LIVE: Republic TV CEO remanded to police custody till Dec 15 in TRP case

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9:00 PM

Over 51.5% votes polled in sixth phase of Jammu and Kashmir's DDC polls

Over 51.5 per cent of 7.48 lakh electorates exercised their franchise on Sunday in the sixth phase of the District Development Council elections, which covered 31 constituencies spread over 18 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, State Election Commissioner K K Sharma said. The polling started at 7 am and ended at 2 pm peacefully across the Union Territory, with Jammu Division recording 68.56 per cent voting and Kashmir Division registering 31.55 per cent, Sharma told reporters here.

 

He said Poonch district in Jammu recorded the highest voter turnout of 76.78 per cent, while Shopian district in south Kashmir the lowest at 4.60 per cent. In Jammu Division, where most parts were engulfed by dense fog early in the morning, enthusiastic voters started thronging the polling booths even before the start of the voting.

 

Poonch district was followed in the voter turnout by Rajouri at 74.03 per cent, Reasi 74.02 per cent, Udhampur 72.04 per cent, Ramban 71.34 per cent, Samba 70.01 per cent, Jammu 66.32 per cent, Doda 62.93 per cent and Kathua 60.95 per cent.

 

Similarly, in Kashmir Division, where most parts are reeling under sub-zero temperatures after the recent snowfall, Ganderbal recorded a voter turnout of 58.45 per cent, followed by Kupwara (51.08 per cent), Bandipora (47.66), Kulgam (37.74), Baramulla (34.56), Budgam (30.99), Anantnag (24.06), Pulwama (8.16) and Shopian (4.60).

8:39 PM

PM Modi to visit Kutch on Dec 15 to lay foundation stone of development projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Dhordo in Gujarat's Kutch on December 15 and lay the foundation stone of several development projects in the state. These projects include a desalination plant, a hybrid renewable energy park, and a fully automated milk processing and packing plant, a release from Prime Minister's Office (PMO) informed. CM of Gujarat Vijay Rupani will be present on the occasion. Modi will also undertake a visit to the White Rann, followed by witnessing a cultural programme.

 

"This Desalination Plant, with 10 crore litre per day capacity (100 MLD), will strengthen water security in Gujarat by complementing Narmada Grid, Sauni network and treated wastewater infrastructure," the release said.

 

The release also stated that nearly eight lakh people across the regions of Mundra, Lakhpat, Abdasa and Nakhatrana talukas will receive desalinated water from this plant, which will also help in sharing the surplus to upstream districts of Bhachau, Rapar and Gandhidham. It is known to be one of the five upcoming desalination plants in Gujarat besides those at Dahej (100 MLD), Dwarka (70 MLD), Ghogha Bhavnagar (70 MLD) and Gir Somnath (30 MLD).

8:29 PM

DDC elections: 51.51% voter turnout recorded across Jammu and Kashmir

8:12 PM

SC imposes cost of Rs 15,000 on UP govt for wastage of judicial time

The Supreme Court has imposed a cost of Rs 15,000 on the Uttar Pradesh government for "wastage of judicial time" in a case in which the state had filed an appeal in the apex court after a delay of over 500 days.

 

Noting the delay in the filing of the appeal, a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul said there was not even the "courtesy" of setting out the dates as to how the files had moved.

 

"The special leave petition is delayed by 576 days (535 days as the senior counsel contends). There is not even the courtesy of setting out the dates as to how the files have moved, possibly because we have been directing responsibility to be fixed and costs to be recovered from such persons who are responsible for the delay," the bench, also comprising justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy, said in its December 1 order.

7:42 PM

Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch

Pakistan resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation on Sunday by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district's Degwar sector here.

 

The ceasefire violation took place around 5:30 pm today. The Indian Army is giving a befitting reply.

 

Notably, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Satinder Kumar Saini on Saturday while addressing the media at the Indian Military Academy Passing Out Parade in Dehradun said that the number of ceasefire violations at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has increased with an escalation in the caliber of artillery used by the other side to target the innocent civilians.

7:13 PM

India's rise will evoke its own reactions and responses: S Jaishankar

India's rise will evoke its own reactions and responses, and there will be attempts to dilute the country's influence and limit its interests, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.

 

Delivering the second Manohar Parrikar memorial lecture, Jaishankar also said that as India expands its global interests and reach, there is an even more compelling case to focus on its hard power. The external affairs minister said the national security challenges being faced by the "rising India" are obviously going to be different and emphasised on having greater integration and convergence between the foreign and military policies.

 

In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Jaishankar said a long-standing political rivalry is today expressed as sustained cross border terrorism by a neighbour even as he enumerated security challenges emanating from long borders as well as large maritime spaces.

 

"The world is a competitive place and India's rise will evoke its own reactions and responses. There will be attempts to dilute our influence and limit our interests. Some of thesecontestationscan be directly in the security domain, others could be reflected in economics, connectivity even in societal context," he said.

6:51 PM

#MeToo: Court to resume final hearing in M J Akbar's defamation complaint against Priya Ramani

A Delhi court is scheduled to resume on Monday the final hearing in a criminal defamation complaint filed by former Union minister M J Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani for allegedly defaming him by accusing him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago. Ramani has said that her allegations of sexual misconduct against Akbar, made in the wake of #MeToo movement in 2018, were her truth and were made in public good. On December 10, Ramani had told the court, "I have spoken my truth. I have said it in good faith and my truth refers to a question of good faith."

 

Recently-appointed Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey will resume the hearing on Monday.

 

Since a new judge has taken over, parties are making final submissions afresh. In a previous hearing, Ramani disputed Akbar's claims of having a stellar reputation "that had been tarnished by her allegation". Akbar had filed the criminal defamation complaint against Ramani on October 15, 2018. Akbar resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018.

6:50 PM

DDC elections: 51.51% voter turnout recorded across Jammu and Kashmir

6:36 PM

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today

6:08 PM

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani remanded to police custody till Dec 15 in TRP manipulation case

5:57 PM

NDA committed to serving people of Northeast: PM Modi

With the BJP set to rule the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with its new ally United People's Party Liberal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that the National Democratic Alliance is committed to serving the people of the Northeast.

 

The UPPL has won 12 seats and the BJP nine in the 40-member council. The BJP and the UPPL had not announced any formal alliance but both had indicated a possible post-poll pact.

 

In a tweet, Modi said, "NDA is committed to serving the people of the Northeast. I congratulate our ally UPPL and @BJP4Assam for securing a majority in the Assam BTC election, and wish them the very best in fulfilling people's aspirations. I thank the people for placing their faith in the NDA.

5:47 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: BJP President J P Nadda tests positive for Covid-19

5:28 PM

DDC polls: Shikara carrying BJP workers capsizes in Srinagar's Dal Lake

A shikara, carrying BJP workers and mediapersons, capsized in the Dal Lake on Sunday during campaign for the ongoing District Development Council elections. The shikara capsized when it was closing on the bank of the lake in the last leg of the rally.

 

The BJP workers and journalists were rescued by locals, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and police.

 

The shikara rally was led by Union minister Anurag Thakur, who is the BJP's in-charge for DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Tarun Chug and Shahnawaz Hussain were also present in the rally.

5:07 PM

NDA committed to serving the people of the Northeast: PM Narendra Modi

4:56 PM

Latest LIVE: Gunfight breaks out between security forces, terrorists in J&K

A gunfight broke out between security forces and suspected terrorists on Sunday as police launched a search operation in the higher reaches of Surankote in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

 

Police assisted by the Army personnel launched a joint cordon-and-search operation in remote Chattapani-Dugran village after getting information about the presence of three suspected terrorists, the officials said.

 

They said the hiding terrorists opened fire on the search teams in an attempt to break the cordon. The security forces retaliated to neutralize the terrorists, the officials said, adding further details are awaited.

4:47 PM

DDC elections: 42.79% votes polled till 1 pm across Jammu and Kashmir

The sixth phase of District Development Council (DDC) elections recorded voter percentage of 42.79 per cent across 31 constituencies spread over different districts of Jammu and Kashmir till 1 pm on Sunday.

 

As per the figures given by the office of State Election Commissioner, in Kashmir Division, Pulwama has recorded a voting percentage of 6.80 per cent, Baramulla 26.68 per cent, Kulgam 32.71 per cent, Shopian 3.66 per cent, Anantnag 20.95 per cent, Bandipora 40.57 per cent, Ganderbal 45.89 per cent, Kupwara 41.21 per cent and Budgam 27.44 per cent till 1 pm.

 

Similarly, in Jammu division, Udhampur has recorded a voting percentage of 54.69 per cent, Jammu 55.62 per cent, Kathua 50.09 per cent, Ramban 61.91 per cent, Doda 53.39 per cent, Samba 60.61 per cent, Poonch 60.73 per cent, Rajouri 63.07 per cent and Reasi 61.21 per cent till 1 pm. Moreover, it was informed that the Kashmir Division recorded an overall polling percentage of 26.28 per cent while Jammu Division recorded 56.90 per cent upto 01:00 pm.

4:11 PM

Gunfight breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir

4:01 PM

FM reviews progress of various schemes under three packages; banks sanction Rs 2.05 trillion to MSMEs

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took stock of progress made under various schemes under the three Aatmanirbhar Bharat Packages (ANBP) to help revive economy hit hard by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Following announcement by the Prime Minister, Sitharaman presented the details of the Rs 20.97 lakh crore ANBP 1.0 in a series of press conferences from May 13-17. It was followed by AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package 2.0 on October 12 and the third tranche on November 12.

 

Sitharaman on Friday concluded a comprehensive review of ANBP with the Secretaries of various Ministries and Departments concerned over three days, the Finance Ministry statement said on Sunday.

 

Sharing details of the progress made by various schemes under the ANBP, the statement said, banks have sanctioned loans worth Rs 2,05,563 crore to about 81 lakh accounts under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector that was impacted by disruptions caused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

While 40 lakh MSME accounts have received Rs 1,58,626 crore till December 4, Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free guaranteed loans budgetary provision of Rs 4,000 crore made for the Scheme in First Supplementary Demand for Grants for FY 2020-21.

3:33 PM

NGT directs Delhi govt to keep vigil against burning of plastic

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government to keep a continuous vigil against the burning of plastic and other waste for the protection of environment and public health.

 

The tribunal was hearing pleas filed by Mundka village resident Satish Kumar and Tikri-Kalan native Mahavir Singh alleging pollution caused by burning of plastic, leather, rubber, motor engine oil and other waste materials and continuous operation of illegal industrial units dealing with such articles on agricultural lands in Mundka and Neelwal villages.

 

The green panel noted that the matter relating to air pollution has been pending for more than seven years and it does not find it necessary to keep it so for an indefinite period. It is for the statutory authorities to continue further steps for enforcement of environmental norms as per law.

3:22 PM

Nirmala Sitharaman reviews implementation of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Package

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded a comprehensive review of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Package (ANBP) with the Secretaries of various Ministries/Departments, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday. In an official release, MoF said, the Ministries and Departments concerned have started implementing the announcements under the 3 Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Packages (ANBP). The progress of implementation is being reviewed and monitored regularly.

 

As per the release, the Finance Minister Sitharaman on Friday concluded a comprehensive review of ANBP with the Secretaries of various Ministries/Departments concerned over three days.

 

"Under an Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), as on 04.12.2020, as reported by Public Sector Banks, top 23 Private Sector Banks and 31 NBFCs, additional credit amounting to Rs. 2,05,563 crore has been sanctioned to 80,93,491 borrowers, while an amount of Rs. 1,58,626 crore has been disbursed to 40,49,489 borrowers," the release said.

 

"As on 04.12.2020, Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have approved the purchase of a portfolio of Rs. 27,794 crore and are currently in process of approval/negotiations for Rs. 1,400 crores. The timeline for purchase of bonds or Commercial Papers (CPs) has been further extended till 31.12.2020," the release further said.

2:54 PM

42.79% votes polled in 6th phase of District Development Council (DDC) elections till 1 pm across Jammu and Kashmir

2:41 PM

After three MLAs, Delhi Police detains AAP leader Atishi Marlena near Delhi LG's residence

The Delhi Police detained Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi Marlena near the residence of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday. She was to hold a demonstration outside the residence of Lt Governor against alleged misappropriation of funds done by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). Earlier today, three AAP MLAs including Raghav Chadha were also detained ahead of their planned protest outside Home Minister Amit Shah's residence. MLAs Rituraj Govind and Kuldeep Kumar too were detained.

 

This comes after Delhi Police had rejected Raghav Chadha's request for permission to hold a demonstration outside the Union Minister Shah's residence on Sunday in view of the pandemic.

 

"...Any type of gathering is not allowed outside the residence of Hon'ble Home Minister of India. Your request has been considered but rejected. You are requested to co-operate with the Delhi Police," the Delhi Police said in its reply.

2:18 PM

Mumbai Police nabs Republic TV CEO in TRP scam

In another swoop, the Mumbai Police arrested the CEO of Republic TV Vikas Khanchandani in connection with the ongoing probe into the TRP scam case, officials said on Sunday. He is the 13th person to be arrested in the alleged TRP scam in which at least three television channels, including Republic TV were named by the police. However, Republic TV on Sunday termed the arrest as 'illegal', saying he was nabbed from his home around 3 a.m. without serving proper papers.

 

Khanchandani is likely to be produced before a holiday court later in the day, even as Republic TV initiated a campaign demanding his release soon after his arrest. The channel said: "Republic TV issues national appeal for courts to intervene to stop attacks on an independent news organization" with a hashtag, #FreeRepublicCEONow.

 

The channel said that Khanchandani has already been summoned in the past and subject to interrogation of over 100 hours by the Mumbai Police, and termed it as 'targeting' of the Republic TV.

1:57 PM

AAP leaders detained ahead of protest outside Amit Shah, LG's homes

The Delhi Police on Sunday detained several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers, including MLAs Raghav Chadha, Atishi, Ritu Raj, Kuldeep Kumar, Sanjeev Jha and several others, who were on their way to the Union Home Minister's residence and LG house to hold a demonstration against alleged misappropriation of funds by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

 

Their detention comes after the police denied permission to Chadha's request to hold a 'peaceful demonstration outside the residence of the Union Home Minister on Sunday.

 

"Several AAP leaders and party workers were detained on Sunday morning as they were on their way to protest and taken to several police stations," said a senior police officer.

 

Besides the protest outside the Union Home Minister's residence, AAP had also announced demonstration at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's residence demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into its allegations.

 

"I went to meet LtGovDelhi with Aam Aadmi Party Councillors to ask him to order a CBI enquiry into the 2500 crore scam in North MCD. Instead of meeting us LtGovDelhi got Delhi Police to detain us! Who is LtGovDelhi protecting? Why does he not want to order a CBI enquiry?," Atishi tweeted after she was detained.

1:27 PM

FM reviews implementation of AatmaNirbhar Bharat package with secys

Banks have sanctioned additional credit amounting to Rs 2,05,563 crore to 80,93,491 borrowers under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS).

The Rs 3 lakh crore ECLGS scheme was announced by the government early this year as part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package (ANBP) to provide liquidity support of medium and small sector in the time of the pandemic.

As per the progress tracked by the Centre, as on December 4, top 23 Private Sector Banks and 31 NBFCs, additional credit amounting to Rs. 2,05,563 crore has been sanctioned, while an amount of Rs. 1,58,626 crore has been disbursed to 40,49,489 borrowers.

The scheme was amended on November 26 and its duration has now been extended till December 31, 2021. Also, the turnover limit prescribed therein has been removed.

1:14 PM

Foggy weather in west MP; intermittent drizzle in many parts

People in many areas of western Madhya Pradesh woke up to a foggy Sunday morning and large parts of the state continued to receive intermittent drizzle, an IMD official said.

The state has been witnessing a wet spell since the last three days due to moisture incursion from an upper air cyclonic circulation formed in the Arabian Sea, said P K Saha, senior meteorologist of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Bhopal office.

Moderate to dense fog prevailed in many areas of western Madhya Pradesh, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Shajapur, Rajgarh and Ujjain.

12:57 PM

Smog engulfs parts of Delhi, reduces visibility

As winters make landfall in North India, a thick layer of smog shrouded parts of Delhi and its neighbouring region on Sunday morning decreasing visibility significantly.

Deepanshu Pandey, a local, who was out for a morning walk, said, "It gets really foggy early in the morning. I along with my friends prefer to walk early in the morning. Due to the pandemic, we wear face masks and keep sanitizing our hands-on timely intervals.""To add to the problem, we wear masks while cycling due to the COVID-19 pandemic which makes the breathing process difficult", he added.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that dense fog will continue to hover over the city for the next three days.

12:39 PM

Raghav Chadha among 3 MLAs detained by Delhi Police ahead of protest outside Shah' residence

The Delhi Police on Sunday detained three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs including Raghav Chadha ahead of their planned protest outside Home Minister Amit Shah's residence. MLAs Rituraj Govind and Kuldeep Kumar were also detained.

This comes after Delhi Police had rejected Raghav Chadha's request for permission to hold a demonstration outside the Union Minister Shah's residence on Sunday in view of the pandemic.

"...Any type of gathering is not allowed outside the residence of Hon'ble Home Minister of India. Your request has been considered but rejected. You are requested to co-operate with the Delhi Police," the Delhi Police said in its reply.

12:36 PM

8.79% votes cast in 2 hrs in sixth phase Jammu & Kashmir DDC polls

According to figures issued by the office of State Election Commissioner, in Kashmir Division, Pulwama recorded voting percentage of 1.81 per cent, Baramulla 3.10 per cent, Kulgam 4.09 per cent, Shopian 0.51 per cent, Anantnag 2.40 per cent, Bandipora 9.53 per cent, Ganderbal 5.39 per cent, Kupwara 5.52 per cent and Budgam 6.40 per cent till 9 a.m.

12:01 PM

Maruti to launch diesel vehicles next year after exiting sector: Report

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is looking to enter the diesel segment once again next year as the vertical continues to draw a lot of customers especially in the high selling SUV and multipurpose vehicle segments, as per industry sources.

The auto major had discontinued diesel models from its portfolio with the onset of stricter BS-VI emission norms from April this year.

As per the sources, MSI has initiated the process to upgrade its Manesar-based powertrain plant so that it can start rolling out BS-VI diesel engines starting middle or festive season next year.