India

Surat, Apr 26 (PTI) A sessions court here Friday convicted Narayan Sai, son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, in a rape case filed against him by a former woman devotee in 2013.

The sentence will be pronounced on April 30.

Besides Sai (47), who is lodged at Lajpore Jail here since 2013, the court held four of his aides, including two women, guilty of various offences.

Vadodara, Apr 26 (PTI) A special court for POCSO cases at Bharuch in Gujarat has sentenced a man to life imprisonment till death for raping a hearing-and-speech impaired girl.

Ashok Vasava, 34, was convicted under IPC section 376 (rape) as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act Thursday.

Public prosecutor R J Desai said Vasava, father of three children, raped an 11-year-old girl who was deaf and mute at Jhagadiya in Bharuch district on December 6, 2016, when she stepped out of her house to answer nature's call.

New Delhi, April 26 (PTI) A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a person at a park in Shahdara here, police said Friday.

Police were informed about the incident on Thursday.

The girl's mother has lodged a complaint and a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a senior police officer said.

New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) A total of 164 candidates are in the fray across seven constituencies in the national capital after withdrawal of nominations by nine contestants, the Delhi Electoral Office said Friday.

The New Delhi constituency has 27 candidates, the highest in the city, while the North West seat has the least 11 contenders.

Friday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations.

Bhuj, Apr 27 (PTI) A Pakistani national was apprehended from Kutch district of Gujarat for illegally entering India, the Border Security Force (BSF) has said.

A BSF team held the man at 3.30 am on Friday, as soon as he sneaked into India, it said.

"The man, identified as Tajgi Meghwal (28), a Pakistani Hindu, was apprehended from the Indo-Pak border near the border out post (BOP) called 'Jairaj' in Kutch district," the BSF said in a statement issued on Friday night.

NEW DELHI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- India's state-owned carrier Air India's check-in system has been restored after it suffered a global shutdown for hours early Saturday morning following a server breakdown, officials said.

The glitch in the server which occurred at around 3:00 a.m. (local time) hampered operations and caused delay in its domestic and international flights across the world, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at various airports.

According to a report published in India Tomorrow, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been using Sri Lanka bombings for his electoral gains. His statements have been condemned by several rights activists and intellectuals.

In a recent election speech in Chittorgarh he mentioned the SL bombings, and went on to say that if Indian voters “want to avoid such attacks they should vote for the BJP”, because only he can defeat the terrorists and ensure national security in the region.

Kanpur: Saturday becomes the last day for canvassing in Kanpur and Akbarpur Lok Sabha constituencies. After 5 pm it will be completely ended and if any political party is found infringing the code of conduct a report will be filed against the person or party concerned. 

Strict vigil on the part of the govrnment agencies like video surveillance team, flying squad team and static surveillance team will be kept over the political parties on the concluding day. 

Palghar, Apr 26(PTI) Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray Thursday said the Modi government had to spend five years in "washing away the sins" of the erstwhile Congress-led dispensation.

He said the next five years of the Modi government will be dedicated to real development.

Thackeray was speaking while addressing an election rally at Dahanu in Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, where sitting MP Rajendra Gavit seeking re-election. Gavit had quit the BJP and joined the Shiv Sena last month.

Lucknow, Apr 26 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Friday said the Congress game plan was not to stop the BJP from forming the government at the Centre, but to come to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2022.

He also that the SP and BSP RPT BSP have sacrificed seats in national interest.

"Our intention is clear right from the word go. We formed alliance (with BSP and RLD) to stop the communal party and in the process, we in the SP and also the BSP had to sacrifice seats in national interest," he told PTI in an interview.