LIVE news update: Kapil Sibal takes a dig at PM Modi for sending greetings to Pakistani PM Imran Khan 

Kapil Sibal on Saturday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending best wishes to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the eve of its National Day, alleging that he had been on good terms with the Pakistani establishment even earlier.

"Remember Modiji...you embraced (then Pakistani premier) Nawaz Sharif, called him to your inauguration and showed what a change it would be. It was you who shared a birthday bash, gave him gifts. While our PM never visited Pakistan, you gave him gifts and then you are teaching us lessons on Pakistan?" said senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal.

Official sources said ON Friday that Modi sent a letter to Khan, greeting people of Pakistan on the eve of its National Day and highlighting the importance of a terror-free South Asia.

Modi's message to Khan came in the midst of severe strain in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the Pulwama attack and the subsequent air strikes by India on a JeM terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose and leaders of CPI(M)'s frontal organisations Saturday pledged support to the aspiring school teachers who are on relay hunger strike for 24 days demanding recruitment to vacant posts in state-run and state-aided institutes.

Bose, a senior CPI(M) leader, claimed that he came to the agitators at their venue here as a citizen and not as the leader of a political party and expressed solidarity with their demands.

"I fully agree to their claims that despite qualifying in the School Service Commission (SSC) written test in 2016, the deserving candidates have not been called for interview and there have been irregularities in the recruitment process," he said.

Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) on Saturday welcomed Union government's "positive and pathbreaking" decision to ban separatist organization Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and holding its founder, Yasin Malik, responsible for the "genocide" of Kashmiri Pandits.

The GKPD, a joint initiative of Kashmiri Pandit organizations in India and abroad, has been persistently demanding the formal acknowledgement that what the Kashmiri Pandits suffered was nothing but "genocide".

"Today, Kashmiri Pandit community has proven to be triumphant in that the sword of their truth has prevailed over the sword of violence. Kashmiri Pandits have been steadfast in their truth, Satyamev Jayate, even in the face of an extremely hostile state administration and a complicit establishment," GKPD said in a statement.

Weapons and explosives were seized from a Maoist hideout in Jharkhand's Palamau district on Saturday, police said.

Based on an intelligence input, a joint team of the state police and Central Reserve Police Force carried out a search at Donra jungle under Pipra police station of Palamau, and recovered two rifles, two IEDs weighing 5 kg each, four detonators, two hand grenades, 200 metre electric wire, 30 Kg ammonium nitrate, 10 uniforms and other things.

Police said that the explosives were stored by the Maoists for disrupting the Lok Sabha polls.

Thousands gathered on Saturday to march through London calling for a second European Union (EU) referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse.

Demonstrators from the "Put It To The People" campaign will march from Park Lane to Parliament Square, followed by a rally in front of the Parliament, the BBC reported.

It comes after the EU agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU.

An official was booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCAA) on Saturday after two cows allegedly died due to hunger in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district.

On Thursday, residents found carcasses of the animals from a shelter house in Bansgaon Nagar Panchayat after foul smell started emanating from the unit. The nagar panchayat is responsible for the upkeep of stray animals at the shelter house, officials said.

Angry locals had lodged a protest and met officials of the administrative area, seeking action against the officials responsible and demanded proper care of animals.

Bansgaon sub-divisional magistrate Arun Kumar Mishra said an FIR had been registered against tax collector Santosh Singh and a probe was underway.

Congress petitioned the state Governor over the ruling TRS in Telangana allegedly encouraging defections of its MLAs and said it would also complain to the Lokpal on the matter.

"We request you to send the copy of our representation to the President of India and Union Ministry to impose President's rule by invoking Article 356 of the Constitution of India," the memorandum said.

Copies of the memorandum were later shared with the media.

"...Lok Pal has been constituted. This was an act passed by the UPA-2 government and I was the law minister to draft this... this will be the first complaint to be lodged there," senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily told reporters.

50-year old man died and 15 people were injured in a clash over the demarcation of a plot of land between a temple and a gurdwara in Haryana's Kaithal district, police said on Saturday.

The clash broke out between two groups at Badsui village in Guhla area on Friday. The dispute arose over the division of land between a gurdwara and a temple on 'shamlat' (common) land, district Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pramod Kumar said.

Both groups used sticks and threw bricks at each other. A person named Shamsher Singh received head injuries and died in a hospital. Around 15 people sustained injuries, the police said A case has been registered against 35 unidentified people in connection with the incident, the DSP said, adding that the situation was under control.

An umbrella body of minority community members Saturday listed a set of 14 demands for political parties for the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

The Minority Coordination Committee said the demands include amendment to the National Commission for Minorities Act, setting up of a ministry of minority affairs in all states, establishment of an equal opportunities commission, special budget provisions for minorities and enacting laws to prevent communal violence.

The Minority Coordination Committee convener Mujahid Nafees told reporters the charter of demands would be conveyed to all parties and candidates contesting from the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.

A fire broke out at a paper factory here on Saturday but no casualty was reported, a fire officer said.

A call about the fire at a basement of the factory, in Dilshad Garden area of north Delhi, was received at 1.15 p.m. and 16 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames, the officer said. The "cooling operation" is now underway, he said.

Separatists said the Centre's decision to ban Jammu and Kashmir Liberatation Front headed by Yasin Malik was "undemocratic" and "political vendetta".

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an amalgam of separatist groups, called for a general strike on Sunday to protest against the ban imposed by the government on the JKLF.

"The Government of India's decision of banning the JKLF for five years is highly authoritarian, autocratic and pure political vendetta," the JRL said in a statement.

The JRL urged people of Kashmir to observe a complete shutdown on March 24 against "the arbitrary and undemocratic decision" of the government.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in Poonch district in Jammu Kashmir at around 5:30 pm today. Indian Army also retaliated

The MNS on Saturday threatened to stall the release of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming it violated the model code of conduct for the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

'PM Narendra Modi', directed by Omung Kumar with Vivek Oberoi in the lead, is set for a theatrical release on April 5.

In a statement, MNS general secretary Shalini Thackeray said party chief Raj Thackeray had last year stated that the BJP was sponsoring movies like 'Toilet-Ek Prem Katha' and 'Padman' to promote its government's schemes.

"Not even a year has passed and the BJP has added another feather to its cap," she said, referring to the biopic on the PM.

Stating that it should not be allowed to release, Thackeray also slammed the makers of the movie for giving credit for lyrics to Javed Akhtar and Sameer.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Saturday claimed neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Finance Minister Arun Jaitley knew economics, as they dub India as the fifth largest economy despite it being the third largest one.

In an apparent backhanded praise, Swamy said he does not understand why the prime minister says India is the world's fifth largest economy when, as per scientifically acceptable procedures for GDP calculations, the Indian economy is the third largest after the USA and China.

"I don't know why our prime minister keeps saying the fifth largest... because he doesn't know economics, and the finance minister also doesn't know any economics," said Swamy, who has often courted controversies through his comments.

Swamy, who holds a PhD in economics from Harvard and also taught the subject there, has often been critical of Jaitley.

Dharwad building collapse: 7 officials of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation have been suspended for negligence, by the state government

Complaint filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in one of his tweets

Fire breaks out at a bank in Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh . Fire tenders rushed to the spot. This is a developing story.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greeting to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the occasion of their National Day as "cheating" and accused him of double speak for votes.

"On one hand, for vote bank politics several statements were made against Pakistan and strict public stand was taken. But on the other hand, a secret letter is sent to Pakistan Prime Minister. (Is) such act by Modi to cheat 130 crore people correct? People need to remain alert," she tweeted.

Her remarks came a day after Khan claimed that Modi greeted him on their National Day following weeks of heightened tension between India and Pakistan triggered by the Pulwama terror attack.

After a viral video made rounds claiming to reveal class 10th Board English question paper. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued an advisory asking students and parents to not pay attention on the video

“CBSE has located more uploads falsely claiming to have access to the class 10 and 12 original question papers of subjects yet to be conducted,” CBSE said in its advisory.

CBSE revealed links to various websites and videos falsely claiming to reveal class 10th and 12th question Paper

British Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs that there might not be a third vote on her Brexit deal next week if there was insufficient support for it to pass.

If it does not pass and no alternative plan is put forward, the UK is set to leave the European Union (EU) on April 12. And if it passes, the bloc has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until May 12, the BBC reported.

Chief Fire Officer, Delhi informed the media that a fire broke out in the basement of a paper factory in Dilshad Garden area at around 2 pm, today. Total 15 fire units sent to the spot. More details awaited.

Two petitions were launched calling for New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for her handling of the March 15 Christchurch mosques carnage, the media reported on Saturday.

A Change.org petition, that started four days ago, has garnered more than 3,000 signatures while a petition on French website AVAAZ.org received over 1,000 signatures, The New Zealand Herald reported.

"Following the tragic events of Christchurch and the adequate, open and peaceful response of New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern, we wish to propose her as the recipient of the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize," the French petition said.

In a complaint to the Election Commission of India on Saturday, the Goa Congress has demanded that the poll authority should strike down a state government order, which appoints two key coalition leaders as deputy Chief Ministers.

"The order is a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct and as such this order should be immediately set aside by the EC and strict and stringent action should be taken against the concerned officer and the government of Goa," Congress's head of the communications department for Goa, Trajano D'Mello, said in his complaint to the top poll authority in New Delhi.

Police in Germany on Saturday arrested 10 people on suspicion of planning an Islamist attack.

The arrests were made after some 200 police officers carried out raids in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, reports the BBC.

The men had plotted to "kill as many 'non-believers' as possible" using a vehicle and guns, prosecutors said.

Cyclone Trevor made landfall on Saturday in Australia's northern coast, bringing torrential rain and winds of up to 250 km/h.

Trevor hit the communities of Numbulwa and Borroloola in the Northern Territory as a category four storm and officials have declared a state of emergency in some areas, reports the BBC.

Cyclone Veronica is due to hit the northwest coast of Australia between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Launching a blistering attack on the BJP here on Saturday, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the party suppressed the Dalits and the backward communities and the people are ready to give their reply in the elections.

Yadav's comments came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused political parties that claim to be followers of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, of betraying his (Lohia's) principles.

"They (BJP) should remember that the Dalits and the backward community are aware of their mindset. And people are now ready to give their reply in the Lok Sabha polls.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Saturday termed the BJP "schizophrenic" and alleged that the party tries to co-opt icons like Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia but follows people who these leaders disagreed with.

The remarks by the SP chief came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's blog in which he dubbed the efforts of regional parties to form a grand alliance with the Congress as "reprehensible", saying socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia would be "horrified" as most of these parties claim to be his followers.

Akhilesh Yadav further termed the social media workers of the BJP as "INTERNET TERRORISTS"

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday accused the BJP of having his public rally cancelled, while questioning how many rallies of the saffron party were cancelled in the last five years.

"BJP gets my public rally cancelled today through police. Police denies permission. How many BJP rallies were denied permission by police in Delhi in last 5 years?" Kejriwal said in a tweet.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief also said that the BJP should accept that it will lose all the seven seats in Delhi

Government appoints Vice Admiral Karanbir Singh as the next Chief of Naval Staff. Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba will vacate the office on 31 May 2019

The Congress in Kerala has proposed AICC president Rahul Gandhi's name for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, a party bastion in the State, but he has yet to respond to the request, senior leaders said on Saturday.

All India Congress Committee General secretary Oommen Chandy said that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has requested Congress President Rahul Gandhi to contest from one of the seats in Kerala. The seat on offer is Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi's response is expected anytime today

Congress Party condemned the violence which occured in Gurugram, Haryana. Where a house was vandalised and family members were beaten up. The Party asked CM Manoharlal Khattar to take strict action.

Police has arrested one accused on the basis of victims FIR

Three persons of a family, including a minor, died as their house collapsed in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, police said on Saturday. The house located at Kherna village in Aayal gram panchayat collapsed on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, they said.

Haashim (27), his wife Taslima (26) and their two-year-old daughter were buried under the debris, Chamba Superintendent of Police Monica Bhutunguru said. A police team has been sent to the village to ascertain the reasons for the collapse, she said. The SP said the next course of action would be taken accordingly after knowing the exact facts.

Muslims prayed at Christchurch's main mosque on Saturday for the first time since a white supremacist massacred worshippers there as New Zealand sought to return to normality after the tragedy.

The Al Noor mosque was taken over by police for investigations and security reasons after alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant attacked Muslims gathered there and at a smaller mosque for Friday prayers on March 15, killing 50 people.

But Al Noor was handed back to the local Muslim community on Saturday and began allowing small groups onto its grounds around midday.

President Ram Nath Kovind administers oath of office to Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as Lokpal chairperson.

The death toll from an explosion in a chemical plant in China's Jiangsu province increased to 64 while 28 people still remain missing, authorities said.

Two people were killed on Saturday in a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, police said.

The massive landslide hit a truck on Thathri road in Gandoh area, killing both the driver and the helper on the spot.

"Locals rushed to the spot immediately, but could not save the victims," the police added.

26 people have been killed and 28 injured after a tour bus caught fire on a highway in central China’s Hunan province, said local authorities