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The Supreme Court has expressed displeasure over the delay in examination of witnesses, and said it is the duty of the trial court to ensure that the trial is not prolonged as time lag creates problems in the testimony of witnesses. A bench of Justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh said the trial court must control the dilatory tactics of any of the parties.

The observations came while granting bail to an man who was accused of facilitating the escape of persons who murdered the Mayor of Chittor district in Andhra Pradesh. The top court noted that the man is in jail since the last seven years and prosecution witnesses are yet to be examined.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's new government hurtled from one controversy to another as video footage emerged Friday showing RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son-in-law Shailesh Kumar purportedly attending an official meeting of the environment, forest and climate change department headed by the patriarch's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav.

In another potential embarrassment for Nitish that snubbed former ally BJP promptly latched on to, deputy CM and Lalu's younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was seen in a video clip presiding over a meeting of the road construction department in the presence of a party worker identified as Sanjay Yadav.

On the occasion of Janmashtami 2022, Maharashtra Chief Eknath Shinde on Friday took a dig at Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray saying they too broke a tough "Dahi Handi" a few days back while referring to the Krishna Janmashtami festivities across the state. Attending a Dahi Handi event in neighbouring Thane, his home turf, the Chief Minister also alluded to his rebellion against the Shiv Sena leadership in June and recalled that he and his associates broke a "tough Dahi Handi" one and a half months ago. 

They needed "fifty tiers", the Maharashtra CM said, referring to the number of MLAs who were with him. 'Dahi Handi', part of the Krishna Janmashtami festivities, was celebrated with extra fervour across Maharashtra on Friday after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced hiatus of two years. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over several parts of east and central India over the coming few days. According to IMD, a Low-Pressure Area lies over the Northeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood and is likely to concentrate into a Depression by August 19 morning. Owing to this, very heavy rainfall very is expected over east-central India during the next three days.

The weather department, in its weather bulletin, said that isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over West Bengal and Sikkim on August 19, over Vidarbha, Jharkhand and Odisha on August 20, over East Madhya Pradesh on August 21 and over west Madhya Pradesh on August 22. Heavy rainfall is also likely over the Northwestern Himalayan region and northern plains. 

The Maharashtra government is mulling a vital decision related to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the state, sources told India Today. The restriction on the CBI probe is expected to be lifted by Eknath Shinde Devendra Fadnavis government soon, sources said.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government had imposed restrictions on the CBI, which required the central agency to seek the state government's consent to initiate a probe.