The Allahabad High Court observed that the absence of teachers frustrates the very purpose of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and refused to interfere with the suspension of primary school teachers who were found absent from their school during an inspection.

The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday recalled the sacrifices of the freedom fighters on Goa Liberation Day, which he said was a defining chapter in India's national journey.

A Goa court on Thursday extended by four days the police remand of Ajay Gupta, co-owner of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where a devastating fire on December 6 killed 25 persons.

Three people were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the sale of blood outside the government hospital in Satna where six children have been found to have contracted HIV during transfusion, officials said.

The Commission for Air Quality Management has directed civic bodies and state agencies across the National Capital Region to urgently strengthen municipal solid waste management, flagging persistent open burning of waste, delays in clearing legacy dumps and gaps in enforcement.

Circumstantial evidence can be used to convict an accused in a criminal case if it is of such a nature that is "consistent only with his guilt", the Supreme Court said on Thursday.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party registered an emphatic victory in the rural body elections in Punjab, winning 63 per cent zones of zila parishads and 54 per cent zones of panchayat samitis.