| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. CBI shall probe Sushant Singh Rajput case, rules SC The Supreme Court has approved the ongoing CBI investigation, recommended by the Bihar government, into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to order that any future FIRs registered in connection with the case, including those by the Mumbai Police, will be investigated by the central agency. Asserting that "an impartial probe is the need of the hour", the court also asked the Mumbai Police to hand over to the CBI all the evidence it has collected so far. "Sushant Singh Rajput was a talented actor in the Mumbai film world and died well before his full potential could be realised. His family, friends and admirers are keenly awaiting the outcome of the investigation so that all the speculations floating around can be put to rest," a Single Judge Bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy observed. The court upheld the validity of the FIR registered by the Bihar Police on the complaint filed by Sushant's father. At the same time, Justice Roy also said the Mumbai Police had jurisdiction in the case owing to the fact that certain incidents, including the death of the actor, had occurred in that city. Prashant Bhushan asks SC to defer sentencing Advocate Prashant Bhushan today asked the Supreme Court to defer the sentence hearing in a suo motu criminal contempt case in which he was convicted on August 14. The sentence hearing is scheduled before a three-judge Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra on August 20. Bhushan, represented by advocate Kamini Jaiswal, said he intended to file a review petition against the August 14 judgment within the stipulated 30 days time as provided under Order 47 of the Supreme Court Rules of 2013. He said his review petition, when filed, should be treated like a first appeal against conviction. He argued that a conviction by the Supreme Court in suo motu contempt proceedings had no avenue for appeal. Thus, a review filed against the conviction should be considered as the first appeal and heard accordingly.  A file picture of Prashant Bhushan. "In criminal contempt proceedings, the Supreme Court functions like a trial court. It is also the last court. Section 19(1) (of the Contempt of Courts Act) gives a statutory right of appeal to a person found guilty of contempt by the High Court. The fact that there is no appeal against an order of the Supreme Court makes it doubly necessary that it takes the utmost precaution to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done", he argued. Priyanka was ready to work under a non-Gandhi Congress chief, new book reveals India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders, a newly published book written by U.S.-based academics Pradeep Chibber and Harsh Shah, claims that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was ready to work under a non-Gandhi chief. In an interview that Congress politicians claim was conducted sometime last year after the 2019 elections, Priyanka is quoted as saying, "Firstly, I would like to say that, to me, my brother is my leader and he will always be. Secondly, I see hundreds of people in U.P. and in different parts of the country who are very well equipped to fight the BJP. There are young and good enough leaders. I cannot tell the future, I do not know what is going to happen in the future. But, I think there are plenty of people who are capable to lead the party as well." She was responding to a question on whether she was ready to lead the Congress.  Congress party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. File She goes on to say, "If there were to be another party president, he would be my boss… If he tells me tomorrow that he doesn't want me in Uttar Pradesh but wants me to be in Andaman and Nicobar (Islands), then I would jolly well go to Andaman and Nicobar." The revelations of this interview come at a time when Sonia Gandhi has held the interim leadership of the Congress for over a year and calls for appointing a permanent party chief are gaining in urgency. Incidentally, the book also has interviews of young leaders from across the political spectrum, from Union Minister Smriti Irani to Aaditya Thackeray, Assaduddin Owaisi Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jignesh Mevani and Sachin Pilot, among others. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 28,31,341 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 53,979. India on Tuesday reported 64,531 new cases. Andhra Pradesh is fast becoming India's latest problem state, recording 9,742 new coronavirus cases and 86 deaths today. With this, the state's tally rose to 3,16,003 and the toll stood at 2,906.  Thiruvananthapuram City police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyaya with Maveli distributes face mask to a vegetable vendor at Palayam Market, an initiative by Kerala police for a Covid free Onam on August 19, 2020 Meanwhile, former President Pranab Mukherjee's health deteriorated as he developed a lung infection, the Army's Research and Referral hospital in Delhi said. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 for an operation to remove a clot in his brain. He had also tested positive for coronavirus the same day. Also, the World Bank on Wednesday indicated that it may further lower its growth projections for India and said critical reforms in areas such as health, labour, land, skills, and finance are needed if the country is to come out stronger from the Covid-19 crisis. Union Cabinet gives nod for National Recruitment Agency At a Cabinet meeting today, the Central government approved the setting up of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA), first proposed in the Union Budget 2020. The NRA will conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for selection to non-gazetted posts in the central government and public sector banks. There will be a single entrance examination or CET for all non-gazetted posts — Group B and C posts. Candidates who qualify through this Common Entrance Test (CET) can apply to any of the recruitment agencies for a higher level of examination. The score will be valid for three years, during which the candidate can apply for jobs in different sectors depending upon his/her aptitude and preferences. Explaining the role of the NRA, DoPT Secretary C. Chandramouli said that Railways, Banks and SSC examinations will be brought under the newly formed agency. "Some of the problems faced by candidates are the multiplicity of exams, fees, dates and expenses. There are more than 20 recruitment agencies in the Central government. Right now, we are bringing three agencies under the National Recruitment Agency and will eventually bring all of them under it." Millions of women lost access to contraception, safe abortion due to Covid-19: Marie Stopes study A multi-country study by the NGO Marie Stopes International (MSI) has found that millions of women have lost access to contraceptives and safe abortions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In its study, MSI says that during January-June 2020, due to the restrictions and disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, 1.9 million fewer women were served by its programmes, which could potentially lead to 1.5 million additional unsafe abortions, 900,000 additional unintended pregnancies, and 3,100 additional maternal deaths. The report further says that in India alone, lockdown restrictions have led to 1.3 million fewer women having access to MSI's services. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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