The Supreme Court on Thursday barred persons lodged behind bars from contesting polls to legislative bodies, its second consecutive verdict in the direction of cleansing the nation’s politics of people with criminal antecedents.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and indicated that they discussed the food security ordinance. The SP has been opposing the government’s move, which the Congress considers a “game-changer”.

Keeping in view the coming Assembly elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a slew of proposals, that include setting up of two national universities at Rae Bareli, the home turf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The juvenile (now an adult) who allegedly was the most “brutal” of the six accused in last year’s December 16 gangrape case in Delhi was convicted of robbery by the Juvenile Justice Board on Thursday.

Keeping in view the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, the Union Cabinet on Thursday gave in-principle approval to withdraw the controversial Rent Act of 1958 and replace it with a new law under which rent in the capital would be linked to inflation.

Following a request from Central intelligence agencies, the Twitter handle @Indian Mujahideen has been suspended by the micro-blogging site. The IP address of the Twitter handle was traced to Pakistan after the IM claimed responsibility for the Bodh Gaya serial bombings and threatened to carry out terror strikes in Mumbai.

Dismissing the finance ministry’s suggestion that it look at the possibility of putting a cap on the extent to which natural gas prices could be hiked under a new pricing formula, petroleum minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Thursday that the government was not contemplating any change in its decision to nearly double the price of natural gas produced domestically.

Keeping in view the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, the Union Cabinet on Thursday gave in-principle approval to withdraw the controversial Rent Act of 1958 and replace it with a new law under which rent in the national capital would be linked to inflation.

One of the accused in the December 16 gangrape case on Thursday claimed before the fast-track court here that he was not present in the city on the night of the incident as he had left for his village on December 15, 2012.

As per juvenile law, if found guilty, the boy, who was 17 when the December 16, 2012 gangrape occurred, faces a maximum three years in a correctional facility. This will also include the time he has already spent in custody.