New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order rejecting his plea for default bail.
A three-judge Bench of Justice UU Lalit, Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice KM Joseph will hear the plea of Navlakha on March 3.
The High Court had rejected Navlakha’s plea on February 8 saying that the period for which an accused is under illegal detention cannot be taken into account while computing the 90-day custody period for grant of default bail.
Navlakha, in the apex court, has sought bail on the ground that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) failed to file its chargesheet within the prescribed upper-limit of 90 days as per Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
He stated that the period for which he was confined to his house under house arrest should be calculated as part of judicial custody and should be taken into account while deciding the custody period under Section 167(2).
He had sought bail from the High Court on the same grounds.
Navlakha, one of the several civil liberties activists in the Bhima Koregaon case, has been booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for an alleged conspiracy to topple the government. (ANI)

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 1 (ANI): Girl students of more than 40,000 upper primary schools in Uttar Pradesh will learn self-defence techniques under the Mission Shakti programme between March 1 and 31, said Vijay Kiran Anand, Director-General of School Education, Uttar Pradesh.
“These classes will help rural students boost their self-confidence and self-esteem. It is time for the girls of Class 6 to 8 to roll up their sleeves. They will learn self-defence techniques from a tender age when one can learn things much faster. Participants will also be given certificates,” he added.
He further said that the education department has 10,748 physical education instructors and they have been entrusted with the responsibility to train girl students. The department has made a provision of Rs 3,000 per school for the purpose.
The trainers will train their own school and a nearby school as well, said Vijay Kiran Anand in the order issued to all 75 districts of the state.
The main purpose of self-defence training is that girls can be made physically and mentally self-dependent so that they can any odd situation without being conflicted, he added. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 1 (ANI): Mumbai’s Andheri Metropolitan magistrate court on Monday issued a bailable warrant against actor Kangana Ranaut in a defamation case filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar after she failed to appear before the court despite being summoned.
Kangana Ranaut’s lawyer, who was present at the court, said that they want to challenge the summons in a higher court.
The next hearing will take place on March 26.
Akhtar had filed a criminal defamation complaint on November 3 against the actor over her reported remarks dragging his name in her feud with Hrithik Roshan.
As per the complaint filed by him, Akhtar has taken objection to certain remarks made by the actor during an interview on a TV news channel. (ANI)

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 1 (ANI): The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will contest Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, informed party Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday.
“We will contest Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Some of our candidates won in Gujarat local body polls. I’ll be going to Rajasthan today to review and speak with party members. Our party workers are also working hard in Uttar Pradesh,” Owaisi said.
The Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2. As many as 6,28,23,749 electors will choose candidates for the sixteenth legislative assembly in the state.
When asked about the Indian Secular Front’s (ISF) Abbas Siddiqui sharing the stage with the Left and Congress in a rally in Kolkata on Sunday, the AIMIM chief said he would speak about his party’s strategy when the time is right.
‘Main akela hi chala tha janib-e-manzil magar, log saath aate gaye aur kaarvan banta gaya’. I’ll speak about it (party strategy in West Bengal) when the time is right,” he said.
This comes ahead of the elections for 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal that will begin on March 27. The state is going to witness eight-phase Assembly polls this year.
West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance, and BJP in the fray.
Speaking about the Prime Minister getting the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier in the day, Owaisi said, “It is essential for everyone to take the vaccine in order to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. By receiving the first dose today, PM Modi has told the country that they should take it as well.” (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Following Covid protocols set by the Union Ministry of Family Health and Welfare, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will hold Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), its highest decision-making body, at Bengaluru on March 19 and 20 and its 40 ‘prants’ will connect via video conferencing to avoid large gathering at the meeting.
According to sources in the RSS, a limited number of people will be allowed to congregate in Bengaluru where the top functionaries will gather and the new Sarkaryawah of the Sangh will be elected.
A senior functionary of the RSS informed that while a limited number of people (approximately 500) will participate in the meet in Bengaluru, the rest of the functionaries will connect via video conferencing from their respective ‘prants’. ABPS has 1,400 to 1,500 representatives from Sangh affiliates.
“There are 40 ‘prants’. So those who are otherwise invited to ABPS every year will participate this time from their ‘prants’ barring those who have to be there in Bengaluru. We have decided that every ‘prant’ will have one place where functionaries from nearby can come to attend the meet virtually,” stated the senior functionary.
The RSS will hold the meeting of Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha on March 19 and 20 keeping in mind COVID-19 protocols. This meeting was scheduled to take place in Bengaluru last year but had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 onset and the ensuing lockdown. The agenda, however, was passed and circulated.
Apart from Nagpur, the ABPS meeting takes place in east, west, north and south regions of the country. (ANI)

Awantipora (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 1 (ANI): One terror associate Muzamil Qadir Bhat, who was in touch with terrorist commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad, was arrested in a joint operation by security forces from Lorow Jagir Tral village in Pulwama on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by Jammu and Kashmir Police, 42 Rashtriya Rifles and 180 battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
During questioning, the forces seized incriminating material of Jaish-e-Mohammad and one hand grenade was recovered from him that he has kept concealed in the compound of his home.
A case under relevant sections of the law has been registered in Police Station in Tral.
Further investigation is going on. (ANI)