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I-T Dept to exempt startups from angel tax

February 7, 2019

The Income Tax Department will soon decide on the kind of startups that can be exempted from angel tax, a top official said Thursday. However, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sushil Chandra said that they have received several suggestions from startups on exempting them from angel tax. Very shortly we will find out a solution on the basis of the suggestions we have received. We will have to decide which startups are real startups and how they can be exempted from Section 56(2) of Income Tax Act.

Chandra further said that even earlier, any startup recognised by DPITT was exempted from Section 56(2) and tax notices sent to startups over funding have been stayed.However, last week, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), along with tax officials, met startup industry representatives to hear their suggestions.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of various startups raising concerns on notices sent to them under Section 56(2) of I-T Act to pay taxes on angel funds. The Section provides that the amount raised by a startup in excess of its fair market value would be deemed as income from other sources and would be taxed at 30 per cent.

Touted as an anti-abuse measure, this Section was introduced in 2012. It is dubbed as angel tax due to its impact on investments made by angel investors in startup ventures. Last month, the government eased the procedure for seeking income tax exemption by startups on investments from angel funds and prescribed a 45-day deadline for a decision on such applications.

The new procedure says that to seek exemption, a startup should be applied, with all documents, to DPIIT. The application of the recognised startup shall then be moved to CBDT. A startup recognised by DPIIT would be eligible to seek exemption, subject to certain conditions. Startups will have to provide account details and return of income for last three years. Similarly, investors would also have to give their net worth details and return of income.

Budget 2019 focuses on 3Ps — People, Progress & Prosperity

Vinod Dixit

February 7, 2019

The best that can be said about Budget 2019 is that it is not bad, which is actually a big compliment for the Modi government which can be described as helping the neediest people in society and rewarding those working hard. The excellent Budget 2019 is certainly the result of not only the growth in the economy but the good governance in the last five years by the BJP government. It focuses on three Ps — people, progress & prosperity. Interim-budget 2019 has filled the pockets of middle-class taxpayers with tax perks. The most talked about being the tax rebate of Rs 12,500 for individuals earning taxable income of up to Rs 5,00,000. It is nice that the Interim Budget for the financial year 2019-20 has a strong focus on the rural and agricultural sector. The direct fund transfer provision for small and marginal farmers is a very welcome step. To woo the distraught farmers ahead of the general elections, the Centre has announced direct income support of Rs 6,000 per year to those holding cultivable land up to two hectares. Modi has done so much at both macro and micro levels.

Addressing the concern of those who owned one house but had to buy another owing to a different place of work or place of education of their children, the benefit of exemption from tax on self-occupied property has been increased to two house properties. The proposal to exempt the levy of income tax on notional rent on a second self-occupied house will help the taxpayers. Currently, income tax on notional rent is payable if one has more than one self-occupied house. The hard work of BJP yielded several improvements and developments cannot be easily erased from the true law-abiding citizens of New India. The budget has benefited the farmers, the real estate especially for housing, the younger generation who are earning less an annual income of five lakhs, the banks would able to get more deposits since TDS to be deducted is only above Rs 40,000 as interest earned. The govt has done good fiscal math and managed the economy well to be able to reward sections in distress.

With the Lok Sabha elections just a couple of months away, the NDA government’s last Budget, our PM has rightly described as a “trailer” of what will take India “towards prosperity”, targeted two critical voter segments: an estimated 12 crore farmer families and 3 crore middle-class taxpayers. It handed them more money that can spur consumption-led growth. There is no doubt that the government’s focus on multiple aspects of the real estate or the construction sector is aimed at reviving housing demand, and helping growth.

Modi, in a televised statement after the Budget was presented in the Parliament, said that the announcements will empower the poor, give a boost to the farmer and an impetus to the economic growth. The budget does seem to have some promising measures and provisions for the Indian tourism and hospitality industry that has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth.

When money value has come down drastically and we are no longer in an era where the rupee had a reasonable purchasing power at that extent the Budget has been ultra-sensitive and proactive. The result of the excellent growth in the economy of The Democratic Republic of New India is practically visible in the Budget 2019 of the BJP ruled NDA government. The delayed outcome of the Demonetization in recovering the Black money is still left from the kickbacks, fugitives, and Bank loan fraudsters during the UPA ruling.

PM Modi and his loyal Ministers have really worked hard for the several excellent improvements and developments in the last five years, and deserve to be retained by the truly respected law-abiding citizens with their majority mandates. It is said by the Modi government that the budget is pro-poor and middle classes. They are introducing health schemes such as Ayushman Bharat but then the imposition of highest rates or GST on Medical Insurance Policies obtained by the common man for health cover of their families, even though the cost of healthcare is increasing day by day. Need to ponder on this.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

SC transfers Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case from Bihar to Delhi

Web Team

February 7, 2019

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the transfer of the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case from Bihar to a court in New Delhi and slammed the state government for its management of shelter homes.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said that the cases should be transferred from the Bihar CBI court to a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Saket trial court within two weeks. It ordered the Saket trial court to conclude the trial within six months.

The apex court also rapped the CBI for transferring its officer probing the sexual assault case and said that it amounted to a violation of its order. A bench asked the investigating agency to file an affidavit giving an explanation.

“Enough is enough. Children cannot be treated like this. You cannot let your officers treat children this way. Spare the children. the court will summon the chief secretary if the state fails to give all information,” the top court told the Bihar government.

Several girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused at an NGO-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur. The issue came to light in May last year following a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

RBI cuts inflation forecast to 2.8% for Q4; 3.2-3.4% for H1FY20

Afternoon Voice

February 7, 2019

The Reserve Bank Of India on Thursday revised downwards the retail inflation forecast to 2.8 per cent for the last quarter of the current fiscal on account of favourable factors including benign monsoon. The RBI in its last bi-monthly monetary policy announcement for the current fiscal also lowered the retail inflation forecast for the first half of next fiscal beginning April, to 3.2-3.4 per.

For the third quarter of 2019-20, the inflation target is set at 3.9 per cent. “Several factors will shape the inflation path, going forward. First, food inflation has continued to surprise on the downside with continuing deflation across several items and a significant moderation in inflation in cereals. Several food groups are experiencing excess supply conditions domestically as well as internationally. short-term outlook for food inflation appears particularly benign, despite adverse base effects,” RBI said.

The central bank on Thursday cut the key repo rate at which it lends to banks by 0.25 per cent to 6.25 per cent. “These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of plus/minus 2 per cent, while supporting growth,” RBI said.

The moderation in the fuel group was larger than anticipated. Inflation in items of rural consumption such as firewood and chips, which had remained sticky and at elevated levels, has collapsed in recent months, it added.

“Taking into consideration these developments and assuming a normal monsoon in 2019, the path of CPI inflation is revised downwards to 2.8 per cent in Q4:2018-19, 3.2-3.4 per cent in H1:2019-20 and 3.9 per cent in Q3:2019-20, with risks broadly balanced around the central trajectory,” RBI said.

Arrest of Pooja Shakun Pandey to favour mandate for BJP?

Afternoon Voice

February 6, 2019

Since the Ram Mandir issue has now turned sombre for the BJP and seems not to be generating any political mileage, the saffron party is now creating and using other issues that can be used to attract the voters. However, the indifferent attitude of Indian voters towards Ram Mandir issue being an election tool indicates that today’s voters are rather interested in the development talks than any diverting topics.

In an appalling incident of blatant provocations, right-wing group Hindu Mahasabha’s National Secretary Pooja Shakun Pandey shot at the effigy of Mahatma Gandhi using a toy gun last week while celebrating ‘Martyr’s Day’. The viral videos show a red coloured liquid flowing from the effigy after she shoots it. Her supporters later shouted slogans against Gandhi and praised Nathuram Godse. However, many leaders from across the country condemned her grave misconduct and that led to her arrest.

Feeling sad about the disrespectful act of Pandey, NCP MLA Dilip Walse-Patil added, “Shooting the effigy of the Father of the Nation is not acceptable and we condemn the act and so does everyone. However, the BJP supporters are favouring the act to grab the attention of the Hindu voters as the election is approaching.”

Keeping the similar tone, Congress MLA Arif Naseem Khan asserted, “We condemn the act of Pooja Pandey; The National Security Agency must take action against her under the laws of anti-national activities. Since the BJP came to power, it has been supporting these kinds of activities. We got independence under the leadership of Gandhi and he is the Father of the Nation.”

“The crime Pandey has committed is heinous and dangerous for the harmony of the nation; many people have condemned and criticise her action. Along with Pooja Pandey, all of her companions should be punished too under the same law. Such acts have been reported in maximum numbers under the leadership of BJP,” Khan added.

The grave incident took place in Aligarh on January 30, a day which is observed as ‘Martyr’s Day’ across the country in order to commemorate the death anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Pandey’s husband Ashok and 12 others were also booked under the Section 147, 148, 149, 295A, and 153A for rioting, promoting enmity, and hurting the feelings of a section of society.

While in the meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 71st death anniversary on January 31, in a conversation with AV, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Dhansingh Suryavanshi said, “We support, encourage and praise Pooja Pandey for her brave action. We believe that she has done perfectly what was needed to keep the ideology of Godse alive. We condemn the Madhya Pradesh government for arresting Pandey. We are going to meet in Delhi on February 10 to voice our disappointment.”

“We have been following the ideology of revolutionary Godse and will continue to do so. We chose Narendra Modi as the Hindu Prime Minister and we want him to clear his stand on this issue as soon as possible,” Suryavanshi further added.

Moreover, the political analysts believe that the arrest of Pandey is going to benefit the BJP in disguise in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The buzz around the arrest seems to convince the BJP and right-wing ideology supporters as an attack on the right-winger’s freedom of expression by Congress.

The arrest has hurt the sentiments of millions of right-wing supporters throughout the nation who despise Gandhi and worship Godse. Moreover, it’s is also assumed that all these are the efforts by the saffron party are to highlight that the Congress does not respect the right-wing sentiments.

However, talking about the Aligarh incident, Karnataka Hindu Mahasabha General Secretary Dharmendra said, “I support Pooja Pandey. Neither Gandhi brought freedom to India nor did his non-violence ideology play any part. We chose a Hindu Prime Minister but he is changed now. PM Modi is no more a Hindu leader; even RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat agrees that Modi uses Hindu sentiments for the sake of vote banks.”

He went on saying, “We voted for Modi expecting he will eradicate corruption and build Ram Mandir; but now it seems that he is only concerned about his own benefits. Hindus are unsafe in their own country and they should secure their safety themselves.”

Few years ago, BJP leader Gopal Krishnan had said that Godse picked up the wrong target and he should have killed Nehru instead of Gandhi as Nehru was responsible for partition. Shashi Maharaj, the BJP MP stated that Godse was a pure patriot. However, former RSS Sarsanghchalak Rajendra Singh had said that Godse had the right intentions but his method was wrong. However, after the assassination of Gandhi, RSS was banned by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel, who in his letter to Syama Prasad Mukherjee of Hindu Mahasabha said that it was due to the hate spread by the Hindu Mahasabha and RSS that has caused the death of the Father of the Nation.

It’s high time our PM Narendra Modi must try to understand that why his beloved voters are turning against him and his party. He also needs to shut down the motormouths of its party members who are damaging the party’s prospects. It’s time when BJP should study the psychology of the voters and they need to speak about their merits than blaming Congress by using ill words for Gandhi, Nehru, and others.

BJP MLA Sandeep Sharma expressed, “What Godse and Pandey have done is a reflection of their ideologies. I assume that the incident must be an outcome of their anger around the partition of India and they believe that Gandhi was the reason behind it. Neither BJP nor Modi plays any role in this incident, but their name is being wrongfully dragged into all this.”

BJP reverts to communal politics to secure Hindu votes

Vaidehi Taman

February 6, 2019

India’s oldest Hindu political organisation, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, has time and again expressed its love for Nathuram Godse and hatred for Mahatma Gandhi. Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of a right-wing group, instrumental in shocking recreation of the shooting of Mahatma Gandhi and missing since, was arrested on Tuesday. Pooja Pandey, a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha — to which Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse also belonged — was caught from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Her husband Ashok Pandey was also taken into custody. They might have got arrested but this arrest will fetch votes for BJP because the so-called advocates of Hindutva will get offended because their enemy is Gandhi and they see this incident as a nationalistic act. An arrest will not achieve anything. Even after 70 years of independence, if there is still a deep divide as to who the hero and who the villain is, it’s unlikely that one side would be able to convince the other conclusively.

What seems alarming is that the BJP accepts this lady as their member! She is being regarded as a forerunner of Hindutva. She remains present in all the important meetings of BJP and is seen with its leaders like Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Uma Bharti, etc. There is a limit to madness and ridiculous interpretations of freedom. However, more importantly, why the elitist celebrities are now silent and do not come in with their ‘intolerance’ remarks, especially since as per their definition, we are supposed to be ‘tolerant’, is it to acclaim Afzal Guru or Godse? A video of the enactment showing Pooja Shakun Pandey shooting an effigy of the Mahatma should have sparked huge outrage, but many preferred to be silent on this act.

“Even after 70 years of independence, if there is still a deep divide as to who the hero and who the villain is, it’s unlikely that one side would be able to convince the other conclusively.”

This year is the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and it was the theme of this year’s Republic Day Parade. The 90-minute parade saw 22 larger-than-life tableaux, each one giving a special tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Several projects of the government, including Modi’s flagship Clean India Project, had their genesis in the Mahatma’s ideas. On the other hand, BJP’s counterparts are getting in the limelight with such reckless acts.

Madan Mohan Malaviya founded Hindu Mahasabha in 1915. This is not the first time that the Hindu Mahasabha has tried to glorify Nathuram Godse. In 2015, the group’s leader Swami Pranavananda had announced plans to install statues of Nathuram Godse across six districts of Karnataka. He also described the assassin as a “patriot” who had worked with the blessings of Hindu nationalist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. While it is true that RSS is not found to have directly involved in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but it was their ideology that provoked Nathuram Godse to kill Gandhi. The RSS had the support of some princely states during the British time. States of Gwalior, Bharatpur, and Alwar were close to RSS and Hindu Mahasabha. Immediately after the assassination, they distributed sweets, lighted their Shakhas, and hurled flowers. In fact, Nehru asked Vallabhbhai Patel to monitor these states for preventing possibilities of them making these states as their base.

Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi not for partition of India but for not letting the divided India to be declared as Hindu Rashtra. The members of Hindu Mahasabha, even after 70 years of independence, celebrate the killing of Gandhi with the distribution of sweets and entertainment events. Caste lines have divided the Indian Society for centuries since the country always has a collection of castes.

In 2014, a lot of people voted for BJP; however, they did not vote as Hindus but they voted as the people who were fed up with the corruption scandals from the previous Congress Government. There was a massive anti-incumbency factor that worked in the favour of BJP. A huge number of first-time voters, filled with the idealism of youth, believed in the development slogan, Rs 15 lakhs in the bank accounts, and 2 crore jobs per year and voted en masse for BJP as the citizens and not as the Hindus. These promises although false, united millions of Indians who voted for BJP which also included Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. It was the hope for a bright future, better prospects that united people and not Hinduism.

“Godse’s popularity within the Mahasabha is not only because he killed the man whom they think denied India its non-secular and Hindu identity but also because of Godse’s unique definition of what constitutes a patriot and why he was one in having killed the Father of the Nation.”

The false promises were made on a colossal scale; naive people of India actually believed that Rs 15 lakhs would be deposited in their bank accounts. The desire to have this inconceivable amount of money in their bank account united people to vote for Modi. It was not an unprecedented phenomenon; this time the lies were told on such a massive scale and reiterated so often that people actually believed them. Later, they were told it was just a Jumla (a mere phrase) to win the election. Another false promise by BJP that struck a chord across the board irrespective of religions was 2 crore jobs per year. All the young people wanted desperately to believe in this promise. Those millions of young people, whose parents with meager resources had spent everything to get them a good education, were united in the hope of a job. They were not united for Hinduism. Our population is a lot more secular than our leaders are willing to admit. A huge number of Indians voted for BJP because they were united in their dream of good governance, jobs, smart cities, prosperity and better days. It was a large chunk of Indians who voted for BJP in the hope of better days. However, when they failed to deliver their promises, they are returning to communal politics to hold Hindu votes for them. Such acts of creating hate by rewriting history have become their tool. Even Modi in his speeches has spewed venom against Nehru and Congress twisting the facts from the History. People are just trying to offset the official hatred of Godse by the spinning machine. He has been vilified a bit too much for killing the “greatest Indian of all time” as you put it.

Godse’s popularity within the Mahasabha is not only because he killed the man whom they think denied India its non-secular and Hindu identity but also because of Godse’s unique definition of what constitutes a patriot and why he was one in having killed the Father of the Nation.

Let’s see how the Hindu sentiments are getting translated ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and what more could be done to damage the history and establish new parameters to win the 2019 general elections.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

BJP will put ‘Aligarh locks’ on ‘Bua-Bhatija’ shop in UP: Shah

Web Team

February 6, 2019

BJP president Amit Shah ridiculed the SP-BSP alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday, saying that the party workers would put “Aligarh locks” on the shop of “Bua-Bhatija”, referring to BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav respectively.

Addressing a meeting of the booth-level workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shah used the “Aligarh locks” coinage as the city was once known for the lock industry, which is now dying.

“BJP workers will put Aligarh locks on the shop of Bua-Bhatija,” he said amid an applause from the gathering. Shah said reporters often asked him how the BJP hoped to win 74 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) joining hands. “I tell them that if you see the sea of BJP workers, you will get to know where those 74 seats will come from,” he added.

The BJP and its ally, Apna Dal, had won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and five years on, the saffron party hopes to increase its tally in the state. Shah asserted that the general election would be fought on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi versus the rest. The BJP had rid Uttar Pradesh of goons. Upar Modi, neeche Yogi (Modi as prime minister and Adityanath as chief minister). This general election will be Modi versus the rest. The BJP has rid Uttar Pradesh of goons, of parivarvad (dynasty). Yogi has tackled the land mafia in Uttar Pradesh. The goons are now scared of the police,” Shah said.

Adityanath, who was also present on the occasion, questioned as to why there was no quota for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Aligarh Muslim University. He accused the Congress of indulging in the politics of appeasement and dividing the country, adding that the SP and the BSP also supported it.

Shah claimed that the BJP was different from other political parties as poll victories were guaranteed by the workers in the party and not on the basis of any leader. When BJP workers ask me about the Mahagathbandhan (the proposed Grand Alliance of opposition parties), I tell them it is a sham and there is no need to fear it. If Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu come here to seek your support, will it make any difference? They are leaders only in their respective states.

The BJP chief also claimed that even if “Rahul Baba” (Congress chief Rahul Gandhi) went with “Bua and Bhatija”, the NDA’s tally of seats in the state would go up (from 73 to at least 74). In 2017 (Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls), a similar alliance was forged and two boys (Gandhi and Yadav) from Uttar Pradesh had come together. At that point of time, I had declared that the BJP would win 300 plus seats and thanks to the hard work of our workers, we won 325.

Lauding the state government for its campaign against land-grabbers, Shah said, “Recently, 140 hectares of land in a tehsil have been freed from the goons of the SP and the BSP.” However, accusing the Congress of supporting infiltrators, he said, “The Congress is supporting the infiltrators, who pose a threat to the country’s security. Rahul baba and company are bothered about the infiltrators’ human rights. Are they (infiltrators) your maternal cousins?

Shah further added that the infiltrators are sucking the country like termites. If the Modi government is re-elected in 2019, we will identify each and every infiltrator residing in every nook and corner of the country and throw them out. The infiltrators might be a vote bank for the SP and the BSP, but not for the BJP. The UPA was at the Centre for 10 years and no one bothered about the country’s security…Aalya, Mallya, Jamalya used to enter the country and leave after planting bombs. There were no seriousness on the part of the then government regarding the country’s security.

Taking a jibe at Gandhi, the BJP chief said, Rahul Baba does not even know whether potatoes grow under or above the soil or are produced in factories and talks about farmers. Do you (Gandhi) know which is a kharif crop and which is rabi? Referring to the Ram temple issue, he added that the BJP wants a grand Ram temple to be constructed at the same place at the earliest. To the Congress, SP and BSP, I would only say our stand is clear, you should come clean on your agenda on the issue.

Shah also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of making continuous efforts to stop the surge of the BJP in the state. If Mamata Banerjee thinks that by denying permission to the BJP to hold its programmes in West Bengal, she will be able to stop the party from forming the government there, then she should clearly listen with ears open that BJP workers will demolish the TMC (Trinamool Congress). The BJP will win 23 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

Whenever the case Ram Temple comes up for hearing (in the Supreme Court), a Congress leader, who is also a lawyer, seeks one date after another. Recently, the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas had sought 42 acres of land from the government for the construction of the Ram temple (in Ayodhya). The BJP government at the Centre decided to give back the (surplus) land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, which was acquired by the Congress government in 1993.

Maratha quota decision a poll gimmick by State govt, petitioners told HC

Web Team

February 6, 2019

The Maharashtra government’s decision granting reservation to the Maratha community was an “election gimmick and politically motivated”, petitioners challenging the quota told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday.

They also claimed that the government did not have the legislative power to take such a decision.

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre on Wednesday commenced the final hearing on a bunch of petitions challenging the 16 per cent quota granted to the numerically strong community in government jobs and educational institutions.

Advocate Gunaratan Sadavarte, appearing for one of the petitioners Jaishree Patil, argued that the government’s decision was “politically motivated and a poll gimmick”.

“The Central legislation says reservation in any state should not exceed 50 per cent. Presently, reservation in Maharashtra stands at 78 per cent (including the Maratha quota). The state cannot go beyond what the Central legislation says,” Sadavarte said.

Senior counsel Arvind Datar, who was appearing for another petitioner Sanjeet Shukla, demanded that the quota decision be quashed and set aside. He said the government lacked the legislative powers to pass such a Bill.

“The Central legislation and the Supreme Court order clearly said that reservation should not exceed 50 per cent,” Datar said.

Sadavarte further told the high court that the report submitted by the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission (MSBCC), on the basis of which the government took the quota decision, has mentioned that Maratha is not a caste in itself, and that they are part of Kunbi caste.

“Kunbi caste is already included in the Other Backward Class (OBC) and has reservation. If Marathas are part of the same caste then they should have been included in the OBC category,” he argued.

“What was the need to create a separate Socially and Educationally Backward Class category for the Maratha community?” questioned Sadavarte.

He claimed the government’s motive was to appease the Maratha community.

The Maratha community was only a weaker section of the society and not socially backward, as claimed by the government, Sadavarte said.

He also questioned the contention of the government and the MSBCC that the number of Maratha farmers committing suicide is more than farmers from other castes.

The bench will continue hearing the arguments on Thursday.

46 artists visit Rajasthan’s Bundi to paint city’s forts

Web Team

February 6, 2019

At least 46 artists, mostly from Mumbai, are in Bundi for a seven-day camp to paint the city’s forts and other iconic structures.

The artists are members of the Art Society of India. The group every year chooses a city and holds a seven-day camp to explore and capture the heritage beauty of the place, said Vikrant Shitole, secretary of the society.

The group members are preparing at least three paintings of the monuments and sites of the city every day, he said, adding that an exhibition of the work will be held in April in Mumbai

Man from K’taka booked for attempt to murder in Thane

Web Team

February 6, 2019

A 45-year-old man from Karnataka has been booked by city police for allegedly attempting to kill a relative in Thane district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.

The victim, Dundappa Katti Mani (60), lived along with his family at a construction site on Ghodbunder Road. His niece was married to the accused, Ashok Harijan, a resident of Bijapur district in Karnataka, a police official said.

However, since Harijan used to harass his wife, Mani brought his niece and her three children to Thane around six months back, he said.

The accused also came to Mani’s place a few days back and demanded that his wife return with him to Karnataka.

However, the victim refused to allow his niece to go with the accused following which the two men had a quarrel over it on Tuesday night, he said.

Harijan, in a fit of anger, allegedly attacked Mani with a knife, injuring him seriously, the official said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and a case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

No arrest has been made so far, he added.

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