Kochi, Aug 7 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed further proceedings in an FIR filed against Malayalam actor Shwetha Menon for allegedly appearing in films and advertisements containing obscene content for monetary gain.Justice V.G. Arun, who issued the interim order, observed that there appeared to be prima facie merit in the actor’s contention that due process under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was not followed before the complaint was referred …

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) In a revealing Press conference, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged massive electoral fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka’s Bangalore Central constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and stated that this was happening across the country too. Backed by data collected over six months by a team of over 30-40 people, the senior Congress MP accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the BJ…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and public-private partnerships have incurred a capital expenditure (capex) of more than Rs 96,000 crore during FY 2019-20 to FY 2024-25 on the development, upgradation, and modernisation of airports in the country to keep pace with the growth in air traffic, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.This includes the AAI’s share of more than Rs 25,000 crore and the remaining by private airport developers. The AAI incurs capital expendi…

Kolkata, Aug 7 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, used the death anniversary of iconic Nobel laureate as well as Indian poet and writer ‘Gurudev’ Rabindranath Tagore, to reiterate her stance against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states. In a statement posted on her official X account, Chief Minister Banerjee paid tributes to Rabindranath Tagore and said that the iconic Indian poet and writer continued to be her insp…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Manipur Budget for 2025–26, authorising an amount of Rs 30,969,44 (Rs 35,103.90 crore presented in March) amid uproar and “surprised No” from the members of the Opposition who kept on creating din in the House.Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Bill under Article 356.Despite persistent disruptions from opposition benches, the House first cleared the budget and the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, …

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who sparked a political storm with his ‘Sanatani terrorism’ barb, has been served a legal notice by Sanatan Sanstha, demanding that the Congress leader tenders an unconditional apology or face a defamation suit amounting to Rs 10 crores. The defamation notice has been sent by Sanatan Sanstha Trustee Virendra Marathe, who claimed that the Congress leader made highly objectionable and disparaging remarks against the w…

Kolkata, Aug 7 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Thursday, filed a charge sheet against West Bengal Minister in-charge of the micro, small and medium enterprises and textiles department, Chandranath Sinha, in the case regarding irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in state-run schools in the state. Sinha is the second Minister in the Bengal government against whom ED had filed a charge sheet in this case, the first being the former West Bengal Education Minister and Tr…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) As many as 311 polluted river stretches (PRS) have been identified on 279 rivers by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. The stretches were identified based on monitoring results in terms of Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), as an indicator of organic pollution.Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil, in a written reply, said the number of PRSs has decreased from 351 identified in the year 2018 to 311 in the year 2022 across 30 States…

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) In a major development related to the election fraud allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka on Thursday sought a signed declaration from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the issue.The letter has been sent to Rahul Gandhi in this regard, following a meeting between Indian National Congress (INC) leaders and the CEO, as well as the press conference addressed by Rahul Gandhi in Delhi regarding the alleged election fraud.The CEO stated in the letter, “As f…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Hosts India have been drawn with Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, Chinese Taipei and Lebanon in Group D of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, following the draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.Ahmedabad’s The Arena will host Group D of the Qualifiers from November 22 to 30, 2025.India will begin the Qualifiers with a clash against Palestine on November 22 before taking on Chinese Taipei on November 26, Lebanon on Nove…