Top stories on 1 August in a capsule

Imran Khan invites Aamir Khan, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar for swearing-in ceremony: PTI 

News reports on Tuesday said Pakistan to-be Prime Minister Imran Khan is planning on a lavish guest list for his swearing in ceremony inviting the likes of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and former cricketers Kapil Dev, among others. Reports quoting Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson, Fawad Chaudhary said former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and now Congress leader Navjojt Singh Sidhu are also invited to be a part of the ceremony on August 11. Earlier, it was reported that the party is also planning to invite world leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also be invited for the swearing-in ceremony but it was found out to be fake.

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Govt to introduce bill to bring back original provisions of SC/ST Act

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a bill to retrieve the original provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, that will move on to protect the Dalits from any kind of atrocity. The Bill moves to discredit earlier order of March 20 of the Supreme Court that had ruled that no person accused of atrocity against an SC or ST community person will be arrested, before proper investigation. The decision by the Prime Minister Modi government has come in light of the warning by Dalit groups, who had declared that they would launch a protest on August 9.

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Arrest me if you can: Amit Shah’s challenge to Mamata Banerjee

BJP Chief Amit Shah on Wednesday dared West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to arrest him when he will hold a rally in her state on August 11. "It does not matter whether I get permission or not, I will definitely go to Kolkata. If the state government wants, it can arrest me,” Shah said. The leader’s comments came following his spar with Banerjee over the National Register of Citizen draft in Assam, which according to Banerjee was BJP’s way of ‘dividing’ the country. Reacting to the statement, Kolkata Police, as per news reports, has clarified that the BJP chief is permitted to hold the rally.

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No change in voter list: EC on Assam NRC issue

The Election Commission on Wednesday cleared the air regarding the voting rights of those who have been left out of the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) saying there will be no change. Addressing the media on the same, "Those left out of the Assam citizen's list can vote if their names are in the voter's list and they fulfill all conditions. The Election Commission will publish a voter list in January and will not wait for the final NRC," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat exclusively told NDTV. The CEC added that the election panel with working with NRC Coordinator to ensure a smooth functioning of the entire process.

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Take home salary may increase as government lowers PF contribution 

Your in-hand salary might soon increase, as a Labor Ministry committee is likely to recommend a lower contribution by the government towards universal social security for all workers. According to reports, the committee, which is working on the contributory ceiling by the government towards universal social security for all workers, might cut provident fund contribution by 2 percent. Currently, 24 percent of your salary is deducted towards your provident fund account, which is maintained by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Out of this 24 percent, 12 percent is contributed by an employer while another 12 percent is deducted from the employee’s salary. The move will also cost employees a reduction in their future savings.

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SC rejects to limit the number of people attending Vaishno Devi shrine

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected to limit the number of pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in a day. The National Green Tribunal had limited the pilgrim numbers to 50,000 in a day on 17th November 2017. The top court said that pilgrims come with a devotional spirit and cannot be turned down. The Supreme Court also asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to prepare a plan on phasing out mules carrying pilgrims to Vaishno Devi shrine. The court had also taken note of the problem of pollution in the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and the surrounding areas and made it clear that the Jammu and Kashmir government and the shrine board would have to “protect and preserve” both.
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SC to examine if adultery is a crime at all

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to make adultery a gender-neutral crime to also bring women under the purview of the law. A CJI Dipak Misra-led bench said that it will also examine if adultery should remain a crime at all. Justice DY Chandrachud opened today's debate session by asking, "Why should adultery be a crime at all if it violates Article 14." Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, while making submissions on behalf of the petitioner further questioned, "The simple question is can a person be sent to jail on the ground that he had consensual sex with another person's wife?"
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