Here are the top news from some of the biggest newspapers of India.
- Meet the family of the student who is a 'danger to Mother India'
In an old brick house in Bihat village in Bihar's Begusarai district, the home of arrested JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, his parents are stunned by the sedition charge slapped on him. They say he can never be "a danger to Mother India" as he is being called. Confined to his bed since 2013 when the left side of his body was paralysed, 65-year-old Jaishankar Singh maintains: "I could study only up to Class X but I ensured my children received good education. Education is the biggest capital for poor people like us. No video or audio footage has shown my son saying anything anti-national. He has been framed."
According to the Indian Express, Kanhaiya's mother Meena Devi puts on a brave face. "This phase will pass… Nothing shall happen to my son because he can never say or do anything against the country… There is a court. I have full faith in my son and God." An anganwadi worker, she supports the family with her earnings of Rs 3,000 a month — the eldest of three sons too works.
- Fighter deal with Pakistan has been in the making for many months
The US decision to sell Pakistan eight F-16 fighter jets has been imminent for some months, as the State Department informally told Congressmen about the proposal in April 2015. The deal came to light during Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Washington in October 2015, says a report in Hindu.
In December, when the Obama Administration issued a formal notification of "foreign military financing", several Congressmen put up stiff opposition to the deal. Friday's notification means the US Congress has 30 days to veto the transfer of F-16, but that is a veto rarely used after the State Department's clearances and can be overruled by President Obama.
- Women power grows strong in HC: After CJ, now it's No 2
After getting its first woman chief justice, the Delhi High Court is set to have another woman judge at number two seniority giving the female voice decisive say in not just the collegium that appoints and transfers judges, but even in its overall functioning.
According to sources, the Supreme Court has decided to bring in Justice Indira Banerjee from the Calcutta high court to Delhi.
The Times of India reports that four judges of Delhi HC were transferred out in a major reshuffle by the Supreme Court collegium, led by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur. Justice Banerjee, who is fo urth in the hierarchy in Calcutta HC, will preside as second in command in Delhi, automatically entering the HC collegium by virtue of her seniority.
- Someone who knew Dipti was behind abduction, say cops
The investigation into the abduction of an executive of e-commerce company Snapdeal veered towards the involvement of people who knew her, even as police investigated "strange events" narrated by the victim in a case that has left many baffled.
The victim, Dipti Sarna, returned home on Friday morning and said four men who had abducted her 36 hours earlier released her and left her at a suburban railway station. She had gone missing after she was allegedly whisked away from an autorickshaw in Ghaziabad when she was returning from work on Wednesday evening.
According to Hindustan Times, Ghaziabad SSSP Dharmendra Singh said he sought details about educational institutions and other companies Dipti worked for. He questioned Dipti at her house for over an hour on Saturday afternoon.
- Senior Assam cop suspended for anti-Muslim rant on Facebook
A senior Assam Police officer was suspended for posting comments against Muslims on Facebook. The suspension comes in the midst of increasing politics over the Bangladeshi migrants' issue as elections draw near in the state.
As per report in Hindustan Times, Anjan Bora, the DSP of Karbi Anglong district, allegedly posted messages inciting hatred towards Muslims. The DSP vowed to stop 'Azan' — the Muslim prayer call — and stated that he killed many from the minority community such as Rafikul Islam, a Congress worker in BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts) in the state.
Bora’s controversial posts included: "Jai Sri Ram, Jai Hindustan, Jai jai sri Ram jai hindubhumi. We should join a Muslim free Hindustan."
- Sunanda case: Is it suicide then?
After over a year of following leads, a few as they were, the special investigating team of Delhi Police questioned Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for nearly five hours on Saturday in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. However, the aim of the interrogation appeared not to be to probe the possibility of murder but to ascertain if Tharoor or his associates could have abetted Pushkar's death.
This, in effect, means that the cops are veering around to the view that Pushkar committed suicide. Sources said the police summoned Tharoor to the office of the anti-auto theft squad at Vasant Vihar and asked him probing questions about the source of Alprax tablets that they suspect Pushkar overdosed on, as per the report in Times Of India.
- Now, S Corporation plans Rs 50,000 salary for councillors
Following footsteps of its north counterpart, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Saturday proposed a monthly salary of Rs 50,000 for its councillors and Rs 55,000 for mayor, standing committee chairman, leader of the House as well as the leader of the opposition.
Plans were also afoot to give Rs 5 lakh insurance cover to all members, said Leader of the House Ashish Sood while presenting final budget estimates for 2016-17. The proposals will be sent to the Delhi government for its approval, according to Times Of India.
The civic body , the richest among the three corporations, has also increased its budget development work from Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore.
- After 35 yrs of darkness, SC ray of hope in sightless rape victim's life
The Supreme Court on Thursday sent a ray of light in a girl's life who has been living in darkness for 35 years. It's been 20 years now — she was a girl of 17 then — that a man, a friend of her brother’s and a constant visitor to their home, began to make advances on her, telling her he loved her, and wanted to marry her. She was reluctant — her sight had abandoned her when she was barely two years old — but he persisted. She gave in finally, but he broke his promise to her — and even though he admitted to their relationship before the village panchayat, he still refused to marry her.
A case of rape was filed, and four years ago, the man was sentenced to seven years in prison, her neighbours at the village said. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which on Thursday ordered the Chhattisgarh government to pay her Rs 8,000 a month for life, noting that she now lives entirely alone, and without any support except a PDS scheme, the Indian Express reports.
- IISER gears up for greater role in gravitation project
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram, who contributed to the historic discovery of gravitational waves from colliding black holes, are gearing up for a greater role in the international project that promises to open a new window to the cosmos, says a report in Hindu
The Gravitational Wave Group at the School of Physics, IISER, Thiruvananthapuram, was part of the Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations (IndIGO) comprising scientists from nine institutions working under the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC).
- 300-year-old temple chariot in Kerala to get a makeover
The 300-year-old chariot being used for the famous annual car festival of Kalpathy in Palakkad will get a makeover in 2016 with the Kerala Tourism Department sanctioning Rs 10 lakh for the purpose. The repair work will begin from March and will be completed by September for the Vellottam festival — a trial run of the celebrated car festival slated for November.
As per the report in The Hindu, Kalpathy resident and Kerala Brahmana Sabha president Karimpuzha Raman said the amount was sanctioned following an application by the sabha to the government through Shafi Parambil, MLA.
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