Adding to the headache of the Kerala state government in the Sabarimala matter, Pune-based women’s rights activist Trupti Desai said today that the she is planning to visit the shrine later this month. “The temple will open on 17 November. I will soon write a...
SOCIETY
BJP faces setbacks in Karnataka by-election results
The Bharatiya Janata Party continues to face headwinds in Karnataka, six months after the party made an abortive attempt to capture power in the state despite coming short of majority in the state elections. The state is counting the votes from five by-polls today, including...
Leaked tape shows Kerala BJP chief taking credit for Sabarimala protests
Kerala BJP state president Sreedharan Pillai has been shown bragging in a leaked video that the recent agitation by Ayyappa devotees in the temple courtyard was set off by a BJP worker, and that he considers the issue the ‘golden opportunity’ that the party has...
Wanted to know more about Ayyappa: Rehana Fathima
Rehana Fathima, the women’s rights activist who came closer than anyone else towards entering the Dharma Shastha temple Sabarmala has said she was motivated to undertake the controversial pilgrimage by her desire to know more about the worship of Ayyappa. “I am extremely interested in...
Hindus feel insulted by SC stand on Ram Temple hearing – RSS
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, today came out strongly against the Supreme Court’s decision four days ago not to conduct an expedited hearing into the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid issue. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had resisted pressure from pro-temple...
Ayodhya hearing adjourned to January 2019
The much-awaited daily hearing of Ayodhya Ram Mandir hearing has been adjourned to at least January 2019, throwing cold water on hopes that the matter would be settled before elections in May next year. The adjournment was done by a bench headed by the chief...
Rs 540 cr contract awarded to redevelop Lucknow’s iconic Charbagh railway station
Construction major Ahluwalia Contracts said it has won a Rs 539 cr order from the government of India-controlled NBCC for the redevelopment of the iconic Charbagh Railway station in Lucknow. With this, said the company, the total inflow of orders in the seven months of...
Sabarimala chief priest says will shut the temple if activists step forward
Sabarimala Chief Priest Kandararu Rajeevaru has said that he will shut the temple and walk out if the Kerala Police continue to force their way into the temple with a woman’s rights activist and a female journalist. “I have discussed this matter with the seniors...
ND Tiwari passes at 92
ND Tiwari, the veteran Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, has passed away at age 92. He has been the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice. He was also the chief minister of Uttarakhand. Tiwari has been surrounded by scandals, especially in his later years. He...
Riot-like conditions at Sabarimala as devotees exchange stones with police
Riot-like conditions prevailed in Nilakkal and surrounding areas as thousands of Ayyappa devotees and Kerala Police engaged in pitched battle involving stone throwing and lathi charges. The situation worsened after the police moved early morning to dismantle the local pandals put up by devotees, who...
Atheist woman blocked from trying to enter Sabarimala
Libi CS, a self-proclaimed atheist, was taken away by police today on her way to the holy site of Sabarimala. The woman, a native of Cherthala in Kerala, had announced on Facebook yesterday that she, along with three of her friends, will visit Sabarimala today....
Maharashtra prepares mega Dharavi redevelopment plan
The Maharashtra cabinet has today given approval for the redevelopment of Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi, at a cost of around Rs 20,000 cr. The latest plan involves the creation of 70,000 flats over an area of 200 acres, including 50 acres that has to be...
Sterlite Tech gets Rs 3,500 cr order for Indian Navy’s digital network
Sterlite Tech said it has got the confirmed order to build and manage a pan-India digital network to enable communication for the Indian Navy. Typically, such projects are won by multinational companies. However, given that the network will be used for defence purposes, the Navy...
Kerala BJP ups the ante on law to protect Sabarimala traditions
Going against the stand taken by central leaders like Subramanian Swamy, the state chief of Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala has issued a call for the government to restore the ban on the entry of young women to Sabarimala temple. The move comes in the...
Supreme Court agrees to hear plea on ‘liberating’ temples from Kerala govt
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against continued control and oversight of temples by the state government of Kerala. Unlike in other places, the control of temples in Kerala — which used to rest with the...
PVR opens Aura multiplex at Park Square Mall in Whitefield
SPI Cinemas, a part of India’s largest multiplex chain PVR, has launched at Park Square Mall in Whitefield in Bengaluru. The four-screen cinema is set on the third and fourth floors and can seat 696 people in total. With the launch, PVR’s network now stands...
Chetan Bhagat says ‘enough is enough’ on fresh MeToo allegations
Chetan Bhagat, India’s most popular pulp fiction writer, today sought to put his foot down on allegations that he sexually harassed people on WhatsApp. His response comes in the wake of yet a new allegation, four days after a woman leaked a conversation with him...
Rahul Easwar alleges ‘deep state conspiracy’ behind Sabarimala, Jellikettu controversies
Rahul Easwar, one of the most prominent spokespersons of the Hindu right wing in Kerala, has blamed a section within the Hindu right wing for the controversies surrounding South Indian traditions likes Jallikettu and Sabarimala. Easwar, who can be found on TV on most days...
MCA orders inspection into Vakrangee’s accounts
Vakrangee Ltd, the Mumbai-based technology and distribution company, said the ministry of corporate affairs of India has ordered an inspection of its accounts for three years, and that PricewaterHouse will step down as the company auditor as part of the exercise. The inspection will be...
High Court allows Cobrapost to publish video on Dainik Bhaskar
Delhi High Court has set apart a lower court decision that imposed a stay on the publication of a video by website Cobrapost that allegedly showed political bias among employees of Dainik Bhaskar group. DB Corp, the publisher of Dainik Bhaskar daily, won the injunction...