Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs supporting him took the Congress to court today over its move to disqualify them, arguing that disagreements between elected representatives and the party cannot be construed as anti-party activity and skipping two meetings is not ground for disqualification.

The hearing at the Rajasthan High Court, however, got deferred today as the petitioners asked for a two-judge bench. Te matter has now been referred to a two-judge bench.

Usually, matters related to constitutional law is heard by a two-judge bench. But a single judge — Justice Satish Sharma — was assigned to give urgent hearing to Team Pilot’s petition. The High Court had been closed for six days after a few employees were found infected with coronavirus.

Mr Pilot, who has insisted that he belongs to the Congress, took his party to court this morning over its move to disqualify him and his supporters.19 MLAs filed the petition, Sachin Pilot is petitioner number 7.

Not attending Congress’s legislature party meetings amounts to disassociating from the Congress and its ideology and will invite action under the constitution, the Congress and the Speaker have contended.

The Team Pilot has argued that not attending two meetings is not ground for disqualification. Elected representatives who voice disagreement cannot said to be acting against party, hence the Speaker’s notice is illegal and should be struck down, the MLAs have said in their petitions.

The rebels were sent notices by the Speaker under the Anti-Defection law, which is part of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Their disqualification will lower the majority mark in the assembly and give Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a shot at saving his government.

A deferred date will also give Mr Pilot more time to cobble up his numbers to 30 — the math that gives BJP a chance of planning an alternative government.

Mr Pilot has emphatically denied that he is joining the BJP. But that he made no effort to contact the Gandhis despite their repeated overtures and hunkered down at the resort in Haryana — against the party command — is seen as a hardening of stance by the rebel leader.

Yesterday, the Congress had asked Mr Pilot to move out of the BJP-ruled state and stop fraternizing with the BJP.

But his choice of counsel today — Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi , top lawyers of the BJP-led Central government — is seen as an indication of his trajectory.

The Congress has accused the BJP of rolling out heavy artillery to defend Mr Pilot and his band of rebels. In view of the tax raids against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s loyalists earlier this week, the party has also accused the BJP of using the power of the government and its agencies to target Mr Gehlot.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the COVID-19 situation in the national capital is better than in June, but the war against the disease has not been won yet.

Addressing an online media briefing, he said, “The COVID-19 situation in Delhi is under control but we do not have to be complacent. We will continue our preparations.”

He said his government’s first principle of combating the disease is that the COVID-19 fight cannot be won alone, that is why, the AAP dispensation sought cooperation from everyone, be it the Centre, hotels and other organisations.

He also said that the coronavirus situation in Delhi is better as compared to June.There are 18,600 active cases of coronavirus in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal said, adding that only 4,000 beds have so far been occupied.

The Delhi government has also been conducting 20,000-23,000 COVID-19 tests every day, the Chief Minister added.

A lady journalist has committed suicide over love failure and this incident is reported under Gandhi Nagar police station premise. Going into details, 26 year old Kalyani from Siddipet was working in a private news channel in Hyderabad.

Kalyani is said to be in relation with Siva who works in the same channel for the last two years. When she proposed for marriage, Siva reportedly rejected and this forced Kalyani to go into depression. The lady journalist who is living in a rented house with her brother, hanged to death when none were at home.

Seeing her sister hanging to the fan, Kalyani’s brother dialed the cops and her body was sent to Gandhi hospital for post-mortem. Also the police lodged a case in connection with suicide based on Kalyani’s parents complaint and are probing the case.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every sector. With the academic year taking a severe hit and the future of lakhs of students at stake, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board has recently cancelled the pending board examinations.

This is the first time in recent history where the board has cancelled exams for some subjects. The board had initially postponed the pending exam but with the situation getting worse, it has decided to cancel the exams and declared the results. The pending exams were cancelled and the marks were evaluated based on the average of the best three and performance in internal/practical projects.

Now that the results are out, there has been hue and cry from various sections. Many are raising concerns over the marks evaluation. As many as 3,096,771 students appeared for the board exams this year. In the wake of Covid crisis, the board announced results based on three parameters.

Amidst growing dissent from some sections and criticism on CBSE results for Class X and Class XII, none other than Prime Minister Modi himself took to Twitter and tried to pacify. He wrote, “For those who aren’t happy with their CBSE Class X and XII results, I want to tell them- one exam doesn’t define who you are. Each of you is blessed with numerous talents. Live life to the fullest. Never lose hope, always look ahead. You will do wonders!”

For those who aren’t happy with their CBSE Class X and XII results, I want to tell them- one exam doesn’t define who you are. Each of you is blessed with numerous talents. Live life to the fullest. Never lose hope, always look ahead. You will do wonders!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 15, 2020

Sachin Pilot will need about a month of “me time” before the Congress can decide how to accommodate him, said top leaders in the party who have been in touch with the 42-year-old through the big bang crisis of his revolt.

Mr Pilot said this morning that he will not join the BJP – an utterance that softened his party’s stand on him. “He could be given an important national role. It may not be possible straight away, a cooling off period of a month may be needed,” said the Congress leader who is playing a key role in charting Mr Pilot’s course – or whatever remains of it – with the party. It’s important that Mr Pilot plan a “return” without conditions, said the Congress leader known for his proximity to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

“I am still a Congressman,” Mr Pilot told in this morning, adding that he will not join the BJP, even as the party began action against him to disqualify him as an MLA – it has given him till Friday to justify his “anti-party activities.” Yesterday, Mr Pilot was dismissed as Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan as also from the post of president of the Congress state branch.

At a press conference, Congress spokesperson RS Surjewala said Mr Pilot should leave the resort in Haryana where he has been sequestered with his loyalists. “We’ve seen Sachin Pilot’s statement that he won’t join BJP. I’d like to tell him that if you don’t want that, then leave the security cover of the BJP’s Haryana government, stop all conversations with them and come back to your home in Jaipur,” he said.

The fact that his rival, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, seems to have the support of enough MLAs to remain in power, could have shaped the tenor of Mr Pilot’s interview this morning, one that indicated he could be persuaded to remain with the Congress. The party has made it clear that while it is keen to retain him, it cannot countenance his demand that to be named Chief Minister instead of Mr Gehlot.

“The threat level to the Gehlot government has come down,” the Congress leader interviewed for this report said on the condition of anonymity. In Jaipur, Mr Gehlot’s squad, glamping at a fancy hotel, claimed it has strengthened its number to 109 – eight more than it needs to remain in office – according to sources close to the Chief Minister. A major confidence booster came from senior BJP leaders in the state including Gulab Chand Kataria who said the situation does not seem to merit putting Mr Gehlot through a trust vote – yet.

Mr Pilot and the Congress have, in the last 24 hours, taken refuge in ascribing great value to the relationship he shares with the Gandhis, offering highly redeemable points as a possible out of the current eruption.

After state authorities were earlier praised for the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Bengaluru has now turned into one of the cities where COVID-19 cases are spiking the fastest. Another lockdown is in place as a result – and this is stricter than earlier ones.

Perhaps it is awareness of these rapidly rising numbers – over a thousand new cases every day – that has increased compliance with the lockdown regulations. Many citizens feel the week-long lockdown is basically a good idea when it comes to their safety.

“The lockdown is a good thing. Coronavirus cases are increasing. Every day we see in the papers – another 1500 cases.A citizen said, “It is a good thing. It will make the cases less.”The lockdown is stricter this time around. Even shops selling essential items must shut by12 noon. Only medical shops can stay open. Online and food deliveries, however, are being allowed.

“They have given instructions that the lockdown should be enforced very strictly even as supply of essential supplies is to be maintained. This bandobast is going to be very different. There are going to be no passes,” Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru Police Commissioner, said.Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said 2,000 home guards have been deployed in the city to help enforce the lockdown.

“I have asked my police officer to strictly implement the lockdown. And I have asked people to cooperate. We have deployed over 2,000 home guards in Bengaluru as police and others have been quarantined. We are using our Civil Defence volunteers to supply food in containment zones. And fire-force equipment is being used to cleanse the city during this lockdown,” he said.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and the Home Minister say that the lockdown will not be extended beyond a week. But state authorities also earlier said that another lockdown was not being considered. They did change their minds about that.

A massive fire broke out in the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma city in Visakhapatnam on Monday night following heavy explosions in Ramky CETP (combined effluent treatment plant) Solvent Pharma Company.

The staff at the Pharma City and people living nearby were panicked due to the explosions. Several people have been reportedly injured in the incident. A few people have been shifted to a hospital in Gajuwaka.

The fire personnel are not able to go near the place to douse the flames due to the explosions. There is fear that the flames would spread to the nearby pharma companies and cause more destruction. Thick smoke engulfed the area due to the heavy explosions.

The ongoing pandemic is spreading its deadly wings in the country as te infections and increasing rapidly. Even the places of worship were also not being spared.

In the latest development, as many as 91 TTD employees were found positive for the deadly virus. TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal confirmed the new infections detected at the temple.

The EO said, 1704 personnel at Alipiri and 1,865 personnel at Tirumala were tested for the dreaded virus and 91 infections were detected. Though 634 devotees were tested for the virus, no infections were found.

He went on to say that, they will release a white paper in regard to the temple assets and said the tenders for Brahmotsava establishment were being called and the TTD will take a coll on Brahmotsavalu based on the prevailing situations.

Over 38 staff members in Telangana Raj Bhavan along with 10 of their family members tested positive for Covid-19. However, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and her family members tested negative for the Coronavirus and she tweeted about the same. She encouraged people in red zones to undergo tests.

Of the 38 staff members, 28 are security personnel and 10 from other departments in the Governor’s office.

The medical personnel collected swab samples of a total of 39 people, including the Governor and the staff. While 48 tested positive, the remaining 347 tested negative.

The health officials sent 20 of the positive patients to Government Ayurveda Hospital while the remaining were advised to go for home quarantine.

With the number of positive cases increasing by the day in Telangana, Soundararajan, who is a medical doctor herself, monitored the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the state. She visited NIMS and even held discussion with the managements of private healthcare facilities recently.

She also called for Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and principal secretary (health) to meet her to enquire about the existing conditions and the precautions being taken to handle the crisis.

In June, six employees of the AP Raj Bhavan tested positive for the virus and all of them have recovered. However, AP Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan tested negative for Covid-19.