The court said that UP Police is not precluded from seeking sanction to prosecute him from Rajya Sabha Chairperson in the cases.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted protection from coercive action to Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in alleged hate speech cases lodged against him in Uttar Pradesh.

However, the court said that UP Police is not precluded from seeking sanction to prosecute him from Rajya Sabha Chairperson in the cases.

The top court also issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and sought its response on two pleas of Singh seeking clubbing and quashing of FIRs lodged against him after his press conference on August 12 last year at which he alleged that the state government was favouring a certain class of society.

During the hearing, a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R S Reddy told the counsels for Singh that he cannot divide the society on lines of castes and religion.

Senior advocate Vivek Tankha and advocate Sumeer Sodhi, appearing for Singh, said that no procedures were followed by the police in lodging the case and sanction to prosecute the Rajya Sabha MP was not taken.

The bench said that it will not get into the sanction aspect at this moment but it does not mean that no offence has been made out against Singh.

It told Tankha that the court understands that sanction to prosecute under section 197 CrPC ought to have been taken from chairperson of Rajya Sabha.

On February 2, the top court had refused to grant protection to Singh against whom a non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued on an FIR lodged in Lucknow.

The AAP leader has moved the apex court seeking quashing of multiple FIRs lodged against him in various districts of Uttar Pradesh after the press conference, saying they have been “maliciously instituted to unleash political vendetta”.

In a separate petition, Singh has also challenged the January 21 order of the Allahabad High Court which refused to quash the FIR in Lucknow.

FATEHPUR/MAHOBA: A POCSO court in Fatehpur has sentenced two men to 20-year imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old mentally challenged girl in 2016.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (POCSO) also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each on the convicts Dinesh and Santram, Assistant Government counsel Devesh Srivastava said.

The incident had taken place in a village in Hathgam area on December 22, 2016, he said.

In another case, Additional district Judge (POCSO-4) Parul Srivastava awarded 10 years imprisonment to Antabh Lodhi for raping a 16-year old girl on January 24, 2014 in city area.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.

In Mahoba, Additional District and Sessions Judge Santosh Kumar Yadav awarded 10 years imprisonment to Rohit Baghel for raping a 16-year old girl on February 7, 2018 in the city.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 13,000 on the convict.

NEW DELHI: Former Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here and it is learnt that they discussed considering an active role for him in the party, sources said.

It is speculated that Sidhu, who has remained away from Punjab politics ever since he resigned from the state cabinet, is reconsidering taking up a ministerial berth.

The cricketer-turned-politician had recently met Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over breakfast.

Sidhu is considering his return to the Punjab cabinet but is likely to be given a ministry other than he held earlier, sources said.

Sidhu had been the local bodies minister and also held the charge of tourism ministry in Punjab.

Bringing Sidhu back into the party fold will help Congress put its house in order ahead of next Assembly elections slated in January 2022.

All India Congress Committee general secretary for Punjab Harish Rawat and party general secretary K C Venugopal were also present at the meeting which lasted for around half an hour, sources said.

Sidhu has been eyeing the post of Punjab Congress chief but Singh is not keen to hand over the party reins to him, sources said.

NEW DELHI: Petrol and diesel prices on Tuesday climbed to fresh highs in the country as rates were hiked after a three-day hiatus.

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 35 paise per litre each, according to price notifications of state-owned fuel retailers.

The increase took petrol prices to a fresh high of Rs 87.30 a litre in Delhi and to Rs 93.83 in Mumbai. Diesel rates rose to Rs 77.48 per litre in the national capital and to an all-time high of Rs 84.36 in Mumbai.

Prices were last hiked by 30 paise on February 5. Rates have risen by Rs 3.59 per litre in case of petrol and by Rs 3.61 on diesel in 2021.

Brent crude oil price on Monday rose above USD 60 per barrel for the first time in more than a year on improving demand outlook amid the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

Last week, Mukesh Kumar Surana, head of India’s third-largest fuel retailer Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), said that a sudden spike in international oil prices because of a perception of mismatch in demand and supply as well as a cut in production by Saudi was fuelling the retail price hikes.

He had said that only 25-30 per cent of the retail pump rates are dependent on cost and the rest are central and state taxes.

“We probably have no choice but to pass on the variation (in benchmark cost) to the consumer,” he had said.

“The government has taxation handle.” Also last week, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question that excise duty levied by the central government makes up for Rs 32.98 per litre of the price of petrol in Delhi and sales tax or VAT of the state government constitutes Rs 19.55. For diesel, the central excise adds up to Rs 31.83 and VAT to Rs 10.99, he had said.

Besides, the price includes a dealer commission of a minimum Rs 2.6 per litre on petrol and Rs 2 on diesel.

Retail petrol rates have risen by Rs 17.71 per litre since mid-March 2020 after the government raised taxes by a record margin to mop up gains arising from fall in international oil prices. Diesel rates have gone up by Rs 15.19.

With his arrest, the total number of people nabbed by Delhi Police in connection with the violence that took place across the city on January 26 has gone up to 127. 

CHANDIGARH:  The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a 60-year-old man from Chandigarh in connection with the clashes that took place on the premises of iconic Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day.

With his arrest, the total number of people nabbed by Delhi Police in connection with the violence that took place across the city on January 26 has gone up to 127. 

Sukhdev Singh by the crime branch team, which is probing 13 cases registered in connection with the violence.

The police had earlier announced a cash reward for Singh and three others for allegedly instigating protesters.    

They have also announced cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information that can lead to the arrest of actor Deep Sidhu, Jugraj Singh, Gurjot Singh and Gurjant Singh who hoisted flags at the Red Fort or were involved in the act.

A senior police officer said Singh was allegedly leading the mob at Red Fort on the day of the incident and he was found to have an “active presence” at the spot.   

Thousands of farmers protesting the Centre’s new agri laws had clashed with the police during the tractor parade on January 26.

Many of the protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.

Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and a flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag is unfurled on Independence Day.

JP Nadda had flagged off the BJP’s ‘Paribartan Yatra’ from Nabadwip and addressed a farmers’ rally in Malda on Saturday.

KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Sunday alleged that while the BJP-led government at the Centre was “waging a war” against farmers protesting the new agriculture laws, saffron party chief JP Nadda was “faking his love” for the ploughmen.

Nadda cannot claim to be a friend of the farmers while his government continues to carry out atrocities against the agriculturists in Delhi, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said at a party meeting in Nabadwip in Nadia district.

“While they are waging a war against farmers in Delhi, putting nails at the dharna site, putting up barricades disrupting communications, the same BJP is flaunting a pro-farmer image before the elections.

“If you really care about farmers, you protest against such acts of the BJP government. You need not do photo sessions at the house of a farmer.Such photo sessions don’t help in solving farmers’ problems,” he said, in an apparent jibe at Nadda.

Nadda had flagged off the BJP’s ‘Paribartan Yatra’ from Nabadwip and addressed a farmers’ rally in Malda on Saturday.

On the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan controversy, Ghosh said that Lord Ram is very close to the heart of everyone in Bengal and so is Ram Mohan Roy, who was instrumental in the abolishment of the Sati practice, saving the lives of hundreds of women from death on the husband’s pyre.

He accused the BJP of harping on the “divisive communal agenda of hatred” for political interest.

“The BJP’s Paribartan Yatra is aimed at polarising the people but their designs will be thwarted by the people of West Bengal,” he said.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly are due in April-May.

NEW DELHI: Indian security forces have not only restricted Pakistan’s nefarious acts to the borders only but are also giving a befitting reply to them, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

During the Question Hour, the minister also informed the House that 11 Rafale fighter jets have arrived in the country and the number will reach 17 by March this year.

Singh added the entire fleet of the fighter jets will arrive in the country by April 2022.

“There is no question of being lethargic. I want to make it clear the way our army has acted, the actions of Pakistan have been restricted to borders only,” he said, replying to a question related to ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

He said the Indian Army, BSF and other security forces must be complimented.

Stating that 4,649 ceasefire violations took place in 2020, Singh said Indian security forces are fully alert and are giving a befitting reply to nefarious acts of Pakistan.

Singh also told the House the government has decided that 101 defence-related items will be manufactured in India and not imported.

The chairperson to three urban local bodies were elected unopposed while the election was held for the remaining 87 bodies on Sunday.

JAIPUR: The Congress has formed its board in 48 urban local bodies in Rajasthan while the BJP got 37 among the 90 that went to the polls for which results were declared on Sunday.

The chairperson to three urban local bodies were elected unopposed while the election was held for the remaining 87 bodies on Sunday.

Apart from the major political parties, three independent candidates — one from Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and NCP — managed to get their candidate elected as chairperson to the urban local bodies.

Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra congratulated party workers for the victory.

“The result of the 90 urban local body elections in the state have shown good results. Out of a total of 90, Congress has won 50 seats with support of two independent candidates and the BJP, which was on 60 seats last time has been reduced to only 37.

Many congratulations and thanks to all the Congress workers for this magnificent victory,” Dotasra said in a tweet.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said the party has achieved good results and people will clear all doubts in the upcoming assembly bypolls.

“Congress, which claimed to form its boards in more than 50 bodies has been restricted to fewer seats. The people has once again taught the Gehlot government a lesson after the Panchayati Raj elections.

“The people will clear the Congress party’s doubt in the upcoming assembly by-elections Congratulations and best wishes to the newly elected body chairpersons,” Poonia said in a statement.

CHENNAI: South star Suriya has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently undergoing treatment for the virus.

The 45-year-old actor took to Twitter late Sunday evening to share his diagnosis and urged his fans to be cautious amid the pandemic.

“I am undergoing treatment for COVID-19 and I am better now. Let us all realise that life hasn’t returned to normalcy yet. We also cannot be filled with fear and let life come to a standstill. We still need to be careful and safe. Lots of love and gratitude to the dedicated doctors and medical staff standing by my side,” Suriya wrote.

New Delhi: WWE wrestler ‘The Great Khali’ joins Unlu, India’s Largest Celebrity Engagement App. The platform enables all fans out there to interact with their favourite celebrities.

Khali, an ex Punjab police officer also known as Dalip Singh Rana who comes from a humble background created history by becoming the first Indian WWE World champion. His inspiring journey from a small village to becoming an international name has inspired many.

The WWE icon, Khali didn’t just stop at wrestling, but went on to explore acting, modelling and now has become a major influencer in the field. He has appeared in several Hollywood and Bollywood movies besides being a part of various reality shows.

Unlu is a b2b and b2c platform which helps brands with celebrity endorsements at a fraction of price within a turn- around time of just 48 hours. With the addition of Khali in the Unlu family, the platform will target various sports and fitness brands for product promotions and endorsements.

Unlu is a fan engagement platform founded by Vipul Agrawal, Himanshu Periwal, Anurag Dalia and Akshay Pruthi that basically have different service lines such as celebrity shoutouts, Unluclass, brand endorsements etc. It allows both brands and fans to have an interaction with their favourite celebrities. Every week, Unluclass launches a new course conducted by top celebrities.

In the last six months, since its inception the brand has collaborated with over 2000 celebrities like Guru Randhawa, Saina Nehwal, Nupur Sanon, etc. “We are thrilled with Khali joining the Unlu family. Further we are planning on onboarding many more top national and international celebrities in the coming months for the loyal fans”, says Co-founders Vipul Agrawal and Himanshu Periwal.

With their partnership with the international sensation Khali, Unlu has now reached international markets.