A view of the Supreme Court of India, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on July 12 said an inclination seen among higher courts to stall bail creates a real and present danger to the rights of personal liberty and due process. A Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the propensity to stay reasoned bail orders passed by trial courts was “shocking”.

Oli set to return to power in Nepal as Maoist leader Prachanda weighs his options

A political drama triggered 10 days ago by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) capped off with the ouster of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday. Prachanda, the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), failed his vote of confidence, fifth in one and a half years since he was elected Prime Minister in December 2022, leading to the fall of his government. Of the 258 parliamentarians present in the 275-member Parliament, 63 voted in favour of Prachanda, while 194 voted against. One lawmaker abstained.

Centralised hiring leads to language, cultural barriers in Eklavya schools

The recent centralisation of recruitment for tribal residential schools across the country, which introduced Hindi competency as a mandatory requirement, has resulted in a flood of requests for transfers. The large numbers of staff recruited from Hindi-speaking States are protesting postings to the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) located in southern States, where the language, food and culture is unfamiliar to them.

Doval and Sullivan hold talks amid strain in ties over Russia

Amidst a strain over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow this week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval spoke to U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan on Friday evening, where they agreed to “work closely” to further advance bilateral ties. They also discussed the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers meeting to be held later this month, and a leaders’ summit that may possibly be held later this year.

West Bengal moves Supreme Court against Governor for sitting on Bills

The State of West Bengal has moved the Supreme Court against the Governor for sitting on eight crucial Bills without giving any reasons for the delay. The petition was mentioned before Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud by State counsel Astha Sharma for an early hearing.

ED cannot make arrests under PMLA on a whim, says SC

The Supreme Court on July 12 held that the power to arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cannot be exercised on the “whims and fancies” of Directorate of Enforcement (ED) officers. The court wondered if the ED even had a consistent, uniform and ”one-rule-for-all” policy on when they should arrest people. It said the ED’s power to arrest must be based on objective and fair consideration of material against a person.

Bishops meet PM Modi, urge him to ensure peace in Manipur

A delegation of bishops, representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and urged him to ensure peace in Manipur. The bishops conveyed their apprehensions on the “rumours” that the reservation for Dalit tribals will be stopped and expressed concerns about the “increasing attacks” against Christians for alleged forced conversions. They also asked Mr. Modi to expedite the process for bringing Pope Francis to India and appreciated Mr. Modi’s continued efforts to invite the Pope to India.

Net tax receipts up 19.5%, corporate tax share at 36.6%

Growth in India’s net direct tax collections slowed slightly to 19.54% by July 11, relative to a 21% rise recorded by June 17, with revenues hitting ₹5.74 lakh crore, the Income Tax department said on Friday. Personal income tax (PIT) receipts constituted 60.2% of the net collections at ₹3.46 lakh crore, rising 21.4% year-on-year, while corporate taxes yielded 36.6% of net revenues at ₹2.1 lakh crore, reflecting a 12.5% growth.

MHA amends Rules to widen the administrative role of J&K L-G

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday widened the ambit of the administrative role of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir by amending the Transaction of Business Rules. The amendment gives the L-G more say in matters pertaining to police, public order, All India Service (AIS) which require prior concurrence of the Finance Department and also their transfers and postings.

Oppn. flags video from Gujarat, slams Modi government over ‘disease of unemployment’

Flagging a viral video of a stampede-like situation at Bharuch district in Gujarat, where over 800 people turned up for a walk-in interview held by a firm for 40 vacancies, the Opposition renewed its attack on the government over high unemployment in the country.

‘Urban Naxal’ bill is bogey to smother opposition before Maharashtra polls, say Congress, CPI(M)

Opposition parties condemned the “authoritarian” Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, on Friday and demanded its withdrawal. It has been introduced with the objective of curbing Naxalism in urban and rural areas. The Bill was tabled in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Minister of Law and Judiciary.

Kanchanjunga accident: Three employees suspended, Commissioner of Railway Safety inquiry almost complete

The inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) into the accident involving Kanchanjunga Express and a goods train on June 17 in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district that claimed 10 lives has reached completion and a final report is being awaited.

Wimbledon | Alcaraz overcomes initial jitters, powers past Medvedev

Successful sporting careers depend on three things — talent, hard work and luck. That Carlos Alcaraz was talented was never in doubt. No one who doesn’t work hard wins three Majors in a jiffy. And these last 10 days at Wimbledon have shown that he has some luck on his side too.

Rescue work underway after a collision between the Kanchanjungha Express and a goods train, near Rangapani railway station, on June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi retains Rae Bareli

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala in a bypoll, after her brother and former Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi, decided to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Gandhi said it was a difficult decision for him as he has an emotional connection with both Rae Bareli and the people of Wayanad.

Kanchanjunga accident: locopilot of goods train had authority to cross all signals in red

The locopilot of the goods train that rammed into the rear of Kanchanjunga Express between Rangapani and Chattar Hat railway stations of the Northeast Frontier Railway in West Bengal had the authority to cross all signals in danger. Documents made available to The Hindu revealed that the Station Master of the Rangapani railway station issued Travel Authority (TA-912) authorising the locopilot of the goods to cross all signals in red. 

Nikhil Gupta, accused of murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Pannun, pleads not guilty in U.S. court

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh extremist on American soil pleaded not guilty in the case at a federal court in New York. Gupta was extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic on Friday.

Gaurav Gogoi asks EC to release data on EVMs found faulty in Lok Sabha elections

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi asked the Election Commission of India to put out data on how many EVMs were found faulty throughout the Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Gogoi’s statement came a day after a fresh political row erupted more than EVM tampering claims with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders citing a media report that alleged that a relative of the Shiv Sena candidate in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency was found using a mobile phone “connected” to an electronic voting machine during the counting of votes on June 4.

NCERT working as RSS arm, assaulting Constitution: Jairam Ramesh over textbook revision row

The Congress accused the NCERT of working as an “affiliate” of the RSS amid the controversy over revision of NCERT text books. The comments by Opposition leaders come amid changes including removal of certain events like the Gujarat riots and Babri masjid demolition from the NCERT school textbooks. However, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani had defended the move by calling the changes as part of annual revision process.

Delhi water crisis BJP-made: AAP’s Sanjay Singh

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has alleged that the water crisis in New Delhi was orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Several areas in the national capital have been reeling under a water crisis for weeks, with little to no supply, and shortage being met by private water tankers.

BJP sounds poll bugle for Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, and J&K

The Bharatiya Janata Party ignalled its poll readiness for Assembly elections in three States and one Union Territory, that of Jammu and Kashmir, where Assembly election is to be held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 and removal of statehood. In a communiqué from the BJP, the party stated that Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw will be election in-charges for Maharashtra; their Cabinet colleagues Dharmendra Pradhan and Tripura MP Biplab Deb of Haryana; Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to be in-charge of Jharkhand; and Union Minister G. Kishen Reddy will be in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP stages protest in Karnataka against great distress brought to the public by fuel tax hike

BJP leaders staged a protest against the State government’s decision to increase taxes on fuel, leading to a hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, in several districts. Some protestors rode bikes pulled by bullocks on the main streets. They staged a protest at the Kittur Channamma Circle and stopped traffic for some time. They raised slogans against the Congress government in the State.

With BJP in office, Odisha govt. leans in on Central schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, amounting to over ₹20,000 crore on June 18 in Odisha. The scheme is likely to benefit 9.26 crore farmers. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo will be in western Odisha district of Bargarh, known as the rice bowl of Odisha, to celebrate the PM-Kisan Utsav.

2024 Tony Awards: Daniel Radcliffe, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Stereophonic’ win big as women make strides

The Outsiders, a gritty adaptation of the classic young adult novel, became the essence of a Broadway insider on Sunday, winning the Tony Award for best new musical on a night when women made strides.The musical based on the beloved S. E. Hinton book is about rival gangs of haves and have-nots in 1960s Oklahoma. The win meant Angelina Jolie, a producer, landed her first Tony, too.

Chinese vessel, Philippine supply ship collide in disputed South China Sea

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, China’s coast guard said. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that’s part of territory claimed by several nations.