The magistrate court on Monday granted the police Salim Ansari’s custody till September 5, 2013, which is longest when compared to others accused involved in the gangrape of the young photojournalist. The police had appealed for a long custody for all accused to carry out a thorough investigation, however, for the four other accused they were granted custody only till August 30.

In a bid to ensure greater transparency and probity in cases of “foreign hospitality” being enjoyed by government servants, the Union home ministry has made it mandatory for all public servants to seek the permission of the Central government by submitting only “online” applications along with invitation letter from the host organisation or country and the administrative clearance of the concerned ministry or government department.

In a big step towards completion of Jaitapur nuclear power project, Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCL) has started working on the basic infrastructure such as office and roads at the project site from last week.
Out of six villages, 308 landholders have accepted part of the compensation.

With an aim to address the problems of transgender community, the ministry of social justice and empowerment held the first ever consultation meeting with the concerned ministries along with various experts and researchers.

Making a strong pitch for smooth passage of the landmark Food Security Bill, the Congress president said the measure is a “historic opportunity” to provide food security to tens of millions of people in the country, which will end the problem of hunger once for all.

The Congress party played the Food Security Card to blunt the Opposition’s campaign on corruption and price rise in the Lok Sabha elections ahead.

Congress president and UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, who has been present in Parliament since morning leading the ambitious Food Security Bill, was rushed to AIIMS after she suddenly fell ill late on Monday evening. She was escorted out of Parliament, after the party chief complained of “breathlessness” while voting was underway. She was admitted to the AIIMS’ cardio-neuro unit around 9.20 pm.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, providing for the wife a share in the husband’s immovable property after “irretrievable breakdown” of marriage.

The Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013, was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Monday to allow people in jail to contest polls and convicted MPs and MLAs to retain their membership till pendency of appeal while being barred from voting and drawing salary.

Two TDP members, C.M. Ramesh and Y.S. Chowdhary, were suspended from Rajya Sabha on Monday under Rule 255 for continuously disrupting the House by protesting against the decision to form Telangana. Cracking the whip, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurien suspended the two MPs for a day.