I'm relieved for poor Romeo. Much maligned for no reason, his name will finally go from one of the most atrocious public schemes Yogi Adityanath's government in Uttar Pradesh has launched, since it came to power a few weeks ago. Instead of anti-Romeo squads the state will now have Nari Surakhsa Bal protecting the "honour" of its women.

In the first few weeks it was unleashed on the citizens, these custodians of women's safety acted like vigilante groups with a perverse fondness for moral policing. Young men were rounded up in cities across the state for no bigger crime than "loitering" on the streets, waiting in public places, and travelling with a woman (who could be their sibling, cousin, girlfriend or wife) in a vehicle. Members of the squad claimed they could tell the intentions of any man by just looking into their eyes. It was one of those rare moments when Bollywood scriptwriters must have swelled with pride, having directly contributed to the making of public policy.

Penalties included corporal punishment, sit-ups, blackmail, threats to call up families and reporting back on their activities. It was the perfect recipe for disaster in a country already rife with sexual crime and repression, where men and women are reprimanded for being friends with one another and the term "honour killing" is as used routinely among polite society.

READ: Dear Brains Behind The Anti-Romeo Squad, Why Does It Feel Like You're Blackmailing Women?

It wasn't long before the government admitted there were problems in the do-as-you-please system of moral policing that the anti-Romeo squad was indulging in. It promised gender sensitisation of its forces, rapped them on the knuckles for exceeding their brief, instructed them not to bother men and women out in public by mutual consent. But it didn't ask the most crucial question on many people's minds: why should such a separate unit exist for women's safety when the entire police force, entrusted with maintaining the law and order, should be doing this duty already?

The recent attempt to change the profile of the squad involves giving it a new name, one that promises to have a force that "protects" women. At the risk of quibbling, it bears pointing out that the new emphasis on the need to "protect" women is not the best place to start thinking of women's safety. Also, as the Bard, no less, famously said, in that very play which inspired the name of the anti-Romeo squad, you can call a rose by any other name etc.

Crime rates in Uttar Pradesh are already appallingly high, especially against women, but the conclusion to be drawn from the statistics has nothing to do with the obnoxious term "the weaker sex". If anything, it is merely an indicator of the colossal failure of policing in the state, which has lead to such anarchy and lack of accountability.

Until the prevalent mindset of perceiving women as weak, vulnerable, and being the receptacles of their family's "honour" changes, no amount of hectoring from any force will effect any positive change in Uttar Pradesh. Above all, the right of women to be a free agent, having the autonomy to decide on a choice of their male companions, must be sacrosanct, not subjected to the whims of one of the arms of the state.

Also on HuffPost

NEW DELHI -- Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which is to exempt the daily-use commodities from the levy, is going to be more efficient and a consumer friendly taxation system.

"Four different rate slab for services are five percent, 12 percent, standard rate of 18 percent and luxury rate of 28 percent, out of which five percent mostly comprises of transport services," said Jaitley while addressing the media in Srinagar.

"GST in relation to the services sector was completely adopted in today's meeting. Depending on the nature of service, there are various categorizations which have been made with a set of services, which have been exempted at present," Jaitley added.

"Other services are fitted into rates such as 5, 12, 18, and luxury rate of 28 percent," he said while announcing that five percent rates comprises of transport services.

"Restaurants with a turn-over of 50 lakhs or below can go over with a composition of five percent," said the Union Finance Minister while adding that service tax on non air-conditioned restaurants will be 12 percent, and that on air-conditioned and liquor license will be 18 percent.

Earlier, the GST Council decided to exempt the daily-use commodities from the levy.

Prices of food-grains, especially wheat and rice, will come down as they will be exempted from the GST.

Currently, some states levy Value Added Tax (VAT) on them. Daily-use items like sugar, tea, coffee (barring instant coffee), edible oil and life-saving drugs will attract the lowest tax rate of five percent, almost the same as current incidence.

Milk and curd will continue to be exempted from taxation when the GST replaces current indirect taxes.

'Mithai' or sweets will attract five percent levy.

The common use products like hair oil, soaps and toothpaste will be charged with a single national sales tax or GST of 18 percent instead of present 22-24 percent tax incidence through a combination of central and state government levies.

The Council fitted all but six items in 5, 12, 18 or 28 percent tax brackets.

Seven percent of the items fall under the exemption list while 14 percent have been put in the lowest tax bracket of 5 percent.

17 percent items are in 12 percent tax bracket, 43 percent in 18 percent tax slab and only 19 percent of goods fall in the top tax bracket of 28 percent.

Cars, ACs, refrigerators and aerated drinks will be in 28 percent bracket.

On top of the peak rate, small cars will attract a 1 per cent cess, mid-sized

cars will attract 3 percent and luxury cars 15 percent.

Also on HuffPost India

NEW DELHI -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today banned open defecation and dumping of waste on the floodplains of the Yamuna and announced an environment compensation of Rs 5,000 for those who violated the diktat.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also constituted a committee headed by Delhi Jal Board CEO to oversee the execution of work pertaining to cleaning of the river and asked it to submit reports at regular intervals.

The Delhi government and the municipal corporations were directed to immediately take action against industries which operate in residential areas and are a major source of pollution to the river.

The green panel noted that almost 67 per cent of the pollution reaching the Yamuna would be treated by the two sewage treatment plants (STP) located at Delhi Gate and Najafgarh under Phase 1 of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.

The apex green panel had on 1 May ordered inspection of the STPs at Delhi Gate and Okhla with a view to ensure that wastewater was cleaned before it reached the Yamuna. It had sought a report with regard to functioning of these plants.

The tribunal was informed that a total of 14 STP projects are to be constructed to clean wastewater. Of these, seven are to be built by the Delhi Jal Board with its own funds.

The directions came as the NGT was hearing a plea on the monitoring of implementation of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.

Also on HuffPost India

SRINAGAR -- A TV reporter on Friday accused JKLF chief Yasin Malik of roughing her up and breaking her phone, but the separatist leader alleged she had barged into his bedroom.

Kanwaljit Sandhu, an India Today group reporter against whom Malik filed a police complaint of criminal trespass, said she had sought permission from the separatist leader's sister to talk to him.

"I was introduced to a lady people said was Malik's sister. She told me to go in and speak to him about the interview.

"I entered his room without the cameraman. The cameraman was waiting outside. When I told Malik I was from India Today TV, he lost his cool. He snatched and smashed my mobile phone.

"I and our staff were manhandled and forced out of the house in Maisuma area of Srinagar."

Malik, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, had another story.

He told police that the reporter barged into his bedroom and later accused him of "manhandling her".

Addressing the media here, Malik said the journalist had not sought an appointment to interview him.

He alleged that she lied to his sister that she had an appointment for an interview with him.

"She suddenly barged into my bedroom when I was asleep and starting shooting and recording on her mobile phone.

"This shocked me. I objected to her behaviour. I snatched her mobile phone and asked her to leave my bedroom. She then started crying and alleging that I had manhandled her."

Malik said: "I am asking the media fraternity whether this is the right way of interviewing a person?"

He said he had filed a complaint of criminal and malicious trespass against the journalist.

India Today TV recently did an expose showing three separatist leaders confess that they had been getting funds from Pakistan for creating unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

Malik on Friday said if anybody could prove that he owned any property other than his ancestral home in Maisuma area of Srinagar, he would give up his political career.

Also on HuffPost India

SRINAGAR -- In a stern message to Pakistan, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley today said Indian forces will give "adequate response" to any form of ceasefire violation on the border.

After a visit to the Line of Control (LoC), he said Indian Army is fully prepared to foil any form of infiltration bid. For those perpetuating violence from within, he said such people will be dealt with.

He also said that investigation is on into the incident of the army allegedly tying a man to the front of a jeep as a human shield, but went on to add that the Army was interested in saving the lives of both the people who had come to vote and a large crowd of protesters.

Priority right now, he said, is to restore normalcy.

"I did visit the LoC. I would compliment the Indian army for the level of preparedness and enthusiasm. Our soldiers are fully confident that they would not allow any form of infiltration to take place," he told reporters here.

To a question on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, while he was briefing the media on tax rates fixed under Goods and Services Tax (GST), Jaitley said: "If there is any effort and any form of ceasefire violation our soldiers will give an adequate response to that."

He said terrorism and militancy are aimed both against the Indian state, its sovereignty and also against the people of Jammu and Kashmir and it is local people, alongside security personnel, who are losing their lives.

"And, therefore, those who have taken on to violence of this magnitude will certainly be accountable for their actions," he said.

Jaitley, who is also finance minister, said it was known that Hyurriat and other militant organisations were being "funded from across the border".

"They were funded to create unrest, they were funded to burn schools, they were funded to kill people and destroy public property. So their actions were a conspiracy against not only Indian state but also the average resident of Kashmir valley," he said.

Those killing people have to be treated as a serious insurgency problem and dealt with accordingly, he said.

He said the aspirations of the people have to be addressed but that can be done only when there is peace in the state.

"You can't have the energy of the state involved in combating violence in various places. The resources which are meant for the economic development of people are today being used essentially for security. And who is to be blamed for unleashing that era of violence?," he asked.

On the issue of Army allegedly seizing a 24-year old shawl weaver on April 9 and strapping him to the front of their vehicle, Jaitley said the matter is being investigated.

"Let us not forget that the army is a responsible institution and the army was also interested in saving the life of various people who were both involved in election process as also the large crowd of protesters who had gathered there," he said.

Priority at the moment, he said, is to restore normalcy. "There is a section which will have to be dealt with by security measures and that there is a section which will have to be dealt with by citizen sentiment. And that is what we are trying to do."

Also on HuffPost India

NEW DELHI -- Calcutta High Court judge Justice C S Karnan, evading arrest since 9 May, has received yet another jolt from the Supreme Court, which has refused to list and hear his plea seeking recall of the order awarding six- month jail term for contempt of court.

The petition was held as "not maintainable" by the apex court registry.

"It is thus manifestly clear from the averments made in the petition that the petitioner intends to impugne and challenge the judicial order passed by this court on 9 May, 2017, in the suo motu petition.

"The proceedings therein were decided on merits and after due consideration, it was held that Justice C S Karnan had committed contempt of the gravest nature resulting in finding of guilt. As a sequel the petitioner also stands convicted and sentenced to an imprisionment of six months. The said findings have since attained finality," an apex court registrar, who deals with listing of fresh writ petitions, said in his order.

"I am constrained but to hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable. The relief if any lies some where else. I thus see no reasonable cause to receive the present writ petition for registration under the provisions of Supreme Court rules, 2013", the registrar said.

The order was passed on May 12 and sent to Justice Karnan's lawyers three days later. Karnan is yet to be arrested.

The judge, through his lawyers, had moved the apex court seeking recall of the May 9 order of the seven-judge bench which had held him guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment by ordering the West Bengal police to take him into custody forthwith.

On May 12, Justice Karnan, whom the West Bengal police is looking for, had moved the apex court for reliefs saying neither high courts, nor their judges are "subordinate" to it.

"The petitioner, a judge of the High Court of Calcutta, is not under any disciplinary jurisdiction of either the CJI or the bench of seven judges constituted by the CJI, as in the instant case," the plea, filed through lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara, said.

He had sought recall of the apex court order awarding him six month imprisonment, saying that he could not be held guilty of 'contempt of court'.

He had said if the allegations levelled by him were untrue, then "it would at the most amount to defamation".

"Under our constitutional scheme, high courts are not subordinate to the Supreme Court; high courts are as much independent as the Supreme Court is, though their orders could be judicially challenged in the Supreme Court, the latter being a Court of Appeal," the petition said.

Justice Karnan said the Contempt of Courts Act was a "cathartic jurisprudence which belonged to the Dark Ages, the era of inquisition and torture, distinct from the classical Roman Law which constitutes the foundation of the modern jurisprudence."

He has said the show cause notice issued by a seven judge bench to him on February 8 be declared "unconstitutional" as it was against "the principles of natural justice".

He has also sought a stay on all "further proceedings" pursuant to the May 9 order holding him guilty of contempt and aweard of six months jail term.

Meanwhile, the lawyers representing Justice Karnan have claimed that a representation has been made to the President seeking suspension of the Supreme Court order sentencing him to six-month imprisonment for contempt.

However, the president's office said, "It was not aware of any such representation."

Also on HuffPost India

Education and healthcare will continue to be exempted from tax in the upcoming GST regime that will see service tax incidence go up on telecom, business class air travel, insurance and sale of newspaper space for advertisement.

Transport services will be taxed at 5 per cent leading to a small drop in economy class air travel which currently attracts 6 per cent service tax.

Non AC train travel, including in local trains and metro, as well as religious travel including Haj yatra will remain exempted from GST.

Five per cent rate will also apply to cab aggregators like Ola and Uber, which currently pay 6 per cent tax.

AC train travel will attract 5 per cent service tax, same as freight levy.

The all-powerful GST Council finalised four tax rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent for services including telecom, insurance, hotels and restaurants under the biggest tax reform since the Independence.

The rates are in line with those finalised for goods. With this, rates of all items except a handful including gold, have been decided ahead of the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime from 1 July.

Space selling for advertisement in newspapers will attract 5 per cent levy in GST. It is exempted from tax currently.

Briefing reporters here after the two-day meeting of the Council, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said telecom and financial services will be taxed at a standard rate of 18 per cent.

Service tax on telecom like phone bill payment totals to 15 per cent at present.

However, Revenue Secretary Hashmukh Adhia insisted that the tax incidence on telecom services will be unchanged at 15 per cent after the input credit is taken on equipment.

While economy class air travel will attract 5 per cent GST, the business class will be charged at 12 cent, he said.

Jaitley said non-AC restaurants will charge 12 per cent GST on food bill. The tax rate for AC restaurants and those with liquor licence will be 18 per cent, while 5-star hotels will charge 28 per cent GST.

Restaurants with Rs 50 lakh or below turnover will go under the 5 per cent composition, he said.

Work contracts like white washing will be liable for a 12 per cent GST.

Entertainment tax will be merged with service tax under the GST and a composite 28 per cent levy charged on cinema services as well as gambling and betting at race course.

While the rate proposed for cinema halls is lower than 40 to 55 per cent currently, it may not result in a reduction in tariffs on cinema tickets as states continue to hold right to levy local charges on them.

Hotels and lodges charging per day tariff of Rs 1,000 will be exempt from GST. Rate for hotels with tariff of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per day would be 12 per cent, while those with Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 would be 18 per cent. GST for hotels with tariff above Rs 5,000 will be 28 per cent.

Jaitley said tax on gold and precious metals will be taken up at the next meeting of the Council on June 3.

GST on services was the main item discussed at the GST meet today, he said, adding that most service tax exemptions will be grandfathered and will continue.

Net effect of GST will not be inflationary, he said, adding that healthcare and education services will continue to be exempted from tax under GST.

E-commerce players like Flipkart, Snapdeal will have to deduct 1 per cent TCS (tax collected at source) while making payments to suppliers, Adhia said.

There will be no tax on lottery.

Jaitley said July 1 will be the rollout date for GST. "We are in state of readiness."

Adhia warned of industry changing rates before the GST rollout saying that under the anti-profiteering law, any entity can be called in to question for their actions after today.

"My advice to all the big industry players would be that please don't do this. Let's be honest, let us try to pass down the actual tax rate to the consumer and let's not try to increase tariff only because of tax rate going up," he said.

The machinery for anti profiteering will be operationalised soon, he said.

He said once the anti profiteering machinery is set up, balance sheet of companies can be checked if any undue profit has been taken or any tax benefit has not been passed on.

"We will look only at big companies. The department can suo motu take action," he said.

Jaitley said, "As I said, we made sure that consumers don't have to pay more. The net effect of goods and services is not going to be inflationary because, once the system of input credits starts the actual incidence is going to be positively impacted," he said.

He said transport, covering goods, road, air and AC rail, has been kept at 5 per cent category because their main input is petroleum products and since petroleum is outside the GST, those paying service tax will not be able to take the benefit of input tax credit.

"The services have been split up into 12 and 18 per cent and some 5 services in 28 per cent category," he said.

Jaitley said most of the work relating to GST roll out has been completed and only a few things remain.

The 2-day meeting of the all powerful GST Council, its 14th so far, has decided on tax rates to be levied on various services under the GST regime which will kick in from 1 July.

GST has been billed as the biggest tax reform since the Independence and seeks to have uniform taxation for various goods and services across the country, uniting it as a single market by subsuming a plethora of state and central levies.

Also on HuffPost India

• Victoria Abril
  Samir Hussein via Getty Images
• Li Yuchun
  Gisela Schober via Getty Images
• Hofit Golan
  Barcroft Media via Getty Images
• Rossy de Palma
  Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images
• Chompoo Araya
  Gisela Schober via Getty Images
• Frederique Bel
  Gisela Schober via Getty Images
• Marion Cotillard
  Tony Barson via Getty Images
• Amber Valletta
  Jacopo Raule via Getty Images

Just a few hours ago we got a glimpse of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first look at the Cannes Film Festival in a beautiful Yanina outfit. Now the actress has changed her look for the second round of media interactions.

L'Oreal Paris, the brand Aishwarya represents, posted a series a photos of her look on Twitter.

In one photo, the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' star is seen wearing a strapless gown, with a subtle lace embossed print along with colourful floral embroidery and is a corset style from the top.

They captioned the snap, "Sitting pretty and living the #LifeAtCannes ??#CannesQueen #AishwaryaAtCannes #CannesFilmFestival."

Sitting pretty and living the #LifeAtCannes 💕 #CannesQueen#AishwaryaAtCannes#CannesFilmFestivalpic.twitter.com/oTeNrIklQV

— L'Oréal Paris India (@LOrealParisIn) May 19, 2017

The diva picked this lacy number with a full skirt from Filipino fashion designer Mark Bumgarner's collection.

When at Cannes, pose and pout 😘 #LifeAtCannes#AishwaryaAtCannes#CannesQueenpic.twitter.com/er7dGHvr9W

— L'Oréal Paris India (@LOrealParisIn) May 19, 2017

She complemented her look with a pop of bright red on her lips and highlights of shimmery bronze on her cheekbones.

#AishwaryaRaiBachchan twirls to perfection in this gorgeous gown by #MarkBumgarnerpic.twitter.com/1LI0waWApH

— L'Oréal Paris India (@LOrealParisIn) May 19, 2017

Earlier in the day, the 43-year-old-actress was seen wearing a sea green gown with layers of frills and flower patterns in pinks and reds from Yanina Couture.

When you have to take a moment and look at the view 😍 #CannesQueen#LifeAtCannes#AishwaryaAtCannespic.twitter.com/SRn0tFD6HD

— L'Oréal Paris India (@LOrealParisIn) May 19, 2017

This is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 16th appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

Deepika Padukone has already made two red carpet outings at the fest, while Sonam Kapoor is yet to arrive.

Also on HuffPost India

The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was today closed near Vishnuprayag in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district due to a landslide, following which hundreds of pilgrims were feared stranded at different places here.

The highway has been closed near Vishnuprayag, one of the five confluences of Alaknanda river, between Joshimath (also known as Jyotirmath) and Badrinath, the famous pilgrim spot in the hill state.

In the afternoon, landslides occurred here after huge boulders rolled down the Hathi Pahar mountain. The area between the highway and Alaknanda river was filled with debris.

District Magistrate Ashish Joshi told PTI that BRO (Border Roads Organisation) personnel are engaged in clearing the roads and it could be opened for the traffic by the afternoon tomorrow.

He also said efforts are on to provide all facilities to 1,000-1,500 pilgrims who are at Joshimath, Karnaprayag, Pipalkoti, Govindghat and Badrinath.

The pilgrims have been asked to stay at these places till the way is cleared.

Keeping in view the danger posed by intermittent fall of debris from the mountain, the district administration has arranged for safety of travellers at convenient places in advance, Joshi said.

However, witnesses said that huge rocks from Hathi Pahar have fallen over the road and it could take a long time to get the way cleared.

Due to the closure, pilgrims on way to Badrinath have temporarily stopped at Joshimath, Pipalkoti and Karnaprayag, and are waiting for the way to get cleared.

Also on HuffPost India

A day after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the death sentence awarded to former Indian Naval officer and alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by the Pakistan military court, Islamabad on Friday filed a plea in the Hague to rehear the case within six weeks.

"Pakistan was set to re-challenge the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice after it granted injunction on Thursday on an Indian plea to stay Jadhav's execution," said Dunya News.

According to the report, Khawar Qureshi will continue to represent Pakistan in the court.

Earlier in a major reprieve to India, the primary judicial organ of the United Nations cited that both - India and Pakistan - were bound by the Vienna Convention and that the rights invoked by New Delhi under the Vienna Convention were plausible.

Justice Ronny Abraham of the ICJ said that the case was indeed debatable, while also adding that the ICJ had prime facie jurisdiction in the case.

Abraham added that under the Vienna Convention, India should have received consular access to seek justice for the former Indian Naval officer.

A military court awarded death sentence to Jadhav on 10 April on spying and terrorism charges. According to law, he can make a clemency appeal to the Chief of the Pakistan Army within 60 days of the verdict of the appellate court. This means Jadhav can challenge till the end of Saturday his death sentence in an appellate court.

Also on HuffPost India

India on Friday unveiled four rate bands under a new sales tax for services such as telecoms, insurance and restaurants, a move experts said could complicate compliance and leave businesses at the mercy of an intrusive tax bureaucracy.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), set to be launched from July 1, will have rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent for services, in line with those applying to goods. It is a big departure from the current regime, where a single rate of 15 percent is applied on most services.

The biggest argument in favour of the GST - India's biggest tax overhaul since independence in 1947 - is that it would make it easier to do business by simplifying the tax structure and compliance.

But the political challenges of striking a compromise between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's central government and India's federal states and territories has meant that life will get more, not less, complicated for many.

For example, hotels and restaurant would be taxed on the basis of their room tariff and turnover of business. Air-conditioned restaurants will even be taxed at a higher rate under the new regime than those without.

"For service providers, it is going to get troublesome," said Saloni Roy, a senior director at tax consultancy Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP.

MULTIPLE RATES

Since services account for more than half of India's $2 trillion economy, the complexities run the risk of derailing the sector's growth and even slowing Asia's third-largest economy.

The government, however, defended the move, saying different economic classes can't be taxed at the same rate.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also played down concerns that higher headline rates would inflate the tax burden on consumers. Since service providers will get tax input credits, he said, the effective tax rate will be lower.

"The actual incidence on consumers will go down," Jaitley told reporters after a two-day meeting with his counterparts from Indian states.

Under the new regime, while healthcare and education services will be tax exempt, services offered at five-star hotels will be taxed at 28 percent.

Telecoms and financial services will be taxed at a standard rate of 18 percent. An industry group representing mobile operators said this would further bleed a sector still smarting from a price war triggered by the aggressive market entry of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio.

"This is likely to slow down the planned rollout of infrastructure," Rajan S. Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India.

A NEW INSPECTOR RAJ?

The long-awaited GST will replace a slew of federal and state levies, seeking to transform a country of 1.3 billion population into a single market.

The measure has also been touted as the biggest reform undertaken by Modi to transform the South Asian nation into a business friendly destination.

While it will make lives easier for manufacturers and traders as "cascading" taxes on top of taxes through the production process would be done away with, compliance for service providers would become onerous.

In place of a single registration, they will be required to register in every state where they do business.

There is also a risk of overzealous tax inspectors becoming more intrusive as the GST has an "anti-profiteering" provision to ensure companies pass on the benefit of input tax credits to consumers.

Roy of Deloitte said implementing the provision is fraught with risks as its empowers tax authorities to ask for pre- and post-GST cost sheets from companies of their products.

"It can lead to the Inspector Raj," she warned.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar and Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Douglas Busvine/Jeremy Gaunt)

Though filing of income tax returns is a process to be done every year. But one should be aware of changes made by the government in the income tax return forms in order to minimise the chances of error and rework. Here are six things that you should keep in mind before filing returns.

Link Aadhaar with PAN

This is the most important change introduced by the government for filing return this year. Your Aadhaar must be linked with your PAN, otherwise you cannot file your returns.

Also you need to mandatorily quote Aadhaar number in the ITR Form. If you do not possess Aadhaar card but have applied for it, the enrolment ID can also be quoted. Aadhaar number is a 12-digit number whereas Aadhaar enrolment ID is a 28-digit number. New income tax return forms have a 28-digit column for quoting the Aadhaar number.

File your returns online and pick the right ITR Form applicable

Returns can be filed offline or online. Paper return(offline) can be filed only by an individual and HUF whose income does not exceed Rs 5 lakhs and who has not claimed any refund in the return of income or an individual at the age of 80 years or more at any time during the previous year. In all the other cases, return has to be filed online on income tax e-filing website. Online filing reduces chances of error and rework. There are mandatory checks to make sure you make no mistakes.

There have been some major changes in ITR forms this year. For instance, people who have filed ITR4 last year are now required to file ITR3 this year and those who filed ITR3 last year have to file ITR2 this year. So, make sure you choose the correct form. Also ITR1 has been made as a simplified one-page form applicable for the salaried individuals with incomes up to Rs 50 lakhs to make the e-filing simpler and easy.

Reporting all bank accounts

The income tax department has made it mandatory for taxpayers to report all their bank accounts held at any time during the previous year in their tax return. You must provide name of the bank, IFSC code, and bank account number and mention whether its savings or current account. Remember to mention all your bank accounts. You can omit dormant bank accounts, which have not been operational for the past three financial years.

Also, it is mandatory to disclose the cash deposits made during the period of demonetisation. A new column has been introduced in all ITR Forms to report on cash deposited by taxpayers in their bank accounts during the demonetization period, i.e., from November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016. However, taxpayers are required to fill up this column only if they have deposited Rs 2 lakhs or more during the demonetisation period

Report Exempt Income

Earlier there was a single column to report your exempt income. New columns have been inserted in the ITR forms to specifically report dividend income and long-term capital gains exempt under Section 10(34) and Section 10(38) respectively.

It is mandatory to e-file tax returns for those with long term capital of Rs 2.5 lakhs or more, even though their taxable income may be below 2.5 lakhs.

List all sources of income including Interest Income

Almost all of us have bank accounts, fixed deposits, and some of us also hold post office savings account. All of these earn interest which must be reported in your total income while filing return. But many tax payers do not report this interest income in returns thinking that since tax has already been deducted by the bank. But even though TDS has been deducted on any of your income, it has to be disclosed in your return.Though you don't have to pay tax again on it, whatever TDS has been deducted on it can be claimed as a deduction from your total tax payable amount.

E–Verify your return or send the ITR V acknowledgement on time

The process of filing return does not get completed till the returns are verified. The govt gives you the option of either sending theITR V acknowledgement within 120 days of filing the return to their office or you can e -verify your returns online also. If you e – verify the returns online, then there is no need to send the acknowledgement. There are various options given by the government for e-verifying your returns. E-verification can be done through Net banking, Bank Account Number, Aadhaar number and Demat Account.

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will revise a textbook for students of Class XII to say the 2002 riots in Gujarat weren't "anti-Muslim".

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the incident, which is considered one of the worst cases of communal violence in independent India, will be simply referred to as the "Gujarat riots".

Official estimates say about 800 Muslims and 250 Hindus were killed in the carnage that followed the death of 57 karsevaks returning from Ayodhya by train near Godhra. The minority community bore the brunt of the atrocities that followed — lynching, rape, arson and a host of other cruelties — for weeks on end.

The recommendation to change the description of the riots was taken in a review meeting with representatives of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The last review of textbooks took place a decade ago, in 2007, and the book under scrutiny was published then, under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty said the intention was to update and revise existing information in the textbooks, not to rewrite them. However, states like Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have been accused of putting in material in their textbooks that are outright objectionable or perceived as an attempt to saffronise history.

Also on HuffPost

Any biryani lover can sing praises of the dish -- fluffy, long-grained and flavourful rice, tender meat and the heady aroma of spices and herbs -- but ask them about their favourite one and opinions are likely to be divided over which region serves the best biryani. From the light and fragrant Lucknowi biryani, to the spicy Hyderabadi one, the Kolkata version with potatoes and eggs, and the mild Malabar biryani, there are numerous regional variations of the dish. We asked some of India's top chefs about their favourite biryanis from around the country. Here's what they had to say.

A post shared by Food Talk (@can_we_food_) on May 15, 2017 at 10:31pm PDT

Kunal Kapur

"I cannot forget the vegetable biryani that I had in Hyderabad few months back. This small biryani joint in old Hyderabad served biryani with a unique biryani pickle. I was researching for my book on Pickles of India when someone said that there is one old man selling biryani and biryani pickle that I should try and that led me to him. It was evening, and within the market, there was an old man with a degchi of biryani on a cart. It was the pickle which made the difference. It had biryani flavours. There was no main ingredient but many roughly ground spices in oil. I could feel browned onions, mint, chilly, cardamom, coriander, shahi jeera, cinnamon, cloves besides oil. This enhanced the overall flavour of the meal, making it one of my most memorable. Hyderabadi biryani is a bit masaledar and quite moist. The quality of rice and how it is made is more important than the meat. Rice has to soak in all the flavours, has to be soft and moist."

Sanjeev Kapoor

Two biryanis stand out for me: the light, flavourful Lucknowi biryani and the robust spicy one from Hyderabad. It would be impossible for me to pick one, was tough enough narrowing down to these two.

A biryani from Hyderabad, they say, is like its people, exciting, spicy, sweet and tangy – all in one. Mostly a kachchi biryani, where you don't pre-cook any of the ingredients. All the ingredients cook together to create a happy marriage of flavours. Pieces of marinated mutton, soaked long grain basmati rice and fragrant whole spices, perfectly sealed and cooked together on low heat for hours – till the meat is tender and falls off the bone and the rice is fluffed up and soft. Fried onions or birista, fried nuts, kewra water and saffron strands are added for aroma, texture and flavour. When compared to a Hyderabadi biryani, the Awadhi biryani uses less spices and oil, is lighter in colour and has more delicate flavours. It is more pulao like with a rice and masala ratio of around 70:30 -- more rice and meat and less masala. Cooking it in dum keeps the dish moist and the flavours sealed.

A post shared by Madhurima Mukherjee🌟 (@ms.purplesparkle) on Apr 15, 2017 at 4:54am PDT

Ranveer Brar

My favourite biryani is from Lucknow, because I am from Lucknow. It is from a 50-year-old shop called Idris Ki Biryani in Chowk in Patanwala. Right now it is run by the third generation of the family, a man called Abu Bakr. The reason it is my favourite is because it is till cooked the way Lucknawi biryani should be cooked, like pulao. The rice is already half cooked and the lamb is also cooked, and they are then lined together and finished. I discovered the shop when I was 16. It is fairly well-known in Lucknow, and among the two most famous shops for biryani, the other one being Lalla ki Biryani. Abu bhai still cooks his biryani on charcoal and he only does three items: biryani, strew and sheermal. For me, people doing less dishes do good food. His other advantage is that he is right next to a meat shop and he gets the freshest and choicest of meats.

The beauty of Idris or Lucknowi biryani is its subtle spicing. We don't do our biryani with a lot of masala. Instead, khada masala is placed in a muslin cloth and make a stock out of it called yakhni, so you will never get a spice in your mouth. I've cooked with Abu bhai twice. It is also something to do with the charisma of the place. Every time i cook there, it is great, every time I cook at home, there is something missing.

A post shared by Kalyan Karmakar (@thefinelychopped) on May 4, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT

Manish Mehrotra, Indian Accent, Delhi

I love all different kinds of biryani, but one of my favourites is from Calcutta. that is not because of chicken or mutton but because of the potato. The potato is a simple vegetable, and one thing that everyone takes for granted. Doing something inspiring with the flavour is not an easy job. Potato is one vegetable everyone takes for granted. The potato is cooked while the rice is cooking and it absorbs the flavour of the meat, stock of the meat and spice especially turmeric so well that it is amazing. It becomes so tasty that in biryani, the potato becomes the hero. Making potato the hero in a non-vegetarian dish is a work of art.

I first tasted that biryani in a small restaurant in Kolkata three years back, where we had gone to eat chicken biryani and Calcutta roll, both were fantastic. That potato had so much impact on my mind that I created a dish on my menu called Calcutta biryani aloo, where I cooked the potato as the protagonist in the dish without rice.

My second favourite is the traditional biryani from the restaurant Thalappakatti in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. This is a very masala-oriented biryani where the spices are really overpowering. Then there is the biryani from north india, Awadh, where biryani is too fragrant with ittar and gulab jal it overpowers everything. The Kolkata biryani is a very simple biryani. It doesn't have too many spices. For me a chef, for me, making a simple dish with less ingredients is more difficult than making complicated dish with 100 ingredients. Just like it is tough to make peeli dal tasty than a kaali dal cooked with butter and cream.

Chef Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels

My favourite biryani is Mumbai's Bohri Biryani. When ITC was planning its first luxury hotel in Mumbai, we started researched on the region's archetypal cuisine. This was my first tryst with the Bohri biryani and I have been a fan since. What I like particularly about this biryani is the abundance of vegetables, potatoes and prunes along with the most tender meat. The Bohra community's roots can be traced to Gujrat and they are an integral part of the business community of modern Mumbai. Communal eating is predominant and the biryani always finds pride of place in Bohri homes. This biryani which has now found home and heart in Mumbai, is testimony of why the city is called the melting pot of cultures.

Thomas Zacharias, The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai

My favourite kind of biryani is the Calicut-style Malabar biryani, which is particularly prominent in the city of Kozhikode in Kerala. It's an integral dish in Kerala Moplah food, a cuisine which was born as an amalgamation of Arab and Malayali influences in the area. This style of biryani is unique in the kind of rice (a short grain variety called karma), the subtle use of spices, browning of onions and use of ghee in the recipe. It is a lighter version of biryani which you can eat endlessly without feeling bloated. The legendary restaurant called Paragon in Calicut (with a branch now opened in Cochin as well) served the best version of this biryani. They make versions in chicken, mutton, prawns and fish.

Saransh Golia, Golia Butter Chicken, Mumbai

I've tried a lot of biryanis across the country but my favourite is the Calcutta one, which is interesting because of the potato and the egg. It is that flavourful potato that makes the big difference. It is amazing how they make the potato which has this nice scent and is cooked perfectly. It is very similar to the Lucknowi style, but because of the potato it becomes different. I first tried when I was travelling for my show Roti Rasta aur India in 2012. My favourite Kolkata biryani restaurants are Arsalan and Aminia.

I am not a big fan of the Hyderabadi biryani. I think the Calcutta biryani would be accepted more widely. It is light and more flavourful. It is definitely more aromatic, while the Hyderabadi one is spicier. Though the spices are the same, it is the just ratio of spices that makes the difference. The biryani masala has shahi zeera, dalchini, elaichi, it has laung, all the entire biryani spices. The only thing that differentiates them is the colour. Lucknowi or Kolkata has a touch of yellow, while Hyderabadi is white. The garam masala, javitri (nutmeg) and jaiphal (mace), add value to the Calcutta biryani, while kevra gives it the nice fragrance.

Atul Kochhar, Michelin-starred chef, Benares and NRI

"The vegetable biryani inspired by the Lucknowi biryani, has to be one of the simplest recipes ever to come out of India and is one of my favourites. As a nation with 80 per cent of its population vegetarians, you can understand why vegetables are so high on the culinary agenda. Indian food is full of fusions after centuries of maturing and mixing with many cultures, so use any vegetables that please you -- that's the biggest leeway a cuisine can offer."

Naren Thimmiah, Executive Chef, Karavalli, The Gateway Hotel – Residency Road, Bengaluru

My favourite is the Thalaserry Moplah biryani. Rice is a staple for the Moplah community from north Malabar, where a majority of people are from the trading community with a lineage from the Middle East and Persian countries. The influence truly reflects in their food as well, with liberal use of dry fruits or for that matter, subtle usage of mild spices in their cuisine. Thalaserry Moplah biryani can have its roots in the biryani of Samarkand brought in by Moguls and also the indigenous Muslim rulers of Arcot and Mysore.

I like this biryani for its wholesomeness and its mild and fragrant taste. This is quite different from the traditional spicy biryanis of the South. The use of fried dry fruits makes it even richer and tastier. The use of date chutney gives it a distinct flavour with its sweet, sour, and spicy tones. The other point which makes it even special is the fish variation that differentiates it from the regular chicken or meat versions.

Manisha Bhasin, Senior Executive Chef of ITC Maurya, Delhi

My favourite is the Sarai ki Biryani, a dish which evolved from the area which is now the National Capital Region. Lamb and basmati rice are cooked together with whole spices and completed with angel hair onions. Served with mint yogurt sauce, this biryani is a complete meal in itself.

This biryani also has a bit of history attached to its origins. Right through the Mauryan Empire (when it was built) to when Bahadhur Shah Zafar ascended to his throne, the Grand Trunk Road was used by traders, armies and noblemen alike. Naturally, this gave rise to several taverns or 'sarais' which dotted the route. Biryani was extremely popular at these 'sarais' since it was easy to prepare (cooking meat and rice together with spices) and also easy to eat for those who travelled long and far on the Grand Trunk Road.

There are a few families and historic eateries in Old Delhi which still use the traditional recipes of preparation. I first tried it in a family's home in the Walled City. That's when we were inspired to research it, refine it and include it as part of our menu. Sarai ki Biryani is different from the Lucknow biryani is terms of preparation, flavours and ingredients too. For example, tomatoes are used in the Sarai ki Biryani, and it is also more than the Lucknow version.

Ajit Bangera, Senior Executive Chef – ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

One of my favourite biryanis is the seafood-based kadal biryani I created for ITC Grand Chola in 2011, before the hotel even opened. Kadal means the sea in most of south India and this is a variation of my mother's recipe. The inspiration comes from my background of growing up in a Mangalorean home where no meal was complete without some form of seafood.

It can be made with a single type of fish on its own, or a mix like fish, prawns, mussels, and scallops. The brilliance of this biryani comes from the use of fresh coconut milk, seafood stock, a selection of South Indian spices such as cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon sticks and turmeric and fresh coriander, green chillies and tomatoes. I would never use turmeric, cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and coconut milk, if I make a meat or chicken biryani, but these ingredients play a significant role in heightening the flavour of the seafood biryani.

Srinagar, May 20 (IANS) — A day after the body of a villager was found in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, police on Saturday denied that security forces were involved in his killing.

The body of Muhammad Yusuf Dar, a resident of Gadoora village, was on Friday found by locals.

"Dar was killed by the militants and we have registered an FIR into the matter," police said.

Locals and the members of Kashmir High Court Bar Association have alleged that Dar was killed by the security forces.

The lawyers' body has demanded a judicial probe into the killing.

Dar was buried in his ancestral graveyard on Friday as dozens of locals shouting pro-Islam and pro-freedom slogans attended his funeral.

According to reports, some militants, who fired in the air to register their presence, were also seen in the funeral procession.

Reports also said the slain villager had been an over ground worker (OGW) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group.

OGWs are unarmed locals who according to the security forces work as eyes and ears of the militants.

According to intelligence agencies, keeping track of security forces movements, arranging shelter and food in addition to recce of passages for the militant are the main activities of the OGWs.

Also on HuffPost