India and the US are close to inking a preliminary contract in connection with the proposed construction of six nuclear reactors by an American company in Mithi Virdi in Gujarat.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a PIL against DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran for allegedly setting up a telephone exchange illegally at his Chennai house during his tenure as the telecom minister, saying “Supreme Court is not a dumping ground for political fights.”

Union law and justice minister Kapil Sibal on Friday said the government is working on a proposal to prevent the entry of criminals into politics even as a bill to prevent immediate disqualification of legislators upon conviction is pending in Parliament.

The police has intensified its probe against former minister Babulal Nagar over the charge of rape against him while the governor has accepted his resignation. Mr Nagar’s family members came out in his support and said he was innocent. The victim’s statement will be recorded under CrPC Section 164 on Saturday. The Opposition BJP, meanwhile, sharpened its knives against the Congress government and sought a CBI probe against Mr Nagar.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who is also BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, will address rallies in Uttar Pradesh from October.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday made an appeal to “prominent voices” on the social media, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, HRD minister Shashi Tharoor, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actors and fellow party leaders to promote voter registration among youth.

The process of political realignment appears to have begun after the naming of Mr Narendra Modi as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. The Congress on Friday expressed confidence of the coming together of “like-minded” parties against communalism, saying it is the “biggest threat” to Indian democracy.

The administration in Rajasthan is gearing up for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s day-long visit to the state on Saturday and UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s visit the day after.

The CBI on Friday closed the disproportionate assets case against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, citing lack of evidence. The clean chit to Mr Yadav in the six-year-old case comes at a time when the SP government in Uttar Pradesh is facing severe criticism for failing to contain the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar.

Terming it as a “peculiar” matter, a city court dismissed a woman’s plea seeking divorce to show her marital status as “single” in her passport since she wanted to go abroad and live with her son.