Nirbhaya convict’s mercy plea sent to President; govt recommends rejection

Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, had filed the mercy petition a few days ago

The Union Home Ministry on Friday forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind the mercy petition of one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape case, recommending its rejection, officials said. Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, had filed the mercy petition a few days ago.

“The Home Ministry has forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the President. The ministry has reiterated the recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi for its rejection,” the official said. The Delhi LG had sent the mercy petition of Mukesh to the Home Ministry on Thursday, a day after the Delhi government recommended its rejection.

The four convicts — Mukesh Singh (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) were to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar Jail. A Delhi court had issued their death warrants on January 7. However, the Delhi government had informed the high court during a hearing that execution of the convicts will not take place on January 22 as a mercy plea has been filed by Mukesh…

Citizenship Bill 2019 becomes law with President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent

According to an official notification, the Act comes into effect with its publication in the official gazette on Thursday

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, became an Act of law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the legislation on Thursday. According to an official notification, the Act comes into effect with its publication in the official gazette on Thursday.

According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Act says the refugees of the six communities will be given Indian Citizenship Bill after residing in India for five years, instead of earlier requirement of 11 years. The Act also proposes to give immunity to such refugees facing legal cases after being found as illegal migrants.

According to the legislation, it will not be applicable to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and in the areas covered under the Inner Line Permit (ILP), notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

The ILP regime is applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. However, a large section of people and organisations in the Northeast, especially in Assam and Tripura, have opposed the Act, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion…

Spectators miffed as Chandrayaan 2 launch fails due to technical snag

In spite of the odd time, swarms of lovers had achieved the island, some of them voyaging long separations on bikes, to observe the noteworthy minute

Fans of any age who had accumulated in Sriharikota on Monday to observe the dispatch of Chandrayaan-2 were left demoralized as India’s subsequent mission to Moon was canceled because of a specialized tangle not exactly an hour prior to lift off. The commencement to the dispatch of Chandrayaan-2 locally available GSLVMkIII-M1- – planned for 2.51 am- – was ceased 56 minutes and 24 seconds before lift off at 1.55 am.

Perplexity won for a few minutes before the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) affirmed that the dispatch had been dropped after a specialized obstacle was recognized in one of the dispatch frameworks of the GSLVMkIII-M1. In spite of the odd time, crowds of fans had achieved the island, some of them voyaging long separations on bikes, to observe the memorable minute.

In any case, the on edge men, ladies and youngsters who were holding up anxiously at an exceptional exhibition as of late set up by ISRO left the setting frustrated as the mission did not go true to form. Chandrayaan-2 would have made India the fourth nation to delicate land a meanderer on the lunar surface after Russia, the United States and China.

ISRO had set up the exhibition – initiated by Chairman K Sivan a couple of months prior – on the rambling Sriharikota premises as the quantity of observers going up to observer the dispatches had been expanding after some time. The space office had a week ago held enlistments for individuals who needed to observe the dispatch of Chandrayaan-2.

Rajya Sabha passes 10% quota Bill, states to decide on beneficiary criteria

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the legislation gives powers to states to decide on the economic criteria for defining the beneficiaries

Latest News: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution amendment Bill to provide 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education, including privately run institutes of higher education, to economically backward sections in the general category. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on Tuesday.

It will become a law as soon as President Ram Nath Kovind signs it, and does not need ratification by state legislatures, ministers said.

Click Here — Business Standard or BS

During the debate on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, nearly all opposition parties said the Narendra Modi government had pushed through a Bill full of lacunae with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as the BJP’s recent electoral losses in three Hindi heartland states had left it shaken, and cautioned that it was unlikely to survive judicial scrutiny.

Fears that the move would open a Pandora’s Box came true when Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members demanded that the quotas for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes, or OBCs, be increased in proportion to their respective populations now that the government had breached the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent cap on reservations. Members also asked if the BJP-led Mahrashtra government’s recent efforts to provide reservation to Marathas would be part of this, and if Jats, Gujjars and Patidars would also be included in this 10 per cent quota.

Read full source : Quota Bill

Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh's state funeral today; nation mourns air warrior

The national flag will fly at half-mast on Monday as the funeral is held in Delhi

 

 

 

The funeral procession of the sole Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Arjan Singh, began on Sunday in the national capital.

The procession was followed by the last rites, which were performed at the Brar Square. The wreath laying ceremony was to take place at 9:00 am.

Though no state mourning was announced, the Home Ministry said the national flag would fly at half-mast on the day of the funeral in Delhi on all buildings where it is flown regularly.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday stated that along with a state funeral and an appropriate gun salute, a flypast might take place, depending on the weather conditions, to honour the contribution of the Air Force Marshal.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the nation in mourning the death of Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh.

Remembered for his role in leading the fledgling IAF in the 1965 war with Pakistan, Arjan Singh died in a hospital in New Delhi on Sunday after a massive heart attack. He was 98. (economy today)

His mortal remains were kept at his residence 7A, Kautilya Marg for people to pay respects to the war hero -- the first five-star officer of the IAF.

President Kovind, also the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, said he was "extremely saddened to learn about the passing of our great and cherished air warrior -- a hero of World War II who won our nation's gratitude for his military leadership in the 1965 War".

Modi, who was in Gujarat to dedicate the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation on his birthday, paid tribute to the "brave soldier".

"Even at the age of 98, he would be dressed in uniform. He would come on a wheelchair but whenever he would see me, he would stand. He was a soldier, he never forgot his discipline."

In Delhi, Defence Minister Sitharaman laid a wreath on the air warrior's body on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Three service chiefs -- Admiral Sunil Lanba, General Bipin Rawat and Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa -- also paid their respects.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said Arjan Singh was a philanthropist to the core and always led from the front and brought many innovative reforms to the IAF....READ MORE

Ram Nath Kovind leads, 'Not upset', says Meira Kumar : Presidential Election 2017 Results LIVE

Incumbent Pranab Mukherjee's term as President ends on July 25

The counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 11 am on Thursday, July 20, but it is believed that Kovind has an edge over Kumar. However, should he win, the margin of his victory will be interesting to note, given that there were reports of many instances where voters from Opposition parties also voting for Kovind in the election.

“The voting was close to 99 per cent. I think this would perhaps be the highest-ever percentage,” Anoop Mishra, Lok Sabha, secretary general and returning officer for the election, had said on Monday.

Mishra had said while the sanctioned strength of the Lok Sabha (LS) and the Rajya Sabha (RS) is 776 (543 and 233), 771 MPs were eligible to cast their votes. There are two vacancies each in the LS and the RS, while one BJP MP, Chhedi Paswan, did not have voting rights following a judicial pronouncement.

Of the total 771 MPs who are entitled to vote, 768, or 99.61 per cent, cast their votes. Likewise, of the 4,109 MLAs entitled to vote, 4,083 or 99.37 per cent cast their votes, officials said.

 

CATCH ALL THE LIVE UPDATES: Presidential Election 2017 Results

03:08 PM
The states where the counting has finished include Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
03:06 PM
Do you know why the ballot boxes are known as ‘Mr Ballot Box’?
This is because the boxes, which reached the parliament two days ago, are sent to Delhi via plane through a senior security official. The official, who is trusted to maintain the secrecy travels in Business class compartment along with the box, reorted ABP Live.

Here comes the catch: The ballot box has a seat reserved for itself next to the official carrying it. Therefore, as it is not transported as a cargo, it is known as ‘Mr Ballot Box.’
02:51 PM
Number of invalid votes: 21
02:51 PM
Total votes polled in favour of Ram Nath Kovind is 522 in value of 3,69,576
02:45 PM
In Bihar, it was a close fight with Kovind getting 22,490 and Meira Kumar 18,867.
02:44 PM
According to Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra, the Returning Officer for the July 20 election, Kovind secured 60,683 value of votes after ballots from four states - Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Bihar - were counted.
02:28 PM
I am not upset, why should I be upset? I am a fighter, I fought for the belief and faith of majority of my countrymen and women, says Meira Kumar who has not flared better than Kovind.
02:26 PM
In Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim, the Opposition's nominee receieved 0 votes, meanwhile, the NDA's canditate got 27,666 and 210 votes in the respective states.
02:23 PM
States where Ram Nath Kovind trumped over Meira Kumar: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, Haryana, Chattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim
02:23 PM
States where Meira Kumar bagged more votes than Kovind: West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Puducherry
02:09 PM
Counting began at 11 am with the ballot box of Parliament House being opened first, followed by ballot boxes received from states in alphabetical order. (READ MORE)

Presidential election 2017 India: Kovind or Meira Kumar, who will be the next Rashtrapati?

Incumbent Pranab Mukherjee's term as President ends on July 25

Presidential election 2017 Results On July 17, of the total 4,880 valid voters — 4,109 members of legislative Assemblies (MLAs) and 771 elected members of Parliament (MPs) — 99.49 per cent cast their vote to elect the next President of India. In the fray were the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA's) candidate Ram Nath Kovind, and the Opposition candidate Meira Kumar.

The counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 11 am on Thursday, July 20, but it is believed that Kovind has an edge over Kumar. However, should he win, the margin of his victory will be interesting to note, given that there were reports of many instances where voters from Opposition parties also voting for Kovind in the election.

“The voting was close to 99 per cent. I think this would perhaps be the highest-ever percentage,” Anoop Mishra, Lok Sabha, secretary general and returning officer for the election, had said on Monday.

CATCH ALL THE LIVE UPDATES: 

11:21 AM
Result will be declared by 5 pm

11:20 AM
There will be eight rounds of counting, and announcements will be made after every round.

11:11 AM
Here are the visuals of counting of votes:



11:07 AM
Counting of votes for Presidential election 2017 has begun.

11:05 AM
Kovind’s sister-in-law Vidyavati has been fasting since 19 July for his victory. She is the wife of Shiv Balak, Kovind’s brother.

11:03 AM
Ram Nath Kovind is set to win the election by a 70 per cent margin

11:02 AM
Ballot boxes from 29 state capitals and the union territory of Puducherry have reached Parliament House amid tight security.

11:01 AM
Both Ram Nath Kovind and Kumar are from the Dalit community and have canvassed hard by visiting states to seek support of legislators.

10:58 AM
The candidate who secures at least one vote more than 50 per cent of the total votes will enter into the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

10:56 AM
President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 25.

(READ MORE)