Supreme Court stands by its SC/ST Act judgment, 'Fake news' press release withdrawn, and other top stories of the day

Supreme Court stands by its SC/ST Act judgment

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it stood by its March 20 judgment on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The court has only protected innocents from falling prey to arbitrary arrests under the Act, it noted.

Modi orders withdrawal of ‘fake news’ press release

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday directed that the press release on ‘fake news’ be withdrawn, and that the matter should be addressed only in the Press Council of India, according to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Following this, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry withdrew the press release.

Cauvery issue live updates: AIADMK leaders observe fast, shops shut in several TN districts

Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK began a State-wide hunger strike on Tuesday in protest against the Central government’s failure to set up a Cauvery management board despite a Supreme Court order.

Needle controversy: doctor escapes with reprimand, India breathes easy at Commonwealth Games

The Indian boxing contingent on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief after it escaped any major sanction for use of syringes at the Commonwealth Games village by its doctor Amol Patil, who was let off with a reprimand for not disposing the needles as per stipulated procedure.

UIDAI unveils Virtual ID in beta form; service providers to use new feature soon

The UIDAI has unveiled the beta version of the much-awaited ‘Virtual ID’, and promised that service providers will “soon” start accepting the same in lieu of Aadhaar number.

In the beta form, users can generate their Virtual ID and use it to update address in Aadhaar online for the time being, according to UIDAI which announced the Virtual ID concept earlier this year to address privacy concerns.

IISc tops HRD Ministry’s rankings for national institutes in 2018

The Ministry of Human Resource Development released its ranking of national institutes for 2018 on Tuesday. The HRD has adopted the National Institutional Ranking Framework, which ranks the best colleges and universities in India.

AIB Knockout: HC refuses interim relief to Ranveer, Arjun

The Bombay High Court today declined to grant any interim relief to Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor over an FIR filed against them and other film personalities for using “obscene” and “abusive” language during a comedy event ‘AIB Knockout’ in 2015.

Australian players' union calls for reduced bans for Smith, Warner and Bancroft

Australia's players' union has called for a reduction in the bans handed out to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for their part in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last week, describing them as “disproportionate”.

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