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Fri, 20 May 2022
5 held in Ludhiana court blast case

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23:21   5 held in Ludhiana court blast case
The Punjab police on Friday said it has apprehended five people, including a juvenile, in connection with the blast at the Ludhiana district court complex last year.

Former police head constable Gagandeep Singh was killed while planting the bomb in the washroom of the district court while six others were injured in the blast that took place on December 23, 2021.

Addressing a press conference here, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohnish Chawla said those arrested have been identified as Sawinder Singh alias Bhola of Dhanoe Khurd village, Dilbagh Singh alias Baggo of Chak Allah Baksh village, Harpreet Singh of Dhanoe Khurd and Surmukh Singh of Panju Kalal village.

A juvenile who was nabbed used to allegedly extend technical support by generating international calls from the internet for calling, being used by the traffickers for smuggling of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) from Pakistan.

He was produced before a Juvenile court which sent him to an observation home in Ludhiana.

The IG said during the investigation, Dilbagh Singh revealed that he was involved in the Ludhiana district court complex blast case.

He told the investigators that he received the IED near Balharwal village through a drone.

The IED was trafficked to India through drone on the directions of ISI-backed arms and heroin suppliers, he said.

Dilbagh Singh further revealed that he handed over the IED to Gagandeep Singh at Ludhiana bypass.

Surmukh Singh was earlier arrested by the Special Task Force of the Border range.

The STF, Border range had earlier recovered 3 IED in January and February 2022.

The IG said the accused were allegedly found involved in the supply of drugs, arms and explosives through drones from Pakistan.  -- PTI
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22:59   Special court rejects Sachin Waze's bail plea
A special court on Friday rejected the bail plea of dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in the money laundering case connected to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Special PMLA judge RN Rokade dismissed Waze's bail application, saying 'prima facie' he seemed to be directly involved in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), represented by advocates Sunil Gonsalves and Sriram Shirsat, had opposed Waze's bail application, stating that he had knowingly played a vital role in the offence of money laundering.

The central agency submitted that the 50-year-old former assistant police inspector (API), dismissed from service last year in connection with a separate criminal case, admitted during interrogation that he had collected money from orchestra bar owners in Mumbai.

Waze had filed his bail application through advocates Sajal Yadav and Harsh Gangurde after the court took cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet filed by ED in the case against Deshmukh, his sons and others.

Waze was named as the main accused in the first chargesheet.

The court, while rejecting Waze's plea, took note of ED's submission that if granted bail, he might influence witnesses and hamper the agency's probe.

The ED's case is that while serving as state home minister, Deshmukh, through then-API Waze , collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

The money was then laundered and routed to the Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan, an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family, the ED has claimed.

Deshmukh, a senior NCP leader, was arrested by the ED in November last year and is currently in jail.

Waze is also a key accused in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case in which he was arrested in March 2021 by the National Investigation Agency.

He was subsequently dismissed from service.  -- PTI
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22:32   CBI officials misbehaved with Rabri, claims RJD
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar on Friday accused Central Bureau of Investigation officials of misbehaviour and using unparliamentary language while interrogating Rabri Devi, a former chief minister and the wife of the party's national president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

A CBI team had early in the morning raided the 10, Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi who has been named as accused in a fresh corruption case lodged by the investigating agency.

The case relates to Prasad's tenure as the railway minister and besides the couple, their two daughters Misa Bharti and Hema have been named in the list of 17 accused, according to the FIR uploaded on the CBI website.

The interrogation of Rabri Devi continued for more than 12 hours and heavy deployment of police was made to ensure that the CBI team could exit safely in the midst of hysterical RJD leaders who had squatted on the adjacent street in protest against the conspiratorial action.

Later, a statement was issued by the party's state headquarters wherein spokesman Chitaranjan Gagan alleged, After finding nothing incriminating, the CBI officials took recourse to misbehaviour (badsuluki) and used unparliamentary words (asansadeey shabd) against Rabri Devi.

We reiterate that the latest CBI case and the raids conducted across the country in connection with the same are sponsored by the Bharatiya Janata Party which rules the Centre, alleged the BJP spokesman.

Outside 10, Circular Road, the allegations were made by Shakti Singh Yadav and Ejya Yadav, both former MLAs and currently spokespersons.

Ejya Yadav, along with another spokesperson Sarika Paswan led women activists of RJD in raising slogans against CBI and the 'vendetta' of Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

They rued the absence of Prasad, who is in Delhi, and younger son and political heir Tejashwi, currently abroad, at the time of interrogation and claimed that had either of them been present inside, the CBI sleuths would not have dared to cross limits.

Incidentally, Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, largely seen as a maverick and a misfit, was inside the premises while the raids were being conducted.

Sources close to the family said he was made to sit outside the main quarters where Rabri Devi was being interrogated.

Tired by the long wait, Tej Pratap is said to have whiled away time by getting his neck and back massaged by one of his lackeys.  -- PTI

IMAGE: RJD senior leader Rabri Devi outside her residence after CBI raids, in Patna on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo
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21:36   How can you say this for PM: HC asks Umar Khalid
The Delhi high court on Friday questioned former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, arrested in a Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the riots in New Delhi in February 2020, for using certain words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech in Amravati.

The high court said some other words could have been used for the prime minister in the speech and the line could have been framed in a better manner.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar was hearing Khalid's plea challenging a trial court's order which had on March 24 dismissed his bail application in the case.

As the speech delivered by Khalid on February 17,2020, was played in the courtroom, Justice Bhatnagar objected to the use of certain objectionable words used in the speech in Hindi.


"What is this? How can you use the word ... for the prime minister of the country? You could have framed it in a better way. He is making the statement against the prime minister. Some other words could have been used for the prime minister. He could have stopped at...," Justice Bhatnagar said.

Senior advocate Trideep Pais, representing Khalid, said the words were used as a metaphor to show that the real and practical issues of the country were being hidden in reality.

He said Khalid could have stopped but it is not incitement to violence.

"Did Mahatma Gandhi use words like these in his speeches? He is, again and again, saying that we will follow Mahatma Gandhi Ji," the judge said.

To this, the counsel said that in a democratic set up, various methods are used to arrive at a conclusion or to expose what the government is doing and that one such way is by use of words and speeches.

The bench also asked what Khalid means by the word 'inqalab' and 'krantikari' used in his speech.

"We all know the meaning of 'inqalab zindabad'. You used the expressions 'inqalab' and 'krantikari'. What need to see in what context you have used 'inqalab' word," the bench said.

To this, the counsel said it means revolution and added that it is not a crime to use the word revolution.

"I used the word in my speech in the context of people standing against a discriminating law and protesting against it. By no stretch of the imagination the use of the words 'inqalab', 'krantikari', or revolution can be termed as a crime.

"It was a call for an opposition to an unjust law. He did not call for violence. I used the word as a call to boycott an unjust law," he said.

The court listed the matter for hearing further arguments on May 23.

Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code in the case for allegedly being the 'masterminds' of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The trial court had dismissed the bail petitions by Khalid on March 24.

Khalid has argued in his bail plea before the high court that his speech, which forms the basis for the allegations against him, did not call for violence, was not contemporaneously uploaded on YouTube, was not widely circulated, and that the allegation of commission of the offence of section 124A (sedition) Indian Penal Code or any reaction in Delhi on account of the speech was 'unfounded, unlikely and more than remote'.

The Delhi Police, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, has opposed the bail plea, saying the narratives sought to be created by Khalid cannot be looked into as his defence at this stage and the trial court refused to release him by a well-reasoned order which suffers from no illegality.

Earlier, while granting time to the Delhi Police to respond to the bail plea, the high court had said that Khalid's speech was obnoxious, prima facie not acceptable, and that certain statements in the speech were 'offensive per se'.

Besides Khalid, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.   -- PTI
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21:06   'Land for railway job': Lalu, Rabri made accused
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR in the 'land for railway job' case named Lalu Yadav, his wife, daughters and several others as accused in the case.

On Friday, the CBI conducted searches at 17 locations belonging to Lalu Yadav and his family members in Delhi and Bihar.

The alleged scam took place when Yadav was Railway Minister between 2004 to 2009.

The FIR reads that during the period 2004 to 2009 various persons were appointed as Substitutes in group D post in different zones of Railway in exchange of land, by the unknown Public Servants of Indian Railway and later they were regularised.

It was further alleged that unknown Public Servants of Indian Railway did not follow the instructions/guidelines etc issued by the department that were prevalent during the relevant period for appointment of Substitutes in Group D post in Railways.

It further reads that enquiry has revealed that some individuals although a resident of Patna, Bihar but were appointed as Substitutes in group D post during the period 2004-2009 in different zones of Railway located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hajipur and in lieu thereof the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land in the name of family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, then Minister of Railway, Government of India and a Company AK Infosystems Private Limited.

'Out of seven instances of land transfer, it is revealed that three sale deeds were executed in favour of Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Yadav, one sale deed was executed in the name of Misha Bharti, daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, one sale deed was executed in favour of M/s AK Infosystems Private Limited, in which later Rabri Devi became major shareholder, in the year 2014 and currently she is one of the Director of the Company. Two gift deeds were executed in favour of Hema Yadav, daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav,' it reads.

The enquiry has prima facie revealed that a total of 12 persons were appointed as Substitutes in six different Zones of Railway during the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav was Minister of Railway i.e. from 2004 to 2009 in exchange for above mentioned seven instances of land transfer.

Interestingly, in most of the cases of land transfer, payment to the sellers was shown to be paid in cash. The current value of the above said seven parcels of land including the land acquired through gift deeds as per the existing circle rate is about Rs 4.39 cr.

The enquiry has prima facie indicated that Lalu Prasad Yadav as Minister of Railway, Govt of India as a public servant by abusing his official position obtained a pecuniary advantage in the name of his family members in the form of land in the matter of appointment of Substitutes in group D post in different Zones of Railway, it reads.   -- ANI
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21:03   Youth arrested for mocking 'Shivling' in UP
A youth has been arrested for mocking the 'Shivling' on a messaging platform and hurting religious sentiments, police said on Friday.

Accused Nasir Farhat is a resident of Ambehta in Nakud police station area, they said.

Pramod Kumar, a resident of Chappur in Saharanpur had filed a complaint on Wednesday against Farhat for hurting religious sentiments of the Hindus on WhatsApp, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suraj Rai said.

He was arrested a day later and his mobile phone was confiscated, the SP said.   -- PTI
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20:23   Monkeypox: Govt orders officials to stay alert
Amid cases of Monkeypox reported in a few countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has directed the National Centre for Disease Control and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to keep a close watch on the situation, official sources said Friday.

The Union health ministry has also directed airport and port health officers to be vigilant, they said.

"They have been instructed that any sick passenger with a travel history to Monkeypox-affected countries be isolated and samples sent to the BSL4 facility of the National Institute of Virology in Pune for an investigation," an official source said.

He added, "The Union health minister on Thursday directed the National Centre for Disease Control and the ICMR to keep a close watch and monitor the situation in India."

Cases of Monkeypox have been reported from the United Kingdom, the United States, Portugal, Spain, and some other European countries.

In humans, the symptoms of Monkeypox are similar to but milder than those of smallpox.

According to the World Health Organisation, Monkeypox typically manifests in humans with a fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks.

It can also take a severe from, with the WHO saying the case fatality ratio has been around 3-6 per cent in recent times.

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, the WHO says.

Transmission of the disease can also occur via the placenta from mother to fetus (which can lead to congenital Monkeypox) or close contact during and after birth, the world health body says.

While close physical contact is a well-known risk factor for transmission, it is unclear at this time if monkeypox can be transmitted specifically through sexual transmission routes, according to the WHO.  -- PTI
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20:13  
Fluctuations in Rupee as against US Dollar this week.
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19:33   J-K delimitation panel orders come into effect
The orders of the Delimitation Commission which redrew the assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will 'take effect' from May 20, the Law Ministry said.

The panel's two orders -- one of March 14 dealing with the number of constituencies reserved for various categories and the second of May 5 dealing with the size of each constituency -- will come into effect together from May 20.

The report of the commission will form the basis for future assembly polls in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The delimitation panel had given six additional assembly seats to Jammu region and one to Kashmir Valley and brought areas of Rajouri and Poonch under the Anantnag parliamentary seat. Jammu division will now have 43 assembly seats and Kashmir 47 in the 90-member house.

In a notification on Friday, the Law Ministry said, 'In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections (2) and (3) of section 62 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019), the Central Government hereby appoints the 20th day of May, 2022, as the date on which the orders of the Delimitation Commission, Order No. 1, dated the 14th March, 2022 and Order No. 2, dated the 5th May, 2022,... shall take effect.'   -- PTI
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18:30   International gang held with 218 kg of heroin off Lakshadweep coast
A gang of international smugglers have been apprehended by Indian agencies while trying to smuggle around 218 kg of heroin off the Lakshadweep coast, sources said on Friday.

The operation was jointly carried out by the Indian Coast Guard and the Department Revenue Intelligence (DRI) off Agatti coast in Lakshadweep, sources told PTI.

The narcotics were seized from a boat sailing through the sea, they said.  -- PTI
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18:04   Jet Airways gets nod from DGCA to resume ops
DGCA grants Jet Airways its Air Operators permit, paving the way for the airline to resume operations more than three years after it was grounded.

The airline conducted its first of three sets of proving flights for the permit on Sunday and the other two on Tuesday.

On May 8, the ministry of civil aviation granted security clearance to the grounded carrier. The approval was given basis a nod from the ministry of home affairs.
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18:01   Jammu tunnel collapse: 1 dead, 9 trapped under debris
 One labourer has been killed, while nine others are feared to be trapped under the debris of an under-construction tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district which collapsed last night, District Development Commissioner Mussarat Islam informed on Friday.

Islam also informed that three injured were evacuated yesterday. Speaking with ANI, Islam said, "A body recovered while nine are still trapped under the debris at the Jammu tunnel collapse site. Three injured evacuated yesterday."

National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Quick response team (QRT), and the Indian Army are deployed at the site for search and rescue operations.
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17:40   Very happy, says Indrani Mukerjea leaving jail
Indrani Mukherjea gets into her car at Byculla Jail a day after she was granted bail by the Special CBI court on a Rs 2 lakh surety. "I am very happy," she says.
Photographers outside the gates of Byculla jail
Photographers outside the gates of Byculla jail
17:35   Indrani Mukerjea leaves jail after six years
Former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, left the Byculla jail on Friday, reports Vaihayasi Pande Daniel . The CBI court in Mumbai allowed her release on furnishing a cash bond of Rs 2 lakh.  

 More than six years after she was arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora (24) in April 2012, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Mukerjea (50).
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17:30   RBI board approves Rs 30,307 cr dividend payment to govt
The Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India on Friday approved the payment of Rs 30,307 crore dividend to the central government for the financial year 2021-22.

The Board in its meeting reviewed the current economic situation, global and domestic challenges and the impact of recent geopolitical developments. 

The Board also discussed the working of the Reserve Bank during the year April 2021 - March 2022 and approved the Annual Report and Accounts of the Reserve Bank for the accounting year 2021-22. 

The Board approved the transfer of Rs 30,307 crore as surplus to the Central Government for the accounting year 2021-22, while deciding to maintain the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50 per cent, the RBI said in a statement on Friday.
Bibi ka Maqbara
Bibi ka Maqbara
17:28   House-like structure found during debris work at Bibi ka Maqbara
A residential quarter-like structure was found while debris removal work was underway in the peripheral area of Bibi Ka Maqbara in Maharashtra's Aurangabad, an Archeological Survey of India official said on Friday. 

 Bibi ka Maqbara, also known as Taj of the Deccan, was built by the Mughals in the 17th century and is a prime tourist attraction of the region. "Last year, work of debris removal was undertaken in the south west area of the monument. We found a residential quarter-like structure, which also had a toilet. This structure is contemporary to Bibi ka Maqbara," he said. Work in the area will be completed soon and it can be opened for public soon, the official added. PTI
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17:21   WHO to convene emergency meet on monkeypox
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to convene an emergency meeting of experts to discuss the latest outbreak of monkeypox in wake of rapidly rising cases, according to Russian media.

 The meeting's agenda is believed to be the ways of the virus' transmission, its high prevalence in gays and bisexual men, as well as the situation with vaccines, Sputnik News Agency citing The Telegraph reported on Friday. 

 Since early May, the cases of monkeypox have been witnessed in several countries across the world including the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Australia and Canada. On May 7, a case of monkeypox has been confirmed in England, in a patient who recently travelled from Nigeria, as per the UK Health Security Agency.

 On May 18, the US' Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed a single case of monkeypox virus infection in an adult male with recent travel to Canada. According to the release, the case poses no risk to the public, and the individual is hospitalized and in good condition.
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17:11   Sidhu taken for medical check ahead of jail
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu reaches Mata Kaushalya Hospital in Patiala for a medical examination. Sidhu surrendered in court, a day after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road-rage case.
He will be lodged at the Patiala jail.

Accompanied by some party leaders including Navtej Singh Cheema, the 58-year-old Sidhu reached the district court, which is close to his house, in the afternoon. Cheema drove Sidhu, who was in a dark-coloured 'pathani suit', to the court in an SUV.
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17:08   Homosexuality removed from 'disorder' category in medical textbooks
The National Medical Commission has removed the term "unnatural" from the classification of sexual activities like buccal coitus, lesbianism from 'Forensic Medicine & Toxicology' subject of the MBBS course, a medical expert who was part of the expert panel that made this recommendation said on Friday. 

 The expert panel was constituted by Aruna Vanikar, president of UG Medical Education Board of NMC, on the order of Madras High Court to address the issues about LGBTQIA+ community in the MBBS curriculum. 

 Dr Indrajit Khandekar, Professor of Forensic Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, who was on the panel, said, "Initially, medically science use to label homosexuality as unnatural and, hence, had covered it under disorder category. Now, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), has removed it from the disorder category." 

 There are court orders which lay down that homosexuality is a completely natural condition and natural variant of human sexuality, and, therefore, a decision was taken by NMC to remove the term "unnatural" from medical classification of sexual acts, Khandekar said. PTI
A file pic of Indrani Mukerjea
A file pic of Indrani Mukerjea
16:58   Still no sign of Indrani Mukerjea
Former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, will walk out of prison today.
Senior Rediff.com correspondent Vaihayasi Pande Daniel, who has been covering the case since its inception, is at Byculla jail waiting for Mukerjea to be released. 
A chocolate brown Mercedes had entered the jail premises a while ago, presumably to drive Indrani home. A posse of cameramen and journalists are at the jail and curious passersby wonder if its a filmstar of the same surname being arrested.   
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16:52   Sensex soars 1,534 points; RIL, Dr Reddy's, Tata Steel surge
The Indian stock markets posted a strong recovery on Friday with benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, surging around three per cent led by around six per cent rally in the index heavyweight Reliance Industries. The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex surged 1534.16 points or 2.91 per cent to close at 54,326.39 points against its previous day's close at 52,792.23 points.
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16:40   FDI inflow hits all-time high of USD 83.57 bn in 2021-22
India has recorded the "highest ever" annual FDI (foreign direct investment) inflow of USD 83.57 billion in 2021-22, the commerce and industry ministry said on Friday. 

 In 2020-21, the inflow stood at USD 81.97 billion, it added. "India is rapidly emerging as a preferred country for foreign investments in the manufacturing sector," the ministry said. 

 "India has recorded highest ever annual FDI inflow of USD 83.57 billion in the Financial Year 2021-22," it noted. 

 FDI equity inflow in manufacturing sectors has increased by 76 per cent in 2021-22 (USD 21.34 billion) compared to 2020-21 (USD 12.09 billion). In terms of top investor countries, Singapore is at the top with 27 per cent followed by the US (18 per cent) and Mauritius (16 per cent) during the last fiscal.
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16:29   SC transfers Gyanvapi case to district judge
The Supreme Court  hearing the Gyanvapi mosque case said that the matter will be heard by a higher court in Uttar Pradesh. 

"It would be "better if a more seasoned hand hears the case", the Supreme Court said while giving the ruling.

The Supreme Court, hearing a petition challenging the filming of Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque, also took a stern view of "selective leaks" to the press, saying they must stop. 

This comes after Hindu petitioners released details of the mosque filming report just hours after it was handed over to a Varanasi court in a sealed cover on Thursday.

"Keeping the complexity and sensitivity of the matter in view, the civil suit before the civil judge in Varanasi shall be heard before a senior and experienced judicial officer of the UP judicial service," said the Supreme Court.

The SC suggests that the Gyanvapi mosque case should be heard by a District Judge in Varanasi. "A slightly more seasoned and mature hand should hear this case. We're not making aspersions on trial judge. But a more seasoned hand should deal with this case and it'll benefit all parties," SC observes.

The SC suggests a trial of suit for worship inside the mosque be handled by a District Judge. 

The District Judge will decide the mosque committee's plea whether the suit by the Hindu party isn't maintainable and till then interim order-protection of Shivling area, free access to Muslims for namaz-will continue. The court also says selective leaks must stop, addressing the row over the video survey.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi for Masajid Committee tells Supreme Court that all the orders passed by the trial court from the beginning are capable of creating great public mischief.Ahmadi asks what will happen on the ground till the time the Committee's plea is not decided by the Court? "You have to see how this case is being used for 4 or 5 mosques across the country. This will create public mischief which the 1991 Worship Act wanted to avoid."The plaintiff before the trial court are succeeding in getting a place sealed which was being used by this part for the next 500 years."
File pic
File pic
16:24   Sidhu surrenders in Patiala court
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu surrendered in a court here Friday, a day after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road-rage case.

Accompanied by some party leaders including Navtej Singh Cheema, he reached the district court, which is closed to the former Congress president house, in the afternoon. 

Cheema drove Sidhu to the court in an SUV.
This morning, Sidhu had approached the Supreme Court seeking a few weeks' time to surrender and undergo the one-year rigorous imprisonment imposed on him in a 1988 road rage case. 

 The apex court had on Thursday imposed a sentence of one-year rigorous imprisonment on Sidhu in the case, saying any "undue sympathy" to impose an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law. 

 Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Sidhu, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar and said, "It is after 34 years. He wants to organise his medical affairs."  
Pic: Vaihayasi Pande Daniel
Pic: Vaihayasi Pande Daniel
15:41   Waiting for Ms Mukerea
The cameramen outside Byculla jail waiting for Indrani Mukerjea to be released. Mukerjea's release memo has been issued by the Mumbai sessions court. Her lawyer Sana Raees Khan and her team are at Byculla jail.

Former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, will walk out of prison any time now, as the CBI court in Mumbai allowed her release on furnishing a cash bond of Rs 2 lakh.
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15:21   Dhaakad Review
Kangana Ranaut ticks off all the boxes of the poker-faced spy model in Dhakaad, observes Sukanya Verma, but the the movie needs real rescuing. Read the review here. 
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15:17   Light at the end of the tunnel
The Border Road Organisation today conducted a final 'breakthrough blast' to mark the successful completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel, in Arunachal Pradesh. Director-General BRO Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry conducted it remotely from New Delhi: Ministry of Defence.
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15:04   Peaceful Friday prayers offered at Gyanvapi mosque
The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi witnessed its first Friday prayers at the premises since 'Shivling' was claimed to have been found during a court-ordered survey.

In its appeal to allow Muslims to offer prayers, the Anjuman Intaza Mian Masajid Committee, in the wake of the Gyanvapi controversy, had appealed for the least number of people to attend the Friday prayers today. 

One of the devotees who arrived there confirmed that the prayers concluded peacefully.

People gathered for namaz at the Gyanvapi Mosque premises at 1.30 pm and performed it without 'wazu'.

The Fridays prayers were observed after the Supreme Court directed the district magistrate of Varanasi, on Tuesday, to ensure the protection of the area (where claimed 'Shivling' was found) inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex and allowed Muslims to offer 'namaz' and perform "religious observances" at the premises. -- ANI
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14:46   New Pak FM's 1st visit abroad is to China
At the special invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan's new Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit China between May 21 and 22, his maiden visit to China after assuming office last month, it was announced on Friday. 

 Bilawal's visit will coincide with the 71st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, the Foreign Office said here. 

 This would be Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's first bilateral visit abroad since assuming office last month, the Foreign Office said, adding that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and senior officials will also be part of the minister's delegation. 

 The foreign minister during his visit will hold extensive consultations with Wang Yi. The two leaders will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China. PTI
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14:26   SpiceJet flights held up due to non-payment to AAI
Some SpiceJet flights were held up at the Delhi airport for some time on Friday as there was a delay in daily payment to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by the airline, sources said. 

The airline's spokesperson said the daily payment was delayed due to a software glitch and the flights are now operating normally. 

The AAI had in 2020 put SpiceJet on a "cash and carry" basis as the carrier was unable to clear its previous dues. In the "cash and carry" model, the airline has to make daily payments to the AAI for various charges -- navigation, landing, parking, and others -- to operate flights. 

 When asked about Friday's incident, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, "Due to a technical glitch in SAP, the automatic daily payment could not be processed." 

 "The same is being made manually to AAI which has been apprised of the issue. SpiceJet's flight operations are now continuing normally," the spokesperson added. -- PTI
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14:04   Sensex recovers, climbs 1300+ points
Recovering from the sharp slump in the previous day, the Indian stock markets' key indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading around 2.3 per cent higher in the afternoon session on Friday supported by strong buying interest in metal, energy, auto and banking stocks.

The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex was trading 1189.33 points or 2.25 per cent higher at 53,981.56 points at 12.52 pm against its previous day's close at 52,792.23 points. 

The Sensex has recovered a major part of the losses suffered on Thursday amid the global meltdown. The Sensex had lost 1,416.30 points or 2.61 per cent on Thursday. -- ANI
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13:49   Shelve the idea
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweets, "Check out #PopularFiction in India these days!"

The meaning of his tweet is self-explanatory if you look at the first shelf in the bookcase.  
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13:37   Devotees head to Gyanvapi for Friday prayers
Devotees gathered outside Gyanvapi mosque to offer Friday prayers.  Earlier today, the masjid committee had appealed to the people to come to the mosque in small numbers due to the sealing of the 'Wazukhana'.

The Supreme Court will resume the hearing in the Gyanvapi Mosque case today. 

 "The Supreme Court will hear the Gyanvapi case at 3 pm today. I have heard that the survey report submitted in the court was leaked. I can't say how this happened," said Assistant Court Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh on Gyanvapi Mosque survey.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vishnu Shankar Jain said, "Advocate Hari Shankar Jain is unwell and will recover by tomorrow. The trial court will move forward after the hearing in the Supreme Court." 

 "Two proceedings can't go on simultaneously. I had given an undertaking that since Hari Shankar Jain is unwell and will recover by tomorrow, the matter may be adjourned till tomorrow. Let Supreme Court decide and we will proceed accordingly," the advocate added on Thursday.
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12:57   PK's forecast: Cong will lose in HP, Gujarat
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on the Congress party's Chintan Shivir in Udaipur. "I've been repeatedly asked to comment on the outcome of #UdaipurChintanShivir.  In my view, it failed to achieve anything meaningful other than prolonging the status-quo and giving some time to the #Congress leadership, at least till the impending electoral rout in Gujarat and HP!"

The Indian National Congress adopted some wide-ranging organisational reforms during its three-day Chintan Shivir (over the weekend in Udaipur to determine a future route for the party.

The Chintan Shivir was held at a time when the Congress has lost 10 assembly elections in 13 months and its electoral prospects looking bleak and dismal.

The Congress, promising hard decisions after a series of election debacles since 2014, approved some reforms but steered clear of larger questions, including a leadership revamp. 
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12:42   PM must defend nation: Rahul
India's national security and territorial integrity is non-negotiable and the prime minister must defend the nation, said former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday following reports of China building a second bridge over the Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh. 

 China is constructing the second bridge in an area held by it around the strategically key Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh and it could help the Chinese military to quickly mobilise its troops in the region, according to satellite imagery and people familiar with the development. 

 The bridge is being built amid the lingering standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries at several friction points in eastern Ladakh for over two years. 

"China builds first bridge on Pangong.
GOI: We are monitoring the situation.
China builds second bridge on Pangong.
GOI: We are monitoring the situation," Gandhi said on Twitter.

 "India's national security and territorial integrity is non-negotiable. A timid and docile response won't do. PM must defend the nation," he added. 

 The Congress and Gandhi have been attacking the Narendra Modi government over its response to China on continued transgressions along the border in Eastern Ladakh. PTI
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12:40   Lanka PM welcomes debt relief from G7
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday welcomed the G7 announcement that they will assist the country in securing debt relief as it is grappling with its worst economic crisis. 

Sri Lanka is going through its worst financial crisis since it won independence in 1948. 

The country faces an acute shortage of foreign exchange that has led to an increase in prices and a shortage of vehicular fuel, cooking gas, food, and thermal fuel for electricity production. 

 In this challenging time, the Group of Seven (G7) nations have announced that they will assist Sri Lanka in securing debt relief. The G7 comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

 "I welcome the G7 announcement that they will assist Sri Lanka in securing debt relief. The continued engagement by the international community with Sri Lanka is key to overcoming the economic crisis," Wickremesinghe tweeted on Friday. 

 Meanwhile, the Government of Japan on Friday announced USD 1.5 million funding to help Sri Lanka respond to the ongoing economic crisis. The funds will be used by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food assistance to children and families in need of support.

 On Wednesday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said the country had missed a payment to the Asian Development Bank, blocking fresh funds amid warnings that the currency crisis-hit country could be locked out of multilateral funding in a new blow. -- PTI
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12:30   Deepika wears a 2 bhk Bandra apartment on her neck
The stunning Deepika Padukone has a rather hectic schedule at Cannes. Here she is, attending the screening of Armageddon Time. Take a look  

PS. This stunning Cartier diamond necklace is approximately over Rs 3 crore.

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12:27   Pakistan condemns conviction of Yasin Malik
Pakistan has condemned the conviction of Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik by a Delhi court in a case related to funding of terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, after he pleaded guilty to all charges framed against him. 

 Malik, a Hurriyat leader and chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was convicted on Thursday in a terror funding case dating back to 2017. He is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.
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12:08   SC to resume Gyanvapi mosque hearing at 3 pm
The Supreme Court will resume the hearing in the Gyanvapi Mosque case today.

"The Supreme Court will hear the Gyanvapi case at 3 pm today. I have heard that the survey report submitted in the court was leaked. I can't say how this happened," said Assistant Court Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh on Gyanvapi Mosque survey.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vishnu Shankar Jain said, "Advocate Hari Shankar Jain is unwell and will recover by tomorrow. The trial court will move forward after the hearing in the Supreme Court."

"Two proceedings can't go on simultaneously. I had given an undertaking that since Hari Shankar Jain is unwell and will recover by tomorrow, the matter may be adjourned till tomorrow. Let Supreme Court decide and we will proceed accordingly," the advocate added on Thursday.

The Varanasi court, meanwhile, will resume hearing the case on May 23.Meanwhile, the Anjuman Intaza Mian Masajid Committee in the wake of the Gyanvapi controversy has appealed for the least number of people to attend the Friday prayers today. -- ANI
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12:04   Air India's plane's engine shuts down mid-air
An A320neo plane of Tata Group-run Air India returned to the Mumbai airport just 27 minutes after take off as one of its engines shut down mid-air due to a technical issue, sources said on Friday. 

Air India spokesperson said the passengers were flown to the destination Bengaluru after a change of aircraft on Thursday. 

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation is conducting an investigation into this incident, sources said. 

The A320neo planes of Air India have CFM's Leap engines on them. The pilots of the A320neo plane received a warning about high exhaust gas temperatures on one of the engines just minutes after the aircraft's departure from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 9.43 am. 

 With that engine being shut down, the pilot landed back at the Mumbai airport at 10.10 AM, sources said. 

 When asked about the incident, Air India spokesperson said: "Air India accords top priority to safety and our crew are well adept at handling these situations. Our Engineering and Maintenance teams had immediately started looking into the issue." 

 "The scheduled flight had left with passengers to Bengaluru after a change of aircraft," the spokesperson added. -- PTI
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12:02   SC on Pegasus: 29 infected mobile phones being examined
Update: The Supreme Court on Friday extended the time for submitting the report by the apex court-appointed technical and supervisory committees to look into the Pegasus row, saying 29 infected mobile phones are being examined for the spyware and the process should be over in four weeks.

 A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said the technical committee has been examining mobiles for the spyware and has also recorded statements of persons including some journalists. Standard operating procedure for testing the 'infected devices' will be finalised too, it said, adding the probe by the technical committee may be over by the May end and then the supervisory judge would be making a report for the perusal of the bench. 

Preferably, the process by technical committee should be over in four weeks and the supervisory judge should be informed. 

The supervisory judge shall submit his report thereafter. List sometime in July, the CJI said.

 The apex court, in October last year, had ordered a probe into the alleged use of the spyware. An international media consortium had reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using the Pegasus spyware. PTI
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12:01   Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan released from prison
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan walked out of the Sitapur Jail in Uttar Pradesh on Friday morning, a day after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a cheating case. 

 Khan's son and MLA Abdullah Azam, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav and a large number of supporters welcomed the senior SP leader upon his release after 27 months. 

 Azam Khan had 88 cases, including that of land grabbing, registered against him. 

On Thursday, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a cheating case, paving the way for his release. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav welcomed Khan's release.
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11:43   Want Pegasus report by June 20: SC
The Pegasus probe panel has been granted four more weeks by the Supreme Court to submit its report.

The court today directed the panel to submit its report by June 20, 2022. 

Standard operating procedure for test of 'infected devices' will be finalised too, says SC.

Details awaited.
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11:26   Navjot Sidhu seeks few weeks in SC to surrender
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking a few weeks' time to surrender to undergo the sentence imposed on him in a 1988 road rage case. 

 The apex court had on Thursday imposed a sentence of one-year rigorous imprisonment on Sidhu in the case, saying any undue sympathy to impose an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law. 

 Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Sidhu, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar and said the former cricketer needed a few weeks to surrender. "He will of course surrender shortly," Singhvi told the bench, adding, "We want a few weeks to surrender. It is after 34 years. He wants to organise his medical affairs."

The bench, also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala, told Singhvi that the judgement in the matter was passed by a special bench. 

"You can file that application and mention it before the Chief Justice. If the Chief Justice constitutes that bench today, we will consider that. If that bench is not available, it will have to be constituted. A special bench was constituted for that matter," the bench observed. Singhvi said he will try to mention the matter before the Chief Justice. PTI
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11:19   Congress can hold a million Chintan Shivirs but cant defeat BJP until Rahul is around
Rahul Gandhi says he knows that only the Congress can defeat the BJP. So why then doesn't he realise that he is one reason why it hasn't happened yet?
Read Vir Sanghvi's column here. 
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11:16   CBI registers fresh case against Lalu Prasad Yadav
The CBI has registered a fresh case against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members on the charge of taking land from aspirants in return for jobs in the railways when he was the Union Minister in the UPA government, officials said on Friday. 

 The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry into allegations which was converted into the FIR, they said.

 Following the FIR against Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misa and Hema, besides several candidates, the CBI started a search operation on Friday morning at 16 locations in Delhi, Patna and Gopalganj. 

 The probe agency has registered the FIR under IPC section 120-B, which deals with criminal conspiracy, and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, officials said. 

 It is alleged that several prime properties were given to the Yadav family in exchange for jobs in Railways under Lalu Prasad Yadav from 2008 to 2009. -- PTI
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11:06   Bomb hoax sends B'luru airport officials into tizzy
The security apparatus at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru went into a tizzy in the wee hours of Friday following a hoax call about the presence of a bomb. 

 According to police, the airport police control room received a call at about 3.45 am resulting in a vigorous drill for the security personnel deployed there. After about three and half hours of search, the officials concluded that it was a hoax call. 

 "We are still working on the info but it seems it was a hoax call," a police official told PTI. The police have launched an investigation to find out the caller.
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10:52   I can see bright future for India: Modi
"I can see the country's bright future amid rising aspirations of people," PM Modi in an address to a BJP meeting. 

Modi asks the BJP to launch a campaign to ensure no poor, eligible beneficiary left out of govt's welfare measures. Eight years of BJP-led NDA govt dedicated to poor's welfare, balanced development, social justice and social security.

"NDA govt will be completing 8 years in power this month. These years have been that of servicing the nation, working for the welfare of the poor and the middle class along with ensuring social justice and security and strengthening women's empowerment.

"India is seen as a country filled with aspirations. Now, every citizen of India wants to see the work getting done along with witnessing the final outcome. In this backdrop, the responsibility of governments increase tremendously," the PM said.
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10:33   Fitch downgrades Sri Lanka to 'restrictive default'
New York-based ratings agency Fitch has downgraded debt-ridden Sri Lanka's sovereign rating to restricted default after the country defaulted on making international sovereign bond payments at the end of the 30-day grace period. 

 The downgrade comes at a time when the Central Bank governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe conceded on Thursday that Sri Lanka won't be able to pay back its debts until it restructures them. The bond payments, which was due on April 18, were worth USD 78 million, with a 30-day grace period that expired on Wednesday. 

 On April 12, Fitch had downgraded Sri Lanka to C'. We have downgraded Sri Lanka's foreign-currency issue ratings to D' from C', given the default on the senior unsecured foreign-currency bonds and the cross-default clauses triggered in the other rated international foreign-currency sovereign bonds, the rating agency said on Thursday. -- PTI
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10:31   Raj Thackeray postpones Ayodhya visit on June 5
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray postpones his Ayodhya visit which was scheduled for June 5. He says he will share more details on this at his rally in Pune on 22nd May.

The MNS issued a warning Thursday -- that Maharashtra would 'rise up' if anyone tried to harm their leader. Visuals of the warning -- written on a poster and displayed in Mumbai's Lalbaug area -- were shared by news agency ANI.

Raj Thackeray - widely criticised over a row in the state about mosques' use of loudspeakers for azaan - is expected to visit Ayodhya in June.

The MNS has begun preparing for Thackeray's Ayodhya rally by booking trains and hotels.

However, the visit has not been received as well even by religious leaders in the temple town, some of whom have said he must apologise to north Indians for his past comments.

It may be noted that Uttar Pradesh's BJP MP from Kaiserganj Brijbhushan Sharan Singh had asked Thackeray to either apologise to north Indians for his anti-north Indian politics or cancel his visit to Ayodhya.
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10:11   Markets rebound after heavy decline in previous trade
Equity benchmarks made a sharp recovery on Friday after a heavy decline in the previous trade, with the Sensex jumping over 1000 points in early trade, tracking positive trends from Asian markets.
 
Also, jump in index major Reliance Industries helped the benchmarks bounce back.
"Indices are set to trade with firm gains amid positive signals from its Asian peers," said Mohit Nigam, Head - PMS, Hem Securities. 
All the Sensex firms were trading in the green in early trade, with Tata Steel, Dr Reddy's, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma and Reliance Industries emerging as the biggest gainers.    
The BSE benchmark dived 1,416.30 points or 2.61 per cent to settle at 52,792.23 on Thursday. The NSE Nifty tanked 430.90 points or 2.65 per cent to end at 15,809.40.
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10:08   Sidhu to surrender before Patiala court today
A few Congress leaders and supporters on Friday morning turned up at the residence of the party's former Punjab unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who has been sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road-rage case.
 
Sidhu is likely to surrender before a court in Patiala on Friday itself. Former Congress legislator Surjit Singh Dhiman was among those to reach Sidhu's residence in Patiala.
Patiala District Congress Committee president Narinder Pal Lali, in a message to party supporters on Thursday night, had said that Navjot Singh Sidhu would reach the court at 10 am. He urged the party supporters to reach the court complex around 9:30 am.
The cricketer-turned politician's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu had reached the Patiala residence on Thursday night.
The Supreme Court Thursday had sentenced Navjot Singh Sidhu to one-year rigorous imprisonment in a 1988 road-rage case, saying any undue sympathy to impose an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law.
The apex court enhanced the sentence of Sidhu to one-year rigorous imprisonment in the road rage incident in which a 65-year-old man had died.
Sidhu, 58, had taken to Twitter to say he "will submit to the majesty of the law" as the cricketer-turned-politician rode an elephant in Patiala earlier in the day to register a symbolic protest against rising prices of essential commodities.
A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and S K Kaul allowed a review plea filed by the victim's family on the issue of the sentence awarded to Sidhu.
Though the apex court had in May 2018 held Sidhu guilty of the offence of "voluntarily causing hurt" to the 65-year-old man in the case, it spared him a jail term and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000.
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09:57   Indian-origin man faces 21 cheating charges in Singapore
An Indian-origin man was charged in a Singapore court on Thursday for cheating two others of SGD 1.6 million (around USD 1.1 million) under a timeshare recovery scheme that was linked to a payout agency in Bangalore.
 
Murlidharan Muhundan, 45, faces 21 charges of cheating, two charges of abetting cheating and another two charges of attempted cheating, according to a report by The Straits Times.
 
He is alleged to have cheated Chinese-origin Ooi Phaik Cheng and Indian-origin Marimuthu Therumalai in the timeshare recovery fraud.
 
Murlidharan deceived Ooi on 13 occasions into believing that "Bhagyam Agencies Bangalore" would provide a payout for her timeshare agreement, the broadsheet reported, citing court documents.
 
She was duped into paying Murlidharan sums ranging from SGD 5,000 (USD 3,619) to SGD 100,000 (USD 72,391) between July 2020 and January last year.
 
Murlidharan also allegedly deceived Marimuthu on 12 occasions, including making him believe that he had to pay a fine of SGD 250,000 (USD 1,80,979) for taking photos at an office in Collyer Quay in November last year.
 
Marimuthu was also deceived into paying between SGD 20,000 (USD 14,478) and SGD 150,000 (USD 1,08,587) to Murlidharan between July and November last year to receive payouts from his timeshare agreement, according to the Singapore daily report.
 
Those convicted of any of these offences face an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
 
On Thursday, the police urged members of the public to be vigilant when receiving unsolicited calls from companies or individuals purporting to help them recover monies from their timeshare memberships.
Individuals are advised to be wary when someone calls them regarding their timeshare membership. They should refrain from providing any personal information or details on their timeshare membership to the caller.
 
They are also urged to conduct back. ground checks on the company's track record before engaging its services and request a copy of the documentation on its proposals, representations, contracts and agreements.
 
The police also advised the public to be wary if the company is reluctant to provide documentation. They should check with the timeshare developer if the company had dealt with the former in the recovery of timeshare membership fees, and exercise extra caution if asked to make upfront payments. -- PTI 
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09:28   10 trapped after under-construction tunnel collapses in JK
A part of an under-construction tunnel has collapsed on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, trapping at least 13 labourers, three of whom were rescued, officials said on Friday.
The incident occurred late on Thursday night and the rescue operation was in full swing. Officials said the three rescued workers have been admitted to hospitals.
Several machines and trucks have been damaged in the incident.
"Around 10.15 pm on Thursday, the audit tunnel of T3 on the highway near Khooni Nallah in Ramban collapsed, trapping 11-12 labourers of Sarla Company working there," a senior official told PTI. 
The rescue operation started at midnight and was going on in full swing with rock breakers being used to reach the trapped people, he said, adding one of the three injured have been taken to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu.
Union minister Jitendra Singh termed the collapse of a part of the under-construction tunnel on the national highway stretch between Ramban and Ramsu "unfortunate".
"I'm in constant touch with DC Mussrat Islam. Nearly 10 labour workers were trapped under the debris. Another two were rescued and hospitalised with injuries. Rescue operations going on in full swing. Civil administration and police authorities are monitoring the situation," he said.
Those trapped inside the tunnel are West Bengal residents Jadav Roy (23) Gautam Roy (22), Sudhir Roy (31), Dipak Roy (33) and Parimal Roy (38), Shiva Chowhn (26) from Assam, Nepali citizens Nawaraj Chowdhury (26) and Kushi Ram (25), and Jammu and Kashmir residents Muzaffar (38) and Israt (30), officials said.
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08:57   Azam Khan walks out of jail after 27 months
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was released from the Sitapur jail in Uttar Pradesh on Friday morning, a day after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in an alleged cheating case.
 
Khan's son and MLA Abdullah Azam, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav and a large number of supporters welcomed the senior SP leader upon his release.
The jailor of Sitapur prison, R S Yadav, said the release order was received around 11 pm on Thursday and after following all procedures, Azam Khan was released around 8 am on Friday.
The Supreme Court granted him interim bail on Thursday. 

A local MP-MLA court had sent a letter to the Sitapur Jail administration late in the night seeking the release of the senior SP leader.
Azam Khan was lodged in jail for the last 27 months in connection with several cases, including that of land grabbing. 

The grant of the interim bail by the Supreme Court paved the way for his release from prison. -- PTI 
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08:29   Rihanna welcomes baby boy with boyfriend A$AP Rocky
Barbadian singer-songwriter Rihanna has given birth to her first child, a baby boy, with rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

The baby was born on May 13 in Los Angeles.

A source close to the couple has revealed that they are at home in Los Angeles with the baby. 

"Rihanna is doing well. They are very excited to be parents. Rihanna is already a wonderful mom," the source said, according to People magazine.
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08:19   CBI files fresh case against Lalu, raids 15 locations
The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a fresh case against Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in a fresh corruption case over alleged irregularities in recruitment during his tenure as Bihar chief minister.

The central agency also carried  searches at 15 locations linked to the Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch, including his residences.

Gyanvapi mosque
Gyanvapi mosque
00:41   Won't back down this time: Ayodhya plaintiff
Main plaintiff in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case Haji Mahboob has claimed that the country will be ruined if Muslims begin a movement to save the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Idgah in Mathura.

He alleged that after the Babri mosque, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is now conspiring to take away the Gyanvapi mosque and the Shahi Idgah.

"They should forget about taking away the two mosques forcibly as there will be a big movement to save the Gyanvapi mosque and the Idgah in Mathura, and Muslims will not back down this time," Mahboob said.

"Gyanvapi Masjid will remain where it is. A propaganda is being created that a Shivling has been found. It is indeed a fountain in the mosque's wazookhana," he said.

Talking about the Babri mosque verdict, Mahboob said, "The Supreme Court in its Ayodhya verdict, even after accepting every thing in favour of Babri Masjid, awarded the decree in favour of Ram Mandir. We remained silent and allowed the Ayodhya issue to get resolved."

While a Varanasi court is hearing a petition of a group of women seeking the right to worship daily the Hindu idols on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque, a Mathura district court on Thursday said a plea seeking to remove the Shahi Idgah Masjid from the complex it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev Temple is admissible.   -- PTI

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