LIVE! Owaisi slams govt for 'gifting' more powers to JK LG

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Sat, 13 July 2024

Owaisi slams govt for 'gifting' more powers to JK LG

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20:59 Owaisi slams govt for 'gifting' more powers to JK L-G

The Union Home Ministry's notification on Jammu and Kashmir granting more powers to the Lieutenant Governor was issued by the Centre, anticipating that the BJP will not be able to form a government there if elections are held, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Saturday.

In a social media post, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP attacked the NDA government on the powers given to the L-G by the Union Home Ministry on Friday by amending the rules issued under the Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

Owaisi said the amendments encroach upon the subjects vested with an elected government under J&K Reorganisation.

"In anticipation that after elections (if they are held) the BJP will not be able to form a government almost all powers have been "gifted" to LG.

The elected government will be a lame duck and will have no say in postings, security etc. It will be much like Puducherry," he opined.

He further said JK Administrative Services (JKAS) officers could be posted as Administrative Secretaries only by LG making him be the "Super CM (Sixth Finger)".

According to the notification, more powers were vested to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir for taking decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and giving sanction for prosecution in various cases.

Decisions regarding the appointment of advocate general and other law officers, besides matters related to the anti-corruption bureau will also be taken by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G).

These powers were given to the L-G by amending the rules issued under the Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which was enacted for the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, while abrogating Article 370. -- PTI

Pune civic body on Saturday issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, directing the removal of "unauthorised structures" adjacent to the boundary wall of their bungalow in seven days, officials said.

Police have also registered an FIR against the IAS probationer's parents Manorama and Dilip Khedkar beside five others, days after a video showing Manorama allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged.

The 34-year-old officer is in the eye of a storm for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS.

On Saturday evening, Pune Municipal Corporation officials tried to hand over the notice to Manorama Khedkar at 'Om Deep' bungalow, located on Baner Road in the city, but didn't get any response after ringing the doorbell. Subsequently, officials stuck the notice on the main door of the bungalow.

"We have received a complaint about the structures installed outside your bungalow causing obstacles to the people. Kindly remove the unauthorised structures adjacent to the boundary wall of the bungalow in the next seven days," the notice stated.

Pune Rural Police have booked Manorama Khedkar and Dilip Khedkar and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including section 323 (Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property), at Paud police station, an official said.

The two-minute video shows Manorama Khedkar, accompanied by her security guards, engaged in a heated argument with some people with a pistol in her hand in Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil.

An official said the incident was about a land parcel bought by Dilip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer. Locals had claimed the Khedkars had encroached on the land of neighbouring farmers. -- PTI

20:39 Imran Khan acquitted in illegal marriage case

A Pakistani court on Saturday acquitted jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the un-Islamic marriage case, the only case keeping the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party founder behind bars since August last year.

However, barely an hour after his acquittal in the case, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore approved the request to arrest the PTI leader in three cases linked to the unprecedented May 9 riots following his arrest in an alleged corruption case.

The PTI called his latest arrest a gimmick to keep the illegal imprisonment prolonged.

On February 3 -- days before the general elections on February 8 -- an Islamabad court convicted the couple based on a complaint filed by Bushra Bibi's ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka, who alleged that they contracted marriage during the former first lady's Iddat period.

In Islam, a woman can't remarry before completing four months after divorce or the death of her husband.

The couple had challenged the sentence in a district and session court of the capital Islamabad where Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Afzal Majoka heard the case.

The judge announced the judgment in the afternoon after reserving the verdict earlier in the day, acquitting Khan, 71 and Bushra, 49.

"If they are not wanted in any other case, then PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be released [from jail] immediately," the judge said after accepting their appeals.

But it was not clear if he would be released. However, it was the only case for which Khan was in jail after the Toshakhana corruption case sentence was suspended and acquittal in the cipher case.

The cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the Toshakhana corruption case and subsequently sentenced in other cases ahead of the February 8 elections.

Bibi's ex-husband, Maneka, filed the case against the couple in November 2023, alleging that they married without her observing the mandatory waiting period of Iddat. He asked the court to declare the marriage null and void.

Khan and Bibi married in 2018, the year Khan went on to win elections and become prime minister.

Representative image

19:53 15 injured as 'drunk' man goes on rampage with SUV in Assam's Silchar

Fifteen persons were injured in Silchar town in Assam as an allegedly drunk man went on a rampage with his SUV, hitting people and vehicles -- whatever came in its way, before coming to a halt because of a bad road, police said on Saturday.

The incident happened on Friday night, triggering panic in the town, they said.

The SUV first hit three people near the municipal office, and while trying to flee, it injured another three persons at Capital Point. After that, it struck three motorbikes and some e-rickshaws at Trunk Road near the radio station, police said.

As the rampage went on, people started following the SUV on their two-wheelers. The vehicle came to a stop at the Tennis Club Point as it could not move forward due to the bad condition of the road, they said.

Police rushed to the spot and took the car along with the driver into custody, they added.

Several bottles of liquor were found in the car, a police officer said.

"A total of 15 people were injured in the incident," he said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that as per a report by the RBI, eight crore new jobs were made available in the country in the last three to four years.

Modi was speaking at an event in Mumbai's Goregaon suburb after launching and laying the foundation stone for Rs 29,000 crore projects in road, railway and port sectors in the city.

"RBI recently published a detailed report on employment. As per the report, around eight crore new jobs were created in the last three-four years. This figure has silenced those spreading fake narrative on jobs, Modi said.

"Skill development and employment are needed in the country and our government is working in this direction," he said.

The upcoming infrastructure projects in and around Mumbai will boost connectivity of the city with nearby areas, he said.

"Small and big investors have welcomed our government's third term with enthusiasm," he said.

"My aim is to make Maharashtra the world's big financial powerhouse and to make Mumbai a global fintech capital," he said. -- PTI

Japan's Softbank investment arm Softbank Vision Fund exited from Paytm in the June quarter at a loss of around USD 150 million, sources aware of the development said.

Softbank invested about USD 1.5 billion in One97 Communications -- the owner of Paytm brand -- in tranches in 2017.

"Softbank has exited Paytm at a loss of 10-12 per cent. The total loss is around USD 150 million," one of the sources said.

Softbank held around 18.5 per cent stake in Paytm before the company's initial public offering (IPO) in 2021. It held a 17.3 per cent stake through SVF India Holdings (Cayman) Ltd and 1.2 per cent through SVF Panther (Cayman) Ltd.

SVF Panther sold its entire stake during the IPO for Rs 1,689 crore, about USD 225 million.

"Softbank announced that it will exit Paytm in 24 months from the time of the IPO. The exit was in line with Softbank's plan. However, the company did anticipate loss at that time," another source said.

Softbank had acquired Paytm shares at an average price of about Rs 800 apiece.

Paytm share price was listed at Rs 1,955, lower by 9 per cent, and has not matched its issue price of Rs 2,150 apiece to date.

The share price of Paytm plummeted further after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned its associate firm Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) from carrying out transactions. It touched an all-time low of Rs 310 on May 9. -- PTI

19:07 Himachal CM's wife win creates new record

The victory of Kamlesh Thakur, the wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in the assembly by-election from Dehra seat has scripted history as for the first time both husband and wife are members of the house.

No independent was elected in the by-election and it was also for the first time that the house was without any independent member.

The strength of Congress, which had won 40 seats in the 2022 assembly polls, has increased to 40 again and the government which had become stable with 38 seats in the 68 member Vidhan Sabha after winning four by-elections in June this year has become stronger.

In the 2017 assembly elections, a record was set as former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya Singh were elected and incidentally the duo were oldest and youngest members of the house.

Veteran Congress leader Sarla Sharma and her husband Parasram (CPIM) also remained members of the Vidhan Sabha but they were never members of the same house. Parasram was elected in 1967 but his wife who contested on a Congress ticket lost the elections. The couple had contested from two different assembly seats and it was vice versa in 1972 assembly polls.

In the 2022 assembly polls, BJP's Reena Kashyap, who was elected from the Pachhad constituency, was the lone women member in the house but with the victory of Kamlesh Thakur, the number has risen to two. -- PTI

As heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department on Saturday issued an orange alert in three northern districts of the state for the day.

The IMD issued an orange alert in Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod and a yellow alert in nine other districts of the state for the day.

The weather department also predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds at one or two places in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts for the day.

It further issued an orange alert in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of the state from June 14 to June 16.

An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

The IMD said that Kerala will receive fairly widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds during the next five days due to the influence of the cyclonic circulation over north Gujarat and another over west central Bay of Bengal.

In view of the weather alert, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) cautioned people against standing or parking vehicles under trees, saying they could get uprooted or their branches may break and fall down due to strong winds.

Those living in thatched, sheeted or unsecured houses should move to safer buildings in accordance with directions of the authorities.

The Congress on Saturday hailed its gains in the assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh and BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, saying the results "reflect the changing political climate in the country".

The Congress won both the assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand and in Himachal Pradesh, it secured two out of the three seats where bye-elections were held.

On the party's victories in Uttarakhand, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on 'X', said, "Manglaur was wrested from the BSP and in the face of dirty tactics by the BJP. In Badrinath, the sitting MLA was a Congressman who had switched to the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls. He has been rightly punished by the people and the Congress has held on to the seat."

"Both ways the results reflect the changing political climate in the country," he said.

On the Himachal Pradesh bypoll results, Ramesh said that "all machinations of the BJP have failed miserably".

"The Congress has won two of the assembly seats held by Independents who had been lured away as part of Operation Lotus. This is reflective of the significant recovery of the Congress and public disgust with the BJP," he said.

The Congress' Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla said, "We have won two bye-elections in Himachal out of three. Now, the party's strength is back to 40 again in a house of 68. It will provide stability to our government."

Three Himachal Pradesh Assembly seats -- Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh -- had fallen vacant following the resignation of three Independent MLAs who voted for the BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha elections held in February and later joined the party. -- PTI

Increased heating due to climate change is leading to more thunderstorm activity and consequently, more lightning strikes worldwide, senior scientists said on Saturday.

At least 43 people were killed due to lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and 21 in Bihar on Friday.

Most of the people killed were either transplanting paddy in fields, grazing cattle or taking shelter under trees to protect themselves from the rain.

Former Secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, said climate change is increasing the formation of convective or thunderstorm clouds.

"People have documented that the frequency of thunderstorms is increasing everywhere, including India, due to climate change," he told PTI.

"Unfortunately, we do not have long-term data for lightning flashes to confirm an increase in incidents. However, we can conclude that global warming leads to more convective activity, resulting in more thunderstorms and, consequently, more lightning strikes," he said.

Rajeevan explained that lightning is attributed to deeper clouds with large vertical extensions.

"With climate change increasing the moisture-holding capacity of the air, more such clouds are forming," he added.

D S Pai, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said the higher the surface temperature, the lighter the air and the higher it will rise.

"So, with higher temperatures, there is a greater chance of convective activity or thunderstorms, which naturally leads to more lightning strikes. Climate change is making such events more frequent," he told PTI.

The senior meteorologist pointed out that the large number of lightning strikes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that claimed several lives last week were also due to large-scale thunderstorm activity.

Former IMD chief K J Ramesh explained that the vertical extent of clouds increases with more heating.

"Crystallisation occurs when the air temperature reaches the freezing point at the height of five to six kilometres. The deeper the cloud, the more ice crystals and charge it contains," he said.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday accused the Modi government of targeting his phone with a "malicious spyware" and asserted that "we will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act" and breach of privacy.

Venugopal shared the screenshot of a message purportedly from Apple which said that "you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID".

In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Thank you PM Modi ji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also! Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!"

"Let's be clear, the Modi government is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political opponents and invading their privacy in this manner," the Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, said.

The message of the Lok Sabha elections was that the people reject any attack on the Constitution and the "BJP's fascist agenda", he said.

"We will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act and breach of our privacy tooth and nail," Venugopal said.

The message purportedly from Apple, whose screenshot Venugopal shared, stated that Apple had previously sent him a notification on October 30, 2023 but this was not a repeat notice and was to inform him that another attack against his device had been detected.

"Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID'. This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it's never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning '? please take it seriously," the message read.

"These attacks cost millions of dollars and are individually deployed against a very small number of people, but the targeting is ongoing and global. Since 2021, we have sent Apple threat notifications like this one multiple times a year as we detect mercenary spyware attacks," it said.

"Today's notification is being sent to targeted users in 98 countries, and to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total," it further said. -- PTI

16:32 JK statehood still away: Cong on govt's move

On the Centre vesting more powers in the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Saturday said it can only mean that full-fledged statehood for J&K is unlikely in the immediate future.

The Centre has increased the remit of J-K LG on matters related to decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and sanctioning prosecution in various cases.

The powers were given to the LG by the Union home ministry on Friday through an amendment to the rules issued under the Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which was enacted for the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, while abrogating Article 370.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The only meaning that can be drawn from this notification is that full-fledged statehood for J&K does not seem likely in the immediate future."

He said that there has been a consensus across political parties that J-K must immediately become a full-fledged state of the Indian Union once again.

"The self-anointed non-biological PM is on record saying that full-fledged statehood would be restored to J&K, which had been reduced to a Union Territory in August 2019," Ramesh said.

"The Supreme Court had mandated that elections to the J&K Assembly should be held by September 30th, 2024," he added.

Last night, the Ministry of Home Affairs notified the amended Rules under Section 55 of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, inserting new sections giving expanded powers to the LG, the Congress leader said. -- PTI

16:17 Rajnath Singh discharged from AIIMS

Defence minister Rajnath Singh was on Saturday discharged from AIIMS in New Delhi, two days after he was admitted to the hospital with complaints of back pain, an official said on Saturday.

According to Dr Rima Dada, All India Institute Medical Sciences media cell in-charge, Singh was evaluated and treated for back pain.

The minister was discharged around 2 pm on Saturday, Dada said.

Singh was admitted to the the hospital's old private ward under the neurosurgery department early Thursday, she said. -- PTI

The Maharashtra legislative council polls, which the Mahayuti swept by winning nine out of 11 seats it contested, was a contest between money and people's power, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut claimed on Saturday.

The ruling alliance on Friday won all the nine seats it contested in the biennial elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi faced a setback after Peasants and Workers' Party (PWP) candidate Jayant Patil, backed by NCP-SP, lost due to cross-voting by opposition MLAs.

Twelve candidates were in the fray for 11 seats, of which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won five, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party bagged two each.

Talking to reporters, Raut stressed that MVA candidate Jayant Patil's defeat was not a setback for the opposition alliance.

Though legislators from the Congress cross-voted in the council polls, no one from the Shiv Sena-UBT or NCP-SP ditched the opposition camp, he said.

"The council poll was a contest between money power and people's power," the Sena-UBT leader said, alleging that the "rate" of the MLAs of smaller parties and independents was soaring like a stock market.

He further claimed that some legislators were given two acres of land.

Raut said the opposition camp depended on the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM and other smaller parties.

"MLAs who think they are secular, who believe in the socialist ideology, there are many like that (who did not vote for the MVA candidate). The rate for MLAs ranged from Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore.

The MVA will not play such a game," he said, alluding that these parties did not vote for the MVA. -- PTI

15:24 TMC all set to sweep Bengal bypolls

The Trinamool Congress won Raiganj and Bagda assembly seats and secured an unassailable lead in two other constituencies in West Bengal bypolls, continuing its winning streak a month after the party's resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

The bypolls for Maniktala, Bagda, Ranaghat Dakshin, and Raiganj assembly seats were held on July 10.

Trinamool Congress candidates Krishna Kalyani and Madhuparna Thakur won Raiganj and Bagda respectively, while Mukut Mani Adhikari and Supti Pandey were leading in Ranaghat Dakshin and Maniktala.

In Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Kalyani won by a margin of 50,077 votes over his nearest BJP rival Manas Kumar Ghosh.

Kalyani got 86,479 votes while Ghosh bagged 36,402.

TMC's Madhuparna Thakur, daughter of TMC Rajya Sabha MP and Matua leader Mamatabala Thakur, won by a margin of 33,455 votes over her rival Binay Kumar Biswas of the BJP in the Bagda assembly seat in North 24 Parganas district.

Madhuparna Thakur got 107706 while Biswas secured 74251.

With this victory, the ruling party in West Bengal won Bagda after a gap of eight years.

TMC's nominee Supti Pandey was leading by 31,441 votes in Maniktala in Kolkata over her nearest rival Kalyan Chaubey of the BJP. -- PTI

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Saturday, days after he took charge of the post again.

Accompanied by his wife Kalpana, Hemant Soren met Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence in New Delhi.

Describing the meeting as a courtesy call, Soren said he had come to meet Gandhi as they had not met her after the Lok Sabha elections and since he came out of jail.

"Discussions for Jharkhand Assembly elections will continue...there was no discussion about polls," Soren said when asked whether the upcoming assembly polls in Jharkhand were discussed with Gandhi.

"Indians are very sensitive and tolerant. They tolerate a lot until they cannot and then they make themselves heard by voting," he told reporters after meeting Gandhi.

He also hoped that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would be granted bail soon.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president had resigned as the chief minister before his arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

After spending around five months in prison, he secured bail and became chief minister again on July 4. -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its government at the Centre are playing with the life of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has lost 8.5 kg and whose blood sugar level dropped below 50 mg/dL five times while in jail, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh claimed on Saturday.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on his claims.

"His health condition is such that if he is not brought out of jail soon and provided medical care, any serious incident may happen with him," Singh said at a press conference here.

He said Kejriwal's weight was 70 kg when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Now, his weight has reduced to 61.5 kg, he claimed.

The reason for this constant loss of his weight is unknown as no tests could have been conducted. This weight loss is sign of some serious ailment, Singh claimed.

He said Kejriwal's family, the AAP and his well wishers were concerned about his health condition in jail.

"The aim of BJP and its government at the Centre is to keep him in jail and play with his life. They are hatching conspiracy so that he faces some serious health issues," he alleged.

The Delhi chief minister was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in the case registered by the ED. However, he is still in jail because of his arrest in the excise policy "scam" case by the CBI. -- PTI

Kim and Khloe Kardashian

14:23 Anant-Radhika's wedding to feature on 'The Kardashians'

American socialite and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, who attended Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding with sister Khloe Kardashian in Mumbai, has revealed the lavish ceremony will be a part of their reality TV show The Kardashians.

Kim, 43, and Khloe, 40, were among several international celebrities who arrived in India to attend the nuptials of Anant and Radhika, held on Friday night at Mumbai's Jio World Drive -- a convention centre built and owned by the Ambani family.

In a previous video shared by Khloe on social media, a production crew with cameras, lights and microphones were seen following the sister duo around and some eagle-eyed fans had suspected they were shooting for The Kardashians.

In her latest post on her Instagram Story, Kim posted a screengrab of a video of her and Khloe after they got ready ahead of the high-profile ceremony and shared they were indeed filming for their popular reality series.

"Had to screen grab our video bc we're just so happy to be lucky enough to travel the world together! And duh we were filming The Kardashians too so you guys can see Kim and Khloe take India (sic)" she wrote.

The Kardashians, which streams in India on Disney+ Hotstar, focuses on the personal lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family.

The series is a retooled continuation of their previous reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which concluded in 2021 after a 20-season run on US network E!.

Both the sisters, styled by Dani Levi, were dressed in custom-made designs and jewellery by celebrity-favourite designer Manish Malhotra.

While Kim was draped in a glittering red saree, Khloe opted for an ivory-gold saree with heavy embellishments.

"@kimkardashian Looking stunning in a custom stylised saree @manishmalhotraworld #styling @superrrdani #mymmsaree," Malhotra captioned a reel of Kim posing in his creation.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday said the Navi Mumbai International Airport is slated to commence operations in March 2025.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Mohol visited the airport site and reviewed the progress of the ongoing work.

"Going by the progress of the work, the airport will be operational in March next year. It will enhance connectivity with neighbouring Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kalyan, and western Maharashtra," Mohol said, highlighting its international standards and anticipated annual footfall of nearly 20 million passengers.

He expressed positivity towards naming the airport after late PWP leader DB Patil. He also assured that issues about compensation for project-affected persons (PAP) would be resolved through discussions with management.

"We are committed to ensuring that people who have contributed land for the airport project are not displaced," the minister clarified, emphasising the government's awareness of project-related issues and compensations.

He underscored Prime Minister Modi's ongoing support for development initiatives in Maharashtra. -- PTI

13:36 TMC wins Raiganj seat in Bengal bypoll

Trinamool Congress candidate Krishna Kalyani on Saturday won the Raiganj assembly seat in a bypoll in West Bengal by a margin of over 50,000 votes over his nearest BJP rival, Election Commission website said.

In Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Kalyani won by a margin of 50,077 votes over his nearest BJP rival Manas Kumar Ghosh.

Kalyani got 86,479 votes, while Ghosh bagged 36,402. -- PTI

13:23 Himachal CM's wife wins Dehra assembly bypoll

The Congress won the Dehra Assembly seat for the first time on Saturday with its candidate Kamlesh Thakur, the wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, defeating BJP candidate Hoshiyar Singh by a margin of 9,399 votes.

Thakur polled 32,737 votes in the bypoll against 23,338 votes polled by Singh. The three Independent candidates in this seat could not get even 200 votes each.

Of the 86,520 voters in this assembly segment, 65.42 per cent exercised their franchise on July 10.

Dehra Assembly constituency was carved out after a delimitation exercise in 2012. Senior BJP leader and former minister Ravi Inder Singh was elected from the seat in 2012.

Hoshiyar Singh won the seat as an Independent in 2017 and 2022. -- PTI

INDIA bloc member Aam Aadmi Party won the Jalandhar West assembly bypoll in Punjab while the alliance's other constituents -- the Congress, the Trinamol Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam -- were leading in 10 of the remaining 12 seats where by-elections were held earlier this week, according to the counting trends on the Election Commission (EC) website and state officials.

While the BJP was in the lead in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, its partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Janata Dal-United, was leading in Rupauli in Bihar.

Voting for the bypolls in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were held on Wednesday.

In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagat won the Jalandhar West assembly seat by defeating his nearest rival and BJP nominee Sheetal Angural by a margin of over 37,325 votes, officials said.

The seat fell vacant after Angural resigned as the AAP legislator and joined the BJP in March.

In Tamil Nadu, DMK's Anniyur Siva was ahead of PMK's Anbumani C by 24,898 votes in the Vikravandi assembly seat, the EC website showed.

Trinamool Congress candidates Krishna Kalyani, Mukut Nami Adhikari, Madhuparna Tahkur and Supti Pandey are in the lead in assembly bypolls in Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and Maniktala in West Bengal.

In Raiganj, the BJP is in second place and behind by 41,552 votes; in Ranaghat Dakshin, the party is trailing by 13,428 votes; in Bagda by 18,337 votes and in Maniktala by 20,820 votes, according to the EC website.

In Himachal Pradesh, Congress candidates -- Chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Tahkur and Hardeep Singh Bawa -- are in the lead in Dehra and Nalagarh while BJP's Ashish Sharma is ahead in Hamirpur. -- PTI

Trinamool Congress candidates were ahead of their rivals in bypolls held in four assembly seats in West Bengal, where counting began on Saturday morning, according to the Election Commission website.

The bypolls for Maniktala, Bagda, Ranaghat Dakshin and Raiganj assembly seats were held on July 10.

TMC's nominee Supti Pandey was leading by 8,627 votes in Maniktala in Kolkata over her nearest rival Kalyan Chaubey of the BJP, while in Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Trinamool Congress candidate Krishna Kalyani was ahead of Manas Kumar Ghosh of the saffron camp by 21,393 votes.

TMC's Madhuparna Thakur was leading by 12,444 votes over her rival Binay Kumar Biswas of the BJP in the Bagda assembly seat in North 24 Parganas district.

Mukut Mani Adhikari of the TMC was ahead of BJP nominee Manoj Kumar Biswas by 2,139 votes in Ranaghat Dakshin in North 24 Parganas.

The BJP secured Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and Raiganj segments in the 2021 assembly polls.

The Maniktala seat was bagged by the TMC in 2021 but became vacant after former state minister Sadhan Pandey died in February 2022.

Despite the BJP winning the other three seats in 2021, the MLAs later switched to the TMC.

The bypolls were necessitated as Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj, Biswajit Das from Bagda and Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat Dakshin gave up their seats to contest the Lok Sabha elections. -- PTI

J-K LG Manoj Sinha

11:29 Ahead of J-K polls, Centre gives more powers to LG

In a significant move, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 enhancing some powers of the Lieutenant Governor of the erstwhile state.

President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval to the amendments in the rule exercising the powers conferred by Section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, (34 of 2019) read with the Proclamation dated October 31, 2019 issued under Section 73 of the Act, a notification issued by the MHA mentions.

The President made the rules further to amend the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019.

'These rules may be called the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Temtory of Jammu and Kashmir (Second Amendment) Rules, 2024,' reads the notification.

The amendments shall come into force on July 12, the date of the publication in the Official Gazette-- a move in anticipation of the speculated assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019 (hereinafter referred to as the principal rules), some rules have been inserted.

As per the inserted sub-rule (2A), 'No proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to 'Police', 'Public Order', 'All India Service' and 'Anti Corruption Bureau' to exercise the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary.'

In the principal rules, after rule 42, rule 42A has been inserted pointing, 'Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs shall submit the proposal for appointment of Advocate-General and other Law Officers to assist the Advocate-General in the court proceedings, for approval of the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister.'

In the inserted rule 42B, 'Any proposal regarding grant or refusal of prosecution sanction or filing of an appeal shall be placed before the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.'

In the principal rules, in rule 43, after the third proviso, the notification states that some provisos shall be inserted, focusing on matters connected with Prisons, Directorate of Prosecution and Forensic Science Laboratory, under which 'the matters shall be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor by Administrative Secretary, Home Department through the Chief Secretary'.

'Provided also that in respect of matters connected with posting and transfer of Administrative Secretaries and cadre posts of All India Services officers, the proposal shall be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor by the Administrative Secretary, General Administration Department through the Chief Secretary.'

It is pertinent to mention that the principal rules were published in the Gazette of India dated August 27, 2020, and subsequently amended on February 28, 2024. -- ANI

10:56 Vikravandi bypoll: DMK takes early lead

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Saturday took early lead in the Vikravandi Assembly constituency, where the counting of votes polled in the July 10 bypoll was underway.

According to reports, DMK nominee Anniyur Siva was leading ahead of his nearest Pattali Makkal Katchi rival, C Anbumani, by about 5,000 votes.

Counting of votes began at 8 am with postal ballots being taken up first. The by-election was necessitated due to the death of DMK legislator N Pugazhenthi in April this year.

The DMK-led alliance had won all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry segment in the just concluded Parliamentary elections. -- PTI

IMAGE: DMK candidate from the Vikravandi assembly Anniyur Siva along with others arrive to cast his vote for the by-elections, in Viluppurram on July 10, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Congress candidates, including Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife, are in the lead in all three assembly constituencies in the state where bypolls were held earlier this week, officials said on Saturday.

The counting of votes for the by-elections in Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh, held on Wednesday, began at 8 am.

Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur was leading by 1,815 votes against her nearest rival and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Hoshiyar Singh in the Dehra assembly seat after the sixth round of counting, the officials said.

In the Hamirpur assembly seat, Congress' Pushpinder Verma was ahead by 1,707 votes against BJP candidate Ashish Sharma after the third round of counting, they said.

Congress candidate Hardeep Singh Bawa was also leading by 1,571 votes after the second round against the BJP candidate K L Thakur in the Nalagarh assembly seat, the officials said.

Thirteen candidates were in the fray from the three seats.

The Nalagarh assembly constituency had recorded the highest polling at 79.04 per cent, followed by Hamirpur (67.72 per cent) and Dehra (65.42 per cent).

The overall voting percentage of the three bypolls was 71 per cent, according to the data of the state election department. -- PTI

IMAGE: Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, accompanied by her husband while filing her nomination papers for the Dehra assembly by-elections, in Kangra on June 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Trinamool Congress candidates have taken an early lead over their rivals in by-polls held in four assembly seats in West Bengal, where counting began on Saturday morning, TV channels reported.

The bypolls for Maniktala, Bagdah, Ranaghat Dakshin, and Raiganj assembly seats were held on July 10.

However, there was no official word from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, as the EC website showed counting in progress.

Bengali news channel TV9 Bangla showed TMC leading in Maniktala in Kolkata, Ranaghat Dakshin, and Bagdah in North 24 Parganas, which are in South Bengal, and Raiganj in North Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district.

Another news channel, ABP Ananda, also broadcasted similar trends.

The BJP secured Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagdah seats in the 2021 assembly polls.

The Raiganj seat was won by the saffron party in the last assembly elections.

The Maniktala seat was secured by the TMC in 2021 but became vacant after former state minister Sadhan Pandey died in February 2022. -- PTI

IMAGE: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters take part in an election campaign in support of party candidate from Maniktala, Supti Pandey for the upcoming Assembly by-elections, in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo

10:00 Bypolls: Himachal CM Sukhu's wife trailing

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife and Congress candidate for the Dehra assembly bypoll Kamlesh Thakur was trailing by 557 votes against the Bharatiya Janata Party's nominee for the seat on Saturday, officials said.

Dehra was one of the three assembly constituencies in the state where by-election was held on Wednesday.

The others being Hamirpur and Nalagarh.

BJP's Hoshiyar Singh was ahead of Kamlesh Takhur after three rounds of counting of votes that began at 8 am, the officials said.

In the Hamirpur assembly seat, Congress' Pushpinder Verma was ahead by 200 votes against his nearest rival and BJP candidate Ashish Sharma after the first round of counting, the officials said.

Thirteen candidates were in the fray from the three seats.

The Nalagarh assembly constituency had recorded the highest polling at 79.04 per cent, followed by Hamirpur (67.72 per cent) and Dehra (65.42 per cent).

The overall voting percentage of the three bypolls was 71 per cent, according to the data of the state election department.

The seats fell vacant after the three Independent legislators Singh (Dehra), Sharma (Hamirpur) and K L Thakur (Nalagarh), who had voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls held on February 27, resigned from the state assembly on March 22 and joined the party the next day.

Their resignations, however, were accepted by the assembly speaker on June 3, and the seats were declared vacant, necessitating the by-elections.

The BJP fielded all the three former MLAs from their respective seats.

The Congress fielded Kamlesh Thakur from Dehra, repeated its candidate Pushpinder Verma from Hamirpur and gave ticket to five-time Indian National Trade Union Congress president, Himachal Pradesh unit, Hardeep Singh Baba, from Nalagarh.

Though the bypolls will not make much difference in the 68-member House as the Congress has a majority with 38 MLAs.

The BJP has 27 members. -- PTI

Image: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

Puja Khedkar

08:57 IAS officer Puja Khedkar's mother booked for threatening farmer

A day after the central government formed a panel to probe the candidature of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, a first information report (FIR) has been registered against her mother, Manorama Khedkar, for allegedly threatening a farmer with a pistol, said the police on Saturday.

This follows a viral video, reportedly a year old, which showed Manorama Khedkar threatening a farmer carrying a pistol in her hand.

According to the police, the FIR has been registered at Paud police station in Pune based on the complaint of the farmer who alleged having been threatened by the trainee IAS officer's mother.

"The Police have registered an FIR against Manorama Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar, parents of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and five others. The FIR was filed last night at Paud police station based on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that he was threatened by Manoram Khedkar. Charges under the Arms Act have also been included," said the police.

The central government on Thursday, constituted a single-member committee to verify the candidature claims and other details of Khedkar following a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant.

The Ministry of Personnel announced in a statement, emphasising that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of additional secretary under the central government and that it will submit its report in two weeks.

Khedkar, a 2023 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, sparked controversy recently when she used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate.

She also demanded facilities that are not available to probationary officers in the IAS.

According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3.

The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector's office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.

Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. Reports claimed that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate.

In April 2022, she was asked to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate, but she did not do so, citing Covid infection. -- ANI

Actor Gaurav Bakshi

01:15 Accused of blocking Goa minister's car, actor Gaurav Bakshi gets bail

A court in Goa on Friday granted conditional bail to actor Gaurav Bakshi, arrested for `restraining' a state minister by blocking his car.

Judicial magistrate first class, Mapusa, granted him bail of Rs 15,000 with a surety of like amount, the actor's lawyer said.

Bakshi will have to appear at Colvale police station for the next eight days and the court also prohibited him from visiting the Revora panchayat in North Goa district where the alleged incident happened, the lawyer said.

The police requested the court to allow them to seize Bakshi's car but the judge rejected the plea, he added.

State animal husbandry minister Nilkant Halarnkar's personal assistant filed a complaint against Bakshi on Thursday, claiming that the actor blocked the minister's car outside the Revora panchayat a day earlier and refused to move his vehicle out of the way when requested.

Bakshi filed a counter-complaint claiming that it was the minister's vehicle that had blocked his way.

The police arrested Bakshi on Thursday for allegedly restraining a public servant from performing his duty. -- PTI

Five people were arrested on Friday for allegedly being involved in the illegal sale and purchase of a suspected radioactive device, the police said in Dehradun.

They said two of them were nabbed from Dehradun's Rajpur area, two from Madhya Pradesh and one from Delhi.

A case was registered against them under relevant sections of the law for keeping and buying a substance that endangers life, police officials said, adding that a radiography camera was found in their possession.

One of them told police that he bought the device 10 months ago from a Saharanpur resident and had come to Dehradun to arrange for its sale, the officials said.

The police have sealed the room of a flat in the Brook and Woods Society on Rajpur Road and the State Disaster Response Force has been called in for an investigation, the officials said.

An SDRF team confirmed the presence of a radioactive substance in the flat, they said.

The police said devices like the one found in the possession of those arrested are manufactured by the BARC in Mumbai and are used in the field of medicine and to stop leakage in large pipelines. -- PTI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav

01:03 MP CM puts end to `nightlife' in Indore; revokes permission for 24-hour biz

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday put an end to nightlife on the BRT corridor in the city following complaints from public representatives that it was encouraging liquor consumption and crime. Indore, Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital, is known as `mini Mumbai' because of its buzzing business culture.

An order issued on September 13, 2022, allowed the outlets along the 11.45-km stretch of Bus Rapid Transit System from Niranjanpur Square to Rajiv Gandhi Square to remain open 24 hours.

This would generate employment and boost the local economy, it was then argued.

On CM Yadav's order, this permission was revoked on Friday, an official said.

Urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who represents Indore 1 seat in the legislative assembly, said the local public representatives unanimously demanded that the rule allowing hotels and other businesses along the BRTS corridor to remain open at all hours be scrapped. -- PTI

Odisha governor Raghubar Das/ANI Photo

00:43 Odisha guv's son beats up Raj Bhavan staffer: Wife

The wife of a Raj Bhavan employee in Puri alleged that her husband was beaten up by the Odisha governor's son and five others on the night of July 7.

However, there is no official confirmation either from the Raj Bhavan or police regarding the incident.

Speaking to the media, Sayoj Pradhan alleged that her husband was beaten up because he did not send a luxury vehicle to pick up the governor's son.

She demanded legal action on the alleged attack on her husband. -- PTI

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