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Hidden inside plastic containers in her luggage, the haul included four baby anacondas, iguanas, bearded dragons, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and raccoons.
Baby Anacondas Among 154 Exotic Animals Confiscated (Photo: X)
Mumbai Customs officers intercepted a Thane-based woman at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for attempting to smuggle 154 exotic animals.
Hidden inside plastic containers in her luggage, the haul included four baby anacondas, iguanas, bearded dragons, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and raccoons. This marks the first time in at least five years that baby anacondas, a foreign snake species, have been seized at Mumbai Airport.
The seized species are protected under international laws, including CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), as well as the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Following the seizure, wildlife rescue experts from the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) were called in to safely handle, stabilise, and provide medical care to the animals.
Roshan moved Court against creation of his morphed images, memes, AI-generated content, selling merchandise that exploit his image, personality, voice and other attributes to deceive his fans.
Hrithik Roshan with Delhi HCFacebook
The Delhi High Court has granted protection to the personality rights to Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan [Hrithik Roshan vs Ashok Kumar/John Doe & Ors.].
In an order passed on October 15, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora restrained John Doe defendants (unknown entities) from utilising Hrithik Roshan’s name, likeness, image, voice, personality or any other aspects of his persona to create any merchandise, misuse using Artificial Intelligence, deep fakes, machine learning, face morphing or GIFs for commercial purpose.
The Court observed that the actor’s attributes are protectable elements of his personality rights against impersonation, false, obscene, morphed and distorted content.
“Prima facie the Plaintiff’s personality traits and/or parts thereof, including Plaintiff’s name Hrithik Roshan, voice, image, photograph, or likeness and other attributes are protectable elements of the Plaintiff’s personality rights. The Plaintiff is also entitled to protect itself against impersonation, false, obscene, morphed and distorted content created with the use of AI or otherwise, which is demeaning and lowers his reputation and goodwill,” the Court said.
Citing its observations made in similar cases concerning the personality rights of Bollywood personalities, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar and Jackie Shroff, the Court stated that unauthorised exploitation of their personality rights for commercial gain can be protected by way of injunction.
The interim order would remain valid till March 27, 2026 when the matter is slated to be heard next.
Roshan moved the Court alleging that his personality rights were being exploited for commercial gain damaging his reputation by creating vulgar and obscene content with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He sued certain websites, sellers and John Doe defendants for creating morphed images, memes, Artificial Intelligence generated vulgar and obscene content, selling merchandise that exploit his image, personality, voice and other attributes to deceive his fans for illegal profits.
Roshan also sued Markmonitor.Inc. for wrongly portraying to the public that he was the company’s the founder.
He stated that such unauthorised acts constitute violation of Copyright Act, 1957, the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and infringement of his right to privacy, goodwill, and reputation.
While hearing the matter, the Court specifically refrained at this stage from taking down Hrithik Roshan’s fan pages.
“I cannot take down fan page at this stage. We will decide on their rights. We will ask for BSI details. Instagram is not only for commercialisation, people use it for fun. This is not defamatory. I understand commercialisation, obscene, morphed, but I do not understand take down of fan club pages,” the Court stated.
The judge made it clear that fan pages do not amount to commercial use of his personality rights or defamation.
“This fan page does not appear to be commercial use. It is a fan page which he has created. People on Whatsapp use photos of celebrities. He is not making a commercial use. If a fan has used his creativity to create the post, we will hear him first. Let him be here. Ex parte injunction I will not grant. We will park this. I am not denying your relief,” the Court stated.
“Does your client want all fan pages down? Is that your instruction? How are they monetising it on Facebook?” the Court asked Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi appearing for Roshan.
Sethi highlighted existence of a dance tutorial club that uses his song and dance steps. The Court stated that such use of his song does not amount to commercial use.
“They are not using your name. It is a famous song of Hrithik Roshan which is being used as a demo and they will be teaching it. This is not commercial merchandise. They are using your performance to teach people. At this stage, I am not persuaded,” the Court stated.
Advocate Varun Pathak, appearing for Meta, informed the Court that removal of entire fan pages or profiles may be disproportionate and only specific URLs infringing his personality rights may be taken down.
The Court eventually directed Google and Meta to provide the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) details of the creators of the fan pages.
It also directed Roshan to implead the creators of fan pages as parties to the case.
The Court will hear the creators before any directions are passed against them.
The Court has also directed the e-commerce websites and Domain Name Registrants (DNRs) to provide BSI details of the users within three weeks.
A farmer from Chhattisgarh, Bajrang Ram Bhagat, bought a Honda Activa for his daughter by paying Rs 40,000 in coins he had saved over several months. The story went viral online, earning praise for the farmer’s dedication and love for his daughter.
Chhattisgarh Farmer Buys Rs 40K Scooter With Coins For Daughter; Staff Count Money For 3 Hours | Viral VIDEO (Image Source – X)
A farmer from Chhattisgarh has gone viral on social media after buying a Honda Activa scooter for his daughter using Rs 40,000 worth of coins — most of them in Rs 10 denominations. The man, identified as Bajrang Ram Bhagat from Kesarapath village in Jashpur district, had been saving the coins for nearly six to seven months before finally using them to fulfil his daughter’s wish.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Bhagat visited a local showroom in Jashpur along with his daughter Champa and made the full payment of RS 98,700, out of which Rs 40,000 was in coins and the rest in currency notes. He said he preferred paying in cash rather than taking a loan.
The showroom owner, Anand Gupta, shared that the coins took nearly three hours to count before the payment could be processed. Once completed, the family received the scooter along with a mixer grinder as part of a festive lucky draw offer.
A video from the showroom, showing staff counting the piles of coins, has been circulating widely online and winning praise for the farmer’s dedication and hard work.
In Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur, farmer buys honda activa for daughter and paid in coins.
Bajrag Ram Bhagat saved 40 thousand rupees in coins and was finally able to gift her daughter a scooty.
What an emotional moment for the family, the video is pure love…
At least 12 people were killed after a Hyderabad–Bengaluru bus caught fire following a collision with a two-wheeler in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district.
Flames first erupted in the front portion of the bus before spreading rapidly.
A road accident claimed 12 lives early Friday morning when a private travels bus caught fire after colliding with a two-wheeler near Chinnatekur in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh.
Preliminary reports suggest there were around 40 passengers on board. Out of these, 18 passengers have been identified alive. Police said several bodies were completely charred, making identification difficult.
According to official sources, the incident occurred around 3:30 am. The bus two-wheeler collision triggered a massive blaze that quickly engulfed the entire vehicle.
Eyewitnesses said flames first erupted in the front portion of the bus before spreading rapidly. As the fire intensified, 12 passengers managed to break open the emergency exit and escape with minor injuries. They were rushed to Kurnool Government Hospital for treatment.
Heavy rainfall was reported in the area when the mishap occurred, which may have contributed to the collision. The bus was completely gutted in the fire. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
PM, PRESIDENT MURMU, ANDHRA CM EXPRESS GRIEF OVER INCIDENT
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
President of India Droupadi Murmu also expressed her condolences, saying, “The loss of lives in a tragic bus fire accident in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh is deeply unfortunate. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”
Expressing grief over the tragedy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, “I am shocked to learn about the devastating bus fire accident near Chinna Tekur village in Kurnool district. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. Government authorities will extend all possible support to the injured and affected families.”
Sri Satyakumar Yadav, Minister of Health, expressed deep shock over the tragedy and said that DNA samples are being collected to identify the victims. “Deeply shocked by the private bus accident that occurred at Chinnatekur in Kallur mandal of Kurnool district,” the Minister said, adding that the Kurnool GGH Superintendent has been instructed to provide the best possible medical care to the injured.
While Afghanistan and Pakistan were engaged in a war this month, an image showing an India-Afghanistan border pillar from the 1930s went viral. India and Afghanistan shared a small land border through the Wakhan Corridor before Pakistan wedged itself in through treachery and the illegal occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan in 1947.
The photograph, claimed to be from the 1930s, shows the British India-Afghanistan border. (Image: Social Media/India Today)
Last week, as Afghanistan and Pakistan hurled bullets and missiles at each other across the border, a photo claimed to be from the 1930s, lit up social media. The black and white image showed a land border between India and Afghanistan, marked by a couple of border pillars and a pulley barricade, and manned by Indian soldiers. Many were amused to learn that India and Afghanistan once actually shared a land border. But amusement aside, they still do.
India and Afghanistan shared borders for centuries, and even the creation of Pakistan left a 106-km stretch where the two countries remained immediate, contiguous neighbours.
On a South Asian map, most imagine India to be in the east, Pakistan in the middle, and Afghanistan somewhere far off to the west. But tucked up in Afghanistan’s northern Badakhshan province is the Wakhan Corridor. It is a sliver of land that brushes up against what is now Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir now under illegal Pakistani occupation.
That 106-km touchpoint still makes centuries-old neighbours, India and Afghanistan, contiguous neighbours, and, according to Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, falls within Indian territory. However, after Partition, Pakistan slipped in between the two neighbours by illegally annexing the region, aided by the betrayal and treason of British officers in the Gilgit Scouts. In 1947, the backdoor takeover of the erstwhile Gilgit Wazarat and Gilgit Agency placed Pakistan as a wedge between Ganga and Gandhar.
INDIA REMINDS PAKISTAN OF REALITY. AFGHANISTAN, INDIA ARE NEIGHBOURS: JAISHANKAR
Earlier this month, when Pakistan and Afghanistan were engaged in a war along the Durand Line, India dropped a reminder. In Delhi, standing next to his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointed out firmly that India and Afghanistan share “contiguous neighbours”, pointing to the 106-km land border, reported The Times of India.
The Afghans don’t accept the Durand Line, drawn by colonial British rulers, as it separates millions of Pashtuns in their ancient homeland across two countries. Delhi has supported the Afghan claim of the Durand Line being illegitimate.
The meeting in Delhi was the first high-level engagement since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan. Jaishankar flagged the threat from Pakistan-backed terrorists to both Afghanistan and India and said that the two must tackle it together.
Later, while a fuming Pakistan pulled up the Taliban ambassador in Islamabad to express its displeasure over the India-Afghanistan joint statement where Kabul accepted India’s sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir, its President Asif Ali Zardari even lectured the Taliban on “failing to stand up against the Ummah”.
Figuratively and literally, Pakistan wedged itself between two good neighbours—India and Afghanistan. First, by annexing Gilgit-Baltistan to sever their shared border, and now by fuming over their growing warmth. Not just by fomenting trouble, but Pakistan, as a barrier, also blocked a passage that for centuries saw Buddhist monks and trade guilds traverse and connect.
GILGIT-BALTISTAN, WAKHAN CORRIDOR ARE FORGOTTEN LINKS OF ANCIENT SOUTH ASIA
The part of Indian territory, now called Gilgit-Baltistan lies in the trans-Himalayan and Karakoram zone. Before 1947, it was a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which later joined the Union of India. Historically inhabited by a mix of ethnicities including Shia Muslims (particularly in Baltistan and parts of Gilgit), Sunni and Ismaili among others, the region under the Dogra Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir was leased to the British in 1935 for 60 years as the Gilgit Agency, a frontier buffer to the Soviets.
The Shia-majority culture in much of Gilgit-Baltistan meant that the region’s local identity diverged somewhat from the Sunni-Punjabi dominant Pakistani establishment.
To the north of Gilgit Baltistan, is the Wakhan Corridor, at the northeastern fringe of Afghanistan. It is a narrow strip about 350 km long and between 13 and 65 km wide, stretching east from Badakhshan. It is sandwiched between Tajikistan to the north and India’s GilgitBaltistan to the south, with the tail-shaped piece of region brushing up against China’s Xinjiang in the east. It is high-altitude, rugged land ranging from 3,000 to 6,800 meters, with formidable terrain and a severe climate, but a tri-junction of India, Afghanistan and China, nonetheless.
For centuries, this corridor served as part of the ancient Silk Route link between Central and South Asia, traversed by traders and Buddhist monks long before modern borders. In the late 19th century, the British and Russian empires treated it as a buffer zone in their great games.
Thus, before colonial and postcolonial disruptions, the terrain that now lies suppressed by borders once allowed free movement of monks, scholars, headers, nomads, traders and invaders, until the wedge was driven in.
HOW PAKISTAN ANNEXED GILGIT BALTISTAN USING TREACHERY
When the British were leaving the Indian Empire in 1947, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under Maharaja Hari Singh faced the choice of acceding to either India or Pakistan. He chose the former. Then, the Gilgit Agency, part of his kingdom, which was leased by the British since 1935, and had been under the Raj’s political administration.
Right when the Indian Army was crushing the Pakistani-sponsored Mujaheedeen invasion of the Valley, two British officers of the Gilgit Scouts (Major WA Brown and Captain AS Mathieson) alongside Subedar Major Babar Khan, rose up in a rebellion and deposed the maharaja’s governor in November 1947.
They captured the maharaja’s governor, Brigadier Ghansara Singh.
Major Brown, who was said to be close to his English boss stationed in Karachi, preferred reporting to him rather than to the maharaja, who had become his master after the British exit in August.
The rebels killed the maharaja’s governor along with a small group of Sikh and Gurkha soldiers in Gilgit. They then sent a message to Karachi claiming to have taken over Gilgit Wazarat and Gilgit Agency, declaring accession to Pakistan, which was done without any legal document or having the authority to do so.
Pakistan, therefore, grabbed Gilgit Wazarat and Gilgit Agency through the betrayal of British officers of the Gilgit Scouts. They rose the Pakistani flag on November 2, and handed over the region to Pakistan.
Weeks later, Khan Mohammad Alam Khan was named the Pakistani agent.
From there, the region (Gilgit Wazarat and Gilgit Agency) was renamed “Northern Areas” of Pakistan and placed under direct federal control, bypassing the usual constitutional treatment.
The involvement of British officers, who were sympathetic to Pakistan, in effect, engineered Pakistan’s takeover by the betrayal of the maharaja’s authority and India’s rightful claim to accession, noted former diplomat Narendra Singh Sarila in his book, In The Shadow of the Great Game. Pakistan inserted itself between India and Afghanistan by occupying the region that would have kept the IndiaAfghanistan land border intact.
HOW PAKISTAN MADE GILGIT-BALTISTAN A LAND WITHOUT RIGHTS
Since the 1947 events, Gilgit–Baltistan has been governed by Pakistan in a peculiar mode. It has no mention in Pakistan’s Constitution, and the residents have been denied full provincial status or full rights that other Pakistani provinces enjoy.
Instead, it was governed by a succession of administrative orders. First under the Frontier Crimes Regulation, then as Northern Areas, later through the Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009, and various reforms in 2018. None of these were conferred full constitutional parity.
There have been recurring protests and resentment. Local communities have decried Islamabad’s neglect, demographic engineering (such as abrogating the State Subject Rule to allow Sunni settlement in a Shia-dominated region), financial subjugation and lack of development.
In June, pushed to the brink, thousands of residents of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan launched an indefinite blockade of the China-Pakistan Karakoram Highway, protesting the Shehbaz Sharif government’s trade policies. In April, hundreds of locals in Shigar district protested against the Pakistan Army and government, condemning what they called the illegal takeover of their lands, mountains, and minerals. They strongly opposed the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill, chanting slogans like “Kabze par kabza namanzoor” (we reject repeated occupations), accusing Pakistan’s establishment of grabbing their resources after annexing it.
In 2023, residents of Gilgit-Baltistan demanded a reunion with India. They had even fiercely protested against China’s Border Road Initiative.
Over decades, the sense of being occupied or administered without representation in the territory has fuelled alienation. In effect, Gilgit-Baltistan land remains a part of the larger issue of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Thus, Pakistan’s hold on Gilgit-Baltistan has been a story of betrayal, half-measures, and exclusion.
Yadav claimed that spurious syrup is reaching hospitals, jails, and homes “under the government’s nose,” while the Health Department maintains “convenient silence.”
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav | X
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the Uttar Pradesh government of negligence over the alleged supply of fake cough syrup across the state. Sharing a report by a private organization on his official social media handle, Yadav claimed that spurious syrup is reaching hospitals, jails, and homes “under the government’s nose,” while the Health Department maintains “convenient silence.”
He questioned who benefits from this silence and suggested that individuals with political connections might be shielding those behind the illegal trade. Calling the incident a “poisonous scam,” Yadav demanded a high-level judicial probe and strict punitive action against those involved. He alleged that “BJP’s corruption is now endangering lives,” describing fake syrup circulation as a “crime against humanity.”
Following recent incidents in Madhya Pradesh where children allegedly died after consuming contaminated syrup, health and food safety departments in Uttar Pradesh have intensified inspections. Raids in several districts, including Lucknow, led to the seizure of large quantities of counterfeit syrups labeled under fake brands. Officials reported that the materials used were found to be harmful to human health.
There were 166 passengers and crew on board; all were safely evacuated. Airport authorities are investigating the incident. The situation is under control, and normal operations have resumed.
File Pic (Representational Image)
An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Srinagar made an emergency landing at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday after a fuel leak was detected.
There were 166 passengers and crew on board; all were safely evacuated. Airport authorities are investigating the incident. The situation is under control, and normal operations have resumed, according to NDTV.
Kolkata to Srinagar IndiGo 6E6961 flight made a priority landing in Varanasi following fuel issues. The flight has 166 passengers: Airport Authority
The aircraft landed safely at 4:10 pm. According to Varanasi Police and airport officials, the pilot immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) upon detecting the fuel leak.
ATC cleared the aircraft for an emergency landing, and the crew successfully brought it to the runway under controlled conditions.
The aircraft is expected to continue its journey to Srinagar following the necessary inspections and repairs.
The ceremony will be graced by Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh, and Union Minister of State, Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta.
PM Modi | ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over appointment letters for government jobs to more than 51,000 candidates during the 17th edition of Rozgar Mela on Friday.
He will address the gathering through video conference and hand over job letters for the Department of Posts, and other government departments at functions organised at various places across the country.
The ceremony will be graced by Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh, and Union Minister of State, Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta.
No party – be it the RJD, Congress, BJP, the JD (U) or the smaller players like Chirag Paswan’s LJP (R), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM – is an exception when it comes to preferring kith and kin over anything else.
(Clockwise from top left) Upendra Kushwaha, Chirag Paswan, Tejashwi Yadav and Samrat Choudhary Credit: PTI Photos
Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may have been accusing their opponents of promoting dynasts, but when it comes to ticket distribution in any poll, it’s always the blood which is thicker than the sweat.
And no party – be it the RJD, Congress, BJP, the JD (U) or the smaller players like Chirag Paswan’s LJP (R), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM – is an exception.
Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who always wanted a lion’s share in the ticket distribution within the NDA but had to remain content with merely six seats, has fielded his daughter-in-law Deepa Manjhi from Imamganj. Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Suman is already a minister in Nitish Cabinet handling the Minor Irrigation Department. Manjhi’s son’s mother-in-law Jyoti Devi is HAM nominee from Barachatti reserved constituency on the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, who is himself a Rajya Sabha member, has fielded his wife Snehlata Kushwaha from Sasaram as the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) nominee.
The LJP (R) president Chirag Paswan, who has two family members in the Lok Sabha, has fielded Komal Singh, daughter of LJP (R) MP from Vaishali, Veena Singh, from Gaighat.
LONG LIST
Besides the small players, it’s the BJP which has a long list of dynasts contesting the Bihar Assembly elections. Topping the chart is Nitish Mishra, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Dr Jagannath Mishra. Nitish Mishra, who is Industries Minister in Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet, is the BJP candidate from Jhanjharpur in Madhubani, from where the UK-educated leader has romped home four times.
The Court held that it was grossly discriminatory to deny retired CISF personnel access to such canteen liquor quotas when such facilities were extended to all other such CAPF personnel.
CISF logo, Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court has set aside a 2024 order passed by the Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which had denied retired CISF officers access to liquor supplied through canteens set up for retired Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel [CISF Ex-Service Welfare Association v. Union of India & ors and connected case].
The CISF Director-General had passed the 2024 order on the ground that extending such a benefit to retired CISF officers would violate a long-standing policy.
The CISF head added that giving liquor facilities to retired officers could lead to similar demands from serving personnel, thereby adversely affecting the discipline and functioning of the force.
Justice N Nagaresh, however, flatly rejected such reasoning as palpably unsustainable.
The judge emphasised that there was no justification in denying retired CISF personnel liquor quotas when retired personnel from other CAPFs – namely the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF), etc. – are given access to the same.
All wings of the CAPF perform sensitive duties related to national security, and a different yardstick cannot be applied to CISF officers alone, the Court said. It held that the denial of canteen liquor to only CISF officers would violate the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
“It cannot be said that CISF personnel require a different yardstick in the matter of security and discipline. Denial of the benefit to the retired CISF personnel offends Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Secondly, the petitioners are retired CISF personnel and supply of liquor through canteens to retired CAPF personnel cannot impact the discipline of the Force and that too, of CISF alone,” the Court said.
Thus, the Court declared that retired CSIF personnel were also entitled to purchase liquor through the Central Liquor Management System (CLMS) from CRPF Liquor Canteens or any other liquor canteen of CAPFs.
“The 4th respondent (CISF Director General) is directed to share data of retired CISF personnel to Liquor Canteens of other CAPFs as per CLMS requirements. Respondents 2 and 5 are directed to continue sale of liquor to the retired CISF personnel through CLMS System,” the Court ordered.
The Court was considering two petitions, one filed by the CISF Ex-Service Welfare Association and another by retired CISF personnel, challenging CISF’s decision to deny retired members access to the CLMS to buy liquor from CAPF canteens.
The petitioners stated that the CSIF Director General’s order denying such facilities was discriminatory. They cited several circulars and office memoranda from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which extended canteen facilities, including liquor purchases, to all CPAFs.
On October 21, the Court found merit in their arguments and held that denying retired CISF personnel access to canteen liquor facilities contradicted the Union government’s policy of providing welfare benefits to all paramilitary forces uniformly.
The parties volunteered to distribute an assortment of chocolates worth ₹5 lakh each to children studying in Delhi’s government schools.
Mars and Cadbury with Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court recently recorded a settlement by mutual consent between two confectionary giants – Mars and Cadbury – in a 25-year old trademark dispute over ‘Celebrations’ chocolate [Mars Incorporated v. Cadbury (India) Ltd & Ors].
Justice Sanjeev Narula noted while bringing the proceedings to a conclusion,
“For nearly twenty-five years, two titans of the confectionery world – Mars and Cadbury – have stood before this Court, locked in contest over the trademark “CELEBRATIONS”. An expression of happiness and festivity, became the epicentre of legal contest, its cheerful ring turning into a matter of serious deliberation for decades, winding through pleadings, affidavits, and hearings. Today, that long journey finds its conclusion. The curtains are drawn at last, not in discord, but in harmony.”
The parties volunteered to distribute an assortment of chocolates and confectionaries worth ₹5 lakh each to children studying in Delhi’s government schools.
“In the spirit of approaching festival of Diwali, a season of light, sharing, and renewal, both Mars and Cadbury voluntarily undertook to distribute assortments of their confectionery products valued at five lakhs each to schoolchildren across Delhi. This act, they submitted, would symbolise goodwill, community, and the joy of giving, a spirit that transcends commercial rivalry,” the Court observed.
The distribution shall be conducted under the supervision of the Directorate of Education and Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA). The Court also directed them to coordinate on logistics to ensure equitable allocation among schools.
In case of schools having an internal policy against distribution of high-sugar or high-fat food, the Court has directed the parties to offer nutritionally balanced alternatives.
“This safeguard preserves both the spirit of generosity embodied in the parties’ gesture and the equally important aim of promoting healthy habits among schoolchildren,” the Court stated.
The Government of India has officially recognised six heroes of Operation Sindoor, awarding them the Vir Chakra for exceptional bravery. The citations reveal the extraordinary courage, leadership, and operational brilliance displayed by Indian Army and Air Force personnel during critical missions.
Six heroes of Operation Sindoor have been honoured with Vir Chakra for exceptional courage and leadership during high-risk missions.
The Government of India has released an official gazette notification honouring six defence personnel who took part in the high-stakes Operation Sindoor. The citations that accompany the gallantry awards conferred on the members of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, provide an insight into the remarkable courage displayed by these officers in face of untold challenges.
Below are the six heroes whose fearlessness and leadership earned them the Vir Chakra for their pivotal roles in Operation Sindoor:
Colonel Koshank Lamba, 302 Medium Regiment (Indian Army): Recognised for “flawless leadership” and “exceptional bravery”, Col Lamba executed the “first ever air mobilisation of a specialised equipment battery” at short notice. His swift and covert mobilisation of crucial assets ensured the success of the operation, the citation notes.
Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, 1988 (Independent) Medium Battery (Indian Army): As the Officer Commanding, Lt Col Bisht led his unit with “exceptional courage, leadership and operational brilliance”. His team achieved “resounding success by causing complete destruction of terrorist camps”.
Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Flying (Pilot) (Indian Air Force): Commanding a squadron entrusted with high-risk strike missions, Gp Capt Sidhu demonstrated “exceptional gallantry and courage” by delivering precise attacks over predetermined targets. His operational excellence ensured that all mission objectives were achieved flawlessly under extreme pressure.
Group Captain Animesh Patni, Flying (Pilot) (Indian Air Force): Leading a Surface to Air Missile (SAM) squadron from a forward airbase, Gp Capt Patni displayed “exceptional leadership”. Under his command, the unit delivered a “decisive blow to the capabilities of adversaries”, inflicting substantial losses without sustaining any damage. His strategic acumen proved vital to the mission’s success.
All pharma-grade solvent manufacturers are required to obtain manufacturing licences through the ONDLS portal and upload real-time information about every batch produced
The communication, dated October 22, seen by News18, mentions that the decision follows recent incidents of DEG contamination in syrups, which have raised serious safety concerns. (Representational image: Canva)
Following a series of incidents involving contaminated cough syrups, India’s apex health regulatory body has launched a digital monitoring system to oversee the production, movement, and quality of high-risk ingredients used in making these formulations, News18 has learnt.
The move, taken by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)—communicated through a circular issued to all state and union territory drug controllers—directs regulators and manufacturers to use the Online National Drug Licensing System (ONDLS) portal for real-time monitoring of solvent batches.
The communication, dated October 22, seen by News18, mentions that the decision follows recent incidents of DEG contamination in syrups, which have raised serious safety concerns.
10 high-risk solvents
According to the document issued by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), a list of 10 high-risk solvents has been identified, which includes glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, maltitol, and ethyl alcohol—as key ingredients often used in syrups and other liquid medicines.
Signed by Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the document refers to a high-level meeting chaired by the union health secretary on October 5, where senior officials reviewed drug quality compliance and the rational use of cough syrups, especially in paediatric formulations.
The CDSCO had earlier asked all state regulators to ensure mandatory testing before the manufacture and release of any batch of cough syrups.
The latest move comes barely weeks after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh were linked to allegedly contaminated cough syrups found to contain higher than permissible levels of diethylene glycol. Following the incident, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a medical alert warning that the untracked distribution of such syrups through informal or localised channels could pose a risk to health.
PM Modi To Skip ASEAN Summit In Malaysia, No Meeting With Trump Likely This Year
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the 47th ASEAN Summit later this month. Instead, he will attend the summit virtually.
The decision effectively ends speculation over a possible meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Kuala Lumpur summit. It would have marked their first interaction since Washington decided to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods earlier this year.
In a statement on Instagram, Anwar said PM Modi had informed him that he would attend the proceedings online, citing the ongoing Diwali celebrations in India. “I respect the decision and express my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India,” Anwar added.
PM Modi, too, later wrote on X about his conversation with the Malaysian Prime Minister and confirmed that he will attend the summit virtually.
Anwar said the two leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday night to discuss “efforts to strengthen the Malaysia-India bilateral relationship.” He described India as “an important partner in trade and investment, apart from close cooperation in technology, education, and regional security”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to represent India in the ASEAN summit. This is the second time in the past decade that PM Modi will skip the ASEAN summit. Earlier, he had consistently prioritised ASEAN in his foreign policy outreach to Southeast Asia.
Officials have also confirmed that no bilateral meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump is scheduled this year since both are not meeting at the summits. While Trump is expected to attend the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Modi’s diplomatic calendar will focus on the G20 Summit in South Africa in November, which Trump will not attend. There is, as of now, no clarity on the scheduling of the QUAD Summit, which India is slated to host later this year.
Ladakh leaders met with representatives of the Union Home Ministry in Delhi for sub-committee level talks for the first time since the deadly pro-statehood protests in September.
Ladakh activists have been demanding the immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk since the deadly pro-statehood protests. (PTI/File)
HT has exclusively accessed the details of the main closure report, which pertains to allegations against Rhea Chakraborty.
Sushant Singh Rajput, then 34 years old, was found dead at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020. (HT Archive)
There is no evidence to suggest that actor Sushant Singh Rajput was “illegally confined, threatened, or provocated/abetted to commit suicide” by Rhea Chakraborty or to establish that she embezzled his funds or possessions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed in its ‘closure report’ into the death of the actor, people familiar with the development said, adding that Sushant, in fact, called Rhea “family”.
Terming it an eyewash and an incomplete document, Rajput’s family and legal team have now decided to challenge the closure report, according to their lawyer Varun Singh. “This is nothing but an eyewash. If CBI really wanted to come out with the truth, it would have submitted all the supporting case documents including chats, technical records, statements of witnesses, medical records, etc in the court along with the final (closure) report, which they have not done. We will file a protest petition against this closure report, which is based on a shoddy investigation”, Singh said.
The federal anti-corruption probe agency had filed two closure reports in March this year . One, into a case registered by Sushant Singh’s father K K Singh in Patna alleging that Rhea and her family drove his son to suicide, and embezzled his funds . The other, a case filed by Rhea against Singh’s sisters in Mumbai. The investigation became one of India’s most polarising cases.
HT has exclusively accessed the details of the main closure report, which pertains to allegations against Rhea; her parents Indrajeet Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty; brother Showik; Rajput’s manager Shruti Modi, and house manager Samuel Miranda.
“Investigation revealed that Sushant had committed suicide. None of the accused persons had lived/stayed with him between June 8, 2020 and June 14, 2020 (the day he was found hanging in his Bandra flat). Rhea and her brother Showik left the house on June 8, and thereafter didn’t visit the house. Sushant had spoken to Showik on June 10 through WhatsApp at 1441 hours but had no conversations with Rhea between June 8 and June 14. Evidence had not come on record to show the meeting of Sushant with Rhea or any of her family members of being in touch by any other means. Shruti Modi had stopped visiting Sushant’s house since she fractured her leg in February. Furthermore, Meetu Singh (sister of Sushant) had stayed with him in his flat from June 8 to June 12,” said an officer, quoting details of the closure report.
“Therefore, no evidence of any immediate provocation/abetment by any of the accused person has come on record which may had led Sushant to commit suicide,” the report adds, according to the officer.
On the allegations of wrongful confinement and restraining Rajput, the CBI report says “no evidence has come on record suggesting that Sushant was illegally confined or restrained in any manner by any of the accused or any other person”.
Regarding allegations of theft and embezzlement of funds by Rhea, the agency, according to a second officer, has said in the report that “when Rhea, along with her brother, left Sushant’s house on June 8, she took away her Apple laptop and Apple wristwatch which were gifted to her by Sushant. No evidence has emerged during investigation about any property dishonestly taken out of the possession of Sushant without his knowledge by Rhea or any other accused person”.
Karpuri Gram in Bihar’s Samastipur district is poised to gain attention as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the NDA’s election campaign there on October 24.
PM Modi’s choice of Karpuri Gram to kick off his campaign, experts believe, signals the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming November polls. (File photo)
Karpuri Gram, a modest village in Bihar’s Samastipur district, has come under political spotlight in the midst of campaigning for the Bihar elections. It is from this rural settlement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his election campaign in support of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates on October 24.
PM Modi’s choice of Karpuri Gram to kick off his campaign, experts believe, signals the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming November polls.
Though Karpoori Gram may seem like any other rural settlement, it stands tall in the political memory of India. It is the birthplace of Jannayak Karpuri Thakur, the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar who was a highly revered political figure who devoted his life to championing the rights of Dalits and backward communities.
A committed socialist, Thakur served as Bihar’s Chief Minister first from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1977 to 1979. He stood firmly for social justice and the upliftment of the poor, ideals that earned him the enduring title of Jannayak or the people’s leader.
His son, Ramnath Thakur, a member of the JDU and currently Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said that the Prime Minister’s visit to Karpuri Gram on October 24 will energise political workers ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.
“Jannayak Karpuri Thakur’s activities, his intellect, his path of struggle, he has been fighting since 1952 and has been winning. And in today’s political parties, in order to hold on to that role, in order to give that momentum, it will be useful to give life to the workers after Prime Minister’s visit,”Ramnath Thakur said.
“There is very little to say about Mr. Thakur. He used to give very little to the village. But he used to say to the whole community, to the whole of Bihar, that if the whole of Bihar is fine, my village will also be fine. That’s why he used to take the whole of Bihar with him, not just his village,” Karpuri Thakur’s nephew, Nityanad Thakur, told PTI.
Locals remember Karpuri Thakur for leading a simple life and championing equality and fairness for all. Karpuri Thakur was a man who used to listen to everyone, who had risen from the ashes.
“Now, as far as I know about Jemni, especially after getting information from the people here, (3:08) the name of this village used to be Pitwohiya. Later, during the time of Lalu Prasadji, his name was changed to Pitwohiya, and it was named after Karpuri. He used to live in that village. He was a man of equal thinking. He was brought up in that society. That’s all I know about him,” said Jagdeo Ram, a local.
“Karpuri Thakur did a lot for the village. The elders of the village did a lot for the village. They didn’t do anything wrong. The village is still running in their name. From education to grassroots development, Karpuri Thakur’s work has left a lasting imprint on locals, many of whom still recall his visits and guidance fondly. He used to take the food and vegetables from us whenever he got a chance,” said another local.
After his first rally in Samastipur district, the birthplace of former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur, PM Modi will visit Karpoorigram, the ancestral home of the Bharat Ratna awardee.
Post-Diwali, Delhi wakes up to thick smog as AQI hits 345 (‘very poor’), with some areas breaching 500 (‘severe’). Despite firecracker restrictions, violations spiked pollution. Combined with stubble burning and low winds, the haze worsens. Authorities may enforce GRAP-II measures; health experts warn vulnerable groups to limit outdoor exposure.
Delhi Chokes On Post-Diwali Smog, Air Quality Dips To ‘Very Poor’ Levels | @AHindinews
Residents of the national capital woke up to a thick blanket of smog on Wednesday morning, as Delhi’s air quality took a severe hit following Diwali celebrations. At 5:30 a.m., the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 345, falling in the ‘very poor’ category, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Despite restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court on the use of firecrackers, several parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed widespread violations on Diwali night.
On Tuesday, many monitoring stations recorded AQI levels breaching the 500-mark, a level categorised as ‘severe’.
#WATCH | केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (CPCB) के अनुसार, आज सुबह दिल्ली में इंडिया गेट के आसपास वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (AQI) 362 दर्ज किया गया, जो ‘बेहद खराब’ श्रेणी में है।
The 24-hour average AQI for Tuesday was 351, a sharp rise from 345 recorded on Monday.
The pollution spike comes as no surprise, as Delhi has historically grappled with worsening air quality during the post-monsoon and winter months. Low wind speeds, combined with emissions from firecrackers and stubble burning in neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana, contribute significantly to the toxic haze that envelops the city.
Authorities are now considering emergency measures to combat the deteriorating air.
The military invasion of Tibet by China’s People’s Liberation Army in 1950 marked the beginning of China’s claims over the region, culminating in the signing of the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951.
India’s Himalayan Vigil: From Tibet’s Fall to Galwan’s Flashpoint
In October 1950, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China invaded the Tibetan-controlled territory of Chamdo. This military campaign is often referred to as the Battle of Chamdo. The Tibetan forces were defeated, and Chamdo was captured.
Following this military action, Tibetan representatives were sent to Beijing and, under pressure, signed the “Seventeen Point Agreement” on 23 May 1951. This agreement formally established Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. Therefore, the military invasion and subsequent events that led to the formal integration of Tibet under Chinese control began in 1950. This event shaped the post-World War II geopolitical order in the Himalayas.
The period from the 1950 Battle of Chamdo to the 2020 Galwan clash can be seen as reflecting China’s expansionist ideology through the military takeover of Tibet, followed by ongoing territorial disputes, border aggressions, and efforts to establish regional dominance through military and economic means. China’s actions are often interpreted as part of a larger strategy to secure and expand its territory, enforce its claims, and counter perceived threats to its influence.
Battle of Chamdo (1950)
This conflict is widely seen as the start of China’s annexation of Tibet. It was a military victory for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and led to the incorporation of Tibet into China, though Tibetans dispute the “peaceful liberation” narrative. Following the military takeover, resistance was suppressed after the 1959 uprising, with widespread arrests and tighter controls across Tibet. The revolt and the Chinese crackdown led to the Dalai Lama’s escape to India and a surge in Tibetan refugees.
Sino-Indian War (1962)
The 1962 war resulted in China’s occupation of parts of Aksai Chin, a disputed territory in Ladakh. The 1962 Sino-Indian War was rooted in border disputes and was significantly exacerbated by the Tibetan issue—specifically, China’s annexation of Tibet in 1950 and India’s granting of asylum to the Dalai Lama in March 1959. China viewed India’s support for Tibetan exiles as a betrayal and a threat to its control over Tibet. This tension, combined with China’s belief that U.S. covert aid to Tibetan resistance was being channelled through India, escalated the border conflict that China saw as a response to India’s so-called “Forward Policy”. Nathu La conflict (1967)
A series of clashes at Nathu La (September 11–15, 1967) and Cho La (October 1, 1967) in Sikkim occurred, where India repelled Chinese incursions and inflicted heavy casualties, giving them a bloody nose and establishing a period of peace along the border. The conflict started when India began fencing the border at Nathu La, which China opposed, leading to escalating tension and intense artillery and machine-gun fire. Doklam standoff (2017)
The China–India border standoff, or Doklam standoff, was a military border standoff between the Indian Armed Forces and the PLA over Chinese construction of a road in Doklam, near a trijunction border area known in Chinese as Donglang, or Donglang Caochang (meaning Donglang pasture or grazing field). On 16 June 2017, Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam, a territory that is claimed by both China and Bhutan. Galwan Valley Clash (2020)
This 2020 incident marked the first fatal border clash between India and China since 1975. It was a violent confrontation in the Galwan Valley, a strategically important area of Ladakh, highlighting the ongoing and unresolved nature of the border dispute.
Even after signing multiple peace agreements and holding rounds of border talks with India, China continues to make expansive claims over regions like Arunachal Pradesh—which India firmly rejects—and the South China Sea, whose sweeping maritime claims were legally rejected by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, although China refuses to recognise the verdict. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a key example of how China uses economic power to spread its influence, creating a network of economic dependency across Asia.
China’s actions are often seen as a response to what it perceives as a challenge to its regional influence, such as India’s rise as a major power. It may also be reacting to efforts by other countries to counter its assertiveness, such as in the South China Sea. Indian Army’s bulwark
The Indian Army is a bulwark against China through its significant military presence along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), particularly in the Ladakh sector. Since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, India has reinforced its defences and accelerated its military modernisation to address the ongoing threat from China, which is also rapidly building up its military capabilities.
Bricks and a knife were used to kill the boy, officials said.
The body was recovered from the rented accommodation of the accused.
A five-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered with bricks and a knife by a driver who worked in his father’s transport business in Delhi’s Narela area on Tuesday, with police suspecting that it was an act of revenge.
The body was recovered from the rented accommodation of Nitu, the accused in the case, police said.
Nitu is on the run, and multiple teams have been formed to trace him, a police official said, adding that the accused had been reprimanded by the victim’s father a day ago.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Hareshwar Swami said a call about the child having been kidnapped was received at 3.30 pm at Narela Industrial Area police station.
The officer said that during the inquiry, it was revealed that the child was playing outside his house when he suddenly went missing.
Family members and neighbours started searching for him, and later, his body was discovered in Nitu’s rented room nearby.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the boy’s father, the complainant, owned seven to eight transport vehicles and had employed two drivers — Nitu and Wasim.
“On Monday evening, both drivers had an argument under the influence of alcohol, during which Nitu allegedly beat Wasim,” said the DCP.
When the matter was reported to the transporter, he intervened and slapped Nitu two to four times for misbehaving, police said.
Humiliated, Nitu kidnapped the boy on Tuesday while he was playing outside the house, took him to his rented accommodation, and killed him using bricks and a knife, the DCP said.
The court’s observation came while allowing a man’s appeal challenging his conviction and 10 years imprisonment in a rape case and acquitting him of the charges.
The court was dealing with a case registered in 2023. (File)
Mere use of the term “physical relations” without supporting evidence is insufficient to establish rape or aggravated penetrative sexual assault, the Delhi High Court has held.
The court’s observation came while allowing a man’s appeal challenging his conviction and 10 years imprisonment in a rape case and acquitting him of the charges.
“In the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, the use of the term ‘physical relations’, unaccompanied by any supporting evidence, would not be sufficient to hold that the prosecution has been able to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
“The appellant’s conviction under Section 376 IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act is unsustainable,” Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri said in a judgment passed on October 17.
The court, which termed it an unfortunate case, said it was bound to decide the matter on its own merits.
It said the child victim and her parents repeatedly stated that “physical relations” were established however, there was no clarity as to what was meant by this expression.
“No further description of the alleged act has been given. Unfortunately, no questions have been put to the victim by the prosecution or trial court to gain some clarity as to whether the essential ingredients of the offence the appellant was charged with, have been made out or not,” it said.
The court was dealing with a case registered in 2023 in which the 16-year-old victim had alleged that her cousin established physical relations with her on the false pretext of marriage for more than a year in 2014.
The man challenged his conviction and the high court allowed his appeal saying that the prosecution’s case hinged only on the oral evidence being the testimony of the child victim and her parents and that there was no forensic evidence on record.
The court said the expression “physical relations” was not used or defined either under the IPC or POCSO Act.
Railway officials and local police have reached the site. The exact cause of the derailment is yet to be determined. Visuals from the scene have surfaced, showing the derailed compartments, and are circulating on social media.
Coaches Of Goods Train Carrying Coal Derail In Mathura | X/
A major accident occurred on the Delhi-Agra railway track in Chaumuhan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, as a freight train carrying coal derailed near pole number 1408, under the jurisdiction of the Jaint police station. The incident took place at around 8:00 PM.
According to preliminary reports, approximately 12 coaches were derailed, severely affecting rail traffic in the region.
Railway officials and local police have reached the site. The exact cause of the derailment is yet to be determined. Visuals from the scene have surfaced, showing the derailed compartments, and are circulating on social media.
मथुरा : मालगाड़ी के एक दर्जन डिब्बे पटरी से उतरे
➡आगरा-दिल्ली रेलवे ट्रैक हुआ बाधित
➡मौके पर रेलवे के अधिकारी और स्थानीय पुलिस
➡छटीकरा और आझई के बीच की है घटना
➡आगरा से दिल्ली जा रही थी कोयले से भरी मालगाड़ी
➡मालगाड़ी के डिब्बे डिरेल होने की वजह स्पष्ट नहीं#Mathura… pic.twitter.com/iFQgMh40dP
Railway teams began working to restore the derailed coaches, and by 10 p.m., train services resumed on the fourth line. The disruption caused significant inconvenience to passengers travelling on over a dozen trains.
One of the most passionate players in the world of Chess, Naroditsky gained popularity for his YouTube channel, which has tutorials and has inspired several to take up the sport. His YouTube channel had a staggering 500,000 subscriber base. According to reports, the late chess player’s net worth amounts to between $500,000 and $1 million.
Samay Raina and Daniel Naroditsky. | (Credits: Instagram/X)
Indian stand-up comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina has posted an Instagram story in the memory of Chess player Daniel Naroditsky’s demise. Raina’s Instagram story read as ‘Heartbreaking’ as the American Chess player died aged 29 as the Charlotte Chess Center released a statement on the same but no cause for the death was mentioned.
One of the most passionate players in the world of Chess, Naroditsky gained popularity for his YouTube channel, which has tutorials and has inspired several to take up the sport. His YouTube channel had a staggering 500,000 subscriber base. According to reports, the late chess player’s net worth amounts to between $500,000 and $1 million.
Samay Raina, who also plays the sport on Chess.com and possesses a rating of 1621 for rapid Chess as of December 6, 2024, posted the below story:
International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovic announces the establishment of special prize in Chess in Daniel Naroditsky’s demise
Meanwhile, FIDE President Daniel Naroditsky equally expressed his grief at Naroditsky demise. FIDE will establish a prize in Naroditsky’s memory as Dvorkovic expressed his commiserations, claiming that the American Chess Grandmaster was not only an ambassador of the game but also a kind and compassionate person. Taking to Facebook, he wrote:
“Terrible, tragic news – still I cannot believe what we all know from yesterday. I was checking with the other GMs for some time and I simply could not stand it. Danya (and for all of us, in our hearts, he will always remain Danya) was not only a brilliant chess Grandmaster but also a tireless ambassador for Chess and above all – a kind, compassionate and good person. We will always remember him. FIDE will establish a special prize in memory of Grandmaster Naroditsky and his contribution to the world of Chess.”
Thousands in Bangladesh’s Chattogram held a massive rally demanding the implementation of the China-backed Teesta River Master Plan. However, experts say the plan involving Beijing, amid stalled water-sharing talks with India, could pose strategic risks for New Delhi due to its proximity to the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.
The Teesta Master Plan rally in Chattogram on Sunday follows torchlight demonstrations held at 11 places in the northern Rajshahi division on Friday. (Image: Social Media)
On the evening of October 19, hundreds of people formed a human chain near Chittagong University’s Shaheed Minar. They held placards and mashaal torches in their hands as they marched to the Minar. They demanded an immediate implementation of the Teesta Master Plan and Bangladesh’s “fair share” of Teesta water, reported news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
Reportedly organised by students from Rangpur division, slogans were raised against water injustice and India’s alleged influence on Bangladesh’s water policies. Speakers said the Teesta plan could transform northern Bangladesh by boosting agriculture, creating jobs, and driving national growth.
The rally ended with a call to “protect national interests and ensure water justice for Teesta-dependent regions” in Bangladesh, reported the BSS.
The protest in Chattogram on Sunday came after a wave of torchlight rallies across Northern Bangladesh on Thursday evening, where thousands gathered in five districts of the Rangpur division demanding the immediate implementation of the Teesta River Master Plan, reported the Dhaka Tribune.
The Teesta Master Plan, backed by China, is being seen in Bangladesh as a workaround to the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing deal with India. Experts, meanwhile, view the plan with concern, especially due to its proximity to the strategic Chicken’s Neck and potential Chinese presence near the sensitive Siliguri Corridor, which is a 20-kilometre land route connecting the northeastern states to the rest of India.
WHY ARE TENSIONS RISING OVER TEESTA MASTER PLAN?
The demand now assumes importance because the Teesta Master Plan, a Chinese-backed initiative for river management, promises to address northern Bangladesh’s water scarcity amid stalled water-sharing talks with India. With the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty nearing its expiry in 2026, the urgency to implement the unilateral plan near the strategic Chicken’s Neck, with a third-party (China), the intense push for the plan’s implementation raises concerns of being detrimental to India’s water security and regional cooperation.
The Teesta River originates in the eastern Himalayas in the state of Sikkim, flows through West Bengal, and then enters Bangladesh, and joins the Brahmaputra (Jamuna). The river has long been at the centre of water-sharing negotiations between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh alleges that during the lean season, when water levels are low, India restricts the flow of Teesta River water, causing severe shortages for agriculture and daily use. During the monsoon season, Bangladesh faces flooding and has demanded better management and equitable sharing to ensure sufficient water supply throughout the year.
However, a deal has not been reached yet between the two riparian states.
The protests across Bangladesh come months after its interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, sought a 50-year river management master plan from Beijing in March, praising China as the “master of water management” and including the Teesta River in the proposal. In March after Yunus met Chinese President Xi Jinping, the joint statement issued said Bangladesh welcomed Chinese companies to participate in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP).
These protests also follow growing public pressure in Bangladesh, with many voices urging the government to move ahead with the Teesta Master Plan with Chinese cooperation. Bangladesh sought 6,700 crore taka in financial aid for the project’s first phase.
These protests also come amid growing public and political pressure in Bangladesh, with many urging the government to advance the Teesta Master Plan with Chinese support, especially as post-Hasina Dhaka has gravitated towards Beijing, and joined the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose de-facto chief and son of former PM Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, had voiced support for the plan, was also said to be backing it.
Gujarat MLAs will receive new homes on Bhai dooj, inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This marks a significant upgrade in official housing with modern facilities enhancing MLA living standards.
Gujarat MLAs will receive new homes on Bhai dooj, inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah (File Photo)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to inaugurate 216 newly built, state-of-the-art flats for Gujarat MLAs in Gandhinagar on Bhaibij (Bhai Dooj), marking the Gujarati New Year with the launch of a Rs 247-crore housing project modeled on Delhi’s modern MP residences.
The old MLA residences in Gandhinagar’s Sector 17, were demolished to make way for the new project. The residences, modelled after the updated homes for MPs in Delhi, come equipped with modern amenities.
The Sector 21 project, proposed five years ago after the existing buildings from 1995 became dilapidated and lacked essential facilities, features 12 nine-storey towers covering around 28,000 square meters.
Each flat includes three bedrooms, a living room, an office, a reading room, a servant’s room, and a dining room. Public facilities include two gardens with seating areas, an auditorium, a community hall, a canteen, a modern health club, a children’s play area, a senior citizen park, an internet lounge, an indoor game zone, a yoga and aerobics deck, a jogging and walking track, and four entry/exit gates.
Earlier this month, the court had ordered registration of a case over the ‘missing’ gold, after the idols were sent to a firm in Chennai for electroplating by Unnikrishnan Potti, a businessman. | Photo Credit: LEJU KAMAL
The special investigation team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities that led to reduction in the weight of gold-clad copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple in 4.5 kg since 2019 submitted an interim report to the Kerala High Court on Tuesday (October 21, 2025).
The report was submitted in a sealed cover by S. Sasidharan, SP, to whom the High Court had entrusted the probe earlier this month. The case was heard in-camera by a Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar, with neither members of the public nor mediapersons allowed entry into the court.
Earlier this month, the court had ordered registration of a case over the ‘missing’ gold, after the idols were sent to a firm in Chennai for electroplating by Unnikrishnan Potti, a businessman. The order was passed soon after the Travancore Devaswom Board’s (TDB) Vigilance wing submitted a report. It also ordered forming an SIT to probe the matter and also the alleged irregularities in the gold-cladding works on the frames.
The SIT had inspected the house of Mr. Potti, the prime suspect in the case, to seize records and other evidence related to the ‘missing’ gold, on Saturday.
During his address to naval personnel aboard the indigenous aircraft carrier, PM Modi praised the Indian Navy’s legacy of strength and vigilance
PM Modi said the night he spent aboard the warship was an unforgettable experience, filled with the spirit of patriotism and pride. (Photo: X/narendramodi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said INS Vikrant struck fear in Pakistan and it “gave them sleepless nights.” Speaking during his Diwali address to naval personnel aboard the indigenous aircraft carrier, PM Modi said, “INS Vikrant’s very name took away Pakistan’s sleep. If just its name could shake the enemy’s courage, that is INS Vikrant for you.”
Addressing the Navy personnel on board INS Vikrant, the Prime Minister praised the Indian Navy’s legacy of strength and vigilance, describing the warship as a powerful symbol of India’s maritime might and national pride.
VIDEO | PM Modi, while addressing Navy personnel on INS Vikrant this Diwali, says, “INS Vikrant’s mere name vanished the sleep of entire Pakistan. If its mere name diminished the courage of the enemy, it is INS Vikrant…”#Diwali2025#INSVikrant#IndianNavy
Prime Minister Modi said it was his privilege to celebrate Diwali with the country’s brave naval personnel aboard INS Vikrant. Celebrating the festival with members of the armed forces off the coast of Goa and Karwar, he honoured their courage and dedication, calling the occasion deeply symbolic and memorable.
“Today is an amazing day. This scene is memorable. On one side, I have the ocean, and on the other, the strength of the brave soldiers of Mother India,” PM Modi said.
Highlighting India’s military prowess, he added, “The fear created by the Indian Navy, the amazing skill displayed by the Indian Air Force, and the bravery of the Indian Army — the tremendous coordination of the three forces forced Pakistan to surrender so quickly in Operation Sindoor.”
PM Modi further described INS Vikrant as a “towering symbol of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Made in India.” He said the indigenous warship represents the nation’s hard work, innovation, and determination. “INS Vikrant, tearing through the oceans, is a reflection of India’s military might. It is not merely a warship, but a testimony to 21st-century India’s talent, impact, and commitment,” he said.
Highlights from INS Vikrant, including the Air Power Demo, a vibrant cultural programme and more… pic.twitter.com/Br943m0oCC
“Vikrant is huge, vast and panoramic. Vikrant is outstanding, Vikrant is also special,” the Prime Minister added.
“Today is an amazing day. This scene is memorable. On one side, I have the ocean, and on the other, the strength of the brave soldiers of Mother India,” PM Modi said.
Standing on the deck of INS Vikrant, he added, “Today, on one side I have infinite horizons and sky, and on the other stands INS Vikrant, embodying infinite power. The glow of the sun’s rays on the ocean’s waters feels like the Diwali lamps lit by our brave soldiers.”
The owner of a Chandigarh-based pharmaceutical company shocked everyone after giving away luxury SUV cars to his employees as a Diwali gift.
MITS group owner’s amazing Diwali gift. (Photo Credits: X)
The owner of a pharmaceutical company in Chandigarh stunned everyone on social media after a video revealed him handing over 51 luxury cars to his employees as a Diwali gift. The owner in the viral clip is the MITS group founder and chairman, MK Bhatia, who can be seen giving away keys of expensive Scorpio SUVs to his subordinates.
According to Dainik Bhaskar, the top-performing employees of the MITS group were rewarded with luxury SUVs after the company grandly celebrated Diwali at its Chandigarh centre. It is understood that Bhatia had previously also gifted his employees a host of amazing vehicles on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
51 cars (including SUVs, Scorpios) gifted to staff of a Pharma company in Chandigarh on the occasion of Diwali!
MITS Owner Recovers From Bankruptcy, Gifts Employees Cars
Bhatia’s stunning act of generosity reflected his humble nature and gratitude towards his employees, having seen difficult times very early in his own journey. Standing today as the proud founder and chairman of the MITS group, Bhatia reportedly faced bankruptcy in 2002 after his medical store endured heavy losses. In an inspiring turnaround, he found success with MITS in 2015 and owns today as many as 12 companies under his name.
Based in the Panchkula district of Haryana, Bhatia had planned to expand the MITS group across different states in India and aimed to even venture into the overseas market. In an interaction with Medical Dialogues in 2023, Bhatia confirmed, “We had already got licenses in Canada, London and Dubai.” As part of his expansion plans, Bhatia had announced the appointment of five new directors and also made Shilpa Chandel as the company’s CEO.
Pharma Company Owner’s Gesture Stuns Internet
The clip of the MITS group founder giving away 51 luxury cars to his employees as a Diwali gift shocked people on the internet, leaving them highly envious but also slightly suspicious.
“Microbiology ki degree hai merepass??Koi scope hai kyaa company join karne kaa? Mujhe ek telescope de dena car war ni (I have a microbiology degree, do I have any scope of joining this company? Just give me a telescope, not even a car),” joked a user.
Someone commented, “As long as you are making a profit by producing medicines without compromising on quality (quality assurance), there is no problem in using that profit to give your employees cars, bungalows, ships—there is no issue with that. The problem arises when profit is earned by tampering with quality.”
According to officials, K Aravind, who had been working as a homologation engineer since 2022 at Ola, consumed poison on September 28.
The police filed a case against Bhavish Aggarwal, Subrat Kumar Das, and others on October 6.
A 38-year-old engineer employed with Ola Electrics died by suicide, leaving behind a 28-page handwritten note – accusing his superiors, including Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, of mental harassment and financial exploitation.
Ola, however, in a statement, said that the engineer, identified as K Aravind, never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or harassment.
According to officials, K Aravind, who had been working as a homologation engineer since 2022 at Ola, consumed poison on September 28 at his residence in Bengaluru’s Chikkalasandra. His friends found him in distress and immediately rushed him to the Maharaja Agrasena Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. However, he died the same day.
The police have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), officials said.
Shortly after Aravind’s death, his brother found a 28-page note addressed to him, in which the Ola engineer accused Subrat Kumar Das and Bhavish Aggarwal of workplace harassment and pressure. The note said that Aravind was mentally tortured and denied his salary and allowances, which ultimately drove him to kill himself.
According to Aravind’s brother, a suspicious bank transfer of Rs 17,46,313 was made to his account via NEFT two days after his death. When the brother approached Ola for clarification about the transaction, Das allegedly gave vague responses, he said. Later, three representatives of the company – Kratesh Desai, Paramesh, and Roshan – visited Aravind’s residence but did not provide any consistent information regarding the financial transfer, raising doubts among his family members about the company’s intentions, officials said.
Based on Aravind’s brother’s complaint, the police filed a case against Bhavish Aggarwal, Das, and others on October 6.
The FIR alleges that constant harassment, humiliation, and financial exploitation by his superiors were directly responsible for Aravind’s death. His family urged the police to initiate legal proceedings against the accused officials, including Das and Aggarwal, holding them accountable for abetment to suicide.
What Ola said
Ola released a statement today and condoled the death of its employee.
“We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time. Aravind had been associated with Ola Electric for over three and a half years and was based at our headquarters in Bangalore. During his tenure, Aravind never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment. His role also did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter,” it said.
The company also said it has challenged the FIR against its founder and others before the Karnataka High Court.
Generali told the Court that the insurer’s confidential and customer data had been hacked and that the unknown perpetrator had demanded USD 500,000 in ransom.
Generali Central life Insurance with Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court has granted urgent ad-interim relief to Generali Central Life Insurance Company Limited after it was hit by a ransomware attack, allegedly carried out by a hacker group identifying itself as “Medusa” [Generali Central Life Insurance Company Limited Vs Union of India].
Raj Thackeray, leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), accused the Election Commission of allowing 96 lakh fake voters on the state’s electoral rolls.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray during a joint press conference of opposition leaders, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo/File) Photo : PTI
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged that 96 lakh fake voters have been added to the state’s electoral rolls and challenged the Election Commission to clean up the lists before holding local body elections.
Addressing booth-level party workers, Thackeray urged his supporters to verify voter lists to identify duplicate or fake entries. “If polls are held like this, then it is the biggest insult to voters in Maharashtra and the country,” he said.
Thackeray alleged, “An attempt is being made to finish regional parties. I have learnt that 96 lakh fake voters have been enrolled in the voters’ list in Maharashtra for the upcoming polls. They had also done this during the state polls as well.”
Opposition Voices Concerns Over Electoral Rolls
Opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP), and MNS, recently met the State Election Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer, claiming that duplicate names appear across different addresses and assembly segments. They have called for rectification and removal of anomalies ahead of rural and urban body elections, which are scheduled to conclude by January 31, 2026.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission responded on Saturday, saying no political party can tamper with electoral rolls and that updates and corrections are being managed securely.
Claims of Fake Voters Across Cities
Thackeray alleged that 8 to 10 lakh fake voters were added in Mumbai, with 8 to 8.5 lakh more in Thane, Pune, and Nashik. He claimed that similar additions occurred in villages and cities across the state. Without naming the ruling BJP, he accused it of attempting to manipulate the electoral process by including fake voters.
“It does not matter whether you cast a vote or not. The match has been fixed. What kind of democracy is this?” Thackeray said. He added that such practices prevent regional parties like his from gaining representation in the state legislature.
The officials said that several people sustained minor burn injuries in the fire.
Massive Fire in UP’s Fatehpur Market Photo : PTI
A massive fire broke out at a firecracker market on the MG College ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur, gutting more than 65 shops where several crores of firecrackers were reduced to ashes. It further destroyed dozens of two-wheeler vehicles and injured several people, according to officials.
The officials said that several people sustained minor burn injuries in the fire.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 12.30 pm at one of the cracker stalls, allegedly sparked by a short-circuit. The blaze rapidly spread to the adjoining stalls, all stocked with fireworks, triggering a series of loud explosions.
Panic gripped the market as traders and customers scrambled to get to safety, while a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the sky above.
Fatehpur SP Anoop Kumar Singh said no casualties have been reported so far.
“Our first priority is to bring the fire completely under control. The cause of the blaze is being investigated, and strict action will be taken against those found negligent,” the SP said.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Jaiveer Singh said the fire engulfed the entire market within 15 to 20 minutes.
“Around 65-70 shops and over two dozen two-wheelers have been completely gutted. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far,” he said.
Firemen used sand, buckets of water, and extinguishers to contain the blaze, officials said.
Vendors and shopkeepers, however, alleged that fire tenders reached the spot nearly 20 minutes after the blaze broke out, despite the fire station being just 200 metres away.
“The temporary market became operational only half an hour earlier. Within 15 minutes, everything was gone. We barely managed to escape with our lives,” Satish, a local trader, said.
Another shopkeeper said she invested Rs 8 lakh into her stall; now, all the merchandise has been reduced to nothing.
India has been omitted from the Diversity Visa Lottery 2026, in the recent State Department visa bulletin.
Other Asian nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and South Korea are similarly excluded. (Representative)
India has been excluded from the latest update of the Diversity Visa Lottery 2026, according to a November visa bulletin published by the State Department. Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and South Korea are also not on the Asia list.
The Department of State administers the Diversity Visa (DV) immigrant visa program, which is an annual program for immigration to the United States. Up to 55,000 immigrants can enter the United States each year from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
Countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, UAE, and Yemen, which have seen relatively lower immigration to the US, have been included in the list, as per the latest bulletin.
For countries that qualify, the latest visa allocations were announced on Wednesday. Approximately 129,516 prospective applicants (i.e., selectees and their spouses and children) have been registered, can confirm their selection, and may be eligible to make an application for an immigrant visa.
H-1B process to see more changes?
Since coming to power, the Donald Trump administration has tightened immigration policies, including the H-1B visa route. Last month, the country raised the H-1B visa fee from $2,000–$5,000 to a whopping $100,000 (approximately Rs 88 lakh). This was later announced as a one-time fee that US companies will have to pay to the government if they want to hire foreign employees.
At the same time, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hinted that there will be significant changes in the H-1B visa process before February 2026.
Lutnick said that with the USD 100,000 fee on applications, “at least it shouldn’t be overrun with these people. But I think you’re going to see a real thoughtful change going forward. And that’s what I expect will happen.”
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to embrace ‘Swadeshi’ to record-breaking celebrations in Ayodhya, political leaders marked Diwali with messages of harmony, prosperity, and national pride.
PM Modi extends Diwali wishes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended warm greetings to the nation on the occasion of Diwali, wishing that the festival of lights illuminate people’s lives with “harmony, happiness and prosperity”.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Greetings on the occasion of Diwali. May this festival of lights illuminate our lives with harmony, happiness and prosperity. May the spirit of positivity prevail all around us.”
The Prime Minister also urged Indian consumers to buy domestically made “Swadeshi” products during the festival, encouraging the purchase of Indian-made goods and supporting local artisans.
“Let’s mark this festive season by celebrating the hardwork, creativity and innovation of 140 crore Indians. Let’s buy Indian products and say – Garv Se Kaho Yeh Swadeshi Hai! Do also share what you bought on social media. This way you will inspire others to also do the same,” PM Modi wrote on X.
President Droupadi Murmu also extended her greetings, saying, “On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians, both in India and across the world.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed his wishes, stating, “Heartfelt Diwali greetings to all on this festival of lights and joy. I pray to Lord Shri Ram for the health and prosperity of all.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “I extend best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Diwali. May we all pledge to work for the development of the nation on this occasion. We all should aim to bring a smile to the faces of people.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described Diwali as a “sacred symbol of the eternal victory of truth”.
“Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the grand festival of Diwali, the sacred symbol of the eternal victory of truth, righteousness, and positivity! The festival of lights is not merely a ritual of lighting lamps, but a beacon of hope in the soul, a pulse of harmony in society, and a resolve for national resurgence. May the grace of Lord Shri Ram and Mother Janaki illuminate not only our homes but also our hearts, and may the lamp of faith, enthusiasm, and zeal be kindled in everyone’s life-this is my prayer. Jai Jai Siyaram!” he said.
Meanwhile, on the eve of Deepotsav, Ayodhya entered the Guinness World Records by lighting over 26 lakh oil lamps and hosting the largest-ever Saryu aarti.
The event was organised by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department in collaboration with the Ayodhya District Administration. In the largest display of oil lamps, 2,617,215 diyas were lit along the banks of the Saryu River.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also extended Diwali greetings, saying, “Heartfelt Diwali greetings to all my fellow citizens from my side. May this wonderful festival, which leads from darkness to light, fill your life with joy. May everyone’s life be filled with happiness, peace, and prosperity; that is my heartfelt wish. Let us all come together to promote love, brotherhood, harmony, and goodwill, and confront injustice, ignorance, and discrimination unitedly, so that the light of truth and justice always illuminates our path.”
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari greeted citizens saying, “Happy Diwali to all the people of the state. We must adopt Swadeshi and use only products made in our country.”
According to a statement issued by the district police, the Circle Officer of Mahua lodged a complaint with the police station concerned after a video, which went viral on social media, showed Yadav using a SUV, bearing a police logo and a beacon light, during a procession for submitting his documents on October 16.
Tej Pratap Yadav gets booked on the nomination-filing day for violating model code of conduct
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad’s elder son and Janshakti Janta Dal chief Tej Pratap Yadav has been booked for violating the model code of conduct (MCC) during the filing of his nomination papers from the Mahua assembly seat in Bihar’s Vaishali district, police said on Sunday
According to a statement issued by the district police, the Circle Officer of Mahua lodged a complaint with the police station concerned after a video, which went viral on social media, showed Yadav using a SUV, bearing a police logo and a beacon light, during a procession for submitting his documents on October 16.
“It was thoroughly examined and found that the police logo and beacon light used on the vehicle were a private one. Therefore, a case was registered for violation of the election code of conduct,” it said.
Yadav floated the party after being expelled from the RJD on May 25 by his father for six years, as he reportedly confessed to being ‘in a relationship‘ with a woman.
He, however, deleted the Facebook post later with a claim that his page was ‘hacked’. Lalu Prasad also disowned Tej Pratap due to his “irresponsible behaviour”.
The fire broke out around 7:30 am when the train (number 12204) was coming from Amritsar.
Fire in coach of the Amritsar-Saharsa Garib Rath Express Photo : PTI
A fire broke out in a coach of the Amritsar-Saharsa Garib Rath Express on Saturday (October 18), near Sirhind Railway Station, the officials said, adding that one person sustained minor injuries.
The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, according to the Railway Board.
The fire broke out around 7:30 am when the train (number 12204) was coming from Amritsar.
A Government Railway Police (GRP) official said smoke was noticed in one of the AC coaches of the train.
A passenger pulled a chain (alarm chain pulling system) to stop the train. Thereafter, the passengers were safely evacuated from the coach, the official said.
The fire soon engulfed the coach (G-19). Two other coaches also faced minor impact. The three coaches were separated from the rest of the train and fire tenders were immediately called in, the GRP official said.
The Railway Board said one person suffered minor injuries in the incident.
A 32-year-old woman suffered some burn injuries and was taken to the Civil Hospital in Fatehgarh Sahib, said Station House Officer, GRP Sirhind, Rattan Lal.
The officials said that soon after the fire was noticed, the railway authorities shifted the passengers from the affected coach to other coaches.
The train will leave for its destination shortly, they added.
Fire at MPs apartment in Delhi
In another incident on Saturday, a massive fire broke out at the multi-storey Brahmaputra Apartments on the Dr Bishambhar Das Marg in Delhi, which was allotted to Members of Parliament in the national capital.
Permanent alimony is intended as a measure of social justice and not as a tool for enrichment or equalising the financial status of two capable individuals, the Court said.
Divorce
The Delhi High Court recently held that alimony cannot be awarded to a spouse if he/she is financially self-sufficient and independent.
A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar said that it is a settled principle that permanent alimony is intended as a measure of social justice and not as a tool for enrichment or equalising the financial status of two capable individuals.
The law requires the person seeking alimony to demonstrate a genuine need for financial assistance, the Court stressed.
“Judicial discretion under Section 25 [of Hindu Marriage Act (HMA)] cannot be exercised to award alimony where the applicant is financially self-sufficient and independent, and such discretion must be exercised properly and judiciously, based on the record, the relative financial capacities of the parties, and the absence of any material demonstrating economic vulnerability on the part of the Appellant,” the Court held.
The Bench made the observation while upholding a family court order denying permanent alimony to a woman and granting divorce to her husband on the grounds of cruelty.
It was stated that the couple, both of whom had been previously divorced, married in January 2010, but separated within 14 months. The husband was a practising advocate, and the wife a Group A Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.
The husband alleged mental and physical cruelty by the wife, including abusive language, insulting text messages, denial of conjugal rights and humiliation in professional and social spheres. The wife denied these allegations and counter-accused the husband of cruelty.
The family court dissolved the marriage and also recorded that the wife demanded ₹50 lakhs as a financial settlement for agreeing to the dissolution of the marriage. This was stated in her affidavit and reiterated during cross-examination.
The family court refused to allow the same.
After considering the case, the High Court found no fault with the family court order.
It held that when a spouse, while ostensibly resisting the dissolution of marriage, simultaneously predicates consent on payment of a substantial sum, it indicates that the resistance is not anchored in affection, reconciliation or the preservation of the marital bond, but in pecuniary considerations.
“The inference drawn by the learned family court that the Appellant’s approach bore a clear financial dimension cannot be said to be unfounded or unreasonable; rather, it was a logical conclusion based on the evidence before it,” the Bench observed.
Further, the High Court noted that the wife had used degrading language against the husband, used filthy epithets for his mother and called him of illegitimate birth which amounted to mental cruelty.
The text messages in question contained imputations of illegitimacy, filthy epithets directed at the Respondent’s mother and other degrading expressions a pattern of conduct which, cumulatively, the learned Family Court was entitled to regard as causing grave mental agony to the Respondent.”
Ultimately, the Court also denied the woman’s demand for alimony, noting that she was a senior government official earning a substantial income and is financially independent.
“The short duration of cohabitation, the absence of children, the Appellant‟s substantial and independent income, and the lack of credible evidence of financial necessity cumulatively negate any claim for permanent alimony. Accordingly, we find no justifiable ground to interfere with the findings of the learned Family Court, and the prayer for permanent alimony is therefore rejected,” the Bench concluded.
He said that BrahMos is not merely a missile but it is also a symbol of India’s capabilities.
In this image posted on Oct. 16, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Consultative Committee meeting, in Pune. Credit: @SpokespersonMoD/X via PTI Photo
Lucknow/New Delhi: In yet another warning to the western neighbour, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the entire Pakistan was within the range of BrahMos missiles and what happened during Operation Sindoor was just a “trailer”.
“Every inch of the neighboring country is within the range of the BrahMos cruise missile…Operation Sindoor was just a trailer (of a film), which had made Pakistan realise that if India could give birth to Pakistan, then when time comes, it could also…I don’t need to explain it,” Rajnath said in Lucknow.
Rajnath and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the dispatch of the first batch of the missiles manufactured at the new BrahMos Aerospace Unit in Uttar Pradesh capital.
Following the successful use of the missile during the Indo-Pak hostilities in May, Indian top political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken multiple times on how BrahMos penetrated Pakistan’s air defence to strike at its key military assets.
“The missile features a traditional warhead and an advanced guided system and possesses the capability to strike long distances at supersonic speeds. This combination of speed, accuracy, and power makes BrahMos one of the best systems in the world. It has become the backbone of our armed forces,” Rajnath added.
The Defence Minister said India signed contracts worth Rs 4,000 crore to export BrahMos to two countries in the last one month, without disclosing the identity of the nations that would receive the made-in-India weapons.
India has exported BrahMos to the Philippines in two batches in accordance with a $375 million contract the two countries signed in 2022. While several other countries have shown interest, it is not immediately known which are the two countries with which New Delhi signed the new BrahMos deal.
The chief minister also said he is exploring the possibility of becoming a party to the plea for the restoration of statehood to J-K in the Supreme Court.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asserted he will not ally with the BJP to hasten the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory, saying his party has no intention of repeating the “mistakes” committed by others in the past.
The chief minister also said he is exploring the possibility of becoming a party to the plea for the restoration of statehood to J-K in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of pleas seeking restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and on October 10, it gave the Centre four weeks to file its response.
Abdullah said if the restoration of statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in J-K, then the national party should be honest in saying so.
“If that is the deal that is to be struck with the people, then the BJP should be honest, because the BJP in its manifesto and its promises to Parliament and to the Supreme Court never said that the statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in J-K.
“If that is the case, then I think the BJP should be honest, they should tell us that so long as there is a non-BJP government in J-K, you will not get statehood. Then we will decide what we want to do,” he said.
However, Abdullah added that “tying up with the BJP or an alliance with the BJP is out of the question”.
He said J-K is “still suffering the after-effects” of the PDP-BJP alliance in 2015.
“We have already seen how much that has destroyed J-K. An unnecessary alliance between the PDP and the BJP was born in 2015. We are still suffering the after-effects of that. I have no intention of repeating mistakes that other people have made,” the CM added.
Asked if he had any hopes with the Supreme Court on the restoration of statehood, Abdullah said, “We should have hopes. But it is also right that somewhere Pahalgam is being linked to restoration of statehood. People of J-K did not support it. No one involved in the attack was from J-K.” Abdullah added, “I won’t go into the politics of it. Repeatedly it was said in Parliament that there are three steps – delimitation, election and statehood. Two steps have been taken, now we hope the third will also be done,” he added.
Abdullah said he is consulting senior lawyers in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Delhi about the possibility of becoming a party to the statehood restoration petition before the apex court in view of his unique experience as having been a chief minister of the state and also a Union Territory.
Delhi’s air quality remains very poor for the sixth day, with areas like Akshardham and Anand Vihar seeing severe pollution levels.
A pedestrian wearing a face mask walks past the Akshardham Temple amidst morning smog. (Photo:AP)
As winter nears, Delhi’s air quality remains elevated for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday with several areas reporting Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in the ‘poor and ‘very poor’ categories.
The air quality plunged further a day ahead of Diwali, with the Akshardham area recording an AQI of 426 – categorised as ‘severe’ – marking one of the highest pollution levels in the city this season, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Anand Vihar area followed with an AQI of 418. Barapulla reported an AQI of 290 on Sunday morning, falling under the ‘poor’ category.
Water sprinklers have been deployed at the India Gate in order to curb rising pollution levels. The area recorded an AQI of 269 on Sunday morning.
On Saturday, Delhi’s average AQI was recorded at 268, placing it in the ‘poor’ zone. However, nine out of 38 monitoring stations in the capital had already tipped into the “very poor” category, with Anand Vihar (389), Wazirpur (351), Jahangirpuri (310), and Dwarka (310) among the worst-affected.
The pollution spike is attributed largely to increased vehicular emissions, the city’s primary source of pollution on Saturday, accounting for 15.6% of total emissions, according to the Decision Support System.
In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad recorded a “very poor” AQI of 324, while Noida (298) and Gurugram (258) remained in the ‘poor’ bracket.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast similar conditions over the next few days, with no immediate improvement in sight as the city inches closer to Diwali, a period often associated with further air quality deterioration due to firecracker use and stubble burning in neighbouring states.
Meanwhile, weather conditions also remain stagnant, providing little help in dispersing pollutants. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.5 degree Celsius on Saturday, 0.9 degree Celsius above normal, while the minimum stood at 19.6 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts clear skies for Sunday, with temperatures expected to range between 19 degree Celsius and 33 degree Celsius.
Delhi police sources said that the students were planning a protest at the Vasant Kunj police station without official permission. When the group was stopped at the university gate, a scuffle broke out, leading to the detention of 28 students – 19 males and 9 females.
According to students, the incident occurred at JNU’s West Gate when police intervened to stop their march, leading to a confrontation.
A group of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, including the JNUSU president, were allegedly beaten and detained by Delhi Police while marching to the Vasant Kunj police station on Thursday. The students had intended to file an FIR over an earlier attack during a General Body Meeting on Dussehra, which they attribute to rising tensions between left- and right-wing student groups on campus.
According to students, the incident occurred at JNU’s West Gate when police intervened to stop their march, leading to a confrontation. Left-wing students claimed they were holding a peaceful protest against alleged violence by ABVP members and police inaction. They further alleged that police used force to block their path.
Delhi police sources said that the students were planning a protest at the Vasant Kunj police station without official permission. When the group was stopped at the university gate, a scuffle broke out, leading to the detention of 28 students – 19 males and 9 females.
Left-affiliated student groups allege that the authorities have not taken adequate action against ABVP-affiliated students following a clash, which they say escalated during a general body meeting meant for JNUSU election committee formation. These students claim police have shown favouritism towards ABVP members, further intensifying campus unrest.
The confrontation was sparked by an earlier incident during Dussehra, when left and right-wing student groups clashed on campus. The “Jai Bhim, Lal Salam” group led Saturday’s march before being detained by police as they attempted to reach the station.
During the general body meeting on Thursday, left-affiliated groups accused the ABVP of “hooliganism,” while the right-wing student organisation reported being subjected to “regional hatred”.
In a statement, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) said, “Yet again, ABVP’s hooliganism and violence is disrupting democratic practices in JNU.”
AISA further alleged, “ABVP hooligans began heckling councillors who were presenting their work reports and snatched a phone. When students began to question, they began beating students who were present in the GBM,” referencing the violence during the meeting.
Linking the violence to upcoming student union elections, AISA stated, “Due to this, their (ABVP’s) defeat is guaranteed this election. This is the reason they are resorting to violence to disrupt the electoral process.”
The incident occurred on August 20 during a Jan Sunwai event at the Chief Minister’s residence.
Accused Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakariya (left) allegedly attacked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on August 20. (File photo)
Nearly two months after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was allegedly attacked during a public hearing at her official residence, the Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet in the case. The accused, Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakariya, a 41-year-old resident of Rajkot, and his aide Sheikh Tehsin Raza have been named in the chargesheet filed in Tis Hazari Court. The court has taken the document on record and is expected to take cognisance on October 30.
The incident occurred on August 20 during a Jan Sunwai event at the Chief Minister’s residence. Sources said Sakariya handed over a petition before shouting and physically attacking Gupta.
He was immediately overpowered and taken into custody, with others present at the event reportedly restraining him. Preliminary investigations indicate that Sakariya had travelled to Delhi seeking the release of a relative who is in jail.
Police confirmed that Sakariya has a history of mental health issues, according to his mother, who said she was unaware of his plan to visit Delhi.
She described him as an animal lover who had been disturbed over a recent court verdict on stray dogs.
Rajkot police also questioned his mother and verified his identity and address in coordination with Delhi Police.
Rekha Gupta, who received Z-plus security, was physically unharmed but reportedly shaken by the incident.
Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva clarified that, contrary to some reports, Gupta was not slapped but involved in a scuffle during the attack.
Delhi Ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Kapil Mishra condemned the attack, calling it a conspiracy and an unforgivable crime.
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav and former Chief Minister Atishi also strongly condemned the incident, highlighting concerns over women’s safety and the need for strict action.
In visuals that have now surfaced online, Rahul Gandhi is seen meeting Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg and other family members and consoling them. The Congress leader also paid an emotional tribute to the late artist, remembering his contribution to Indian and Assamese music
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the residence of late singer Zubeen Garg in Guwahati, Assam, on Friday (October 17) to offer his condolences to the bereaved family. The popular Assamese singer’s untimely death had sent shockwaves across the country, leaving fans and the music fraternity in deep mourning.
In visuals that have now surfaced online, Rahul is seen meeting Zubeen’s wife Garima Saikia Garg and other family members and consoling them. The Congress leader also paid an emotional tribute to the late artist, remembering his contribution to Indian and Assamese music.
While interacting with media after visiting Zubeen’s house, Rahul said, “It is very sad for me to come here under these circumstances. I told the family I would have liked to come under happier circumstances. When I was 17, I went for a mountaineering course in Sikkim, and every day during training, I would see Mount Kanchenjunga. What I liked about the mountains is that they are honest, transparent, unshakable, and beautiful.”
“Gaurav Gogoi told me that Zubeen ji said he was like Kanchenjunga, and it immediately connected with me – he truly embodied those qualities. He had wealth, success, and humility, which is something Assam should be proud of,” he added.
VIDEO | Guwahati: After paying tribute to singer Zubeen Garg and meeting his family, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “It is very sad for me to come here under these circumstances. I told the family I would have liked to come under happier circumstances. When I… pic.twitter.com/W0wA7X6NXJ
Zubeen passed away on September 19 in Singapore. In his death case, the Singapore Police has shared a statement that, based on their preliminary investigation, they haven’t found any foul play.
The official statement of the Singapore Police read, “The Singapore Police Force is aware of speculation and false information circulating online regarding the circumstances of Mr Zubeen Garg’s death. The case is currently being investigated by the SPF, in accordance with Singapore’s Coroners Act 2010. Based on preliminary investigations, the SPF does not suspect foul play.”
Siddaramaiah fired back at Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and his wife, author Sudha Murty, for opting out of the state’s ongoing Social and Educational Survey.
Sudha Murty with husband Narayan Murthy
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fired back at Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and his wife, author Sudha Murty, for opting out of the state’s ongoing Social and Educational Survey, dismissing their stance as rooted in ‘misinformation’ and arrogance.
Siddaramaiah, speaking to reporters, questioned the couple’s decision with a mix of sarcasm and frustration. “That is left to them. This is not a backward classes survey. If they haven’t understood—what can I do? Just because they are Infosys—are they all knowing? We have said 20 times—this is not a backward classes survey. This is entire population survey,” he remarked, emphasising that the exercise covers all 7 crore residents of Karnataka, including upper castes, for economic, educational, and social insights.
The CM further challenged the Murtys’ rationale, pointing to potential future national efforts. “The central government is also conducting a survey. What will they do? They might have wrong information,” he added, suggesting their refusal stems from a misunderstanding fueled by ‘disobedience due to misinformation.’
The controversy erupted after enumerators from the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission visited the couple’s residence earlier this week. Sudha Murty, a Rajya Sabha MP, reportedly signed a self-declaration in Kannada refusing to provide details, stating, “We do not belong to any backward community. Hence, we will not participate in a government-conducted survey meant for such groups.” The couple also submitted a letter opting out, with Murty noting the survey held ‘no relevance or use’ for them.
The Murtys’ move drew support from former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, who criticised the survey as a distraction from real priorities. “In Karnataka, ministers are more bothered about caste, caste surveys, appeasement, not growth, development, good jobs, or technology. They are taking the state backwards, borrowing money for freebies,” Pai posted on X.
Compared to the benefits and huge high paying jobs this is very small. In Karnataka Ministers are more bothered about Caste, caste surveys, appeasement, not growth, development, good jobs, technology. They are taking the state backwards. Borrowing money for freebies. https://t.co/X5HlKf0qYV
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray came together on Friday at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park for the MNS ‘Deepotsav’ event, marking their most prominent joint public appearance yet.
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, along with their families at ‘Deepotsav’ celebrations at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. (Image: X/ @AUThackeray)
In another display of unity and symbolism, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray came together on Friday evening for the MNS-organised ‘Deepotsav’ celebrations at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.
The reunion, held in the heart of the Marathi-dominated Dadar, was more than just a festive spectacle. With the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections looming, the event carried unmistakable political symbolism, signalling a potential political reconciliation between the Thackeray cousins.
Uddhav and Raj, along with their families, shared the stage amid loud cheers from the crowd. Uddhav inaugurated the Diwali-themed event after first visiting Raj’s residence, ‘Shivtirth.’ The two then arrived together at Shivaji Park in the same car — a powerful image of unity captured by the media.
“Today’s Diwali is special. The unity of Marathi manoos and its light will bring happiness in everyone’s lives,” Uddhav said during the celebrations.
Aaditya Thackeray, ahead of the event, wrote on social media, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park is once again ready to shine brightly in dazzling light! The special highlight is that the illumination during this Deepotsav enhances the beauty of our park, making it stand out.”
Though no overt political announcements were made, the optics left little doubt about the undercurrent — the Thackeray family appearing together ahead of crucial local body elections was a strong message in itself.
The Shiv Sena, which has dominated the BMC since 1997, faces a major challenge after the party split in 2022, when Eknath Shinde’s rebellion toppled the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. For the Sena (UBT), a possible understanding with Raj’s MNS could help consolidate the Marathi vote, which was divided after Raj’s exit from the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005.
Analysts say that while the MNS holds a limited overall vote share, its concentrated influence in Marathi-speaking wards could prove decisive in close contests — especially in nearly 90 wards of Mumbai.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted that India, which once imported up to 70 percent of its defence equipment, now produces around 65 percent domestically.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flags off the first made-in-India Tejas Mk1A fighter jet from the newly inaugurated production facility at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, in Nashik. (PTI Photo)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated two major aircraft production lines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nashik facility — the third line for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A and the second for the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40). He also flagged off the first LCA Mk1A aircraft manufactured at the facility.
Speaking at the event, the defence minister described the Tejas Mk1A’s successful production as “a shining symbol of India’s growing Aatmanirbharta in defence.”
He highlighted the significant transformation in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem over the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“When we came to power in 2014, we realised that without self-reliance, we can never be truly secure,” he said.
Singh noted that India, which once imported up to 70 percent of its defence equipment, now produces around 65 percent domestically.
“Whatever we used to buy from abroad, we are now manufacturing it in India — be it fighter aircraft, missiles, engines, or electronic warfare systems,” he added.
Rajnath Singh said that the government aims to increase domestic defence manufacturing to 100 percent in the coming years.
He underlined that earlier challenges such as import dependency, lack of private sector participation, and inadequate focus on innovation and advanced technology had made India vulnerable and reliant on foreign suppliers.
“This challenge encouraged us to move forward with new thinking and reforms. The results are visible today,” he said.
Rajnath Singh also shared key milestones achieved by the sector, stating that India’s annual defence production has surged from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014–15 to over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024–25, while exports have reached a record Rs 25,000 crore, up from less than Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago. “We have now set a target of increasing defence manufacturing to Rs 3 lakh crore and exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029,” he said.
On the changing face of modern warfare, Singh stressed the need for India to stay ahead in domains such as Artificial Intelligence, cyber warfare, drones, and next-generation aircraft. “India must always stay ahead in this new race, and not lag behind,” he asserted, urging HAL to expand its innovation in unmanned systems and civil aviation.
Praising HAL’s role, Rajnath Singh called it the “backbone of India’s defence sector” and commended its contributions, including support for the recently decommissioned MiG-21 fleet and its role during Operation Sindoor.
HAL has established the new LCA Mk1A production line in just two years.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday clarified her remarks on “outsiders” in her Bhowanipore assembly constituency, stressing that her comments were about electoral manipulation, not targeting any community or language group.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Photo: PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that a deliberate effort is underway to change the voter composition in her Bhowanipore assembly constituency in South Kolkata, a seat she has represented since 2011. Without naming any party, Banerjee claimed that outsiders were being brought in to influence elections.
She said, “People are coming here, purchasing land, constructing buildings, and offering money to current residents to make them leave. In many areas, big houses are being built by demolishing the slums of the poor. I do not support this. You are driving away our voters.” Banerjee urged that state housing schemes be used to protect slum residents, asserting that safeguarding her constituents’ homes is crucial for the party’s priorities.
Addressing the controversy on Friday at a Kali Puja event, Banerjee clarified her remarks on “outsiders.” She said, “They have taken one of my statements and deliberately twisted it to give it a different meaning. When I used the term ‘Bohiragoto,’ I was clearly referring to a particular political party that brings in people from outside the State.”
“They add the names of ten outsiders alongside the names of our genuine voters, so that our own people are prevented from voting. Under the guise of elections, many outsiders come here illegally,” she added.
Banerjee further explained, “How can one person have their name registered in two places? That is what I pointed out and why I cautioned my councillors to remain vigilant. Unfortunately, my words were deliberately misconstrued.”
Banerjee emphasised that her comments were about electoral manipulation and not directed at any community. “There are many Hindi-speaking people, many Bengali-speaking people, and slowly Bhowanipore is being completely filled with outsiders through a planned effort,” she added.
The BJP dismissed the Chief Minister’s allegations. Party leader Locket Chatterjee said, “Nobody is bringing any outsider. All are her own people from her constituency. She is being judged by her own people based on her work.”
Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumder also criticised Banerjee, questioning her statements on outsiders and ridiculing past remarks.
An FIR has been registered against Karnataka IPS officer Shivanshu Rajput over allegations of dowry harassment and domestic violence.
Domestic violence case against IPS officer. (Representative image)
An FIR has been registered at a Noida police station against a Karnataka cadre IPS officer, following serious allegations made by his wife.
The FIR names Shivanshu Rajput, a 2019 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The complaint, spanning 41 pages, was filed by his wife Dr Kriti Singh.
In her complaint, Kriti has accused Rajput and several members of his family of dowry harassment and domestic violence. In addition to the IPS officer, the complaint names his mother, father, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and several of his friends, seven people in total.
Dr Singh has alleged that despite their love marriage, she faced continuous physical and mental harassment. She claims that nearly two crore rupees were spent on their wedding, which took place at a five-star hotel.
The FIR also accuses Rajput of maintaining illicit relationships with multiple women during the marriage, further aggravating the complaint.
Twenty “selfie points”, based on incidents mentioned in the Ramayana, will be installed at key locations, including Dharampath, Lata Chowk, Ram Ki Paidi, and Ramkatha Park.
Credit: PTI
Ayodhya: A ‘rangoli’, 80,000 diyas and 20 special “selfie points” will await devotees at the Ram Ki Paidi in Ayodhya for the ninth edition of the ‘Deepotsav’ on October 19.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a huge celebration in the temple town this year.
At the Ayodhya Deepotsav 2025, over 26 lakh lamps will be lit across 56 ghats, with more than 28 lakh lamps being arranged in advance, aiming to set a new world record.
The government said the ‘rangoli’ at Ram ki Paidi, a series of ghats on the banks of Saryu river, would be the largest ever.
“This year, the spectacle at Ram Ki Paidi will be unique with a ‘rangoli’ decorated with 80,000 diyas, presenting a stunning spectacle that will simultaneously showcase devotion, beauty, and the depth of art,” an official statement said.
Twenty “selfie points”, based on incidents mentioned in the Ramayana, will be installed at key locations, including Dharampath, Lata Chowk, Ram Ki Paidi, and Ramkatha Park.
The ‘rangoli’ design incorporates traditional symbols such as the Kalash, Swastika, and Lotus flower, the statement.
Fifty students from the arts department of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya, have designed the ‘rangoli’, and they have been tasked with making it for the Deepotsav, it said.
A video of the hearing streamed live on Youtube on Thursday has gone viral on the social media.
Jharkhand High Court Court No. 24 on October 16
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday registered a suo motu criminal contempt case against advocate Mahesh Tiwari a day after he had an acrimonious exchange of words with Justice Rajesh Kumar in open court.
A video of the hearing streamed live on YouTube went viral on the social media. Advocate Tiwari, while addressing Justice Kumar, said on October 16,
“I can argue in my own way, not in your way in which you say. Please mind that… Don’t try to humiliate any advocate, I am telling you. Sir, please don’t try to humiliate any person. The country is burning… with the judiciary. These are my words. Don’t try to humiliate any advocate. Aap bahut jaante hai, aap judge hogaye; hum loug nai jaante hum loug wakeel hai (you know a lot, you have become a judge; We don’t know, we are lawyers). I will argue in my own way. Don’t cross the limit. Please, don’t cross the limit. I have already practiced for the last 40 years.”
A day later, a full bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay, Justice Ananda Sen and Justice Rajesh Shankar took up a criminal contempt case titled ‘Court on Its own Motion vs Mahesh Tiwari’.
A copy of the order passed in the case today was not immediately available. The matter is listed for hearing next on November 11.
The alleged contempt before the single-bench of Justice Kumar occurred on Thursday just minutes after the Court had a heard a woman’s case against disconnection of her electricity connection and a demand of an amount of over ₹1.30 Lakh by the electricity board .
The petitioner Pushpa Kumari, a widow, was represented by advocate Tiwari. Following a brief hearing, the Court passed an order directing restoration of her connection, subject to deposit of ₹50,000.
Earlier, after Tiwari had urged that she may be allowed to deposit only ₹10,000-15,000 for restoration of electricity considering her plight and the upcoming Diwali, Justice Kumar said,
“Nai, utna mai nai. Utna plight wlight nai. Hum nyay karne nai bhethe hai [No. not that less an amount…]. I have to go in accordance with law. Justice has to be done in accordance with law. I am not a court of justice. I am a court of law. There is alternate remedy and so many things. I can give indulgence only on a deposit of appropriate amount.”
During submissions related to bill amount, advocate Tiwari said that maximum ₹15,000 should have been the demand as the monthly bill was less than ₹200. However, the board was demanding ₹350-₹450, he added.
Surprised at the amount of mentioned by the lawyer, Justice Kumar said an inquiry can be ordered into the matter.
“Khopdi khali karke nai bhethe haina Tiwari ji. Tiwari ji, khopdi khali karke nai bhethe hai, khopdi mai hai kuch… [Mr Tiwari, I am not sitting here with an empty skull. My skull has something in it],” the judge added, while touching his head.
Continuing his submissions, Advocate Tiwari sought intervention on humanitarian grounds and agreed to deposit a certain but lesser amount. However, the Court pointed to lack of pleadings related to the amount and thus reiterated that 50 percent of the demand has to be deposited first.
“I cannot pass any order in the hawa (air)… hawa mai nai kardenge. There has to be some basis. Aap basis nai de rahe hai. 50% is declared basis by precedent. We will follow,” it added.
Tiwari responded that ₹30,000 was being demanded in excess and the Court may order deposit of a half of ₹1 lakh.
“₹50,000 we will manage from somewhere,” he added. At this, the Court said,
“Manage? Ab aap aisa baat mat boliye. This is not the court of mercy. I am not court of mercy”.
Tiwari then agreed that the petitioner will deposit ₹50,000. The Court, accordingly, ordered restoration of the electricty, subject to payment of the amount.
Though the hearing appeared to have culminated normally, except the candids remarks of the judge, tempers flared later when the Court was hearing a different lawyer in another case of eviction.
The judge made certain remarks while addressing this second lawyer but it seemed obvious that he was referring to the previous case and the remarks were aimed at Tiwari.
“Aap khada hoke ki ‘widow hai, ye hai wo hai, gareeb hai… koi pleading nai hai… agar hum nai stay denge, tou hum anyay kardenge. [You cannot get up and merely plead that ‘she is a widow, a destitute …’ that too in absence of pleadings and say if we don’t grant stay, injustice will be done by Court] What sort of argument is going on,” the Court said.
At this stage, the Court appeared to shift its attention to the State Bar Council Chairman.
“This is the way your advocate will argue the case?” Justice Kumar said.
On hearing the judge, Tiwari, who was still present in the courtroom, came towards the front and pointedly asked the judge whether he was referring to him. Justice Kumar answered in affirmative.
The Court expressed that it was aghast that the fraudsters behind such scams often use forged court orders to trick people into parting with their money.
Cyber crime
The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the Central government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a suo motu case initiated over the rise of ‘digital arrest scams’ across India.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi today expressed that it was aghast that the fraudsters behind such scams often use forged court orders to trick people into parting with their money.
The Court has also sought the assistance of the Attorney General of India in the matter.
“Ordinarily, we would have directed the state police to expedite the investigation and take it to the logical conclusion. We are, however, aghast that the fraudsters have fabricated multiple judicial orders in the name of the Supreme Court of India, including a freeze order dated 1st September, purportedly issued under the PMLA, bearing forged signatures of a judge, an officer of ED, and a court stamp also,” it said.
The Court added that using fake court orders strikes at the very foundation of the public trust held by the judiciary, and has the be viewed seriously.
“Various fictitious proceedings before the Bombay High Court and false claims of investigation by CBI and ED (were also used by fraudsters). The forgery of documents and the brazen criminal misuse of the name, seal and judicial authority of this court and the High Court is a matter of grave concern. Judicial orders with fake signatures of judges strikes at the very foundation of the public trust system on the judiciary. Such grave criminal acts cannot be treated as an orderly or routine offence of cheating or cyber crime,” the Court held.
Digital arrest scams refer to a kind of online fraud where cybercriminals impersonate law enforcement or government officials, like the police or CBI, to intimidate victims and to pressure them into parting with money.
Often, the victims are falsely made to believe that they have run into trouble with the law and that they would need to pay hefty monetary penalties to close legal proceedings against them.
The Court took judicial notice of the issue following a complaint sent to it last month by a senior citizen couple, who were defrauded of their life savings through a digital arrest scam carried out between September 1-16.
The victims said that they were contacted by persons impersonating as CBI, IB, and judicial authorities through video conferencing platforms (VC) and telephones. The fraudsters displayed forged orders of the Supreme Court through WhatsApp and VC.
Under the threat of arrest through those forged documents, the couple was coerced into transferring ₹1.5 crores through multiple bank transactions.
The Court today noted that two first information reports (FIRs) were registered at the cyber crime branch at Ambala, which indicated a pattern of organised criminal activities targeting senior citizens.
“The instant case is not a solitary instance. It has been largely reported many times on the media that such incidents have taken place in different parts of the country,” the Court observed.
The committee will be headed by retired Justice Asha Menon.
Transgender persons and Supreme Court
In an important verdict augmenting rights of transgender persons, the Supreme Court on Friday constituted a dedicated committee headed by a retired High Court judge to enable and facilitate equal opportunities at work, inclusive medical care and protection for gender non-conforming persons.
A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan said that the judgment hopes to secure the future of third gender.
The committee will be headed by retired Justice Asha Menon and will comprise transgender activists Grace Banu and Akai Padmashali, Gaurav Mandal, CLPR Bengaluru member, Dr Sanjay Sharma, and the amicus will be Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari.
“The committee to look at equal opportunities, inclusive medical care, protection for gender non conforming persons. We have awarded compensation to the petitioner considering how her services were terminated. We hope the future of the third gender is secure with this. We have framed guidelines and any Institutions which does not have guidelines shall follow the same till Centre brings a policy,” the Court said.
The Court delivered the ruling while awarding compensation to a transwoman whose appointment as a teacher was terminated by two private schools in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat because of her gender identity.
India recovered the PL-15 E air-to-air missile as it does not have self-destruct features.
Chinese PL-15 E long-range air-to-air beyond visual range missile recovered by the Indian armed forces in Punjab during Operation Sindoor.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has decided to incorporate advanced features from the Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile into its indigenous Astra Mark-2 programme, following a detailed technical analysis of an unexploded missile fired by a Pakistani jet during Operation Sindoor in May, people aware of the matter said.
The PL-15E missile was recovered fully intact in a field near Hoshiarpur, Punjab, on May 9, representing a rare intelligence opportunity for Indian defence scientists.
The export variant of China’s advanced beyond-visual-range missile, with a range of 145 kilometres, was found unexploded due to the weapon’s lack of a self-destruct mechanism, unlike all Indian air-to-air missiles, according to people aware of the matter who asked not to be named.
The recovery occurred during Operation Sindoor, India’s coordinated military response launched on May 7 to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The missile, believed to have been fired from a Pakistan Air Force JF-17 or J-10C fighter, failed to engage its target and fell approximately 100 kilometres inside Indian territory.
While DRDO remains tight-lipped about its analysis report submitted to the defence ministry, the examination has identified several superior features in the Chinese weapon, one of the people cited above said. These include a miniature active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with advanced propellant capable of maintaining speeds exceeding Mach 5, and sophisticated anti-jamming capabilities. All these advancements, particularly the radar technology, are being incorporated into India’s indigenous Astra missile development programme.
Another person aware of the matter said that Pakistan is seeking to enhance its arsenal following Operation Sindoor. The Pakistan Air Force is reportedly pursuing longer-range PL-17 missiles for wide-bodied aircraft from China, 2,000 YIHA kamikaze drones from Turkey, and has submitted a list of high-tech weapons requirements to the US.
One of the people cited above also explained that India’s own weapons performed effectively during the operation, with BrahMos, Rampage, and SCALP missiles demonstrating excellent results. However, Indian defence planners are moving to acquire additional Meteor missiles for Rafale fighters to ensure the Indian Air Force is not constrained by numbers in future engagements. A next-generation BrahMos missile with an 800-kilometre range is also being developed, ensuring coverage across nearly the entire breadth of Pakistan.
The evolving threat landscape, including Pakistan’s three to five Chinese HQ-9 air defence systems, has prompted a strategic shift. Future hostilities will likely see Indian fighters operating from outside enemy air defence envelopes, launching long-range supersonic missiles designed to defeat ground and airborne radar systems, the people cited above said.
The Liberal Party leader also called on Delhi to play its role as one of the world’s new superpowers and as a ‘democratic counterweight’ to China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The 21st century belongs to India, and the Prime Minister of the country – whoever that might be four or five decades down the line – could take the mantle of ‘the leader of the free world’ from the President of the United States, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Friday at the NDTV World Summit 2025.
He also called on Delhi to play its role as one of the world’s new superpowers and as a ‘democratic counterweight’ to China in the Asia-Pacific region and a ‘strong, reliable partner’ for Australia.
Trade deals, such as the one India signed with Australia in 2022 and with the United Kingdom last month are signs the democratic world is shifting from China, he said.
In a hard-hitting interaction Friday, Abbott offered an overview of India’s ties with China, Pakistan, and the US, and said Delhi holds the key to check Beijing’s ambitions to ‘dominate the world’. “They want to be hegemonic power… and this spells trouble for all of China’s neighbours, as well as the world.”
‘India’s 3 advantages over China’
“India is a counterweight to China. It is now the most populous country. You go to any Indian city… there is massive infrastructure push – new airports, etc. India is rising and can be a substitute to China.”
“The 21st century belongs to India just as it belongs to China,” he said.
And India has three big advantages – democracy, the rule of law, and the English language – as it preps for the economic and military ‘take-off’ China accomplished a few decades ago, he said.
“As PM, I used to say India will emerge as a democratic superpower. Well, now that has happened. The PM of India is likely to be the leader of a free world in the next 40-50 years…”
The Taiwan problem
Expanding on the threat posed by China, Abbot offered Taiwan as a potential first test, warning all democratic nations, including his own, not to tak the former’s aggressive posturing lightly.
“The best way to ensure nothing untoward happens is not to pretend that China has peaceful intentions… it is to be prepared (and) to let China know, every day, that it cannot get away with these incursions… weakness is provocative,” the former Prime Minister said.
“If China are to be made to fear that attempts to seize Taiwan will fail… I think all these need to be real prospects,” he said, “It is possible to defend Taiwan. The danger is escalation.”
“We saw that in the Korean War. And we have to hope and pray it doesn’t escalate.”
On the war in Ukraine
To underline the importance of a united front against China and its ‘world domination’ dreams, Abbott indicated the war in Ukraine would likely not have happened had that country been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and been protected by the military might of the US and Europe.
“The Ukrainians have been absolutely heroic. I wish democracies in the world had done more for them… If Ukraine was part of NATO, there would have been no Russian incursion,” he said.
Although Mehul Choksi still has the right to appeal to a higher court, this marks a crucial first step toward his return.
Choksi was arrested by Antwerp police on April 11 and has been in jail for the past four months.
A court in Belgium on Friday approved the extradition of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi to India, sources said. The court in Antwerp ruled that Choksi’s arrest by Belgian police, based on India’s request, was valid.
Choksi has the right to appeal the order before the Belgian Supreme Court within the next 15 days.
The court heard arguments from both sides – Belgian prosecutors representing India and Choksi’s legal team.
Choksi was arrested by Antwerp police on April 11 and has been in jail for the past four months. His multiple bail pleas have been rejected by Belgian courts.
India has charged the 66-year-old with fraud, conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and corruption under IPC Sections 120B, 201, 409, 420, and 477A, along with Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. These offences are also punishable under Belgian law, fulfilling the condition of dual criminality.
India cited international conventions like the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC)and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to support its case. The CBI visited Belgium three times to present evidence and hired a European private law firm to assist.
India assured Belgian authorities that upon extradition, Choksi would be held in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, with facilities meeting European standards, including clean water, food, newspapers, TV, and access to a private doctor. He would not be placed in solitary confinement.
It also assured “high-level of security” in the cell, with a clean, thick cotton mat, pillow, bed sheet, and blanket. The cell would be swept and mopped daily, along with supply of fresh drinking water, outdoor exercises, rest areas, board games such as chess and carrom, and badminton, the prison department said.
The PM’s comments on Maoist terrorism follow the surrender of 170 on Thursday alone in Chhattisgarh, a region of the country that has historically struggled with the Maoist threat.
Over 300 Maoists surrendered in the past 24 hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday night at the NDTV World Summit 2025, highlighting his government’s crackdown on domestic terror groups and his ‘pain’ at the bloodshed and violence the fighting had caused.
“In the last 50-55 years thousands were killed by Maoist terrorists. These Naxals would not allow schools or hospitals to be built… they would not let doctors enter clinics… they would bomb institutions. Maoist terrorism was an injustice to the young people,” he said.
“I used to feel agitated… this is the first time I am expressing my pain to the world,” he said before a gathering that included Harini Amarasuriya, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and the former prime ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, Tony Abbott and Rishi Sunak.
This is why my government, the Prime Minister said, has taken particular efforts to reach out to ‘these wayward youth’ and bring them back into the mainstream. “Today the country is seeing the result of these efforts,” the PM said, referring to the mass surrenders this week.
“Now, 303 Naxals have surrendered. These were not normal people… they were carrying bounties on their heads, and a huge cache of arms was recovered from them,” he said.
As a result of those mass surrenders, he said, the government has succeeded in reducing the number of Naxal-affected districts, across the country, to just 11 from 125 a decade ago.
The PM’s comments on Maoist terrorism follow the surrender of 170 on Thursday alone in Chhattisgarh, a region of the country that has historically struggled with the Maoist threat.
“Earlier, the headlines were about vehicles blown up in Bastar (a particularly badly-affected district) and security personnel killed. Today, youth there are organising ‘Bastar Olympics’. This is a big change,” the Prime Minister said, “Now, they will be able to celebrate Diwali.”
Bastar witnessed a potential watershed moment in the fight against Maoist terror this week after more than 150 Maoists – led by Central Committee member Rupesh alias Satish Kofa – laid down their arms and joined the mainstream, although Kofa told NDTV his focus is less on ‘surrendering’ and more on “changing the way of struggle for the people”.
The Prime Minister accused previous governments of allowing what he called an “ecosystem of Urban Naxals” to suppress discussion on Maoist violence.
“During the Congress regime, the ecosystem of ‘Urban Naxals’ was so dominant that no incident of Maoist terrorism would reach the people of the country. A very large censorship mechanism was in operation… Those who flourished under Congress rule, who captured institutions and called themselves Urban Naxals, worked to draw a curtain over Maoist terror,” PM Modi said.
After the deceased were caught/taken in custody, they might have been taken to the jungle and where they were killed by the security forces and the police, he submitted.
Representative image for judgement. Credit: iStock
Bilaspur: The Chhattisgarh High Court has said anti-Naxal operations, being part of regular counter-insurgency measures undertaken by State or Central security forces, cannot be subjected to investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) unless exceptional circumstances warrant such intervention.
Dismissing a petition seeking an SIT probe into the killing of outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) Central Committee member K Ramachandra Reddy in an anti-Naxal operation in Narayanpur district last month, a division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Judge Bibhu Datta Guru said directing investigation by SIT into such regular field operations would not only undermine the federal structure of policing powers but also set a precedent inconsistent with established legal and administrative principles.
The order was passed on October 14.
Reddy’s son Raja Chandra (33), a resident of Theegalakuntapally in Telangana’s Siddipet district, had filed the petition seeking the constitution of an SIT comprising honest and upright police officers from outside Chhattisgarh. He had alleged that his father was killed by the security forces in a fake encounter.
According to police, Katta Ramachandra Reddy alias Raju Dada (63) and Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy alias Kosa Dada (67), both Central Committee members of the banned outfit, were killed in a gunfight with District Reserve Guard, a unit of the state police, on September 22 near the forested hills of Farasbeda and Toymeta villages in Abujhmad area.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves submitted in the HC that his client reasonably apprehends that his father K Ramchandra Reddy was executed by the police in a cold-blooded manner and subsequently a false story of an encounter was concocted.
Both the security forces and Naxals were hundreds in number, and after the encounter, only two persons died, and those were CC members of the Maoists, he said. It is highly suspicious that no other Maoists or security forces died or were injured in the “so-called encounter” when, normally, a Maoist leader of high rank is protected and surrounded by many other Maoists, he further argued.
After the deceased were caught/taken in custody, they might have been taken to the jungle and where they were killed by the security forces and the police, he submitted.
Gonsalves, referring to press releases, also raised questions over the timing of the encounter.
On September 17, a press release was issued by Politburo member (Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi) Sonu, wherein it was stated that due to changing circumstances, the Maoists wanted to give up armed struggle and join the mainstream.
Thereafter, on September 20, another press release was given by a person named Vikalp who is stated to be spokesperson of Maoist party. According to the police, deceased K Ramchandra Reddy was the spokesperson of the Maoist party and the second press release was issued by him stating that the previous press release was not issued by the Maoists and they did not intend to give up armed struggle. Just after two days of press release, Reddy was allegedly killed, he submitted.
The petitioner also raised questions on the nature of injuries on his father’s body.
Opposing the petition, state Advocate General Prafulla N Bharat described the encounter as genuine and submitted that following specific intelligence input, a police party was sent on search operation in Abhujmad area during which encounter took place between security forces and 20-25 Naxalites.
The petition filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, has sought constitution of a judicially monitored committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
The 91-year-old father of Air India pilot-in-command in the fatal Ahmedabad crash of June has moved the Supreme Court seeking an independent judicial probe into the incident.
The petition filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, has sought constitution of a judicially monitored committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and with independent experts from the aviation sector as its members, to conduct a fair, transparent and technically sound investigation into the crash of Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
The aircraft had crashed on June 12 while taking off from Ahmedabad resulting in 260 deaths.
As per the plea jointly filed by Sabharwal and Federation of Indian Pilots, the investigation presently being undertaken by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the preliminary report dated June 15 submitted pursuant to that probe are defective and suffers from serious infirmities and perversities.
The petitioners have contended that the report implausibly asserts the cause of the crash to pilot error, while overlooking other glaring and plausible systemic causes that demand independent scrutiny and investigation of the incident.
An incomplete and prejudiced inquiry, without identification of the exact cause of the accident, endangers the lives of future passengers and undermines aviation safety at large, causing a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the plea said.
According to the petition, the current approach of the investigation has resulted in a failure to adequately examine, or rule out, other more plausible technical and procedural factors relating to the Boeing 7that could have contributed to the tragic incident.
The petitioners have emphasised the factual misdirection through selective disclosure, especially against crew who cannot defend themselves, impedes root cause discovery and threatens future flight safety—calling for a neutral judicial lens.
The plea has highlighted the following deficiencies in the probe:
– unexplained RAT deployment prior to crew inputs;
– systemic electrical collapse ignored;
– failure to investigate design-level faults;
– implausible fuel switch movement and misplaced pilot blame;
Uttar Pradesh police visited celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib’s Delhi home regarding an investment fraud case where over 150 individuals allegedly lost at least Rs 7 crore.
Jawed Habib has been asked to join investigation. (File Image)
Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday visited the Delhi residence of celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib in connection with an alleged investment fraud case, but he was not at home. Superintendent of Police (Sambhal) Krishan Bishnoi said Habib has been evading interrogation and has been absconding since the matter surfaced. He added that Habib has been asked to appear for questioning, reports PTI.
“If he fails to do so, the police will seek a non-bailable warrant against him,” Bishnoi said.
Habib was summoned for questioning on October 12 but did not appear, sending his lawyer instead. The lawyer claimed he could not provide the required documents. Following this, police obtained a search warrant and visited Habib’s residence in New Friends Colony, south Delhi, but he was not there.
According to police, more than 150 people were allegedly defrauded of at least Rs 7 crore, though formal complaints have been filed by 33 victims. Thirty-three FIRs have been registered against Habib, his son Anos Habib, and an associate, Saiful.
Habib’s lawyer, Pawan Kumar, had earlier submitted medical papers citing poor health.
The three are accused of running a scheme under the banner of Follicle Global Company (FLC), collecting Rs 5–7 lakh from each investor with promises of 50–70 percent returns on Bitcoin investments.
Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy, founders of Infosys, have opted out of Karnataka’s caste census.
Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty (File)
Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and his wife, author Sudha Murthy, have opted out of Karnataka’s caste census, being conducted by the Congress-led government in the state. A self-attested letter was submitted by the Murthys to the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission, the autonomous government body carrying out the survey, according to a report by IANS.
In the official survey form, Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy stated that they were refusing to provide details for personal reasons. “We and our family will not participate in the census, and we are confirming it through this letter,” the format letter read.
They further clarified that they do not belong to any backward caste and that their participation in the survey would not be of any use to the government. “Hence, we are not taking part,” Narayana Murthy said in the letter.
Karnataka caste census
The deadline for Karnataka’s caste census has been extended, with the survey set to conclude statewide by October 12 and in Bengaluru by October 24. The decision was taken as the survey was not completed by the original October 7 deadline.
India has expressed its disapproval of the UK’s unilateral sanctions against Russian oil companies, asserting that energy security is vital for its citizens.
Representational image
India on Thursday stated that it does not subscribe to the unilateral sanctions announced by the United Kingdom (UK) targeting Russian oil companies and an Indian firm, emphasising that the provision of energy security is a responsibility of paramount importance to meet the basic needs of its citizens.
Addressing the UK sanctions matter during the weekly presser, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have noted the latest sanctions announced by the UK… We do not subscribe to any unilateral sanctions. The Government of India considers the provision of energy security a responsibility of paramount importance to meet the basic needs of its citizens… We would stress that there should be no double standards, especially when it comes to energy trade.”
What Are UK’s Latest Sanctions on Russia, India and China?
The United Kingdom announced 90 new sanctions targeting Russian oil companies and firms linked to its energy trade, aiming to curb avenues that fund Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine.
The sanctions were imposed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which stated its intent to strike at the heart of Moscow’s funding.
#WATCH | Delhi | MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “We have noted the latest sanctions announced by the UK… We do not subscribe to any unilateral sanctions. The Government of India considers the provision of energy security a responsibility of paramount importance to meet… pic.twitter.com/Ld5xWTbTEg
Why UK has Sanctioned Russia?
In a statement, the FCDO said that today’s action demonstrates the government’s determination to cut off Putin’s revenue streams by targeting Russian companies and their global enablers.
Not just Russia and India, but China — the largest importer of Russian oil — has also come under the UK’s radar, with four of its oil terminals included in the sanctions.
The sanctions also cover a fleet of 44 oil tankers that are part of the shadow fleet transporting Russian oil.
UK claims that a total of 100 million barrels of Russian oil, worth over $5 billion, have been imported in 2024.
Meanwhile, Indian entity Nayara Energy, who have been penalised by UK, stated that it operates in full compliance with Indian laws and regulations. As an Indian company, it is deeply committed to supporting the nation’s energy security and fostering economic growth, TOI reported.
In another statement, according to TOI, Nayara Energy termed the sanctions as a unilateral move by the European Union, based on baseless assertions and representing an undue extension of authority that ignores both international law and India’s sovereignty.
India has responded to US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him of halting Russian oil purchases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks as US President Donald Trump listens during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in February this year (AP Photo)
India on Thursday responded to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing Russian oil. In a statement, Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that India’s energy policies are guided by the nation’s interests and global market realities.
“India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” Jaiswal said. “Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”
Regarding relations with the United States, Jaiswal added, “We have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement from the US, which has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”
What Trump Said?
US President Donald Trump, speaking during a White House event on Wednesday, had claimed that PM Modi assured him that India would no longer purchase oil from Russia. “He’s assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia. You know, you can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” the US President said.
Trump also reiterated his personal rapport with Modi, calling him “a friend” and praising the Indian leader’s longevity in office. “I have watched India for years. It’s an incredible country and every single year you would have a new leader. Some would be in there for a few months, and this was year after year, and my friend has been there now for a long time,” Trump said during a joint press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Oval Office.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict: In first remarks on the conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban, India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories.
A Taliban fighter stands next to vehicles destroyed during an airstrike (Reuters)
India asserted that it was an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its internal failures, rejecting the Pakistani defence minister’s charge that the Afghan Taliban was “fighting a proxy war” on behalf of New Delhi.
In his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was closely monitoring the situation as a fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reached on Wednesday. It came following several days of heavy border fighting and reported air strikes by Pakistan in Kabul and Kandahar that killed dozens on both sides.
In first remarks on the week-long conflict, India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. It is a old habit of Pakistan to put blame on neighbours,” Jaiswal said.
“Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” the MEA spokesperson further said.
India’s firm backing of Afghanistan comes as it resets ties with the Taliban, despite New Delhi yet to formally recognise the regime in Kabul. India, however, announced it would reopen its embassy in Kabul as Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made his maiden trip to New Delhi.
Jaiswal said the transition of India’s technical mission in Kabul to an embassy “will happen in the next few days”.
When ‘KBC 17’s’ Ishit Bhatt was criticised for being ‘rude’, the internet found a new favourite in Arunoday — turning childhood into a comparison contest. The ‘Sharma Ji Ka Beta’ moment got real, exposing how adults pit children against each other in the name of ideals.
Ishit Bhatt, that child who recently appeared on ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 17’ was just that: a child. He was a fifth grader, a 10-11-year-old boy who hasn’t even started dreaming yet. But as if the trolling and social media schooling were not enough, we found a brand-new way to “teach him a lesson”.
The internet, in all its moral glory, dug up an old episode, featuring another child to take the criticism up a notch. Within hours, Ishit Bhatt from the latest season was pitted against Arunoday Sharma, last year’s contestant, now canonised as the “ideal child.” Bhatt became the “rude kid”; Sharma, the “polite one.” And suddenly, we had a leaderboard of manners.
Things also got a new twist when, after the Ishit Bhatt episode, KBC aired an episode featuring Rudra Chitte, a young contestant who is quickly becoming the new favourite child prodigy of social media. The schoolgoing Rudra has impressed all by showcasing his coding skills, teaching dance trends to show host Amitabh Bachchan, and navigating the quiz rounds by utilising the lifelines effectively.
Did KBC deliberately air consecutive episodes featuring kids with seeming contrasting traits? The internet is yet to get on with any Ishit-vs-Rudra debate, but the comparisons with Arunoday Sharma rage on.
Comments under the old ‘KBC’ episode featuring Sharma got nasty. People proudly declared they had returned to watch “the good boy” after witnessing Bhatt’s supposed “badtameezi”.
One comment read, “Ishit bhat ke rude behaviour ke baad yaha aaya hu (I came here after Ishit Bhatt’s rude behaviour).” Another user wrote, “He is way more better than the overconfident rude boy (sic).” Another suggested, “1 badtameez bachhe ka episode dekha toh main Arunodaya sharma ko yaad kar raha tha bahut pyara bachha hai ye (After watching the episode with the rude kid, I was reminded of Arunodaya Sharma — such a sweet child he is).”
Lovely, isn’t it? Turning the YouTube comment section into a moral science classroom. But it’s not the appreciation for one child’s behaviour that’s triggering; it’s the comparisons. Why must we measure one child’s worth against another’s demeanour? Why must every display of confidence be called arrogance, and every moment of silence be called virtue? Is it fine – culturally and emotionally – to make a barrage of comparisons — who behaved better, who spoke humbly, who deserved applause?
We seem to forget one tiny detail while mindlessly and brutally comparing these two boys: they are children. Still learning to express, falter and grow in their own ways. Are Ishit Bhatt’s badtameezi or overconfidence and his wins, which the world might just be totally unaware of, because you can’t know about a child’s entire life in a 20-minute episode, for us to judge?
The military conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan erupted last week following a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul. Afghanistan strongly responded to the attack, following which the conflict escalated. The two countries agreed on a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press conference (File Image)
New Delhi took potshots at Islamabad for its “old practice” of blaming neighbours for its own internal failures. Amid the ongoing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that it is “closely monitoring” the situation. Taking aim at Pakistan, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Three things are clear — one, that Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbors for its own internal failures, and three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories.”
Jaiswal said that India remained “fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan”.
The military conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan erupted last week following a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul. Afghanistan strongly responded to the attack, following which the conflict escalated.
Both sides claimed inflicting heavy casualties on the other. The two countries agreed on a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, China, welcoming the temporary ceasefire, called upon Pakistan and Afghanistan to reach a comprehensive and lasting truce to resolve their differences.
“We noted that Pakistan and Afghanistan decided to implement a temporary ceasefire and will seek a solution through constructive dialogue, which serves the common interests of the two sides and helps keep the region peaceful and stable. China welcomes and supports the effort,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing her.
In recent times, China has maintained close ties with Pakistan and Afghanistan through a tripartite mechanism, conducting periodic meetings to iron out differences over Islamabad’s repeated allegations against Kabul of hosting Pakistan’s militant groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch Liberation Army. Kabul Mission To Transition Into Embassy: MEA
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced on Thursday that India’s “technical mission” in Kabul will transition into an embassy in the next few days. “Our technical mission has been operational in Kabul since June 2022. Its transition to an embassy will happen in the next few days,” he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with US President Donald Trump about halting oil purchases from Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump | File photo
India has confirmed that no call took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump regarding the latter’s recent claim about Russian oil.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in its weekly presser on Thursday, clarified that no phone call occurred between the two leaders after Trump claimed that PM Modi told him New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil.
On US President Trump’s statement over purchase of Russian oil by India, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters, “… On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders.”
#WATCH | Delhi | On US President Trump’s statement over purchase of Russian oil by India, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “… On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any… pic.twitter.com/CqjfqCEO0p
Donald Trump Makes Another Claim, New Delhi Refutes | What We Know
Donald Trump earlier today claimed that his ‘friend’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, a move he described as a ‘big step’ toward increasing pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
India’s continuing purchase of petroleum products from Russia, notwithstanding Western sanctions, has become a major issue that resulted in a severe downturn in ties between New Delhi and Washington.
Speaking to reporters at his Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the US was ‘not happy’ that India was buying Russian crude, arguing such purchases helped finance President Vladimir Putin’s war.
“He (Modi) is a friend of mine, we have a great relationship… we were not happy with him buying oil from Russia because that let Russia continue on with this ridiculous war where they’ve lost a million and a half people,” the US president said in response to a question.
“I was not happy that India was buying oil, and (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” he said.
The MEA has now refuted Donald Trump’s claim saying they are not aware of any such conversation between the two leaders.
India Second Largest Buyer of Russian Oil After China
India is the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels behind China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The US president said India may not be able to cut the procurement immediately, but the process has started.
“He (Modi) has assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia. I don’t know, maybe that’s a breaking story. Can I say that?… He’s not buying his oil from Russia. It (has) started. He can’t do it immediately, it’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” Trump claimed.
Trump Said India Can Resume Energy Trade With Russia Once Ukraine War Is Over
Donald Trump has also said that India could resume energy trade with Moscow after the Russia-Ukraine war is over as all he wants is Moscow to stop its offensive in Ukraine.
The US president suggested that he wants India to stop procurement of Russian crude only to put financial pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
“All we want from President Putin is to stop this, stop killing Ukrainians and stop killing Russians because he’s killing a lot of Russians. It is a war he should have won in one week, and now it is going into its fourth year,” he said.
“If India doesn’t buy oil, it makes it much easier, and they’re not going to buy, they assured me they will, within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia… And they’ll go back to Russia after the war is over,” he said. Don’t Want to Destroy His Political Career, Says Donald Trump
Describing the Indian prime minister as “a great man,” Trump said, “He loves Trump… I don’t want you to take the word love any differently… I don’t want to destroy his political career.”
Praising Modi’s leadership, Trump said, “I have watched India for years. It’s an incredible country, and every single year you would have a new leader. Some would be in there for a few months, and this was year after year after year, and my friend has been there now for a long time, and he’s assured me there will be no oil purchases from Russia.”
CBI caught DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar in his Mohali office for accepting a bribe of ₹8 lakh after a trap was laid on a complaint, says FIR
DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, who is the deputy inspector general (DIG) Ropar Range, had sought bribes through his aide Kirshanu. (Photo: Sourced)
Punjab IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar has landed in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) net for allegedly asking for recurring monthly bribes from a businessman in Fatehgarh Sahib.
The CBI caught Bhullar red-handed in his Mohali office while accepting a bribe of ₹8 lakh after a trap was laid on a complaint, officials said.
Visuals of bags of cash and jewellery were shared by the CBI after the arrest.
Upwards of ₹5 crore cash was seized from the officer, with officials still counting as of Thursday evening. According to a press release by the probe agency, 1.5 kg of jewellery was also seized.
CBI officials said they recovered documents pertaining to immovable properties and assets in Punjab, keys to two luxury vehicles (Mercedes and Audi), and 22 luxury watches. They also seized locker keys and 40 litres of imported liquor bottles. Firearm recoveries included one double-barreled gun, one Pistol, one Revolver, and one Airgun, along with ammunition.
What does the FIR say?
According to the FIR registered in the case, a complaint was received from Akash Batta, a scrap businessman from Fatehgarh Sahib, alleging that Bhullar, who is the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Ropar range, had sought bribes through his aide Kirshanu.
“The verification revealed that DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Ropar Range, Punjab Police, through his aide/middleman Kirshanu, demanded ₹8 lakh from complainant Akash Batta for “settling” FIR No. 155/2023 and ensuring no further police action against his scrap business,” the FIR accessed by Hindustan Times stated.
A WhatsApp conversation between the DIG and his aide also surfaced, which corroborated the businessman’s complaint.
“During the verification on 11.10.2025 at Sector 9-D Market, Chandigarh, a recorded WhatsApp call from middleman Kirshanu to the public servant captured DIG Bhullar instructing, ‘8 fadne ne 8’ and then ‘Jinna denda nal nal fadi chal, ohnu kehde 8 kar de pura’,” directing his middleman to collect ₹8 lakh from the complainant, or “whatever he pays for now”.
The alleged middleman Kirshanu later told the complainant, “Edda kehna pata ki hai… kehnda hai August da ni aaya, September da ni aaya,” implying DIG Sh HS Bhullar demanded a monthly bribe also,” the FIR further stated.
It added that the conversation corroborated the complainant’s version and that the mobile number used in the call was verified as registered to DIG Bhullar.
Dr Basant Kumar Ningwal, Superintendent-in-Charge of the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH), told PTI, “Around 25 people from the transgender community have been admitted to our hospital. They have claimed to have consumed phenyl together, but this cannot be immediately confirmed.”
Representative image of a hospital. Credit- iStock Photo
Indore: Around 25 people from the transgender community in Indore claimed to have consumed phenyl together on Wednesday night after which they were admitted to a government hospital, an official said.
Dr Basant Kumar Ningwal, Superintendent-in-Charge of the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH), told PTI, “Around 25 people from the transgender community have been admitted to our hospital. They have claimed to have consumed phenyl together, but this cannot be immediately confirmed.”
None of the patients was in a critical condition, he informed.
However, what triggered the mass act by the transgender persons was not immediately clear.
The Court has sought the Centre’s response on a PIL that seeks to make the presence of legal counsel a guaranteed right during custodial and pre-custodial interrogation.
Police Interrogation AI generated
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the Union government’s response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that has sought the recognition of a right to have a lawyer present when an individual is being interrogated by the police [Shaffi Mather vs. Union of India & Ors.].
“Mamata Banerjee is like a mother-like figure to me. If I have said anything wrong, I ask her to forgive me. I will render countless obeisances at her feet. But I ask her to help my daughter get justice,” the victim’s father was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (File image) | PTI
The father of the 23-year-old medical student and rape survivor in Durgapur, West Bengal on Wednesday apologised to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after previously comparing her rule to that of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
He also called Banerjee a “mother‑like figure” and imploring her to “forgive him” and help secure justice for his daughter.
“Mamata Banerjee is like a mother-like figure to me. If I have said anything wrong, I ask her to forgive me. I will render countless obeisances at her feet. But I ask her to help my daughter get justice,” the victim’s father was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
His statement comes two days after he had sharply criticised the CM’s earlier comments, in which she suggested that “women should not venture out at night.”
“It seems Bengal is under the rule of Aurangzeb. I want to take my daughter back to Odisha. Her life comes first, career later,” he had said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday barred the entry of outsiders within the premises of the private medical college & hospital at Durgapur in West Bengal’s West Burdwan district.
Police Rules Out Possibility Of Gangrape
West Bengal Police on Tuesday, claimed that no gangrape took place in the Durgapur case and arrested the survivor’s male classmate the same evening.
Background Of The Case
The 23-year-old medical student from Odisha had alleged that she was gangraped near her college campus on October 10. Investigators now believe only one person was involved, contradicting earlier reports that five men assaulted her.
The Executive Board of Commonwealth Sport on Wednesday announced that it has recommended Ahmedabad as the host city for the Centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in 2030.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah | ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has congratulated citizens on Commonwealth Association’s approval of India’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad and said it is an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to place India on the world sports map.
He said the government is raising world-class infrastructure and nationwide pool of sports talent.
“A day of immense joy and pride for India. Heartiest congratulations to every citizen of India on Commonwealth Association’s approval of India’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad. It is a grand endorsement of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s relentless efforts to place India on the world sports map,” he said in a post on X.
A day of immense joy and pride for India.
Heartiest congratulations to every citizen of India on Commonwealth Association’s approval of India’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad. It is a grand endorsement of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s relentless efforts to…
“Raising world-class infrastructure and raising a nationwide pool of sports talent Modi Ji has made India a marvel of a sports destination,” he added.
The Executive Board of Commonwealth Sport on Wednesday announced that it has recommended Ahmedabad as the host city for the Centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in 2030.
Ahmedabad will now be put forward for full Commonwealth Sport membership, with the final decision to be made at the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on November 26, 2025, according to a press release from the official Commonwealth Games website.
The recommendation follows a rigorous evaluation process by the Commonwealth Sport Evaluation Committee, which assessed candidate cities on multiple parameters, including technical delivery, athlete experience, infrastructure, governance, and alignment with Commonwealth values.
Framed under the organisation’s ‘Games Reset’ principles, designed to encourage innovation and collaboration, both Ahmedabad (India) and Abuja (Nigeria) submitted compelling proposals showcasing their readiness and vision to host the Games.
The recommendation represents a landmark moment for the Commonwealth Sport Movement. The 2030 Games will mark the centenary of the inaugural event held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930. With Glasgow 2026 fast approaching and promising to deliver a ‘wow factor’ for athletes and fans alike, today’s recommendation provides an exciting platform for the Centenary Games and beyond, offering long-term stability and momentum.
India, the most populous nation in the Commonwealth, boasts a proud sporting history and a strong record of success at the Commonwealth Games, finishing fourth on the medal table at Birmingham 2022. Amdavad’s proposal emphasises India’s commitment to the values of the Commonwealth and its capacity to stage a Games that reflects the scale and diversity of modern sport.
It is outrageous, immoral and obscene to suggest that Gaza is a gone case, but Gaza is a gone case. Peace comes from justice, not Trump-style razzmatazz.
Abandoning Gaza might spare its people more trauma and unbearable memories. (Image: Reuters)
Donald Trump, the reality TV maestro, has never met a spotlight he didn’t love. Presidency is temporary. Showmanship is permanent. So, when he unveiled his grand “Middle East Peace Plan” in Sharm El-Sheikh, it was less a diplomatic summit and more a glittering episode of The Apprentice: Geopolitics Edition.
World leaders, unable to resist an RSVP from the impresario himself, turned up to clap like trained seals. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif didn’t just attend; he slathered Trump’s ego with syrupy praise so thick it made Dutch dearie Mark Rutte’s gushing texts look restrained.
India’s Narendra Modi stayed home but lobbed compliments via social media, dispatching a junior minister to ensure Trump’s feathers remained unruffled. Clever move, denying Trump the chance to orchestrate a Modi-Sharif hug and claim credit for the May ceasefire between India and Pakistan for the nth time.
The Sharm El-Sheikh shindig was less a peace summit and more a Trump fan convention. A ceasefire, paired with a hostage swap (20 Israelis for 17,000 Palestinians) was branded “Peace in the Middle East” and celebrated with resort-town razzmatazz. This author previously called it a delulu Trump peddled as solulu to snag that elusive Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee didn’t bite.
So, Trump leaned on Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, who, ever reliant on Uncle Sam, reluctantly declared the nothingburger the finest gourmet patty in town. With hostages marking two years in Gaza’s tunnels and a battered Hamas agreeing to terms, Trump turned a modest deal into a global spectacle, complete with a dozen heads of state serenading his “genuine” peacemaking prowess. The Peace President. The Greatest Deal-Maker. Huge. Colossal. Nobel-worthy, naturally.
But let’s pop the champagne cork and face the sobering facts. This ceasefire isn’t some diplomatic piece de resistance. In the past two years, we’ve seen two similar ceasefires between Hamas and Israel, complete with hostage swaps for Palestinian prisoners. Same old, same old, just with extra Trumpian flair. A couple of Israeli hard knocks to Doha’s financiers hurried Hamas along, especially with Iran crippled, the Houthis pummelled, Hezbollah reduced to a memory, and Syria’s Assad out of the picture. Israel’s victories over the past two years are awe-inspiring, except where it counts: Gaza.
Hamas, though heavily battered, still rules the strip with an iron hand, its capacity to strike Israel remains an enduring enigma. For Hamas, a ceasefire is a plot twist that keeps the suspense alive. Why wouldn’t they sign up for a “win” like that?
But, but, but Hamas hasn’t agreed to disarm. As this author argued, Trump’s solulu is a delulu in disguise. Even if Hamas fades, a fiercer, deadlier successor will rise from Gaza’s 55 million tonnes of rubble. The strip’s population, radicalised by relentless bombing and steeped in religious zeal, is a tinderbox for the next century of incursions into Israel. The seeds of vengeance are sown daily, nourished by perceived injustice. This isn’t peace; it’s a timeout in a tragedy.
Trump’s truce demands the impossible: Palestinians must swallow their pride, and Israelis must coexist with neighbours who wish them dead. That’s not fertile ground for harmony. Another gem from the Trump plan: Gaza will be ruled by international administrators, with Arab peacekeepers patrolling. Sounds neat, but it’s a fantasy that keeps Palestinians, who are ready to die for self-determination, off the determination table. They had no say in this deal. It’s Trump and his Arab allies, start to finish.
So, what’s the solution? The much-vaunted two-state solution is the holy grail, but it’s a distant mirage. Israel sees it as a death sentence; Hamas and its ilk reject Israel’s existence. If you are optimistic, you can say a majority of Palestinians and Israelis would accept a pragmatic coexistence. But the majority doesn’t run a country, the vocal and zealous minority does.
Since everyone has a solution, here are my two bits to add to the crisis. Bit One: Egypt annexes Gaza, Jordan takes the West Bank. After all, Jordan was carved from the British Mandate of Palestine. But Jordan won’t welcome more Palestinians, and Egypt won’t touch Gazans with a bargepole.
So, Bit Two, then: Israel takes Gaza, relocates Gazans to the West Bank into vacated Israeli settlements, and Israeli settlers pack up, leaving East Jerusalem behind. The West Bank becomes a demilitarised Palestine, with Jordan guaranteeing its territorial sovereignty. Both Jordan and Israel keep a hawk’s eye on terrorist activities because there will be enough Palestinians dying for revenge.
The Election Commission, in a bid to curb the use of money and illicit inducements during the assembly polls, has directed multiple enforcement agencies to remain vigilant and active until the voting process is complete in Bihar.
Enforcement agencies in Bihar have seized nearly Rs 34 crore in cash, liquor, drugs, and other objectionable items. (Photo: Representational/PTI)
Enforcement agencies in Bihar have seized cash, liquor, drugs and other freebies worth Rs 34 crore since the announcement of the assembly elections in the state on October 6, 2025 as part of efforts to prevent illicit inducement of voters by political parties.
Officials said that those caught during the recent seizures failed to provide satisfactory answers about the source or destination of the seized cash and goods.
The Election Commission, in a bid to curb the use of money and illicit inducements during the assembly polls, has directed multiple enforcement agencies to remain vigilant and active until the voting process is complete in Bihar.
The measures are also being implemented in eight constituencies across seven other states where by-elections are scheduled. State police, excise, income tax, other enforcement wings, postal department, state forest department, and state cooperative departments have been put on high alert.
Official teams were deployed immediately after the announcement of the election to monitor candidates’ poll spending in their constituencies. These teams are visiting their respective areas, conducting surprise inspections, and meeting with local enforcement units to ensure strict compliance.
Flying squads, surveillance teams, and video monitoring units will stay on alert to detect any suspicious movement of cash or inducements by political parties to influence voters during the election period. The Election Commission has also activated the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS), an online platform for real-time reporting by enforcement teams such as the flying squads (FS) and static surveillance teams (SST).
Pakistan’s Gen AAK Niazi signed the instrument of surrender of East Pakistan after defeat to India. Over 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian Army on December 16, 1971.
The painting of Pakistani army surrender of 1971 in the background (Image: X/@adgpi)
A photograph shared on X during a recent high-level military meeting between India and Kazakhstan has drawn attention online, as it prominently features the iconic mural of the 1971 India-Pakistan war surrender in the background.
Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi met Major General Mereke Kuchekbayev, Chief of Land Forces of Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the United Nations Chiefs of the Counter-Terrorism Conference (UNTCC) 2025.
The Indian Army shared the image of the meeting on X from its official handle and wrote, “On the sidelines of the #UNTCC2025, #GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS met with Major General Mereke Kuchekbayev, Chief of Land Forces, Kazakhstan.”
The post said that the meeting reaffirmed the enduring defence partnership between the India and Kazakhstan, with a focus on training cooperation, capacity building and continued engagement for regional peace and stability.
The mural hanging on the wall in the background caught attention online due to its historic significance and the heritage of Indian Armed Forces.
The iconic 1971 painting
According to the Indian Army, the painting is a testament to one of the greatest military victories of Indian Armed Forces and the commitment of India for justice & humanity for all.
The famous photograph shows Pakistan’s Lt-General AAK Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender in December 1971, sitting alongside Lt General Jagjit Singh Aurora and others.
The photograph was shifted in December last year to the Manekshaw Convention Centre in Delhi, a move that sparked criticism among some Army veterans. It used to be a prominent feature in the Army Chief’s office in Raisina Hills.
The officer further said that the detention order has been forwarded to the advisory board as required under section 10 of the National Security Act, 1980.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Leh District Magistrate on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that activist, Sonam Wangchuk indulged in activities prejudicial to the national security, resulting into his detention under the National Security Act.
“The detention order came to be passed after duly considering the material as mandated under law, and after arriving at a subjective satisfaction on the circumstances that prevailed within the local limits of the jurisdiction where Wangchuk had been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State, maintenance of public order essential to the community as mentioned in the grounds of detention,” an affidavit filed by Leh DM said.
The officer further said that the detention order has been forwarded to the advisory board as required under section 10 of the National Security Act, 1980.
The affidavit also stated, “He is not in illegal detention. His wife was immediately informed about the arrest by Leh police, timely informed about his transfer to Jodhpur jail also.”
The affidavit also contended Wangchuk has not made any representation as required under Section 10 of the Act.
According to the police, the bus was carrying 57 passengers and left Jaisalmer around 3 pm. Smoke began emerging from the rear portion of the vehicle, while it travelled on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway. As the driver stopped the bus along the roadside, within moments, the flames engulfed the vehicle.
A bus traveling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur catches fire, near Thaiyat village in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. Credit: PTI Photos
A private bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire on Tuesday. Twenty passengers were burnt alive, and 16 were critically injured, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of deceased.
In a post on X, the prime minister said, “Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
“An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” he said.
Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of…
According to the police, the bus was carrying 57 passengers and left Jaisalmer around 3 pm. Smoke began emerging from the rear portion of the vehicle, while it travelled on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway. As the driver stopped the bus along the roadside, within moments, the flames engulfed the vehicle.
Elections will be held in two phases – on November 6 and 11 – while the counting of votes will take place on November 14.
Representative image of a BJP flag. Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday released its first list of 71 candidates, dropping as many as 16 faces to counter anti-incumbency. The most prominent among them is Bihar assembly Speaker Nand Kishore, who had been representing the Patna Sahib seat from 2010.
In the list, which has over eight women candidates, the party has fielded former union minister Ramkirpal Yadav from the Danapur seat, deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who are both MLCs, as well as former deputy CM Renu Devi.
Chaudhary will be contesting from Tarapu, a seat that his mother had held. Chaudhary last won an assembly election in 2010. Vijay Sinha has been fielded from Lakhisarai, while Renu Devi has been fielded from Bettiah. Senior party leader Mangal Pandey will contest from Siwan.
In Patnasahib, where the BJP has dropped Speaker Nand Kishore, it has fielded Ratnesh Kushwaha. The party has fielded Prem Kumar from Gaya, former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad from Katihar, and Alok Ranjan Jha from Saharsa.
The list comes amidst a tussle between the several NDA constituents for seats. While the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party managed to bag 29 seats in the seat distribution, the other NDA partners including Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam were unhappy with the arrangement.
Bessent indicated that the US would not permit China to exploit its rare earth dominance and is coordinating with allies to respond collectively.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office [File/AP Photo]As tensions with China over rare earth minerals escalate, the United States appears to be turning a new leaf when it comes to its trade ties with India. In a recent interview, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government of taking “provocative economic actions” after Beijing tightened export controls on rare earths. He added that Washington had begun coordinating with allies, including India, Europe, and other Asian democracies, in response.
“This is China versus the rest of the world. They announced these export controls that are going to go into effect next month, and we have aggressively pushed back against them. We’re not sure where this came from, why the Chinese have decided to do it now,” Bessent told Fox Business on Monday.
He added that the US would not allow Beijing to weaponise its dominance in rare earths, that includes vital materials for industries like defense, electric vehicles, and electronics, saying, “They have pointed a bazooka at the supply chains and the industrial base of the entire free world. And, you know, we’re not going to have it. China is a command and control economy. They are neither going to command (nor) control us.”
“We are going to assert our sovereignty in various ways. We have already been in touch with the allies. We will be meeting with them this week and, you know, I expect that we will get substantial global support from the Europeans, from the Indians, from the democracies in Asia,” Bessent remarked.
The US has threatened to place an additional 100% tax on Chinese imports starting on November 1 or sooner. If this comes into effect, this would raise tariff rates close to levels that in April fanned fears of a global recession.
Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, Western Army Commander, asserted that India’s response to future provocations from Pakistan under Operation Sindoor 2.0 would be significantly more forceful.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Western Command, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar during a mega Ex-Serviceman Rally in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (PTI Photo)
Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Major Manoj Kumar Katiyar on Tuesday said the Indian Army’s response to any future provocation from Pakistan under Operation Sindoor 2.0 would be “deadlier” and “more powerful” than before.
Asserting that Pakistan lacks the capability to fight a conventional war with India, Lt Gen Katiyar said Islamabad may still attempt “Pahalgam-type” attacks in keeping with its long-standing strategy of “bleed India through a thousand cuts”.
“The action we will take this time will be deadlier than the past. It would be more powerful. Yes, you are very right. It (Operation Sindoor 2.0) has to be deadlier. There is no doubt about it,” he told reporters.
Responding to a question about possible future attacks, he said, “Until there is a change in Pakistan’s thinking, it will continue to carry out such mischiefs. It does not have the capacity to fight a war with us. They do not want to fight a war. It does mischief as per its policy of ‘bleed India through a thousand cuts.’”
The commander said that during the earlier phase of Operation Sindoor, India had inflicted heavy damage on Pakistan’s military infrastructure. “We have destroyed its posts and air bases, but it may again attempt something (Pahalgam-type attack). We have to remain prepared. We are fully prepared. I am confident the action this time will be deadlier than in the past,” he said.
Prashant Kishor ruled out contesting the 2025 Bihar elections, saying his party Jan Suraaj wants him to focus on organisational work.
Prashant Kishor (File Image)
Prashant Kishor on Tuesday told news agency PTI that he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections 2025, saying his party Jan Suraaj has decided he should focus on organisational work. The Jan Suraaj founder, also known as PK, made the announcement during an interview with PTI. There had been massive buzz around Kishor’s possible electoral debut and speculation over whether he would contest against Bihar’s top political leaders. However, the announcement has put to rest all speculation about PK’s entry into the electoral fray. For now, he will focus solely on strengthening the organisation.
Kishor on Wednesday stepped back into his political strategist role, predicting a certain defeat for the ruling NDA in Bihar, pointing to the BJP-led coalition’s struggle to finalise seats and candidates. Kishor, who had earlier said the JD(U) would find it difficult to win even 25 of the 243 assembly seats, said the situation for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party has only worsened since.
“The NDA is definitely on its way out and Nitish Kumar will not return as chief minister”, asserted Kishor, who has worked closely with the JD(U) supremo, both as a poll analyst and later, for a brief period, as a party colleague.
“You do not need to be a psephologist to fathom what is in store for the JD(U). In the last assembly polls, Chirag Paswan staged a revolt just a few days ahead of the announcement of elections and fielded candidates, many of whom were inconsequential, against nominees of Kumar’s party, causing its tally to crash to 43”, recalled Kishor.
The investigation into Haryana police officer Y Puran Kumar’s death has taken a shocking turn with the discovery of his investigating officer, ASI Sandeep Kumar, found dead in Rohtak under suspicious conditions.
Sandeep Kumar (right), posted as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Rohtak’s cyber cell, was investigating a corruption case against Y Puran Kumar (right).
In a major twist in Haryana police officer Y Puran Kumar’s death case, the investigating officer in the case was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Rohtak district. The deceased, identified as Sandeep Kumar, was an assistant sub-inspector and was posted at the Cyber Cell.
A three-page suicide note and a video have been recovered from his house in Ladhot village. According to sources, Kumar shot himself.
#BREAKING | Twist in Haryana IPS officer suicide case — another cop dies by suicide.
In the purported note, Lathar has alleged that Y. Puran Kumar was a “corrupt officer” and that there were “ample evidence” against him. He also alleged that the IPS officer hijacked the system using the caste discrimination issue.
“I have always sided with the truth. My family has contributed to the fight for Independence. I consider Bhagat Singh as my idol,” the note found from the site said.
SP Rohtak Surendra Singh Bhoria remembered ASI Sandeep as a very honest and hardworking officer. “His body has been found. A Forensic team has been called here and an investigation is being carried out…He was posted in Cyber Cell,’ Bhoria told reporters.
ASI Sandeep was felicitated by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on August 15.
On October 6, ASI Sandeep Kumar arrested the gunner of Y Puran Kumar, allegedly in an illegal gratification case in which he was taking money from a liquor trader. As per the police, the liquor trader had previously complained to Puran Kumar about threat calls from a gangster who is based overseas.
The next day – October 7 – Puran Kumar died by suicide.
“Despite Chandigarh Police sending a notice to Puran Kumar’s wife IAS official Ameeta Kumar, asking for the laptop , it has not yet been handed over, say sources.
Sandeep’s alleged suicide comes days after the death of senior police officer Y Puran Kumar, who was found with a gunshot wound in his Chandigarh home on October 7. Kumar, 52, had recently been posted as inspector general, Police Training Centre (PTC), in Sunaria, Rohtak.
West Bengal police say no gangrape occurred in Durgapur, arresting the survivor’s classmate. Here are the key points of the case.
West Bengal police personnel during a reconstruction of the crime scene as part of the ongoing probe into the medical student’s rape case in Durgapur on Tuesday. (PTI)
A 23-year-old classmate of the medical student who had alleged gangrape near her Durgapur college campus on October 10 was arrested on Tuesday evening. West Bengal police stated that no gangrape had taken place, challenging the earlier claims.
Here are eight key details as of October 14 night in the case that’s made national headlines:
Arrest of survivor’s classmate
Security footage shows the survivor and her friend — whose name has not been revealed possibly to protect the woman’s identity — leaving campus at 7:54 pm. He returned alone at 8:42 pm, left again at 8:48 pm, and came back with her at 9:29 pm.
Both said they went out for dinner, while the survivor later claimed the suspects called her friend after the alleged gangrape. Police thus arrested the friend, finding contradictions in the versions later.
The friend, a resident of Malda, had already been detained on October 11, a day after the alleged incident, as part of the ongoing investigation, and eventually arrested.
Police on ‘sole’ involvement
Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Choudhary said the classmate “is not above suspicion” and that only one person appears to have been involved in the incident. The roles of others previously arrested remain under review.
Earlier arrests and charges
Before the classmate’s arrest, five local villagers were taken into custody. However, police clarified that investigation and medical reports now point to a single suspect as primarily involved in the case. They have been charged under sections 70(1) (gang rape) and 3(5) (crime committed with common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the remand petition, a copy of which cited in an earlier HT report.
Contradictions in statements
Authorities highlighted inconsistencies in the accounts provided by the survivor, her friend, the arrested suspects, and in medical records. These contradictions have complicated the investigation and raised questions
Initially, the survivor told a doctor that three people were present and only one had committed the crime. She later told police that five men had dragged her into a forest and gangraped her, creating significant discrepancies between statements.
Evidence from security footage
College surveillance footage contradicted some of the statements too. The video shows the survivor returning to campus “calmly”, with her clothes intact, and without seeking help from security personnel, police said.
“When a woman is dragged through a jungle and gangraped, there is always evidence. But the footage shows otherwise,” a senior officer said.
Advocate Ahmad Ibrahim appeared for Imam and said that his regular bail plea is pending before the Supreme Court and the proper forum for the interim bail application should have been the apex court.
Sharjeel Imam
Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar Sharjeel Imam on Tuesday withdrew his plea before Karkardooma court seeking interim bail to contest the upcoming Bihar legislative assembly elections.
Advocate Ahmad Ibrahim appeared for Imam and said that his regular bail plea is pending before the Supreme Court and the proper forum for the interim bail application should have been the apex court.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai asked Ibrahim to file an application to the effect and said the request would be allowed.
Imam filed the plea seeking interim bail from October 15 to October 29 to contest elections from the Bahadurgan seat as an independent candidate.
In his plea, Imam said that he is a “political prisoner and a student activist”.
“He [Imam] is willing to contest elections from his home state Bihar which is scheduled to take place from in 2 phases from 10.10.2025 to 16.11.2025,” it was submitted.
Imam has been in jail since January 2020 after he was booked in a number of cases related to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He was granted bail in other matters, but is incarcerated in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. The Delhi Police has invoked Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in this case.
He was denied regular bail in the case by the Delhi High Court on September 2. His appeal against that order is pending before the Supreme Court.
Unless those responsible for pothole-related deaths and injuries are made personally accountable in monetary terms, they will not understand the gravity of the issue, the Court said.
Road with potholes
There is no justification for bad roads in a city like Mumbai, the Bombay High Court said on Monday while ordering municipal authorities and the State to pay ₹6 lakh in compensation to the kin of those who lose their lives after encountering potholes or open manholes in Maharashtra.
The Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh D Patil added that compensation ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹2.5 lakh must be given to those who are injured due to potholes or open manholes.
The order was passed in a suo motu case registered in 2013 based on a letter sent by (now retired) Justice GS Patel to the Chief Justice.
“There can be no justification whatsoever for bad and unsafe roads. Mumbai, being the financial capital of the country, contributes greatly to the revenue of the Centre, the State, and the civic body. In fact, the MCGM is one of the richest corporations in Asia. Bad roads not only endanger human lives but also have adverse consequences for the economy, including the financial health of companies,” the Court lamented.
The Court reiterated that good and safe roads are a part of people’s right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, adding,
“Bad roads not only endanger human lives but also have adverse consequences for the economy, including the financial health of companies. It is the responsibility of the civic authorities and State agencies to provide proper civic amenities, including safe roads, to the taxpaying public.”
Deaths and serious injuries due to potholes and open manholes have become a regular feature during the monsoons in Maharashtra, the Court found.
“It is high time that civic authorities, along with the contractors entrusted with road maintenance, are held accountable for such deaths and injuries. We find no seriousness on the part of the authorities in addressing this perennial problem. Unless civic authorities are made accountable, this tragic scenario will continue to repeat itself every year. Accountability must be fixed not only on the contractors but also on the civic authorities themselves,” the Court went on to opine.
Unless those responsible for pothole-related deaths and injuries are made personally accountable in monetary terms, they will not understand the gravity of the issue, the Court said.
It, therefore, ordered the authorities to start disbursing compensation to the victims of pothole or manhole accidents.
“Only then will it serve as a wake-up call for the agencies concerned,” the Court reasoned.
It said that compensation to eligible persons is to be paid within six to eight weeks from the date of receipt of the claim, and that interest would have to be paid if the payment is delayed.
“Failure to do so (pay compensation in a timely manner) shall render the Municipal Commissioner, Chief Officer, District Collector, CEO, Chairperson, or Principal Secretary, as the case may be, personally responsible for the delay,” the order said.
Once the compensation is paid to the victims, the amount so paid can be recovered from the persons found responsible for the pothole or open manhole, whether it be officers, engineers, or contractors, the Court further said.
The Court also ordered the constitution of committees, which are tasked with inquiring into reports of pothole or manhole accidents and determining the compensation payable to the victims. The members constituting the committees that oversee this process vary depending on the municipal area within which the committee is set up.
These committees have been ordered to meet within seven days of receiving information relating to a death or accident. Thereafter, the committee shall meet at least once every fifteen days, or earlier if necessary, to monitor progress, implementation and compliance with the Court’s directions, particularly during the monsoon period.
The Court added that the committee can take up cognisance of cases suo motu, or on receipt of applications for compensation, or even based on newspaper reports.
Complaints received about such accidents by municipal, district or highway authorities or the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) are to be forwarded to the committees. Police officers have also been ordered to ensure that any such accident is communicated to these committees within 48 hours.
The Court also called for strict disciplinary and penal action against officials, engineers or contractors found guilty of carrying out defective or substandard road work.
Moreover, the Court has made it clear that if any pothole is brought to the notice of the concerned authorities, it shall be repaired or attended to within forty-eight hours.
“Failure to do so shall constitute gross negligence and shall warrant departmental action against the responsible officers and contractors,” the Court warned.
Muskan Sharma has dedicated her crown to her mother
Muskan Sharma stood up to men who tried to bully her over her clothes – and went on to win hearts and a beauty pageant.
The 23-year-old, who was crowned Miss Rishikesh 2025 last week in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, told the BBC that even though it was a small local pageant, “it made me feel like Miss Universe”.
Sharma’s win has made headlines in India as it came after a viral video that showed her spiritedly arguing with a man who barged into their rehearsals just a day before the 4 October contest.
Sharma, who “wanted to be a model and participate in a pageant since I was in school”, said the intruders came in just as they broke for lunch.
“We were sitting around, chilling, having a laugh when they walked in,” she said.
The footage showed Raghavendra Bhatnagar, district head of a Hindu group called Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, objecting to skirts and western dresses Sharma and other contestants were wearing.
“Modelling is over, go back home,” Bhatnagar is heard telling them. “This is against Uttarakhand’s culture.”
Sharma refuses to back down. “Why don’t you shut the shops which sell them [Western clothes]?”
She then tells him that he should expend his energies on things that are worse than women’s clothing – social evils such as drinking and smoking.
“There’s a shop right outside that sells cigarettes and alcohol. Why don’t you shut that down? First stop those things and I will stop wearing these clothes,” she says.
The man snaps at her saying “don’t tell me what to do”. Likewise, she retorts. “If you have the right to choose, then so do we. Our opinion matters as much as yours,” she says.
As the argument continues, Sharma is joined by some of the other contestants and organisers and Bhatnagar and his group, who threatened to stop the show, are finally escorted out by the hotel manager.
Sharma says her reaction to Bhatnagar was “spontaneous”.
“I could see my dreams shattering in front of me. The only question in my mind at the time was will the pageant go on? Will I be able to walk the ramp? Or will all my hard work go waste?” she says.
The next day, the event went on as planned and Sharma won the crown.
“For three seconds after I heard my name announced, I was shocked,” she said.
“But then I was happy that I stood up for myself and that I won. It felt like a double victory. It was a small pageant in a small place but it made me feel like Miss Universe,” she said.
Sharma says heckling of women for their clothing is unheard of in Rishikesh, a city in the Himalayan foothills on the banks of Ganges river. It’s known for its ashrams and meditation and yoga retreats and is considered a holy Hindu site that draws in large numbers of tourists and pilgrims.
The city is also sought out by fans of Beatles because the Fab Four had spent weeks at an ashram there in 1968.
“You see tourists dressed in western clothing here all the time and no-one bats an eyelid,” she adds.
Globally, beauty pageants have been criticised for objectifying women and reinforcing gender stereotypes.
But these contests have been hugely popular in India since 1994 – the year when Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe crown and Aishwarya Rai brought home the Miss World trophy.
Both went on to become top Bollywood actresses and have inspired generations of young women since then to follow in their path.
Similar successes in later years of Priyanka Chopra, Diana Hayden and Lara Dutta have only reinforced the belief that beauty pageants can be a ticket to success, especially for young women in small-town India.
Sharma says her parents have always been very supportive of her decision to participate in the pageant. In the viral video, she’s even heard asking Bhatnagar: “Who are you to comment on my clothing if my parents allow me to to wear them?”
But the backlash to Western clothing in India is not new where what women wear routinely becomes a subject of debates. In a deeply patriarchal society, many link western clothing, especially jeans, to the “moral degradation” of young people.
Schools and colleges set dress codes for female students and sometimes village elders bar an entire community of girls from wearing jeans.
The BBC has reported a number of cases where girls and women have been singled out and humiliated for their clothes.
A few years ago, we wrote about a 19-year-old student in Assam who turned up in shorts to take an exam and was forced to wrap a curtain around her legs after the teacher objected.
In one extreme case, a teenager was allegedly murdered by her relatives for wearing jeans.
Namita Bhandare in her column in The Hindustan Times newspaper points out that there is no objection to the Mr Rishikesh contest where participants are barely dressed.
The objection to Sharma and other contestants’ clothing, she writes, is “barely a fig-leaf”.
“The issue is not clothes. The issue is freedom and aspiration. How dare these young women be on a stage that could springboard them to a larger global platform? How dare they cross lines of honour and shame that a patriarchal society has imposed on them?”
Bhandare writes that in India where there are not enough women MPs or judges, the pushback by young women from a small town is remarkable.
Ottawa is keen to continue dialogue between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies to deal with the allegations of syndicates linked to India involved in criminal activities in the North American country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand during a meeting, in New Delhi. Credit: PTI photo
India and Canada on Monday agreed on a new roadmap to rebuild bilateral relations, moving on from the acrimony over the murder of a Khalistani Sikh extremist in the North American country.
The “ambitious roadmap” aims to advance “cooperation in various domains, including trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and energy”, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after he and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met in New Delhi.
In his opening remarks in the meeting, Jaishankar avoided directly referring to India’s concerns over Khalistani Sikh extremists’ secessionist campaign against India in Canada.
He, however, noted that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart, National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie G Drouin, had met in New Delhi on September 18 in what was “an important first step” towards enhancing bilateral security cooperation.
Anand wrote on X that Canada and India were “pursuing a constructive and balanced partnership” grounded in the “ongoing law enforcement dialogue and growing economic partnership opportunities, including in the areas of energy, trade and AI”.
Ottawa is keen to continue dialogue between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies to deal with the allegations of syndicates linked to India involved in criminal activities in the North American country.
Anand also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
The joint statement issued after the Jaishankar-Anand meeting said the ministers recognised that in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, a strong and resilient India-Canada bilateral relationship was essential.
“Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances, ensure more reliable supply chains, and reinforce strategic stability in an increasingly complex international environment,” it added.
The ministers noted that the bilateral trade had reached $23.66 billion in 2024.
The bilateral relations hit a new low on September 18, 2023, when then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau accused India of playing a role in the killing of Khalistani Sikh terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Congress was also divided on the issue but the leadership felt that the party cannot ignore the sentiments in the bloc. It persuaded parties like CPI(M) to accept the dominant view in the group.
Opposition leaders outside Parliament(L), Kiren Rijiju. Credit: PTI File Photos
The entire I.N.D.I.A bloc will boycott the Joint Committee of Parliament to examine the contentious Bills for removal of top political executives detained in jail for at least 30 days in a row and this as been conveyed to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, opposition sources said on Monday.
The Joint Committee to examine the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and The Union Territories Administration (Amendment) Bill have not been constituted so far though the motion was cleared by Lok Sabha on August 20 and a day later in Rajya Sabha due to Opposition’s non-cooperation.
The I.N.D.I.A bloc has been delaying a decision as there has been difference of opinion over not participating in the proceedings of the Joint Committee with parties like CPI(M) preferring to be part of it and the Congress remaining divided over the issue while Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) as well as AAP announcing a boycott of the panel individually.
I.N.D.I.A sources said a senior Congress Parliamentary manager has conveyed the decision of the Opposition parties to boycott the Joint Committee, which will examine the Bills proposing removal of Prime Minister, Chief Minister and union and state ministers if they are detained in custody for 30 days in a row in cases that attract a jail term of at least five years.
CPI(M), which was favouring participating in the Joint Committee proceedings, will also join other I.N.D.I.A parties in the move. Party’s Rajya Sabha floor leader John Brittas told DH, “the spirit of the Opposition is to stay together. Certain parties already went ahead and there should not be any division. CPI(M) is with that spirit of unity.”
Trinamool, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and AAP had announced the decision to boycott the panel within days of Parliament sending the Bill for Parliament scrutiny. At the I.N.D.I.A bloc floor leaders’ meeting, Trinamool had moot the idea of boycott but CPI(M) and RSP leaders were of the view that boycotting it was not prudent as they would not have an official platform to record their opposition.
Providing updates on the ongoing probe, Gupta said that several key individuals linked to the case have appeared before the Special Investigation Team for questioning, and more are expected to join in the coming days. “In the next two days, additional persons will appear before the SIT. There is also a possibility that one individual from Singapore will arrive today,” he stated.
CID Special DGP and SIT Chief Munna Prasad Gupta |
CID Special DGP and SIT Chief Munna Prasad Gupta on Monday said the post-mortem report in connection with the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg will not be made public but will be submitted directly before the court.
“The SIT has already received the post-mortem report, but it will not be released at 4 PM tomorrow as speculated. It will be presented directly before the court,” Gupta clarified. He added that the investigation is progressing swiftly and in strict adherence to legal procedures.
VIDEO | Guwahati, Assam: “Three more NRIs arrived from Singapore today. In the next two days, more are expected to come and depose before the SIT,” says IPS officer Munna Prasad Gupta, Chief Investigating Officer of the SIT probing the Zubeen Garg death case.
Providing updates on the ongoing probe, Gupta said that several key individuals linked to the case have appeared before the Special Investigation Team for questioning, and more are expected to join in the coming days. “In the next two days, additional persons will appear before the SIT. There is also a possibility that one individual from Singapore will arrive today,” he stated.
The SIT has also sought permission to travel to Singapore to pursue leads connected to the investigation. “Investigations are being conducted in Singapore, and all relevant information has already been shared with the authorities there. Once formal approval is obtained, our team will visit Singapore for further investigation,” Gupta said.
On the issue of re-interrogation, Gupta clarified that individuals currently under 14-day judicial custody cannot be questioned again at this stage, in compliance with legal provisions. “The investigation is being carried out under the guidance of the expert committee to ensure every step aligns with due process,” he added.
Reassuring the public, Gupta emphasised that the probe is being handled with transparency and professionalism. “All developments will be communicated responsibly as the investigation progresses,” he said, adding that the SIT continues to piece together crucial evidence related to Garg’s death, which has drawn widespread public attention and emotional response across Assam and beyond.
Meanwhile, Garg’s wife, who visited the cremation ground at Kamarkuchi village on the outskirts of the city on Sunday night, gave a 10-day deadline to the state government to deliver justice in the case. Her call has received strong support from intellectuals and fans of the late singer.
Saugata Roy, a senior TMC leader, emphasized the need for women to exercise caution following a gang rape incident involving a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal. His comments came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced backlash for advising female students to avoid being out late at night. .
TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (File Image)
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Member of Parliament Saugata Roy on Monday urged women to remain cautious, saying police cannot be present everywhere, as he commented on the recent gang rape of a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal.
Roy’s statement came a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced criticism for advising female students not to stay out late at night following the assault.
“Such incidents are rare in Bengal. Women’s safety here is better than in many other places,” Roy told reporters in Kolkata. “But women shouldn’t leave their colleges so late at night. Police can’t be present on every road; they can only act after an incident occurs. So, women should also be careful,” he added, reports PTI.
Defending Banerjee’s earlier remarks, he added, “Whatever the chief minister said is absolutely correct.”
The case involves a 23-year-old second-year MBBS student from Odisha who was allegedly gang-raped near her private medical college in Durgapur on the night of October 10. According to police, the woman was returning from dinner with a friend when three men confronted her near Shobhapur, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from Kolkata.
The accused allegedly stole her phone, dragged her into a wooded area, and raped her before demanding money to return her belongings.
West Bengal Police on Monday said two more suspects were arrested in connection with the case, bringing the total number of arrests to five. Three men had been taken into custody on October 12.
Earlier, Chief Minister Banerjee said she was “shocked” by the incident but stressed that private colleges should ensure the safety of their students. “Private medical colleges also have to take care of their students, especially the girl child. They should not be allowed to go outside at night,” she said.
Her remarks drew sharp criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, which accused the TMC government of being insensitive to crimes against women and failing to maintain law and order in the state.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that the petitioner can pursue his remedy elsewhere but not the Court through PIL.
Rahul Gandhi and Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into allegations raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi of anomalies and discrepancies in voters’ lists in several elections.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that the petitioner can pursue his remedy elsewhere, but not the Court through PIL.
“Pursue your remedy wherever you want,” Justice Kant said.
“Representation was given to the Election Commission but it was not considered,” the petitioner said.
“Writ Petition purportedly filed in public interest shall not be entertained. Petitioner is at liberty to pursue alternate remedies as available,” the Court stated while rejecting the plea.
The petition argued that large-scale irregularities in the electoral rolls had compromised the constitutional guarantee of free and fair elections. It claimed that thousands of duplicate, invalid and fictitious entries were detected in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency of Bengaluru Central Parliamentary seat, undermining the principle of “one person, one vote.”
It was submitted that several voters were found registered in multiple constituencies under the same EPIC number, while some individuals appeared more than once in the same constituency with different identification numbers.
The plea stated that in Mahadevapura alone, there were over 40,000 invalid voters, more than 10,000 duplicate entries and thousands of voters with identical particulars such as house number or father’s name. Similar patterns were alleged in Maharashtra, where nearly 39 lakh new voters were added in just four months, and in Chandrapur where about 80 voters were shown at a single vacant address.
The petition also pointed to an FIR filed in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi after suspicious voter roll additions were uncovered. It further highlighted the case of a 63-year-old woman whose name was deleted despite her denying that she sought such deletion.
It was contended that such manipulations violated Articles 324, 325 and 326 of the Constitution and also infringed Articles 14 and 21.
The Supreme Court has recognised free and fair elections as part of the basic structure of the Constitution, it was submitted.
CBI has alleged that Lalu Yadav and his family accepted prime land as a bribe for awarding IRCTC contracts to a private firm while he headed the Railways
(L-R) Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav facebook
A Delhi court on Monday framed various criminal charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and several others in the alleged IRCTC Scam case.
Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order.
The court has framed charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating against Lalu Yadav. Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi are charged with several offences, including conspiracy and cheating.
The case will proceed to trial since all the accused have pled not guilty.
Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav reach Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court for the order on framing charges in IRCTC Scam case pic.twitter.com/daxSo1itZc
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that former Railway Minister Lalu Yadav and his family accepted prime land and shares as bribe for awarding contracts to a private firm while he headed the Railways.
As per the allegations, during Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister between 2004 to 2009, two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were given on lease to a company named Sujata Hotels through a manipulated tender process. In return, land worth crores was transferred to a company allegedly linked to Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav at a fraction of its market value.
The Yadav family has questioned the probe and said that there was no evidence against them. They maintain that the case is politically motivated.
In a detailed order passed today, Judge Gogne said that he had come to a prima facie conclusion that Lalu Yadav was in the complete know of the processes and intervened to influence the transfer of the hotels.
“There were material modifications in the tender process… It has emerged as a distinct possibility that at the point of sale, the land parcels were undervalued and then came to be vested in the hands of Lalu Yadav,” the Court said.
It observed that Lalu Yadav’s actions caused great loss to the public exchequer.
“Various persons engaged in a conspiracy which may have involved multiple smaller conspiracies,” the Court added.
Further, the Court stressed that the entire process amounted to crony capitalism in the garb of promoting private participation.
Earlier today Hamas released 20 hostages – captured during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 – in two batches.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has raised his eyebrows over the decision to send junior External Affairs Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh to represent the country at a peace summit in Egypt, where heads of states from 20 countries are expected to gather to discuss the end of the war in Gaza.
Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas will be in attendance, as will US President Donald Trump – who has claimed credit for the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal – and the UK’s Keir Starmer.
An invitation was extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but his decision to skip the event “stands in stark contrast” to that of other world leaders to travel to Egypt, Tharoor said on X.
“Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?” he asked, confessing himself ‘puzzled’ by the decision to not have the PM present for a security summit in India’s neighbourhood.
“This is no reflection on Kirti Vardhan Singh, whose competence is not in question. But, given the galaxy of grandees present, India’s choice could be seen as signaling a preference for strategic distance our statements don’t convey,” Tharoor, also an ex-junior External Affairs Minister, said.
India’s presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit, at the level of a Minister of State, stands in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there. Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?
This is no reflection on Kirti Vardhan Singh, whose competence is not in…
The Egypt summit, formally called the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit, is being hosted by Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. It is to be co-chaired by Sisi and Trump, and will hope to bring a lasting solution to the Israel-Gaza problem.
Earlier today Hamas released 20 hostages – captured during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 – in two batches. Seven were released to representatives of Red Cross in the first and 13 in the second. Simultaneously, Israel released Palestinians from a prison in the West Bank region.
Meanwhile, Tharoor’s question marks over the decision have been seen as slightly in opposition to recent positive remarks about Prime Minister Modi and his administration, remarks that have irritated the Congress and seemed to put his relationship with the party at a crossroads.
Tharoor-Congress ties – uncertain since 2021, when he joined a group of ‘dissenters’, i.e., the G-23, and questioned the Gandhis’ leadership – have taken a sharp downturn recently.
The Congress expressed its unease over positive comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which were amplified after he was chosen to brief ‘partner nations’ on Pahalgam and Op Sindoor.
Tharoor has acknowledged differences between himself and the Congress; he even met Rahul Gandhi, but nothing seemed to come of that meeting.
Speaking to NDTV last month, he played down, again, any talk of friction with the party, calling such incidents “differences of opinion… with only some elements of leadership”.
When NDTV asked him how he would define his relationship with the Congress today, he pointed out he had been loyal to the party and its ideology for the last 16 years.
Police said a heated argument broke out between them, during which the father-in-law allegedly pulled out a sickle and repeatedly attacked the victim on his head, hands and legs.
The victim, Ramachandran (24), was a milk vendor from Ramanayakkanpatti in Tamil Nadu.
A 24-year-old man was hacked to death, allegedly by his father-in-law, in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district, just three months after his wedding. As per the police, it was an inter-caste marriage.
The victim, Ramachandran (24), a milk vendor from Ramanayakkanpatti near Viralipatti, had fallen in love with Aarthi (21), a BCom second-year student from Ganapathipatti near Batlagundu, after connecting with her on Instagram. Despite opposition from her family, the two got married three months ago.
On Sunday evening, while Ramachandran was riding his two-wheeler to Kuzhipatti, he was allegedly intercepted near the Koottathu Ayyampalayam bridge by his father-in-law, Chandran (49). Police said a heated argument broke out between them, during which Chandran allegedly pulled out a sickle and repeatedly attacked Ramachandran on his head, hands, and legs.
Visuals from the spot showed the young man lying in a pool of blood. He died on the spot.
Police from Nilakottai rushed to the scene, recovered the body and sent it to the Nilakottai Government Hospital for post-mortem. A murder case has been registered, and police teams are searching for Chandran, who is on the run.
While the couple belonged to different non-Dalit communities, the police have ruled out dishonour killing. A senior officer told NDTV, “It does not appear to be a case of dishonour killing as of now. Neither of them is from a Scheduled Caste. We are investigating the motive.”
The Coldrif syrup, which sparked huge backlash recently following the children’s deaths, is among the three syrups the WHO has reportedly warned against.
The drugs department seal Coldrif cough syrup containers during raid in Chhindwara on Sunday. (ANI)
Weeks after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly after consumption of an adulterated cough syrup, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified three such syrups in India, urging authorities to report back to the health agency in case they detect any of them in their countries.
The infamous Coldrif syrup, which sparked huge backlash recently following the children’s deaths, is among the three contaminated syrups the WHO has reportedly warned against.
The global health agency has reportedly identified specific batches of Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma, as affected medicines.
Sresan Pharmaceuticals is a Tamil Nadu-based firm whose manufacturing license was recently fully revoked following uproar over the Coldrif cough syrup. Lab tests had found the use of diethylene glycol (DEG), a chemical historically associated with mass poisoning incidents, in the syrup linked to the deaths of at least 22 children in Madhya Pradesh, mostly residents of Parasia village in Chhindwara.
According to news agency Reuters, the WHO has said that the syrups identified in India pose significant risks and can cause severe, potentially life-threatening illness.
What Indian authorities told WHO
In the wake of the children’s deaths and a crackdown on Coldrif’s manufacturer, the global health agency had earlier asked Indian authorities if the syrup was exported to other nations. The WHO would issue a Global Medical Products Alert based on the information received from India, news agency PTI reported last week.
Reuters has now reported that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) reportedly informed the WHO that the syrups contained toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, and were consumed by children, all under the age of five, who recently died in MP.
However, the Indian health authority also clarified that none of the contaminated medicines were exported from India, and the US also confirmed that the toxic cough syrups weren’t shipped to them.
Toxic cough syrup and 22 children’s deaths
The Tamil Nadu–made Coldrif cough syrup triggered major alarm recently after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh. Tests revealed it was dangerously contaminated with the toxic chemical diethylene glycol (DEG), with concentrations exceeding 48%, far above the permissible limit of 0.1%.
India faces a severe air pollution crisis, ranking among the world’s top 10 most polluted countries
India is losing sunlight.
A new study by six Indian scientists finds that over the past three decades, sunshine hours – the time direct sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface – have steadily declined across most of India, driven by clouds, aerosols and local weather.
Data from 20 weather stations from 1988 to 2018 shows a persistent decline in sunshine hours nationwide, with only the northeast region seeing a mild seasonal reprieve, according to the paper published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature Portfolio.
Scientists from Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the India Meteorological Department report that the steepest annual declines occurred in the northern inland region – notably Amritsar and Kolkata – as well as along the Himalayan belt and the west coast, particularly Mumbai.
All of nine India’s geograpically diverse regions showed an overall annual decline in sunshine hours, though the rate of decrease varied across India. Monthly analysis revealed significant increases from October to May, followed by sharp drops from June to July in six of the nine regions.
This seasonal pattern of sunshine intersects with a deeper, long-standing problem: India’s severe air pollution crisis – it’s now among the world’s top 10 polluted countries – which scientists trace back to the 1990s. Rapid urbanisation, industrial growth and land-use changes drove up fossil fuel use, vehicle emissions and biomass burning, sending aerosols into the atmosphere and dimming the Sun’s rays.
In winter, high air pollution from smog, temperature inversions and crop burning across the Indo-Gangetic plains produces light-scattering aerosols, which reduce sunshine hours.
These aerosols – tiny solid or liquid particles from dust, vehicle exhaust, crop burning, and other sources – persist in the air long enough to affect sunlight, climate and health.
During June-July, monsoon clouds blanket much of India, sharply reducing sunlight even though aerosol levels are lower than in winter.
Scientists note that higher sunshine hours from October to May don’t indicate cleaner air; rather, they reflect more cloud-free days. Hazy winter sunlight may scatter or diffuse, lowering intensity without entirely blocking sunshine, which instruments still record as sunshine hours.
“Our study found that shrinking sunshine hours are linked to clouds that linger longer without releasing rain, blocking more sunlight. These longer-lasting clouds form indirectly due to aerosols that alter weather and climate,” says Manoj Kumar Srivastava, a professor of geophysics at the Banaras Hindu University, and one of the authors of the study.
Aerosols have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground in India by about 13%, while clouds accounted for an additional 31-44% drop in surface solar radiation between 1993 and 2022, according to Sachchida Nand Tripathi, an atmospheric scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
These patterns raise concerns for agriculture, daily life and India’s solar energy ambitions, while highlighting where solar panels could be most effective.
Solar now makes up 47% of India’s renewable energy capacity. The government says it’s on track for 500GW of renewables by 2030, with more than 100GW of solar installed as of early 2025. But declining sunlight could cast a shadow on the country’s solar ambitions.
According to Prof Tripathi, air pollution compounds the problem. It reduces solar panel output by 12-41% depending on the type of photovoltaic system – the technology that converts sunlight into electricity – and costs an estimated $245-835m in lost power generation.
Months after a Jain monk’s threat of “taking up arms” over a pigeon-feeding ban in Mumbai, the community has announced the launch of a political party, the Shanti Doot Jankalyan Party, with a pigeon as its symbol. The move, ahead of the long-delayed BMC polls, could shake up Mumbai’s political landscape and split votes in key wards.
The iconic Kabootarkhana junction in Mumbai’s Dadar suburb before and after it was covered by the BMC over pigeon-feeding menace. (Image: File)
Three months ago, Jain monk Muni Nileshchandra Vijay had threatened to “take up arms” over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to shut down the iconic Kabootarkhana (pigeon shelter) in Dadar suburb, among other pigeon-feeding sites in Mumbai. The monk later clarified he meant it “in a peaceful way”. Cut to October, the community has announced its own political party—the Shanti Doot Jankalyan Party—with a pigeon as its symbol, reported Hindustan Times and the Mumbai-based Mid-Day.
The move comes ahead of the long-delayed BMC elections, hotting up Mumbai’s political circles.
The BMC, India’s richest civic body, hasn’t held elections since 2017. With the Jain community forming a significant and influential demographic in Mumbai, the new party could shift electoral equations or at least split votes in key wards. Currently, the civic body is not under the control of any elected political party and is being administered by a state-appointed administrator.
Jains, just 0.4% of India’s population, are known for their commitment to ahimsa (non-violence) and compassion for all living beings. The community took to the streets when the BMC announced a ban on pigeon-feeding in July.
The Kabootarkhana, a landmark in Dadar where thousands of pigeons were fed daily, primarily by Jains, was covered with grey tarpaulin to prevent birds from roosting. Following the ban, community members have continued to feed pigeons near the spot.
Pigeons, being the rugged birds they are, also relocated to nearby rooftops. Their droppings, known to spread skin diseases, began covering homes, cars, and public spaces.
Soon, the Jains began feeding pigeons on the roads around Kabootarkhana. The issue quickly escalated into a political flashpoint. Mumbai, home to both Shwetambar and Digambar Jains, saw unity between the sects over the pigeons.
PIGEON POLITICS IN INDIA’S FINANCIAL CAPITAL
The Shanti Doot Jankalyan Party is not only the first Jain political party in India, but possibly the first launched over an “animal rights issue”—if feeding pigeons qualifies as one. The party’s emergence just ahead of the BMC polls might change equations, given the large Jain population from south Mumbai to the northern suburbs. Ghatkopar, Kandivali, Borivali and Mulund are some of the Mumbai neighbourhoods that have a considerable population of Jains.
On October 11, the Jain community held a prayer meeting at Yogi Sabhagruh in Dadar for pigeons that died since the shutdown. They demanded the reopening of all pigeon-feeding sites and highlighted how displaced pigeons were now causing accidents by straying onto roads. They urged the administration to create safe, natural habitats for the birds.
At the same prayer meeting, the community members announced that they would be launching the Shanti Doot Jankalyan Party.
Back in July, there was a pushback from a Marathi activist group called Amhi Girgaumkar on the issue. The group launched a counter-campaign with provocative posters reading: “Pigeons Go Back to Marwar, Rajasthan”—a pointed jibe at many Jains in Mumbai who trace their origins to the Marwar region.
They accused the Jain community of disrupting public health and vowed to oppose any pigeon shelters—even threatening to set up chicken and mutton stalls next to them, including near BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha’s residence, who had earlier proposed pigeon houses in every ward. Lodha belongs to the Jain community.
PIGEONS AND MUMBAI’S LONG RELATIONSHIP
Rock pigeon species of the bird are very common in Mumbai. They are everywhere—from middle-class balconies to luxury towers, often kept at bay with nets. While they are known to spread diseases, they are also a familiar sight at tourist spots like Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and Bandstand, where they can be seen getting clicked on by tourists and those getting photoshoots done.
That a bird capable of digesting cigarette butts, stones, and oily junk food could become the centre of a political storm might seem absurd, but in Mumbai, it’s now a reality.
Two terrorists have been killed along the Line of Control (LoC) near Machil and Dudniyal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara as the Indian Army foiled a suspected infiltration attempt.
Army detected suspicious movement near the Machil LoC. (File Photo)
Fresh tension flared along the Line of Control (LoC) late Monday night, with firing and explosions reported from two locations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district — Machil and Dudniyal sectors — in what sources described as a possible infiltration attempt. Two terrorists have been killed by the security forces.
According to sources, troops detected suspicious movement near the Machil LoC, prompting an immediate response. “The army challenged the suspected infiltrators, leading to an exchange of fire,” sources said.
“In the Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Army troops witnessed some suspicious movement along the Line of Control and fired towards it in the evening, around 7 PM. Operations are continuing in the area. More details awaited,” Indian Army officials said in a statement quoted by ANI.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has demanded a full investigation after Kerala IT professional Anandu Aji was found dead, leaving a final social media post alleging repeated sexual abuse by multiple RSS members.
Priyanka Gandhi warned that lakhs of children attending RSS camps could be at risk and called on the organisation’s leadership to act immediately.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called for a thorough investigation after a shocking case in Kerala sparked outrage over allegations of sexual abuse within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The deceased, identified as Anandu Aji, an IT professional, was found dead after leaving a final social media post alleging repeated sexual abuse by multiple RSS members. He claimed that the abuse had severely affected his mental health and asserted that he was not the only victim, warning that such incidents were widespread in RSS camps across India.
PRIYANKA GANDHI SPEAKS OUT
Priyanka Gandhi took to social media to demand accountability, saying, “In his suicide message, Anandu Aji alleged that he was abused again and again by multiple members of the RSS. He clearly stated that he was not the only victim and rampant sexual abuse is taking place in RSS camps. If true, then this is horrifying.”
She cautioned that lakhs of children and teenagers attending RSS camps could be at risk and urged the organisation’s leadership to act immediately. “The leadership of the RSS must take immediate action, they must come clean,” she wrote.
“Sexual abuse of boys is a scourge as widespread as that of girls. The code of silence around these unspeakably heinous crimes has to be broken,” she added.
During her visit, Anand will India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar on Monday in Delhi, followed by a meeting with commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
Anita Anand’s visit to India comes after Canadian PM Mark Carney and PM Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada’s Kananaskis in June this year. (X/@MEAIndia)
Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for her first two-day official visit to India, during which, both the countries will seek to reset diplmatic ties.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Anand’s visit to India will help “build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations.
Sharing a photo of Anita Anand after she landed in India, Jaiswal wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “ A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi. This visit will help build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring people-to-people ties that anchor our partnership.”
A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi.
This visit will help build on the positive momentum in 🇮🇳-🇨🇦 relations by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring… pic.twitter.com/PGcaIEfBFz
During her visit, Anand will India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar on Monday in Delhi, followed by a meeting with commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
What Canada’s foreign ministry said
Ahead of Anand’s visit to India, Canada’s foreign ministry said that the visit comes “as both countries move toward establishing a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transformation and security.”
Later, she will also visit Mumbai where she will meet Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India, according to the statement.
Anand’s visit to India is crucial as it is a step towards resetting the ties between the two countries, particularly after Mark Carney became Canada’s Prime Minister by replacing Justin Trudeau. The diplomatic ties between India and Canada were strained during Trudeau’s term.
Anand visit also comes after Carney and PM Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada’s Kananaskis in June this year.
Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked last week in London by two unidentified miscreants.
Indian-origin Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked by two men in London.
Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked last week in London by two unidentified miscreants. The chairman and chief executive of Petra Group suffered minor injuries in the attack, but fortunately emerged “relatively unscathed”.
Sekhar posted about the scary incident on Facebook, revealing that his wife jumped in to save him and fought off the attackers. He also compared the streets of London with the safety and security of Kuala Lumpur, where he is based.
The attack in London
In his Facebook post, the chairman of Petra Group revealed that he was attacked by two people outside his daughter Tara’s apartment in London. The family had returned to the apartment — located near Battersea Power Station — after a day spent at Oxford.
“But as I parked and stepped out of the car, two men suddenly appeared,” Sekhar said.
The men started attacking the Indian-origin Malaysian businessman and even managed to tear his watch off his wrist during the assault. He suffered minor bruising and bleeding in the attack.
“They rushed at me, smothered me, hit me a few times on the chest and thighs, and tore the watch off my wrist. I tried to hold on but couldn’t — my post transplant medication and health simply didn’t allow it,” wrote Sekhar, who had undergone a heart transplant in India last year.
Wife fights off attackers
Sekhar was accompanied by his wife, Winy Yeap, who jumped in to save him. According to the businessman, she swung her bag and shouted at the attackers, who — possibly deterred by this interruption — jumped on their bikes and drove off.
“And then, like the lioness she’s always been, my wife jumped in — swinging her bag, shouting at them, fearless and protective,” Sekhar revealed. “In that moment, the muggers fled on electric Lime bikes. I was bruised, bleeding lightly (thanks to the blood thinners it looked worse than it was), but relatively unscathed.”
When the London Metropolitan police arrived minutes later, one cop told Sekhar that he was a lucky man, because the attackers would have stabbed him if he had held on.
London vs Kuala Lumpur
He ended his post with a reflection on the safety of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
“And as I reflect on it all, I am deeply grateful for the city I call home — Kuala Lumpur. For all our noise, our chaos, and our politics, it remains one of the safest, warmest, most vibrant cities in the world. A place where kindness still outweighs cruelty, and where, despite our imperfections, we remain a nation of extraordinary people,” he said.
