The Catch Up: 12 August

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 12th of August and here are the headlines.After the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research on Saturday made a series of allegations against SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, Sebi on Sunday came out in Buch’s defence and said the regulator has adequate internal mechanisms to address issues related to conflict of interest, which include disclosure framework and provision for recusal. In the first official reaction from the Ministry of Finance on the Hindenburg revelations against Sebi Madhabi Puri Buch, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth said there is “nothing further to add” by the government on the issue as both the regulator and the concerned person have given the statements.In a powerful display of outrage and solidarity, major government hospitals across Delhi are set to indefinitely halt all elective services from Monday in response to the brutal rape and murder of a young junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Resident doctors protesting in West Bengal on Sunday night demanded a fast-track judicial inquiry into the case, the resignation of the principal, dean, and other authorities, proper compensation to the victim’s family, and an apology from the Kolkata police. The case has sparked nationwide protests.After meeting the family of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today called for the case to be cracked quickly and said she would demand the death penalty for the perpetrators. “We are trying our best to solve the case. I don’t know how this type of incident can happen in a hospital. If there are more accused and all are not arrested by Sunday, we will hand over the case to the CBI — even though their success rate is low." Banerjee also said she would demand the death penalty for the perpetrators.The Ministry of Education today announced the National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024. IIT-Madras tops in engineering and overall categories in India and IISc Bengaluru is the top university in the country. In its ninth edition, three new categories have been introduced — open universities, skill universities and state funded government universities. The AICTE chairperson, Anil Sahasrabudhe, also announced that the Ministry aims to begin ‘sustainability rankings’ from next year. IITs have grabbed the top positions in the top institutes (overall) and the engineering categories. Meanwhile, IISc Bengaluru, JNU and Jamia are the top varsities in India.Bittihotra Mohanty, who was convicted of raping a German woman in Rajashtan’s Alwar in 2006, died late Sunday night while undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubanwswar. Hospital sources said Mohanty, son of former Odisha Director General (Home Guards and Fire Services) Bidya Bhusan Mohanty, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October last year and was admitted to AIIMS a month back. Known as Bitti, Bittihotra Mohanty was 25 years old and doing a management course in Delhi when he was charged in 2006 with raping a German woman on March 21 that year.This was the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express.