HIGHLIGHTS

DEL64 SAME SEX MARRIAGE-LD RIJIJU Not interfering in personal lives of citizens but institution of marriage matter of policy Rijiju on same-sex marriage New Delhi A day after the Centre opposed in the Supreme Court legal validation of same-sex marriage, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government does not disturb the personal freedom and activities of individuals but the issue related to the institution of marriage is a matter of policy.

Following are the top stories at 9 pm.

NATION DEL79 2NDLDALL PARLIAMENT **** LS, RS adjourned for the day; Cong, BJP trade barbs over Rahul's 'democracy under attack' remarks; govt demands apology New Delhi: Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's ''democracy under attack'' remarks in the UK rocked Parliament on Monday with a battery of senior Union ministers leading the charge against him, demanding an apology and the Congress countering it with its JPC demand on the Adani issue. **** DEL70 SC-LDALL OROP **** Defence ministry cannot take law in its own hands on OROP arrears, says SC; seeks payment plan by Mar 20 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said the Ministry of Defence cannot take law in its own hands by issuing a communication ''unilaterally'' that One Rank-One Pension (OROP) arrears to pensioners of the armed forces will be paid in four installments and sought a payment plan by March 20. **** DEL77 ED-EXCISE-KAVITHA-AUDITOR **** Kavitha's ex-auditor summoned for questioning in Delhi excise policy money laundering case: ED to court New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Butchibabu Gorantla, alleged to be a former auditor of BRS leader K Kavitha, to confront him with another arrested accused in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case. **** DEL56 LSQ-LD-ADANI-PROBE **** No govt committee to probe Adani; DRI investigation in Indonesia coal import not concluded: Minister New Delhi: The government has not set up any committee to probe allegations a US short seller labelled against the Adani Group, but stock market regulator SEBI is investigating market allegations against the group, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. **** DEL41 LD OSCARS INDIA **** Twin Oscar wins for India: 'Naatu Naatu', 'The Elephant Whisperers' script history New Delhi: “Naatu Naatu”, the irrepressible, fun number from the film “RRR”, and documentary short “The Elephant Whisperers” made Oscar history for India on Monday with one Academy Award each, the two wins showcasing cinema beyond Bollywood and the growing might of the Indian non-feature segment. **** DEL64 SAME SEX MARRIAGE-LD RIJIJU **** Not interfering in personal lives of citizens but institution of marriage matter of policy: Rijiju on same-sex marriage New Delhi: A day after the Centre opposed in the Supreme Court legal validation of same-sex marriage, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government does not ''disturb'' the personal freedom and activities of individuals but the issue related to the institution of marriage is a matter of policy. **** DEL81 MEA-CHINA-LD-REPORT **** India's engagement with China ''complex'': MEA's annual report New Delhi: India's engagement with China is ''complex'' and Chinese attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh starting from April-May 2020 seriously disturbed the peace and tranquility in border areas and impacted overall ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a report on Monday.**** DEL78 DEF-INDIA-SIPRI **** India remains world's top arms importer: SIPRI report New Delhi: India remained the world's top arms importer, but its imports declined by 11 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based defence think-tank SIPRI. **** DEL60 RSQ-DEF-LD-RIFLES **** Defence procurement from foreign sources reducing: Govt New Delhi: The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent of the overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36.7 per cent as per data till December last, according to government data. **** DEL58 NIA-ISIS **** NIA raids house of suspected Islamic State operative in Srinagar New Delhi: National Investigation Agency on Monday raided the house of a suspected Islamic State operative in Srinagar as part of an investigation in a case related to activities of some individuals from Kerala linked to the global terror group, an official said. **** BOM22 MP-ADANI-CONG-PROTEST **** Congress stages protest in Bhopal over Adani row, price rise, unemployment Bhopal: Congress workers and leaders faced water cannons when they attempted to proceed to the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal to lay siege to it on Monday as part of a nationwide protest over the Adani-Hindenburg row and a host of other issues. **** DEL82 AVI-INDIGO-LD KARACHI **** IndiGo's Delhi-Doha flight diverted to Karachi due to medical emergency, passenger declared dead on arrival New Delhi/Karachi: An IndiGo plane which took off from Delhi for Doha was diverted to Karachi on Sunday night after a passenger fell ill onboard, officials said.**** LEGAL LGD21 SC-LD SAME SEX MARRIAGE **** SC refers pleas for legal validation of same-sex marriages to five-judge constitution bench, terms it seminal issue New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday referred the pleas seeking legal validation of same-sex marriages to a five-judge constitution bench for adjudication, saying it is a ''very seminal issue''. **** LGD28 DL-COURT-RIOTS CHARGES **** 2020 Delhi riots case: Court charges 8 accused with murder, arson New Delhi: A sessions court here has ordered framing of charges against eight accused for various offences, including murder, arson, and theft in a case pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. **** BUSINESS DEL71 BIZ-LD RETAIL INFLATION **** Retail inflation dips marginally to 6.44% in Feb, remains above RBI's comfort level New Delhi: Retail inflation dipped marginally to 6.44 per cent in February, mainly on account of a slight easing in prices of food and fuel items though it remained above the Reserve Bank's comfort level of 6 per cent for the second month in a row. ****