India

New Delhi, Jan 24: In a relief to air passengers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday barred all airlines from charging transaction fees from flyers. A bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur also pulled up the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for failing to ensure that the passengers were not burdened with such charges. Air passengers are made to pay transaction fees varying between

New Delhi, Jan 23: The Justice JS Verma Committee, constituted to suggest amendments to laws relating to crimes against women, on Wednesday submitted its report to the Home Ministry. The three-member committee was set up a week after the horrific December 16 gang-rape of a para-medical student in Delhi which shook the entire nation and led to widespread protests. While no specific details of the

New Delhi, Jan 23: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Tuesday emerged as a consensus candidate for the next party president’s post after Nitin Gadkari’s hope of securing a second consecutive term took a blow owing to the Income-Tax Department conducting surveys on companies allegedly linked to his Purti group. In a late evening development on the eve of BJP president

New Delhi, Jan 22: Home Secretary R.K. Singh Tuesday defended Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's remarks on "saffron terrorism". Singh said it cannot be denied that the accused in the Mecca Masjid and Samjhauta Express blasts were related to right-wing organisations like the RSS. "The list of 10 names which have come up as the accused in the Mecca Masjid and the Samjhauta Express blasts have been

New Delhi, Jan 22: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Tuesday backed Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's "Saffron terror" comments, saying what he had said was "based on facts" as revealed by investigative agencies. "Our stated position is based entirely on facts as the investigative agencies have made available to the government... Attempts to divert attention and to push it in a particular

New Delhi, Jan 22: The Supreme Court on Monday said that interest of small retail traders should not be affected due to foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail sector and sought response from the Centre on how it intends to safeguard their interests. A bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha asked the Centre to file its response within three weeks. “What checks are there to ensure that free trade is

New Delhi, Jan 22: Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala were sentenced to 10 years in jail in teachers recruitment scam on Tuesday. The other three main accused Sanjiv Kumar, Vidya Dhar and Sher Singh Badshami were also awarded 10 years in jail in the case. Shortly after the sentence was pronounced, protestors threw stones and crude bombs into the court complex

New Delhi, Jan 22: Taking potshots at the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the ongoing war of words over Sushil Kumar Shinde's 'saffron terror' remark, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said there is foolproof evidence in support of the allegation levelled by the Union Home Minister. A gloating Digvijay said, "For years the media and political

New Delhi, Jan 22: “I wish I could also have been there, but I can’t” Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir on Monday said while terming the upsurge and protest that took place in the wake of the December 16 gangrape incident as “fully justified” and “absolutely necessary”. “What happened that day (December 16) was not something new... but it caught the imagination of the people and led to a

New Delhi, Jan 22: The government on Monday slapped higher import taxes on gold, raising it from 4 to 6 per cent, a move expected to moderate its import and also curb India's passion for the yellow metal which has put tremendous strain on state finances. The government also proposed to make changes in the gold deposit schemes and make it more attractive for people to deposit their gold with banks