The Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front and the Congress on Thursday finalised their seat sharing agreement for the February 16 Assembly election, a top Congress leader said.

The seat sharing was arrived at on Thursday, the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers.

The poll understanding was deadlocked after the LF on January 25 announced candidates for 47 seats out of the total 60, leaving only 13 for Congress.

The Congress had reacted by fielding candidates in 17 constituencies.         

The deadlock was resolved on Thursday after central leaders of the two parties agreed to accept the formula of 47 seats to LF and 13 to the Congress to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Following it, the Congress withdrew three of the 17 candidates it had declared. Another Congress candidate had not filed his nomination papers.

The seat sharing deal between CPI-M and Congress for the upcoming election was finalised on Thursday, the last day of withdrawal of nominations.

All the three Congress leaders, who had submitted nomination papers have withdrawn their papers according to the agreement, Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha told PTI.

The CPI-M candidates who had submitted nominations in 13 constituencies before the seat sharing agreement too withdrew their papers, he said.

Senior CPI-M leader Pabitra Kar said the impasse over the seat adjustment with the Congress has been 'neutralised finally' through discussion.

Now we will fight the election jointly to defeat the BJP which has befooled the people and won the last elections.

Sinha said both parties will campaign jointly to ensure the defeat of the BJP, which has 'throttled democracy during the past five years in the state'.

Asked, Kar, a CPI-M state committee member, said it is yet to be decided whether the LF and Cong will campaign jointly but the parties'  leaders and workers will help each other locally during canvassing for votes.

To questions about Tipra Motha's decision to go solo, Sinha said it has not fielded any candidate against him in Kailashahar seat and CPI-M state secretary Jitendra Choudhury, who is contesting from Sabroom.   -- PTI

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would hear on February 7 the bail pleas of Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have lodged two separate cases.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, which said the pleas would be heard next Tuesday.

The Rs 3,600-crore alleged scam relates to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.

In May last year, the apex court had sought the responses of the CBI and the ED on the bail pleas of James.

During an earlier hearing, the counsel for the accused had said the case was covered under section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (maximum period for which an under trial prisoner can be detained) and James had served 50 per cent of the sentence for the offence allegedly committed by him.

The accused was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and has been in custody since then, his counsel had said, adding that the probe against him was yet to be concluded.

The lawyer had said the petitioner's case is that under Sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the maximum sentence is five years in jail and he has spent nearly four years in prison.

Appearing in the court on behalf of the probe agencies, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju had earlier said with great difficulty, the agencies got the custody of the accused and section 436A of the CrPC would not apply to ED proceedings.

He had said James was a resident of the United Kingdom and was extradited from Dubai.

James has challenged the March 11, 2022 order of the Delhi high court that dismissed his bail plea.

Seeking his release in both the CBI and ED cases, the accused had said he was not required for the purpose of investigation and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the probe.

Dismissing the bail pleas in both the cases last year, a trial court had said considering the overall facts and circumstances, the serious nature of accusations, the gravity of the offence and the conduct of the accused, it did not consider it to be a fit case for the grant of bail.

James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently, arrested by the two federal probe agencies.

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

The ED, in its chargesheet filed against James in June 2016, has alleged that James had received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.

He is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case.

The other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.  -- PTI

Following the humongous success of Shah Rukh Khan-led Pathaan, celebrated author Paulo Coelho on Thursday praised the superstar as a 'great actor'.

Commenting on SRK's January 30 post on Twitter where the actor is seen expressing gratitude to his fans outside his house Mannat in Mumbai, the novelist said the Bollywood star is a 'king'.

He further recommended his followers to watch Shah Rukh's 2010 drama film My Name is Khan.

'King. Legend. Friend. But above all GREAT ACTOR (for those who don't know him in the West, I strongly suggest My name is Khan- and I am not a terrorist),' Coelho wrote.

The film saw Shah Rukh in the role of an autistic man who embarks on a journey to meet the United States President.

Coelho and Shah Rukh have often interacted on social media.

Shah Rukh's Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand, has earned Rs 667 crore gross worldwide in eight days.   -- PTI

A phone call from an unidentified man, threatening to blow up the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya, was received by an Ayodhya resident, police said on Thursday.

The call was received by Manoj, who lives in the Ramkot area of this Uttar Pradesh district.

He alerted police about the call received on his mobile phone.

According to police, the caller threatened to blow up the temple area at 10 am on Thursday.

As soon as the information was received, police issued an alert to all personnel deployed at various locations in the district.

Station House Officer (SHO) of the Ram Janmabhoomi police station Sanjiv Kumar Singh said they have registered a case and are conducting an enquiry.

Efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the caller, he added.  -- PTI

The Calcutta high court directed the police not to take any coercive action against actor Paresh Rawal till Monday in connection with a first information report (FIR) filed by Communist Party of India-Marxist West Bengal secretary Mohd Salim whereby it was alleged that he made derogatory comments about the Bengali community.

The court directed Salim's lawyer to take instruction from the CPI-M leader about his position on the FIR as the actor claimed that he has apologised for his statement.

Rawal, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, moved the high court seeking quashing of the FIR against him and a notice by the police to appear before it on February 4 in connection with the case.

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the police not to take coercive action against Rawal till Monday, when the matter will be taken up for hearing again.

The court directed Salim's lawyer Shamim Ahmed to take instruction from the leader about his position on the issue and inform it on Monday.

Rawal stated in the petition that his speech delivered in Gujarati on November 29, which he did during election campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections, was misinterpreted and mistranslated allegedly for political vendetta.

He claimed to have clarified his statement and apologised on December 2, on which date Salim filed an FIR at Taltala police station in Kolkata over the comments made by the actor in the speech.

Rawal claimed in his petition that he had clarified through Twitter that by 'Bengali', he meant illegal immigrant Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in India and not otherwise.

He stated that he has been given notices by the police here under CrPC's Section 41A for appearing before it in connection with the FIR.

Alleging that the investigation is partisan, he prayed for quashing the notice issued to him by the police and the probe into the matter.

He also prayed that no coercive action be taken against him in connection with the case registered against him at Taltala police station.   -- PTI

The Madhya Pradesh government has renamed historic Islam Nagar in state capital Bhopal to Jagdishpur, which was the area's earlier name, an official said on Thursday.

The gazette notification announcing the name change was issued on Wednesday after nod was obtained from the Union government, the move attracting the ire of the opposition Congress which claimed such acts were being done by the state Bharatiya Janata Party government to divert people's attention from corruption and lack of development.

Islam Nagar was the capital of the Bhopal princely state established by Afghan-Mughal ruler Dost Mohhamad Khan.

Last year, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had renamed Habibganj railway station as Rani Kamlapati railway station after the legendary Gond queen, while Hoshangabad district was renamed as Narmadapuram.

Attacking this trend of renaming areas with a Mughal link, MP Congress media cell chairperson K K Mishra said, "Since lack of development as well as corruption has become the identity of the BJP, it is indulging in the tactics of changing names to divert people's attention."

However, MP BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi defended the move, saying the aim was to 're-establish those heroic figures in the minds of the people who were ignored in history in a systematic manner as part of a larger conspiracy'.

After 'real names' are brought forward in this manner, the 'symbols of colonialism' automatically get wiped out from the minds of the people, he claimed.

Incidentally, the Union government had recently renamed Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan as 'Amrit Udyan', which was criticised by some opposition parties.   -- PTI

Senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh will now occupy front-row seats after their reallocation by the party. 

The Congress effected the reallocation of seats this session. It was supposed to carry out the exercise in the last session. 

Party sources said former prime minister Singh, 90, has been allotted the last row seat for his convenience as he is now wheelchair-bound. 

They said Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will continue to occupy his front-row seat beside Deputy Chairman of the House Harivansh. 

The remaining front row occupants from the opposition are former prime minister H D Devegowda (JD-S), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Prem Chand Gupta (RJD), Derek O'Brien (TMC), K Keshava Rao (BRS) and Tiruchi Siva (DMK). 

The BJP, the sources said, has also made some changes in the seating arrangements in the last rows while its front row occupants remained unchanged.

A panch witness -- an official witness -- who was present when doctors removed splinters from the bodies of injured persons was the first to testify before special judge B D Shelke. 

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam appeared for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). 

At least 11 persons are facing trial in the case. 

Three powerful blasts ripped through crowded areas in Dadar, Opera House and Zaveri Bazar localities of Mumbai on July 13, 2011, killing 27 people and injuring 127. 

The ATS claimed that Yasin Bhatkal, one of the founders of the terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen, was the mastermind of the blasts. 

The accused are facing charges including criminal conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, causing hurt under the Indian Penal Code besides offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and MCOCA.

The court's strong observations were made by a bench comprising Justice K M Joseph, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Hrishikesh Roy when a plea seeking to prohibit an event scheduled to be held on February 5 by the Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha in Mumbai was mentioned for an urgent hearing. 

The bench agreed to hear the plea on Friday subject to instructions and approval from Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on the administrative side. 

"We are with you on this, but understand that the Supreme Court cannot be triggered every time there is a rally notified. We have already passed an order which is clear enough. Just imagine rallies happening all across the country. Every time there will be an application before the Supreme Court. How can that be feasible? 

"You ask us to be embarrassed again and again by getting an order. We have passed so many orders yet nobody is taking action. The Supreme Court should not be asked to pass an order on an event to event basis," it observed. 

The observation came after a lawyer mentioned the matter, saying the issue needs urgent hearing against holding of the Mumbai rally. 

She submitted that a similar rally was organised a few days ago in which 10,000 people participated and allegedly gave a call to boycott Muslim communities economically and socially. 

On continuous persistence of the lawyer, the court asked her to serve a copy of the application to the counsel for Maharashtra. 

"Serve a copy on the state, we will list it tomorrow subject to orders of the CJI. Only this case, not the entire batch," the bench said. 

Holding that the Constitution of India envisages a secular nation, the top court on October 21 last year directed the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to come down hard on hate speeches, promptly registering criminal cases against the culprits without waiting for a complaint to be filed. 

It had also warned that any delay on the part of the administration in taking action on this "very serious issue" would invite the court's contempt.

Contestant Sudhakar Adbale, supported by the MVA, won the Nagpur teachers constituency defeating his closest rival Nagorao Ganar, a BJP-backed independent and the sitting MLC from the seat, they said. 

Nagpur is the home district of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and also Union minister Nitin Gadkari. 

Counting of votes for three other seats -- the Aurangabad division teachers constituency and Amravati and Nashik division graduates segments -- was underway. 

Polling for biennial elections to all the five seats of the Upper House of the legislature was held on January 30 and counting began on Thursday morning. 

Mhatre, the BJP candidate also backed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, won the Konkan teachers constituency trouncing MVA-supported nominee Balaram Patil. 

Returning officer and divisional commissioner Mahendra Kalyankar, who announced the results of the Konkan teachers constituency after counting of votes in Navi Mumbai, said Mhatre polled 20,683 votes, while Patil bagged 10,997. Although there were eight candidates in the fray, the main contest was between Mhatre and Patil. 

The Konkan teachers constituency covers Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. This segment had recorded the highest voter turnout at 91.02 per cent. 

The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). 

The six-year term of five council members -- three from teachers and two from graduates constituencies -- is expiring on February 7 and polling was held to fill up the upcoming vacancies. Teachers and graduates fulfilling certain criteria and enrolled as voters formed the electoral college for these elections.

'The advocates, 22 in number, have flagged the 'hate speeches' made by Gowri against the religious minorities, namely Muslims and Christians. They have demanded that the Collegium withdraw its recommendation, and that the President return the file recommending Gowri's appointment and seek clarification as to how a person spreading hate speech against Indian minorities had been recommended to the high constitutional post of a high court judge,' the Leaflet reports. 

'In their letters, Madras High Court Bar members, advocates N.G.R. Prasad, R. Vaigai, S.S. Vasudevan and Anna Mathew, among others, have asserted that Gowri's regressive views are completely antithetical to foundational Constitutional values and reflect her deep-rooted religious bigotry, making her unfit to be appointed as a high court judge,' the website writes. 

'Questioning the Collegium's decision, the letters state that the Collegium's recommendation of a person who harbours such strong antipathy towards the minority community is disturbing, to say the least,' leaflet.in reports, here.

The high court of Karnataka has extended its status-quo on construction and developmental works around the Adiyogi statue built at Avalagurki village in Chikkaballapura by Isha Foundation.

Earlier, the court had ordered status-quo on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the construction of the statue, citing damage to the environment.

The Isha Foundation of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva has built the statue in the village around 60 kilometers from Bengaluru.

The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Ashok S Kingai heard the PIL filed by local villagers challenging the installation of the 112 ft statue by Isha Yoga Centre at the foothills of Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura.

The advocate representing Isha foundation sought relief from the interim order.

However, the court turned down the request, stating that there was no prejudice.

Last month, the HC had allowed the unveiling of the statue on January 15, but without carrying out any further construction at the site.

The petitioners pointed to the court that on the day of inauguration, firecrackers were burst, causing damage the environment.

To this, the court said it would consider the issues and adjourned the hearing.

When Isha Foundation requested the court to list the matter on Tuesday, the bench rejected the plea and said the date of hearing cannot be fixed on the demands of the litigants.   -- PTI

Billed as a "nostalgia trip", the upcoming six-part chat series will fete industry veterans, including his father, celebrated writer Salim Khan and his stepmother, actor Helen as well as writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, veteran stars Waheeda Rahman, Shatrughan Sinha and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

"Cinema is evergreen and I wanted to create a series that evokes nostalgia. Quite often, I have this fear that the stories we've grown up listening to will get lost if we don't document them.

"This is my attempt at playing a biographer for an industry that I have seen up close and personal. I want to chronicle the legendary stories and celebrate the people who've created gold in the process," Arbaaz, who also serves as a host on celebrity show Pinch, said in a statement.

The first episode, starring Salim Khan, will premiere tomorrow on an entertainment portal with new episodes airing every Friday.

The Supreme Court Collegium (SCC) has recently made seven recommendations to fill up all the vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court.

Rijiju also informed the Parliament that as on January 30, against the sanctioned strength of 1,108 judges in various high courts,775 judges are working and 333 posts of Judges are vacant in the high courts.

"142 proposals recommended by the High Court Collegiums are at various stages of processing. Out of these 142, 4 proposals are pending with the Supreme Court Collegium and 138 are under various stages of processing in the Government," he added.

As on January 30, recommendations in respect of 236 vacancies (191 existing and 45 anticipated vacancies during the next 06 months) are yet to be received from High Court Collegiums, which are in breach of six months advance timeline for making recommendations for anticipated vacancies, said the law and justice minister.

The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended Allahabad high court Chief Justice Justice Rajesh Bindal, and Gujarat high court Chief Justice Justice Aravind Kumar for elevation as Judges of the top court.

The SC Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud along with justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, K M Joseph, M R Shah, Ajay Rastogi and Sanjiv Khanna made the recommendation.

The Collegium said that they have found both of the judges to be more deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the high courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations.  -- ANI

 The chargesheet was filed before special judge AM Patil. 

 The five have been charged under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code for various offences, including promoting enmity among different groups and conspiring to commit offences against the State. 

 More than 100 functionaries of the radical Islamist group were arrested in nationwide raids in several states, including Maharashtra, in September last year. -- PTI

 Directed by Siddharth Anand, the globetrotting espionage thriller was released globally in Hindi with dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu on January 25. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone.

 According to YRF, on its eighth day, "Pathaan" registered Rs 18.25 crore nett in India (Hindi -- Rs 17.50 crore, all dubbed versions -- Rs 0.75 crore). Since its release, the movie has amassed Rs 348.50 (Hindi - Rs 336 crore, dubbed - Rs 12.50 crore) in its net India collection with Rs 250 crore in overseas territories alone. 

 Also featuring Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana, the blockbuster film follows Shah Rukh's Pathaan, an Indian intelligence agent, who resurfaces to thwart a terror attack planned by mercenary group Outfit X, led by Jim (John) on the Indian capital. 

 "Pathaan" is Shah Rukh's first big screen release as a lead in over four years after "Zero" (2018). It is the fourth movie in producer Aditya Chopra's spy universe, following Salman Khan's "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Tiger Zinda Hai", and "War", featuring Hrithik Roshan. -- PTI

 
Borrowing from the 1970s blockbuster Sholay, the Congress wrote, "Bahut yaraana lagta hai" and used this picture alongside of a motorcycle with a sidecar, famously used by protagonists and besties, Jai and Veeru, in the film. Sholay's villain, Gabbar Singh's one-liner 'bahut yaraana lagta hai' was said in reference to the relationship between the heroine Basanti and Veeru.   

 The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex advanced 224.16 points or 0.38 per cent to settle at 59,932.24. 

During the day, it hit a high of 60,007.67 and a low of 59,215.62. However, the broader NSE Nifty dipped 5.90 points or 0.03 per cent to end at 17,610.40, weighed down by continuous selling in Adani group stocks.

 From the Sensex pack, ITC jumped 4.74 per cent. The other major gainers were IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services and ICICI Bank. HDFC, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Power Grid and HDFC Bank were the major laggards. 

Adani Enterprises tumbled 26.50 per cent. Most of the group firms also ended in the negative territory, including Adani Transmission which tanked 10 per cent, Adani Green Energy slumped 10 per cent, Adani Total Gas (10 per cent) and Adani Ports (6.13 per cent). International oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.29 per cent to USD 82.78 per barrel.

Interacting with media persons, Sharmila displayed a box containing a pair of sports shoes urging KCR to join her 'Praja prastana' padayatra to gain awareness of the problems of the public. 

The padyatra, which was stopped after an alleged attack on her convoy last year will resume today from Narsampet's Narsampet, said the YSR leader. She undertook the padyatra with a view to strengthening her organisation ahead of the Assembly elections slated later this year. 

 Speaking to ANI the YSRTP chief dared KCR to walk with her and said that she would "retire from politics" if his claim of Telangana being a "golden state" is proved true. 

 "Today I challenge Telangana CM KCR to walk with me in Padyatra and we presented a shoe box to him. If in fact, this is the golden state as KCR states, there are no problems to the people of Telangana, if my people are not reeling under poverty as he says, then I will apologise to KCR and retire from politics. But if this is not true, KCR has to resign and apologise to people of the state and make a Dalit a Chief Minister like he promised," she said. 

 Asked about the state Budget which will be presented tomorrow in the Assembly, Sharmila said that she has no hopes for the budget as the Chief Minister "anyway is not going to stick to it". 

 "We have seen KCR has been Chief Minister for eight-and-a-half years now. Seeing his pattern of working, and how he allocates the budget, there is no sense in the budget that the KCR government presents. I don't see any hope because KCR anyway is not going to stick to it," she said.

The briefing will be held at 9 am at the Balayogi Auditorium in Parliament Library Building in the national capital, all MPs have been informed.

This briefing comes at a time when the party has asked all its members of Parliament to go to the respective constituencies and tell the common man what does budget means and how it has been brought out, keeping the interest of every stratum of society in mind. -- ANI

Out of them, the country's largest airline IndiGo faced 215 snags while SpiceJet saw 143 snags and Vistara had 97 snags. 

People seeking renewal of US visa can now submit their applications through dropbox, the US Embassy has said while clarifying that such requests would not be entertained through email. 

 According to John Ballard, the consular chief at the US Consulate General in Mumbai, the US embassy and consulates in India have prepared to receive a record number of visas from Indian students in 2023. 

 The US embassy adjudicated over 1,25,000 student visas in 2022.

 "It was the most students that we have ever adjudicated here in India and we expect in 2023, we will have even more Indian students that will be coming into apply for visas," Ballard told PTI.

 The arrest of Arif, a resident of Reasi district, follows investigations in the recent twin blast case at Narwal in Jammu. 

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted inside a perfume bottle was recovered from his possession, Singh told reporters. 

 The Jammu and Kashmir police chief said this was the first time that such type of a bomb was recovered in the Union Territory. 

 Arif was allegedly working at the behest of his Pakistani handlers and admitted to his involvement in bombing the bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims that killed four people and injured 24 last May, Singh said. 

 He also accepted his role in an IED explosion in Jammu's Shastri Nagar area in February 2022 besides the twin explosions at Narwal on January 21 that left nine people injured. "All the (ready-to-use) IEDs have come from across the border," Singh said, adding further investigation is underway.

"We have not recovered any perfume IED before. The IED will blast if anyone tries to press or open it. Our special team will handle that IED,"  Dilbag Singh said.

 Addressing a joint press conference at Vijay Chowk in the national capital after the adjournment of both Houses till 2 pm, the Opposition leaders also slammed the government over the rejection of their suspension of Business notices to discuss the issue.

 Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge led the attack at the Centre and demanded an investigation into the matter under the supervision of CJI or the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee. 

 "Either a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a team under the supervision of the CJI of the Supreme Court should investigate this," Kharge said. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh thrashed the Centre describing Gautam Adani as the "closest friend" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Why is the Modi government silent on such a huge scam? The government is silent because the man who is indulged in this scam is the closest friend of PM Modi. Adani opens fake companies in foreign countries, buys shares worth crores of rupees of his own company and takes loans worth lakhs and crores from banks. All those who invested money in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and SBI for their needs are worried. This is the Maha ghotala (scam) in Amrit Kaal," he said.

 Singh demanded the government to hold a discussion on the issue in the House. "...and conduct a Supreme Court-monitored probe and constitute a JPC. We will keep raising our voices in Parliament," he said. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav alleged that the people who have invested in the LIC and kept money in the banks are "scared". -- ANI

 The relief was writ large on their faces but so was the pain. Kappan and three others were arrested in October 2020 while they were going to the Uttar Pradesh town where a Dalit woman died allegedly after being raped. They were accused of trying to instigate violence over the death of the Hathras woman. 

 "I am coming to Delhi. I have to stay there for six weeks," Kappan told PTI. "I struggled more," he laughed when asked how life had been in jail without saying anything more. 

 In his two and a half years in jail, his mother died. 

 "Her name was Kadijah. She is not there to see Kappan coming home," Kappan's wife Raihana said. 

 "The Supreme Court granted bail in the UAPA case and his innocence was revealed. Two and a half years is not a short time. We have experienced a lot of pain and suffering. But I am happy that justice, though belated, has been served," she told PTI. 

 "I repeat that Kappan is a media person," Raihana stressed. 

 The couple has three children -- Muzammil (19), Zidhan (14) and Mehnaz (nine). "Our children are waiting to welcome him home. Their happiness was taken away. Can they forget their father? They are proud to say that Sidhique Kappan, a journalist, is their father." 

 Waiting outside with his mother was their eldest Muzammil, who also reiterated that his father was a journalist. "What is the cause of my father's severe suffering for two and half years? Now we are waiting for his freedom. We are very happy. We thanks all those who have been with us."

 According to Kappan's lawyer Mohamed Dhanish KS, the journalist had been lodged in the Mathura and Lucknow district jails and had been out twice -- once when he got Covid and was admitted at AIIMS, Delhi, and the second time to meet his ailing mother. Police alleged that Kappan had links with the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), and charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code. In September last year, the Supreme Court granted him bail in connection with that case. 

A bench headed by then Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit directed Kappan to remain in Delhi for six weeks after his release from an Uttar Pradesh prison. However, he continued to be in jail because of a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. -- PTI

In Thursday's morning trade, shares of Adani Group's flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, were down 9.80 per cent to Rs 1,929.65 apiece. 

In five sessions, it has lost more than Rs 1,337.30 or declined over 40 per cent. Adani Ports and SEZ lost Rs 21 or dropped 4.36 per cent to Rs 473.55 on Thursday morning. 

The firm's shares had lost more than Rs 208 or 30.45 per cent in a period of five days. Adani Green's shares dropped 10 per cent to Rs 1,039 apiece, while it lost Rs 588 36.15 per cent in just five days. FMCG firm Adani Wilmar dropped 5 per cent to Rs 421 apiece on Thursday morning while it lost Rs 95 or dropped more than 18 per cent in a span of five days. Adani Transmission shares went down 10 per cent flat to Rs 1,551.15 apiece in the morning trade on Thursday. 

The firm had lost Rs 575 or dropped 27 per cent in just 5 days. The volatility with Adani Group firms continued on Thursday after the Board of Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) decided not to go-ahead with the fully subscribed follow-on public offer. -- ANI

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on the Congress party's demand for a discussion the Adani issue. "We wanted a discussion on that. Our notices get rejected. When we raise important issues, no time is given for discussion on them. Money of poor people is there in LIC, SBI and other national banks & it is being given to selected companies.

"Either a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a team under the supervision of the CJI of Supreme Court should investigate this.

"We have also given the suspension of Business Notice under rule 267 to discuss the issue of investment by LIC, Public Sector Banks and financial institutions in companies losing market value, endangering the hard-earned money of crores of Indians."

Leaders of several opposition parties met in the Parliament complex Thursday morning to evolve a joint strategy to take on the central government during the Budget Session and decided to seek a discussion on the Adani Group issue. 

Leaders of like-minded parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and discussed the issues that are to be brought up during the session which began on January 31. 

Sources said the parties decided to jointly raise the Adani Group crisis in Parliament and demand a discussion on it.

Leaders of the Congress, DMK, TMC, SP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, IUML, NC, AAP and the Kerala Congress were present at the meeting. 

Kharge said the like-minded parties would have better coordination during the session to unitedly raise issues of public importance.

Ambuja Cements' shares were up 5.96 per cent to Rs 354 apiece on Thursday morning session while ACC shares surged 0.40 per cent to Rs 1,853.70 apiece. 

In its statement today, Ambuja Cements said, "The promoters have only provided non-disposal undertaking and accordingly, there is no requirement of providing any top-up of shares of Ambuja and ACC or cash top up under the acquisition financing raised last year."

"We have come across reports from various market sources with respect to Ambuja and our subsidiary ACC Ltd (ACC), claiming that shares of both Ambuja and ACC are pledged by promoters as a part of the acquisition-financing," it said.

The companies in the statement went on to add, "Consequently, there are market rumours that amid market volatility, there is a requirement to meet the top-up triggers where in there is selling pressure."

Adani last year bought cement firms ACC and Ambuja Cements from Switzerland's Holcim for $10.5 billion.

According to exchanges data, Ambuja Cements shares have been under pressure in the last five trading sessions amid the selloff in Adani Group stocks on concerns over the US-based short seller Hindenburg Research's report.

A pledge of stock or share pledge means using shares as collateral and taking a loan against them. -- ANI

The stock tanked 15 per cent to Rs 1,809.40 on the BSE today. 

 Other group firms also continued to remain weak for the 6th day in a row, with shares of Adani Ports declining 14 per cent, Adani Transmission falling 10 per cent, Adani Green Energy (10 per cent), Adani Total Gas (10 per cent), Adani Wilmar (5 per cent), NDTV (4.99 per cent) and Adani Power (4.98 per cent). Many of the group firms also hit their lower circuit limits during the early trade.

Read Vir Sanghvi's column here. 

Opposition like-minded parties meeting underway in Parliament to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House.

Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi gives Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 to discuss the matter of 'urgent public importance in light of reported incidents of overexposure of holdings of LIC, SBI, etc'.

CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem gives suspension of business notice under rule 267 to discuss the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises.

 The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex had fallen 492.46 points to 59,215.62 in early trade. The broader NSE Nifty declined 170.35 points to 17,445.95 in initial trade.

 However, later both the benchmarks were quoting in the green. The Sensex traded 177.91 points higher at 59,885.99, while the Nifty quoted 25.50 points up at 17,605.95. From the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Asian Paints, Tata Steel, HDFC, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and Power Grid were the major laggards. ITC, UltraTech Cement, IndusInd Bank, Titan and Maruti were among the winners. 

 Elsewhere in Asia, equity markets in Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading in the green. Markets in the US had ended in the positive territory on Wednesday. -- PTI

Kappan who was booked by the UP government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was released from jail after he was granted bail.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh gives notice under Rule 267 to raise the issue of 'financial irregularities and fraud done by Adani Group'.

Congress MP Manish Tewari gives Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the border situation with China.

BRS MP K Keshava Rao gives Suspension of Business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 to discuss the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises.

 Adani Group company stocks have lost over USD 90 billion in value since a US short seller made damning allegations. Adani Enterprises Ltd's Rs 20,000 crore follow-on public offer managed to get investors on the last day of the share close on Tuesday. 

Late on Wednesday, the company decided to withdraw the FPO and refund the investors. "After a fully subscribed FPO, yesterday's decision of its withdrawal would have surprised many. But considering the volatility of the market seen yesterday, the board strongly felt that it would not be morally correct to proceed with the FPO," Adani said in an address to investors on Thursday. 

 The decision, he said, will not have any impact on existing operations and future plans. "We will continue to focus on timely execution and delivery of projects." 

 The fundamentals of the company are strong, Adani asserted. "Our balance sheet is healthy and assets robust. Our EBITDA levels and cash flows have been very strong and we have an impeccable track record of fulfilling our debt obligations. We will continue to focus on long-term value creation and growth will be managed by internal accruals." 

 Adani said the group would review the capital market strategy once the market stabilizes. "We have a strong focus on ESG and every business of ours will continue to create value in a responsible way. The strongest validation of our governance principles comes from several international partnerships we have built across our different entities," he added. PTI

A man was arrested for allegedly killing his father here on Wednesday after the latter refused to give him money for buying drugs, police said.

 

The deceased was identified as Suresh Kumar, a resident of Shakurpur village, they said.

Information was received about a quarrel in northwest Delhi's Subhash Place and police personnel reached the spot. They found Suresh injured there. He had suffered abrasions and was bleeding from one of his ears. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said during inquiry, it was revealed that the victim had a quarrel with his son, Ajay, over monetary issues. During the argument, Ajay assaulted his father as he refused to give him money for buying drugs, she said.

"A case has been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Ajay has been arrested. Further investigation is underway," the DCP said. -- PTI 

India and the United States are keen for an early conclusion of the 30 MQ-9B predator armed drones deal at a cost of over USD 3 billion, which will help New Delhi strengthen its overall surveillance apparatus along the Line of Actual Control and the Indian Ocean.

 

In the works for more than five years, the "ball is now in India's court", officials familiar with the development said Wednesday, without explaining further.

 

The MQ-9B predator armed drones -- 10 each for three services -- is seen to be a key part of India's national security and defense needs.

 

The officials did not elaborate further but ruled out that there was any bureaucratic hurdle or regulatory issues involved.

 

"I have to take that back and check on that," Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Jessica Lewis told reporters here when asked for the delay in the deal, which was announced in the summer of 2017.

 

It has been pending for quite some time now, for reasons not known in the public. However, the issues are believed to have been discussed during the meetings that the visiting National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval has had with top American leadership, including his counterpart Jake Sullivan.

 

During the meetings, it is believed that both sides expressed their eagerness to see that the drone deal is fast tracked. India is eager that an early decision would help it get an early delivery of MQ-98 predator armed drones that would strengthen its national security and surveillance not only in the Indian Ocean, but also along the LAC.

 

The Biden administration is keen on inking this deal as soon as possible, which will create jobs and would be politically beneficial ahead of the next year's presidential elections, according to people familiar with the development.

 

"MQ-9B would enable its Indian military users to fly farther than anything else in this category, spend more time in the air and handle a greater diversity of missions than any other similar aircraft. The SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian can deliver full-motion video in virtually any conditions, day or night, as well as other kinds of detailed sensing with their onboard systems," Vivek Lall, chief executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, told PTI.

 

"The aircraft also can carry a wide variety of specialist payloads if they must adapt to a specific mission. A SkyGuardian becomes a SeaGuardian, for example, when it carries a 360-degree maritime search radar that gives users a quality of maritime domain awareness they can't achieve any other way," he said.

 

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and other sophisticated technologies help unlock the rich feed of insight from these aircraft, analyse it and distribute it to those who need it to take quick decisions, Lall said.

 

"Other payloads include communications relays so the aircraft can serve as a node connecting forces over land or sea or other intelligence, surveillance or military systems. These aircraft can conduct search and rescue, help fight wildfires, support customs authorities, augment naval forces and take many other tasks," he said.

A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers on Monday in the mosque in the Police Lines area in Peshawar, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others. 

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The United States strongly condemns the January 30 bombing at a mosque in Peshawar's Police Lines district, Blinken said in a statement. 

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the many who lost their lives as a result of this senseless act of terrorism, he said. -- PTI

The collection, collation and analysis of evidence collected so far has been done by a CID-Crime Branch team and steps are being taken to conduct a forensic psychological assessment and layered voice analysis test of the accused by experts of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in New Delhi, it said. 

The additional director general of police, CID-Crime, Odisha, Arun Bothra is camping at the spot and personally monitoring and supervising the investigation into the case. 

The Odisha police said in a statement, "The PM report suggests that the death was caused due to cardiogenic shock as a result of firearm injuries and is homicidal in nature."                

The police has taken the accused, dismissed additional sub-inspector Gopal Das, on a four-day remand and his interrogation is being conducted by the CID-CB team. 

A team led by a DSP is examining the witnesses, including supporters of the dead minister who were present at the spot during the firing on January 29, 2023, while another team headed by another DSP is verifying the medical treatment aspect and financial behavior of accused, an official said. 

Examination of neighbours and villagers is being done by the second team at the native village of the accused in Ganjam district. 

The police inspected the vehicle and the crime spot with the assistance of a scientific officer and ballistic experts using a FARO 3-D Scanner, he said. -- PTI