TODAY NEWS ON June 21, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Poll preparations on, J&K to shape its future as a State soon, says PM Modi in Srinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Srinagar amid tight security, said the day was not far when people will elect a new government and shape Jammu & Kashmir’s future as a State once again. He pledged to “teach a lesson to the enemies of J&K”, while referring to recent terror attacks. The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth more than ₹1,500 crore. He launched Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project worth ₹1,800 crore and handed over appointment letters to 200 fresh government recruits.

Arvind Kejriwal granted bail in Delhi Excise policy case

A Delhi court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy of 2021-22. Vacation judge, Rouse Avenue Court, Niyay Bindu passed the order after hearing Mr. Kejriwal and the ED at length. The bail order was dictated by the judge in an open court on June 20 evening. The detailed court order is awaited. Mr. Kejriwal, earlier this month, had filed two bail applications in the Rouse Avenue Court, one for a seven days bail for treatment which was denied on June 5.

NEET, UGC-NET paper leaks: Government to form panel to improve NTA’s working, says Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the alleged irregularities in the recently held National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), and the cancelled University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) were “an institutional failure of the National Testing Agency”. Mr. Pradhan has said that a reform committee consisting of technocrats, bureaucrats and scientists would be formulated, which would suggest improvements to the NTA’s working.

NEET-UG row: Supreme Court notice to government, NTA on plea seeking independent panel to probe allegations

The Supreme Court on June 20 decided to examine pleas questioning the Centre’s appointment of NTA chairman Prof. Pradeep Kumar Joshi to the high-powered committee which recommended a re-test for 1563 undergraduate NEET-UG candidates who were given grace marks. NTA, which conducts the NEET-UG exam, is facing allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities. Petitions against the NTA and the Union Government have been piling up in the past two weeks.

French journalist forced to leave India as MHA refuses to renew his work permit

A second French journalist, working in India since 2011, said he had been forced to leave the country after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) denied the renewal of his work permit without providing any reason. Earlier this year, French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who had been living in India for 22 years, left the country after the MHA sent a notice citing “malicious reportage” and visa violations, asking why her OCI card should not be cancelled.

ECI receives 11 requests for EVM and VVPAT memory verification post results

The Election Commission of India has received 11 requests for memory verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT) from the recently concluded Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. These requests essentially mean rematching the votes polled in 5% of the EVMs in each of these constituencies. This is the first time that such requests have been received since the Supreme Court order of April 24 allowing verification on the request of the runners-up in any election.

UGC-NET exam cancelled to safeguard students’ interest, says Education Ministry official

A day after the UGC-NET was cancelled, Education Ministry officials said no complaints were received about the exam but a suo motu action was taken on the basis of inputs available with them to protect students' interest. Education Ministry Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal said the details of the inputs cannot be shared as the matter has been referred to the CBI and is currently under investigation

India shuns China's calls to resume passenger flights after 4 years, officials say

China is pressing India to restart direct passenger flights after a four-year halt, but New Delhi is resisting as a border dispute continues to weigh on ties between the world's two most populous countries, officials said. India-China relations have been tense since the biggest military confrontation in decades on their disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers in June 2020. Thousands of troops remain mobilised on each side.

IRCTC apologises to Vande Bharat passenger who found cockroach in food

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) apologised to a couple who found a cockroach in their meal while traveling on the Vande Bharat Express from Bhopal to Agra. After an X user Vidit Varshney took to the social media platform about his uncle and aunt finding an insect in their meal on the Vande Bharat Express, IRCTC responded by apologising for the incident and said they are taking it seriously.

Jaishankar reviews India-backed energy, connectivity projects during Colombo visit

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar undertook a day-long visit to Colombo and discussed progress on key energy sector initiatives that India and Sri Lanka have agreed to jointly undertake. Participating in a ceremony with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, he commissioned a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and handed over new homes built with Indian assistance. In his first bilateral visit abroad after being re-appointed to the post in the newly installed coalition government, EAM Jaishankar focused mostly on progress made in the implementation of ongoing India-backed projects across the island nation, sources said

IIT Bombay imposes fine on 8 students for performing play that allegedly mocked Lord Ram

The Indian Institute of India (IIT) Bombay has imposed a fine of up to ₹1.2 lakh on eight students, who performed a play that allegedly mocked Lord Ram and portrayed the 'Ramayana' in a bad light, a fellow student said. The students had presented the play named 'Raahovan' on March 31 this year, as part of the Performing Arts Festival (PAF).

Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: Madras High Court to hear on June 21 a plea for CBI probe

The Madras High Court on Thursday agreed to hear a public interest litgation petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that had so far claimed over 30 lives and left many others hospitalised. The petitioner insisted on a CBI probe since there was serious suspicion of the spurious liquor sale having taken place with the connivance of local politicians belonging to the ruling party and the police personnel.

68 Indians among over 600 to die due to heat during Haj pilgrimage

A diplomat in Saudi Arabia said that 68 Indian nationals died during the haj pilgrimage this year marked by searing heath, bringing the overall tally to more than 600. “We have confirmed around 68 dead... Some are because of natural causes and we had many old-age pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that’s what we assume,” the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Patna High Court strikes down hike in Bihar’s reservations for deprived castes

The Patna High Court on June 20 set aside the amendments passed by the Bihar legislature in 2023 to increase the reservation Backward Classes (BC), Extremely Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe from 50% to 65% in educational institutions and government jobs. A Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Patna High Court on November 27, 2023, challenging the decision of the Bihar Government to increase reservation in the State from 50% to 65%.

Baramulla encounter: Army says slain terrorists associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba

The Army on June 20 said the two terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir were Pakistani and associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “The killed terrorists have been identified as Usman and Umar, both of Pakistan origin and associated with LeT,” Commander 7 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, Brigadier Deepak Mohan, told reporters in Rafiabad.

Delhi sees 17 heat-related deaths in 24 hours

A total of 17 fatalities due to suspected heat-related illnesses have been recorded at Delhi’s RML and Safdarjung hospitals in the last 24 hours, officials said on June 20. Delhi has been battling searing heatwave conditions over the last few days. It got some relief on June 20 morning due to light rain.

Death toll tops 1,000 after haj marked by extreme heat: AFP tally

The death toll from this year’s haj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on June 20, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 Egyptians who passed away, 630 were unregistered pilgrims.

ASA chief says U.S. and India to expand collaboration in space; to train Indian astronaut for ISS

NASA administrator Bill Nelson has said that the U.S. space agency will expand collaboration with India and it will include a “joint effort” aboard the International Space Station with an Indian astronaut. Mr. Nelson’s comments came after a fact sheet issued by the U.S. and India after the iCET Dialogue between U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on June 17 said they were working toward commencing advanced training for ISRO astronauts in the U.S.

When CCTV visuals are unclear, suspects cannot be forced to re-enact the crime for gait analysis, rules Madras High Court

When the visuals of a crime captured on a CCTV camera are not clear, the police cannot force the suspects to re-enact the incident, capture it once again on the same CCTV camera and then conduct gait analysis to implicate them in the offence, the Madras High Court has ruled. Justices M.S. Ramesh and Sunder Mohan held that forcing suspects to re-enact the occurrence, especially after making them watch the original CCTV footage, would offend Article 20(3) of the Constitution which states that no person accused of any offence should be compelled to be a witness against himself.Iran condemns
Canada’s listing of Revolutionary Guards as terrorist group

Iran condemned Canada’s listing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation as “an unwise and unconventional politically-motivated step,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency on June 20. “Canada’s action will not have any effect on the Revolutionary Guards’ legitimate and deterrent power,” Mr. Kanaani said, adding that Tehran reserves the right to respond accordingly to the listing.

Chinese sailors wield knives, axe in disputed sea clash with Philippines

Chinese coast guard sailors brandished knives, an axe and other weapons in a clash with Philippine naval vessels near a strategic reef in the South China Sea, dramatic new footage released by Manila showed. The clash took place on Monday as Philippine forces attempted to resupply marines stationed on a derelict warship that was deliberately grounded atop the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert Manila’s territorial claims.

T20 World Cup, AFG vs IND: After the Suryakumar show, Bumrah takes over

India had no trouble adapting to conditions in the West Indies. The move from USA to Barbados was seamless, as India crushed Afghanistan by 47 runs in its first Super 8 game on Thursday. Led by Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, India passed the pitch test with flying colours to make a commanding 181 for eight. With ball in hand, Jasprit Bumrah (3/7) and the three spinners put the stranglehold on the Afghans.

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