The major news headlines of the day, and more.
The Supreme Court on Monday orally accused the Tripura police of harassing people who take to social media on the communal violence that occurred in the State. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant made it clear to the State that the court, if the “harassment” continued, would not hesitate to call for the presence of its Home Secretary in the hearing.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha remained adjourned for an hour today as a mark of respect for legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. Mangeshkar, 92, passed away on Sunday.
Also read: Rajya Sabha pays glowing tributes to Lata Mangeshkar, proceedings adjourned for one hour
Seven Army personnel are missing after a patrol team was hit by an avalanche in Kameng sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. Rescue operation is on. “Search and rescue operations are currently underway.Specialised teams have been airlifted to assist in rescue operations,” Defence PRO Tezpur said on Monday.
Significant drop in the number of COVID-19 cases has made the Assam government decide to remove all restrictions from February 15. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Class 10 and 12 board exams, municipal polls, by-election to the Majuli Assembly seat and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council elections would be held in the next two months.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday granted furlough for 21 days to meet his family members in Gurugram. He is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail since 2017 after being convicted in rape and murder cases. He has a large number of followers in Punjab, which is going to the polls on February 20.
It is not enough to just recover temple properties under encroachment, the monetary loss suffered by the religious institutions due to the illegality too, should be recovered from the encroachers. The government officials who facilitated such alienation of the properties must be subjected to both disciplinary proceedings as well as criminal prosecution, the Madras High Court has ordered.
India is implementing the largest inoculation drive globally where annually more than three crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore children are covered through the Universal Immunisation Programme, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.
Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood was named as the team’s interim head coach on Monday for the three-match Test tour of the West Indies next month. Assistant coach Collingwood takes over from Chris Silverwood, who was fired last week following the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 7 said the upcoming Assembly election in Uttarakhand is a fight between those who created the State and those who “conspired to block its creation”. Addressing a rally in Haridwar virtually, he accused the previous Congress Governments in Uttarakhand and at the Centre of not allowing development in the State as it was “created against the party’s wishes”.
Ending months of speculation, dissident BJP MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and Asish Kumar Saha on Monday resigned from the party. They also submitted their resignation to the Tripura Assembly Speaker. Earlier, MLA Ashis Das left the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress. He was, however, disqualified as a legislator under the Anti-Defection Law.
The Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be showcasing its flying skills at the Singapore Airshow 2022 being held from February 15 to 18. “The single jet performance will bring impressive stunts and manoeuvres to Singapore’s skies,” the airshow organisers, Experia, said on February 7.
Eminent Odissi classical singer Pandit Damodar Hota died here on Sunday due to old age-related ailments, his family said. The renowned Hindustani vocalist was 87. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled his death and said that his mortal remains will be cremated with full State honours.
The Centre on February 7 told the Supreme Court that Aadhaar card is not mandatory for registration on CoWIN portal for COVID-19 vaccination. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant was informed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that one of the nine identity documents including passport, Driving Licence, PAN card, Voter’s ID Card, Ration card can be produced for vaccination.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday reiterated his support to China over its controversial policies in Xinjiang, while bringing up what he claimed to be “persecution of minorities” in India. A joint statement released on Sunday following Mr. Khan’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping said Pakistan was committed to a “One-China Policy and support for China on Taiwan, South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.”
