Morning briefing: Bilkis Bano case convicts move SC; 2 Himachal ministers skip cabinet meet; all latest news
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
Two of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case have moved the Supreme Court against its order cancelling the remission granted to them and sought that the issue be referred to a larger bench for a final adjudication. Radheyshaym Bhagwandas Shah and Rajubhai Babulal Soni, two of the 11 convicts in the case, said in their petition that an “anomalous” situation has arisen as two different top court benches of same strength have taken opposite view on the same issue of premature release and on which policy of the state government would be applicable to the petitioners for remission. Dig deeper
High drama unfolded during the Himachal Pradesh cabinet meeting on Saturday as two state ministers — Vikramaditya Singh and Harshwardhan Chauhan — remained absent, while the other two left midway following a “heated debate” over policy decisions, as political crisis in the ruling Congress continued unabated. Crisis began in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government on February 27 after the Congress slumped to an embarrassing defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls, with party candidate Abhishek Singhvi receiving 34 votes after six party lawmakers and three independents previously backing the government supported BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan, who also received 34 votes. The tie was then resolved by a draw of lots, which favoured Mahajan. Dig deeper
The Latest News
Delhi weather: Capital, Noida receive rainfall, IMD predicts more rain today Dig deeper
Who is Mohammad Ghouse Nayazi, main accused arrested for 2016 Karnataka RSS worker's murder? Dig deeper
India News
Prolonged row over traditional land ownership at Nagaland-Manipur border in focus Dig deeper
ED raids 29 locations in Gujarat in effort to bust human trafficking syndicates Dig deeper
Global Matters
Russia downs 38 Ukraine-launched drones over Crimea, says report citing Russia's defence ministry Dig deeper
Israel ‘broadly accepts’ ceasefire deal with Hamas as US airdrop begins Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Rohit Sharma-led Team India soared to the top spot in the World Test Championship points table on Sunday morning, four days before the series final against England in Dharamsala, after Australia beat New Zealand in Wellington in the first Test. Nathan Lyon picked up a six-wicket haul as the visitors continued their sustained dominance over New Zealand, crushing the hosts by 172 runs to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match contest. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Actor Shah Rukh Khan, among many celebrities, attended Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's three-day pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Several videos and pictures of the actor from the event on day two, Saturday evening, emerged on social media platforms. In a video, Shah Rukh arrived on the stage wearing a black kurta, jacket and pyjama. He said in Hindi and English, "...and for very good measure, 'Jai Shri Ram'. God bless you all. You have seen dance performances. The brothers have danced, the sisters have danced...But the togetherness can't go forward without the prayers and blessings." Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
The three-day pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are going on in full swing with Bollywood celebrities and CEOs from around the world putting the best sartorial feet forward and parents-to-be Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh could not stay behind as the duo rocked power couple goals at the ethnic party on Saturday night. The hot couple of Bollywood embraced a royal magnifique look that aced maximalism and the fashion enthusiast in us is smitten. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our Morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon
