Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, May 7 : The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed the plea filed by 21 Opposition leaders seeking a review of its April 8 order directing the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment.

"We are not inclined to modify our order," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.

The plea was filed by opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Election Commission to examine grievances raised by sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, whose nomination against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varansai, was cancelled.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the counsel for EC to seek instructions and apprise it by tomorrow.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Yadav, referred to an earlier verdict to the court and said election petitions can be filed during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday made it clear that it will not extend the July 31 deadline for finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R F Nariman also gave a "free hand" to Prateek Hajela, Assam NRC coordinator dealing with claims and objections of persons against wrong exclusion or inclusion of citizens in the NRC.

Kanpur: People started running to and fro as three shops caught fire here on Tuesday afternoon. 

As usual there was enough movement of the people around the Ramadevi crossing here. When a godown of dona-pattal caught fire its leaping flares took into grip two other shops like one general store and secondly iron godown.

Seeing the dangerous situation the shopkeepers remained fearful of reaching its hot flares to more shops.

But three tenders of the Fire Brigade  were put into service for extinguishing the fire. It took a considerable time in controlling the fire. 

Lahore, May 8 (PTI) Pakistan's deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif has returned to prison to serve his sentence in a corruption case after the end of his six-week bail which was granted to him on medical grounds.

On March 26, the Supreme Court suspended Sharif's seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case and granted him bail for six weeks with a condition that he would not leave Pakistan.

Aizawl, May 8 (PTI) The twelve suspected Rohingya refugees, who were rescued three days ago here allegedly from a human trafficking gang, have been shifted to state-run shelter homes, a senior police officer said.

A group of eight women and four minor boys were apprehended from the house of a local woman in Aizawl on Sunday for residing in India without valid travel documents.

The woman, who had been hosting the group, told police that she provided them shelter as a favour to her cousin in Tahan, Myanmar.

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) Caste equations and unauthorised colonies are in focus in the North-East Delhi parliamentary constituency from where political heavyweights - three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit, BJP's Manoj Tiwari and AAP's Dilip Pandey -will try their luck in the May 12 polls.

The constituency has the highest concentration of Poorvanchalis, Muslims and migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who play a decisive role during elections.

Ahmedabad, May 7 (PTI) Eight lions from Gujarat will soon be shifted to a zoo in Uttar Pradesh as part of an animal exchange programme, a forest official said on Tuesday.

These lions are currently lodged at the Sakkarbaug zoo at Junagadh in Gujarat.

"As part of the animal exchange programme, two lions and six lionesses from Sakkarbaug will be shifted to a zoo at Gorakhpur in UP. The Central Zoo Authority has allowed the transfer of eight big cats," Junagadh wildlife circle's chief conservator of forests Dushyant Vasavada said.

Jaipur, May 7 (PTI) Three persons, including two brothers, were Tuesday booked for raping a 17-year-old girl in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, police said.

The incident took place on Monday when the girl was alone at her home as her mother had gone to attend a wedding, they said.

The accused barged into the home and raped the girl, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bayana Chetram Sevda said.

Thane, May 7 (PTI) Five members of a family have been booked for allegedly torturing a 26-year-old woman for dowry in Thane's Ulhasnagar township, police said Tuesday.

The complainant, a resident of Haweli area in Pune, has told police that her in-laws, husband and their kin would inflict burn injuries on her with hot oil, police said.