HC BAIL TO EX-KOLKATA TOP COP

KOLKATA: In a relief to former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, the Calcutta high court granted anticipatory bail to the senior IPS officer in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund case on Tuesday, saying it was not an appropriate case for custodial interrogation. The court said if Kumar was arrested by the CBI, he would have to be released immediately on bail by an appropriate court. NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside its 2018 verdict that diluted some provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, saying the earlier judgment violated the spirit of the Constitution.

A three-judge bench comprising justices Arun Mishra, MR Shah and BR Gavai quashed directions issued by a two-judge b e n c h i n March 2 0 1 8 t h a t banned automatic arrests and permitted anticipatory bail in cases filed under the law aimed at battling caste prejudices and violence.

“Members of the Scheduled Castes ( SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) have suffered for long, hence, if we cannot provide them protective discrimination beneficial to them, we cannot place them at all at a disadvantageous position that may be causing injury to them by

widening inequality and against the very spirit of our Constitution,” the bench held.

The court said the 2018 judgment encroached upon the field reserved for the legislature and against the concept of protective

discrimination in favour of down-trodden classes under Article 15(4) of the Constitution.

The bench said that if a cognisable offence -- where an arrest can be made without a warrant WASHINGTON: India and the US have noted positive developments in trade talks but would like to see “early results” from their negotiators in view of the importance of economic ties for the health of the larger bilateral relationship.

“Both of us felt that while the trade issue had progressed, for the larger relationship, it was important we see some early results,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar told reporters for Indian media outlets after his meeting with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Monday.

Trade tensions between India and the US have emerged as a key irritant in an otherwise robust relationship, with US President Donald Trump complaining repeatedly about Indian tariffs on American goods and access to the Indian market.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal and US trade representative Robert Lighthizer have engaged in trade talks with