Shivling.

"Muslim side has given its arguments, the date for the next hearing is July 12 keeping in mind everyone's convenience. Muslim side to keep its arguments on law-point in front of the court then," advocate Vishnu Jain, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi Masjid survey matter, told reporters.

The lawyer representing the Muslim side presented 51 arguments during the hearing today.

The Supreme Court had on May 20 transferred the case from a civil judge (senior division) to a district judge, saying considering the "complexities and sensitivity" of the issue, it is better if a senior judicial officer having an experience of over 25-30 years handles this case.

The bench also said that no manner of restriction should be imposed on Muslims entering the mosque to offer namaaz or religious observances.

The matter had reached the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the Mosque Management Committee, which challenged the civil judge's orders. The order permitted inspection, survey, and videography of the mosque's complex to collect evidence about the alleged existence of idols of Hindu deities inside the mosque, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

After the survey, the lawyers representing the Hindu side claimed that a Shivling was found in the mosque premises. They filed an application for the protection of the Shivling, where upon the civil judge directed the district magistrate, Varanasi, to seal the area.

It also directed the deployment of the CRPF to protect the sealed area and prohibited people from entering it.

-- ANI

18:23

Top gainers at BSE Sensex today.

18:23

BSE Sensex over the last month and today.

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18:01 Central consumer body bars levy of service charge

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Monday barred hotels and restaurants from levying service charge automatically or by default in food bills and allowed customers to file complaints in case of violation.

Amid rising complaints, the CCPA has issued guidelines for preventing unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights with regard to levying of service charge.

As per the guidelines, "No hotels or restaurants shall add service charge automatically or by default in the bill." There should not be any collection of service charge by any other name, it added.

No hotel or restaurant can force a consumer to pay service charge. They have to clearly inform the consumer that service charge is voluntary, optional and at consumer's discretion.

"No restriction on entry or provision of services based on collection of service charge shall be imposed on consumers," the guideline said.

Further, service charge cannot be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying GST on the total amount.

If any consumer finds that a hotel or restaurant is levying service charge in violation of the guidelines, s/he can request the concerned establishment to remove it from the bill amount.

The consumers can also lodge a complaint on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), which works as an alternate dispute redressal mechanism at the pre-litigation level, by calling 1915 or through the NCH mobile app.

They can also file complaints with the Consumer Commission.

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17:47 Security guard shoots himself dead at Indian Embassy in Kathmandu

A 32-year-old Indian national working as a security guard at India's Embassy in Kathmandu in Nepal shot himself dead inside the premises in an apparent suicide bid, sources at the mission said on Monday.

The Indian Embassy sources in Kathmandu confirmed the incident without giving any details.

According to embassy sources, the deceased -- identified as Deepak Singh -- allegedly shot himself with his rifle at around 9 am within the embassy premises.

The body has been sent to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, for post-mortem, according to the police.

The reason behind the suicide is not yet known.

The security guard hailed from Uttarakhand.

"He was on duty when the incident took place," The Kathmandu Post newspaper quoted an embassy official as saying.

A team of Nepal Police visited the Indian Embassy after it informed the Nepali law enforcement agency about the incident, the report said.

Sources said the Indian Embassy is conducting an internal investigation into the incident as it took place on its premises, My Republica newspaper reported.

In January 2005, two security guards were killed and another injured in an 'accidental firing' on the Indian Embassy premises. -- PTI

17:32 Maharashtra to cut VAT, petrol to get cheaper

The Maharashtra government will reduce VAT on fuel soon, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the state assembly on Monday.

A decision to reduce VAT on fuel will be taken in the state cabinet, Shinde informed the House, while replying to a debate after he won the floor test.

16:48 Ajit Pawar to be Oppn leader in Maha Assembly

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was on Monday named the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly.

He succeeds Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Deputy CM on June 30.

Speaker Rahul Narvekar announced that Pawar will take over as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, adding NCP has emerged as the single largest opposition party in the 288-member House.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described Ajit Pawar as a mature politicians and administrator. -- PTI

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader A Raja has implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide 'state autonomy', and not push them to seek an independent country.

Addressing a party meet of representatives of urban local bodies, Raja said though the icon of the Dravidian movement, Thanthai Periyar stood for an independent Tamil Nadu, the DMK moved away from it.

The party, though accepted Periyar, backed integrity and democracy and said, 'long live India' and the party continues to stick to that line.

"I am telling Amit Shah and the Prime Minister with utmost humility, I implore you in the presence of (our) leaders on the dais, our Chief Minister is journeying on the path of Anna (former Chief Minister and DMK founder), do not push us on the path of Periyar. Do not make us seek a separate country, give state autonomy and we will not rest till then," he said. -- PTI

Fact-checking website Alt News on Monday rejected allegations of the Delhi Police that it had received funds from foreign sources in violation of the law.

The website also claimed that the multiple allegations against it were an attempt to shut it down.

"The allegations claim that we have received funds from foreign sources from whom we cannot receive donations. These allegations are categorically false," Alt News said in a statement posted on its Twitter handle.

The Delhi Police had said that Pravda Media, under which Alt News operates, received over Rs 2 lakh through various transactions where either the mobile phone number or the IP address was of foreign countries.

"Our payment platform through which we receive donations does not allow receipt of funds from foreign sources, and we have received donations from Indian bank accounts only," the Alt News statement said.

The statement said all donations collected through these means go to the organisation's bank account.

The Patiala House court in Delhi on Saturday sent the Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair, arrested last Monday, to judicial custody for 14 days.

Alt News also dismissed allegations that Zubair received donations in his personal account.

"The allegation that individuals associated with the organisation have received funds in their personal accounts is also false as individuals associated with the organisation only get monthly remuneration," it said.

Alt News claimed that the allegations against it were an attempt to shut it down.

"All of this is an attempt to shut down the very critical work that we do, and we will fight this attempt to shut us down and come out on top," the statement said. -- PTI

The Supreme Court Monday said that it would hear on July 6, a plea filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami challenging the Madras High Court order staying the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK General and Executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party.

A vacation bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari said it would hear the plea on July 6 subject to the clearance given by Chief Justice NV Ramana.

Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, appearing for the EPS faction, mentioned the matter for urgent listing, saying that the High Court division bench held an extraordinary sitting past midnight and passed the order at 4 am on June 23.

He said that the High Court order restraining the party from taking up any unannounced resolution interferes with the internal functioning of a political party.

Vaidyanathan said that contempt petitions have been filed in the high court alleging violation of the interim order, which is coming up for hearing on Monday.

Counsel appearing in a caveat for party co-ordinator O Panneerselvam faction opposed the request for urgent listing saying it was an interim order and High Court is still seized of the matter.

He said that the order passed in an Original Suit, which is still pending before the high court, and contempt petitions were filed as there was a breach of the directions in the General and Executive councils meetings.

The bench ordered that the matter will be listed on July 6 subject to clearance given by the CJI.

On June 23, the Madras High Court had ruled that no unannounced resolutions could be taken up at the meeting of the AIADMK General and Executive councils here, restraining the camp led by Joint Co-ordinator EPS from initiating any such move over the possible single leadership issue.

The meeting of Tamil Nadu's main opposition party's General Council, its highest decision-making body, and the Executive was held on June 23.

In a late-night hearing that stretched till early June 23, a special division bench had granted the relief to party co-ordinator O Panneerselvam (OPS) at a special sitting held at the senior judge's residence at Anna Nagar in the city, on an appeal against a single judge order.

It had said that the meeting can take place as scheduled and the already decided 23 resolutions can be taken up and adopted.

No other new resolutions touching upon making amendments to party bye-laws to abolish Co-ordinator and Joint Co-ordinator posts and restoring the general secretary post to pave way for single leadership shall be taken up, the High Court had said.

The Delhi Assembly on Monday passed bills pertaining to over 66 per cent hike in salaries and allowances of its members who are among the lowest-paid lawmakers in the country.

Five different bills were tabled for the hike in salaries of ministers, MLAs, chief whip, Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, which were passed by the members.

The members stressed that the salaries should commensurate with the rising prices and the work done by the legislators.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said, "To invite talented people into politics, there has to be rewards. The corporates get talented pool of people because of the salaries."

BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also supported the pay hike. -- PTI

14:52 Money is not everything: Raut to rebel MLAs

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday slammed the rebel MLAs who left the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction and joined the Eknath Shinde faction saying "money is not everything in politics and public life."

"Whenever there is a crisis, we work harder. Crisis gives an opportunity to the party to prove its stand, and we will do it. There is nothing to worry about for us. It is a matter of concern for those who have left. Money is not everything, in politics and in public life. and how will you again come to power without the support of the Shiv Sena cadre," said Raut in an exclusive interview with ANI.

"We always trusted our people and party and believe that these are our people and will remain with us. They have been sitting with us for so many years and are associated with the party,' Raut added.

Further speaking on the trust factor following the split in Shiv Sena, he said, "Trust is a big thing for us in politics, but now our faith is broken but our mind is not broken, till now our courage and spirit is there with us. You can see it on my face. We have never been around power, we have always gone to people and party cadres elected people. It is not a difficult task for us," said Raut.

"Party won't weaken, our oxygen isn't power. We aren't strong because we are in power, we are strong and that's why we are in power. People come and go. They opted to join our party and left due to outside forces. We willl go to villages, will find other workers, " the Shiv Sena leader added.

"Millions of Shiv Sainiks provide us strength. MLAs and MPs have never been our strength. Some people have gone. They will discover their faith soon. The party will work and will bring back the MLAs and MPs by electing them," he added.

"This (BJP and& Shinde faction alliance) is a temporary arrangement, they will not be able to go to people. They were lions in Shiv Sena. Even Kasab didn't have so much security but they had when they reached Mumbai. What are you scared of," added Raut.

The National Commission for Women on Monday asked police in Uttar Pradesh to take action against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for allegedly instigating hatred and ill-will against suspended BJP member Nupur Sharma.

The Supreme Court last week said Sharma "and her loose tongue had set the country on fire' and that she needed to apologise.

Sharma had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

Yadav said on Twitter: "Not only the face but the body should also apologise and should also be punished for disturbing the harmony of the country."

In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police D S Chauhan, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said the tweet is "sheer instigation".

"The National Commission for Women has come across a Twitter post of Akhilesh Yadav instigating a feeling of hatred and ill-will against Nupur Sharma also, inciting communal disharmony between the two religious groups which is extremely condemnable, Sharma said.

"Considering the gravity of the matter, you are required to take immediate action against Akhilesh Yadav...," Sharma wrote.

She also termed the SP chief's statement "unsolicited" as the matter is already being looked into by the judiciary.

"Nupur Sharma is already facing threat to her life and the tweet of Akhilesh is a sheer instigation to the general public to assault Sharma. A fair investigation must be accomplished in a time bound manner," Sharma said.

She said action taken must be apprised within three days. -- PTI

14:23 Lalu in ICU after shoulder fracture

Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad on Monday took ill and was admitted to a private hospital in Patna, less than 24 hours after he had a fall and fractured his shoulder.

The septuagenarian is in ICU, according to an official of the hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

"He has been brought here with complaints of many symptoms, which relate to his shoulder injury and other diseases which he suffers from, including kidney problems," he said.

He, however, added that it would be premature to speculate whether the former Bihar chief minister might have to be referred to a better facility in Delhi.

The RJD supremo's wife Rabri Devi and both sons, Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, were by his side at the hospital.

Prasad, who stays at the residence allotted to his wife in her capacity as an ex-CM, had on Sunday tripped on the stairs and fractured his right shoulder.

Out on bail in fodder scam cases, Prasad had last month obtained permission from the Jharkhand High Court for traveling abroad, preferably Singapore, to get a kidney transplant. -- PTI

'On 29 May 2022, Amit Shah said at the Panchamrut dairy event in Gujarat, "I would tell you as the Minister of Cooperation that through the Cooperative Ministry, there is going to be a huge revolution in the area in the next five years under the leadership of Modiji.

'PM Modi and Amit Shah's interest in the sahakari sector is obvious because of the politics at play. Thirty crore Indians are involved in the cooperative sector. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka are at its forefront. Many other states, including Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, are feverishly working to expand their cooperative sector.

'The annual turnover of PACS is around Rs 8 lakh crore. The business of urban and district cooperative banks stands at around Rs 5 lakh crore.

'For the Modi government, the target for the cooperative sector -- from village to the state level -- is a combined turnover of Rs 30 lakh crore after expansion and digitisation. It wants the cooperative sector to compete with the corporate sector in terms of efficiency and reliability.

'For decades, Indian politicians have treated the cooperative sector as a potent concoction of money, politics and development to reach out to the masses and enhance their party politics. Looking at the activities of the new ministry, it's clear that Shah's latest obsession is the sahakari kshetra,' writes Sheela Bhatt in theprint.in, decoding the Modi government's plans for the cooperative sector, here.

Two more people allegedly involved in the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala have been arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell, officials said on Monday.

With this, the city police has so far arrested five people in connection with the case, they said.

The Delhi Police arrested Ankit and Sachin Bhiwani Sunday night. The two are wanted criminals belonging to Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang alliance, they said.

According to police, Ankit was one of the shooters involved in the killing of Moosewala, while Bhiwani was responsible for harbouring four of the shooters.

A senior police officer said Bhiwani, a native of Haryana, handles the operations of Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Rajasthan. He is also wanted in a case at Churu in Rajasthan.

He also said that Ankit, a resident of Sersa village in Haryana, is also named in two other cases of attempt to murder in Rajasthan.

A 9 mm pistol along with 10 live cartridges, a 30 mm pistol with nine live cartridges, three police uniforms of Punjab Police and two mobile handsets along with a dongle and SIM card have been seized from their possession, police said.

Last month, the Special Cell arrested three people, including two shooters, in connection with the killing of Moosewala.

13:49 3 injured in tiff over pet dog in Delhi

Three people were injured after they were allegedly hit with an iron pipe by their neighbour following a quarrel over a pet dog in Paschim Vihar area, police said on Monday.

It all started with the man attacking a pet dog of the family when he barked at him, they said.

According to police, on Sunday morning, a man named Dharamvir Dahiya was strolling on the street along with some stray dogs when one of the pet dogs of a resident of Block-A of Paschim Vihar started barking at him.

Suddenly Dahiya picked the dog with its tail and threw it away.

Owner of the dog Rakshit aged 25-years came to save his dog but Dahiya attacked the dog again but the dog bit Dahiya. This led to minor scuffle between Dahiya and Rakshit. After some time Dahiya came back at the spot with a iron pipe and hit the dog on its head, a senior police officer said.

He also hit another neighbour Hemant aged 53-years and Rakshit with the pipe. Later on, Dahiya barged into the house of Rakshit to take back pipe used in the assault and in the process, hit a female named Renu aged-45 years, the officer said.

All the injured persons have been medically examined while Dahiya rushed himself in Park Hospital, Khyala due to the dog bite, he added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said that on the statement of Rakshit, a case was registered under section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 451 (trespass) of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act at Paschim Vihat East police station.

Investigation of the case is in progress and facts are being verified, he said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled a 30-ft bronze statue of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju on the latter's 125th birth anniversary in Andhra Pradesh's Bhimavaram.

The 15-tonne statue was carved out at a cost of Rs 3 crore and installed by the Kshatriya Seva Samiti in the Municipal Park at ASR Nagar in Bhimavaram, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, former Union Minister and film star K Chiranjeevi and others were present on the occasion.

The dignitaries paid floral tributes to Raju on the occasion.

Modi felicitated Alluri Srirama Raju, Alluri's nephew, and Bodi Dora, son of Alluri's close lieutenant Mallu Dora. Popularly known as Manyam Veerdu' (Hero of the Forest), Sitarama Raju, also referred to by his surname Alluri, was born on July 4, 1897 at Pandrangi village in the then Visakhapatnam district.

According to history, the regular patriotic discourse during the freedom struggle had a strong influence on Alluri since his childhood. Following the death of his father, his schooling got disrupted and he went on a pilgrimage and toured the western, northwestern, north and northeastern India during his teens. The socio-economic conditions in the country under the British regime, particularly in the tribal areas, deeply moved him.

During those journeys, he met revolutionaries in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). Alluri then made up his mind to build a movement against the British. He organised the local Adivasis in the forest areas along Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts into a potent force to launch a frontal attack.

Thus was born the 'Rampa Rebellion' or the 'Manyam Uprising', in the Rampachodavaram forest area in the erstwhile East Godavari district, which rattled the mighty British forces. Using the Adivasis' traditional weapons, bows and arrows and spears, Alluri spearheaded many an attack on the British forces and became a thorn in their flesh.

He, however, realised that traditional weaponry was no match against the heavily armed British forces and, hence, planned to snatch the enemy's own weapons.

The famed attack on the Chintapalli police station on August 22, 1922, with over 300 revolutionaries was the first in the series, which ended in a haul of firearms. The sheer audacity of Alluri in warning, in advance, the police of the date and time of the attack left the British stunned.

He enlisted the booty and signed the station diary after the attack, making it his hallmark.

He led similar attacks later on Krishnadevi Peta and Raja Ommangi police stations.

The revolutionaries under Alluri's leadership snatched weapons and armoury in all such attacks. A large contingent of Reserve Police personnel from Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Parvatipuram and Koraput was rushed to these areas led by British officers and, in the skirmish that ensued, two -- Scot and Heiter -- were killed by the revolutionaries on September 24, 1922, and several others wounded.

A court in Mumbai on Monday issued a bailable warrant against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after he failed to appear before it in connection with a defamation complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya's wife Medha Somaiya.

The Sewri metropolitan magistrate's court had last month issued a process (summons) against Raut, asking him to appear before it on July 4.

However, neither Raut nor his lawyers were present in the court on Monday, Medha Somaiya's lawyer Vivekanand Gupta said.

"Hence, we made an application for the issuance of a warrant against him, which the court allowed," Gupta added.

The court later adjourned the matter and kept it for hearing on July 18.

Earlier, the magistrate, while issuing summons, had held that documents and video clips produced on record prima facie revealed that the accused made defamatory statements against the complainant (Medha), so that it will be seen by the public at large and read by people in newspapers.

It was also prima-facie proved by the complainant that the words spoken by accused Sanjay Raut were such that it harmed the complainant's reputation, the court had said.

Medha Somaiya, in her complaint filed through advocates Gupta and Laxman Kanal, claimed Raut had made baseless and completely defamatory allegations against her and her husband, accusing them of being involved in a scam worth Rs 100 crore over the construction and maintenance of some public toilets under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation.

She had urged the court to begin proceedings against him on charges of defamation, as defined under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. -- PTI

The condition of a tribal woman, who was set ablaze allegedly by three persons over a land dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, continues to be critical, a police official said on Monday.

The police have so far arrested five persons, including two women, in this connection, he said.

"The condition of the woman, Rampyari Bai (45), continues to be critical. She is undergoing treatment at the government-run Hamidia Hospital in the state capital Bhopal," sub-divisional officer of police Yuvraj Singh said.

The incident had taken place on Saturday afternoon in Dhanoria village under Bamori police station limits, located around 200 km from Bhopal, the official said.

A video, purportedly shot by the accused, had also surfaced on social media platforms, wherein the charred woman was seen crying in pain, with smoke all around her.

The person shooting the video was heard saying the woman had set herself ablaze, and let us shoot the video.

Guna Superintendent of Police Pankaj Shrivastava said the woman's husband, Arjun Saharia, had in a police complaint said when he reached his agricultural field on Saturday afternoon, he found his wife there with several burn injuries.

When he asked his wife about it, she told him that she was set on fire by three persons, identified as Pratap Dhakad (35), Shyam Dhakad (35) and Hanumat Dhakad (25), the official said. -- PTI

12:32 'ED' means Eknath and Devendra: Maha dy CM

Replying to the Maha Vikas Aghadi members' 'ED' taunt to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnvis said on Monday that the rebels MLAs switched sides due to 'ED' only as it is stand for 'Eknath and Devendra'.

Some Opposition MLAs shouted ED in reference to the Enforcement Directorate in the House during the floor test in the State Assembly.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday won the floor test with 164 votes.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday won the floor test in the State Assembly.

In the 288-member House, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence, while 99 voted against it.

Speaker Rahul Narvekar announced that the trust vote has been carried by a majority vote.

After the death of a Shiv Sena MLA recently, the current strength of the Assembly is reduced to 287, thus the majority mark is 144.

Shinde was sworn in as CM on June 30, a day after Uddhav Thackeray quit the post. BJP's Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy CM.

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it would hear next week pleas challenging the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.

A vacation bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari said that petitions will be listed next week before an appropriate bench upon reopening of the apex court after summer vacation.

Last month, the government had announced the Agnipath scheme, under which youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted in the armed forces for a four-year-tenure, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service. -- PTI

The Bombay high court on Monday granted bail to Siddharth Pithani, the former flatmate of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, arrested in a drugs case related to the actor's death.

Rajput's former girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, who is already out on bail, is also an accused in the case.

A single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre granted bail to Pithani on a bond of Rs 50,000.

Pithani was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in May 2021 from Hyderabad. He is currently in judicial custody.

He had been booked under section 27 (A) (financing illicit traffic and harboring offenders) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, among other charges.

Pithani had sought bail, claiming he was framed in a false case.

He had claimed in his plea that he was never found in possession of any drugs, and nothing which could suggest he was involved in drug trafficking was recovered from him.

11:31 Maharashtra floor test begins

Proceedings for a floor test in the Maharashtra assembly have begun.

Voting by head count is currently underway as the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is confidant of the win.

Speaker Rahul Narvekar

11:07 SC to hear Senas plea against speakers action on July 11

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has moved the Supreme Court against the order of new Maharashtra speaker recognising the new party whip of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear on July 11 this fresh plea by the Uddhav faction along with the pending ones.

Another Shiv Sena MLA of Uddhav Thackeray faction, Santosh Bangar, was today seen with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of the Maharashtra trust vote.

Bangar had left with the Shinde faction MLAs from hotel this morning and arrived with them at the assembly.

The Shinde camp now has a total of 40 Shivsena MLAs.

10:55 Active Covid cases in India rise to 1,13,864

India logged 16,135 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,35,18,564, while the active cases increased to 1,13,864, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,223 with 24 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.26 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.54 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 2,153 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

A total of 3,32,978 samples were tested on Sunday, taking cumulative samples tested till date to 86,39,99,907

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed four crore on January 25 this year. -- PTI

10:26 16 killed as bus falls into gorge in Himachal

A private bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Monday, leaving 16 people, including some school children, dead, a senior official said.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the Sainj bound bus fell into the gorge near Jangla village at around 8.30 am.

District officials and rescue teams have reached the spot, he said, adding the injured were being taken to a nearby hospital.

More details are awaited.

A terrorist hideout was busted in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the recovery of six sticky bombs along with other arms and ammunition, police said on Monday.

The hideout was busted at the disclosure of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Talib Hussain Shah who along with his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar were overpowered by people and handed over to police in a remote village in Reasi district on Sunday, a police official said.

He said Shah revealed the presence of a hideout in his Draj village of Rajouri during questioning and accordingly a raid was carried out and the hideout was busted.

The search of the hideout led to the recovery of six sticky bombs, a pistol, three pistol magazines, 19 pistol rounds, an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, three UBGL grenades, 75 rounds of AK assault rifle and one IED remote with antenna, the official said.

Shah and his Kashmiri accomplice Dar were arrested from Tuksan Dhok after they were tactifully disarmed by local residents with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh lauding their courage and announcing cash rewards for them.

However, a political slugfest erupted between the local units of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress after Shah was reported to be an active member of the saffron party who was recently selected as its IT and social media cell in charge of the minority morcha in Jammu province.

Some pictures emerged on social media purportedly showing Shah with BJP leaders.

09:52 Team Shinde seeks suspension of 16 Sena MLAs

Bharat Gogawale, Chief whip of the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) has given a petition to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar for the suspension of 16 Sena MLAs including Aaditya Thackeray for violation of whip.

The 16 MLAs will be issued notice for suspension, the Speaker's office said.

Sini Shetty from Karnataka was on Sunday announced the winner of Femina Miss India World 2022 title at the grand finale of VLCC Femina Miss India in Mumbai.

At the ceremony, hosted at the Jio World Convention Centre, Rajasthan's Rubal Shekhawat emerged as Femina Miss India 2022 first runner-up and Shinata Chauhan from Uttar Pradesh was named Femina Miss India 2022 second runner-up.

Actors Neha Dhupia, Dino Morea and Malaika Arora, designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, choreographer Shiamak Davar, and former cricketer Mithali Raj were part of the jury panel for the evening.

The pageant in its hybrid format had launched a nationwide hunt to find prospective talents from all corners of the country through virtual auditions. The extensive scouting drive and subsequent interview rounds culminated with the shortlisted selection of 31 state winners, a note from the organisers stated.

"These shortlisted finalists arrived in Mumbai and underwent rigorous training and grooming sessions, mentored by the best in the industry, to compete for the coveted Femina Miss India World 2022," the note further read.

Dhupia, former Femina Miss India Universe, said the journey of Femina Miss India brings back "memories of the priceless experiences I've had with this pageant".

"It's almost like reliving every moment of my journey with these young glamorous girls who are so full of enthusiasm and capability to take on the world with power and elegance.

"Certainly, there are challenges with the digital process in the wake of the pandemic, however, I'm confident it will be as exciting and worthwhile irrespective of the layout," the actor said in a statement.

The star-studded evening witnessed performances by actors Kriti Sanon, Lauren Gottlieb, and Ash Chandler. The show was hosted by Maniesh Paul.

VLCC Femina Miss India 2022 was co-powered by Sephora, Moj and Rajnigandha Pearls. -- PTI

The Janata Dal-United and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party were in search of "their own Eknath Shinde", who could pull the rug from under the feet of his own party to benefit the rival, former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan has alleged.

Paswan accused the two parties of remaining in an alliance "just for the sake of power", and charged the BJP with capitulating before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on ideological issues.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, he also claimed that Kumar was trying to cut the BJP to size and had "played a role" in the defection of four AIMIM MLAs to the RJD to achieve this end.

"It is well known that AIMIM MLAs had been in touch with the JD-U since they did not have much of a future in that party which has little presence in Bihar. But, instead of joining the CM's party, they joined the RJD. Kumar was behind this development since now the RJD has snatched the status of the single largest party from the BJP," the young Jamui MP claimed on Sunday.

"Both parties are together just for the sake of power. Both are trying to pull the ally down, looking for an Eknath Shinde who could deliver," Paswan said in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recent political developments in Maharashtra.

Cornered in the party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, following a rebellion by uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras which led to the LJP's disintegration, Paswan also heaped scorn on the BJP for "prostration" before Kumar who has been able to have his way on issues ranging from NRC to caste census.

Notably, the LJP had been an NDA partner until the 2020 assembly polls when Paswan launched a rebellion against Kumar and decided to go solo.

A section of JD-U leaders has been of the view that Paswan had tacit approval of the BJP, which returned with a tally far better than that of the chief minister's party.

Paswan, left in the lurch by BJP that has accommodated Paras in the Union cabinet, now seems to have given up his past adulation for the saffron party as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Claiming that he had been egged on by his father, who was then on death bed, to go it alone, Paswan however made it clear that he will be a part of "one alliance or the other, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or mid-term assembly elections, whichever took place earlier".

Since his exit from NDA, there have been many attempts by the RJD to woo Paswan who seems to be weighing his options. -- PTI

Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government faces a floor test today after Sunday's big win where Bharatiya Janata Party's Rahul Narvekar was elected as the Speaker.

The special two-day session of the State Legislative Assembly comes after a high-voltage political drama in the state where a new government led by rebel Shiv Sena MLA Shinde came to power toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi regime.

Earlier on Sunday evening, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with his faction of Shiv Sena MLAs, held a meeting with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, BJP MLAs, and other party leaders at a hotel in Mumbai to chalk out a strategy for the floor test.

"The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government is set to face a majority test on Monday, the second day of the special session of the legislature. What exactly will be the strategy of the government was discussed in the meeting held in the presence of all the MLAs today," sources said.

Fadnavis claimed that the Shinde government will prove its majority with 166 votes.

"The youngest speaker candidate won the speaker election with 164 votes today as 2 MLAs couldn't come due to health issues. We would prove our majority with 166 votes in the vote of confidence," he said.

At present, the BJP has 106 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly and Shinde is leading 39 rebel Shiv Sena legislators and some Independents.

After the death of a Shiv Sena MLA recently, the current strength of the Assembly is reduced to 287, thus the majority mark is 144.

In a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the Eknath Shinde-led government's floor test, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar has reinstated Shinde as Shiv Sena legislature party leader, removing Ajay Chaudhary.

Narvekar also recognised the appointment of Bharat Gogawale from the Shinde camp as the chief whip of the Sena, removing Sunil Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray faction.

The trust vote will be held in the Assembly on Monday, the last day of the special two-day session of the House.

In a statement late Sunday night, Narvekar said the Maharashtra Legislature secretariat had received a letter from the Shinde-led group on June 22 objecting to his removal by Thackeray as the group leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party.

After discussing the legalities of the matter, the Speaker has rejected the appointment of Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhary as the group leader of the legislative unit of the party, a letter by Narvekar said.

The development comes as a major setback to the Thackeray faction comprising 16 MLAs who will be bound by the whip to be issued by Gogawale for the trust vote.

If these 16 MLAs refuse to follow the whip, they face disqualification.

Reacting to the development, Shiv Sena chief MP Arvind Sawant said his party will challenge this "unconstitutional" decision in court.

"Former Secretary General of Lok Sabha P D T Acharya has given directives that the party leader (chief) has the right to appoint the group leader of the legislative unit of that party. How can you say that (Eknath Shinde) is the (legislative) party leader?"

"We will challenge this decision in court. This is highly unfortunate. The decision is taken on Sunday late night which speaks volumes about how it must have been taken," said Sawant.

He alleged that the decision amounts to trampling the Constitution and democratic norms.

"The BJP is marching towards autocracy," Sawant added.

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