Amethi Congress President Yogendra Misra Resigns May 24, 2019 18:01
Yogendra Misra, the district President of the Indian National Congress in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, has sent his resignation to party President Rahul Gandhi, owning moral responsibility for Gandhi's defeat. Misra, in a letter, said that it was his responsibility to ensure the Congress victory in Amethi and he had failed to accomplish the task. Hence he felt that he should take moral responsibility for the same. Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Raj Babbar also offered to resign, claiming moral responsibility for the poor performance of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh where the party won just one of the 80 seats. According to the sources, any decision on the resignations would be taken after the Congress Working Committee meets. The Congress suffered a major embarrassment with Rahul Gandhi losing from the party’s stronghold to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani by 55,120 votes.Talking to PTI over the phone, the Amethi Congress leader said he would nevertheless continue working for the party.Gandhi got 4,13,394 votes against Irani’s 4,68,514 votes, according to Election Commission statistics.The Congress president had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from two seats. He won from Wayanad in Kerala by a margin of 4,31,770 votes.By Sowmya Sangam
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Lok Sabha Election Results: Counting of Votes Begins May 23, 2019 09:33
After perpetual campaigning for a month followed by Lok Sabha elections for two months, the fate of as many as 8,040 candidates will be decided today when the counting of votes polled for the 17th Lok Sabha elections is done. Amid row of EVM-VVPAT tempering and hacking, the counting for the final outcome that will seal the fate of the country for the next five years has begun. According to the exit polls released on the last phase of polling, Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to return to power. The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 that started on April 11 and wrapped up on May 19, saw around 900 million voters exercising their right to vote and deciding the fate of 7,928 candidates across 543 seats in the country. Out of those candidates, 724 were women and four were transgender.Results of Lok Sabha elections 2019 shall be out by the end of the day.By Sowmya Sangam
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India Extends Ban on Sri Lanka-Based Militant and Political Organization LTTE for 5 More Years May 14, 2019 17:02
The Indian government has extended the ban on the Sri Lanka-based militant and political organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for another five years, a notification on Tuesday said."The LTTE's continued violent and disruptive activities are prejudicial to the integrity and sovereignty of India, and it continues to adopt a strong anti-India posture as also continues to pose a grave threat to the security of Indian nationals," the notification said.The step was taken under sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) with immediate effect.By Sowmya Sangam
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Cyclone Fani: Three Killed as Severe Storm Hits Odisha May 03, 2019 15:26
As cyclone Fani battered the Odisha coast on Friday, three people were killed in separate incidents. A teenager was killed when a tree came crashing down on him at a place within Sakhigopal police station area limits in Puri district. Flying debris from a concrete structure hit a woman in Nayagarh district when she had gone to fetch water, killing her. In Debendranarayanpur village in Kendrapara district, a 65-year-old woman died after a suspected heart attack at a cyclone shelter, officials said. Fani, an extremely severe cyclonic storm lashed the Odisha coast Friday morning, uprooting trees, blowing away thatched huts, and disrupting communication links. By Sowmya Sangam
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Cyclone Fani to Make Landfall in Odisha, IMD Issues 'Yellow Warning' May 01, 2019 16:54
A yellow alert has been issued in Odisha after the strongest cyclone is predicted to make landfall on Friday evening. Cyclone Fani is intensified into extremely severe cyclonic storm late on Tuesday night. Along with West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, Odisha is likely to bear the maximum impact of cyclone Fani. To alleviate the rescue and relief activities, the model code of conduct has already been lifted in several Odisha districts - Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Cuttack and Jajpur. In West Bengal, East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli and Kolkata are the districts that are likely to be affected. Srikakulam,Visakhapatnam, and Vijayanagaram in Andhra Pradesh will also feel the impact. The National Disaster Response Forces said it has deployed 41 teams in the vulnerable areas. Cyclone Fani is also said to be the longest staying storm in the Bay of Bengal. A cyclone usually makes landfall in less than a week. The alert for Cyclone Fani was sounded last week but Cyclone Fani will make landfall in South of Puri around 5:30 pm on Friday. The impact of the storm will be felt until Saturday. However, it will not be the worst storm in recent years. The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kmph with winds gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an "extremely severe cyclonic storm", the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could reach up to 195-200 kmph. The center on Tuesday ordered the release of Rs. 1,086 crore to four states as advance financial assistance for undertaking preventive and relief measures. The name ''Fani", which is pronounced as "Foni", was suggested by Bangladesh. Roughly translated, "Fani" means the hood of a snake, according to reports. By Sowmya Sangam
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Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi Accused of Sexual Harassment April 20, 2019 15:08
India's Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been accused of sexual harassment by a former employee.The 35-year-old woman has filed an affidavit alleging two instances of misconduct in October last year, shortly after Gogoi was appointed. She said her family was victimized once she refused the advances.The allegations were filed in a sworn affidavit that has been sent to Supreme Court judges. In the affidavit the married woman alleged that the misconduct occurred on 10 and 11 October at the offices in Gogoi's residence.She alleged Gogoi "hugged me around the waist, and touched me all over my body with his arms" and pressed his body against her. When he did not stop, she says she "was forced to push him away from me with my hands".The woman says Gogoi then told her not to mention what had happened or her family "would be greatly disturbed".She further alleged that she was transferred three times, then fired in December while her husband and brother were both suspended from their jobs.In March a resident of the city of Jhajjar filed a complaint alleging she had kept the money she had taken as a bribe to get him a job at the court.She denies the accusation and says she attended a police station with family members in March where they were subjected to abusive treatment."It now seems like the harassment, victimization, and torture will not stop unless I speak out about the origin and motive for the harassment," she alleges in the affidavit.A statement said Gogoi "totally denied" the "false and scurrilous" accusations. He has labeled them an attempt to "destabilize the judiciary". He said the woman "had no occasion to interact directly with the chief justice".The statement refers to the criminal case of bribery lodged against the woman, saying: "It appears that these false allegations are being made as a pressure tactic to somehow come out of the various proceedings which have been initiated in law."It says the employee was dismissed "as per procedure" after an incident of "inappropriate conduct".Gogoi himself addressed the issue in front of a special bench of the Supreme Court on Saturday. "I don't want to stoop so low as to answer these charges," he said. "All employees of the Supreme Court are treated respectfully by me."He added: "There are forces that are trying to destabilize the judiciary. There are bigger forces behind these allegations hurled at me."By Sowmya Sangam
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ECI Bans Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati from Campaigning for Violating Model Code of Conduct April 15, 2019 17:57
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday banned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Yogi Adityanath, and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati from election campaigning in consequence to violating the model code of conduct. Yogi Adityanath and Mayawati have been barred from campaigning for 72 hours and 48 hours respectively, starting from 6 a.m. tomorrow.The action against Yogi Adityanath was taken for his 'Ali and Bajrangbali' comment, while Mayawati has been barred from poll campaigning for seeking Muslim votes. Targeting Mayawati for her recent remarks urging the Muslim community not to split their votes, Adityanath had said: "If the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have faith in Ali, we have faith in Hanuman."Mayawati had called upon the Muslim community during the first joint rally of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Rashtriya Lok Dal at Deoband that they should not split their votes and vote for the alliance candidates to defeat the BJP. She had also said that Congress is not strong enough for a fight. Both Mayawati and Adityanath were served notices from the ECI.The ECI's action came hours after the Supreme Court pulled up the poll panel for being unsuccessful to take action against hate speeches by politicians. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi said the ECI is duty-bound to take action against those who make hateful remarks and violate the model code of conduct.The Election Commission told the court that it can merely issue a notice, then an advisory and lodge a criminal complaint in the case of repeated violations. The counsel for the poll body said it was "toothless" and "powerless" against hate and religious speeches made during the election campaign.The apex court said then it was appropriate to examine the scope of powers of the poll panel which is also a constitutional body.By Sowmya Sangam
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Justice PC Ghose Takes Oath As India’s First Lokpal March 23, 2019 13:01
Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose took oath as country’s First Lokpal or anti corruption ombudsman today.President of India Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office at a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.He was selected by committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the panel also includes Chief Justice of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, leader of opposition in lower house, eminent Jurist.Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, 66, retired as Supreme Court judge in May 2017. He was serving as a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) since June 29, 2017.Lokpal act passed in 2013, it is the authority under the law to investigate complaints against current and former prime ministers, ministers, members of Parliament, government employees, among others. Justices Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Dilip B. Bhosale, Abhilasha Kumari, Ajay Kumar Tripathi have been appointed as Judicial members of Lokpal.Former Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Archana Ramasundaram, Dinesh Kumar, Dr. Indrajeet Prasad Gautam, Mahender Singh have been appointed as non Judicial members of Lokpal.The chairperson and other members shall hold office for a term of five years or till they attain 70 years of age.By Sai Kumar
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PNB Scam: Nirav Modi Arrested In London March 20, 2019 18:37
Fugitive Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi arrested in London on Tuesday to be produced in court later today. According to the reports, “Nirav Deepak Modi, 48 (Date of Birth 24.02.71), was arrested on behalf of the Indian authorities on Tuesday in Holborn. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He is wanted in the Rs 13000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. The 48-year-old billionaire businessman had fled the country last year days before the detection of the PNB scam. Reports says legal procedure of extradition of an accused takes its own time and Indian investigators, both from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), are tracking the case. Enforcement Directorate officials had said that “London court has issued an arrest warrant against Modi, the main accused in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB scam case, in response to the probe agency's request for his extradition in a money laundering case.” He is expected to be produced before a district judge in the Westminister magistrates court in London to formally be charged and later he is expected to seek bail. As the case will follow a similar pattern as that of Vijay Mallya who was arrested in April 2017 on fraud and money laundering charges but remains on bail thereafter. Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, You can run, but cannot hide from the country's #Chowkidar. As wheels of justice grind, after Vijay Mallya, fugitive Nirav Modi has been arrested in London. Clear sign that this is not the India which will allow economic offenders to loot the country & evade the long arm of law.” Reacting to news, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “They (BJP) had only helped him flee the country, now they are bringing him back. They are bringing him back for the elections, they will send him back after elections. By Sai Kumar
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Goa CM Pramod Sawant Wins Crucial Floor Test March 20, 2019 16:33
Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant wins crucial vote of confidence in state assembly after 20 MLAs voted in favor.Newly sworn Chief Minister sawant expressed confident of victory in the state assembly before the vote of confidence.The strength of 40 member state assembly reduced to 36 following the death of chief minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte. Pramod Sawant took oath as chief minister early on Tuesday and Sudin Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party sworn in as new deputy Chief Ministers. Apart from CM and deputy chief ministers and nine other took oath as ministers of cabinetBy Sai Kumar
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BSP Chief Mayawati Decides Not To Contest Lok Sabha Elections March 20, 2019 15:06
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati on Wednesday announced that she will not contest in upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha Elections."I know I can win from any seat. All that I have to do is to file my nomination and my party workers will take care of the rest. We have a strong alliance with RLD and SP to defeat BJP. It is more important for us to win more seats than for me to win one. I had earlier resigned from Rajya Sabha to keep our movement alive, but keeping in mind the current political situation, I have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections,” BSP chief said in a press conference in Lucknow.Recently SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Janasena party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan said that they want to see Mayawati as the next Prime Minister of India.Akhilesh yadav said that, “ Uttar Pradesh has given Prime Ministers in past and will give one this time too. I will be happy if the next Prime Minister is from Uttar Pradesh.”After BSP announced alliance with Janasena party to fight Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Lok Sabha polls in Telangana. JSP chief Pawan Kalyan said, “This is our wish and our ardent desire to see Mayawati ji as next PM”Earlier, BSP-SP-RLD formed an alliance in Uttar Pradesh to fight 2019 General elections in 78 parliamentary seats. And parties decided not to contest in Amethi and Raebareli.By Sai Kumar
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Election Commission Meets Officials Of Social Media Platforms March 19, 2019 18:57
ECI team led by Chief Election Commissioners Sunil Arora along with other Elections Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Ashok Lavasa held meeting with representatives of Social Media Platforms to discuss content regulation and issues related to Social Media post implementation of Model code of Conduct. ECI team led by CEC Sh Sunil Arora n ECs Sh Ashok Lavasa & Sh Sushil Chandra, holds meeting with Representatives of Social Media Platforms pic.twitter.com/bTNacqokOH — Sheyphali Sharan (@SpokespersonECI) March 19, 2019 On March 10, ECI announce the dates of Lok Sabha Elctions 2019 and model code of conduct came into effect after the announcement of the election dates.Election commission brought some new measures to conduct free and fair elections. Issues related to fake news and hate messages on social media are some of the major concerns of poll panel.Polls will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. And the results would be declared on May 23By Sai Kumar
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