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Politics

Who’s shunted West Bengal top cop Rajeev Kumar, considered ‘close’ to CM Mamata? | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday ordered the immediate removal of West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar and six state chief secretaries as part of measures to ensure a level playing field ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.The EC shunted out West Bengal's top cop amid apprehension of poll violence and other law and order challenges, which had lately been witnessed in the state. The move comes on the heels of the poll body's announcement of Lok Sabha election dates.This is the third time that Kumar, perceived to be close to the dispensation led by Mamata Banerjee, has been dropped from election-related duties.During the 2019 Lok Sabha poll in West Bengal, Rajeev Kumar was removed from the post of additional director general, CID and attached to the home ministry. However, he was reinst...
Politics

English, in any other tongue | India News – Times of India

It’s the world’s most widely spoken language, but that doesn’t make it any easier for nonnative speakers learning English. Tenses can make you tense. Some grammatical friends are ‘false friends’... and that’s just two of the many mysteries of English. Little wonder the secret to speaking and writing ‘perfect’ English is unknown, even to most native speakers.So, how does most of the world learn English? Do learning difficulties vary from country to country? What’s happening in India? And is the English vs mother tongue debate false?The Indian ExperienceThe first English grammar book was published in 1586.Less than 300 years later, the English Education Act of 1835 formally established English as the medium of instruction for schools teaching the modern, western curriculum in India. But cl...
Politics

Another Indian student dies in US, taking number of deaths to 9 in 2024 | India News – Times of India

A 20-year-old second-year engineering student of Boston University in US, hailing from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, was found dead in a car that was abandoned in a forest area. Paruchuri Abhijit had been missing since March 11. After his friends reported his disappearance to police, cops tracked Abhijit's body based on his mobile phone signals.Initial reports said he was murdered by unidentified assailants.However, the Indian consulate in New York, said on X on Monday that initial investigations "ruled out foul play".Abhijit, the only son of Paruchuri Chakradhar and Srilakshmi, was a bright student, family members said. His remains reached his native Burripalem village in Guntur late Friday. The consulate said it had rendered required assistance in documentation and transportation...
Politics

Kejriwal once again skips ED questioning, now in DJB case | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal skipped yet another ED summons on Monday, this time for recording his statement in connection with alleged irregularities in Delhi Jal Board and a related money laundering case where his AAP is accused of receiving bribes from a contractor through bureaucrats.AAP called the summons motivated and illegal, and blamed the Centre for misusing ED to prevent Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections.Kejriwal, who has skipped eight summonses in the excise policy case, has been called again on Thursday in that case. The agency is running against a deadline committed before Supreme Court last year to conclude its investigation and begin trial.In the DJB case, ED had claimed that bribes were received by AAP functionaries and used by the party for el...
Politics

After 3-week trial, 18 months’ jail for priest who molested Swede | India News – Times of India

BHUBANESWAR: Trial into the alleged molestation of a Swedish national in Bhubaneswar, ended in just three weeks with a court sentencing Kundan Mahapatra to 18 months imprisonment on Monday. This is the fastest ever trial in Odisha where an accused was brought to justice within 28 days of occurrence of the crime, said commissionerate police. On Feb 19, Mahapatra (24), a priest at Lingaraj temple, had molested a 28-year-old Swedish tourist outside the temple.She had hired him as her guide, police said. The next day he was arrested. Police submitted chargesheet against him in court of judicial magistrate first class-1 within 72 hours. The trial began four days later.“We accorded top priority to the sensitive case and completed the investigation quickly. Prosecution lawyer substantiated the...
Politics

1 more convict seeks review of Supreme Court’s Bilkis order | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: One more convict in the Bilkis Bano case has moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its Jan 8 verdict cancelling remission of his sentence, contending that it cannot be challenged based on the nature of the crime and “society’s cry for justice”.The review plea filed by Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana said the top court erred while passing the impugned order and overruling judgment dated May 13, 2022, passed by another bench of the SC.The Gujarat govt and two of the 11 convicts have already filed a petition seeking a review of the Jan 8 verdict in which remission orders of all of them were cancelled and they asked to surrender.As per the plea, the impugned order of Jan 8 was in contravention of the doctrine of Comity of Courts. The doctrine of Comity of Courts refers to courts r...
Politics

Supreme Court junks industry bodies’ 11th-hour plea to stop electoral bonds code disclosure | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday disapproved an eleventh-hour application by top industry bodies Assocham, FICCI and CII attempting to gatecrash proceedings to oppose pleas seeking disclosure of invisible unique alphanumeric numbers embossed on electoral bonds and bluntly denied them a hearing saying “big clients” can't be permitted to breach case- listing discipline.For the industry bodies, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi told a 5-judge bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that if his clients were not heard today, the application would be infructuous as members of the associations apprehended that disclosure of EB alphanumeric numbers, which establish who donated how much to which political party, would lead to their houn...
Politics

Amid military drill, Rajnath & Austin discuss boosting ties | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India and the US discussed steps to further strengthen their strategic-military partnership in a telephonic conversation between their defence ministers on Monday, even as the two countries also kicked off their major ‘Tiger Triumph’ tri-service exercise with warships, aircraft, helicopters and troops in the Bay of Bengal.Defence minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin discussed a range of bilateral, regional security & defence cooperation issues, including their commitment for a free and open Indo-Pacific.“They reviewed the recent bilateral events such as the INDUS-X summit in Delhi in Feb and the ‘Tiger Triumph’ exercise,” an official said.“Austin appreciated the role being played by Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in Indian Ocean Reg...
Politics

Narco-terror financing: J&K SIA files chargesheet against two | India News – Times of India

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Monday filed a chargesheet against two accused, who along with their associates operated a narco-terror financing module in the Union Territory, under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at a special-designated UAPA court under NIA Act.In a statement, the agency identified the accused as Zaheed Ahmad Khoja and Zameer Ahmad Lone.Zaheed Khoja was arrested in Sept last year when he was intercepted while transporting a consignment of heroin weighing over 3.5kg worth around Rs 25 crore. Zaheer Lone, an active Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and native of J&K, meanwhile, is now in Pakistan/Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.Zaheed, Zameer, and others — in connivance with ...
Politics

Omar says People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration intact, signals Lok Sabha seat rethink | India News – Times of India

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday rejected suggestions that People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in J&K had collapsed after he announced weeks ago that his NC would not have any LS seat-sharing with INDIA ally PDP.Omar asserted that PAGD was “intact and alive” and that key constituents NC, PDP and others would meet in a day or two to chart the plan for the three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley.“We run our own separate parties. Today, I’m talking to you personally but that does mean there is no PAGD? It is standing and they will meet in a day or two,” Omar said in Kulgam as he launched NC’s campaign for the Anantnag LS seat and accused the Centre of blocking J&K’s assembly polls.PAGD is an alliance of five Valley parties seeking re...
Politics

Bulgarian President thanks India for rescuing its citizens from hijacked ship MV Ruen | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, extended his gratitude to the Indian Navy on Monday for successfully rescuing its 7 crew members that were being held hostage by pirates aboard a hijacked Bulgarian ship.In a post on X, the President of Bulgaria conferred his sincere gratitude to the prime minister for the brave action of the Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship."My sincere gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the brave action of Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship “Ruen” and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens", the Bulgarian President wrote on X.This comes a day after the deputy prime minister Mariya Gabriel on Sunday said,"I express my gratitude to the Indian navy for the successful operation to rescue the hijacked vessel Ruen & its crew ...
Politics

K Kavitha allegedly conspired with Kejriwal, Sisodia, other AAP leaders for favours in Delhi Excise policy formulation, paid Rs 100cr, claims ED | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha allegedly conspired with the top leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia to get favours in the Delhi Excise policy formulation and implementation, and she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the AAP leaders in exchange for these favours, the Enforcement Directorate claimed on Monday.ED's claims come three days after it arrested Kavitha, MLC of Telangana Legislative Council, in the alleged case of Delhi Liquor Policy Scam.Kavitha, who was arrested by an ED team on March 15, is in ED's custodial interrogation for seven days till March 23. She was arrested after a search operation conducted at Kavitha's residence in Hyderabad on the same day.During the search proceedings, the ED officials said th...
Politics

Ropar police arrest person who demand Rs 2 crore ransom from former CM | India News – Times of India

PATIALA: Ropar police have arrested a person who allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore ransom from the former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi through a mobile call. Senior Superintendent of Police Ropar Gulneet Singh Khurana said that a video had gone viral on social media in which the former Chief Minister C S Channi have claimed that a person called him and demanded the ransom of Rs. 2 crore and then also sent a message in which he threatened to kill him if he could not pay the money. SSP Khurana said that on the basis of the video, a case No. 22 was registered on March 2 this year under sections 387 and 506 was registered at Police Station City Morinda.The police have identified the accused as Deepak Shrimant Kabale of Mumbai and also recovered a laptop and two mobile phones fro...
Politics

Kids are battling a not-good-enough syndrome, all they need is a patient ear: Kiran Bir Sethi | India News – Times of India

Educationist Kiran Bir Sethi’s design-led approach to education at Ahmedabad’s Riverside School won the World’s Best School for Innovation award last year. Her recent book, “Every Child Can”, with Mohanram Gudipati and Apoorva Bhandari reveals design-led practices in the way a school functions --- from teacher training, parent-school relationships to community engagement.What led you to begin Riverside?As a new parent, I was very excited when my son started school. But this soon turned to dismay when, in a test given to my five-year-old, he was asked to copy down four lines from the topic ‘The Cow’. My son had made the ‘grave mistake’ of copying the fourth line (the cow has four legs) before the third (the cow has a tail). There was an angry slash of red pen, along with the punishment t...
Politics

NDA seat-sharing in Bihar: BJP to contest on 17 seats, JD(U) gets 16, five seats for LJP | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday announced its seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. BJP's national general secretary Vinod Tawde said the saffron party will contest from 17 seats while CM Nitish Kumar's JD(U) will fight from 16 seats. Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP will contest from 5 seats, while HAM and RLP will contesting one seat each.The Lok Sabha elections in Bihar for 2024 are set to take place in seven phases, starting from April 19 and concluding on June 1.PhasesConstituenciesPhase 1 (April 19) Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, JamuiPhase 2 (April 26)Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur, BankaPhase 3 (May 7) Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura, KhagariaPhase 4 (May 13) Darbhanga, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai, MungerPhase 5 (M...
Politics

‘Look forward to working together’: PM Modi congratulates Putin on re-election | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of Russia on Monday.In post on X, PM Modi said he looks forward to working together to further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Russia in the coming years."Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation.Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come," the Prime Minister wrote.!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { function loadFBEvents(isFBCampaignActive) { if (!isFBCampaignActive) { return; } (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { if (f.fbq) return; ...
Politics

IndiGo to start direct flight from Bengaluru to Lakdhadweep from March 31 | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: IndiGo on Monday announced a direct flight between Bengaluru and Agatti starting from March 31, enhancing air connectivity to Lakshadweep. Agatti will be the 88th domestic and 121st overall destination in the IndiGo network. The services between Bengaluru and Agatti will commence from March 31, the airline said in a release. The airline will be using ATR aircraft, having around 78 seats, on the route. IndiGo said Agatti is popular amongst those looking for a bit of deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, sailing, skiing and even kayaking. "The island also serves as an ideal base for exploring the uninhabited and serene isles of Bangaram, Pitti, Thinnakara, Parali-I and Parali-II which lie in close proximity," it added. Currently, only Alliance Air has services to Agatti while re...
Politics

Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan responds to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘crying leader’ remark | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched to the BJP, on Monday refuted Rahul Gandhi's claims that a senior Congress leader broke down in front of Sonia Gandhi. Chavan stated that the remarks made by Rahul Gandhi were factually incorrect and baseless. "He (Rahul Gandhi) has not taken any name, however, if he wants to make any remarks on me, it is illogical and baseless... It is also a lie that I have met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. These remarks are factually incorrect. All of this is a political stunt." BJP leader Ashok Chavan said.Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that a senior Maharashtra Congress leader, who left the party, met Sonia Gandhi and expressed fear of going to jail."A senior leader in Maharashtra, who left the Congress recently, went cryin...
Politics

Election Commission orders removal of home secretaries in 6 states, Bengal DGP | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday ordered the removal of home secretaries of six states - Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, HP, and Uttarakhand who are holding charges in chief minister offices.The secretary of the general administrative department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have also been removed. The poll panel has also directed all the state governments to transfer the officers connected with election-related work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts.Additionally, the Commission has ordered for the transfer of BMC and the additional/Deputy commissioners with the direction to report by 6pm today.The order comes days after the Election Commission announced seven-phase polls that will stretch for one-and-a-half-months, between April 19 a...
Politics

INDIA bloc fighting against it, I worship it: PM Modi hits out at Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his 'Shakti' remark and said he worships it in all forms."The INDIA bloc, in their manifesto, said that their fight is against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother, daughter & sister is a form of 'Shakti'. I worship them in the form of 'Shakti'. I am the worshiper of Bharat Mata," PM Modi said during a public rally in Telangana's Jagtial.Hitting out at the opposition INDIA bloc, he said that the upcoming Lok Sabha election is a battle between 'Shakti' supporters and those who are fighting against it."I am the worshiper of Bharat Mata ... Their (INDIA bloc's) manifesto is to finish 'Shakti', and I accept the challenge. I am willing to sacrifice my life for Nari Shakti," PM Modi said...