LIVE news updates: HC issues notice to PM Modi on petition challenging election from Varanasi

The Allahabad High Court on Friday issued notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a petition challenging his election from Varanasi parliamentary constituency.

Justice M K Gupta fixed August 21 for hearing of the case.

The petition was filed by former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, who was declared Samajwadi Party candidate from Varanasi but failed to contest the election as his nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer.

A 28-year-old Dalit man on Friday sustained injuries after some people mistook him for a thief and allegedly tried to burn him alive when he entered a house to avoid stray dogs in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, police said.

The victim, Sujit Kumar, was rushed to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable, they said, adding that two of the four accused named in the FIR had been arrested. The incident took place in Deva area of Barabanki's Raghopur village.

Release pleas of model Jessica Lal and student Priyadarshini Mattoo's killers were rejected by the Delhi Sentence Review Board on Friday, sources said.

They said that convict in Jessica's murder case Manu Sharma and Mattoo's killer Santosh Singh were among 204 convicts who had approached the board, headed by state Home Minister Satyendar Jain.

The board approved release requests of 59 convicts and rejected 145 such pleas, they said.

Eight children died while nine others were injured after lightning struck Dhanapur village in Bihar's Nawada.

Lashing out at the BJP's Uttar Pradesh government, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said that the BJP-led state government had failed to curb the crime in the state but it was stopping her from her duty.

"The UP government's duty is to nab the criminals. My duty is to raise the voice for the victims of crime. BJP has failed to stop crime, but it is stopping me from doing my duty," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

"Nobody can stop me from standing in support of the victims," she added.

She was detained by the police at Narayanpur while she was on her way to meet the bereaved families of the dead in Wednesday's shootout at UP's Sonbhadra by land mafia. Ten people were killed and 24 injured in the shootout.

A Delhi Court will on Saturday take cognisance of the charge sheet filed in the case related to the death of late Congress leader Narayan Datt Tiwari's son Rohit Shekhar Tiwari.

Rohit Shekhar's wife Apoorva Shukla has been charged with killing her husband by allegedly smothering and strangulating him following an argument at their South Delhi residence in April this year.

Senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday said that one can also watch a movie while overseeing the flood relief work.

Modi was responding to his criticism by media over his watching a movie, Super 30, while millions in his state are grappling with severe floods. He said not watching the film, which is based on a Bihar-based coaching centre, would have been an insult to the artises.

"We are continuously monitoring the flood-affected areas," he said.

The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 that amends the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Friday with voice vote.

The Bill deprives "terrorists" and "rapists" of some of the human rights.

The Bill provides for three members to be appointed to NHRC, of which at least one will be a woman.

The Bill provides for including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the NHRC, junior Home Minister Nityanand Rai said.

Over 2.69 lakh beneficiaries could not get the first tranche under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.

The PM-KISAN scheme, launched in February just before the Lok Sabha polls, aims to provide Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments directly into the bank account of 14.5 crore farmers holding up to 2 acres of land.

So far, the first instalment of Rs 2,000 has been released to bank accounts of 4.14 crore farmers in the country, while the second tranche to 3.17 crore farmers, each amounting to Rs 8290.6 crore and Rs 6355.8 crore, respectively, the govt said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

Nirmala Kumari, a nurse helped a woman deliver her baby in the flood-hit Raghauli village of Madhubani district in Bihar.

"when I was informed about a woman who was in labour, I and an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker waded through flood water to help in delivery," Kumari said.

She said both mother and the child, a baby girl, are fine.

Earthquake of a magnitude of 5.9 on Richter Scale was felt in the North East. The epicentre of the quake is 170 kilometres north west of Jorhat in Assam.

The tremors were felt in Guwahati and others parts of Assam and North East at about 02:53 pm.No casualties have been reported so far.

The government on Friday introduced the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, which provides a mechanism for their social, economic and educational empowerment, in the Lok Sabha.

A contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgender people has been removed from the bill.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor apparently wanted to oppose the introduction of the bill but he could not speak as other Congress members were protesting over the issue of political crisis in Karnataka. The Congress then walked out of proceedings.

“The illegal arrest of Priyanka in Sonbhadra, UP, is disturbing. This arbitrary application of power, to prevent her from meeting families of the 10 Adivasi farmers brutally gunned down for refusing to vacate their own land, reveals the BJP Govt’s increasing insecurity in UP,”says Rahul Gandhi

Shashi Tharoor, Congress in Lok Sabha, says 57 people in Assam have committed suicide because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has excluded them, ironically, the majority of these people are Hindus

Priyanka Gandhi is clearly saying that she will not violate Sec 144. She is clear that she wants to meet the families to show her solidarity. Why is she not being allowed? CM should rather facilitate her visit than confronting her, says Sushmita

“Yes, we still won't be cowed down. We were only going peacefully to meet victim families(of Sonbhadra firing case). I don't know where are they taking me, we are ready to go anywhere,” says Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra detained in Narayanpur by Police. She was on her way to meet victims of firing case in Sonbhadra where section 144 has been imposed. Says 'I don't know where are they taking me, we are ready to go anywhere.'

Just want to go and meet families of victims(Sonbhadra firing case),I even said will take only 4 ppl with me. Yet administration is not letting us go there. They should tell us why we are being stopped.We will continue to sit here peacefully

Priyanka Gandhi stopped from visiting Sonbhadra from Varanasi. She sat in protest when she was stopped in Mirzapur

Sonbhadra land dispute firing case: Section 144(prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) has been imposed in the area

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East arrives in Varanasi. She will meet the people who were injured in firing over a land dispute in Sonbhadra on July 17.

Philippine police say at least 9 mostly grade school students died and 16 others were injured when the truck they were riding on lost control on a downhill road, flipped on its side and pinned some of the victims.

Police investigator Nelson Saquibal says several of the injured, including the driver, were brought to a hospital after the accident in Boljoon town in central Cebu province. The students from two village schools were to attend a cultural, health and sports festival in the town center.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, Sougata Ray gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over "kidnapping of Karnataka MLAs".

Six Congress MPs give Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over "encroachment on democratic institutions".

Two people were beaten to death by locals in Baniyapur, Saran on suspicion of cattle theft, today morning. Bodies sent for postmortem by police, investigation underway.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East), to visit Sonbhadra today to meet the family members of those who were killed in firing over a land dispute on July 17.

There will no selection meeting (for West Indies tour) in Mumbai, on Friday. Details of the meeting will be updated, once it is finalized, says Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI):