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9:11 PM

Cases against lawmakers: SC asks trial courts to consider witness protection

The Supreme Court has directed the trial courts to consider granting protection to witnesses in cases against sitting and former lawmakers under Witness Protection Scheme without their making any specific application in this regard.

 

A three-judge bench of Justices N V Ramana, Surya Kant and Anirudhha Bose, said the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018, approved by it should be strictly enforced by the Union, States and Union Territories.

 

"Keeping in mind the vulnerability of the witnesses in such cases, the Trial Courts may consider granting protection under the said Scheme to witnesses without their making any specific application in this regard," the bench said.

 

The apex court noted that most witnesses are unwilling to appear before the respective Courts to make depositions in courts.

9:09 PM

Delhi govt directs all district magistrates, deputy commissioners of police to implement blanket ban on firecrackers till Nov 30

9:01 PM

All schools in Odisha to remain closed till December 31

8:52 PM

PM Modi discusses ways to deal with adverse impact of Covid with Italian PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte on Friday discussed wide-ranging issues pertaining to the bilateral ties, and ways to deal with adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

In his opening remarks at the virtual bilateral summit with the Italian leader, Modi said it is clear that the COVID-19 epidemic will remain a watershed in history just like the Second World War.

 

"We all have to adapt ourselves to this new world," he said, adding that there was a need to be ready for the challenges and opportunities arising out of the pandemic.

 

A key country for India in Europe, Italy is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the European Union and both sides are further keen to expand the economic engagement in a range of areas. READ ON...

8:44 PM

No political party in India can ever afford to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir: Jitendra Singh

No political party in India can ever afford to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said as he alleged that the bogey of autonomy or self-rule is raised by certain opposition leaders only when they are out of power.

 

Taking a strong exception to utterances by some of the leaders of "so-called" mainstream Kashmir-centric political parties like the PDP and the National Conference, he said unsubstantiated assertions made by these leaders are only motivated by a desperate attempt to hold back the ground which is fast slipping from under their feet.

 

"No political party in India can ever afford to restore back Article 370 and the unsubstantiated assertions made by these leaders are only motivated by a desperate attempt to hold back the ground which is fast slipping from under their feet," Singh told PTI.

 

He also dared the Congress to make its stand clear on the issue, saying if it has the courage and conviction, it should go for the ensuing District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir with the slogan that it will restore Article 370 if voted to power at the Centre.

8:37 PM

Need 100% security clearance from Punjab govt to resume train services: Railway Board chief

The Punjab government has been unable to remove all blockades on the railway network with as many as 22 sites still to be cleared of protesters, Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav said on Friday, adding that the railways needs 100 per cent security clearance from the state to resume operations.

 

Partial resumption of services is "not feasible" and all blockades must be removed, Yadav said, a day after he had informed the press of the state government's assurance of clearing tracks by Friday morning.

 

Rail services in the state have remained suspended since September 24 when farmer organisations organised protests on tracks and station premises against the recently passed farm laws. The Railway Board chairman said the railways will not run selective trains, but will restore all services.

8:18 PM

No political party in India can ever afford to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir: Jitendra Singh

8:07 PM

A total of 15 MoUs signed between India and Italy, coinciding with the India-Italy Virtual Summit

8:03 PM

Joe Biden inches ahead of Donald Trump in Georgia, Pennsylvania

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday took crucial leads over US President Donald Trump in the key battleground states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, bringing him on the cusp of a historic victory in the closely-fought election.

 

In Georgia, after the latest round of counting results, Biden edged past Trump with a slender lead of 1096 votes, a remarkable development for the former vice president who until Wednesday night was trailing his Republican rival by more than 50,000 votes. In Pennsylvania, Biden took over Trump with a narrow lead of 5,587 votes. This is significant given that Trump was leading in the swing state till Wednesday night with more than 700,00 votes.

 

Biden continued to maintain his small lead in the other two battleground States of Arizona and Nevada. To be declared the winner of the US election, either of the two candidates needs 270 of the 538 electoral college votes.

 

As per the latest projections, Biden has 264 electoral college votes and Trump trails behind with 214. In the US election, voters decide state-level contests rather than a single, national one. Each US state gets a certain number of Electoral College votes partly based on the size of the population, with a total of 538 up for grabs.

7:57 PM

The borders in West Bengal are not secure, infiltration is going on in the state: Amit Shah in Kolkata