January 30: Top news at noon

SC denies bail to Asaram Bapu

The Supreme Court has denied bail sought on medical grounds by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, accused in sexual assault cases and in jail for over two years. The instant plea is devoid of merit and hence dismissed, said the SC, while refusing to modify its earlier order that had declined him interim bail.

Infosys techie murdered in Pune; Security guard nabbed

A 26-year-old security guard has been apprehended in connection with the murder of 23-year-old OP Rasila, an IT professional from Infosys, who was found dead last night in a conference room of the company in Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Hinjewadi, Pune, police said today. She was allegedly strangulated with the help of a computer cord and was hit hard on the face, police said. "On the basis of the CCTV footage from the company premises and other clues, we zeroed down on a security guard from Assam, who after the incident, fled and now has been held in Mumbai," said Arun Waikar, senior police inspector at Hinjewadi Police Station. The suspect has been identified as Bhabhen Saikia, who was deployed as a guard at the Infosys unit, and is being brought to Pune, he said.

EC teams seize illicit liquor worth ₹9.5 lakh in Punjab

Election Commission-appointed surveillance teams have seized about 900 cases of illegal liquor and beer worth over ₹9.5 lakh from Sangrur district in poll-bound Punjab. They said the teams searched an alleged illegal godown at Kohrian Road where 119 cases of beer, 220 cases of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 11 cases of country liquor were seized. At an another location in the said district, the EC appointed teams seized about 500 such cases, they said. "The case pertains to excess stocks of liquor and beer stocked at these locations. Stocks worth over ₹9.5 lakh have been seized," they said.

Rescind 'Muslim ban': top Democrat leaders to Trump

Top Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Indian-American Senator Kamala Harris, today urged US President Donald Trump to rescind his alleged "Muslim ban". "This is effectively a Muslim ban. One that will do nothing to keep us safe and undermines our core American values," Harris, who is of mixed Indian-American and African-American heritage, said as she launched an online petition campaign urging Trump to rescind the ban. Senator Schumer, the Senate Minority leader, said the executive orders are wrong. He demanded that the President immediately rescind the executive orders.

The White House has denied that this is a ban on Muslims.

NCP will never support BJP and compromise on secularism: Sharad Pawar

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who the central government recently honoured with the country’s second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan, has scotched rumours that his party was cosying up to BJP, saying it will never support the saffron party nor join hands with communal forces and compromise on secularism. "There are rumours being spread that NCP is growing close to BJP. This is absolutely false news. NCP will never support BJP," he said addressing a public meeting in Vasco, Goa last night, where he was canvassing for his party candidate Jose Philipe D Souza. Pawar also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, holding him responsible for generating unemployment in the unorganised sector and spelling doom on various sectors including the powerloom industry. "The PM overnight terminated a lot of currency and within a day, the entire country was standing in queues outside banks," he said.

Trinamool Congress not to attend Parliament on Budget day

Trinamool Congress, which is angry over the arrest of its MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal by CBI in connection with the Rose Valley Group chit fund scam, will not attend Parliament on February 1 when the Union Budget is presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Party leader and MP Derek O'Brien cited Saraswati Puja on that day as the reason. Trinamool will also not attend the all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday ahead of the Budget session of Parliament beginning tomorrow, January 31. About not attending this evening's all-party meeting, he said this was because Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called a meeting of party MPs for today "10 days back". Asked whether the party was "boycotting" these proceedings or just skipping them, he replied, "It is open for your interpretation".