LIVE news updates: Modi government created rural distress says Congress Spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi

The HeartCare Foundation of India (HCFI) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage and promote vaping products as an alternative to combustible tobacco products like cigarettes, which are more harmful in nature than vaping products.

Dr KK Aggarwal, the president of the foundation and several other medical practitioners from the foundation, have written to Modi, asking that the government frame policies and regulations for the promotion of vaping products in India.

An FIR was registered on Friday against two persons for not depositing their licensed weapons ahead of the general elections, officials said.

The case was registered against Ashok Kumar and Mahinder Singh, residents of Badyal Brahmana area under the Arms Act, they said.

The two violated an order of the Jammu district magistrate regarding deposition of all licensed weapons in the nearest police station, the officials said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday hit out at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for advocating repeal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, saying any such talk will raise questions on the accession of the state to India as well.

He told reporters that the BJP and its leadership would have to tread carefully on this issue and the terms and condition cannot be renegotiated.

"If you want to debate Article 370 and Article 35A, then I am sorry, there will be questions raised on the accession as well, because accession was on these very terms," he told reporters.

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought a response of the Delhi University on a plea which alleged that the varsity was not providing maternity leave to its ad hoc female professors.

The petition, by a female professor of Aurobindo College, contended that under the Maternity Benefit Act she was entitled to six months leave, but the varsity did not grant her the relief as she was not a permanent employee and was employed on an ad hoc basis.

She also claimed that the Supreme Court had held that maternity benefits are available to all irrespective of the type of employment -- permanent or contractual.

Taking note of the submissions made by the petitioner, Justice Suresh Kait observed that according to the apex court judgement and the act, she was entitled to maternity leave and asked the lawyer for DU to take instructions on the issue. With the direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on April 10.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Election Commission (EC) on a contempt plea for its failure to take steps to enforce a top court judgment mandating the political parties and their candidates in the electoral fray to give wide publicity to the criminal antecedents of the selected candidates.

The bench of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Vineet Saran sought a response from the EC as it was told that the poll panel has failed to take steps in the spirit of its September 25, 2018 constitution bench judgment that mandated the political parties and their candidates to give wide publicity -- both on the print and visual media -- about the criminal antecedents of the candidates in the electoral fray.

The Central Information Commission has directed the Civil Aviation Ministry to provide Lucknow-based activist Nutan Takur information regarding the disinvestment of Air India.

Toby Cadman, representing the crown prosecution on behalf of the Indian authorities in London's Westminster Magistrate court, “In case Nirav Modi gets bail, we will appeal against it in High Court. We will do everything to keep him in.”

The Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of quietly squeezing funds meant for the MGNREGA scheme, and said pro-rich and anti-poor policies of his government created "rampant and unimaginable rural distress" in the past five years.

Congress Spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said even as Modi and his ministers mocked the minimum income guarantee scheme "Nyay" announced by Rahul Gandhi -- which intends to directly transfer Rs 72,000 to bank accounts of beneficiaries, rural labourers had not been given wage hikes and farmers were getting "zero respite" from this government.

She added that farmers were no better under the present government and that 40 per cent of the area in the country was reeling under drought conditions, "of which 16-17 per cent is under severe conditions".

Terror financing case against Shabir Ahmad Shah: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached Proceeds of Crime in the form of property located in Effandi Bagh, Rawalpora, Srinagar, J&K being held in the name of his wife and daughters. Further investigation is in progress.

The Trinamool Congress on Friday rebuffed BJP president Amit Shah's claim to replicate the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in West Bengal if the saffron party returns to power at the Centre.

"We will never allow any NRC exercise in Bengal. They (BJP) want to divide the people on religious and communal lines. We will never allow that to happen," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee's comments come after Shah, at a rally in Alipurduar, said: "We will also bring in NRC in Bengal and throw out all infiltrators. We will also ensure that the Hindu refugees are not touched. They are very much a part of our country." The NRC is a document containing names of all genuine Indian citizens in Assam. It, however, became a hugely contentious issue after the complete draft, released last year, omitted the names of lakhs of people who have been residing in the state for several decades.

A city court Friday sentenced two persons to life imprisonment for trafficking a minor girl to Uttar Pradesh and forcing her to perform obscene dance in an orchestra.

Additional district and sessions judge Lilamoy Mondal awarded the maximum sentence for the crime to two persons - one of whom trafficked her to Uttar Pradesh and the other who bought her and forced her to perform in the orchestra.

The charge of trafficking a minor girl results in a prison term of 10 years to life imprisonment and fine.

The judge sentenced Rahul Ghosh and Suresh Gupta to life imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on each, which if not paid will lead to another six months in jail for each of the two.

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Sajjad Khan a close associate of Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Ahmed Khan sent to judicial custody by Delhi's Patiala House Court

He was produced before NIA Special court today at the end his remand by NIA, where the investigation agency didn't ask for any further remand of him.

The 2019 Human Development Report (HDR), with its focus on inequality, will be released around this year's last quarter, the UNDP said.

The report will provide a comprehensive picture of the many forms of inequality that are shaping the 21st century. In a statement, the United Nations Development Programme acknowledged that today's world remains deeply unfair.

It said: "The life and prospects faced by a newborn in a poor country or in a poor household are radically different from those of wealthier children. In all societies, long-standing forms of inequality persist while gaps are opening in new aspects of life".

Cash-strapped Pakistan is likely to secure a bailout package between USD 6 billion and USD 12 billion from the IMF by the middle of May after the two sides significantly bridged the "gap" on the terms of the deal, Finance Minister Asad Umar has said.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan has been grappling with a severe balance of payments crisis. Islamabad has sought help from close allies like China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to bail itself out from a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy.

A family of four including two minor girls were charred to death in West Bengal's Hooghly district, police said on Friday. The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

"The incident took place on Thursday. Surat Ali(42), his wife Rajina Bibi (36), daughters Arfin Yasmin (13) and Asiyana Khatun (6) were burnt inside their house in Chandanpur area," an officer of Chinsurah police station said.

Gujarat High court rejects Congress leader Hardik Patel's plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a rioting case of 2015 in Mehsana. As per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Hardik Patel won't be able to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Election due to his conviction

At least nine members of Ghazni police force of Afghanistan were killed in a sudden attack by Taliban militants in central Ghazni province, the provincial police confirmed.

The attack happened at around 1am early on Friday on a police outpost in the Police District 3 (PD3) of Ghazni city, the provincial police said in a statement, reported TOLO News.

Mujib Mahmoudi, the head of the PD3 Police Headquarters, was also killed in the attack, the statement added.

A fire ripped through a private factory in Greater Noida Friday leading to panic in the area, officials said. No injury or casualty was reported in the incident, the district police said.

The fire was reported around 11 am at a PVC factory in Ecotech 1 area and at least four fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately, they said. "The flames were controlled in a couple of hours and situation was under control," Chief Fire Officer in Gautam Buddh Nagar A K Singh said.

The cause of the fire was not known immediately, he said, adding the fire tenders were stationed at the site in a precautionary measure. Two days ago, a major fire had broken out in a thermocol factory in Greater Noida.

Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was released from a high-security jail here for six weeks on medical grounds, has been advised "complete rest" by doctors after increase in angina pain and kidney complications.

Sharif, 69, was released from the Kot Lakhpat jail on Tuesday night after the Supreme Court granted him bail for six weeks to obtain medical treatment within the country.

He was lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail since December last year, serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

Doctors at the Sharif Medical City (SMC), which was set up nearly two decades ago by the former prime minister's family, examined the three-time premier on Thursday and advised him “complete rest”.

In a setback to the GMR group, the Supreme Court on Friday did not allow the construction of Goa's new greenfield international airport and ordered an expert committee to study allegations that trees were being felled illegally.

Directing the committee to undertake the assessment in a month's time and submit its report to the court, a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta scrapped the environment clearance given by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in October 2015.

Justice Chandrachud also barred all courts in the country from entertaining any plea related to the Goa international airport.

A case has been lodged against the Samajwadi Party's (SP) district unit president Firoz Khan for allegedly making sexist remarks against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada.

Superintendent of Police Jamuna Prasad said the case was filed at the Hayat Nagar police station on Thursday night and investigation has started.

According to media reports, Khan allegedly said that Jaya Prada would "enthral the people of Rampur with her ghungaroos and thumkas".

In a video that went viral on social and electronic media, Khan, seemingly referring to Jaya Prada, is heard saying, "Rampur ki shaamein rangeen ho jaayengi ab jab chunavi mahual chalega (Rampur's evenings will turn colourful this election season)." A former SP leader, Jaya Prada, joined the BJP last week and may be fielded as the party's candidate from Rampur constituency.

Indian Army pays tribute to Naik Parvej, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, along the Line of Control in Baramulla, on 28th March 2019.

The adjudicating authority under FEMA has held a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and two associates guilty for their involvement in a hawala case related to terror financing and imposed a fine of ₹15 lakh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Friday.

In the order on Wednesday, suspected LeT member Mohd Ayub Mir, his aides Bechh Raj Bengani and Harbans Singh were fined ₹5 lakh, ₹7 lakh and ₹3 lakh respectively.

The adjudicating authority has also ordered to confiscate ₹7 lakh in cash in a 17-year-old terror funding case.

India on Friday summoned Pakistan's deputy high commissioner and conveyed concerns over the presence of several Khalistani separatists in a committee appointed by Pakistan on the Kartarpur Corridor, sources said.

India also asked Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah his country's stand on on key proposals put forward by New Delhi at the last meeting held in Attari to discuss the modalities of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, they said.

A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said it has been conveyed to the Pakistani side that the next meeting on the modalities of the corridor can be scheduled at an appropriate time after receiving Pakistan's response.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought reply form Vodafone and Airtel on a plea by the CBI alleging that they were not cooperating with the investigation in the Saradha chit fund case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi listed the agency's plea on April 8 after the mobile service providers denied the allegations.

A day after the Bombay High Court rapped Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the slow pace of probe into the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, state Education Minister Vinod Tawde defended the CM saying there was no delay on his part.

The CBI is probing the Dabholkar killing case, while the state CID is investigating the Pansare case.

The high court had on Thursday expressed displeasure over the pace of investigation into the killing of rationalists, asking whether the chief minister did not have time to take stock of the cases.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted two more months to the Special Investigation Team to complete its probe into 186 cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

A bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer extended the time after the SIT informed it that more than 50 per cent of the work has been done and it wanted two more months to complete the investigation.

The apex court also issued notice to parties on a plea by petitioner S Gurlad Singh Kahlon, a member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, seeking inquiry into role of 62 policemen named in the riots.

Supreme Court granted two weeks time to Gujarat government to decide as to what disciplinary action has to be taken against the six police personnel, who were indicted by state High Court for a botched up investigation into Bilkis Bano gang rape case during 2002 Gujarat riots.

Delhi court issues fresh summons to DCP for Saturday in 2016 JNU sedition case

A Delhi court on Friday pulled up the Delhi Police over non-appearance of DCP who was asked to file report in the 2016 JNU sedition case.

The Delhi Police had earlier told the court that authorities were yet to give requisite sanctions to prosecute former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the case, and it would take two to three months to procure the sanctions.

Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court order of conviction of life term to Saravana Bhavan owner, P Rajagopal, for murdering one of his employees in 2001.

With the death of 19 more people, the toll from the deadly fire at a high-rise office building in Bangladesh's capital rose to 25, fire officials said.

A massive fire engulfed a 22-storey building in Dhaka's posh Banani area on Thursday, in the second major blaze to hit the capital since last month.

The incident, in the building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers, left several people trapped inside as the blaze spread to two adjacent buildings. Nineteen bodies were recovered from inside the building. A total of 25 deaths have been confirmed and the number of people injured are 76 in the deadly fire that broke out at in Dhaka's Banani area, a fire service official was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

The BSE benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points and the NSE Nifty breached the 11,600 level in early trade Friday driven by heavy buying in realty, metal and pharma stocks amid unabated foreign fund inflows and positive global cues.

The 30-share index pared some ground and was trading 82.05 points, or 0.21 per cent, up at 38,627.77. It had rallied 412.84 points to 38,545.72 in the previous session.

The broader Nifty also gained 50.85 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 11,620.85 in morning trade.

The rupee appreciated by 15 paise to 69.15 against the US dollar in opening trade Friday, driven by sustained foreign fund inflows and higher opening in the domestic equity market.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex), the domestic unit opened strong at 69.20 then gained further momentum and was trading at 69.15, higher by 15 paise over its previous close.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowgam area of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday morning, police said.

Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Nowgam area following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the two militants were killed in the ensuing encounter and their identity and affiliation were being ascertained.

Eight people were killed and 20 were injured on Friday after a bus rammed into a stationary truck on Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.