Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday permitted an NGO to make Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as parties to a pending petition challenging the controversial state laws regulating conversions due to inter-faith marriages.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde also allowed Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind to become a party to the petition on the ground that a large number of Muslims are being harassed under these laws across the country.

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged an agitation here on Wednesday against the arrest of environment activist Disha Ravi and alleged that the government is "flirting with fascistic techniques" to quell democratic protests in the country.

The members of the students' wing of the Congress raised slogans against the BJP-led Centre and the Delhi Police for the "authoritarian crackdown on activists and supporters of the farmers' agitation".

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Author Irwin Allan Sealy will come out with an imagined memoir of Ashoka The Great, the emperor who went from masterminding one of the biggest and deadliest wars to becoming one of the most profound advocates of non-violence.

"ASOCA: A Sutra" will be released under Penguin Random House's Viking imprint in July.

In the book, Sealy aims to transport readers to a time and place that is remarkable with his prose.

"With Asoca, I'm delighted to be back with old friends at Penguin," says Sealy.

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday handed over a chadar to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi that will be offered on his behalf at the shrine of renowned Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

The shrine at Ajmer is one of the holiest Sufi shrines, frequented in large number by the faithful.

"Handed over a Chadar that would be offered at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah on the 809th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti," Modi tweeted.

Mathura, Feb 15 (PTI) The judicial custody of a Popular Front of India's student wing leader, accused of funding PFI activists for creating unrest after the death of a gangrape victim of a Hathras village, was on Monday extended till March 2.

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Social activists and environmentalists called for immediate release of climate activist Disha Ravi who was arrested in the 'toolkit' document case, asking the government to stop targeting India's youth.

Ravi (22) was arrested on Saturday from Bengaluru for allegedly sharing with Greta Thunberg the toolkit related to the farmer's protest against the Centre's three new agriculture laws, police said.

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Monday asked the Centre to explain why as many as six out of seven posts at the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) are lying vacant since October last year.

Justice Prathiba M Singh directed the Ministry of Minorities Affairs to file a status report in 10 days in response to a plea for filling up the vacancies.

The court said the ministry has to explain why six out of the seven posts in the commission were vacant, saying "there cannot be so many vacancies".

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday granted 5-day bail to journalist Siddique Kappan, arrested on his way to Hathras where a young Dalit woman had died after being allegedly gang-raped, to visit his ailing mother.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, however, said that during his visit he shall not give any interview to the media, including social media.

The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, said that Siddique will not meet members of the public except his relatives and doctors concerned.

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi in the toolkit document case an unprecedented attack on democracy .

The 21-year-old activist was arrested on Saturday from Bengaluru for being allegedly involved in sharing the "toolkit" related to the farmer's protest on social media.

Arrest of 21 yr old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on Democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime, Kejriwal tweeted.

New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) The right to protest cannot be anytime and everywhere , the Supreme Court said as it dismissed a plea seeking review of its verdict passed last year in which it had held the occupation of public ways during the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh here was not acceptable.

The top court said there may be some spontaneous protests but in case of prolonged dissent or protest, there cannot be continued occupation of public place affecting the rights of others.