Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court Tuesday slapped cost of up to Rs 1 lakh on seven states for failing to file responses regarding setting up of human rights courts despite its January 2018 direction.

The top court imposed cost of Rs 1 lakh each on Rajasthan and Uttarakhand while noting that neither have they filed their responses nor their advocates were present in the court during the hearing.

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that the list of those excluded from the final Assam NRC be published only online on August 31.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman said that like Aadhaar data, an appropriate regime be enacted for securing the Assam NRC data.

The apex court also said that the ongoing NRC exercise cannot be ordered to be reopened on the basis of certain legal challenges raised before it.

The top court had earlier said that the final Assam NRC would be published on or by August 31.

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) Arguments on whether a temple existed at the disputed site in Ayodhya were presented on Tuesday before the Supreme Court which heard the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case for the fifth day.

Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for deity Ram Lalla Virajman, advanced arguments on whether there was an existing temple over which the mosque came up, before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

Mumbai, Aug 12 (PTI) Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani on Monday announced plans to sell stakes in his flagship Reliance Industries' oil and chemical business to Saudi oil giant Aramco and in fuel retail network to BP plc of UK for a combined Rs 1.15 lakh crore as he looked to make his company a zero-net debt firm in 18 months.

Srinagar, Aug 13 (PTI) Two hours in the queue and just about two minutes on the phone. That's the new equation many Kashmiris are dealing with as they line up outside the Deputy Commissioner's office here, waiting anxiously for their turn to speak to their families and others outside the Valley.

There is so much to tell and so many urgent messages to convey in a conversation that has to be carefully calibrated. And sometimes, as the words tumble out hastily, the two, maybe three, minutes just don't seem enough.

Ballia, Aug 12 (PTI) A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth of her village in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, police said Monday.

The girl's sister in her complaint, which was lodged on Saturday, said the youth raped the 17-year-old when she was alone at her house, they said.

Police said the youth thrashed the victim and threatened to kill her if she reported the matter.

Raipur, Aug 12 (PTI) A brief encounter took place between security forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarhs Narayanpur district on Monday, but no casualty was reported from either side, a police official said.

The gun-fight took place at around 11 am near Jhori village under the Dhanora police station area when a joint team of security forces was out on a search-cum-area domination operation, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (PTI) A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by his neighbour in Vikarabad district in Telangana, police said on Monday.

The accused, aged around 20, had taken the girl to his house and sexually assaulted her on Friday, a police official said.

After the girl's family members lodged a complaint on Monday, police took into custody the man.

A case under IPC sections 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act had been registered, police said.

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) A 31-year-old woman from Uzbekistan has alleged that she was beaten up and raped by three men inside a car in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, police said on Monday.

The alleged incident took place on Saturday, they said.

In her complaint, the woman has named the three men and claimed she knew them in person, police added.

Mumbai, Aug 13 (PTI) The rupee depreciated by 38 paise and fell to 71 per dollar mark in early trade on Tuesday amid strengthening of the American currency and weak opening in domestic equities.

Forex traders said the strength of the US dollar against other overseas currencies and concerns about US-China trade negotiations also kept investors edgy.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange, the rupee opened weak at Rs 71.15 then fell further to 71.16 against the American currency, down 38 paise over it's previous closing price.