Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation allegation against a prime minister, the Election Commission asked the BJP to respond to complaints filed by Opposition parties wherein they have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of delivering a divisive and defamatory speech in Rajasthan's Banswara. At the same time, the poll panel also asked the Congress to respond to complaints filed by the BJP against the main Opposition party's president Mallikarjun Kharge and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their respective remarks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up his attack on the Congress and said he was standing as a wall between the people and the grand old party's plans to loot them. If the Congress comes to power, it will snatch more than half of the earnings of the people through inheritance tax, he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the excise policy scam and the arrest of a person for an offence based on material can never violate the “concept of free and fair elections”, the ED has told the Supreme Court. "Arvind Kejriwal was involved in the conspiracy of formulation of the excise policy 2021-22 to favour certain persons and also involved in the demanding kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange for favours granted in the said policy," it said.
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File ImageCBI has registered the first case in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali related to the land grab and sexual assault allegations against five influential people there, officials said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not yet disclosed the identity of the five accused and the victims.
Lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai on Thursday withdrew from the Delhi High Court his defamation lawsuit against former partner TMC leader Mahua Moitra as a "peace offering". Dahadrai's counsel suggested that the present case could be put to an end if Moitra was willing to "de-escalate" by undertaking that she would not make "palpably false" statements.
The Supreme Court will start sharing information relating to cause lists, and filing and listing of cases to advocates through WhatsApp messages, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud announced on Thursday. "In the 75th year, the Supreme Court launches an initiative to strengthen access to justice by integration of WhatsApp messages with the IT services of the Supreme Court," the CJI said.
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File ImageA JD(U) leader was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in Punpun area on the outskirts of Bihar's Patna, police said on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Saurav Kumar. Another person accompanying him, Munmun Kumar, was injured in the firing, they said.
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File ImageWest Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) on Thursday claimed that it had provided the Calcutta High Court lists of around 5,300 appointees from the 2016 school recruitment panel whose appointments were suspect, and stated that the remaining 19,000-odd teachers were "likely to eligible". Talking to reporters, state SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said, “We submitted before the court lists of candidates where anomalies in recruitment were found. These lists were based on two specific irregularities in recruitment, namely Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet manipulation and rank jumps. The total number of such candidates for Groups C and D and teachers for classes IX-X and XI-XII was around 5,300.”
At least three persons died in a fire that broke out in a hotel close to the Patna junction railway station on Thursday, a senior official said. According to Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajeev Mishra, more than 20 people have been rescued from the building, situated in a crowded locality, by fire-fighters.
Maharashtra cyber cell has summoned actor Tamannaah Bhatia in connection with the alleged promotion of the viewing of IPL matches on a subsidiary app of the Mahadev online gaming and betting application, officials said. Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra cyber cell for allegedly promoting the viewing of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on the Fairplay betting app, he said.