Your Daily Wrap: India condemns Rushdie attack, Suspended Telangana BJP leader arrested again; and more

The top court also agreed to review the July 27 judgment upholding the Constitutional validity of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The court will review two key aspects of the verdict — sharing the Enforcement Case Information Report and reversal of the presumption of innocence.

The Supreme Court-appointed committee which probed the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab in January this year has indicted the then Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). The committee said he “…failed to discharge his responsibilities to maintain law and order…or take any steps for deployment to strengthen the route…” taken by Modi.

In its first reaction to the stabbing of Salman Rushdie, India today condemned the “horrific attack” on the acclaimed author and wished him a speedy recovery. “India has always stood against violence and extremism. We condemn the horrific attack on Salman Rushdie and we wish him a speedy recovery,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and torso at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on August 12.

BJP leader Sonali Phogat suffered “multiple blunt force injuries on the body,” the post-mortem report revealed, hours after the Goa Police registered a murder case. The 42-year-old actor-turned-politician died of a suspected heart attack in Goa on Tuesday with her family questioning the circumstances leading to her death.

Suspended Telangana BJP leader T Raja Singh, who was out on bail in connection with a case registered against him over his alleged derogatory comments about the Prophet, was arrested again today. Earlier in the day, the Hyderabad police served notices under Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) over remarks he allegedly made in April this year against the Prophet, and asked him to appear before police for questioning.

With the Election Commission sending Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais its opinion in a matter pertaining to Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s disqualification as MLA for allegedly misusing his position, the CM on Thursday accused the BJP of “blatant misuse of constitutional authorities and public agencies” even as the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) claimed that there was no immediate threat to the government. The CM went into a huddle with his advisors and state Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan after news emerged of the EC sending Bais its opinion on the disqualification matter. Abhishek Angad reports.

From Bollywood:  Vijay Deverakonda-Ananya Panday starrer Liger hit the big screen today. Should you watch it or skip it? Read Shubhra Gupta’s review to decide.

In Express Opinion

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Political Pulse

Ending days of speculation, the BJP today appointed Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary as the new president of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit. Chaudhary is the first person from the dominant Jat community to head the party in the state. With Chaudhary’s appointment, made with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party would want to send out a message to the socially dominant and influential Jats, an OBC community in the state that spearheaded the year-long farmer protest.A look at the Jat leader’s political journey.

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari today shot off a string of tweets alleging a “nefarious and fabricated campaign” against him for “political mileage” by a section of the media, who, he said, were “concocting” his statements. Gadkari’s office said there have been a series of instances since 2018 when the minister’s words were allegedly twisted and misinterpreted. However, sources in the party said the minister’s remarks have indeed been embarrassing both the BJP and the government. Liz Mathew reports.

Express Explained

The Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, recently criticised the Manusmriti, the ancient Sanskrit text, over its gender bias. Pandit said the Manusmriti has categorised all women as “shudras”, which is “extraordinarily regressive”. What is Manusmriti? What is its significance? Why is it controversial? We explain.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers announced on Wednesday that it has been decided to implement One Nation One Fertiliser by introducing a “Single Brand for Fertilisers and Logo” under the fertiliser subsidy scheme named “Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna”. What is the government’s argument for introducing this scheme? What can be the drawbacks of the scheme? Read here.