Top stories on 16 April in a capsule

Fake call of protest in Kerala causes tension

High tensions for the Kerala police department was on, on Monday as a fake call of protest on social media over the recent rape crimes in the country, led to much disturbance. As per media reports, A viral message released on social media sites since Sunday, asked the citizens of Kerala to come together for a ‘spontaneous’ state wide protest on Monday, with no authorized organization taking responsibility for it. Several districts experienced a shutdown like situation as transport services were stopped, shops were closed and in some areas the public and police engaged in violent clashes. The worst affected districts were Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur and Malapurram.

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Mecca Masjid blast verdict: Judge resigns within hours after giving verdict

Just few hours after he delivered the judgement in the controversial Hyderabad Mecca Masjid 2007 blast case, special NIA court judge Ravinder Reddy resigned on Monday citing 'personal reasons'. The court had acquitted five people including former RSS member Swami Aseemanand on grounds of lack of substantial evidence, who was accused of planning the  blast that killed 9 people and injured 58 more. On May 14, 2007, two bomb blasts ripped through the historic Mecca Masjid during the Friday prayers, leading to the arrest of 10 people from right-wing organizations were held responsible. After being handled by the Hyderabad police and CBI, the case was given to country’s top anti-terror squad, National Investigative Agency (NIA) in 2011. .
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Karnataka polls 2018: Cong members agitate over unfair ticket distribution

Photo Source: Sify

Members of the Congress party retorted to violence and damaging of property as the party released its first list of candidates, and several aspirants were unhappy with the same. Party offices in the districts of Mandya and Chikmangalur were vandalized, with anti- CM Siddaramiah slogans being raised and effigies were burnt. According to media reports, the main issue of such agitation was mainly the change of power in several districts and idea that the kin of senior leaders are being favored. However, downplaying the anger, the Karnataka congress unit said the reaction was ‘expected.’ “This will settle down. These things do happen. Congress can always accommodate those not in the list to other positions in the party,’ State Working Committee chief D Gundu Rao told media agencies.
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Unnao rape past medical report claims victim isn’t minor

In a shocking development to the controversial Unnao rape case where a BJP MLA has been accused of raping a minor, the past medical reports claim that the victim was not a minor at the time of the alleged crime. According to the 2017 report, the survivor medical examination on June 22, 2017, two days after she was recovered by Unnao police from Auraiya district following her alleged kidnapping and rape, implied she was born before 2002, which she claims now. If the investigating team of CBI finds that the girl was not a minor, then charges against prime accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, currently booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act will also change.

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SC notice to move Kathua rape case out of J&K

The Supreme Court on Monday heard the plea to move the gang rape and murder case of 8-year-old Kathua girl from Jammu and Kashmir to another state. Hearing the plea by a senior lawyer, Indira Jaising who represented the victim’s family, the SC issued a notice to the J&K government to reply if the case can be shifted to Chandigarh. The court also asked the state to provide protection to the victim’s family and their lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat. Meanwhile, the state law body, Jammu High Court Bar Association (JHCBA) also ended their strike against the police investigation in the case, after a period of 12 days. “We have decided to temporarily suspend the agitation after an appeal from Bar Council of India (BCI) and the SC in the matter,” JHCBA chief BS Slathia said.
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Our heads hang in shame: Ex-officers' open letter to PM Modi

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, 49 ex-bureaucrats’ on Sunday asked him to take strict action against the rising rapes in the country. Former bureaucrat Amitabha Pande has posted the letter on his Facebook timeline. The group of retired civil servants calls upon the PM to act in this 'moment of existential crisis', the report stated. The officers asked PM Modi to reach out to the families of the Kathua and Unnao rape victims and ‘seek their forgiveness’. They said that the actions of government and leaders of political parties "inadequate and feeble" at the "darkest hour."

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SC dismisses plea to scrap pension, benefits for ex MPs

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea to check the constitutional validity of the current system through which former member of parliament get their pensions and benefits. The bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul was hearing the plea by an NGO Lok Prahari, that challenged the Allahabad High Court order for dismissing its plea which had claimed that pension and other perks being given to MPs even after retirement were contrary to Article 14 (Right to Equality) of the Constitution. The plea also said that Parliament has no power to provide for pensionary benefits to lawmakers who are not in office anymore. In response, to the NGO’s plea of March 22, 2017 the Centre has said Parliamentarians need to receive pension as their “dignity had to be maintained” even after completion of their tenure.

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Trump ‘Morally unfit’ to become President: Ex-FBI chief

Former FBI chief James Comey on Monday said that President Donald Trump is ‘morally unfit’ to be president, who treats women like ‘pieces of shit’. While addressing the media, the officer also said that Mr. Trump lies constantly and may have obstructed justice. Comey rubbished reports of Trump being mentally unstable or having dementia. He said that he is not mentally unfit, but he is ‘morally unfit’. The interview came shortly before Comey's book, "A Higher Loyalty," which is set to be released on Tuesday. In response, Donald Trump’s party stated that ‘The only thing worse than Comey's history of misconduct is his willingness to say anything to sell books’. James Comey was fired in May 2017 for not handling the investigations in Hillary Clinton’s e-mail controversy.
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Infosys loses 15,000 in market share post Q4 results

IT major Infosys on Monday lost as much as 15,000 crores in morning trade as market sentiment was hurt by disappointing Q4 results. Shares fell to Rs 1,099 as compared to its Friday's close of Rs 1,169 on the Bombay Stock exchange. This comes after Infosys announced its fourth quarter results on Friday. Although the company reported a 2.4% rise in its 4th quarter earnings, amounting to 3,960 crores. However, the company's net profit on a quarterly basis fell 28%. At 9:37 am, the stock was trading at 1,125 level, 3.70% and 4% lower on BSE and NSE, respectively. On Friday, the stock closed 0.58% higher at 1,169 level on BSE before the earnings were announced in evening. The company has now announced of holding a meeting with market analysts in Mumbai on April 23 to brief about its business operations.
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