Indian Sub-continent

All the remaining 22 accused in Sohrabuddin Shaikh Fake Encounter Case have been acquitted by a special CBI court on Friday, December 21, on the basis that the evidence that has been provided was not satisfactory.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Media firm NDTV group's digital arm NDTV Convergence Friday said it has signed a five-year deal worth over Rs 300 crore with content recommendations engine Taboola.

"The five-year deal ties NDTV Convergence exclusively to Taboola and involves a minimum guarantee of more than Rs 300 crore for NDTV Convergence, making it one of the largest deals, not just for digital content, but for the media space in its entirety," NDTV said in a BSE filing.

Muzaffarnagar, Dec 21 (PTI) A 24-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a man who recorded the act and tried to blackmail her, police said Friday.

They said the accused befriended the woman through phone and called her at a hotel room here to meet her on Thursday. He allegedly gave her intoxicant and sexually assaulted her under its influence, they added.

A case has been registered against the accused, who has been absconding since the incident, police said.

Noida (UP), Dec 21 (PTI) The Noida Police has busted a fake call centre here which was being used to dupe US citizens, officials said Friday.

A raid was conducted at the call centre, located in Sector 63, late Thursday night on a tip-off that dubious operations were being carried out from there, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said.

He said "several" operators and callers were detained from the scene and were being interrogated.

Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) Here is a list of the 22 persons acquitted by a special CBI court in the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati.

Narainsinh Dabhi: Was then inspector with Gujarat ATS and was accused of being part of the team which allegedly killed Shaikh.

Mukeshkumar Parmar: Was then deputy SP in Gujarat ATS and was accused of being part of the team which allegedly killed Shaikh.

Lucknow, Dec 21 (PTI) Citing the Agra case in which a girl was burnt alive, BSP leader Mayawati Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for its failure to fight crime, particularly that against women.

"It is a matter of grave concern that one girl is set on fire in Agra while another is subjected to gang rape, she said referring to two recent cases in the same district.

These incidents prove that hardened criminals are moving about freely in Uttar Pradesh," the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said in a statement.

Ballia (UP), Dec 21 (PTI) Four persons have been arrested for allegedly raping a teenage girl in Sikandarpur area here, police said Friday.

The police arrested four of the five accused on Thursday for raping the 13-year-old on November 29, they added.

"The arrested were identified as Manish, Arjun, Acchelal and Krishna. The fifth accused is on the run," a senior official said.

Bengaluru, Dec 21 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Friday said the Rs 60,000 crore worth Rafale deal should not go "unchallenged" after the Supreme Court expressed its limitations to examine it because of its jurisdictional limits.

He alleged the Centre deliberately misled the court and later accused it of "misinterpreting" the note.

"The government is also giving lessons in English grammar to the court," he told reporters here.

KANPUR: A very exceptional scene came up when the city’s mayor Pramilla Pandey sat on a simple rickshaw to attend a programme organised at Green Park here on Thursday. It became a talk of the town. Not only the Kanpur Municipal Corporation officials but Kanpur Development Authority officials were also discussed over this interesting ride.

Dressed in her saffron sari and sweater with an indigenous scarf she was feeling quite at ease in common man’s traditional means of transportation.

KANPUR: Emboldened with the spirit of victory in recently held Bar Association’s poll, a few advocates were hanging about in a fit of intoxicating drink on the road in Saket Nagar here on Wednesday late night.

Just then the police jeep taking the Circle officer happened to pass by the way, a drunk advocate suddenly came in front of the vehicle. He was saved as the driver applied brake immediately. This was enough to show how much he was influenced by the drink.