Rush Hour: Amit Malviya removed as BJP social chief, SC halts Rahul Gandhi assets case and more

Former Union minister Smriti Irani was appointed as one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s eight national general secretaries, while Amit Malviya was dropped as the chief of the party’s social media department. Ram Madhav, a leader of the BJP’s parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was named as one of its 13 vice presidents.

Union minister Piyush Goyal will replace Rajesh Agarwal as the party treasurer.

This was part of the first major changes in the Hindutva party’s national leadership since Nitin Nabin became the BJP chief in January. Read on.

The Supreme Court directed the Allahabad High Court to defer the hearing of a case involving allegations of disproportionate assets against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The bench also told the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate not to file any report in response to directions by the High Court.

The High Court had in May directed the two central agencies to verify claims made by a Bharatiya Janata Party worker that Gandhi possesses assets disproportionate to his income. Gandhi had challenged the directions before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court bench headed by the chief justice said that the High Court appeared to have passed orders without giving the Opposition leader the opportunity to be heard. Read on.

The Central Bureau of Investigation filed...

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