India

Jabalpur, Dec 13 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday dismissed BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur's application questioning maintainability of a petition challenging her election to the Lok Sabha from Bhopal.

The petition, filed by Bhopal-based journalist Rakesh Dixit, alleged the controversial Hindutva leader, during campaigning, delivered speeches on religious lines, thus violating election norms.

New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday alleged that his successor Narendra Modi misled the people by making "lofty promises" which he "failed" to fulfil.

Addressing a mega 'Bharat Bachao' (Save India) rally at the Ramlila grounds here, the Congress leader said Modi had promised to take the country's economy to USD 5 trillion by 2024, double farmers' income and provide two crore new jobs every year for youths.

Jabalpur, Dec 13 (PTI) A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a student at a private school here, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred inside the toilet of the school on December 5, police said.

According to police, her parents lodged a complaint on December 12, after she told them about the incident and her medical examination confirmed that she had been raped.

Muzaffarnagar, Dec 13 (PTI) A special court here on Friday held a man guilty of repeatedly raping a 15-year-old dalit girl for over nine months six year ago on the pretext of marrying her.

Special Judge Sanjiv Kumar Tiwari, trying cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, held Jonny Thakur, a resident of Khedi village under Gharipukhta police station in Shamli district on charges of raping the teenaged girl in 2013.

Hyderabad, Dec 13 (PTI): An 18-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an autorickshaw driver under the pretext of taking her to her grandmother's house, police said here on Friday

They said the girl and her 10-year-old sister lost their way while going to their grandmother's house from their home on the night of December 8.

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (PTI) A 48-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her son-in-law under the influence of alcohol at their House in Punjagutta area here, police said on Saturday.

The 34-year-old man entered the room of his mother-in-law on the night of November 13 and allegedly sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping, they said based on the complaint filed by the woman on Friday.

Guwahati, Dec 14 (PTI) Internet services across Assam will remain suspended till December 16 to prevent alleged misuse of social media in disturbing peace and to maintain law and order in the state, officials said on Saturday.

Suspension of internet services have been extended for another 48 hours keeping in view the prevailing law and order situation in the state, additional chief secretary (home and political department) Sanjay Krishna told PTI.

Kolkata, Dec 14 (PTI) Tea growers in Assam have started feeling the pinch of the ongoing protests with partial disruption in production at many gardens and sale of the crop at the Guwahati auction centre being hampered, industry insiders said on Saturday.

Transportation of the produce has also been affected due to the ongoing stir, they said.

New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) Major protests in Assam and some other parts of the northeast against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have taken many in the BJP by surprise but they believe that the gains for the party will be more than any loss from implementing the contentious law.

With the BJP in power in Assam and the rest of the northeast, either on its own or as a junior partner to a regional ally, party leaders are of the view that they are in a position to contain the situation but remain wary of its political fallout, especially in Assam.

Bilaspur, Dec 14 (PTI) A court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district sentenced four men to 30 years' imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 14-year-old girl.

Third additional district and sessions judge Sanjeev Kumar Tamak on Friday convicted Charan Singh (30), Ishwar Dhurv (31), Nageshwar Rajak (26) and Manoj Wadekar (35), the victim's lawyer Priyanka Shukla said.

The court sentenced the accused to 30 years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 on Singh, and Rs 50,000 each on the other three convicts, she said.