GS-II

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was hearing a petition filed by Russel Joy, a resident of Idukki district where the dam is located. Mr. Joy, represented by advocate Manoj George, highlighted that the water level in the dam was dangerously high and …

The Department of Revenue has received a reference from the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) unit of the Central government, seeking a probe to determine whether the Indian entities linked to Amnesty International-UK violated foreign exchange rules. The Enforcement Directorate is looking into the issue that pertains to the FCRA …

Tamil Nadu has “dissented” from an advisory issued by a Supreme Court-nominated expert committee to reduce water storage in the Mullaperiyar dam by two to three feet. As of Friday morning, water in the dam had risen to 141.2 feet, just a few inches short of the 142-feet ceiling mandated …

Six Prime Ministers have visited Nagaland. But none of them, including Narendra Modi, has found as much space in the heart of the Nagas as Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was not just because Vajpayee was the first Prime Minister to recognise the “unique history of the Nagas” and provide a …

The West Bengal government on Friday told the Supreme Court that the row over the recently-concluded panchayat polls in the State has led to a “constitutional crisis” since the tenure of several panchayats was over and new bodies have not been made functional. The apex court had earlier stayed the …

City-level GDP data, he said, could help municipal bodies make better decisions on needed infrastructure and investment, and also leverage their economic strength to raise funds to finance their needs. Mr. Kumar pointed out that the Pune municipal corporation — which he headed till recently — had been able to …

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi to make a collaborative effort with the help of civil society and resident welfare associations to clear Delhi of its garbage. A three-judge Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur turned to L-G Anil Baijal after, in a previous hearing, …

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned on Thursday that Washington would levy more sanctions on the troubled Turkish economy if Ankara does not soon release a jailed American pastor. Mr. Mnuchin on Thursday suggested that the next spiral of tit-for-tat sanctions was coming soon. “We have put sanctions on several …

For nearly 10 years now, the flood of cash from global central banks has financed shopping malls in Istanbul, booming cities in China and 100-year bonds in Argentina. Today, many of the malls are empty, property developers in China are riddled with debt, and Argentina has just submitted to a …

Cabinet Secretary orders supply of drinking water, dry food packets to flood-hit Kerala The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the Union Cabinet Secretary had constituted a committee chaired by the chairman of the Central Water Commission and engineers-in-chiefs of Tamil Nadu and Kerala for “proper reservoir management …

Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal argued that SC/ST are a “homogeneous group and any action to regroup them based on economic or social advancement would not be apt”. Mr. Venugopal said rigorous modalities were prescribed for inclusion of communities in the list of SCs/STs. “For inclusion of communities in the list of …

The Indian Army will “abide by its commitment” to uphold the ceasefire understanding of 2003 if the Pakistan Army “initiates positive steps to control infiltration and abetment of terrorism” in J&K, Pakistan was told on Thursday. This was conveyed during a conversation between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) …

The Supreme Court on Thursday told Tamil Nadu and Kerala that “an effort has to be made to bring the water level [in the Mullaperiya dam] to 139 feet so that people downstream (of the dam) do not live in constant fear”. The authorities should notify a disaster management plan …

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to take the views of political parties on the Centre’s standard operating procedure (SOP) and modalities for filing and disposal of claims/objections leading to the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam. State NRC Co-ordinator Prateek Hajela informed a Bench …

A high level committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary met on Thursday and decided to scale up relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Kerala by involving the three defence services and other agencies. The Central government has been providing full support to Kerala and has launched massive relief and rescue …

State-run lender IDBI Bank, which is set to be taken over by the Life Insurance Corporation of India, may face a capital shortfall in the current financial year, its chief executive officer and managing director B. Sriram said in an address to the employees. “While we have met the capital …

China has blasted U.S. tariffs on solar panel imports, filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the latest salvo of the trade battle between the world’s two economic giants. U.S. President Donald Trump approved steep tariffs on solar panel imports in January to protect U.S. producers, triggering …

As the trade war between China and the U.S. escalates, Russia is coming to Beijing’s rescue by offering a million hectares of land suitable for cultivating soybeans and other agri-products. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post has quoted Valery Dubrovskiy, director of investment for Russia’s Far East Investment and …

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has directed legal services authorities and committees to extend video-conferencing in every criminal case whenever the accused is in jail. The court said both accused were represented by advocate Shikhil Suri in the Supreme Court. Mr. Suri, who was entrusted with the appeals …

Amid continuing transgression by China at Demchok in eastern Ladakh, the Armies of India and China held a ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting to mark India’s Independence Day. The meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo and Daulat Beg Oldie. The Indian delegations were led by Brigadier V.K. Purohit and Colonel Anil Kumar …