Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Apr 22; PTI/GANASHAKTI:  An Election Commission general observer, who was suspended for checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur in violation of norms for dealing with SPG protectees, has been sent back to Karnataka.

He is a 1996 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.

The Commission had last week suspended its general observer for Sambalpur in Odisha for violating its instructions that SPG protectees should not be checked.

New Delhi, Apr 23; PTI/GANASHAKTI: India will stop importing crude oil from Iran following the US move to end sanction waivers, and will use alternate supply sources such as Saudi Arabia to make up for the lost volumes, top officials and industry sources said Tuesday.

The Trump administration Monday decided not to renew waiver that let countries like India buy Iranian oil without facing US sanctions.

Chennai, Apr 22 (PTI) The India Thowheed Jamaath Monday strongly condemned the serial blasts in Sri Lanka, saying it was an unpardonable attack on the entire humanity and demanded maximum punishment for perpetrators of the attack.

The attacks were an onslaught against the entire humanity and not just against the Sri Lankan people, S M Backer, the leader of the city headquartered ITJ said.

The attacks unleashed on Easter Sunday, observed as a holy event by Christians, could be only construed "as a well planned and coordinated terror attack," he said in a statement.

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The Election Commission Monday censured Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and barred him from campaigning for 72 hours for alleged communal remarks during an election rally in Bihar.

The ban comes into force from 10 am on Tuesday.

Addressing an election rally in Katihar on April 16, the cricketer-turned-politician had stoked a controversy when he urged Muslim voters to vote en bloc and defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bhopal, Apr 22 (PTI) Acting on orders of the Election Commission, the police Monday filed an FIR against BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur for her remark that she was "proud" of her participation in demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in 1992, an official said.

The EC Saturday had issued a show-cause notice to Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast accused currently out on bail, over her remark made during an interview to a news channel.

Kannur (Ker), Apr 23 (PTI) An unusual "visitor" in a polling booth in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, held up voting for a brief while Tuesday.

A small snake was found inside a VVPAT machine in a booth at Mayyil Kandakkai in the constitutency, which is witnessing heavy polling, triggering panic among officials and voters.

However, the reptile was soon removed and voting continued.

New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) The Supreme Court Tuesday issued criminal contempt notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his "chowkidar chor" remarks on the Rafale judgment, which the apex court had said were "incorrectly attributed" to it.

The top court said it will hear on April 30 the criminal contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi against Gandhi along with the pending review petition against the December 14, 2018 verdict in the Rafale jet deal.

Lucknow, Apr 23 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday alleged that EVMs were "malfunctioning or voting for the BJP" across the country and termed it a "criminal negligence".

"EVMs across India malfunctioning or voting for the BJP. DMs say poll officials untrained to operate EVMs. 350+ being replaced. This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crs.

"Should we believe DMs @ECISVEEP, or is something far more sinister afoot?" Yadav said in a tweet tagging the Election Commission.

Dungarpur (Raj), Apr 23 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the BJP government had done injustice in the last five years but he wants to reverse the trend by doing justice in the next five.

Addressing an election rally in Beneshwar Dham in the tribal dominated constituency of Dungarpur, Gandhi also promised a surgical strike on poverty and give government jobs to 22 lakh people in the next one year if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.

AHMEDABAD, India, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in Ahmedabad city of western state Gujarat on Tuesday, which saw the third phase of the ongoing parliamentary elections.

Modi cast his vote in the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s President Amit Shah is one of the candidates.