India

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court Thursday extended the protection from any coercive action till August 31 to TV news anchor Amish Devgan in connection with the cases lodged over his alleged defamatory remark against Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti during a show telecast on June 15.

A bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari took note of the fact that one of the FIRs against Devgan has been transferred from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday decided to broaden the scope of Priority Sector Lending (PSL) by including start-ups and enhancing borrowing limits for renewable energy sectors.

The central bank would also increase the targets for lending to 'small and marginal farmers' and 'weaker sections' under the PSL.

Lucknow, Aug 6 (PTI) The Trust constituted by the Uttar Pradesh State Sunni Central Waqf Board to construct a mosque on five acres of land in Ayodhya is in the process of setting up an office in the state capital, an official said on Thursday.

He said the office of the Trust -- Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) -- will be functional in 10 to 12 days.

Bulandshahr (UP), Aug 5 (PTI) A woman was reportedly beaten to death on Wednesday by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands in Tauli village here, police said.

Ahmedabad, Aug 6 (PTI) A blaze in the wee hours at a private hospital here has left eight COVID-19 patients dead, a fire brigade official said on Thursday.

The victims include five men and three women, who were being treated at the ICU ward of the COVID-19 designated Shrey Hospital in Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad, the official said.

Fire broke out around 3.30 am on the fourth floor of the four-storey hospital, he said.

Around 40 other COVID-19 patients at the facility were rescued and shifted to a civic hospital in the city, he said.

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) Senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh Manoj Sinha was on Thursday appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the first political leader to take charge as the LG of the union territory.

Banda (UP), Aug 6 (PTI) A 19-year-old woman and her lover were allegedly burnt to death by her family members in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district in a suspected case of honour killing, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday evening in Karcha village in Mataundh area when the family members allegedly caught the couple in a compromising position, they said.

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) India saw a single day increase of 56,282 COVID-19 cases taking the country's virus tally to 19,64,536, while the recoveries have surged to 13,28,336, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The death toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 40,699 with 904 new fatalities being reported in 24-hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

There are 5,95,501 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country presently which contribute to 30.31 per cent of the total cases.

Ballia (UP), Aug 6 (PTI) A teenager was allegedly raped by four men in Rasda area in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, police said on Thursday.

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) Television actor Samir Sharma, best known for his roles in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Left Right Left, was found dead in his home in suburban Malad where he lived alone, police said on Thursday.

The 44-year-old was found hanging from the fan of the kitchen on Wednesday night, police officials said. He may have been dead for two days before he was found, they said.