HIGHLIGHTS AT 9 PM

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: Nation: PAR24 LS-CRIMINAL PROCEDURE-PASS Lok Sabha passes Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill that seeks to take measurements of convicts and other persons for purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters.

PAR17 LS-CRIMINAL PROCEDURE-SHAH Govt wants to strengthen internal security: Shah in LS on bill allowing police to collect biometric data New Delhi: The government's intention to bring the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill is to strengthen the law and order and internal security of the country, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday, asserting that concerns over human and personal rights have been taken care of in the draft legislation.

PAR18 LS-CRIMINAL PROCEDURE-DEBATE Criminal Procedure Identification Bill draconian, refer to standing panel: Opposition New Delhi: Opposition members on Monday termed the provisions of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill as “draconian” and demanded that it be referred to a Parliamentary standing committee to ensure stronger safeguards to prevent its misuse.

DEL54 COVAXIN-LD WHO BHARAT BIOTECH No impact of WHO action on Covaxin, have not supplied to any UN agency: Bharat Biotech Hyderabad: With the WHO announcing the suspension of Covaxin supply through UN procurement agencies, Bharat Biotech sources on Monday said the pharma company has not supplied the COVID-19 vaccine to any UN agency and no impact of the suspension would be felt.

DEL57 DL-HINDU MAHAPANCHAYAT-LD-FIR-SCRIBES FIR over Twitter posts by journalist, news portal on Hindu Mahapanchyat New Delhi: The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against two Twitter handles of a journalist and a newsportal for allegedly inciting hatred between communities after they posted tweets claiming manhandling of scribes during the controversial ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ event, officials said.

DEL39 ATTACK-GIRIRAJ-EXTREMIST MINDSET 'Extremist mindset' not growing Muslim population threat to country: Giriraj on Gorakhnath temple attack New Delhi: Union minister Giriraj Singh said on Monday the country does not face a threat because of the rising Muslim population but the ''extremist mindset'' that was behind the attack on security personnel at Gorakhnath temple, and hit out at the opposition over its ''silence'' on the incident.

BOM14 MH-HC-NAVLAKHA-BOOK Jail officials refusal to hand over Wodehouse book to Navlakha 'comical', says HC Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday was amused after it was informed that the Taloja prison authorities in Maharashtra refused to hand over a book written by noted English author and humourist P G Wodehouse to human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, citing 'security risk'.

CAL13 WB-FUEL-LD VEHICLES Fuel price hike: Buses, taxis in Bengal may go off roads if fares not revised Kolkata: With fuel prices touching a new high every day, private bus and cab operators are contemplating taking their vehicles off the roads if the state and central governments did not provide some succour in the form of an allowance or make way for fare hikes to support the ailing transport sector.

Legal: LGD13 SC-LAKHIMPUR-LD BAIL Lakhimpur: SC questions detailed examination of evidence, reserves order on bail cancellation plea New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday raised questions over the Allahabad High Court verdict granting bail to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, saying “unnecessary” details like post mortem report, nature of wounds should not have gone into when the trial was yet to commence.

LGD17 SC-AMRAPALI Bank Consortium gives final approval of Rs 1500 Cr for Amrapali projects, Rs 150 Cr disbursed: SC New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) In a boost to the efforts of construction of stalled projects of Amrapali, the Supreme Court was on Monday told that a consortium of seven banks have granted final approval to infuse Rs 1500 crore out of which Rs 150 has been directly paid to National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC).

Foreign: FGN77 PAK-POLITICS-LDALL COURT Pak's apex court adjourns hearing by a day on rejection of no-trust vote Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing by a day but promised to give a ''reasonable order'' in the high-profile case about the rejection of a no-confidence motion by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly and the subsequent dissolution of Parliament.

FGN57 PAK-CARETAKER-PM-NOMINATION Imran Khan nominates Pakistan's former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed as caretaker prime minister Islamabad: Pakistan's former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed was on Monday nominated for the office of the caretaker prime minister by incumbent Imran Khan, amid ongoing political crisis in the country. By Sajjad Hussain FGN67 LANKA-4THLD CABINET Sri Lanka's Opposition rejects President's invitation to join unity government Colombo: Sri Lanka's Opposition parties on Monday rejected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's invitation to join the proposed unity government as a ''sham'' after he fired his brother and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa from his post, as protests were held nationwide over the ruling Rajapaksa family's poor handling of the country’s worst economic crisis.