Congress workers hold protest outside CBI office in Mumbai

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October 26, 2018

Mumbai Congress workers on Friday staged a demonstration outside the CBI office as part of the opposition party’s nationwide protest against the Centre’s move to divest agency director Alok Verma of his powers and send him on leave.

City Congress president Sanjay Nirupam, who led the protest outside the CBI office in suburban Bandra, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “removing” Verma “illegally and by going against the Constitution”.

The premier investigating agency has of late witnessed a raging feud between two of its top officers – Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana – who were sent on leave by the government on Tuesday night.

Verma and Asthana were also divested of all powers. As an interim measure, the charge of the CBI has been given to Joint Director M Nageswar Rao.

Criticising the Centre over its action against Verma, Nirupam said Modi should apologise to the nation over the “unprecedented” developments in the probe agency.

“Verma was removed illegally and unconstitutionally. Because they (the government) knew Verma was going to issue an order for a CBI probe into the Rafale deal,” Nirupam told reporters.

“So, to hide their sordid affairs, the prime minister damaged the Constitution and law and order,” the former Member of Parliament said.

Nirupam charged the prime minister with threatening the autonomy of the central agency.

“He is misusing the power. We had heard the prime minister was threatening people using the CBI, but now he himself is feeling threatened by the CBI,” he added.

The protesting Congress workers also raised slogans against the prime minister.

The main opposition party’s central leadership had called for a nationwide protest against what the Congress described as the “illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate removal of the CBI director”.

We have forced India to bring back Bumrah, Bhuvi: Stuart Law

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

West Indies coach Stuart Law is happy that his batsmen have been able to “manufacture” changes in the Indian bowling line-up with their premier pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah set to play the final three ODIs.

The Indian bowlers have conceded 320 plus scores on both ODIs in batting friendly conditions with both Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami failing to impress.

While Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah’s comeback during the second phase was always on the cards, Law feels that it’s batsmen who have forced the hosts to ring in changes.

“Yeah I would like to think so (on their comeback). That’s probably the reason why they’ve (India) called back their two most experienced one-day bowlers. To our credit, we haven’t shied away from it,” Law said on the eve of the third ODI.

He is happy that Indians are asking themselves a few questions.

“So yeah, hopefully we are getting the Indians to ask questions to themselves. They are giving us plenty of questions to ask ourselves but at this stage, we are coming up with pretty good answers,” added Law.

Virat Kohli’s brilliance has overshadowed everything in this series but Law is expecting the Indian captain to falter.

“How do you get Virat out? He gave us chance at 40. He is a wonderful player. I just love the way he goes about compiling an innings. Looks like he is working very hard but he’s doing it very easy. So we do have plans to him.

“At the moment, he is coming up a lot of good answers, so we have to just keep asking questions about his technique and his abilities. In the end, he is only human. But when we get an opportunity, we have got to grab hold of it.”

The coach also heaped praise on Shimron Hetmyer, who has been bulldozing the Indian bowlers, especially the spinners.

“Hetmyer has been outstanding. (Shai) Hope got a hundred in the second game, all in all for an inexperienced side, that we have, they can hold their heads very high,” said Law.

Sindhu enters quarters, Praneeth bows out of French Open

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

India ace P V Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight-game win over Japan’s Sayaka Sato but B Sai Praneeth crashed out of the French Open BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.

Sindhu, seeded third, dished out a compact game to outwit Sayaka 21-17 21-16 in a second round match on Thursday to set up a clash with seventh seeded Chinese He Bingjiao.

However, Praneeth was no match for Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, going down 16-21 14-21 in a men’s singles match.

The men’s doubles pairs of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy too put up a good show, progressing to the quarterfinals with straight game wins.

While Satwik and Chirag defeated China’s He Jiting and Tan Qiang 21-13 21-19, Manu and Sumeeth stunned third seeded Chinese combination of Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan 21-14 21-16 in another match.

However, it was curtains for Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram as the duo went down 15-21 13-21 to fourth seeded Indonesian pair of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu.

India focused on retaining Asian Champions Trophy: Harmanpreet

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

India’s ace penalty corner shooter Harmanpreet Singh said the team is focused on retaining the Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018, which is currently underway at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex here.

“The Indian team goes out looking for early goals every time,” said Harmanpreet, who scored three goals to give India a 4-1 victory over South Korea in their last league outing on Wednesday night.

India stayed on top of the league standings with 13 points from five outings. Their semi-final opponent will be determined after the last round of league matches tonight, although Malaysia, Pakistan and Japan have earned enough points to push South Korea and Oman out of the frame.

“The team is maintaining its structure and focused on retaining the title,” said Harmanpreet, whose coach considers him as one of the ace penalty corner takers.

“The support from Indian fans here in Muscat has been wonderful,’ said Harmanpreet, adding that Indian fans boost the morale of the team in all parts of the world. “The fan support is always a big boost for us.”

Harmanpreet made a dramatic entry into international hockey when he made his debut in the 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh (Malaysia) and went on to represent India in the Champions Trophy in London and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro within a couple of months.

The spotlight has not left him since then. Coach Harendra Singh said Harmanpreet had developed into an excellent drag-flicker. “Harmanpreet is one of the best penalty corner shooters in the game today,” said Harendra, who wants the strikers to earn more penalty corners so that India’s strength in that can also transform into goals.

“The strikers should always keep in mind that there’s an option of forcing a penalty corner when they are not finding space for a shy at the goal,” said Harendra.

“When you are not finding space to shoot at the goal, try to earn penalty corners,” the coach advised his strikers. “The penalty corners provide a cushion and a chance for direct shot at the goal.”

“We have the ability to score both with direct penalty corner flicks and on the rebounds,” said Harendra.

India next plays the semi final on Saturday.

Sabarimala violence: Around 2000 people arrested, cases registered against 452

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

The Kerala Police have arrested a total of 2,061 people so far, while cases have been registered against another 452 for protesting against the entry of women aged between 10-50 years into the Sabarimala Temple.

Briefing scribes about police action initiated in the wake of violent protests, Kerala Director General of Police (DGP), Loknath Behera asserted that suggestions are being taken about how to provide protection to the women.

“We have registered around 452 cases and arrested around 2,000 people so far. We have identified several others and more arrests will be made. We will do what must lawfully be done. We are taking suggestions from a police committee on how to provide protection to the women. We will discuss it with the government as well. Discussions are going on and we haven’t yet come to a conclusion,” Behera said.

A number of protests were staged after the doors of the Lord Ayyappa’s temple opened on October 17 for the first time after the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the holy shrine.

Entry of the females in the menstruating age-group was banned in the temple as Lord Ayyappa is considered to be a celibate; hence the temple authorities only allow girls aged below 10 and women aged over 50 into the shrine. However, there is no restriction on the entry of men.

On Wednesday, the police had issued a lookout notice for 210 people for their suspected involvement in instigating violence, manhandling journalists and devotees at Nilakkal, Pamba and Sabarimala last week during demonstrations. The notice has been sent to all district police chiefs.

A five-member constitutional bench of the apex court headed by the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra had delivered the verdict on September 28, 2018 allowing all women into Sabarimala.

However, not a single woman could enter the shrine owing to the widespread protests across the state. The temple closed down for the month on October 22 after it opened for five days as a monthly ritual in the Malayalam month of Thulam.

CBI books Daati Maharaj for alleged rape and unnatural sex

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

The CBI has booked self-styled preacher Daati Maharaj, who runs a temple in South Delhi, for allegedly raping and having unnatural sex with an inmate of his ashram, officials said on Friday.

The agency had taken over investigation in the case on the instructions of the Delhi High Court, they said.

On a complaint by a woman disciple, a case of rape and unnatural sex was filed against Daati Maharaj, his three brothers and a woman at Fatehpur Beri Police Station in South Delhi.

On June 22, the police had questioned Daati Maharaj also known as Daati Madanlal, who was charged with rape of a disciple at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan.

The accused had claimed he was being framed in the case.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao had allowed the complainant woman’s plea to transfer the matter to the CBI, saying the manner in which the Delhi Police carried out the probe “casts a shadow on the investigation”.

It is possibly the first case registered by the agency after a midnight drama in which its Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were divested of all powers by the government on the recommendation of Central Vigilance Commission.

Malegaon case: Framing of charges delayed, court warns accused

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

A special court on Friday took strong note of absence of five out of seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case as the framing of charges had to be deferred to October 30.

Judge Vinod Padalkar, presiding over the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court that is handling the case, cautioned the accused against delaying the proceedings.

He took a strong exception to the fact that only two of the seven accused, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and Sameer Kulkarni, were present in the court.

The court deferred the proceedings to October 30 and said this was the last chance for the accused to follow the court’s order and remain present in court.

Framing of charges is a process after which the trial in a criminal case starts.

“It seems that the accused are intentionally avoiding coming to court. If they fail to remain present on the next date, appropriate orders will be passed against them,” Judge Padalkar said.

Meanwhile, a division bench of the Bombay High Court Friday admitted a plea filed by Purohit, challenging a lower court order on his prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The high court is likely to hear the plea on October 29.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from in North Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.

Those accused in the case were Purohit, Kulkarni, Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi.

All of them would face trial under the UAPA, an anti- terror law, and other sections of the Indian Penal Code, for murder and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.

The special court had earlier this month rejected their pleas challenging the applicability of the UAPA against them.

No greed to become CM again but ‘let’s see’ in next polls: Siddaramaiah

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

“Let’s see if there are blessings of the people in the next elections,” was senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s refrain Friday when asked if he wants to become Karnataka chief minister again even though he asserted he has no such “greed”.

The head of the Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee also accused state BJP chief and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa of being “greedy” to become chief minister once again, as he was growing old.

“… Am I going on claiming that I will become chief minister (like Yeddyurappa)… have I said that? That question does not arise at all at this stage… Let’s see if there are blessings of the people in the next election,” he said in response to a question about his aspiration to become chief minister again.

Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, he said, “… If people bless in the next assembly election, let’s see it then…”

Noting that he contested the recent assembly polls on the insistence of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the Congress legislature party leader said there are no such thoughts in his mind as of now.

“I had got an opportunity to become chief minister for five years, we have run a government that has walked its talk, and we have fulfilled the promises made to the people. I have that contentment. I don’t have the greed to keep on becoming the Chief Minister,” he added.

Ahead of the May 12 assembly polls, Siddaramaiah had indicated that it could “most likely” be his last election.

Asserting that results of November 3 bypoll for two assembly and three Lok Sabha segments would have nothing to do with the longevity of the coalition government, he said it was formed to keep the BJP away from power and as the mandate was not clear in favour of any political party in the May polls.

TVS Motor strengthens product portfolio in Argentina

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

Two and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor as part of plans to expand its presence in Latin American markets showcased its premium products at the ongoing auto show in Argentina on Friday.

The company’s premium vehicles RR310 motorcycle, 125 cc scooter NTORQ and 200cc apache RTR 2004V are being showcased at the Salon Internacional de la Motocicleta, Argentina, a company statement said.

Chennai-based TVS Motor has partnered with Beta Motor, Buenos Aires as an exclusive distributor in Argentina. The products of TVS Motor would be assembled at the industrial park of Tigre, province of Buenos Aires and would be distributed through a network of over 100 dealers.

“We are optimising about strengthening our presence in the Argentina market with the help of our distributors Beta Motor. Today, we are delighted to unveil these products at this prestigious Auto Show,” TVS Motor, International business, senior vice-president, R Dilip said.

“We are confident that all our products will be met with positive response across the country,” he said.

Apart from the premium products, TVS Motor company retails Apache RTR1604V, RTR150 and the TVS Rockz in Argentina, the statement added.

Yes Bank shares plunge 9%; m-cap drops Rs 4,076 cr post Q2 results

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Afternoon Voice

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October 26, 2018

Shares of Yes Bank on Friday ended sharply lower by almost 9 per cent after the company reported a decline of 3.8 per cent in net profit for the second quarter ended September 2018.

The stock plummeted 8.97 per cent to close at Rs 180.55 on the BSE. Intra-day, it cracked 14.99 per cent to Rs 168.60. On the NSE, Yes Bank shares slumped 8.64 per cent to end at Rs 181.20. Its stock was the worst hit among the blue chips on both the key indices during the day.

Led by sharp fall in the stock price, the company’s market valuation dropped Rs 4,076.02 crore to Rs 41,727.98 crore on the BSE.

In terms of equity volume, 84.45 lakh shares of the company were traded on the BSE and over 9 crore shares changed hands on the NSE during the day.

Yes Bank on Thursday reported a decline of 3.8 per cent in net profit to Rs 964.7 crore for the second quarter ended September 2018.

The private sector lender had posted a net profit of Rs 1,002.73 crore in the year-ago period. Recently, the Reserve Bank refused to extend the tenure of the lender’s long-serving MD and CEO Rana Kapoor beyond January 31, 2019.

The bank’s gross Non-Performing Assets (NPA) reduced to 1.60 per cent of its total assets at the end of September. In the comparable period, the same was at 1.82 per cent.