NEW DELHI: SC Refuses to Give Urgent Hearing on Ram Sethu
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to give urgent hearing on a plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to the Centre that it should clarify its stand on the mythological Ram Sethu. An Apex Court Bench asked the BJP leader to come before the court if the Centre touched the mythological bridge. “There is no need for urgent hearing. If they do not touch the Ram Sethu, then you need not worry,” the Bench said. Swamy sought an urgent hearing, asking that the Centre be told to file its response to the effect that it would not tamper with the bridge.
Suspended Noida Engineer Remanded in CBI Custody
Suspended Noida Authority chief engineer Yadav Singh, who was arrested on Wednesday, was remanded to CBI custody till February 10 by a CBI Special court in Ghaziabad on Thursday. He was produced before the court at 2: 30 pm and the court sent him to six days custody of the agency for interrogation. He was arrested in a disproportionate assets case. Singh had allegedly amassed assets worth over `1,000 crore. The CBI is also probing the alleged nexus between Noida based builders, Uttar Pradesh politicians and Singh. Singh had enjoyed plum postings in the last decade.
Kolkata
Mamata Refuses to Leave Office despite Bomb Scare
A special task force of the Kolkata police along with bomb and dog squads on Thursday searched the entire state secretariat of West Bengal, Nabanna, following a call threatening to blow up the building, but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remained seated in her office. Though requested to leave by the police, Mamata, whose office is situated on the 14th floor, refused and remained in her office. However, nothing was found in the search and the call turned out to be a hoax.
Guwahati
Bandh to Greet PM Modi in Poll-bound Assam Today
A bandh will greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he arrives in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Friday to inaugurate the Assam Gas Cracker Project at Lepetkata. Various organisations of the Moran community called a 48-hour bandh in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts from Thursday morning to press for the long-standing demand to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Morans. A newly-formed insurgent group, Moran Tigers Force, has supported the bandh. This is Modi’s second visit to the poll-bound state in a fortnight. He visited the State on January 19.