Category: India

Supreme Court rejects ‘Namaz In Mosque’ petition, clears way for resuming Ayodhya hearing

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The Supreme Court has declined to set up a larger bench to revisit a 1994 verdict which held that a “mosque is not an essential to the practise of Islam”, ruling that the top court had made the observation in the limited context of acquisition of land. “All mosques, all churches and temples are significant for the community,” the three-judge bench said in a 2:1 majority decision delivered by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justice Ashok Bhushan. The third judge, Justice S Abdul Nazeer, delivered a dissenting judgment.…

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Parliament must make law to bar politicians facing criminal cases: Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court has declined to ban politicians with criminal cases from contesting elections but underlined that it is time Parliament enacts laws to ensure that people with criminal cases do not enter politics. Society has a right to be governed by better people, the judges said while observing that politicians with criminal cases must be “kept at bay”. Such a law should be enacted as soon as possible, it said. “The sooner the better, before it becomes fatal to democracy,” a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by…

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35 IIT students reportedly missing, 120 people stranded in snow-hit Lahaul Spiti in Himachal

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More than over 120 people are stranded in Khoksar of Lahaul Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, said Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus. “All of them are safe in local hotels and dhabas in Khoksar, they will be evacuated on Tuesday morning”, he said. News agency ANI had reported that 35 students from IIT Roorkee, who were trekking to Hamta Pass, have gone missing in Lahaul Spiti. “None has complained to me about the missing students in particular. They may be among those stranded in Khoksar. I have checked with the staff…

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65% Pay hike unites Gujarat MLAs after spar over fuel prices

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The Gujarat assembly witnessed acrimonious scenes between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress legislators over fuel price rise and farm distress. But the session ended on Wednesday with the two rival parties joining hands to give a 65% salary hike to legislators. The new salary structure will be effective retrospectively from December 2017. The Gujarat assembly passed a Bill to increase the salary and allowances of 182 legislators, including ministers. As per the new provision, a legislator in Gujarat will get a monthly salary of Rs 1,16,316, up…

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Citing Burhan stamps, Cop killings, India calls off Swaraj-Qureshi meet

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Nearly 24 hours after agreeing to it, the government Friday called off a meeting between the foreignministers of India and Pakistan in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps “glorifying” Kashmiri militant BurhanWani. Announcing the cancellation of the meeting, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the incidents “exposed” the “true face” of Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan to the world as well as Islamabad’s evil agenda behind the proposal for talks. India on Thursday accepted Khan’s request…

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Shambhulal Regar, Rajasthan man accused of murdering Muslim on camera set to contest Lok Sabha election

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A lesser known political outfit, Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena, has decided to field Shambhulal Regar — accused of hacking a Muslim man to death and burning his body in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand — as its candidate from Agra Lok Sabha seat. Though Regar is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail, party leaders are confident that he would win the election. The Agra (reserved) Lok Sabha seat is presently represented by former union minister Ram Shankar Katheria who is the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). National president of UP…

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Ram temple in Ayodhya will help ‘Hindu-Muslim’ peace: Mohan Bhagwat

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Construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya, considered the birthplace of Hindu god Ram, will eliminate a big reason for disagreements between Hindus and Muslims, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said on Wednesday. The RSS is the ideological parent of the ruling BJP. “Ram is Bhagwan (god) for many, but there are some who consider him as an icon of maryada (moral standard), for some he is imam-e-hind (spiritual leader). This is an issue of faith for all sections of society that where his birthplace…

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Rahul Gandhi says will abolish Gabbar Singh Tax, would bring one GST slab, if voted to power

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi? on Saturday said if his party comes to power, it would impose one slab of Goods and Services Tax instead of five and abolish the 28 per cent GST slab During an interaction with students at Maharani’s?College here, Afreen, a student, asked the congress chief why there was free health care in Singapore though they have one GST slab of seven per cent, which India lacks despite having 28 per cent GST Replying to her, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be better positioned to…

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Sensex plunges more than 500 points, Rupee falls below 72 mark, crash wipes out over Rs 1 lakh crore of investor wealth

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After rallying for two sessions, the BSE benchmark Sensex tumbled over 505 points on Monday to slip below the 38,000-level as worries about global trade war and prevailing rupee crisis dampened investors mood despite the government announcing steps to stem a steep fall in the Indian currency. The broader Nifty too nosedived over 137 points to end below the 11,400-mark. Subdued Asian and European markets due to escalating trade war between the US and China mainly led to a caution on domestic bourses, brokers said. The government Friday announced an…

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8.2% GDP growth, but how is the economy really doing?

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India’s GDP grew 8.2%, the highest in two years, during April-June 2018 (Q1 2018-19). The headline growth numbers, however, do not capture the macroeconomic dynamics currently at play in the Indian economy. While the larger economic picture is not one of immediate crisis, there are factors, especially on the external front, which should be cause for concern. Economic growth: The 8% plus GDP growth is more a result of the base effect due to demonetisation’s disruption than any drastic increase in the level of economic activity. This can be seen…

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