The Year That Was
2018, as all years before it and after it, was jam-packed with events. It started with a bang on January 1 following an altercation at Bhima Koregaon in Pune and ended with the extradition of Christian Michel – alleged middleman of the AgustaWestland chopper scam. It was the year of #MeToo protest, disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs, furore over the Rafale deal, controversy over Justin Trudeau’s India jaunt and a year where statutes – tall and damaged – took to the fore.
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Compiled by DNA - Research N Archives
1. DALIT-MARATHA VIOLENCE
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A riot like situation prevailed at Bhima Koregaon in Pune after two groups entered into stone pelting following an altercation on January 1. Lakhs of people gathered to commemorate the 200yrs of victory of battle between Peshwas & Soldiers of East India Co. As Dalits took to streets, several parts in Mumbai were tense on January 2 impacting road, rail & public transport in the city.
Source: ANI
2. Electoral Bonds Passed
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As announced in the last budget, FM Arun Jaitley on January 2 introduced interest-free electoral bonds for donations to the political parties which can be bought only from the State Bank of India.
Source: PTI
3. 20 AAP MLAs DQed
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20 Aam Aadmi Party legislators were disqualified by the Election Commission of India for allegedly holding offices of profit as Parliamentary Secretaries in January.
Source: PTI
4. The Rebelling M'Lords
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In a first in India’s history, 4 SC judges J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur, Kurian Joseph-ranked 2nd to 5th in order of seniority, went public to criticise Chief Justice Dipak Misra & the administration of the country’s top court under his command on January 12, exposing the rift between senior judges & the CJI. They also held an unprecedented press conference against Misra.
Source: PTI
5. Netanyahu in India
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli PM visited India from January 14-17 to carry forward bilateral ties. Both countries signed 9 agreements - on cyber-security, solar thermal energy, oil and gas sector & space. Modi referred to Netanyahu as “my friend Bibi”, and he thanked ‘Narendra’ for his “exceptional” friendship & described him as a “revolutionary leader”. 9yrs after Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who ran the Chabad House in Colaba, died in the 26/11 terror attacks, their son Moshe came back to the home of his infanthood on January 16.
Source: Narendra Modi Twitter Handle
6. INDIA’S ENTRY TO NON-PROLIFERATION CLUB
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PM Modi on January 20 hailed India’s entry into the elite nuclear group - Australia Group (AG) & said this has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.
Source: PTI
7. CONTROVERSY OVER ATWAL’S INVITE
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Canadian PM Trudeau promised action on February 22 & said that Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal should never have been invited to an official dinner to be hosted in his honour in Delhi. Ties between New Delhi & Ottawa have been frosty as Canada is being seen to be offering a platform to separatists demanding an independent Khalistan.
Source: Twitter
8. SC RULES PASSIVE EUTHANASIA TO BE LEGAL
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Individuals have the right to die with dignity, the SC ruled on March 9, and allowed, with strict guidelines, passive euthanasia—halting or withdrawal of life support to the terminally ill or those in incurable comas. Active euthanasia or administration of lethal substances remains illegal in India.
Source: AFP
9. GEELANI STEPS DOWN
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Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani stepped down as chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) & appointed long-time associate & pro-Pakistan leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai as his successor on March 19.
Source: RNA
10. 39 INDIAN ISIS HOSTAGES DEAD CONFIRMED
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Govt revealed on March 20, that the 39 Indians who were held hostage by ISIS in Iraq about 4 yrs ago are dead, triggering a political row with opposition accusing the Centre of misleading the nation & families of the missing labourers saying they were kept in the dark.
Source: PTI
11. CAMBRIDE ANALYTICA (CA) - DATA THEFT - BJP V/S CONGRESS
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Facebook faced scathing criticism following an exposé that data analytics firm CA mined a whopping 50mn profiles from the social networking site to plan campaigns for 2016 US elections & Brexit referendum. The scandal’s ripple effect showed up in India. BJP & Congress traded charges with each other for using the services of CA to influence elections. At the same time, the Indian govt. warned Facebook against any attempts to interfere in the country’s electoral process.
Source: AFP
12. STATUES DESECRATED
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There were a series of statue desecration incidents - Dr Ambedkar’s statues were desecrated & vandalized in Allahabad, Siddharthnagar, Meerut, Azamgarh, Etah & Ferozabad. Following BJP’s victory a mob demolished a statue of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin in Tripura. Dravidian ideologue ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy’s statue was damaged in Tamil Nadu
Source: Rahul Gandhi's Twitter Handle
13. DALIT PROTESTS
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At least 9 people were killed & hundreds injured on April 2, as Dalit groups carried out massive violent protests across UP, MP, Rajasthan & Punjab against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act. Curfew was imposed in many places & Internet services were withdrawn.
Source: PTI
14. UNNAO RAPE CASE
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A woman tried to immolate herself in front of UP CM Yogi Adityanath's residence on April 8 due to police inaction. She claimed that she was pushed over the edge after she filed a complaint against BJP MLA & Unnao legislator KS Sengar & his accomplices in 2017 for raping her. Her father died in judicial custody on April 9. CBI arrested Sengar in April.
Source: ANI
15. SWAMI ASEEMANAND ACQUITTED IN ’07 MECCA MASJID BLAST
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Hyderabad’s special NIA court judge K Ravinder Reddy stunned everyone by resigning on April 16, hours after he acquitted all five men, including Swami Aseemanand, in the Mecca Masjid blast case. The judge returned to work 3 days later.
Source: PTI
16. CABINET APPROVES DEATH FOR RAPE OF KIDS UNDER 12
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Amid the nationwide outrage triggered by Kathua rape case, the Union Cabinet approved an ordinance on April 21, proposing the death penalty to those convicted of raping children below 12 years of age. On August 6, Parliament passed the stringent legislation
Source: AFP
17. ASARAM CONVICTED
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A Jodhpur court jailed self-styled godman Asaram, 77, for life on April 25 for raping a female devotee, then 16, in his ashram in Rajasthan 5 years ago. This is the harshest possible sentence under the law to the so-called religious preacher who claims to have 40 mn followers in India & abroad.
Source: PTI
18. INDU MALHOTRA SWORN IN AS SC JUDGE
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Sr. Adv. Indu Malhotra was administered the oath of office as a SC judge on April 27 by CJI Dipak Misra, making her the first woman lawyer to enter the top judiciary directly.
Source: ANI
19. INDIA’S LAST VILLAGE LIGHTS UP
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Leisang became part of history. At 5.30 pm on April 28, Manipur’s Leisang became the last Indian village to receive electricity. With this, all the 5,97,464 villages are now electrified.
Source: PM Twitter
20. CHHAGAN BHUJBAL GETS BAIL AFTER 2 YEARS
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After being behind bars for over 2 years, Bhujbal walked free on May 5 after Bombay HC granted him bail. He was arrested in 2016 by the ED in the Maharashtra Sadan case & charged with taking kick-backs to the tune of Rs 887 cr along with his nephew.
Source: PTI
21. AURANGABAD RIOTS
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The riots, which allegedly began over illegal water connections, rapidly took on a communal hue & engulfed the old part of Aurangabad. It claimed 2 lives & around 50 were injured including a dozen policemen on May 11.
Source: PTI
22. STERLITE PROTEST
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On May 22, the 100th day of protest against Sterlite Copper, a Vedanta group copper smelter unit at Thoothukudi witnessed mayhem when a rally demanding the plant's closure turned violent. There was another police firing the next day on a mob pelting stones at police. 13 people were killed. The Madras HC stayed the expansion of the plant. Finally on May 28 Tamil Nadu govt. issued an order to permanently close the plant budging to the public pressure.
Source: PTI
23. PRANAB MUKHERJEE’S RSS VISIT CONTROVERSY
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Mukherjee attending the RSS convocation event in Nagpur raised several eyebrows & stirred a controversy. Though he stood up for the RSS prayer, he refrained from performing the customary RSS salute. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat lambasted the Congress for asking Mukherjee to refrain from attending the event, saying that the controversy over the visit was meaningless. After facing criticism from the Congress for accepting the invitation, Mukherjee at the outset clarified that he was in Nagpur to present his views on nationalism and patriotism.
Source: PTI
24. BHAIYYU MAHARAJ SHOOTS HIMSELF
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Spiritual leader, political advisor & power-broker Bhaiyyu Maharaj, 50 committed suicide by shooting himself in the head on June 12 in Indore, MP. Prima facie, it seemed that he was driven to take the extreme step by domestic issues.
Source: PTI
25. ‘RISING KASHMIR’ EDITOR SHUJAAT BUKHARI SHOT DEAD
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Leading journalist Shujaat Bukhari & editor-in-chief of prestigious daily, The Rising Kashmir, was shot dead outside his office at Press Colony on June 14, by terrorists who fired indiscriminately at him. Shock, disbelief & outrage gripped Kashmir after his assassination.
Source: Twitter
26. AAP GOVT & IAS OFFICERS STAND OFF
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The stand-off between the AAP govt & IAS officers in Delhi ended on June 19 with CM Kejriwal calling off the 9-day sit-in at the LG’s office after bureaucrats started attending meeting with ministers. The move came after LG Anil Baijal shot off a letter to the CM, asking him to meet officers urgently to address concerns of both sides. The IAS officers had gone public to express their apprehensions about safety, after the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs in February.
Source: BB Yadav/DNA
27. CURB ON PLASTIC IN MAHARASHTRA
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The state cabinet decided, on March 15 to ban plastic bags, plastic & thermocol cutlery. On March 23 the state govt announced its big green move & enforced the ban from June 23. Govt. went to-and-fro over its decision & the efforts have ushered in results in varying measures
Source: PTI
28. DEATH BY WHATSAPP - DHULE LYNCHING CASE
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5 people of a nomadic tribe were lynched on July 1, by a mob in Rainpada, Dhule in North Maharashtra, on suspicion that they were child-lifers. The incident sent shock waves across the state & the country. According to the videos which went viral, one of the 5 victims apparently tried to speak to a 6-yr-old girl after which they were pounced upon, stoned & thrashed to death. The provocation was apparently some rumours on social media that suggested that a gang of child-lifters was active in the area. 16 such cases were reported from May to July, from Maharashtra to Tripura. On July 2, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology conveyed their deep disapproval to the senior mgmt. of WhatsApp advising them for necessary remedial measures to prevent proliferation of fake & motivated/sensational images.
Source: AFP
29. NET STAYS FREE & FAIR IN INDIA
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Upholding free & fair access to internet, the central govt. on July 11 approved Net Neutrality norms making internet equal for all, with no discrimination or preferential treatment in content/speeds to be allowed by any telecom service provider.
Source: AFP
30. MARATHA QUOTA AGITATION
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Unrest in the Maratha community over the quota row reached a boiling point when a youth, while attending a jal samadhi agitation, committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari river at Gangapur, Aurangabad on July 23. This agitation snowballed into a stir & saw episodes of vandalism & stone-pelting across the state – Solapur, Marathwada, Beed. On July 25 call for Mumbai bandh brought the city to a near standstill. Finally on November 18, CM Fadnavis committed to 16% reservation in jobs & education under Socially & Educationally Backward Class after a report submission on the community.
Source: PTI
31. FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS ACT 2018
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The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on July 25 & cleared by Lok Sabha on July 19. Govt notified the Act would be deemed to have come into force on the April 21. The law allows designated special court to declare a person as fugitive economic offender & to confiscate his property, including 'benami' ones & also deter fugitive economic offenders to evade legal process in India & flee the country.
Source: Reuters
32. SHELTER HOME RAPES – MUZAFFARPUR & DEORIA
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Instances of sexual exploitation of the inmates of “Balika Grih” run by NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti were reported by Mumbai-based TISS in June. It came to the fore on July 23 when police filed an FIR wherein at least 29 girls, aged between 7 & 17, were raped over a period of time in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. The owner of the NGO, Brajesh Thakur was arrested.
Three officials were suspended and 3 persons of a family arrested after 24 girls were rescued from a web of sexual abuse at a shelter home in eastern UP’s Deoria on August 6. 18 inmates were missing. The couple Girija & Mohan Tripathi, who operated the shelter home & their superintendent daughter Kanchanlata were arrested.
Source: PTI
33. NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS CONTROVERSY
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40.07 lakh people were not on Assam’s draft NRC released on July 30 sparking widespread fear of mass detentions across the state. It courted a huge controversy & kept citizens of Assam on edge, but the govt. ruled out any coercive action till the document was finalized. NRC is mandated to include only those who can prove they were in Assam before March 24, 1971, when millions fled Bangladesh’s war of independence into the state.
Source: AFP
34. 'URBAN NAXALISM'
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The Pune police in a joint operation on August 28 carried out raids across India & arrested 5 activists who allegedly subscribed to Naxal ideology. Those arrested were philosopher & poet Varavara Rao, trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj, civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, activist Arun Ferreira & Vernon Gonsalves. Investigators alleged that they are connected to the Elgaar Parishad, allegedly funded by Maoists & even hatched a conspiracy to assassinate PM Modi. Later in November, the Pune police pressed sedition charges against them stating their activities posed danger to the unity of the country
Source: PTI
35. SC STRIKES DOWN SECTION 377
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Private sexual acts between two consenting individuals of the same or different gender, or the transgender community will not be a crime under Section 377 of the IPC, ruled the SC on September 6. A unanimous verdict given by a five-judge Constitution recognized that sexual orientation of homosexuals is a natural & biological aspect of one’s identity and not recognizing this community’s sexual orientation or choices violated their fundamental rights to equality, dignity & free expression.
Source: PTI
36. INDIA JOINED AN ELITE GROUP OF COUNTRIES HAVING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING SYSTEM FOR MILITARY PLANES
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The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried out on September 10. The milestone was achieved when 1,900 kg of fuel was transferred from the mid-air refuelling tanker of IAF’s IL78 to the Tejas LSP8 at an altitude of 20,000 feet
Source: DNA
37. SABRIMALA TEMPLE ROW
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Unprecedented high-voltage drama was inevitable as protests griped Sabarimala shrine. The protests had Lord Ayyappa devotees on one side, who cited tradition to oppose a SC judgment overturning a ban on the entry of women into the temple. On the other side, the fight was spearheaded by women rights activists, who are determined to visit the shrine. The temple opened its doors to women of all ages for the first time after a historic SC ruling on September 28 ending centuries-old ban on entry of women & declared the ban on women aged 10-40 entering the temple ‘unconstitutional’ & ‘discriminatory’. However no women devotees have yet entered as violent protesters have blocked their way.
Source: PTI
38. KERALA NUN RAPE CASE
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A nun’s rape & victimisation charges against Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Syro-Malabar Church landed the numerically strong church into the vortex of its worst crisis in recent history. Vatican relieved him “temporarily” of all pastoral responsibilities. He was arrested for questioning by the Kerala police on September 21, after a few nuns staged a sit-in protest demanding action against him, but on October 15 he was given conditional bail.
Source: PTI
39. #METOO NET
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The #MeToo movement, which began in the USA last year in response to accusations of sexual harassment & abuse by powerful men in the entertainment industry, gained traction in India late September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of inappropriate behavior followed by Vinta Nanda who accused actor Alok Nath of rape. Since then, multiple women came out with their alleged accounts & prominent names that surfaced were Union Minister MJ Akbar, singers Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Kailash Kher, Raghu Dixit, commentator Suhel Seth, woman comic star Aditi Mittal, producer Gaurang Doshi, filmmaker Rajat Kapoor, writer Chetan Bhagat, directors Sajid Khan, Subhash Ghai & Luv Ranjan, Flipkart Group CEO Binny Bansal, All India Bakchod’s Gursimran Khamba & Utsav Chakraborty, comedian Kanan Gill & Varun Grover, Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu, Malayalam actor Mukesh & composer Gopi Sundar & many more. It was obvious that a long-held silence was being broken on various forms of sexual misbehaviour.
Source: PTI
40. CBI v/s CBI – ASTHANA v/s VERMA
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The long-running feud between the CBI top bosses Alok Verma & Rakesh Asthana was marked by allegations & counter-allegations of corruption & interference in high-profile cases.
Source: PTI
41. INDIA’S FIRST ENGINE-LESS TRAIN FLAGGED OFF
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India’s indigenously-developed engine-less, semi-high speed train was flagged off by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani on October 29, from Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory. The train has state-of-the-art features & cut travel time by 15% as compared to the Shatabdi. Train 18 will run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph between either Delhi & Varanasi or Delhi & Bhopal
Source: Railway Ministry
42. AVNI KILLING CONTROVERSY
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Man-eater tigress Avni, believed to be responsible for the death of 14 people over last 2 yrs in Pandharkawda jungle of Yavatmal, Western Vidarbha, was shot dead on November 2 after a massive tiger-hunt which went on since September. However, the killing led to controversy over the genuineness of the killing. Nicknamed T1, the 6-yr-old tigress was the mother of two cubs. Appeals were lodged by animal activists, as it caused considerable anger, and raised questions over the nature of the killing. Cabinet minister Maneka Gandhi accused her counterpart in the forestry ministry of sanctioning a “ghastly murder” for sport.
Source: PTI
43. SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL STANDS TALL
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PM Modi dedicated to the nation the Statue of Unity, a towering 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in Narmada on October 31. Built in less than five years, it is the world’s tallest, grandest & giant statue.
Source: PTI
44. FIRST DEATH SENTENCE IN 1984 ANTI-SIKH RIOTS
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A Delhi court on November 20 awarded the first death penalty in the case by convicting Yashpal Singh who killed two men in the pogrom & Naresh Sehrawat was awarded life term. This was the first conviction in the case after the SIT reopened & investigated 5 of the 8 cases in 2015. Earlier in 1994, the Delhi Police had closed the case for lack of evidence. On December 17 Congress veteran Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life —the first conviction of a politician
Source: PTI
45. KARTARPUR CORRIDOR CONTROVERSY
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The foundation stone for Kartarpur Corridor - a proposed border corridor between India & Pakistan, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (Punjab, India) & Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur (Punjab, Pakistan) was laid on November 26 on Indian side & 2 days later on Pakistan side. It is expected to be completed before November 2019. This corridor will allow devotees to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7kms from the border, without a visa. The launch was packed with controversy as a credit war erupted between the Akali Dal & Congress. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan also created huge controversy.
Source: PTI
46. CHRISTIAN MICHEL EXTRADITED TO INDIA
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In the “biggest catch” for investigators of AgustaWestland chopper deal, British national Christian Michel was extradited from the UAE on December 5 & was sent to CBI custody. He is allegedly a middleman who facilitated the Rs 3,600-crore deal on the basis of kickbacks to officials.
Source: PTI
47. Rafale Row
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The Rafale fighter jet deal with France sparked a slugfest after the Congress said the price of jets was escalated by the NDA govt to thrice of what was negotiated by the UPA. Party alleged that each aircraft would have cost Rs 526.10 cr as per UPA's negotiations but the incumbent govt agreed to pay Rs 1,570.80 cr. While acting on the PIL filed by Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie & Prashant Bhushan, SC rejected the demand for a probe and gave a clean chit to the NDA govt on its decision-making process.
Source: PTI
