MCA accepts SC verdict in toto, Pawar to quit chief's post

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Sharad Pawar will quit his position in six months, after the state body accepted the Supreme Court verdict on sweeping reforms in the BCCI and its affiliates in toto. At a press conference after the managing committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, the 75-year-old Maharashtra strongman, who has been both ICC and BCCI chief, said he accepted the Supreme Court's verdict, which puts an age cap of 70 years for cricket administrators. However, he added the MCA would take six months to implement the apex court's orders, which effectively means he will not retire immediately. The MCA chief said the state association would now set into motion the process to redraw its constitution to align with the judgment.

Two AAP MLAs arrested in separate cases

In a double whammy for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), two MLAs of Delhi's ruling party were on Sunday arrested - one for allegedly trying to mow a woman down and another in a sacrilege incident in Punjab - taking to 11 the number of its legislators held by the police in various cases. The Arvind Kejriwal-headed AAP has 67 legislators in the 70-member Delhi Assembly after it swept to power in February 2015. Amanatullah Khan was arrested by Delhi Police after a woman alleged he tried to mow her down after she visited his residence to raise the issue of power cuts, while a Punjab Police team arrested Naresh Yadav, who has been booked in connection with the alleged Malerkotla sacrilege incident on June 24. Both the arrests were made in Delhi.

Mayawati accuses BJP of stopping Dayashankar's arrest

Stepping up attack on BJP, Mayawati on Sunday alleged that it had "pressurised" the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh into lodging a First Information Report against her and was preventing arrest of Dayashankar Singh, who made derogatory remarks against her. The Bahujan Samaj Party chief claimed the controversy was raked up by BJP ahead of 2017 UP Assembly polls to distract people's attention from the issues of atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat raised by her inside and outside Parliament. She alleged the remarks made by her party leaders, who were protesting against expelled BJP leader Singh, were deliberately misconstrued by the saffron party, reflecting its "polluted" and "casteist" mentality. Mayawati also vowed to take stringent action in the whole episode once BSP comes to power in UP, if Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who calls her "'Bua' does not ensure the arrest and take stern action against Singh".