LIVE: LS adjourned for day amid opposition uproar over Manipur issue

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8:42 PM

Assam will ban single-use plastic water bottles of carrying capacity below 1 litre: CM

8:19 PM

Manipur incident: Assam Congress stages protests in solidarity with victims

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and its various wings on Friday organised separate programmes to condemn the violence in Manipur and express solidarity with the two women whose video of being paraded naked has gone viral. The APCC organised a Bonti Projolon Karjyaxuchi' (earthen lamp lighting programme) at the state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, here in the evening.

Leaders and members of the opposition party participated in the programme as a show of support for the two women.

7:21 PM

Yasin Malik's presence in Supreme Court was a serious security lapse: Tushar Mehta

6:17 PM

Projected population of Muslims in 2023 to stand at 19.75 crore: Govt in Lok Sabha

The projected population of Muslims in India in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore, the government has informed the Lok Sabha. In a written reply to a question by TMC MP Mala Roy in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani said as per the Census 2011, Muslim population is 17.22 crore, which constitutes 14.2 per cent of the total population of the country.

"As per the report of the Technical Group on Population Projections, July 2020, National Commission on Population, country's projected population in 2023 stands at 138.82 crore. Accordingly, applying the same proportion of 14.2 per cent, as was there in Census 2011, projected population of Muslims in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore," Irani said.

5:55 PM

BJP alleges 'massive corruption' in Rajasthan govt's free ration kit scheme, stages walkout from Assembly

Opposition BJP legislators on Friday staged a walkout from the Rajasthan Assembly, alleging "massive corruption" in the Congress government's scheme to provide free ration kits to more than one crore people every month ahead of the elections. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, deputy leader of opposition Satish Poonia alleged that corruption has been "institutionalised" in the Ashok Gehlot-led state government. "The corruption has been institutionalised in Rajasthan in the last four-and-half-years, and Annapurna food packet scheme is just another example," said Poonia in the House.

5:33 PM

HC to hear petition seeking Siddaramaiah's disqualification July 28

The High Court of Karnataka has said that it will hear on July 28 a petition challenging the election of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the Assembly from Varuna constituency. The petition blames the election manifesto of the Congress party which promised five 'guarantees' as corrupt practices amounting to bribery and also undue influence under Section 123(2) of the Representation of the People Act. The petition alleges that Siddaramaiah had breached the provisions of the Constitution and the rules and guidelines under The Representation of the People Act.

4:44 PM

Varanasi court orders scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque

A Varanasi court on Friday ordered a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple here, according to government counsel Rajesh Mishra. The barricaded wazukhana', where a structure claimed by Hindu litigants to be a shivling' exists, will not be part of the survey. The court of A K Vishvesh upheld the petition of a group of Hindu devotees seeking a scientific survey to determine if the mosque was built at the site of a Hindu temple.

4:09 PM

Govt party in over 6.36 lakh cases pending in courts, says Law Minister Meghwal

The central government is a party in over 6.36 lakh cases pending across courts, with the Finance Ministry alone involved in over 1.79 lakh litigations, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Responding to a question on pending court cases that involve the government as a party, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written response that the total number of such cases stood at 6,36,605.

3:29 PM

Manipuris treat women as their mother, incident tarnished state: CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday said the people of the state consider women as their mother but the miscreants who attacked and stripped two tribal women naked in May, whose video has drawn nation-wide condemnation, has tarnished the state's reputation. The chief minister said protests were launched across the northeastern state to condemn the incident. Singh was referring to the viral video that surfaced two days ago, in which two tribal women were seen being paraded naked and molested by a group of men. Four of them were arrested on Thursday.

 

2:48 PM

Flood water from Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat completely pumped out

Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat has been freed of waterlogging, a week after waters from the Yamuna river inundated the complex. Officials on Friday said, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena who was supervising the operation to drain flood water from the lawns and pathways of the memorial, visited Rajghat and took stock of the situation.

 

2:36 PM

Massive wave of change prevailing in MP: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Friday a massive wave of change prevails in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, where assembly elections are due by the end. She was addressing a rally in Gwalior, the home turf of Union minister and former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, where she also paid flora tribute to great freedom fighter Rani Laxmibai. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that the PM called senior opposition leaders who command respect thieves. Political decency has taken a beating, she said.

 

2:25 PM

No purpose will be served by taking Bhushan in custody: Delhi court order

Allegations of sexual harassment against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh were "serious" but no purpose will be served by taking him in custody at this stage, a Delhi court order released on Friday said. The court on Thursday granted regular bail to Singh, a six-time BJP MP, and also allowed the bail application of suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.

2:10 PM

TMC to protest in Delhi on Oct 2 to demand release of state funds: Abhishek

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday announced that the party will launch a massive protest in Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) against the BJP-led Central government for blocking funds of Bengal under MGNREGA and other schemes.

 

1:56 PM

Priyanka Gandhi pays homage to Rani Laxmibai in Gwalior, to address rally

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday paid floral tributes to Rani Laxmibai at her memorial in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, the home turf of Union minister and former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. This is her second visit to MP, where assembly polls are due by the year-end, in 40 days. MP Congress head and former state chief minister Kamal Nath, Leader of the Opposition Govind Singh and other party leaders accompanied Priyanka Gandhi to the memorial of the great freedom fighter Laxmibai here.

 

1:40 PM

3-fold rise in unemployment in Haryana under BJP rule: Deepender Hooda    

Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda said the unemployment rate has increased three-fold in Haryana under BJP rule and slammed the Manohar Lal Khattar government over the "appalling" situation. In a reply to a question in Parliament, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli on Thursday said the unemployment rate in Haryana was 2.9 per cent in 2013-14 (when Congress was in power), which increased to 9.0 per cent in 2021-22, the Congress leader said in a statement here.