Daily Bulletin: SC likely to hold closed-door meeting on mediation panel report on Ayodhya row; P Chidambaram to be produced in court today in INX Media case; day's top stories

Ayodhya hearing concludes: SC likely to hold closed-door meeting today on mediation panel report

Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved the judgment in the Ayodhya land dispute case, concluding the 40-day-long marathon hearing. A written note is to be submitted in the next three days. Supreme Court has finished hearing all arguments in the Ayodhya case one hour before the set deadline. According to latest reports, the Supreme Court bench hearing the case will sit in chambers tomorrow and a closed-door proceeding is likely on the cards to discuss the mediation panel report. News18 reports the bench will take a call on the way forward in the case.

The bench is believed to have filed a report in the apex court on Wednesday in a sealed cover which sources said is a "sort of a settlement" between the Hindu and the Muslim parties.

Sources close to the mediation panel said the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirvani Akhada, Nirmohi Akhada, Ram Janmabhoomi Punruddhar Samiti and some other Hindu parties are in favour of settling the contentious land dispute.

Supreme Court of India. Reuters

The panel is headed by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla and also comprises spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu.

Sources said the parties have sought settlement under the provisions of The Places of Worship Act, 1991 which provides that no dispute with regard to any mosque or other religious places, which have been constructed after demolition of temples and are existing as in 1947, would be raised in a court of law.

The Act, however, excludes the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute from its purview.

INX Media case: Delhi court issues production warrant against P Chidambaram; ex-FM to be produced in court today

A special court here on Wednesday issued production warrant for former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's presence in the court on Thursday in connection with the INX Media money laundering case.

The court has issued directions to the Tihar Jail authorities to produce Chidambaram tomorrow (Thursday) at 3 pm. The Enforcement Directorate had sought 14 days remand of Chidambaram.

The law enforcement agency informed Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court that it has arrested Chidambaram after interrogating him in Tihar Jail. ED has also told the Court that a statement of Chidambaram was recorded during the interrogation on Wednesday.

Chidambaram's arrest came a day after a special court allowed the ED to grill Chidambaram for 30 minutes in connection with the matter to decide on his arrest.

A three-member team of ED including Mahesh Gupta, Sandeep Thapliyal and Dainik Jain had arrived at Tihar Jail to interrogate P Chidambaram, who is lodged in the case which is also being investigated by the CBI.

Nalini and Karti Chidambaram, the wife and son of the Congress leader, too reached the jail premises ahead of the interrogation process. Chidambaram is in judicial custody in Tihar Jail since 5 September in a corruption case related to the alleged scam being probed by the CBI and ED. His remand is slated to end on 17 October.

Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019: Narendra Modi to address rallies in poll-bound Satara, Pune today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address public rallies towards the end of the campaigning in Satara, Parli, on 17 October. The prime minister, who has addressed nine public meetings across the state, will also hold another one in Pune city on Thursday, said BJP state unit chief Chandrakant Patil, a candidate from the Pune city’s Kothrud Assembly segment.

Patil had also said a chunk of Amit Shah's rallies will take place in western Maharashtra, considered a bastion of the Congress-NCP combine. Addressing a party meeting in Mumbai last month, Shah had indicated that scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status will be one of the key poll planks for the ruling front.

In his rally in Nashik last month, the prime minister had blamed the Congress for the plight of Kashmiris for decades and called for making efforts to create a "new paradise" in the Valley after the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370.

In the 2014 polls, the BJP and the Sena had contested separately and won 122 and 63 seats, respectively. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party later joined the Fadnavis government.

Uber to deactivate surge pricing during odd-even scheme in Delhi

Uber will deactivate surge pricing during 4-15 November, when the odd-even scheme will be rolled out in Delhi.

“We want to do our part in ensuring movement around the city is easy during the odd-even phase and have decided to deactivate dynamic pricing for the duration. We wholeheartedly support Delhi government’s move and wish it a success,” an Uber spokesperson told PTI.

The odd-even scheme is a much-needed step to reduce pollution and help reduce congestion in the capital, the spokesperson added.

Long-running Yahoo Groups is closing down

Once a highly popular online portal to talk your heart out, Yahoo has sounded the death knell for Groups. Users won't be able to post content after 21 October and they have until 14 December to archive all their content. It's been 18 years since Yahoo Groups has existed where users could interact with each other either from the website or through email.