HIGHLIGHTS AT 6.30 PM

Following are the top stories at 6.30 pm:

NATION DEL49 CITIZENSHIP-LDALL PROTESTS

Citizenship law: Students, opposition leaders step up protests; SC rejects inquiry panel plea New Delhi: Students, opposition leaders and activists across regions stepped up their protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Tuesday even as at least 29 persons were arrested for violent clashes over the last couple of days in Jamia Millia Islamia and parts of UP, while the Supreme Court rejected plea for setting up an inquiry panel to probe the violence.

DEL86 DL-CITIZENSHIP-4THLD PROTEST

Violence during protest against amended citizenship law in Delhi's Seelampur area New Delhi: Angry protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship law torched several motor bikes, pelted stones at police personnel and damaged buses and a police booth in Northeast Delhi's Seelampur area on Tuesday afternoon, in fresh violence in the national capital.

CAL32 JH-MODI-CITIZENSHIP

CAA stir: Modi dares Cong to say it's ready to accord Indian citizenship to all Pakistanis Bhognadih (Jharkhand), Dec 17 (PTI) Accusing the Congress of spreading lies over the new citizenship law, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dared the main opposition party to publicly declare it is prepared to accord Indian citizenship to all Pakistanis.

DEL80 CITIZENSHIP-LD SHAH

Modi govt to ensure citizenship to persecuted people despite opposition: Amit Shah New Delhi: Unfazed by the protests against the amended Citizenship Act, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted the Modi government will ensure that the non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan get Indian nationality and live in the country with honour.

DEL75 PREZ-SONIA

Govt shutting down people's voices: Sonia New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Modi government of "shutting down" people's voices and bringing legislations which are not acceptable to them.

DEL50 CITIZENSHIP-MHA-LD JAMIA

Empty cartridge found from violence-hit area in Jamia, but police didn't fire: MHA officials New Delhi: The police did not fire any bullet on protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia here on Sunday, but an empty cartridge was found from the area, a senior Home Ministry official said on Tuesday.

DEL65 UP-CITIZENSHIP-LD AMU

CAA protests: Tension in some areas around AMU, 26 people released Aligarh: Tension gripped some localities adjoining the Aligarh Muslim University campus on Tuesday, as people started collecting at crossings and raised slogans against amended Citizenship Act.

DEL36 CONG-PRIVILEGE-IRANI

Cong MP submits privilege notice against Union minister Smriti Irani New Delhi: Congress MP Manickam Tagore has submitted a privilege notice against Union minister Smriti Irani for "misleading" the House on Rahul Gandhi's 'rape remark' on December 13.

CAL37 AS-TRAINS-LD RESUMPTION

Flight ops, railway services resume in Guwahati Guwahati: Flight operations and railway services resumed in Guwahati on Tuesday, in a major relief to hundreds of stranded passengers, as the city limps back to normalcy after days of violent protests over the citizenship law.

LEGAL

LGD41 SC-2ND LD PROTESTS Protests against CAA: SC asks petitioners to approach HC, declines to set up committee

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday declined to set up a committee of a retired apex court judge to inquire into the incidents of violent protests in different parts of the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said that such panels may be appointed by the high courts concerned.

LGD50 DL-HC-3RDLD KEJRIWAL HC stays proceedings against Kejriwal, Sisodia in defamation complaint by Vijender Gupta

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court stayed on Tuesday the proceedings in a defamation complaint made against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia by BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

LGD42 SC-LD NIRBHAYA Nirbhaya case: CJI Bobde recuses from hearing convict's plea seeking review of death penalty

New Delhi: Chief Justice S A Bobde recused himself on Tuesday from hearing the plea of convict Akshay Kumar Singh seeking review of the 2017 apex court judgment upholding his death penalty in the Nirbhaya gang rape-and-murder case.

FOREIGN FGN40 PAK-MUSHARRAF-LDALL SENTENCE

Ex-Pak dictator Gen. Musharraf sentenced to death for high treason Islamabad: Pakistan's former dictator General Pervez Musharraf was on Tuesday sentenced to death in absentia in the high treason case for subverting the Constitution in 2007, becoming the first military ruler to receive the capital punishment in the country's history. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN32 US-RAJNATH-LD CITIZENSHIP

Citizenship Amendment Act not anti-Muslim, says Rajnath Singh New York: The amended Citizenship Act is not anti-Muslim, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured the Indian community here and said "our culture does not teach us to hate". By Yoshita Singh

BUSINESS

DEL24 BIZ-WEF LD-GENDER GAP India slips to 112th place on gender gap; in bottom-5 on health, economic fronts

New Delhi: India has slipped four places to rank 112th globally in terms of gender gap amid widening disparity in terms of women's health and survival and economic participation -- the two areas where the country is now ranked in the bottom-five, an annual survey showed on Tuesday. AAR AAR