LIVE News Updates: Students form human chain ahead of HRD ministry-appointed panel's visit to JNU

Students form human chain ahead of HRD ministry-appointed panel's visit to JNU

JNU students on Friday formed a human chain inside the university campus to demand complete rollback of fee hike, ahead of a visit of the HRD Ministry-appointed high-powered committee to the varsity to meet students' union representatives.

Former students' union president N Sai Balaji said, "Students are standing here to welcome the high powered committee. The students want to tell them about the issues arising due to fee hike."

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha was allowed entry in Srinagar

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha was allowed entry in Srinagar on Friday. Along with Sinha, the administration also allowed former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah, journalist Bharat Bhushan and civil society activist Kapil Kak to visit Srinagar.

“On way to Srinagar, Kashmir with the Concerned Citizens Group to make an independent assessment of the situation on the ground and the economic loss caused by govt’s action. Hope will be allowed to enter,” Sinha had tweeted earlier in the day.

Telangana High Court grants interim stay on MHA order cancelling citizenship of TRS MLA Ramesh ChennamaneniCongress Legislative Party meeting underway at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan, to elect their legislative party leader

Electoral bonds are legalised political corruption: CPI(M)

CPI(M) on Friday hit out at the government over the issue of electoral bonds and described it as "legalised political corruption."

"Scrap electoral bonds. These are legalised political corruption and were also used for horse trading by flouting rules under directions of PM Modi. Whenever BJP needed money these bonds were permitted to be issued flouting it's own laid down rules," tweeted CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

RBI appoints 3-member advisory panel for DHFL

The Reserve Bank on Friday constituted a three-member panel to advise the administrator of DHFL, ahead of formally moving for resolution of the troubled mortgage lender under the insolvency law.

IDFC First Bank's Non-Executive Chairman Rajiv Lall, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance's Managing Director and Chief Executive N S Kannan, and mutual funds' association AMFI's Chief Executive N S Venkatesh would be part of the panel, an official statement said.

On Monday, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) superseded DHFL's board and placed the company under an administrator in the wake of governance issues and severe liquidity crisis which had led to a string of defaults.

Indian Overseas Bank's former managing director R Subramaniakumar was appointed as the administrator.

Three injured in blast at ordanance factory in Jalgaon

At least three persons were injured in a blast at an ordanance factory in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district on Friday, police said.

The incident took place at around 9.45 am at the ordnance factory in Varangaon, where three employees sustained serious injuries, an official said.

The injured were rushed to a private hospital in Jalgaon town and are undergoing treatment, he said.

The exact cause of the blast is yet to ascertained, he said, adding that the police are in the process of registering the case.

Why did BJP receive donation from firm accused of buying property of Dawood aide, asks Congress

“BJP’s ‘donation saga’ gets murkier- Electoral Bond Scam to donations from accused of ‘terror funding’! Why did BJP receive Cr’s in donation from a Co. accused of buying properties of Iqbal Mirchi,a Dawood Ibrahim aid? Is this not ‘treason’ Mr Amit Shah?,” said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala

Lok Sabha to take up proposed amendment to SPG Act next week, says Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in HouseCBI conducts multi-city raids in connection with alleged Rs 332 crore scam in development funds in Manipur: OfficialsSC to hear in open court review pleas of Maradu flat owners for relief from builders

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear in open court review pleas of some Maradu flat owners in Kochi seeking appropriate relief from the builders.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said it would hear the review petitions in an open court on the point of appropriate relief from the builders.

The counsel appearing for the Kerala government submitted a status report and said the state had partially complied with the earlier apex court order of demolition of the Maradu flats.

Pawar outwitted Chanakya of politics:NCP takes a jibe at BJP

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has finally "outwitted" the "so-called Chanakya of the Indian politics", the party said on Friday, as it inches closer to forming a government with Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.

The NCP's chief spokesperson Nawab Malik also reiterated that the throne of Delhi could not make Maharashtra bow before it.

"@PawarSpeaks Sahab has finally outwitted the so- called Chanakya of Indian politics. The throne of Delhi could not make Maharashtra bow down before it. Jai Maharashtra," Malik tweeted, without naming anyone.

It is believed that Malik's jibe was directed at Union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah, who is often credited for being instrumental in the BJP's victories in several polls and government formations in the country.

The BJP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had contested the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls jointly and won 105 and 56 seats respectively.

However, the saffron partners fell out after the Sena persisted with its demand for sharing the chief minister's post on rotational basis.

Now in a bid to form a government, the Sena is in talks with the NCP and Congress, who have won 54 and 44 seats respectively in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

Maharashtra has been under the President's rule since November 12, after no party came forward with enough numbers to form a government.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appoints interim Cabinet, swears in brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister

SC asks RO Manufacturers Association to approach govt over NGT ban on use of RO having total dissolved solids below 500 mg per litreCRPF jawan injured in Chhattisgarh IED blast: Police.

Sena won't side with BJP even if offered Lord Indra's throne, says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena won't side with the BJP even if offered Lord Indra's throne, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Friday.

Talking to reporters, Raut reiterated that his party will get the Maharashtra CM's post when the three-party alliance with Congress and NCP assumes power.

"The time for offers has ended," Raut said, when asked about reports that the BJP had agreed to share the CM's post with the Sena.

"People of Maharashtra want Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to become the CM," he said.

Asked if the three non-BJP parties would meet the state governor on Friday itself, Raut quipped, "Why meet the governor when the President's rule is in place".

Maharashtra govt cannot be run by people sitting in Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena to get Maha CM's post: Sanjay RautFinal round of discussions today, 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' inching closer to form govt

Two people were beaten to death over suspicion of cattle theft in Coochbehar district, on Thursday

Centre treating Puducherry as UT or state depending on convenience, alleges V Narayanasamy

Heavy rainfall lashes parts of Puducherry

Over ₹255 cr spent on chartered flights during PM Modi's foreign engagements in last 3 yrs: MEA

An expenditure of over ₹255 crore was incurred on chartered flights during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign engagements in the past three years, the Rajya Sabha was told on Thursday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that in 2016-17 ₹76.27 crore was spent on chartered flights while in 2017-18 ₹99.32 crore was spent.

In 2018-19, ₹ 79.91 crore was spent while the bill for 2019-20 has not been received, he said, adding in 2016-17, ₹2,24,75,451 were incurred on hotline facilities while in 2017-18 the cost incurred for it was ₹58,06,630.