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Responding to Amit Shah's open invitation for discussions on amended citizenship law, protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi announced that they will rally till the Union minister's residence in the National Capital on Sunday. The march from Shaheen Bagh, the epicenter of anti-CAA protests in Delhi, to Shah's residence will commence at 2 pm, reports have said. Protesters are expected to voice their demands with the primary one being withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). They have also demanded that the National Population Register (NPR) exercise be immediately stopped and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) stand cancelled. The Indian Express quoted a protester as saying, "No representatives but everyone, who has a problem with CAA would be sharing their demands with Amit Shah." However, Home Ministry officials told news agency PTI that they did not receive any request for an appointment to discuss issues related to anti-CAA pro

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Saturday courted controversy by claiming that "uneducated men and women" are protesting at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and Kolkata's Park Circus as they get money and biryani purchased with foreign funds. Ghosh's comment came two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that controversial statements such as " Goli Maro" made by some BJP leaders at Shaheen Bagh could have contributed to the party's defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections. "Poor, uneducated men and women have been made to sit on roads. In return, they are receiving money every day. They are being fed biryani bought with foreign funds," Ghosh said while addressing a party meeting in Kolkata. "Be it Delhi's Shaheen Bagh or Kolkata's Park Circus, the picture is the same everywhere. People like Brinda Karat and P Chidambaram attend these gatherings. Some uneducated women with babies on their lap are sitting there.

Ahmedabad: Calling dissent a "safety valve" of democracy, Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud on Saturday said "blanket labelling" of dissent as anti-national or anti-democratic strikes at the "heart" of the country's commitment to protect constitutional values and promote deliberative democracy. Delivering a lecture in Gujarat, Justice Chandrachud also said that use of state machinery to curb dissent instills fear, which violates the rule of law. "The blanket labelling of dissent as anti-national or anti-democratic strikes at the heart of our commitment to protect constitutional values and the promotion of deliberative democracy," he said. Protecting dissent is but a reminder that while a democratically elected government offers us a legitimate tool for development and social coordination, they can never claim a monopoly over the values and identities that define our plural society, Justice Chandrachud said. He was speaking on th

Munich:  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told a senior US Senator that India will "settle" the Kashmir issue on its own when the American lawmaker brought up the issue during an interaction at the Munich Security Conference. Referring to the Kashmir issue during a panel discussion, Senator Lindsey Graham said the best way to sell democracy will be to settle the Kashmir issue in a democratic way. "In India, you are moving forward, you got your problems like we do at home, but you've chosen the democratic path. When it comes to Kashmir, I don't know how it ends, but let's make sure that two democracies will end it differently. If you can prove that concept here, then I think that's probably the best way to sell democracy," the Republican leader said. To this, Jaishankar promptly responded, "Do not worry, Senator. One democracy will settle it and you know which one." During the discussion Jaishankar also said that the United Nation

Chandigarh: In a ghastly incident, four children were burnt alive when a private school's mini van carrying students caught fire in Punjab's Sangrur district on Saturday, police said. The accident took place on the Longowal-Sidsaachar road, they said, adding 12 children were in the van at the time of mishap.  While eight children were taken out safely by people working in nearby fields, four, including a girl three-year-old girl, were charred to death, they added. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident. Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished. — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 15, 2020 The children were returning home from school when the incident occurred, they said. Sangrur deputy co

New Delhi:  Appear for CBSE board examinations in a "happy and stress-free manner", Prime Minister Narendra Modi told students on Saturday. Describing those appearing for the classes X and XII board examinations as "exam warriors", he said months of hardwork and preparation will "surely lead to great things". "As the CBSE Class X and XII exams commence today, best wishes to all young Exam Warriors, their parents and teachers. I urge my young friends to appear for the exams in a happy and stress-free manner," the prime minister tweeted. Nearly 18.89 lakh candidates are appearing for Class X exams and 12.06 lakh for Class XII examinations. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/37rNy2D Press Trust of India

Taking up Home Minister Amit Shah on his offer to discuss issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), some protesters from Shaheen Bagh on Saturday said they are ready to meet Amit Shah. The Ministry of Home Affairs clarified thaat no such event is scheduled for Sunday.   The protesters, mainly women, have been staging a sit-in against the CAA , NRC and National Population Register (NPR) for the past two months. They said that were ready to meet Shah to discuss their concerns about the amended law but said that the onus to call a meeting was on him. File image of anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh. PTI The protest was "leaderless" and it was up to the home minister to decide who all he wanted to call for talks, protesters told PTI . An announcement in this regard was also made by a speaker from the dais. "We are ready to meet the home minister. But he should make it clear how many people he wants to meet,&q

New Delhi : An Air India aircraft's fuselage was damaged when its pilot decided to immediately lift the plane to avoid hitting a person and a jeep that had suddenly come on the Pune airport runway during takeoff, a DGCA official said. Representational image. Reuters The incident occurred when the A321 aircraft of the national carrier took off from Pune airport on Saturday morning. However, despite the incident, it landed at the Delhi airport safely, they said. "During take off roll while at 120 knots speed, crew saw a jeep and a person on the runway, to avoid conflict they did early rotation. The aircraft has safely landed at Delhi," the official of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated. Air India has been advised to remove the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) for its analysis, the official added. Another DGCA official aware of preliminary investigation into the incident said, "The aircraft has been withdrawn from service for investigation. Air India

Bengaluru: Several Karnataka Congress leaders, including its president Dinesh Gundu Rao and leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, were detained by the police in Bengaluru on Saturday, as they marched to besiege Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's office to protest against the alleged misuse of the police department by the BJP government in the state. File image of Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Getty Images Rao and Bangalore rural MP DK Suresh tried to jump the barricade erected by the police to stop them, and march towards the Chief Ministers residence, but were stopped midway and detained. The march, which began from Gandhi statue on Race Course Road, led to a traffic pile-up. State Congress had organised the protest over sedition case filed against a Bidar school and arrest of a parent and the headmistress (now on bail) for their alleged involvement in staging a drama portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light in connection with

The Supreme Court of India recently ruled that states are not legally bound to provide reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs. In its decision last week on Friday, the top court also stated that individuals do not have a fundamental right to claim reservation in promotions. The ruling came against a Uttarakhand High Court order where the apex observed that “In view of the law laid down by this court, there is no doubt that the state government is not bound to make reservations. There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by the court directing the state government to provide reservations," the bench said in its order. The state governments can grant reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes at their own discretion, but will have to collect quantifiable data which shows their inadequate representation in public services. The Supreme Court has said that sta

After struggling to get his teenage son to step out of the house for five days, Mohammad Shoaib pretended to run out of tobacco. Knowing his father regularly consumes it, Naved, reluctantly got on a bicycle and rode towards the market to procure a packet. “I had to do something to make him go out,” said Shoaib, sitting on a faded, red plastic chair outside his small apartment in Aurangabad, some 200 kilometres from Bihar's capital of Patna. “He has always been an outdoor person. But he has refused to leave home since he got out of prison.” Naved was arrested on 21 December, 2019, for allegedly attacking the police during an agitation. RJD and its allies had called for a bandh on the day to protest the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) mooted by the Narendra Modi-led Indian government. The protests turned violent, which ended up in stone-pelting and unrest. After that, the Bihar police arrested 46 people — all Muslims — by raiding nearby ar

Jammu : Pakistan Rangers on Saturday violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on forward posts and villages along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district early on Saturday, officials said. Representational image. PTI The Border Security Force retaliated effectively, and the exchange of fire, which started around 4 am at Chakra village in Hiranagar sector, lasted for over two-and-a-half hours, according to the officials. There was no report of any casualty on the Indian side, the officials said, adding that the Pakistan Rangers also fired dozens of mortars. The latest ceasefire violation by Pakistan comes a day after a villager was killed and four were injured along the Line of Control in Shahpur sector of Poonch district. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2vwtVJN Press Trust of India

New Delhi : The Delhi Traffic Police on Saturday issued an advisory a day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal at Ramlila Maidan. The restrictions will be in place in the Ramlila Maidan area from 8 am to 2 pm. As per the advisory, vehicles can be parked behind Civic Centre, Mata Sundari Road, Power House Road, Veladrome Road, Rajghat Road, Shanti Van Parking, Service Roads Rajghat and Samta Sthal. "OB Vans shall be parked on the footpath of JLN marg, opposite Ram Mila Maidan beyond Gate number two up to Kamla Market," it said. Entry of commercial vehicles and buses have been restricted in few places such as Rajghat Chowk and Delhi Gate Chowk towards Guru Nanak Chowk via JLN Marg. "No commercial vehicles and buses will be allowed from Chatta Rail towards Delhi Gate Chowk via Netaji Subhash Marg, Paharganj Chowk towards via Netaji Subhash Marg, Paharganj Chowk towards Ajmeri Gate via DBG road. Ram Charan Aggrawal Chowk towards

Opposition parties led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police action against anti-CAA protesters in Chennai and sought action against those police personnel who allegedly used force against the agitators. DMK President MK Stalin said the protests were being held in a peaceful manner and sought to know why the police used force to disperse them. However, BJP leader H Raja slammed the attack on police personnel, in which four including a woman Joint Commissioner sustained injuries. #WATCH : Scuffle broke out between Police & protestors who were demonstrating against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai, yesterday evening. Over 100 protestors have been detained. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/5YpiCN2tgw — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2020 "Lathicharge was done unnecessarily on the peaceful people for no reason and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets," Stalin said in

Tokyo: The Indian Embassy in Japan on Saturday said it is making efforts to disembark all the Indians on board the cruise ship moored off the Japanese coast after the end of the quarantine period as authorities confirmed that 218 people, including three Indians, have been infected with the deadly disease on the ship. A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the quarantined ship that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month. It was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the COVID-19 on the ship. The Indian Embassy is in contact with Japanese authorities, the ship management company and Indian nationals on board the ship. "We have continued our efforts with all of them for early disembarkation of our nationals after the end of the quarantine period and subject to favourable results of their tests for COVID - 19," an embassy official told PTI on Sat

Srinagar:   The Jammu and Kashmir administration has booked former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal under the controversial Public Safety Act , official sources said on Saturday. Faesal, who has been under detention after scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, was booked under the PSA on Friday night, according to the sources. Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were also booked under the PSA on the night of 6 February, barely a few hours before their preventive detention was to end. The PSA has two sections — 'public order' and 'threat to the security of the state' — the former allows detention without trial for six months and the latter for two years. Faesal was stopped from taking a flight to Istanbul at the Delhi airport during the intervening night of 13 and 14 August last year and flown back to Srinagar, where he was detained. The former bureaucrat from Jammu and Kashmir had floated the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Mov

Pakistan on Friday accused the American government of "destabilising" the South Asian region because it  approved a military sale to India of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS), worth an estimated $1.867 billion. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui called the decision "disturbing", notwithstanding, the regular stream of advanced weaponry flowing into Islamabad, courtesy US and China. Farooqui said the sale "of such sophisticated weapons to India will disturb the strategic balance in south Asia". "The US decision would disturb strategic balance in south Asia with serious security implications for Pakistan and the region. These growing defence ties, including purchase of arms, between India and the United States would contribute towards further destabilisation of peace and security in the region ," said the Foreign Office spokesperson during a press briefing in Islamabad. Before nosediving into Pakistan’s concern in

New Delhi: The National Commission for Women has set up an inquiry committee which will meet the students of a college in Gujarat who were reportedly forced to strip to prove that they were not menstruating. According to media reports, 68 undergraduate hostellers were paraded through the college into the restroom and forced to individually remove their undergarments to prove that they were not menstruating. The Commission has also sought an explanation from the trustee of Sahjanand Girls' Institute College, Pravin Pindora and the principal Rita Raniga for this "shameful exercise", an NCW statement said. The NCW has set up an inquiry team, which will meet the girls of the institute and inquire about the incident. "NCW has also appraised the Kutch University in-charge Vice-Chancellor Darshna Dholakia and the DGP of Gujurat, Shivanand Jha (IPS) to look into the matter thoroughly and report to the Commission at the earliest on their action taken report," the st

New Delhi: The National Commission for Women has set up an inquiry committee which will meet the students of a college in Gujarat who were reportedly forced to strip to prove that they were not menstruating. According to media reports, 68 undergraduate hostellers were paraded through the college into the restroom and forced to individually remove their undergarments to prove that they were not menstruating. The Commission has also sought an explanation from the trustee of Sahjanand Girls' Institute College, Pravin Pindora and the principal Rita Raniga for this "shameful exercise", an NCW statement said. The NCW has set up an inquiry team, which will meet the girls of the institute and inquire about the incident. "NCW has also appraised the Kutch University in-charge Vice-Chancellor Darshna Dholakia and the DGP of Gujurat, Shivanand Jha (IPS) to look into the matter thoroughly and report to the Commission at the earliest on their action taken report," the st

New Delhi: India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India. In an address at Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared "the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of the fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I". "India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said in reference to Erdogan's comments on Jammu and Kashmir. "We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said it is a great honour that Facebook has ranked him number one and Prime Minister Narendra Modi number two on their popularity on the social networking site, ahead of his maiden visit to India. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on 24 and 25 February at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, it was announced this week. Taking to Twitter, he claimed to be the number one on Facebook, citing a remark of Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the social media company. Great honor, I think? Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that “Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India.” Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020 This is not the first time that the US President has claimed to be the number one and Prime Minister Modi number two on their popularity on Facebook

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court has come out with guidelines for expeditious hearing of criminal appeals involving the death penalty, a decision which comes against the backdrop of delay in execution of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case. The apex court has fixed a deadline of six months, from the date of the verdict of the high court, for hearing an appeal against the cases of a death sentence. In the circular, which was made public on Friday, it is mentioned that in a matter wherein the High Court has confirmed/ upheld death penalty and this court has granted leave (admission of case), the criminal appeals will be listed for hearing not later than six months before the three-judge bench from the date of grant of leave, irrespective of the fact that appeal is ready or not. "As soon as the special leave petition involving death penalty is filed, a communication from the Registry may be sent to the court appealed from to make ready and dispatc

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi on Sunday, where he would inaugurate over 30 projects, including a 430-bed super-speciality government hospital. According to the Prime Minister's Office, he would flag off IRCTC's ' Maha Kaal Express ' through a video link. The first overnight private train in the country will connect three Jyotirling pilgrim centres of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Ujjain and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh. According to the Prime Minister's Office, he would flag off IRCTC's 'Maha Kaal Express' through a video link. PTI The prime minister would also dedicate to the nation the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre and unveil a 63-feet tall statue of the RSS ideologue. The PMO said it would be the tallest statue of the leader in the country. Over 200 artisans worked day and night for the last one year to complete the structure. The memorial centre will have the engravin

New Delhi: India and Portugal on Friday exchanged 14 agreements and understandings in a number of key areas, including maritime, intellectual property rights, aerospace and scientific research, as President Ram Nath Kovind hosted his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in New Delhi. Kovind received Sousa at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on his first state visit to India. Kovind said Portugal-India relations are very special and the two countries enjoy 500 years of shared history. President Ram Nath Kovind and Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (left). PTI "The two countries are closely tied together through Goa and Mumbai, through our culture, language and kinship," he said. Kovind thanked Portugal for extending its support for the commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. The president said the India-Portugal bilateral agenda has expanded several folds. The two countries are collaborating in science and technology, defence, educati

Tokyo: A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Friday as authorities confirmed that 218 people have been infected with the deadly virus on the quarantined ship. The cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3,711 people on board arrived at the Japanese coast early last week and was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the COVID-19 on the ship. A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were on board the ship. The Indian Embassy in Tokyo in a statement said three Indian crew members are among 218 people tested positive for the virus. A reporter walks near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama. AP "All 218 people, including Indian nationals have been taken to hospitals for further treatment and quarantine. As per information available with the Embassy, no other Indian national o

New Delhi: The government should bring an ordinance to "rectify" the Supreme Court's recent decision on reservation in jobs for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities and all such issues should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to insulate them from judicial review, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday. He said the government was also mulling filing a review against the Supreme Court decision and was taking legal opinion on it. File image of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. PTI "The review petition is there, but the matter will again go to court, it has to be looked at whether it will be successful or not. So, in my opinion the easiest way is to issue an ordinance and make an amendment in the Constitution," Paswan told PTI in an interview. The Lok Janshakti Party leader's remarks come amidst a political storm after the apex court recently ruled that the states are not bound to provide reservation for SCs

New Delhi : Supreme Court judge Justice R Banumathi fainted in the courtroom on Friday while dictating the order on the Centre' plea seeking separate hanging of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case. Justice Banumathi soon regained consciousness and was taken to the chamber by other judges on the dais and Supreme Court staff. She was taken on a wheel chair for medical treatment. Justice AS Bopanna, while rising, said that the order in the matter will be passed in-chamber. Justice Ashok Bhushan was also part of the three-judge bench hearing the matter. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2HooT4x Press Trust of India

New Delhi:  Protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Friday held heart-shaped cut-outs in which they urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit them at the protest site. 'PM Modi please come to Shaheen Bagh' read the cutouts. The heart-shaped cutouts were held by five men in the gathering. The protest at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act has been continuing for the past nearly two months. The protesters have also expressed reservations about National Population Register and are opposed to any move towards the National Register of Citizens. The Citizenship Amendment Act grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees who came from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on or before 31 December, 2014. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/38E0aFe Asian News International

Pune: A court in Pune hearing the Bhima Koregaon case on Friday passed an order to transfer the case to a special NIA court in Mumbai . Additional Sessions Judge SR Navander passed the order. Logo of NIA. Twitter@NIA_India Before the judge passed the order, the prosecution submitted an application stating that they do not have any objection to the National Investigation Agency's plea seeking transfer of the case. The Centre had last month transferred the probe into the case from the Pune Police to the NIA, a move then criticised by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government. The NIA had submitted the application before the court in the last week of January. The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on 31 December, 2017, which the police claimed, triggered violence near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in the district the next day. The Pune Police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. During