Chennai: Stalin surrenders illegally-imported Hummer to CBI

Chennai: DMK leader MK Stalin on Friday surrendered his illegally-imported Hummer to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chennai. Sources said Stalin's son Udayanidhi came to the Chennai office of the agency and handed over Sports Utility Vehicle Hummer which was imported in 2007 and registered in his name.

They said the car was one of the vehicles which were allegedly imported by Hyderabad businessman Alex C Joseph evading customs duties and sold to influential people at attractive rates.

Case against Kataria politically motivated: Amit Shah

Jammu: The BJP on Friday accused the ruling Congress of "misusing" CBI against its rival parties and said that the case filed against Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case was "politically motivated".

"If people will leave the public life considering the CBI charge sheet is true, then nobody apart from Congress will survive. Neither DMK nor SP (Samajwadi Party) or BSP will survive. Nobody will survive. This government has the nature of threatening the other parties with CBI and saving its people from the CBI," Former Gujarat Home Minister and BJP General Secretary, Amit Shah, told reporters on Friday.

UPA should declare its PM candidate first: BJP

Jammu: BJP on Friday said the Congress-led UPA should declare its Prime Ministerial candidate first and whether Rahul Gandhi is a stakeholder for the top job or not. While insisting that BJP Parliamentary Board will take a decision regarding its PM candidate at an appropriate time BJP national general secretary and former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah said, since UPA was in power, it should first take a decision in this regard.

"I am a BJP worker. I don't have any individual thinking. BJP Parliamentary Board will take a decision at the right time," Shah said when asked whether the party will project Narendra Modi as its PM candidate.

Karnataka: 29 ministers to be sworn-in tomorrow

Bangalore: The four-day old Siddaramaiah ministry in Karnataka will be expanded on Saturday with the induction of 29 ministers, an exercise from which the "tainted" would be kept out. Siddaramaiah, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 13 marking return of Congress to power after a seven-year hiatus, however, ruled out induction of any Deputy Chief Minister.

Twenty-nine ministers will be sworn in at Raj Bhavan, the 64-year-old Chief Minister told reporters in the district headquarters town of Mysore on his return from Delhi where the first list of ministers was finalised in consultation with the party's central leadership. Karnataka Assembly has a strength of 224 and Siddaramaiah can induct up to 33 ministers.

IPL spot-fixing: Shinde congratulates Delhi Police

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday congratulated Delhi Police for unearthing the illegal practice of spot-fixing in IPL cricket matches which led to the arrest of three cricketers and several bookies.

"I congratulate Delhi Police. Whenever they do good work I appreciate," Shinde told reporters here on the sidelines of an event of border guarding force BSF.

WB Panchayat polls to be held on July 2, 6 and 10

Kolkata: The West Bengal Election Commission on Friday announced dates for the Panchayat elections in the state. The elections will be held in three phases on July 2, 6 and 10. The results will be announced three days later.

The state government's demand for a two-phase polling was earlier shot down by the Calcutta High Court.

Rahul to address rally in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will address a rally in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday in connection with the culmination of the Kerala Yatra, led by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala.

Senior Congress leaders including Defence Minister AK Antony and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would also address the concluding session of the Yatra, which began from Hosangadi near Manjeswaram in Kasaragod on April 18, Chennithala told reporters.

Politicians condemn spot-fixing in IPL 6

Politicians have condemned spot-fixing in IPL 6 saying such cricketers have brought shame to the game. Meanwhile, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has applauded Delhi Police for cracking the case.

There is internal fixing among Rahul, Priyanka and Varun Gandhi: SP

As Varun Gandhi staked claim to his father's legacy in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader saying Varun, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are from the same family and there is an internal fixing among them.

Hindu terror remark: Court's order on summoning Shinde today

New Delhi: A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on Friday its order on whether to summon Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in connection with a defamation case filed against him for his alleged 'Hindu terror' remark. Metropolitan Magistrate Amitabh Rawat, who was scheduled to pronounce his verdict on the petition on Thursday, listed it for Friday, saying he had not prepared the whole order. "I have not prepared the whole order. So come tomorrow. I will pass the order at 2 pm," the magistrate said on Thursday.

The court had already recorded the pre-summoning evidence of petitioner VP Kumar after it had heard his counsel Monika Arora, who had alleged that the home minister had "wilfully" made the "derogatory" remarks to cause "ill will and hatred among communities". Kumar, in his petition, had alleged that Shinde's remarks were aimed at "polarising minority votes" in the 2014 general elections.