The ex-CJI said the Supreme Court passed a series of judgments declaring the collegium system necessary to ensure the independence of the judiciary, but added that the judiciary is merely one of the many players involved in the process.

 

Ramana also said the absence of an institutional mechanism to ensure diversity on the Bench in the judiciary is a problem.

 

He was speaking online on the topic Cultural Diversity and the Legal Profession at the National Cultural Diversity Summit of Asian Australian Lawyers' Association Inc.

 

In India, the appointment of judges to high courts and the Supreme Court takes place through the  'Collegium system' in which five senior-most judges of the top court have full power to decide on who must be appointed to the judiciary, the former CJI noted.

 

"The Supreme Court passed a series of judgments declaring the 'Collegium system' to be necessary to ensure the independence of the judiciary and to exclude the influence of the executive. However, the fact is that the judiciary is merely one of the many players involved in the process.

 

"Many authorities are involved, including the state or central Government, as the case may be. There have been various concerns raised in different quarters, including by the Government, lawyers' groups and civil society, relating to the functioning of the collegium system in India. These cannot be ignored or brushed aside, and definitely merit consideration," Ramana said.

 

Last month, Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju suggested there is a need to rethink the collegium system to expedite the process of appointment in the higher judiciary as there are concerns about the existing process.

 

"The system which is in place is causing trouble and everyone knows it," he had said.

 

The NDA government had in 2014 tried to change the system of appointing judges. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act brought in 2014 would have accorded a major role to the executive in appointing judges to the higher judiciary. But it was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015.

 

On Saturday, Ramana said the diversity on the Bench leads to a diversity of opinions, "one that is built upon their different experiences in the world".

 

"They may have a more nuanced understanding of the differing impacts that particular legislation or judgment may have on different communities or sections of the society.

 

"But beyond that, representation on the Bench has the important feature of making people feel like insiders within the system and not outsiders whose fate is being decided by someone unconnected. It has an important 'signalling' effect," he said.

 

Ramana said he attempted to ensure the appointment of judges from diverse backgrounds.

Russia on Saturday said it has withdrawn its troops from the once-occupied city of Lyman, as Ukraine's eastern counteroffensive recaptures more territory.

This comes a day after after Russian president Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of the Donetsk region, along with three other regions, at a ceremony on Friday that was condemned by Kyiv and the West as a farce.

Lyman is 160 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. 

Ukrainian forces had pushed across the Oskil River as part of a counteroffensive that saw Kyiv retake vast swathes of territory beginning in September.

Lyman, a key transportation hub, had been an important site in the Russian front line for both ground communications and logistics. 

Following two incidents of drones flying near defence establishments, Nashik Police in Maharashtra has ordered residents to deposit all drones with nearby police stations.

  

The order was issued by city police commissioner Jayant Naiknavare on Friday.

The North Maharashtra city has several important defence and government establishments such as the School of Artillery, Deolali Cantonment, India Security Press, Air Force Stations and Combat Army Aviation School.

As per the cases registered with Upnagar police station on August 27 and Adgaon police station on September 24,  unauthorized drones were spotted flying over the Combat Army Aviation School and Defence Research and Development Organization facility near Ojhar, respectively.

Drone flying is prohibited in these areas. 

As per the order issued by the commissioner, private drone owners and operators in the city should immediately hand over their drones to the police stations under whose jurisdiction they live or do business.

Whenever they want to use a drone (for shooting videos or taking pictures, etc.) they would need to take permission from police, use the drone under police supervision by paying a fee and return it to the police station  after use, the order said.

The order will not be applicable to drones owned by government, semi-government and defence establishments.

But these establishments will have to inform the concerned police station in advance about flying a drone. 

The order will be effective till October 15, the official release said. -- PTI 

Political strategist Prashant Kishor will embark on a 3,500 km 'padyatra' in Bihar from West Champaran district on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on Sunday as part of his 'Jan Suraj' campaign. 

 

The yatra is likely to take anywhere between 12-18 months and it is being widely seen to be a likely precursor to his entry in politics even though he has often stressed that any such decision can only be taken by people who associate themselves with his campaign.

A statement said Kishor will attempt to reach every panchayat and block during the yatra and will be a part of it till its end without taking any break.

He will start his journey from Gandhi Ashram in Bhitiharwa in West Champaran, where the father of the nation had launched his first satyagraha movement in 1917.

In the run up to the yatra, Kishor had been touring the backward state to interact with members of civil society, emphasising that the state does not merely need a change of government but require coming together of well-meaning people to transform the system.

The statement said the yatra has three main goals, including identifying right people at the grassroots and bring them on a democratic platform.

It will also work to make a vision document for the state by incorporating views from experts in different fields, including education, health, agriculture and industry. -- PTI

The Congress on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for putting up front page advertisements in a few vernacular dailies in Karnataka, calling the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the grandfather of India's Partition.

         

As Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra' (Unite India March) entered the second day in Karnataka, the State unit of the BJP put out an advertisement in some Kannada newspapers which read, Can the great grandson unite what the grandfather of India partition' did?

       

With a map dividing Pakistan and Bangladesh in the middle of Nehru's and Rahul Gandhi's photographs, the advertisement painted in black questions, Can the unity of India possible from a party, which caused the bloodbath of the citizens only to come to power?

      

The BJP alleged that the agenda of Bharat Jodo Yatra' is to disintegrate India.

      

The Congress took strong exception to the accusation, saying the right wing has always been on the wrong side of the history.

      

The BJP gave the advertisement. The right wing ideology has always been on the wrong side of the history. Since they could not write history, they are trying to rewrite history, the Congress chairman of media and publicity Pawan Khera told reporters.

    

He alleged that the two-nation theory was first mooted by the Hindu Maha Sabha in its Ahmedabad convention in 1937, which was presided over by Hindutva ideologue Savarkar.

    

In 1942, the founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah repeated the same in the Lahore convention of the Muslim League, the Congress leader said.

    

In 1942 when the Congress left all the provincial governments in protest and to participate in the Quit India movement, the Sabha joined hands in alliance with the Muslim League in three provincial Assemblies -- West Bengal, NWFP and Sindh where the first resolution for Pakistan was passed, Khera claimed.

   

I challenge them (right wing) that they were in alliance with the Muslim League and they did not stop it. It's clear who partitioned India. They (BJP) are talking to a person whose grandmother divided Pakistan. They (BJP) don't know the history before 1947 and 1971. They don't know their own history, Khera charged. -- PTI

At least 50 students of a government primary school in a village here were taken ill after being administered the DPT vaccine.

   

They were rushed to the nearby government primary health centre where they were treated till late evening and later discharged.

 

The incident occurred on Friday at village Nai ka Nagla under Dadon Police station.    

On Saturday, Chief Medical Officer of the district Neeraj Tyagi, however, told reporters that the affected children were only suffering from "routine reactions" from such vaccination.

 

He said that a team of doctors had been sent to the affected village on Saturday morning " and all the children have recovered".

 

The issue stirred a controversy after a number of parents alleged before mediapersons and social workers who arrived at the health centre that the vaccines were administered forcibly to their children without informing them.

 

"The gates of the school were locked when some students tried to run away from the school to avoid the vaccination," the parents of a student alleged.

 

CMO Tyagi told reporters that media reports suggesting that the children "fell seriously ill" were "grossly exaggerated".

 

He admitted that about 50 children were brought to the government health centre in ambulances but added that "the affected children were only suffering from routine reactions which take place after such vaccinations".

 

He said some of the children did suffer from vomiting but all have recovered.

 

The CMO did not respond to allegations that the children were  "forcibly vaccinated without informing their parents".

 

Meanwhile, Ramavtar Yadav, the district president of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, has written to the chief minister urging him to order an inquiry into the episode. -- PTI 

WhatsApp banned over 23.28 lakh Indian accounts in August, of which over 10 lakh accounts were proactively taken down before any report from users, the messaging platform said on Saturday.

 

This is lower than the level seen in the previous month. 

Over 23.87 lakh Indian accounts were banned by WhatsApp in July.

 

"Between 1 August, 2022 and 31 August, 2022, 2,328,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned. 1,008,000 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users," WhatsApp said in its monthly compliance report.

 

An Indian account is identified via a +91 phone number.

 

Over 22 lakh Indian accounts were banned by WhatsApp in June on the basis of complaints received via its grievance redressal channel and through its own mechanism to detect violations. Earlier, 19 lakh such accounts were banned by WhatsApp in May, 16 lakh accounts in April, and 18.05 lakh in March.

 

The tougher IT rules, which came into effect last year, mandate large digital platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken.

 

Big social media firms have drawn flak in the past over hate speech, misinformation and fake news circulating on their platforms. Concerns have been flagged by some quarters time and again over digital platforms acting arbitrarily in pulling down content, and 'de-platforming' users.

 

The government is in the midst of formulating new social media norms that propose to give users a grievance appeal mechanism against arbitrary content moderation, inaction, or takedown decisions of big tech companies.

 

According to the latest report, as many as 598 grievance reports were received, and 19 accounts were "actioned" between August 1 and August 31, 2022.

 

Of the total reports received, 449 pertained to 'ban appeal' while others were in the categories of account support, product support and safety, among others.

 

"We respond to all grievances received except in cases where a grievance is deemed to be a duplicate of a previous ticket. An account is 'actioned' when an account is banned or a previously banned account is restored, as a result of a complaint," the report said.

 

The IT ministry, in June, circulated the draft rules that propose a panel to hear user appeals against inaction on complaints made, or against content-related decisions taken by grievance officers of social media platforms.

 

At present, "there is no appellate mechanism provided by intermediaries nor is there any credible self-regulatory mechanism in place", the ministry had said.

 

The government had last year notified IT rules to make digital intermediaries more accountable and responsible for content hosted on their platforms.

 

In its compliance report, WhatsApp said: "We will continue with the transparency to our work and include information about our efforts in future reports." -- PTI 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Gujarat's Vadodara city on Saturday with at least 50 ambassadors and high commissioners to participate in the ongoing Navratri festival.

          

Vadodara, known as the cultural capital of the state, is famous for its 'garba' events, which are attended by thousands of people who dance in a synchronised way to music and traditional songs in praise of the goddess.

               

"Great to see Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Vadodara for the Navratri experience. Look forward to participating in the celebrations tonight," Jaishankar, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, tweeted on his arrival here.

              

He told reporters nearly 50 Ambassadors and High Commissioners have come with him to "enjoy garba tonight".

            

"On Sunday, they all will be at Kevadia (to see the Statue of Unity and other attractions) and stay overnight there. This is a great opportunity for them to understand Gujarat," the External Affairs Minister said. -- PTI 

The executive committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved 14 projects worth Rs 1,145 crore pertaining to sewerage management, curbing industrial pollution, and biodiversity conservation among others, a statement said on Saturday.

   

The projects were approved at the 45th meeting of the executive committee under the chairmanship of G Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG, it said.

 

The projects include eight related to sewerage management in five main stem Ganga basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the statement said.

 

For sewerage management, four projects in Uttar Pradesh were approved, including tapping of Assi drain in Varanasi by constructing a 55 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), and other works costing Rs 308.09 crore, it said.

 

The projects were sanctioned with the objective of achieving zero untreated discharge from three drains � Assi, Sanme ghat and Nakhha, it said.

 

Other projects include construction of 13 MLD STP and renovation of existing structures among others in Vrindavan at a cost of Rs 77.70 crore, construction of 12 MLD STPs and laying of interception and diversion (I&D) network in Kosi Kalan town in Mathura district costing Rs 66.59 crore, and six MLD STPs and laying of I&D network in Chhata town in Mathura.

 

The above projects in Mathura-Vrindavan envisage to intercept and divert two, one and 11 drains that have their outfall into Kosi drain, which ultimately discharges into Yamuna river at Mathura. -- PTI

Indore was adjudged India's cleanest city for the sixth time in a row, while Surat and Navi Mumbai followed it on the next two spots in the Central government's annual cleanliness survey, the results of which were announced Saturday.

 

In the category of best performing states in 'Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022', Madhya Pradesh has secured the first position, followed by Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

Indore and Surat retained their top positions in the big cities category this year, while Vijaywada lost its third spot to Navi Mumbai.

 

Among the states having fewer than 100 urban local bodies, Tripura has bagged the top rank, according to the survey results.

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave away the awards to the winners at an event in Delhi also attended by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and others.

 

In the category of cities having population fewer than one lakh, Maharashtra's Panchgani was ranked number one, followed by Chhattisgarh's Patan (NP) and Maharashtra's Karhad.

 

Haridwar was adjudged the cleanest Ganga town in the category of more than 1 lakh population, followed by Varanasi and Rishikesh.

 

Bijnor was ranked the first among Ganga towns with fewer than one lakh population. followed by Kannauj and Garhmukhteshwar respectively.

In to the survey, Maharashtra's Deolali was adjudged the country's cleanest Cantonment Board.

 

The 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan was conducted to study the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and rank the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) based on various cleanliness and sanitation parameters.

The Survekshan has evolved from being an assessment of 73 cities in 2016  to covering 4,354 cities this year. -- PTI 

The Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth has dismissed a guest lecturer and banned his entry "in view of the university atmosphere getting vitiated and examinations affected" after he wrote on social media women should read the Constitution and the Hindu Code Bill "instead of fasting for nine days during navratra". 

 

Registrar Sunita Pandey said the action was taken after students complained about Mithilesh Kumar Gautam, the guest lecturer, through a letter. 

In his social media post in Hindi, Gautam had written, "For women, it is better to read the Constitution of India and the Hindu Code Bill instead of fasting for nine days during Navratra. Their lives will be free from fear and slavery. Jai Bheem." 

In an office order, Pandey said, "On September 29, students had complained through a letter stating that Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam, a guest lecturer in political science department, had posted some material on social media, which is against Hindu religion." 

Pandey cited "widespread resentment" among students against Gautam for the action.  

 

"...In view of the university atmosphere getting vitiated and examinations affected, I have been directed that Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam be dismissed with immediate effect, and his entry into the university campus be banned in view of security," Pandey said in the order. 

Gautam could not be contacted for comments despite repeated efforts. His phone was switched off. 

Anuj Srivastava, an office-bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, said Gautam's comments were "wrong", and the university had taken an "appropriate step". 

However, Lucknow University Associate Professor of Hindi Ravikant Chandan questioned the action.

"I had seen that post. There was nothing unconstitutional in it. Our Constitution says that there should be scientific India. We have the freedom of expression, and the post is related to freedom of women. It is a simple and ordinary post. Now, the question is whether logic ceases to exist in new India. Secondly, he (Mithilesh Kumar Gautam) is a Dalit teacher," Chandan told PTI. 

"First they (apparently referring to the BJP) had attacked Muslims, and now they are targeting Dalit activists, teachers and social workers. And this is happening in educational institutes, because educated people are there. Nobody will ask how many hours a teacher has taught."  

Former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand has suffered an eye injury while playing for Silicon Valley Strikers in Minor League Cricket in the United States.

   

The 29-year-old, who retired from Indian cricket to be able to play in the US, shared on social media an image of his swollen eye. 

 

"It's never a smooth ride for an athlete. Some days you come home victorious, other days disappointed & there are some when you come home with bruises and dents," tweeted Chand who led India to the U-19 World Cup title back in 2012.

"Grateful to God to have survived a possible disaster. Play hard but be safe. It's a thin line," wrote the Delhi-born player.

 

Chand had become the first Indian player to play in the Big Bash League of Australia for Melbourne Renegades but could not represent the country in international cricket at senior level. -- PTI

AICC central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry today announced that former Jharkhand minister KN Tripathi's nomination for the Congress's presidential poll was rejected as the signature of one of his proposers did not match and another proposer's signature was repeated, setting up a contest between party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor.

Tripathi, Kharge and Tharoor filed their nominations on Friday.

"Total of 20 forms were submitted. Of those, the scrutiny committee rejected four forms due to signature issues. There is time till October 8 for withdrawal. The picture would be clearer after that. If no one withdraws, the voting process will begin," Mistry said at a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.

A court at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday adjourned till December 3 this year hearing in the defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

          

On the next date, the court will also hear Gandhi's plea for permanent exemption from appearance in the case.

        

Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) L C Wadikar is hearing the matter pertaining to the defamation case against Gandhi filed by RSS activist Rajesh Kunte.

        

Kunte had in 2014 filed the case after watching Gandhi's speech in Bhiwandi, where the Congress leader alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. Kunte had claimed that this statement slandered the reputation of the Sangh. 

        

In 2018, a court in Thane had framed charges against Gandhi in the case, but he had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

        

Gandhi's counsel Narayan Iyer said Gandhi's plea about permanent exemption from appearance was filed two dates back, but is still to be heard. -- PTI

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that his contest against senior party colleague Mallikarjun Kharge "is not a battle" in the presidential elections of the grand old party. 

Tharoor and Kharge filed their nominations on Friday for the crucial polls, scheduled for October 17, after days of controversy over the infighting in Rajasthan.

"This isn't a battle. Let party workers choose, that's our message. I am saying that if you are satisfied with party's working, vote for Kharge sahab. If you want change, I am there. But there's no ideological problem," Tharoor told news agency ANI.

"The internal democracy that we are showing is not present in any other party. When election was announced, I had intention (to contest). I wrote an article, stating that the election is good for party and mentioned its reasons. After that several people, ordinary workers told me to contest the poll. I started thinking and talking to people...I just want the party to strengthen and that I become a voice of the changes within the party and show its different face to people," said Tharoor.

When asked about the role of Gandhi family after election of party president, Tharoor said: "From the times of (Jawaharlal) Nehru, the Congress has been playing a crucial role. And hence the Gandhi family is important. No party president is foolish enough to bid goodbye to the Gandhis. They are a huge asset to us."

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday joined issue with Shashi Tharoor, who has said his electoral competitor in the All India Congress Committee presidential poll, M Mallikarjun Kharge was a "candidate of continuity" and of "status quo", while those wanting change in party should vote for him. 

            

Khurshid, who is among the leaders who have backed Kharge, also indicated that if consensus emerges on the poll, it will be good; if not and election does take place as scheduled on October 17, there will be no regrets. 

          

"Shashi says this (Kharge) has elements of continuity, his (Tharoor's) has elements of change. But continuity and change are subjective terms, relative terms", the former Union Minister told PTI. 

          

"I think that the very fact that we are having this election is reemphasis of continuity with change because it's not the first time that we are having elections. And that elections in the past have had certain features; this has its own features. So, for us this is all welcome", he said. 

        

"We just want to get to that destination that the party comes out stronger and more determined that the efforts being put in by Rahul Gandhi...those efforts will then spread across full campaign against the things we oppose", Khurshid added. 

          

He said he has no opinion at all when asked if he favours consensus as the last day for withdrawal of nomination is not over. 

          

"I have no opinion. Let's go the way we are going. If anything (consensus) happens, emerges, well and good; if it does not, no regrets", Khurshid said. 

        

Tharoor on Friday called Kharge, 80, a "candidate of continuity", an apparent reference to the impression in some quarters that the Karnataka leader is the choice of the Gandhis. 

         

"I am not surprised that the establishment is rallying behind the status quo. If you want the status quo, I think you should vote for Mr. Kharge. If you want change and progress with an eye to the rest of the 21st century, then I hope I will stand for that change," the Thiruvananthapuram MP had said. -- PTI 

Superstar Salman Khan has paid a tribute to body double Sagar Pandey, who passed away following a heart attack.

 

According to media reports, Pandey, who appeared as the actor's body double in movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tubelight, Dabangg, and others, died after suffering a heart attack at a gym in Mumbai on Friday.

Pandey was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead, the reports stated.

Khan condoled Pandey's death by sharing a throwback picture with the body double from the sets of 2015 film Bajrangi Bhaijaan on Instagram.

"Dil se shukar adda kar raha hoon (I thank you from the bottom of my heart) for being there with me. May your soul rest in peace brother Sagar. Thank you #RIP #SagarPandey," the 56-year-old superstar captioned the post.

Many celebrities, including veteran actor Anupam Kher and Sangeeta Bijlani,  commented on Khan's post and condoled Pandey's death.

Khan's bodyguard Shera and actor Ronit Bose Roy also commented on Khan's post. -- PTI

Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in September rose 26 per cent to over Rs 1.47 lakh crore, the finance ministry said on Saturday.

   

GST mop-up has been over Rs 1.40 lakh crore for seven months in a row.

 

The gross GST revenue collected in the month of September 2022 is Rs 1,47,686 crore, of which Central GST is Rs 25,271 crore, State GST is Rs 31,813 crore, Integrated GST is Rs 80,464 crore (including Rs 41,215 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 10,137 crore (including Rs 856 crore collected on import of goods), the ministry said in a statement. -- PTI

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday took a swipe at the Congress president election process and said that whoever becomes the party chief will be a "puppet" of the Gandhi family. 

"Kharge or somebody else, whoever becomes the chief, he will only be a face to show and would be a puppet of the Gandhi family as the actual decisions will be taken by them only," Sushil Modi said.

Modi also spoke about Congress leader Shashi Tharoor whose election manifesto showed a a "distorted map of India" with omitted parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

"It cannot be a mistake, the way Shashi Tharoor removed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from the map of India reflect his mentality as it is not possible to remove such an important region of the country," he said adding that his confession to the mistake, which is unforgivable, reflects Tharoor's and the Congress party's mentality. 

Friday was the last day for filing nominations for the election of the Congress president, where a total of three leaders have staked their claim for the post.

According to Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, 14 forms have been submitted by Mallikarjun Kharge, five by Shashi Tharoor and one by Jharkhand leader KN Tripathi.

Kharge, who has resigned from the position of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has good relations with the Gandhi family, especially Rahul Gandhi.

So far, Kharge is believed as a strong candidate and if he becomes the party president, Congress will get a Dalit chief after S Nijalingappa (1968-69). -- ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir for two days beginning October 4, during which he will review the security situation there, address two rallies and offer prayers at Vaishno Devi temple.

   

On the first day of the visit, Shah will address a public meeting at Rajouri, launch development projects and also lay foundation stones for various projects in Jammu after visiting the Vaishno Devi temple in the morning.

 

On October 5, he will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting to be held at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, top officials of the army, paramilitary forces, state police and civil administration will take part in the high-level meeting.

 

Shah will also address a public meeting at Baramulla before launching and laying foundation stones for various development projects in Srinagar. -- PTI 

Mumbai police have registered a case against former Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal and two others on the charge of threatening to kill a man, who had forwarded videos to the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader in which the latter allegedly spoke against Hindu religion, an official said.

          

The First Information Report in this connection was registered at Chembur police station late Friday night, he said.

        

"Based on the complaint filed by the man, an offence under Indian Penal Code section 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) was registered against Bhujbal and two others," the official said on Saturday. 

        

"The complainant said that he was threatened for forwarding two videos to Bhujbal, in which the latter allegedly spoke against Hindu religion," he added. 

        

The case is being investigated by unit -6 of the Mumbai crime branch, the official said. 

        

Bhujbal, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party, currently represents the Yeola Assembly constituency in Nashik district. 

He had earlier served as the deputy chief minister of the state. -- PTI

India on Saturday strongly condemned the terror attack on an educational institution in Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul that left more than 20 people dead and dozens wounded.

 

The suicide attack at Kaaj Educational Centre took place on Friday and most of the victims were female students, according to reports from Kabul.

"We are saddened by yesterday's terror attack at the Kaaj Educational Center in Dasht-e-Barchi, Kabul and extend our condolences to the families of the victims," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

"Indian strongly condemns the continued targeting of innocent students at educational places," he said. -- PTI 

A day after filing his nomination for the election for the party presidential post, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday resigned as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha.

Following the Udaipur Resolution of One Leader One Post, Kharge sent his resignation to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.

P Chidambaram and Digvijay Singh are in the race to succeed Kharge as the LoP.

On Friday, Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor and KN Tripathi filed their nominations for the Congress presidential polls.

Bharti Airtel is launching 5G telecom services in eight cities, including four metros, on Saturday and will progressively cover the entire country by March 2024, its chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

   

Speaking at the IMC 2022, he said the nation's oldest private telecom operator is launching 5G mobile services in eight major cities and will cover most parts by March 2023 and the entire country by March 2024.  

Jet fuel (ATF) price on Saturday was slashed by 4.5 per cent and that of commercial LPG used in hotels and restaurants by Rs 25.5 per 19-kg cylinder.

   

The price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was cut to Rs 1,859.50 in the national capital from Rs 1,885, according to a price notification from state-owned fuel retailers.

 

This is the sixth reduction in price of commercial LPG since June, in step with softening international energy prices.

 In all, rates have come down by Rs 494.50 per 19-kg cylinder.

 

However, rates of LPG used in household kitchens for cooking purposes remained unchanged at Rs 1,053 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

 

This because the rates of domestic cooking gas were way lower than cost and now with a drop in international prices, they are at breakeven, industry sources said.

 

Commercial LPG rates, on the other hand, have largely been aligned with cost and so they have moved in tandem with rise and fall in international prices.

 

Simultaneously, the rates of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) were cut marginally by 4.5 per cent.

 

Jet fuel price was cut by Rs 5,521.17, or 4.5 per cent, to Rs 115,520.27 pr kl in the national capital.

 

Rates differ from state to state depending on incidence of local taxes.

 

While commercial LPG rates are revised once a month, ATF prices are changed every fortnight. There was no change in jet fuel prices on September 16. Prior to that, they were cut marginally by 0.7 per cent on September 1.

 

Petrol and diesel prices, however, continued to remain on freeze for a record near six months. Petrol costs Rs 96.72 per litre in the national capital and diesel comes for Rs 89.62. -- PTI 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 6th India Mobile Congress at Pragati Maidan in Delhi and launched 5G services.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected the exhibition at Pragati Maidan.

The 5G telecom services seek to provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency and highly reliable communications system.

The three major telecom operators of the country demonstrated one use case each in front of the prime minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India.

The various use cases that will be demonstrated in front of PM in the exhibition include precision drone-based farming; High-Security Routers & AI based Cyber Threat Detection platforms; Automated Guided Vehicles; Ambupod - Smart Ambulance; Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality /Mix Reality in Education and Skill Development; Sewage Monitoring System; Smart-Agri Programme; Health diagnostics, among others.

5G technology will offer a wide range of benefits to the common people. It will help in providing seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications.

Also, it will increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency.

5G technology will help in connecting billions of Internet of Things devices, will allow higher quality video services with mobility at high speed, and delivery of critical services such as telesurgery and autonomous cars among others.

5G will help in real-time monitoring of disasters, precision agriculture, and minimising the role of humans in dangerous industrial operations such as in deep mines, offshore activities etc.

Unlike existing mobile communication networks, 5G networks will allow tailoring of requirements for each of these different use cases within the same network.   -- ANI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has asserted that he was not in a hurry to occupy the highest seat of power in the state and advised leaders of his Rashtriya Janata Dal to refrain from speaking on the issue.

Yadav was reacting to RJD state president Jagadanand Singh's recent statement in Delhi that the young leader will become the chief minister by next year, which appears to have consternated some leaders in the Janata Dal-United, the party of the incumbent Nitish Kumar.

"I have no personal ambition nor am I in a hurry. Supporters tend to go overboard but this is not the time when we should be thinking who will be the CM in the future," Yadav told reporters on Friday.

"We must remain focused on dislodging from power Fascist forces represented by the BJP. We have accomplished that in Bihar. The same needs to be achieved nationally," he said.

Asserting that Nitish Kumar is the chief minister and the leader of the multi-party Mahagathbandhan, Yadav said that the JD-U leader too wants to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party without wanting anything for himself in return.

"We all must rise to the occasion," he added.

Jagadanand Singh had said on Thursday that Nitish Kumar will devote himself to national politics by 2023 when Yadav will take over as his successor.

JD-U parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha took a dig at Singh, likening the veteran RJD leader to an 'aging father who is desperate to marry off his children some way or the other'.

Kushwaha however asserted that the state RJD president's words were not indicative of any rift with the JD-U and discarded the claim of BJP leaders like former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi that a 'deal' has been struck between the two Mahagathbandhan partners.

Modi has claimed that Kumar, after ditching BJP, survived in power courtesy the 'deal' with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad who agreed to support the JD-U leader though his own party's strength in the assembly was nearly twice as much as that of the latter.  -- PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Saturday delayed due to rains in Karnataka.

The march on its second day in the state was affected by the torrential rains in Gundlupet.

According to the Congress party sources, the Yatra was supposed to start at 6.30 am on Thondavadi in Chamarajanagar district on Saturday.

The Indian National Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted, 'The 24th day of #BharatJodoYatra that was to start from Begur at 6:30am has been delayed due to rains. The rains arrived after a gap of 15 days and will benefit farmers. This is exactly what the Yatra is for, directly or indirectly!'

The former Congress president arrived at Gundlupet in Karnataka on Friday morning from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu.

The leader will spend 21 days covering 511 km in the state during his march which started from Kanyakumari on September 7 to Jammu on January 30, 2023.  -- PTI

Bringing a new era in technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today launch the 5G telecom services that seeks to provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency and highly reliable communications system.

According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), he is scheduled to launch the 5G services at 10 am on Saturday at an event organised at Pragati Maidan in the national capital.

On the occasion, the three major telecom operators of the country will demonstrate one use case each in front of the prime minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India.

Reliance Jio will connect a teacher from a school in Mumbai with students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha.

This will demonstrate how 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer to students, obliviating the physical distance between them.

It will demonstrate the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach children across the country, remotely, without the need of an AR device.

In the Airtel demo, a girl from Uttar Pradesh will witness a lively and immersive education experience to learn about the solar system with the help of Virtual reality and Augmented reality.

The girl will share her experience of learning with the PM by appearing on the dais through a hologram.

The Vodafone Idea test case will demonstrate the safety of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro through the creation of a Digital Twin of the tunnel on the dais.

The digital twin will help give safety alerts to workers in real-time from a remote location.

PM will take a live demo from the dais to monitor the work in real-time through utilising VR and Artificial Intelligence.

At the event, PM Modi is scheduled to visit an exhibition where he will witness the demonstration of the use of 5G technology in multiple areas.

The various use cases that will be demonstrated in front of PM in the exhibition include precision drone-based farming; High-Security Routers & AI based Cyber Threat Detection platforms; Automated Guided Vehicles; Ambupod - Smart Ambulance; Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality /Mix Reality in Education and Skill Development; Sewage Monitoring System; Smart-Agri Programme; Health diagnostics, among others.

5G technology will offer a wide range of benefits to the common people.

It will help in providing seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications.

Also, it will increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency.

5G technology will help in connecting billions of Internet of Things devices, will allow higher quality video services with mobility at high speed, and delivery of critical services such as telesurgery and autonomous cars among others.

5G will help in real-time monitoring of disasters, precision agriculture, and minimising the role of humans in dangerous industrial operations such as in deep mines, offshore activities etc.

Unlike existing mobile communication networks, 5G networks will allow tailoring of requirements for each of these different use cases within the same network.   -- ANI

The charge sheet also named 15 others as accused including former SSC advisor Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-SSC assistant secretary Ashok Kumar Saha and the then president of Adhoc Committee at the Board of Secondary Education, Dr Kalyanmoy Ganguly.                 

Several illegally appointed candidates' were also named in the charge sheet.                 

It was alleged in this case that the accused people entered into a conspiracy with one another to extend undue advantage in the matter of giving appointments to unqualified candidates to Group-C posts at various schools after the expiry of a panel.                 

The investigating agency, on the direction of the Calcutta high court, is probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in upper primary and secondary schools in the state.                 

The alleged irregularities took place when Chatterjee was the education minister.                 

Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the last week of July when he was the state's industry and commerce minister. 

Following the arrest, he was stripped of his portfolios. 

The ruling Trinamool Congress also suspended him. -- PTI