Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a fresh bill to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

The bill will be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament which begins on Monday to replace an ordinance issued in February by the previous BJP-led NDA government.

With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the previous bill had lapsed as it was pending in Rajya Sabha.

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday slammed the government over the issue of price rise, alleging that the people are in distress but those in power are enjoying themselves.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the new government has brought an increase in prices.

"Prices of food items have witnessed a jump. The home budget has been disturbed. Spending has gone up and savings have decreased...People are in distress and those in power are enjoying themselves," he tweeted.

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) A 32-year-old man alleged to be a key member of an international fake currency racket was arrested near Kashmere Gate here, police said Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Santosh Kumar Singh, a resident of Saran district in Bihar, they said.

"Singh was arrested on Thursday at around 12.10 pm from near Kashmere Gate ISBT when he came there to deliver a big consignment of fake Indian currency notes to one of his contacts," Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said.

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) A man has been arrested for allegedly duping former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha of Rs 1 lakh after hacking the e-mail account of his colleague, police said Tuesday.

The accused Dinesh Mali was nabbed from Udaipur on June 7. An ATM card through which he withdrew the cheated amount has also been recovered, they said.

His associate, Mukesh, is absconding, police said, adding efforts are on to arrest him as well.

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) The government has finalised the broad contours of a new defence space agency which will develop capabilities to protect India's interests in outer space and deal with threats of space wars, officials sources said Tuesday.

The agency is being tasked with developing a range of platforms and co-orbital weapons to protect Indian assets in space and to have deterrence, they said.

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot was appointed on Tuesday the Leader of the Rajya Sabha, a position occupied in the previous Narendra Modi-led government by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley who has had health issues and is currently recovering, official sources said.

Gehlot, the social justice and empowerment minister, is an experienced parliamentarian and a Dalit face of the saffron party.

The appointment for the Leader of the Rajya Sabha is made by the party in power at the Centre.

Patna, June 11 (PTI) Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh Tuesday charged the BJP with having "denied" an honourable share in the Union Council of Ministers to its alliance partner JD(U), headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The AAP Rajya Sabha member and state in-charge said his party had "ideological differences with Nitish Kumar" but, nevertheless, was of the view that "JD(U) should have been granted a representation in the Union council of ministers that was commensurate with its standing in the Parliament."

New Delhi, Jun 10; PTI/GANASHAKTI: A group of journalists and activists held a protest here on Monday over the arrest of scribe Prashant Kanojia and the editor and the head of a Noida-based TV channel by the Uttar Pradesh police, alleging that it is an attack on the freedom of expression.

They demanded the immediate release of Kanojia, Ishita Singh, who is the editor of Noida-based TV channel Nation Live, and its head Anuj Shukla, who have faced police action over release of alleged objectionable content against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

New Delhi, Jun 10; PTI/GANASHAKTI: CPI(M) general-secretary Sitaram Yechury said the party will mobilise the Opposition to ensure that election commissioners are appointed by a collegium-led by the President rather than by the government.

He said the recent Lok Sabha elections underlined the need for far reaching electoral reforms, adding the Election  Commission could not implement its assurance to conduct "free and fair polls".

New Delhi, June 11 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to journalist Prashant Kanojia who was arrested for allegedly making objectionable comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on social media.

A vacation bench, comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi, said Right to Liberty, a fundamental right, is non-negotiable as it granted bail.

However, the bench said granting bail does not mean that it approves of the journalist's tweets or posts on social media.