Here are the top 5 news updates of July 20, 2021:
Businessman Raj Kundra, arrested in a case related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps, was today remanded in police custody till July 23 by a Mumbai court, after the crime branch alleged he was making financial gains through this illegal business. The police claimed there were several WhatsApp chats that revealed Kundra (45), the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was involved in the financial dealings of the app and its contents. The police also said three women have come forward with complaints in the case, saying they were "forced to act in pornographic movies". The accused persons took advantage of struggling models, actors and other workers, and made them work in these pornographic movies, the police said, adding that these movies were shot in rented bungalows in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Parliament to take truth and facts about the government's work before the people so that the opposition's lies won't fill the vacuum created by lack of communication or truth. At the BJP's parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi urged the MPs to keep telling people the truth to defeat lies propagated by opposition, especially Congress. Sources told news agency ANI that the PM expressed concern over the sense of entitlement of Congress which is preventing them to even fulfil their role as opposition.
The Congress today lashed out at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose reins are held by the Shiv Sena, for alleged corruption and mishandling of the monsoon situation in Mumbai. This comes at a time when there are speculations of a rift in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance which consists of the Shiv Sena, the Congress, and the NCP. Speaking to news agency ANI, Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap said, "Evey year BMC makes promises for better management waterlogging due to rain but failed every time. We did a survey and informed the BMC officials before the monsoon about issues related to drainage. Hundreds of crores rupees were spent but not even 25 per cent work has been done." "If work is not completed then where has this money gone? There is definitely corruption involved at various levels in BMC," he alleged.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed the Bombay high court today that they are permitting the sacrifice of 900 animals at the Deonar abattoir on the occasion of Bakri Eid which is scheduled to be held from July 21 to July 23. BMC counsel Anil Sakhare informed the HC that they have issued a circular on July 19 stating that people will be able to sacrifice 300 animals per day between 6 am and 6 pm during the three days of Bakri Eid at the Deonar abattoir. However, strict Covid-19 protocols will have to be followed by those who come for sacrifice inside the abattoir.
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled 355 points today, weighed by losses in HDFC twins, ICICI Bank and Bharti Airtel amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share BSE index ended 354.89 points or 0.68 per cent lower at 52,198.51, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 120.30 points or 0.76 per cent to 15,632.10. IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 3 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, M&M and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, Asian Paints rallied over 6 per cent, followed by UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Auto, HUL and Nestle India.
