Lal Krishna Advani

96-year-old BJP veteran L.K. Advani was hospitalised to AIIMS Delhi; he is stable and receiving urological therapy under monitoring. No illness specifics were disclosed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that L K Advani, a BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister, will get the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.

The matter was earlier fixed for July 11, but the lawyers for the revisionists sought an adjournment.

In an affidavit filed in pursuance to the apex court’s April 12 order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said the assurance would come into effect once the period of 25 years expires on November 10, 2030.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Surya Kant, hearing the matter through video conferencing, passed the orders on receiving a letter from the special judge seeking extension of time granted to him for completing the trial in the politically sensitive case.

According to the rules, former MPs have to vacate their bungalows within a month of dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha.

Speaking at a meet-the-press programme here, the former Union finance minister also dismissed as a non-issue the controversy over the alleged misuse of INS Viraat by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Shah is meeting the two leaders days after they were not given poll tickets.

Advani said his party has never regarded those who disagreed with it politically as "anti-national" or "enemies" but only as adversaries.

Naranpura, from where Shah had won the Assembly election in 2012 before he became Rajya Sabha member, is located in Ahmedabad city, but falls in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

"Advani Ji's contribution towards India's development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

It is also free to take up suo motu investigation into the matters relating to ethics and unethical conduct by a member, wherever necessary, and make such recommendations, as it may deem fit, a Lok Sabha bulletin said.

He wished people after hoisting the national flag at his official residence in New Delhi.

Advani, who has served as the BJP president for the longest period, expressed his happiness over the RSS under Bhagwat expanding and intensifying its efforts to reach out to various sections of the nation in the spirit of dialogue.

"Real freedom will come only when we free ourselves of the domination of western education, western culture and western way of living which had been engrained in us. Emancipation from this culture would mean real freedom for us,"

Former deputy PM Lal Krishna Advani had recused himself from being the presidential candidate of the ruling NDA, since he has been named as an accused by the CBI in the ongoing Babri Masjid demolition case.

The chief minister welcomed Advani with a bouquet of flowers as the former deputy prime minister stopped at the VVIP guest house before leaving for the special court.

On Thursday, the court asked Advani, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and others to appear before it. The court is likely to frame charges against the accused on Friday.

The court postponed today's hearing as Satish Pradhan, one of the six accused, did not appear before it.

With President Pranab Mukherjee's term drawing to a close, there were reports that Advani was one of the contenders and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed his name.