1. Fate of Talwars in Aarushi-Hemraj Murder Case to Be Decided Today
The Allahabad high court on Thursday is likely to decide the fate of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, serving a life term for murdering their daughter, Aarushi, and domestic help Hemraj in 2008.
On the night of 15-16 May that year, Aarushi, barely eight days short of her 14th birthday, was found dead in her bedroom with her throat slit in Noida's Jalvayu Vihar. The main suspect was Hemraj, who was missing early morning. In a sensational twist, his body was recovered from the terrace of the house two days later.
(Source: The Times of India)
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2. Sex With Wife Below 18 Years Is Rape, Rules Supreme Court
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court today criminalised sexual intercourse by a husband with his wife who is 18 years of age. The decision applies to all faiths and will go a long way in acting as a deterrent against child marriage which although prohibited under the law is still prevalent in many parts of the country.
Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which defines the offence of rape, has an exception clause that says intercourse or sexual act by a man with his wife, not below 15 years, is not rape. However, the age of consent is 18 years.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Hike for Professors, Delhi Cuts State Slice
The Union cabinet today approved the Seventh Pay Commission package for teachers in central higher education institutes but cut the Centre's share for those run by state governments.
The pay of faculty members in central universities, colleges, IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs and IIITs is expected to go up in the range of 22 to 28 percent.
The raise will be with retrospective effect from 1 January 2016. A notification will be issued on the exact scales.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Anupam Kher Appointed New FTII Chairman, Replaces Gajendra Chauhan
Versatile actor Anupam Kher has been appointed as Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and will succeed Gajendra Chauhan whose tenure ended earlier this year.
While the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is yet to release a notification regarding re-constitution of the FTII Society, Kher confirmed his appointment by tweeting, “I feel deeply humbled & honoured to be apportioned (sic) as the Chairman of iconic FTII. I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities.”
The 62-year-old critically acclaimed actor also enjoys great proximity to the ruling dispensation with his wife Kirron Kher being a BJP MP from Chandigarh.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. PM's Advisory Council Acknowledges Slowdown
Accelerating growth and employment over the next six months would be the top priority of the recently reconstituted Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), its chairman Bibek Debroy said on Wednesday, acknowledging the slowdown in the economy.
“There is consensus among us about the various reasons that have contributed to the slowdown,” Debroy said after the first meeting of the Council on Wednesday.
“However, we will not be sharing what these reasons are, other than to the PM,” said Debroy, who is also a member of the NITI Aayog.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. Elphinstone Road Station Tragedy: Panic, Confusion, Rain Led to Stampede, Says Railways
The five-member Western Railway committee probing the reasons behind the 29 September stampede at Elphinstone Road station has blamed rain and “confusion” for the 23 deaths.
The committee submitted its report Tuesday night.
“The stampede probe committee concluded that the incident occurred due to a sudden downpour of heavy rains and accumulation of commuters on the foot overbridge and staircase around 10 am on 29 September. The situation got further aggravated when a bundle of flowers of a vendor dropped, followed by someone shouting that ‘majha phool padla’ (my flowers fell) and some commuters mistook the word ‘phool’ (flowers) for ‘pull’ (bridge). This may have possibly triggered panic and led to the stampede. The committee also recommended certain short- term and long-term measures for Mumbai suburban stations,” the Railway Board said in its official statement.
(Source: Indian Express)
7. IAF Commandos Killed in Kashmir Combat; Two Militants Shot Dead
For the first time in Kashmir’s nearly three-decades-long insurgency, two Indian Air Force (IAF) commandos were killed in a fierce gunfight with militants in the region’s Bandipora district on Wednesday.
Air force personnel have been attacked and killed by insurgents in the troubled region but they were not participating in ground combat.
“They were training with the army for operational experience,” army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said, referring to Wednesday’s shootout in which two militants were also killed.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Honeypreet Conspired to Build up Crowd for Panchkula Arson, Gave Money: Police
Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was responsible for the violence that swept four states and killed 38 people in August after the controversial sect leader’s rape conviction, police claimed on Wednesday.
Haryana police say Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, headed a crucial meeting of top Dera functionaries at the Sirsa headquarters of the sect on 17 August when it was decided to send hordes of people to Haryana’s Panchkula, where a CBI court convicted Singh for raping two women disciples.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Traders 'Gift', Sell Crackers Online to Get Rid of Stock
With the Supreme Court banning the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, vendors have devised innovative ways to get rid of their stock.
Some have adopted the ruse of "gifting" or accepting payment in kind. Those selling firecrackers online have come up with package plans of Rs 3,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 with doorstep delivery.
Some of the online stores are asking customers to place orders on WhatsApp and pay an advance of 50 percent and expect the crackers to be dropped at their house a day before Diwali. Sellers are pinning hopes on a petition that will come up before the Supreme Court on Thursday.
(Source: Times of India)
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