Category: India

West Bengal Police have recovered CCTV footage purportedly linked to an apartment near Kolkata where a Bangladesh lawmaker was last seen before his alleged brutal killing, according to sources on Friday, even as speculations over the involvement of a woman added another layer of mystery to the sensational case. Police have yet to find the body of Awami League’s Member of Parliament, Anwarul Azim Anar, and they suspect that it has been dismembered and disposed of.

In the CCTV footage, two men could be seen with a green trolley bag and plastic packets. It was, however, not clear if this footage was from before or after the alleged murder, or from inside or outside the apartment. Anar’s body is feared to have been chopped into pieces — his skin peeled and bones cut — and carried out in bags and plastic packets, police sources say..

West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) suspects the MP was lured into a New Town flat by a woman and then murdered by contract killers, according to a report in Bangladesh’s The Daily Star. Several media outlets have reported that a woman named Shilasti Rahman is under the scanner and that she was close to the mastermind of the alleged killing. She is believed to have been detained by police in Dhaka.

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/police-find-key-cctv-footage-in-bangladesh-mps-murder-probe-honey-trap-angle-adds-to-mystery-8902499.html

A prominent builder in Dehradun allegedly died by suicide by jumping from an under-construction building on the city’s Rajpur Road, sending shockwaves through the community and highlighting severe underlying issues of threats and financial disputes.

Sahni, also known as Baba Sahni, reportedly left behind a note addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, claiming he was under severe depression due to ongoing threats and financial disputes with several businessmen, including the Gupta brothers from Africa.

The note revealed that Sahni had been facing severe harassment that exacerbated his depression and led to his drastic decision.

The builder Sahni reportedly left a note addressed to PM Modi and Pushkar Singh Dhami claiming he was under severe depression due to threats and financial disputes with several businessmen, including the Gupta brothers from Africa.

Following the incident, Dehradun police swiftly arrested Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta and took them into custody for questioning.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun, Ajay Singh, said, “The builder’s son filed an FIR about the suicide. After that, the Gupta brothers – Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta – were detained based on the evidence. It was found that Sahni was put under unnecessary pressure in his business partnership. He was threatened. Tomorrow, we will present the accused before the court.”

Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta are well-known in South Africa for their involvement in large-scale corruption and state capture scandals. The Guptas owned several businesses that had lucrative contracts with South African government departments and state-owned corporations.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dehradun-builder-dies-by-suicide-blames-south-africa-gupta-brothers-in-note-5738445

The Court permitted rectification of the typographical error in the petition after it was told that there were no allegations against the actor as far as custodial death of the accused was concerned.

The mother of the accused who allegedly died by suicide in police custody after being arrested in connection with the recent firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s house told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that the prayer for registration of case against the actor was only a typographical error [Rita Devi v. State of Maharashtra & Ors].

A vacation bench of Justice NR Borkar and Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan recorded this statement in this regard and directed that a correction be carried out in the petition.

The development took place during the hearing of the petition moved by Rita Devi, accused Anuj Thapan’s mother, for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his custodial death.

In the plea filed through advocate Sriram Parakkat, it has been alleged that Thapan was murdered by the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police.

Khan is one of the respondents in the petition seeking transfer of probe to the CBI and registration of FIR against police officers

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Khan, submitted that while there were no allegations against the actor in the petition, there was a prayer for registration of FIR against him.

On a query by the court, Parakkat submitted there was an apprehension that Khan may be directly or indirectly involved in the investigation as he was the complainant in the matter.

However, Ponda retorted that there were no pleadings in this regard and Khan’s complaint related to the firing was against unknown persons.

It was also submitted that prayer even sought suspension from job which could not be granted against Khan.

After Parakkat conceded that it was typographical error, Ponda requested the court to record this statement.

The vacation bench recorded this statement and posted the matter for hearing in second week of June.

On May 16, a vacation bench of the High Court had directed the Mumbai police to file a status report on the ongoing probe initiated into Thapan’s death.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/not-seeking-fir-against-salman-khan-custodial-death-firing-accused-kin-of-deceased-bombay-high-court

In an official communication, Bose ‘cautioned’ Banerjee to end what he described as a ‘blood bath’ and ensure all necessary actions are taken within the parameters of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the ‘killing’ of an elderly woman in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.

Police are compiling footage of the Porsche to track its path from the boy’s home to the crash site in Kalyani Nagar.

A driver employed by the family of the Pune minor who mowed down two people last week told the 17-year-old that he was too drunk to get behind the wheel and called the boy’s father, who asked the chauffeur to “let him drive”, police said on Thursday, adding the latest twist in a case that has caused an upsurge of anger across the country.

Pune Police questioned the driver, who said he drove the Porsche Taycan sports car out of the parking lot of the Blak Club in Koregaon Park neighbourhood when the minor insisted he would drive.

“He was reluctant to let the minor drive given that the boy was inebriated. He then called the 17-year-old’s father, who said ‘let him drive’,” said a police officer aware of the matter. “The driver sat beside the minor while he drove the Porsche and later crashed into the two-wheeler killing two IT professionals,” the officer added.

The two were accompanied in the car by the boy’s friend, who was also questioned on Thursday, along with the accused’s grandfather.

The car’s registration details and ownership are also being probed.

Further, police are compiling footage of the Porsche to track its path from the boy’s home to the crash site in Kalyani Nagar.

Early on Sunday morning, the minor, who was reportedly inebriated, was driving the Porsche sports car that knocked down two motorcycle-borne software engineers. The engineers, Aneesh Awadhiya (24) and Ashwini Koshta (24), were both killed. The case and the subsequent bail granted to the minor under provisions of the JJ Act drew sharp criticism and a flurry of protests. Under the bail conditions, the minor was required to work with Yerwada traffic police for 15 days and write an essay on the accident.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pune-teen-was-drunk-but-father-said-let-him-drive-says-driver-101716492320447.html

Swati Maliwal, in an interview with news agency ANI, said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was at home when she was allegedly assaulted by his aide Bibhav Kumar on May 13.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Thursday accused Arvind Kejriwal of protecting his aide Bibhav Kumar, claiming that the Delhi Chief Minister was at his residence when Kumar allegedly assaulted her.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Swati Maliwal said, “It is a fact that despite all this happening till date, I have not received any call from Arvind ji nor has he met me till now. Arvind Ji is protecting the accused… Instructions have been given to every person in the entire party to assassinate my character.”

Maliwal revisited the turn of events on May 13 and said “I had gone to see Arvind Kejriwal at his residence at around 9 am on May 13. His staff asked me to sit in the drawing room and told me that Arvind ji was at home and was coming to meet me shortly.”

“Next moment, Bibhav Kumar barged into the drawing room and I asked her if something was wrong. At that, he started hitting me. He slapped me 7-8 times with full force. When I tried to push him away, he grabbed my leg and began to drag me. My head hit the centre table. I fell on the floor, after which he started kicking me”, Maliwal added.

She further said she screamed for help, but “it fell on deaf ears”.

“It was strange that no one turned up to help me,” she said.

When asked if Bibhav Kumar was acting on instructions given by someone, Maliwal said, “That is all a matter of investigation now. I am fully cooperating with the Delhi Police (in the probe). But yes, I am not giving anyone a clean chit. Because the fact remains that when I was in the drawing room, Arvind Kejriwal was at home.”

“I did not care about my own safety, my career and to what extent these people could have gone with me. I just thought to myself like I tell every woman to side by the truth, lodge genuine complaints, but if something wrong has been done to you, you stand up and fight against it. That’s exactly what I am doing today,” she said.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/arvind-kejriwal-bibhav-kumar-swati-maliwal-assault-case-aam-aadmi-party-2542924-2024-05-23

Former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda issued a stern warning on Thursday to his grandson, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces multiple sexual abuse allegations, urging him to return, surrender to the police, and face the legal process, or face the anger of the Gowda family.

In an official statement shared on social media platform X, the former prime minister wrote, “I have issued a warning to @iPrajwalRevanna to return immediately from wherever he is and subject himself to the legal process. He should not test my patience any further.”

“This is not an appeal I am making. It is a warning that I am issuing. If he does not heed this warning, he will have to face my anger and the anger of all his family members,” said the former PM in his letter bearing the letterhead of the National President of the Janata Dal (Secular).

LETTER TITLED “MY WARNING TO PRAJWAL REVANNA”

In his two-page letter titled “My Warning to Prajwal Revanna,” Gowda explained that though he addressed the media regarding the Prajwal case on May 18, it took him some time to recover from the shock and pain inflicted on him, the JDS party workers, his entire family, and friends.

Gowda further stated in his letter that he cannot convince people that he was unaware of Prajwal’s activities, nor does he have the ability to convince them that he has no desire to shield his grandson.

“I cannot convince people that I am unaware of his movements and that I was unaware of his foreign trip. I believe in answering my conscience. I believe in Gowda, and I know the Almighty knows the truth,” the senior JDS leader said in his letter.

At least 86 people tested positive for drug consumption on Wednesday at a recent rave party held on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The raid has sparked controversy due to reports confirming rampant drug use among the attendees.

The rave party, which was raided by the Anti-Narcotics Division of Karnataka Police earlier this week, was attended by 73 were men while 30 were women, including two Telugu actors.

Notably, 59 out of 73 men and 27 out of 30 young women tested positive for drug consumption, who indulged in substances such as MDMA, cocaine, and hydro ganja, as confirmed by post-party blood tests indicating widespread substance abuse during the gathering.

Telugu actors Hema and Ashi Roy were among the attendees whose blood tests returned positive for drug use after the rave party.

The blood samples of the guests of a rave party busted at a farmhouse in Bengaluru were sent to a laboratory for testing, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said on Tuesday.

At least four people have died and over 30 were injured after a major fire erupted following a boiler explosion at a chemical factory in Dombivli, Thane district, Maharashtra, on Thursday.

The incident was reported at the chemical factory in Phase 2 of the Dombivli MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) complex, officials said.

As per initial reports, four boilers of Amber Chemical Company exploded, triggering a massive blaze. Due to the fire, drums containing chemicals started bursting, shattering window panes of nearby houses

Mumbai: A massive fire explosion occurred in a boiler at a company in MIDC Phase 2, Dombivli, triggering a fierce fire! The fire brigade and rescue team rushed to the scene pic.twitter.com/ko88CJxKta

The explosion was so loud that it could be heard from a kilometre away, according to an eyewitness. The blast caused cracks in the glass windows of a nearby building and damaged many houses in the vicinity, he added.

Yasin Tadvi, head of the Disaster Management Cell of the Thane civic body, stated that the explosion occurred in the chemical factory around 1:40 PM.

The blaze, triggered by the blast, spread to three neighboring factories, sending thick plumes of smoke and flames visible from a considerable distance, he said.

A brigade call was issued, and eight fire engines were dispatched to the scene, he added.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the incident as tragic and confirmed that eight people trapped on the premises have been rescued.

“Arrangements have been made to treat the injured and more ambulances have been kept ready. I have discussed with the Thane collector and they are also reaching the spot… Teams of NDRF, TDRF, and fire brigade have been called,” he wrote on X.

Teams from the Thane civic body’s Regional Disaster Management Cell and 13 personnel from the Thane Disaster Response Force have also arrived at the location, with efforts ongoing to control the blaze.

Condoling the incident, Ravindra Chavan, Maharashtra’s Minister of Public Works (Excluding Public Undertakings), urged people in the surrounding areas to not panic.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/maharashtra-massive-fire-breaks-out-at-chemical-factory-in-dombivli-rescue-ops-on-8901395.html

The Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday cancelled the bail order of the 17-year-old Pune teen who fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne techies in Kalyani Nagar on Sunday. He has been sent to observation home till June 5.

The parents of the accused can meet him twice a week for an hour.

Police argued in favour of the remand of the 17-year-old driver in front of the Juvenile Justice Board on the grounds that he is not safe outside as people will possibly attack him. The police also added that people will be safe if he is inside (the remand home).

Prashant Patil, the lawyer of the accused, on the other hand, told the JJB that the teen suffered from depression which is why he got into the habit of drinking.

Patil further said that a decision on whether to appeal the order will be taken after talking to the teen’s parents. “We will speak to the parents of the accused and decide whether we need to appeal or not by tomorrow evening,” he said.

The Porsche crash, which took place on Saturday night, has sparked national outrage after the teenager was granted bail within 15 hours

Pune: The father of the 17-year-old Pune teen driver, whose late-night drunken Porsche dash left two 24-year-old engineers dead, had made an elaborate escape plan, but the cops tracked him down.
Soon after an FIR was registered against him for letting his teenaged son drive the luxury car, the prominent Pune realtor was on the run. To mislead the cops, he left home in his car and asked the driver to take the road to Mumbai. He told another driver to leave for Goa in his other car. On the way to Mumbai, he got off the car and used a friend’s car to proceed towards Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier known as Aurangabad. Multiple cars were involved to confuse the cops on where he was headed, police have said. The realtor also started using a new SIM card so that police cannot track his number, police have said.

When police got information that he was in his friend’s car, they started tracking the vehicle through its GPS. A team of the Pune crime branch then identified him using footage from CCTV cameras on the route. Eventually, in a late night raid at a lodge in Sambhajinagar, the cops arrested the realtor. He will be produced in court today.

The Porsche crash, which took place on Saturday night, has sparked national outrage after the teenager was granted bail within 15 hours on conditions that many have described as flimsy. A local court asked him to write a 300-word essay on accidents, work with traffic police for 15 days and undergo counselling for his drinking habit.

Police have now moved the juvenile justice board for permission to try the teenager — aged 17 years and eight months — as an adult. A decision on this plea is also expected today.

Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshtha, both from Madhya Pradesh, were returning from a get-together on a bike when the Porsche, reportedly at a speed of 200 km per hour, hit them from behind. Both IT engineers died on the spot.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pune-porsche-crash-pune-teen-drivers-father-had-elaborate-escape-plan-how-he-was-caught-5717699#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The IndiGo flight’s return to bay to offload an extra passenger puts a question mark on onboarding practices of Indian airlines.

In January 2023, GoFIRST left behind more than 50 passengers on the tarmac at Bengaluru and took off. A year and half later, IndiGo’s flight to Varanasi returned to the bay as it was carrying an extra passenger. The sequence of events led to a delay in departure and a meme fest with some social media users calling this out as a trial for future.

We thought that was the last we heard of such incidents. Wrong.

On May 21, IndiGo flight 6E 6543 to Varanasi from Mumbai had to return to the bay to offload an extra passenger who was noticed in the galley. The flight had to undergo a check of hand baggage and possible matching of check-in baggage and offloading the baggage if the extra passenger had checked in baggage before the flight could depart again with a delay.

What happened?

A standby passenger was given a seat, but the passenger had to vacate it when the actual passenger who had this seat turned up for the flight. A standby passenger is one who does not have a confirmed ticket for a particular flight and will be flown subject to the availability of the seat. There are commercial standby passengers, i.e. passengers who have a flight booking in hand but want to fly on a different flight. Alternately, airline employees who are travelling on leave are stand-by passengers who get to travel subject to load or subject to availability.

An airline employee who is a standby passenger has to wait until the closure of the check-in period, usually 60 minutes before departure in case of domestic flights. The boarding pass is then issued to the standby passenger, which leaves the person with enough time to complete security and ensure timely boarding. This also ensures that the passenger who is a no-show, i.e. has a booked ticket but has not shown up for the flight, does not complain – since the airline does not accept any more passengers after the closure of counters.

So how did this happen? At the close of counters, since a passenger had not reported, the seat might have been given to the standby passenger. In all probability, the fare-paying passenger was travelling without check-in baggage and reached directly to the boarding gate. The standby passenger, who was accommodated until then, would have been asked to vacate the seat and merely went to the galley. Without anybody’s notice, knowingly or unknowingly, the aircraft taxied out until the standby – who had legally entered the plane, was noticed.

Overbooking is a standard practice in the industry, as all those who book do not turn up for the flight. Overbooking on popular flights helps increase revenue for the airline and while earlier the practice was restricted to Full Service Carriers, the regulator allowed all carriers. In April, data released by the regulator shows that 1370 passengers were denied boarding for various reasons, which would also include overbooking.

What has the airline said?

“There was an error during the passenger boarding process of 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft. IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets the inconvenience caused to customers,” an airline spokesperson said.

However, a return to bay kicks in all the protocols for security – which had already seen one lapse. This involves a recheck of the cabin baggage to ensure that the baggage inside the aircraft is accounted for and a similar exercise for checked-in baggage if either or both of the passengers had a checked-in baggage.

Tail note

Each airline has a different policy towards staff travel. While few have a certain number of tickets earmarked each year for confirmed seats, there are few which offer tickets only subject to load. Larger airlines even allow flights on interline partners. These tickets are priced differently based on their nature, with some being priced at almost “0” base fare, with the employee (and immediate family) having to pay just the taxes in most cases. It is part of employment privileges with an airline. The aircraft in question was a densely configured A321neo without a partition/bulkhead at the back, which would have made the passenger visible to everyone else.

IndiGo was already in the dock early this year at Mumbai, where passengers were sitting on the tarmac and had to pay a fine for their actions. Once famed for its on-Time Performance, the airline has slowly slipped on the OTP charts. Such operational goof-ups add to passengers’ challenges in an environment where 60% of the market is controlled by the airline.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indigos-extra-passenger-what-exactly-happened-explained-101716353213661.html

Six people remain missing after a boat capsized in the Ujani dam waters near Kalashi village in Maharashtra, with rescue operations underway.

Six people remain missing in Maharashtra after a boat capsized on Tuesday evening in Ujani dam waters near Kalashi village, close to Indapur Tahseel of Pune district. The police said that NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed on site.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening in the Pune district, around 140 km from the city.

Initial reports suggested that the six people on the boat are missing. Now, authorities said that the people on the boat have likely drowned.

The police officials on site said, “Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local administration and police are deployed for search and rescue operations.”

“Seven people were in the boat. One of them swam to safety and raised an alarm, following which local villagers and rescue teams reached the spot. A search operation is on,” said Pune superintendent of police Pankaj Deshmukh.

When the incident happened, it was raining with thunderstorm in the area. The strong winds made it difficult for boat, which acts as a launch to regularly ferry locals from one side of the water body to another, capsized, officials said.

The victims included three men, a woman and two children, Indapur tehsildar Shrikant Patil said. The boat service operates between Kalashi and Bhugav villages, he said.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/maharashtra-6-missing-after-boat-capsizes-in-ujani-dam-waters-ndrf-sdrf-deployed-101716344725001.html

Early on Sunday, Ashwini was on way back home with a colleague after dinner, when the accident took place. The minor at the wheels was out celebrating his Class 12 exam results.

Bhopal: The family of 25-year-old Ashwini Koshta is still in shock, The body of the young woman, who was mowed down by a drunk teen in Pune on a speeding Porsche, was brought to her home in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, today. Ashwini was one of the two persons hit by the vehicle at 2.15 am on Saturday. Her colleague Aneesh Awadhiya also died on the spot. Both were software engineers working in Pune.
The teen who was at the wheel, son of a prominent realtor from the city, secured bail 15 hours after his arrest. He is just four months short of 18 years — the minimum age required to legally drive a car.

His lawyer said he has been asked to work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days, and would undergo psychiatric counselling. He has been also referred to an alcohol de-addiction centre.

The decision of the Juvenile Board that has sparked massive anger. Ashwini’s family said they are dismayed by the bail conditions and are ready to fight at every level to get her justice.

“We are in shock,” said her uncle Jugal Kishor Koshta. “It is condemnable that he should get bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini’s last rites are over tomorrow,” he added. Asked if there was a possibility of political pressure in the case, he said it is “quite possible and elections are on anyway”.

“We want his bail cancelled and he should remain in police custody. Because of him, an innocent girl, who has seen nothing of life, died,” said her uncle Sachin Bokde.

Ashwini’s father, Suresh Kumar Koshta, works as an office assistant in the state’s electricity department. One of his sons, Samprit Koshta, is a software engineer in Bengaluru.

A software engineer, Ashwini was living in Pune for the last two years. Her last appointment was with Amazon. A year ago, she switched jobs and joined Johnson Controls Company.

Early on Sunday, Ashwini was on way home with her colleague after dinner, when the accident took place. The minor at the wheels was out celebrating his Class 12 exam results. He was driving at 200 kmph when the Porsche hit the bike of the two engineers.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/scrap-bail-give-maximum-punishment-to-teen-pune-porshe-victims-family-5707794

53 million people voted in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls, with a turnout of 60.5%. Mumbai had low turnout, while Baramulla saw highest in decades.

More than 53 million people voted on Monday in the fifth and smallest phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls as 49 seats across six states and two Union territories recorded a turnout of 60.5%, compared to 62.4% from five years ago. This indicated an uptick in voting in comparison to the first four phases.

The fifth phase – which is also the most urban of the seven phases – saw a string of high-profile seats such as Amethi, Rae Bareli and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, six constituencies in India’s financial capital Mumbai, Hajipur in Bihar, and Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir go to the polls.

In 2019, the turnout in these seats was 62.4%. To be sure, the turnout number from Monday night is likely to be revised upwards – close to if not surpassing the 2019 figure. In comparison, the turnout in the first phase was 66.14%, as against 69.4% five years ago; in the second phase was 66.71% as against 69.6% five years ago; in the third phase was 65.68% as against 65.9% five years ago; and in the fourth phase, was 69.16% as against 69.5% five years ago.

With this phase, elections are completed in 24 of India’s 36 states and Union territories. Just 114 of the 543 total Lok Sabha seats remain for the last two phases on May 26 and June 1.

West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (75.9%), followed by Odisha (72.8%), Ladakh (70.5%), Jharkhand (63.1%), Uttar Pradesh (57.8%), Jammu and Kashmir (58.2%), Bihar (54.9%) and Maharashtra (54.3%).

Mumbai continued to disappoint with only around half the city’s registered voters stepping out to exercise their ballot. Mumbai South recorded the lowest turnout of 47.7% and Mumbai North East recording the highest of 53.8%. A galaxy of stars, sporting heroes and industry titans, including Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Asha Bhosle, exercised their franchise. But overall turnout languished in the country’s financial capital. In 2019, turnout stood at 55.4%.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/turnout-up-in-ph5-101716230581151.html

Justice Dash said that he distanced himself from the RSS after he became a judge and dealt with all cases and litigants impartially, irrespective of their party affiliation.

Retiring Calcutta High Court judge Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash on Monday credited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for shaping his personality and instilling courage and patriotism in him.

The judge said that he has been associated with the RSS since his childhood.

“Today, I must unfold my true self. I owe a lot to one organisation. I am there from my childhood till I attained my youth. I have learned to be courageous, upright, have equal view for others, and above all, the sense of patriotism and commitment to the work wherever you work. I must admit here that I was and I am a member of the RSS,” he said.

Justice Dash said that he distanced himself from the RSS after he became a judge and has dealt with all cases and litigants impartially, irrespective of their party affiliation.

“I have distanced myself from the organisation (RSS) for about 37 years due to the work I undertook. I never used the membership of my organisation for any advancement of my career, because that is against our principle. I have treated everybody at par, be it a Communist person, be it a BJP or Congress or even TMC person. I do not have any bias against anybody. I do not have any bias against any political personality. All were equal before me. I tried to dispense justice on two principles: one is empathy and second is law can be bent to do justice, but justice cannot be bent to suit the law,” he said.

Justice Dash, who hails from Odisha, enrolled as an advocate in 1986. In 1999, he entered the Odisha judicial service and served as Additional District & Sessions Judge in various parts of the State. He was then appointed as Registrar (Administration) of the Orissa High Court.

He was elevated as an additional judge of the Orissa High Court on October 10, 2009 and was transferred to the Calcutta High Court on June 20, 2022.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/retiring-calcutta-high-court-judge-credits-rss-shaping-his-personality

Over the past decade, the Prime Minister’s sartorial choices have drawn criticism from the opposition.

High youth unemployment is a challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he seeks an unprecedented third term in office in the ongoing national elections.

A 12-year-old girl was left with a “hole in her stomach” after she ate a paan infused with liquid nitrogen at a wedding reception in Bengaluru recently.

According to reports, she was hospitalised and diagnosed with a condition called perforation peritonitis – a hole in the stomach. The portion of the girl’s stomach with the hole, which was found to be 4×5 cm, had to be surgically removed via a sleeve gastrectomy, doctors said.

The child was in intensive care for two days, and was discharged from the hospital after six days. Medical experts said similar cases are being reported from different parts of India and there is a need for safety measures. They also pointed to the risks of using liquid nitrogen in an experimental manner in food.

In another recent incident, a video of a boy from Tamil Nadu went viral. In it, he is screaming in pain after eating a “smoking biscuit”. While the boy was hospitalised, the state government’s food safety department (FSD) ordered a ban on the use of liquid nitrogen in foods. It said smoking biscuits or liquid nitrogen-laced foods are “dangerous”.

The department also instructed the designated officers and food safety officers “to take enforcement action as per Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 against any Food Business Operator who is using liquid nitrogen for direct consumption along with food items like biscuit, ice creams, wafer biscuits, etc. The liquid nitrogen should be fully evaporated from the food or drinks before serving”.

There is, however, no such ban in Karnataka. A report published by The New Indian Express said a senior official from the state health department had claimed that it has asked the food safety officers to take action on such misuse if found, as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, but a detailed directive on the use of liquid nitrogen is yet to be issued.

Liquid nitrogen, if misused in foods or mishandled otherwise, can scorch organs or body parts it comes in contact with, making the burns appear like frostbites.

In 2017, too, a businessman from Gurugram had to get a part of his stomach removed after he drank a cocktail laced with liquid nitrogen. Minutes later, he was in excruciating pain and his stomach was swollen. His CT scan showed a hole that turned out to be about 10 cm in length in the lower part of the stomach.

“It (liquid nitrogen) can damage the lips, tongue, throat, lungs, and stomach. It may cause lesions or burn tissues. If it reaches the stomach, the organ could get perforated. In the lungs, it could produce CO2 (carbon dioxide) and the person could become unconscious. It could even prove fatal,” P Satheesh Kumar, designated officer of the FSD in Chennai, told The Hindu.

Another expert, Dr Pranav Honnavara Srinivasan – senior consultant of surgical gastroenterology at Bengaluru’s Sparsh Hospital – told The Indian Express: “Liquid nitrogen is employed in culinary settings primarily for its rapid freezing capabilities and dramatic visual effect. At -196 degrees Celsius, it instantly freezes food, creating a smooth texture especially beneficial in high-end desserts like ice cream. It also vapourises swiftly at room temperature, adding a visually appealing fog effect to dishes. However, the extreme cold can pose risks if residues remain in the food when consumed.”

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/bengaluru-liquid-nitrogen-paan-hole-in-stomach-12-year-old-girl-8896933.html

Delhi sweltered under a heatwave as temperatures soared above 46°C, prompting a red alert extension till Friday and school closures for summer vacations.

Delhi felt like a furnace for a fourth straight day on Monday when six of the fifteen NCR weather stations recorded temperatures exceeding 46 degrees Celsius (°C), prompting weather officials to extend a red alert till Friday and the government to order schools still open to shut for summer vacations.

The Safdarjung station, the base station for the capital, recorded a maximum of 44.1°C, just half a notch below the threshold at which it would be classified as a technical heatwave.

In at nine least other National Capital Region (NCR) stations, the maximum was high enough to formally be called a heatwave as the mercury soared to meet the 4.5-degrees-higher-than-normal yardstick for the label.

The meteorological technicalities aside, the weather felt equally oppressive across the region, and in fact most of northwest India, where hot, strong winds continued to blow under the glare of strong sunshine.

All government schools are closed with effect from May 11 but “it has been observed that some government-aided and unaided recognised private schools are still open during ongoing severe heat waves… Therefore, all the heads of [such] schools are advised to close the schools for summer vacation with immediate effect,” said a circular by the department of education, Delhi government.

The scorching conditions first set in on Friday, when the maximum crossed 45°C at nine stations in the region. On Monday, a total of 11 stations logged temperatures higher than 45°C and the India Meteorological Department warned the peak could soar to 48°C in parts of NCR in the coming days.

Najafgarh in Southwest Delhi recorded the country’s hottest temperature with a maximum of 47.4°C, followed by Sirsa (47.2) in Haryana and Mungeshpur (47.1) in northwest Delhi.

The high temperatures and a working day also saw Delhi’s peak power demand touch 7,572 MW, the highest so far this year and higher than last year’s peak power demand. Delhi’s all-time high of 7,695 MW was recorded in June 2022.

The coming week will also see election campaigning reach a fever pitch in the Capital, which will go to polls on Saturday. The IMD has issued a “green” alert for that day, which indicates no extreme weather event is likely, but the agency also predicted conditions to not be too different.

“There has been no change in weather conditions over the last few days. Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions were recorded in Delhi NCR again, with a slight drop in temperature in comparison to Sunday. There are chances the maximum could touch 45°C at Safdarjung by Tuesday and possibly 46°C by Friday. The same maximum is likely on Saturday too,” said an IMD official, asking not to be named.

Last May, Delhi logged no heatwave days, while four such days were recorded in May 2022. In April 2022, nine such days were recorded — although not on consecutive days.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet meteorology, said large parts of northwest India were facing uncomfortable weather primarily due to clear skies and dry westerly winds. “These winds are blowing from dry Rajasthan and Balochistan, where temperatures are equally high. There is no moisture in the air, which makes the heat harsh and makes standing outside difficult,” he said.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/heatwave-alert-for-next-four-days-in-delhi-govt-tells-all-schools-to-call-early-summer-vacations-101716230645618.html

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 5: Not just Mukesh and Anita Ambani, but industrialist Anil Ambani also arrived at a polling state to cast a vote. He was spotted standing in a queue at a polling booth in Mumbai as he waited for the voting to begin.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, along with Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani, cast vote in Mumbai during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Monday.

Not just Mukesh and Anita Ambani, but industrialist Anil Ambani also arrived at a polling state to cast a vote. He was spotted standing in a queue at a polling booth in Mumbai as he waited for the voting to begin.

Other top business and industrialists who exercised their right to vote on Monday included Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mahindra and Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra.

After casting his vote for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “I urge all the young voters to come and vote… It is a true expression of democracy…”

Meanwhile, Anand Mahindra posted a selfie, showing an inked finger, on X. He shared a message also: “The privilege of deciding who will govern us…It’s a blessing. Never turn your back on a blessing…”

Source: https://www.livemint.com/elections/mukesh-ambani-kumar-mangalam-birla-anand-mahidraother-industrialists-cast-vote-lok-sabha-elections-2024-phase-5-watch-11716205064933.html

The Delhi Police has seized the DVR of CCTV cameras installed inside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in connection with its probe into the “assault” on the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said the Delhi Police seized the DVR of CCTV cameras installed inside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in connection with its probe into the alleged assault on Swati Maliwal.

The party also accused the cops of planting stories to tarnish the party’s image ahead of the elections, according to news agency PTI.

There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi Police.

Notably, the AAP Rajya Sabha MP, in her complaint, has said that Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar slapped her seven–eight times and repeatedly kicked her in her chest and stomach when she went to the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13.

Maliwal further claimed that the brutal assault by Kumar did not stop even after she mentioned that she was on her periods. After the assault, she claimed her arms were sore and she had difficulty walking.

AAP has rubbished her allegations and claimed that Maliwal is acting at the behest of the BJP to frame Kejriwal. On Saturday, Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police and a local court sent him to five-day custody.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the police have already seized the DVR (digital video recorder) of CCTV cameras.

“Yesterday (Saturday), they seized the DVR of cameras installed at the entry gates, boundary walls and today (Sunday), they seized the DVR of cameras installed in other parts of the house. The police are planting stories that the CCTV (camera) footage has been deleted but they have already seized it,” he claimed, as per news agency PTI.

Bharadwaj said the CCTV cameras and the footage captured are maintained by the Public Works department and are in its custody.

He also raised questions over the sequence of events in the case.

“The call was made by Swati Maliwal on May 13 and, within no time, the image of the daily diary entry in the matter was all over the media. The FIR in the case has been registered under Section 354 (B), which is a sensitive matter that pertains to a woman, but the FIR was circulated everywhere. However, Bibhav Kumar, the accused, and AAP did not have a copy of the FIR,” he added.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/police-seize-cctv-footage-from-arvind-kejriwals-residence-in-swati-maliwal-case-2541225-2024-05-20

A Gujarat based organisation named Justice on Trial has filed a case against BBC for its documentary titled ‘India: The Modi Question’.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani of the Delhi High Court has recused from hearing a ₹10,000 crore defamation case against British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi [Justice on Trial v. British Broadcasting Corporation & Anr].

The case was listed before Justice Bhambhani on Friday, (May 17).

As the case was called, Justice Bhambhani said that the matter will be listed before another judge, subject to the orders of the judge in-charge of the Original Side of Delhi High Court.

A Gujarat-based non-profit named Justice on Trial has filed the case in the High Court arguing that the BBC’s two-part documentary titled India: The Modi Question cast a slur on the reputation of India, its judiciary as well as the Prime Minister.

Justice on Trial has moved the High Court seeking permission to file the defamation suit as an indigent person. The NGO has sought damages of ₹10,000 crore from the BBC.

Order XXXIII of the Code of Civil Procedure deals with filing of suits by indigent persons. It says that a suit can be instituted by an indigent person if he does not have sufficient means to pay the fee prescribed by law for the plaint in such a suit.

Source : https://www.barandbench.com/news/pm-modi-documentary-delhi-high-court-justice-anup-j-bhambhani-recuses-10000-crore-case-bbc

Jackie Shroff argued that several platforms were using his name, voice and image creating confusion among people.

The Delhi High Court recently has passed an order protecting the personality and publicity rights of actor Jackie Shroff and restrained a bunch of social media accounts, Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots as well as e-commerce websites from misusing the actor’s name, voice or image for any commercial purpose without his consent [Jaikishan Kakubhai Saraf alias Jackie Shroff v The Peppy Store & Ors].

In an interim order passed on May 15, Justice Sanjeev Narula also ordered take down of a bunch of links which were pornographic in nature and used Shroff’s name.

The Court held that Shroff’s status as a celebrity grants him certain rights with respect to his personality and associated attributes, and some of the defendants have utilised his name, image, voice and other unique characteristics without permission thereby infringing on his personality and publicity rights.

The Court also issued notice to several other defendants including gif making platforms, a restaurant named ‘Bhidu’ and others alleged to be infringing on Shroff’s personality rights and misusing his persona.

Initially, Shroff had sought injunction against these defendants as well but his counsel later said that the Court can consider passing orders against them after examining their response.

However, at this stage, the Court refused to direct a take down of a video titled ‘Jackie Shroff is Savage, Jackie Shroff Thug Life’ posted on a YouTube channel named Thugesh. The video in question had compiled publicly available interview clips of Shroff with additions like Thug Life in the caption and some accompanying visual embellishments.

Justice Narula held that the video is a form of artistic expression and restricting it would have far-reaching consequences.

“More critically, it could set a precedent that stifles freedom of expression, potentially deterring the public from exercising their right to free speech due to fear of legal repercussions,” the Court said

It will hear the matter next on October 15.

In his plea, Shroff sought protection of the names Jackie Shroff, Jackie, Jaggu Dada as well as Bhidu and said that his attributes cannot be used without his authorisation on any platform.

Shroff moved the Court to protect his voice, image, likeness and all other elements of his persona which are distinctive and the “unauthorized use of which by third parties is likely to create confusion and deception amongst the public”.

He argued that several social media companies, stores, social media handles as well as AI tools are using his attributes without authorisation and not only making money from such unauthorised use, but also creating confusion and damaging his reputation.

He contended that the misappropriation of any attribute of his persona without his express permission for a commercial purpose is liable to be restrained not only on the basis of the traditional conception of publicity rights but also on the basis of the tort of dilution.

Notably, in 2022, the High Court had passed an interim order restraining persons at large from infringing the personality and publicity rights of veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchan had approached the High Court seeking an omnibus order protecting his name, image, voice or any of his characteristics without his consent.

A similar order was passed on the case filed by actor Anil Kapoor as well.

Advocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Dhruv Anand, Madhu Gadodia, Udita Patro, Rinku Gajria, Sampurnaa Sanyal, Sujoy Mukherjee, Ashotosh Upadhyaya, Nimrat Singh, Tarini Kulkarni and Dhananjay Khanna Anand and Naik appeared for Jackie Shroff.

Source : https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-high-court-protects-personality-rights-jackie-shroff-restrains-misuse-name-images-voice

The Kochi-bound flight landed safely at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 11:12 pm on Saturday.

A full-scale emergency was declared at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Saturday night after an Air India Express flight that took off for Kochi, was forced to return due to fire in one of its engines.

“Flight IX 1132 made an emergency landing at 23:12 hours due to a reported fire in one of the engines. A full-scale emergency was declared,” the BIAL said in a statement.

“The fire was promptly extinguished upon landing. All 179 passengers and six crew members were successfully evacuated from the aircraft,” the statement added.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) manages KIA, the third-busiest airport in the country.

Air India Express, meanwhile, stated that the pilots “elected” to return to Bengaluru due to suspected flames in the aircraft’s right engine.

“Accordingly, a precautionary landing was carried out. The ground services also reported flames, resulting in an evacuation,” the low-cost airline, a fully-owned subsidiary of Tata Group’s Air India, said in its press release.

The carrier praised the flight crew for carrying out evacuation without injuries to any of the passengers.

“We regret the inconvenience this has caused and are working to provide alternative arrangements for our guests to reach their destination as soon as possible. A thorough investigation with the regulator shall be accomplished to establish the cause,” the release noted.

source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/fullscale-emergency-at-bangalore-airport-after-ai-express-planes-engine-catches-fire-101716084743554.html

The areas in Anantnag and Shopian have been cordoned off and search operations have been launched to nab the attackers, the officials said.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir/back-to-back-terrorist-attacks-in-kashmir-ex-sarpanch-killed-in-shopian-tourist-couple-injured-in-anantnag-3028672

The warrant was issued following an application moved by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the serial sex abuse cases in Hassan, well-placed sources confirmed.

In an exciting development, researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute have made a major stride toward an effective HIV vaccine. Their experimental vaccine candidate was able to trigger the production of powerful antibodies that can neutralize multiple strains of HIV in a small clinical trial.

The study, published in the journal Cell, provides proof-of-concept that it is possible to induce these highly desired “broadly neutralizing antibodies” through vaccination alone – something never before achieved.

“This work is a major step forward as it shows the feasibility of inducing antibodies with immunizations that neutralize the most difficult strains of HIV,” says senior author Barton F. Haynes, M.D., the director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, in a media release. “Our next steps are to induce more potent neutralizing antibodies against other sites on HIV to prevent virus escape. We are not there yet, but the way forward is now much clearer.”

So, what makes these antibodies so special? To understand that, we need to know a little more about how HIV affects humans. The virus rapidly mutates as it replicates, constantly changing its outer coating to evade the antibodies the human immune system produces. Most HIV antibodies can only recognize and neutralize one specific strain.

However, broadly neutralizing antibodies target a region on HIV’s outer envelope that remains stable despite mutations. This means they can disable a wide range of HIV strains, making them a key target for an effective HIV vaccine.

In the phase 1 clinical trial, the experimental vaccine targeted this stable membrane proximal external region (MPER) on HIV’s outer coat. Out of 20 participants, antibodies capable of broadly neutralizing HIV strains were detected after just two vaccine doses in several individuals.

“To get a broadly neutralizing antibody, a series of events needs to happen, and it typically takes several years post-infection,” says lead author Wilton Williams, Ph.D., an associate professor in Duke’s Department of Surgery and a member of DHVI. “The challenge has always been to recreate the necessary events in a shorter space of time using a vaccine. It was very exciting to see that, with this vaccine molecule, we could actually get neutralizing antibodies to emerge within weeks.”

The vaccine successfully activated essential immune cells and antibody development pathways. Crucially, the cells remained in an adaptable state, allowing them to continuously evolve along with the mutating virus – a major hurdle for previous HIV vaccine attempts. While more work is still necessary to strengthen the antibody response and target additional viral regions, the researchers are highly encouraged by these early results.

Dr. Haynes adds that a successful HIV vaccine will likely require at least three components aimed at distinct viral regions.

“Ultimately, we will need to hit all the sites on the envelope that are vulnerable so that the virus cannot escape,” Haynes concludes. “But this study demonstrates that broadly neutralizing antibodies can indeed be induced in humans by vaccination. Now that we know that induction is possible, we can replicate what we have done here with immunogens that target the other vulnerable sites on the virus envelope.”

Source: https://studyfinds.org/hiv-vaccine-breakthrough/

It was on May 19, 1982, that EVMs were used in Kerala as a pilot project where 50 out of the 84 polling stations used the first-ever secure direct digital vote recording device in the world.

New Delhi: It is a well-known fact that India is the world’s largest democracy, but not many know that it is India that perfected and deployed mass electronic voting for the first time anywhere in the world. So, the country, in a way, was also the pioneer of digital democracy.
It was on May 19, 1982, that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used in Kerala as a pilot project in the North Paravur constituency, where 50 out of the 84 polling stations used the first-ever secure direct digital vote recording device in the world. The second country to try EVMs was the Netherlands, almost a decade later in the 1990s, according to data from the Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank.

“EVMs and India have a fascinating history; they came well before the Information Technology revolution. IBM had just introduced personal computers in the USA a few months earlier when India got EVMs,” explains Professor Rajeeva L Karandikar from the Chennai Mathematical Institute, adding, “They are truthful machines.”

“Most of us know that India invented the zero long eons ago, but more recently, in 1982, India became the world’s first country to use that ‘zero’ in electronic voting machines, since electronics is all about zeroes and ones. Today, nearly a billion people will cast their votes on tamper-proof third-generation EVMs. So there should be no doubt that India is the mother of democracy and today a digitally empowered democracy. India was a pioneer in using electronic voting machines and remains the fountainhead of innovation for secure electoral voting,” explains a director of an IIT who is deeply involved in designing and securing the EVM technology.

“EVMs are a matter of pride for India as they cannot lie, and I have no doubts about the credibility of the machines,” asserted TS Krishnamurthy, a former Chief Election Commissioner under whose tenure EVMs became universal.

Even today, just about twenty-five countries use digital voting. According to the Election Commission of India, the countries using EVMs include the USA, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Namibia, Nepal, Bhutan, Armenia, and Bangladesh, to name a few.

Globally, there are several types of digital voting. There is fully electronic voting like India has, and then there are systems where only the counting is electronic. Some countries, like Estonia, have started using internet-based remote voting, while others have internet-based voting at designated polling stations. Some use optical scanners with both networked and non-networked machines.

In most countries, electronic voting devices are made by private companies, which are considered less cyber secure compared to the government-owned facilities in India that manufacture the EVMs. The world’s most advanced country, the USA, uses several different forms of electronic voting and has no nationwide standard. Some believe that blockchain-based voting could be the way forward. Who knows, India could well enable Aadhaar-based voting in the future, but all internet-based voting is prone to cyber fraud, say experts.

This year, half the world’s population is going to hold elections, but it is only in India that 969 million voters are eligible to cast their votes, and all of them will be recorded digitally in over 1.05 million polling booths. In fact, in the first four phases of voting, ECI data shows that already 451 million Indians have cast their vote. To put this in perspective, the number of voters who have cast their vote digitally in the last few weeks is more than the entire population of the USA, which is about 335 million.

Since 2004, all Parliamentary elections have been conducted using EVMs, and ECI data indicates that some 3,200 million, or 320 crore, votes in all have been cast to date on EVMs—a whopping number—and not even one recorded case of tampering has been proved.

Interestingly, several countries have initiated electronic voting, but some have given up after a short trial as they did not find them to be cyber secure. This includes the Netherlands and Germany, both of which have abandoned electronic voting. The vulnerability and fault lie in using networked machines, in which citizens had little trust.

“The benign beauty of India’s EVMs is that they are designed for a 21st-century electronic gadget, and hence this makes them tamper-proof and hacking-resistant,” explains an expert from IIT-Bombay who assisted the ECI in designing the EVMs.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2024-india-1st-country-in-the-world-to-use-evms-5684833

Weather updates: Una in Himachal Pradesh experienced its hottest day of the season, with temperatures reaching 43.2 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued a heatwave warning in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh over the next five days. It also predicted heatwave conditions in states like Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for the next four days.

Delhi sizzled in extreme weather conditions with the mercury soaring to 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh area, making it the hottest place in the country, the IMD said . Meanwhile, in the lower and mid hills of Himachal Pradesh, Una experienced its hottest day of the season, with temperatures reaching 43.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, news agency PTI reported, citing the weather office.

Parts of Tamil Nadu have been experiencing moderate rainfall in recent days following intense summer heat. Over the past 24 hours, Kanniyakumari district recorded 7 cm of rainfall, while Thiruchendur, Thoothukudi, Valpari, and Thiruvarur each received 6 cm, and Tenkasi recorded 3 cm. Additionally, the Regional Meteorology Department issued a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall on Saturday in isolated areas of the Theni, Dindigul, and Tenkasi districts.

Heatwave forecast

– On Friday, maximum temperatures soared from 43 °C to 46°C in most places in Rajasthan, many areas in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab, and certain locations in Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.

– Isolated pockets in East Uttar Pradesh and West Madhya Pradesh experienced similar high temperatures, while readings ranged from 40-42°C at most places over Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, and some parts of Jharkhand. Isolated pockets in Odisha, Vidarbha, and Madhya Maharashtra also saw temperatures in this range.

– According to the IMD’s latest weather bulletin, heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely in some/many pockets over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi until May 21. Heatwave conditions are also expected in some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar until May 20.

On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station here and alleged that a member of Kejriwal’s personal staff “assaulted” her at the chief minister’s official residence, police officials said. Police have not yet received a formal complaint.

Delhi police on Thursday recorded former DCW chief Swati Maliwal’s statement in the alleged assault case. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with the case and has named Bibhav Kumar in the FIR. As per reports in ANI, the police has registered a case under IPC sections 354 (Assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (Word gesture or act of intent to insult), 323 (Assault) and other sections of IPC.

A Delhi Police team was at AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s house for more than four hours in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, officials said.

Led by Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha, the team went to Rajya Sabha member Maliwal’s residence around 1.50 pm to seek details of the incident, they said. Kushwaha was accompanied by a woman police officer.

On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station here and alleged that a member of Kejriwal’s personal staff “assaulted” her at the chief minister’s official residence, police officials said. Police have not yet received a formal complaint.

Earlier on Thursday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar over Maliwal’s allegations. His hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11 am.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/swati-maliwal-assault-case-delhi-police-records-ex-dcw-chiefs-statement-after-questioning-for-4-hours-probe-to-begin

He got 1066 votes while another senior advocate Pradeep Rai secured 689 votes on the post.

Sibal had earlier too served as president of the SCBA.

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hailed the win of Sibal as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association “by a landslide”.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/kapil-sibal-elected-president-of-supreme-court-bar-association-3026117

Nainital: The High Court Bar Association of Uttarakhand has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on the proposed shifting of the high court out of Nainital.

The plea is in the form of a Special Leave Petition (SLP).

On May 8, the Uttarakhand High Court had asked the state government to identify the most suitable land for the relocation of the high court.

The decision had sparked a protest by the bar association which had approached the bench and opposed the order of shifting the high court out of Nainital.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttarakhand/uttarakhand-bar-association-moves-sc-against-proposed-shifting-of-hc-out-of-nainital-3026125

Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan may witness ‘severe heatwave conditions’ this weekend. An orange alert has been issued for these states, including a ‘high health concern’ for vulnerable people. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the sultry conditions will prevail over northwest India over the next five days.

“Severe heatwave conditions are very likely in some parts of west Rajasthan during May 17-20 and in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during May 18-20,” the IMD said. The mercury could soar to 45 degrees Celsius in the national capital by Saturday.

An orange alert was also issued by the Met office for Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi, while emphasising the ‘high health concern’ for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases. It warned of an increased likelihood of heat-related illnesses in people exposed to the sun for prolonged periods or engaging in heavy work.

From May 18 onwards, a fresh heatwave spell will also commence over east and central India.

The weather office also issued a yellow alert for east Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha. The Met office had earlier predicted a higher-than-normal number of heatwave days in the northern plains and central India in May.

Normally, the northern plains, central India and adjoining areas of peninsular India experience around three days of heatwaves in May. April saw record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast and southern peninsular India, prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend in-person classes in schools.

Several places recorded their highest-ever April day temperatures, with the mercury soaring to 47 degrees Celsius. At least two people died in Kerala due to suspected heatstroke.

According to IMD data heatwave days in April were the highest in 15 years in Gangetic West Bengal and nine years in Odisha. Odisha also experienced the longest heatwave spell (16 days) in April since 2016.

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/heatwave-alert-delhi-punjab-haryana-uttar-pradesh-mercury-may-hit-45-degree-celsius-8892995.html

A child experiencing difficulties in reading or falling behind in school may be evaluated for dyslexia — a learning disorder that makes it harder to read. While well-intentioned, educational and clinical psychologists say rushing to diagnose a child with dyslexia may do more harm than good.

In a new book, The Dyslexia Debate Revisited, experts are calling for a halt to the overdiagnosis of this learning disability. Instead, they argue that policymakers, educators, and psychologists should rethink how we assess reading levels and improve reading resources.

The authors argue that how a child is diagnosed with dyslexia is scientifically questionable. Additionally, even when someone is diagnosed, the current procedures designed to help students struggling to read are largely ineffective. Children with inadequate support for reading tend to come from minority backgrounds or economically disadvantaged schools and communities.

“We desperately need to reform education policy and practice around the assessment and support of all children who experience difficulty with reading. Currently, too many children are being left behind,” says co-author Julian Elliot, a professor of educational psychology at Durham University, who previously instructed children with learning disabilities, in a media release. “The current system is leaving swathes of children struggling, particularly those in economically disadvantaged schools and communities. This is surely wrong.”

Rather than trying to label a child once they receive a dyslexia diagnosis, the authors argue the primary focus should be to give struggling readers support and intervention as early as possible. This includes training elementary school teachers to identify and intervene with children struggling to read. Additionally, systems need to be put in place to provide additional educational support.

The authors recommend that policymakers and educators have intervention strategies already planned out for struggling readers of all ages. Having a clinical diagnosis of dyslexia excludes many other struggling learners from accessing resources that would also benefit them. Another strategy is to give greater recognition to recommended interventions, whether someone is dyslexic or not.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/kids-struggle-read-dyslexic/

The district administration has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/west-bengal/lightning-strikes-kill-11-injures-two-in-bengals-malda-district-3025808#google_vignette

Reacting to the post Pm Modi wrote, “Absolutely! Nothing more satisfying than connecting people and improving lives

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reacted to actress Rashmika Mandanna’s appreciation post of the newly-built Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, officially known as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu on Thursday and shared it on her X account.

Reacting to the post Pm Modi on his X account wrote, “Absolutely! Nothing more satisfying than connecting people and improving lives.”

In India, it is a common practice for customers to receive complimentary coriander leaves (dhaniya patta) when buying vegetables at the local markets. This exchange is so customary that it often happens without any verbal request – the vendors just include the coriander leaves automatically. However, this tradition doesn’t translate to grocery delivery platforms. Recently, an X (Formerly Twitter) user shared his dismay on social media about this issue, mentioning that his mother was particularly unhappy about having to pay for coriander leaves with a vegetable order on grocery platform Blinkit.

Ankit Sawant also tagged Albinder Dhindsa, CEO of Blinkit, in the post, suggesting that Blinkit should consider including coriander leaves for free with a certain minimum purchase of vegetables.

“Mom got a mini heart attack because she had to pay for dhaniya on Blinkit. @albinder- mom is suggesting that you should bundle it for free with a certain amount of veggies,” he wrote on X.

Albinder quickly noticed Ankit’s post and promptly acted on the suggestion. Retweeting Ankit’s post, Albinder wrote, “It’s live! Everyone please thank Ankit’s mom. We will polish the feature in the next couple of weeks.” Along with the message, he shared a screenshot of the Blinkit order page, where coriander leaves were now listed as a “free gift” alongside the other vegetables ordered.

Albinder’s swift action to include this feature gained significant traction online, amassing over 430,000 views. Many users praised Albinder for his prompt response, expressing their admiration in the comments.

One user humourously commented, “This dhaniya update is worth a billion dollars in market cap. 5% higher closing tomorrow.” Another highlighted the impressive use of social media, stating, “By far the one of the most impressive usage of Social Media ( X specifically ) and fast implementation by the company. Betting big time on Zomato & Blinkit!”

Source: https://www.news18.com/viral/blinkits-free-dhaniya-update-after-request-from-a-desi-mom-is-a-hit-8892463.html

An action of acquiring property without following the due procedure would be outside the authority of law, the judgment authored by Justice PS Narasimha said.

A giant hoarding collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Monday due to heavy rain and a dust storm. The owner of the firm that installed the billboard has been arrested.

Bhavesh Bhinde, who owns Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the ad agency that installed the now-collapsed hoarding in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, was arrested from Rajasthan on Thursday. Bhinde was found hiding in a hotel in Udaipur.

The giant hoarding collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Monday due to heavy rain and dust storm. The billboard had collapsed on the Police Ground fuel station along the Eastern Express Highway, killing 16 people and injuring dozens others.

Afterwards, the Mumbai Police registered a case against Bhavesh Bhinde, whose firm had installed the hoarding, for culpapble homicide.

Bhinde has 23 previous criminal cases against him. In January this year, a rape case was also registered against him at the Mulund Police Station.

He was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, experts believe that the weak and poor foundation of the hoarding’s pillar caused it to fall.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/story/bhavesh-bhinde-owner-of-firm-behind-killer-mumbai-hoarding-arrested-billboard-collapse-2540052-2024-05-16

A doctor at Kozhikode Medical College in Kerala performed surgery on a child’s tongue instead of her finger. He was suspended after the incident sparked a controversy.

The girl was admitted for the removal of her sixth finger. However, upon coming out of the operating theatre, the family was shocked to discover that the operation had been performed on her tongue.

The parents alleged that when questioned, the doctor claimed that a cyst had been diagnosed inside the mouth, necessitating tongue surgery. The family refuted this, asserting there had been no issue with the girl’s tongue and condemning the doctor’s negligence as “shameful”.

A family member stated that hospital authorities informed them it was a mistake, as surgeries for two children had been scheduled on the same date.

The incident sparked outrage in the state, prompting Health Minister Veena George to suspend Dr. Bijon Johnson after receiving a report from the Director of Medical Education.

The minister has issued strict instructions for hospitals to adhere strictly to surgery and other medical procedure protocols.

A police case was filed against the doctor based on a complaint from the girl’s family, citing IPC Sections 336 (endangering the life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others).

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/kerala/story/kerala-doctor-operates-child-tongue-instead-of-her-sixth-finger-suspended-2540114-2024-05-16

The bench also directed for the CCTV footage of the police station and the call data record of the police officers concerned to be preserved.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought a status report on the inquiry being conducted into the alleged suicide in police custody of an accused arrested in the case of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence.

A vacation bench of Justices Sandeep Marne and Neela Gokhale also directed for the CCTV footage of the police station and the call data record of the police officers concerned to be preserved.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Rita Devi, mother of accused Anuj Thapan, who died on May 1 inside the toilet of the Mumbai police crime branch’s lock-up.

While the police claim that Thapan killed himself, his mother in her petition filed on May 3 in the high court alleged foul play and claimed that he was killed. In her plea, Devi sought the high court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the death of her son.

The petition said Thapan was physically assaulted and tortured by the police in custody.

On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde told the court that as per law a magisterial inquiry has been initiated into the death.

An Accidental Death Report (ADR) has also been filed and the probe into the same has been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 3, Shinde said.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/salman-khan-house-firing-case-bombay-hc-seeks-status-report-on-inquiry-into-custodial-death-of-one-accused-3023836

High Court was assured that the books will be supplied by 10 May but today it was informed that the task can be completed only by July.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday warned that it will issue suo motu contempt of court notice to the Deputy Director of the Education department for government’s failure to supply textbooks to students studying in government-run schools.

A Division Bench of Acting Chief Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that in the government, in its affidavit dated May 2, had said that textbooks will be distributed to students by May 10, before the start of summer vacations.

However, a report dated May 15 said that the task would be completed by July.

The Bench expressed strong displeasure over the delay and said that it was not proper for the government to give a deadline and then not comply with it.

“It is not done, we will take you to task… This is not proper that you give us a deadline and not comply with it,” the Court remarked.

However, the Court stopped short of issuing notice after Delhi government’s Standing Counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi made an assurance that students will get their books by the time schools reopen after summer vacations in July.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-high-court-warns-contempt-of-court-action-non-supply-textbooks-government-schools

New Delhi: Former Union finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram welcomed the Supreme Court’s judgment pronouncing the arrest of the NewsClick founder invalid, saying that justice has triumphed.
“NewsClick founder was arrested on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court ruled today that his arrest was illegal. Justice will ultimately triumph and it has today,” Mr Chidambaram said in a post on X on Wednesday.

“Who will be held responsible for the illegal arrest? Who will pay the penalty for depriving the journalist of his freedom for over 7 months?” the Congress leader asked in the post.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court declared the arrest and subsequent remand of NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha invalid.

Mr Purkayastha was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court ordered that Mr Purkayastha be released, subject to him furnishing surety and bail bond.

The bench, in its verdict, took into account that a copy of the remand application and grounds of arrest were not provided to Mr Purkayastha, which violated principles of natural justice.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/who-will-be-held-responsible-p-chidambaram-on-newsclick-founder-prabir-purkayasthas-arrest-5672282

Prakash Kapde, 39, who shot himself in the neck with his service gun is survived by his aged parents, wife and two minor children, a brother and his family members.

A State Reserve Police Force jawan (SRPF), who was attached to the security detail of cricket legend Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, allegedly shot himself at his native home in Jamner town, an official said today.

The man has been identified as Prakash Kapde who had reportedly gone on a brief vacation to his ancestral place.

Kapde, 39, who shot himself in the neck with his service gun is survived by his aged parents, wife and two minor children, a brother and his family members.

Senior Police Inspector of Jamner Police Station Kiran Shinde said that the incident occurred around 1:30 am this morning at the victim’s home and the exact reasons behind the alleged suicide are being probed.

“As per preliminary investigations, he may have taken the extreme step owing to certain personal reasons, but we are waiting for the full details of the probe,” Mr Shinde guardedly told news agency IANS.

Kapde’s body has been sent for an autopsy and the Jamner Police have filed an accidental death report pending further investigations, including questioning his family members, colleagues and other acquaintances.

The SRPF is likely to conduct its independent inquiry into the incident as the matter involves a jawan assigned to VVIP security, sources told IANS.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/maharashtra-srpf-jawan-in-sachin-tendulkars-security-detail-shoots-himself-dead-with-service-gun

The CJI also stressed on the need to ensure an element of accountability of judiciary towards the people, particularly when it comes to transparency in the decision making process.

Indian courts have become more than just opaque physical spaces and have come to be reimagined not as ‘imposing ‘empires’ but as democratic spaces of discourse, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said in his address on Tuesday at the J20 summit in Brazil.

CJI Chandrachud stressed that COVID-19 pushed the frontiers of our court systems which were compelled to change overnight.

“Courts became more than just opaque physical spaces,” said the CJI.

The J20 Summit, overseen and coordinated by Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF), brings together presidents from the Supreme and Constitutional Courts of G20 member countries, as well as representatives from the African Union and the European Union.

The event has seen discussions on critical topics including social justice, environmental sustainability and the integration of technology for improved judicial efficiency.

CJI Chandrachud spoke on the topic ‘Digital Transformation and use of technology to enhance judicial efficiency’.

On judicial efficiency, the CJI highlighted that there was a need to look beyond efficiency of a judge and look at the process as well.

“When we speak of judicial efficiency, we must look beyond the efficiency of the judge and think of a holistic judicial process. Efficiency lies not only in outcomes but in these processes- which must ensure free and fair hearing,” he said.

The CJI also stressed on the need to ensure an element of accountability of judiciary towards the people, particularly when it comes to transparency in the decision making process.

“As judges, we are neither princes nor sovereigns who are above the explainability requirement ourselves. We are service providers and enablers of rights-affirming societies. The decision itself and the road leading up to it must be transparent, understandable to everyone with or without a legal education and must be broad enough for everyone to walk alongside,” he underscored.

On the aspect of technological strides made by the Supreme Court of India, the CJI stated that persons with physical impairments, pregnant women, and persons in their advanced years now have the choice to access courtrooms virtually.

“Over 750,000 cases have been heard over video conference. The proceedings of important constitutional cases in the Supreme Court are live-streamed on its YouTube channel bringing constitutional deliberations to the homes and hearts of all citizens,” said the CJI.

However, CJI Chandrachud also cautioned that the potential of technology lies in how we convert it to minimise pre-existing inequalities since inequalities are not neatly stacked compartments; they are rather a complex web of interwoven realities.

In this regard, he also highlighted the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.

“Technology is not a one-stop panacea for all social inequalities. Complicated issues such as AI-profiling and consequent stigmatisation of individuals in large language models, algorithmic bias, misinformation, exposure of sensitive information and opacity of black box models in AI must be tackled with sustained deliberative efforts and engagement about the dangers,” said the CJI.

Pertinently, CJI Chandrachud also commended legal journalists in India for bringing accurate court news to light by allaying misinformation and misunderstanding of legal proceedings.

Source : https://www.barandbench.com/news/indian-courts-have-become-democratic-spaces-cji-dy-chandrachud-at-j20-summit-in-brazil

The Supreme Court has slammed the Uttarakhand government for deploying forest fire staff on election duty amid ongoing forest fires. The state has seen over 1,437 hectares of green cover affected since November.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Uttarakhand government regarding the forest fires in the state, questioning why forest department staff were deployed on poll duty, while the fire was raging. The top court directed the Chief Secretary to personally appear before them on May 17 to explain the government’s actions to contain the fire.

The bench of Justices BR Gavai, Sandeep Mehta, and SVN Bhati expressed dissatisfaction with the Uttarakhand government’s “lackadaisical approach” and sought an explanation from the Chief Secretary regarding the steps taken by the state government thus far. Additionally, they asked why forest department officials were assigned election duties while the fire was ongoing.

“Why have you employed the forest fire staff on election duty amidst fire?” the top court asked the counsel for the Uttarakhand government after the court was informed the same.

However, a state official submitted to the court that the election duty had concluded, and the Chief Secretary had instructed them not to assign any officials to poll duty.

The bench responded, “It’s a sorry state of affairs. You are only making excuses”.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea on forest fires in Uttarakhand, where 910 such incidents have occurred since November 1 of last year, damaging forests in approximately 1145 hectares.

Advocate Parmeshwar told the court today that “There is a huge fire and 40 per cent of the forest is under fire. This is undoused.”

Responding to the advocate, the counsel for Uttarakhand said there were no new fires.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/uttarakhand-forest-fire-supreme-court-asks-why-is-forest-staff-on-election-duty-2539409-2024-05-15

Amit Shah said stones were being pelted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Amid violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, union home minister Amit Shah has vowed that India will take back PoK from its estranged neighbour. Addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Serampore, the BJP stalwart said while peace returned in Jammu and Kashmir since his party’s government revoked Article 370, chants of azaadi (freedom) have been echoing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Amit Shah said before the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, stones were pelted in the erstwhile state. “…now stones are being pelted in PoK,” he added.

Reacting to Mani Shankar Aiyar’s viral remark that India must respect atomic-power Pakistan, Amit Shah said India will take back PoK despite the country’s bombs.

“Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar say it should not be done as they have atom bombs. But let me say this — Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of India and we will take it,” he said, reported PTI.

The BJP’s star campaigner said Trinamool-ruled West Bengal will have to choose between voting for “jihad” and voting for “vikas” (development).

Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed if the BJP wins more than 400 Lok Sabha seats, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will be “merged with India”.

Addressing a rally in Jharkhand, he said the party will build the ‘Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi’ temple and ‘Gyanvapi temple’, and implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

“PoK will be merged with India if BJP gets over 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls. BJP needs over 400 seats to build the ‘Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi’ temple and ‘Gyanvapi temple’, and implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), just like when it crossed the 300-seat mark in 2019, it built the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It also ensured the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir, and implemented the CAA,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amid-unrest-in-pakistan-occupied-kashmir-amit-shahs-we-will-take-warning-101715761845919.html

MEA condoled the death of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (retd) on Wednesday, extending all assistance to bring his mortal remains back to India.

The ministry of external affairs on Wednesday condoled the death of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (retd), the Indian national who was working with the UN in Gaza. The MEA said India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York as well as its mission in Tel Aviv and Ramallah are extending all assistance in the repatriation of mortal remains of Waibhav Anil Kale to India.

Waibhav Anil Kale was killed after the vehicle he was travelling in came under attack in Gaza’s Rafah region on Monday.

The MEA, in an official statement, said “We are deeply saddened by the death of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd), Security Coordination Officer in the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) in Gaza on 13 May 2024. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and dear ones.”

“Our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and our Missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah are extending all assistance in the repatriation of mortal remains to India and continue to be in touch with relevant authorities regarding the investigation into the incident,” the ministry added.

Waibhav Anil Kale, who was working for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS), was killed when his vehicle was attacked in Rafah, where Israel is currently carrying out military operations.

Kale, 46, prematurely retired from the Indian Army in June 2022. He was a counter-terrorism specialist who also served as a UN peacekeeper before his retirement.

Kale’s death marked the first time an international staff member of the UN has died in the Israel-Hamas was since October 2023.

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York posted on X, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Col Waibhav Kale, working for the UN Department of Safety and Security in Gaza. Our deepest condolences are with the family during this difficult time.”

Further, the United Nations launched an investigation into the unidentified missile that hit Kale’s vehicle, claiming his life on May 13.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mea-reacts-to-death-of-ex-india-army-officer-col-waibhav-anil-kale-in-gaza-101715759004742.html

Anjali Ambigera was sleeping early this morning when 21-year-old Girish Sawant entered her home and allegedly stabbed her repeatedly with a knife.

A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Karnataka’s Hubbali, reportedly after she rejected the advances of a neighbour. Anjali Ambigera was sleeping early this morning when 21-year-old Girish Sawant entered her home and allegedly stabbed her repeatedly with a knife. Sawant is now on the run and police are looking for him.

Girish, it is learnt, had been pestering Anjali to start a relationship with him, but she had refused. This triggered the attack. Cops visited the victim’s home and recovered her body. Heart-rending visuals show her relatives wailing as the body is taken away for autopsy.

Hubbali-Dharwad police chief Gopal Byakod said the murder was reported in Veerapur Oni village. “We have registered the case and are investigating further to ascertain the motive behind this tragic incident. A team has been formed to apprehend the perpetrator,” he said.

This comes less than a month after Hubbali witnessed the shocking murder of 23-year-old Neha Hiremath by her former classmate Fayaz Khondunaik on a college campus.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/hubbali-news-anjali-ambigera-girish-sawant-neighbour-stabs-karnataka-woman-20-to-death-after-she-rejects-advances-5668180

Fourteen people were killed after a massive billboard crashed on a petrol pump in Monday’s storm

Eight years before a massive billboard in Mumbai crushed 14 people and injured many others during a storm, author Amitav Ghosh had warned of how the Maximum City’s billboards will become “deadly projectiles” if a cyclone strikes.

Mr Ghosh, who has repeatedly underlined the issues surrounding climate change in his work, wrote in ‘The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable’, “Many of the dwellings in Mumbai’s informal settlements have roofs made of metal sheets and corrugated iron; cyclone-force winds will turn these, and the thousands of billboards that encrust the city, into deadly projectiles, hurling them with great force at the glass-wrapped towers that soar above the city.”

Recounting the warning in the wake of the horrifying tragedy, Mr Ghosh said in a social media post that Monday’s storm was not even close to being a major cyclone and called for immediate steps to cut back on such billboards.

“In The Great Derangement I wrote that in the event of a major storm ‘the thousands of billboards that encrust’ Mumbai would turn ‘into deadly projectiles’. The recent storm was nowhere near as damaging as a major cyclone would be. Mumbai really needs to cut back drastically on billboards,” he said on X.

During a dust-storm and sudden showers in Mumbai on Monday afternoon, a 120 x 120-feet billboard collapsed on a petrol pump, trapping more than 100 people. Fourteen bodies have been recovered so far and rescue work is still on. Under fire, civic officials have said the billboard was illegal and was installed without permission.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amitav-ghosh-mumbai-billboard-tragedy-8-years-before-mumbai-billboard-tragedy-an-authors-warning-5667604

INDIA-MEDIA/:India’s top court orders release of journalist held in illegal funding case

By Arpan Chaturvedi and Sudipto Ganguly

India’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of the founder-editor of a news portal accused by police of receiving illegal funding from China, saying his arrest was invalid more than seven months afterwards, his lawyers said on Wednesday.

Police arrested Prabir Purkayastha early in October and raided the New Delhi office of NewsClick and the homes of journalists and writers linked to the English-language news site.

On Wednesday, the court said Purkayastha was not notified of the grounds for his arrest in a timely manner, according to his lawyer, Arshdeep Singh Khurana.

Purkayastha will be released from custody after furnishing a bail bond to a lower court, said Nitin Saluja, another lawyer in the case.

The investigation began after a report in the New York Times in August identified NewsClick as part of a global network receiving funds from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham, allegedly to publish Chinese propaganda.

Police accused Purkayastha of conspiring to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection, saying he had received large funds from China to push biased news criticising Indian policies and projects and defending Chinese policies and programmes.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indias-top-court-orders-release-of-journalist-held-in-illegal-funding-case-101715762300823.html

On Monday, the AAP MP and former DCW chief was assaulted at Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. The party has blamed Bibhav Kumar, the Delhi CM’s secretary.

Naveen Jaihind, the former spouse of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, on Wednesday demanded FIR against Arvind Kejriwal, two days after she was assaulted at the Delhi CM’s residence.

“An FIR should be lodged against Arvind Kejriwal, as the incident happened at his home. (AAP Rajya Sabha member) Sanjay Singh is Kejriwal’s parrot,” Jaihind told news agency ANI, and reiterated his charge that Singh was “aware” that of the incident.

Calling the CM’s residence a “gutter house,” the ex-chief of AAP’s state unit in Haryana again alleged “danger” to Maliwal’s life.

“She was threatened; otherwise, nobody would up call up the police or return from the police station. She is still being silenced,” he claimed.

Naveen also questioned the “silence” of the Union home ministry, Delhi, and the National Commission for Women (NCW). The Delhi Police reports to the Union home ministry.

Alleging “pressure” on Maliwal, a former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, Jaihind asserted that if his assistance is sought, “I will definitely help.”

“Swati cannot be silenced. I know what kind of pressure has been put on her. Delhi Police must take congisance of the matter. No one knows them (AAP) better than me,” he said.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/swati-maliwals-ex-husband-demands-fir-against-kejriwal-offers-to-help-police-101715752956225.html

Besides workers, members of a Vigilance team from Kolkata and senior officials of the Khetri Copper Corporation were also trapped following the collapse.

One of the 14 people who were trapped after a lift collapsed at a copper mine in Rajasthan’s Neem Ka Thana district passed away on Wednesday, hours after all of them were rescued.

Besides workers, members of a Vigilance team from Kolkata and senior officials of the Khetri Copper Corporation were also trapped following the collapse on Tuesday night.

Reacting to the news, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said: “The news of the death of a person in an accident caused by the fall of a lift in the mine of Kolihan, Khetri in Neemkathana district is sad. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and courage to the family members.”

He added: “The rescue team has evacuated all the people who were stranded since yesterday. I pray to God for everyone’s safety and speedy recovery.”

The incident took place in Hindustan Copper Limited’s (HCL’s) Kolihan mine, located in the Khetri area, at around 8 pm. Ambulances have been rushed to the spot and doctors have been asked to be prepared for any emergency.

“The workers are currently at 64 feet below ground level. Soon, all of them will be rescued and brought to Jaipur for treatment. Around 15 ambulances are on standby,” a police official said on the condition of anonymity.

Khetri MLA Dharampal Gurjar, who was at the spot, told The Indian Express: “Rescue operation is ongoing and the administration is trying its level best to get the lift out. They are even trying manually to move it. We are all present on the ground, and as of now, there is no confirmation regarding casualties. We hope the people are safe.”

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/jaipur/14-trapped-after-lift-collapses-at-rajasthan-copper-mine-9329142

Schools in Kanpur were threatened a day after seven Delhi hospitals received bomb threats by email on Tuesday

As many as 10 schools in Kanpur received bomb threats on Wednesday, after schools in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan’s Jaipur got similar messages in recent weeks.

Schools in the Uttar Pradesh city reportedly received the threat through an email that was linked to a Russian server.

The Kanpur police said that appropriate action is being taken in the matter. “Cyber cells are investigating. All DCP have been ordered to take teams to various schools in the city to restore public confidence and make necessary arrangements, including checking the CCTV footage,” Additional Police Commissioner, Harish Chandra, said in an official video statement on ‘X’.

“The police are also trying to establish if there is any link between the threats received in Kapur schools and those received in Delhi, Lucknow and other places,” he added, advising the public not to panic.

The incident took place a day after seven Delhi hospitals and Tihar Jail received bomb threats by email on Tuesday. Two days ago, similar messages were sent to 20 hospitals, the airport and the office of the Northern Railways’ CPRO in the national capital.

Nothing suspicious has been found as of now, officials said on Tuesday’s incident.

What is the source of threatening emails?

According to the Delhi Police, the emails were sent from ‘beeble.com’, a Europe-based mailing service company.

The contents of the email read, “I have placed explosive devices inside your building. They will explode in the following hour. This isn’t a threat, you have a few hours to disarm the bomb or else the blood of innocent people inside the building will be on your hands.”

“A group called ‘Court’ is behind this massacre,” it said.

Source : https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/kanpur-school-bomb-threats-after-delhi-and-jaipur-bomb-threats-made-to-10-schools-in-up-s-kanpur-124051500543_1.html

22-month-old Hridayansh is the son of a Rajasthan Police sub-inspector.

What unites a popular actor, a cricketer who has played for the Indian team, vegetable vendors and the common man? The answer, in a heartwarming story from Rajasthan, is the goal of saving a 22-month-old boy who had lost nearly all bodily function below the waist and needed to be given an injection worth ₹ 17.5 crore to ensure he led a normal life.
Hridayansh Sharma, the son of Rajasthan Police Sub-Inspector Naresh Sharma, is suffering from a rare genetic disorder called spinal muscular atrophy which can be treated with a single dose gene therapy injection called Zolgensma, one of the world’s most expensive drugs, which costs approximately ₹ 17.5 crore.

In February, when the boy was 20 months old, the Rajasthan Police had launched a crowdfunding campaign for him which had a strict deadline, because the injection can be administered only until a child is 2 years old.

The campaign garnered support from cricketer Deepak Chahar and actor Sonu Sood, who posted appeals on social media, and a drive to collect money from people across Jaipur saw contributions from people of all hues, including fruit sellers, vegetable vendors and shopkeepers. Various NGOs and social organisations also helped gather money for the campaign.

This is the first time that crowdfunding on this scale has taken place in Rajasthan.

In a span of less than three months, ₹ 9 crore was collected and Hridayansh was given the injection at the JK Lone Hospital in Jaipur. The remaining amount has to be deposited within a year in three installments.

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disorder in which a person cannot control the movement of muscles due to the loss of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain stem. This results in muscular weakness and affects the movement of limbs, and even breathing.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cricketer-to-vegetable-vendor-crowdfunding-helps-toddler-get-rs-17-5-crore-jab-5663245

Over 30-50 cars suffered damage due to the collapse of the metal construction

Mumbai was hit by a dust storm accompanied by rains at several places on Monday, May 13. However, the dust storm caused havoc near Barkat Ali Naka, Shri G Tower in the eastern suburb of Wadala-Antop Hill road, Mumbai.

A 14 storey under-construction metal parking lot collapsed, showed the video. Over 30-50 cars suffered damage due to the collapse of the metal construction.

Two fire engines and a rescue van were rushed to the spot.

Earlier, Mumbai and the surrounding Thane district and several areas in the suburbs of Mumbai witnessed light showers and dust storms.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-rains-terrifying-video-shows-14-storey-under-construction-metal-parking-lot-collapsing-in-wadala-amid-dust-storm

Mr Kamath prioritises his current pursuits and doesn’t feel the need to dedicate a significant portion of his life to raising a child.

In a recent episode of his podcast, WTF, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath discussed his views on parenthood. He mentioned that the traditional idea of having children to carry on a legacy doesn’t resonate with him. He prioritises his current pursuits and doesn’t feel the need to dedicate a significant portion of his life to raising a child.
“This is also partly why I don’t have kids,” Mr Kamath said. “I’m going to ruin 18-20 years of my life babysitting this child and then if luck serves me right, the reverse will happen at some point. What if he says ‘scr** you’ at 18 and leave anyway.”

When the topic of legacy came up, the 37-year-old entrepreneur revealed he doesn’t subscribe to the traditional idea of leaving one behind. “I think we all feel that we are more important than we are… you are born and you die like every other animal on the planet and then you are gone and nobody remembers anybody,” he said.

Nikhil Kamath further explained that having children solely to ensure he’s remembered after death doesn’t align with his values. “What’s the point in being remembered (after death)? I feel like you should come, you should live well, you should be nice to the people you meet in your life,” he said.

Demonstrating his dedication to social good, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath became the youngest Indian signatory to The Giving Pledge last year. This prestigious initiative unites philanthropists who commit a majority of their wealth to charitable causes. Mr Kamath credits fellow Bengaluru entrepreneurs and pledgers, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Wipro founder Azim Premji, as a source of inspiration for his own philanthropic journey.

“So, there are four people in India who have signed The Giving Pledge — the other three happen to be really good friends of mine. And Bangaloreans will resonate with this — all of them are from Bangalore. All four of us are friends. Me and Kiran live in the same apartment… we all tend to meet once in a month for dinner or travel together,” Mr Kamath said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/zerodhas-nikhil-kamath-opens-up-why-he-doesnt-have-children-going-to-ruin-5652988

CBSE 10th, 12th Results 2024: As per the data shared by Kejriwal, Delhi government schools have improved their pass percentage from 91.59 per cent in 2022-23 to 96.99 per cent in 2023-24.

CBSE 10th, 12th Results 2024: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) today (May 13) declared the Class 10 and 12 results for board exams 2024.

In terms of region-wise performance, Delhi government schools have recorded a pass percentage of 96.99 per cent. “Not only does this surpass our own performance of last year, but it surpasses the CBSE national average as well,” the Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on X (earlier known as Twitter). The overall pass percentage of CBSE Class 12 has been recorded at 87.98 per cent.

As per the data shared by Kejriwal, Delhi government schools have improved their pass percentage from 91.59 per cent in 2022-23 to 96.99 per cent in 2023-24.

According to the data shared by CBSE, Delhi West region recorded pass percentage of 95.64 per cent, while Delhi East recorded pass percentage of 94.51 per cent.

This year, the CBSE has also noticed an increase in the overall pass percentage. This year’s pass percentage is 87.98 per cent which is 0.65 per cent higher than previous year’s 87.33 per cent. Of the 16,33,730 students who registered for the CBSE Class 12 exams this year, as many as 16,21,224 students appeared. Of them, 14,26,420 students passed the exams. The pass percentage in Class 10 has been recorded at 93.60 percent, a rise of 0.48 percentage points from last year.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/cbse-results-delhi-govt-schools-surpassed-cbses-national-average-lauds-arvind-kejriwal-9325925/

HT reached out to Maliwal, a former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, for comments but she repeatedly disconnected the calls made

The Delhi Police on Monday received two calls from chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, claiming Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal was assaulted there, people aware of the matter said.

The people said Maliwal, who was out of the country for weeks and was largely absent during the chief minister’s internment in the excise police case, was at the residence to meet Kejriwal but his personal assistant Bibhav Kumar prevented her from doing so. HT reached out to Maliwal, a former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, for comments but she repeatedly disconnected the calls made.

An officer with the operations cell of the Delhi Police said that two calls were received regarding the alleged incident. “In the first call to 100 [emergency response number] made at around 9.40 am, the caller did not mention her name. But in the second call at around 9.54am…the caller told the police that her name is Swati Maliwal and Delhi chief minister’s aide Bibhav Kumar is manhandling her,” said the officer, asking not to be named.

Police said three vans were rushed “to the alleged place of occurrence”, where nothing could be found.

Maliwal separately arrived at the Civil Lines Police Station but soon left without lodging any complaint, a second police officer said, asking not to be named. It was not immediately clear why she did so.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor sought clarification from the office of the chief minister, who is on interim bail until June 1, to prevent rumours about the purported incident. He cited unnamed sources and claimed there was “a clash between an aide of the chief minister and a senior woman leader” at Kejriwal’s residence around 9.15am on Monday. He added a police call was also made.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/police-get-2-calls-alleging-swati-maliwal-assaulted-at-kejriwal-s-residence-101715580908376.html

An Indian-origin man has been arrested in Canada in connection with a multimillion-dollar gold heist at Toronto’s main airport, almost a month after the arrest of five others involved in the biggest theft in the country’s history.

On April 17, 2023, an air cargo container carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from a secure storage facility using fake paperwork, Peels Regional Police said. The gold and currency had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Shortly after the flight’s landing, the cargo was offloaded and transported to a separate location on airport property. It was reported missing to the police a day later. On May 6, 2024, investigators arrested and charged 36-year-old Archit Grover at the airport in Toronto as he flew in from India, according to the police.

The police had issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest earlier. He is charged with theft over Canadian dollars 5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, police said in a statement on Thursday. Grover was held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. He is also being indicted in the US for firearm-related charges.

Last month, two persons of Indian origin – Parmpal Sidhu, 54, and Amit Jalota, 40 — both from Ontario, were arrested in connection with the case along with Ammad Chaudhary, 43, Ali Raza, 37, and Prasath Paramalingam, 35. Besides, Canada-wide warrants were issued for Simran Preet Panesar, 31, from Brampton, who was also an Air Canada employee at the time of the theft and Arsalan Chaudhary, a 42-year-old man from Mississauga, the statement said.

According to the police, at least two former Air Canada employees allegedly helped in the audacious theft, one of whom is now in custody, while an arrest warrant has been issued for the other. Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed Sidhu and Panesar’s employment with the national flag carrier.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/indian-origin-man-held-at-toronto-airport-in-multimillion-dollar-gold-heist-after-he-flew-in-from-india-8887277.html

PM Narendra Modi also helped the Gurdwara management cook food for the langar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited the Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib Gurdwara and served food to devotees in its langar. Visuals of PM Modi’s ‘seva’ at the Sikh place of worship have gone viral.

A viral video shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi serving food to Sikh people from a steel bucket. Those receiving food from the BJP stalwart can be seen showing their gratitude.

PM Narendra Modi also helped the Gurdwara management cook food for the langar.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made for PM Modi’s visit to the famous gurdwara in Bihar’s Patna.

History of Patna Sahib Gurdwara
Takhat Sri Patna Sahib, also known as Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib, is one of the five takhats of the Sikhs.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh had commissioned the Gurudwara and takhat in the 18th century. It was constructed to celebrate the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

Narendra Modi in Bihar
On Sunday, PM Narendra Modi carried out a roadshow in Bihar’s capital. He is the first prime minister ever to hold a roadshow in Bihar.

PM Narendra Modi will today address election rallies in the state’s Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Saran constituencies.

Amid voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday morning asked the people of the country to vote in large numbers.

“In today’s 4th Phase of the Lok Sabha elections, 96 seats across 10 States and UTs are going to the polls. I am sure people in these constituencies will vote in large numbers and the young voters as well as women voters will power this surge in voting. Come, let’s all do our duty and strengthen our democracy,” he wrote on X.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pm-modi-wears-sikh-turban-serves-food-in-langar-at-gurdwara-patna-sahib-watch-101715577729252.html

The deal, significant for its potential impact on trade and geopolitics, had been in the works for years but had been stalled for various reasons

India and Iran are set to sign the long-term agreement for the operation and management of Chabahar Port on Monday. Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal will be in Tehran to ink the pact, sources told Business Standard.
The port, operated by India’s state-owned India Ports Global, was seen as the gateway to unlocking India’s trade potential with European countries, as it is a shorter route to Europe. According to industry estimates, the INSTC route takes 15 days less than the Suez Canal route for shipments to be transported.

The deal, significant for its potential impact on trade and geopolitics, had been in the works for years but had been stalled for various reasons.

“Most clauses where there was a contention have been agreed on, including arbitration,” the official said.
The issue pertains to a previous deadlock in the negotiations when Iran refused to agree to an international arbitration framework, citing the need for a constitutional amendment, even as India was adamant about the arbitration clause for transparency in dispute resolution.
While the model code of conduct due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections is in effect, the shipping minister had sought an exemption from the election commission to make the foreign visit.
Sources said this exemption was granted late last week.
India currently operates the Chabahar Port on a short-term agreement, which gets periodically renewed.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/india-iran-to-ink-chabahar-port-deal-today-sonowal-flies-after-ec-s-nod-124051300322_1.html

All of Hassan now feels like a crime scene. Allegations against HD Revanna & son Prajwal sent a chill down the spine of residents, who lived under a blanket of silence for decades.

For the woman in her late 40s, it was a day like any other. She was cleaning her employer’s room at his residence in South Bengaluru’s posh Basavanagudi area. The next thing she remembers is her employer Prajwal Revanna entering the room, bolting the door behind him and allegedly forcing himself on her.

“If you don’t do as I say, I’ll get your daughter raped, and kill you and your husband,” he told her, as narrated by her daughter to ThePrint over the phone. Prajwal did not stop there. He then allegedly preyed on the daughter, forcing her to strip on video call.

The woman and her daughter said they endured this “torture” silently for years. “They (Revanna family) threw us out of our home, got us beaten up by our relatives, abused us and now we are left with nothing,” said the daughter, her words punctuated with sobs.

At the time, there was no way they could have challenged the authority of the Revanna family. Such was the sense of fear in Hassan, the Janata Dal (Secular) bastion where Revanna family ran its writ over all matters of land, caste and local administration.

The villages of Hassan, hidden behind swathes of coconut trees in the lap of Kalappanahalli hills, are now in full glare of the country. There is little room for doubt that the most prevalent emotion the Revanna family elicits here is not respect or adulation, but ‘fear’. Residents compare the family’s rule here with that of the most infamous dictators in history and mythology — ‘Aurangzeb’, ‘Mussolini’, ‘Saddam Hussein’ and even ‘Duryodhana’.

In the last week of April, circulation of thousands of videos of sexual assault of women, allegedly recorded by JD(S) MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna, rocked the district.

His father H.D. Revanna stands accused of ordering the abduction of a woman who was allegedly raped by Prajwal. She was the same woman seen pleading in one of the videos. “Beda Anna, bitbidi (please brother, spare me),” she can be heard saying.

A family member of the woman, who was allegedly kidnapped and later fled to safety last week, said the woman was also raped at Prajwal’s residence in Basavanagudi in Bengaluru and the family farm in Hassan.

In the FIR based on a complaint by the woman in her late 40s mentioned earlier, Prajwal currently faces the charge of sexual harassment. Charges of rape could be added on the basis of her supplementary statement.

Speaking to ThePrint, the woman alleged she was also molested by H.D. Revanna, details of which she has shared with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe allegations against both JD(S) leaders.

“I have been getting threatening phone calls from the family of Bhavani Revanna to drop the case,” said the woman, adding that the SIT has made arrangements to ensure her safety and that of her family. She added that she dreamt of taking back the house her family built painstakingly and which was allegedly snatched by the Revanna family.

Karnataka State Commission for Women Chief Dr S. Nagalakshmi told ThePrint that “more and more women are establishing contact with the SIT, which is conducting this investigation with utmost confidentiality to protect the identities of the victims”.

Source : https://theprint.in/the-fineprint/revanna-republic-of-fear-how-sexual-assault-caste-bias-abuse-of-power-defined-life-in-hassan/2079789

In the last spring season, the 54-year-old Sherpa climber and guide had climbed the 8848.86 meters tall highest peak two times within a week setting a record for the 28th summit. But the climber has hinted at his plans to climb the peak twice this time again.

He reached the summit of Everest at 7:25 AM (NST) on Sunday while guiding an expedition organized by the ‘Seven Summit Treks’, as per the officials from the Department of Tourism.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/good-news/nepals-mountaineer-kami-rita-sherpa-climbs-mt-everest-for-29th-time-breaks-his-own-record-article-110048162

This is the second time in less than a year that a lift at Paras Tierea Society in Noida has malfunctioned.

A lift of a high-rise in Noida shot upward and crashed to the top floor of the building injuring three people after its brakes failed on Sunday night.

According to officials, three people inside the lift received injuries after the lift brakes malfunctioned at Paras Tierea Society in Sector 137, Noida. They said the lift was on the fourth floor of Tower 5 when its brakes failed and it ascended rapidly to reach the 25th floor. The roof of the tower was damaged because of the impact.

“Due to a technical fault, the lift came down with a jerk and went upward. All the people in the lift were taken out safely. The police force along with the station-in-charge was present at the spot,” said the police in a statement.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/3-injured-after-lift-brakes-fail-reaches-top-floor-smashing-roof-in-noida-high-rise-9324996/

Motherhood is a beautiful journey wherein right from family, friends and colleagues, play an important role in a woman’s life.

For Harshini Kanhekar, India’s first woman firefighter, it was her dream come true when she finally got into Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) through campus selection as fire officer in 2006. For the love of uniform, Kanhekar had joined the National Fire Service College in Nagpur, where she had the distinction of being the only woman student.

Currently serving as a deputy general manager in fire services at ONGC, she recounted her long journey filled with several challenges; some of them beautiful like motherhood. Hailing from Nagpur, Kanhekar had her first posting in Gujarat and then after four years, she was transferred to offshore drilling services at Sion.

In 2016, a biker by passion, she got married to a fellow biker Pranish Urankar. Two year later, they were blessed with a baby boy, Prahar, who is now in senior kg. “While motherhood is the best thing that could happen to me, it was also the most challenging phase,” Kanhekar said. Without the “unconditional support” of her husband and in-laws, it would have been immensely difficult for her to pursue her dreams.

When she resumed job after 10 months of maternity leave, her workplace was at the BKC. While there was a creche available at the office, travelling from the Panvel residence all the way to the BKC, that too with the child, was a daunting task, said Kanhekar. “There were two hours of bus travel and carrying the child in the bus was really tedious. He used to cry during the journey,” she recounted. After four months, Kanhekar heaved a sigh of relief when she got a transfer to Panvel. However, things had begun to fall in place, but then Covid struck.

After the pandemic abated, the office resumed and she had to often attend meetings, while also juggling to care for Prahar. “That is when my in-laws pitched in, assuring that I should focus on work, while they will take care of my son,” she exclaimed, adding that even her peers extended immense support. “During emergencies, I had to report to the office even on holidays. In such scenarios, I used to take my son along and he would sit on my chair. My colleagues have taken care of him like a superstar, helped him in studies, played with him and kept him entertained,” she underlined.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/motherhood-challenging-yet-beautiful-meet-this-44-year-old-indias-first-woman-firefighter

The BJD chief asked the Prime Minister how much he remembered about Odisha and the promises he had made to the people of the state.

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dared Naveen Patnaik to name all the districts of Odisha and their district headquarters without referring to any notes as a test of his knowledge of a state he has governed since 2000, the chief minister has hit back and reminded the PM of all his forgotten promises.
The Biju Janata Dal chief – who was seen as close to PM Modi, had supported the BJP in crucial votes in Parliament, and was reportedly also in talks for an alliance with the party – also accused the PM of ignoring the “brave sons of Odisha” for the Bharat Ratna, including his father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik, as well as the Odia language.

In a video statement on Saturday, Mr Patnaik said he was asked how much he knew about Odisha and then turned the question on its head and asked the Prime Minister how much he remembered about the state and the promises he had made to it.

“Even though Odia is a classical language, you forgot about it. You allotted ₹ 1,000 crore to Sanskrit but zero to Odia. You have forgotten about Odissi music too. I sent two proposals to grant classical status to Odissi music, but you rejected both of them. There are so many brave sons of Odisha, some of whom you spoke about today. Don’t any of them deserve the Bharat Ratna, including the great son of Odisha, Biju Patnaik,” he asked.

The chief minister accused the Prime Minister of forgetting his promise to the farmers of the state to double the minimum support price and said he should have kept the people of Odisha in mind and built the coastal highway – which has been in the works for a while – but forgot about that too.

Coal is Odisha’s natural wealth, Mr Patnaik said, and claimed the PM had “forgotten” to increase the royalty paid for that in 10 years.

“Remembering Odisha only during elections will not help. Do you remember the promises you had made in 2014 and 2019? The people of Odisha remember your promise to reduce prices of LPG, petrol and diesel, to create 2 crore jobs, to provide mobile connectivity to all, to reduce and waive GST. The people of the state have not forgotten any of these,” he said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-pms-name-districts-dare-naveen-patnaik-reminds-him-of-forgotten-promises-5642255

A man was arrested for unruly behaviour during a flight between Dubai and Mangaluru, following a complaint by the Air India Express crew, police said.

A man from Kerala was arrested for misbehaving with crew on an Air India Express flight between Dubai and Mangaluru. The man even threatened to jump from the aircraft.

Siddartha Das, the security coordinator for Air India Express, lodged a complaint against the passenger, after which he was caught by the airport security once the flight landed at Mangaluru. He was later handed over to the police.

“The individual in question, identified as Muhammad BC from Kannur, Kerala, was travelling on an Air India Express flight from Dubai to Mangaluru on May 8. He allegedly behaved in an unruly manner, creating disturbances during the flight, causing inconvenience to both the crew and fellow passengers. His actions endangered others as he made threats of jumping into the sea from the aircraft,” a senior police official said.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-man-misbehaves-with-crew-on-dubai-to-mangaluru-flight-threatens-to-jump-off-air-india-express-flight-2538069-2024-05-12

Shri Badrinath Dham on Sunday opened its doors at 6am for devotees, with Vedic chants and slogans of ‘Badri Vishal Lal Ki Jai’.

The Shri Badrinath Dham in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand opened its doors for devotees at 6am on Sunday, May 12, amid chimes of melodious tunes by the Army Band, with complete rituals. While welcoming devotees, Vedic chants and slogans of ‘Badri Vishal Lal Ki Jai’ echoes across the temple.

Hundreds of devotees thronged the entry of Badrinath Dham on Sunday morning, with the entrance decked up with flowers. Shri Badrinath Dham opened its gates for devotees after a break of six months. The portals of the temple were closed for winter beginning November 18.

The doors of three out of the four Dhams of Uttarakhand, Shri Kedarnath, Shri Gangotri, Shri Yamunotri Dham had already been opened on last Friday on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. Preparations for the opening of the doors have been completed by Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).

Ahead of its opening, Shri Badrinath Temple was decked up by the Temple Committee with the help of Shri Badrinath Pushp Seva Samiti Rishikesh, which made full preparations of the morning rituals taking place on Sunday.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/watch-shri-badrinath-dham-opens-its-doors-for-devotees-after-six-months-101715477793092.html

At least two people were killed and 23 injured in storm-related incidents as strong winds uprooted trees, electricity poles and led to portions of walls collapsing across Delhi.

A dust storm swept the national capital late Friday night. Representative image. Credit: iStock PhotoNew Delhi: At least two people were killed and 23 injured in storm-related incidents as strong winds uprooted trees, electricity poles and led to portions of walls collapsing across Delhi.

Power was also disrupted in many areas as a dust storm swept the national capital late Friday night.

According to officials, they received 152 calls, including 130 made to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), regarding incidents of uprooting of trees, electricity poles and hoardings.

They said 55 calls were also received about collapse of portions of buildings and structures in the city.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/delhi/two-dead-23-injured-as-dust-storm-sweeps-delhi-3018205

Devaraje Gowda had alerted the BJP leadership about Prajwal Revanna’s sexual atrocities through a letter. The Karnataka government ordered an SIT probe after explicit videos of sexual abuse of several women by Prajwal were widely shared on social media.

The case was registered against Devaraje Gowda last month. According to sources, the police action against the BJP leader came after they got inputs that Gowda was planning to evade arrest. “The cops have found evidence against him. They picked him up last night suspecting that he was trying to abscond,” a source said.

In her complaint to the police, the woman claimed that Gowda sexually harassed and physically assaulted her under the guise of offering assistance in a case related to her property.

The victim alleged that he threatened to kill her and her husband if she made the matter public.

According to reports, Gowda had alerted the BJP leadership about Prajwal Revanna’s sex clips through a letter. The BJP leader has however denied these reports. Gowda contested against HD Revanna in the 2023 assembly election.

The Karnataka government ordered an SIT probe after videos of several women accusing Prajwal, 33, of sexual atrocities were widely shared on social media.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/lok-sabha-election-karnataka-bjp-leader-devaraje-gowda-who-flagged-prajwal-revanna-tapes-arrested-in-sexual-assault-case-article-110026014 

Given that the legality of arrest is under consideration, a more holistic and libertarian view is justified, in the background of the ongoing polls, the Court said.

The Supreme Court today granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Excise Policy case till the end of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections (Arvind Kejriwal v. Director of Enforcement)

A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta noted that once the matter is sub-judice and the questions relating to legality of arrest are under consideration, “a more holistic and libertarian view is justified, in the background that the 18th Lok Sabha General Elections are being held.”

“The appellant – Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties. No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society,” the judgment stated.

Six women wrestlers have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who headed the Wrestling Federation of India.

A Delhi court on Friday framed charges of sexual harassment and outraging modesty of women against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for harassing five women wrestlers.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot of the Rouse Avenue Court passed the order.

“There is sufficient material on record to frame charges against Accused No 1 Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the offences punishable under Sections 354 [outraging modesty of a woman] and 354A [sexual harassment] of the Indian Penal Code with respect to Victim No 1, Victim No 2, Victim No 3, Victim No 4 and Victim No 5,” the Court said.

Judge Rajpoot said that there is also sufficient material on record to frame charges against Singh for the offence punishable under Section 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC with respect two wrestlers.

“As regard Victim No 6, Accused No 1 Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stands discharged,” the Court added.

The Court also charged co-accused Vinod Tomar with the offence of criminal intimidation for the offence against Victim No 1.

“He is discharged from the offence of abetment with regard to all the accused,” the Court said.

Tomar is the former assistant secretary of the WFI.

Six wrestlers levelled sexual harassment allegations against Singh. Based on their complaints, the police had registered a first information report (FIR) against the MP.

On June 15, 2023, the police filed a chargesheet against Singh for offences under Sections 354 (outraging modesty), 354A (sexually coloured remarks), 354D (stalking) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The complainants had earlier moved the Supreme Court for the registration of an FIR against Singh.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court was informed by the Delhi Police that an FIR was registered and that the investigation was on track.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-court-frames-sexual-harassment-charges-bjp-mp-brij-bhushan-singh

A special court in Pune convicted Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, sentencing them to life for the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, while acquitting three others.

A special court in Pune on Friday convicted two accused, Sachin Andure and Sarad Kalaskar, and sentenced them to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The court also acquitted three others, Virendra Tawade, Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave, for lack of evidence.

Tawade had been alleged to be the main conspirator of the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The trial in the 2013 murder case commenced in 2021, while Pune Sessions judge, PP Jadhav, had reserved the judgment in the case last month.

Dabholkar, founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti was shot by two bike-borne assailants while on his morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

He had been running the Samiti for many years when he published various books and undertook workshops for the eradication of superstition.

After his murder in 2013, amidst much public outcry, the case was transferred from the Pune Police to the CBI by the Bombay High Court, on the petitions filed by Dabholkar’s daughter and son.

The petitions concerning the case were still being heard by the court.

Subsequently, five accused, Virendra Singh Tawade, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, Vikram Bhave and advocate Sanjeev Punalekar were arrested in the case.

The five were charged with offences under Sections 302 with 120B or 34 for murder and criminal conspiracy and Section 16 (terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and provisions of the Arms Act.

They were also charged under section 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), for tampering with evidence.

The charges in the case were framed by the Pune sessions court on September 15, 2021 against all five accused.

The court observed that a conspiracy to eliminate Dabholkar was hatched so as to create a terror in the mind of the people, so that no one should undertake the work of ‘Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti’.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/narendra-dabholkar-murder-case-2013-two-accused-sentenced-to-life-imprisonment-three-acquitted-in-activist-2537438-2024-05-10

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi liquor policy case.

The Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its verdict on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail today.

Earlier this week, a bench, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, told the Enforcement Directorate’s counsel, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, that it may pass the order on interim relief to the Aam Aadmi Party chief on Friday.

Here are 10 points on Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail:

1. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court told Arvind Kejriwal’s lawyer that if it were to give interim bail to allow him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, he would not be allowed to work as the chief minister of Delhi.
2. Arvind Kejriwal’s lawyer told the court he would steer clear of files linked to the Delhi excise policy.
3. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing ED, opposed the court’s suggestion of the interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal. He questioned how a chief minister can be treated differently than a common man.
4. “How can a chief minister be treated differently from an aam aadmi? There can’t be any deviation only because he is a chief minister. Would campaigning for elections be more important?” he had told the bench. The agency said an interim bail to Kejriwal would set a wrong precedent.
5. Earlier, the Supreme Court questioned the Enforcement Directorate for taking two years to probe the case.
6. The Enforcement Directorate claimed in the court that Kejriwal had stayed in a 7-star hotel in Goa at the expense of a person who allegedly accepted illegal money for AAP’s election campaign in the state.
7. Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel has raised an objection to the affidavit filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposing his interim bail. His legal team claimed the affidavit betrayed blatant disregard of legal procedures.
8. Arvind Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court last month against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, after the Delhi high court upheld the move saying the agency had no other option as the chief minister hadn’t been joining the probe.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-interim-bail-supreme-court-likely-to-pronounce-verdict-today-10-points-101715309374897.html

India said Thursday that Canada has shared no evidence to back its allegation that the Indian government was involved in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year, despite the recent arrests of three Indian men in the crime.

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated India’s longstanding allegation that Canada harbors Indian extremists.

Three Indian nationals who had been living in Canada temporarily were arrested on Tuesday in the slaying last June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had set off a diplomatic spat with India last September when he cited “credible allegations” of India’s involvement in the slaying of the Sikh separatist. India rejected the accusations.

Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said after the men’s arrests that the investigation into whether they had ties to India’s government was ongoing.

Jaiswal said the two governments are discussing the case but that Canada has forwarded no specific evidence of the Indian government’s involvement.

Meanwhile, Jaiswal said New Delhi has complained to Canadian authorities that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence against India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. “Many of our extradition requests are pending,” he said.

“Our diplomats have been threatened with impunity and obstructed in their performance of duties,” Jaiswal added. “We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters,” he said.

The three Indian men arrested in Canada haven’t yet sought any access to the Indian diplomats there, Jaiswal said.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/india-canada-sikh-separatist-leader-killing-58f0377f3ceb7fc5eff6d50732a71f73

In the child custody matters, the bench said the desire of preference although in itself cannot be determinative of custody of the children, but it must be given due consideration on account of it being a factor of utmost importance.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/no-parent-to-be-accused-of-promoting-alienation-syndrome-without-specific-instances-supreme-court-3014806

Three terrorists have been killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Indian Army said.

Three terrorists, including a wanted terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba Basit Dar, have been killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Indian Army said, adding that the gunfight that began on Monday night concluded after almost 40 hours on Thursday morning.

The army officials also recovered several arms and ammunition from the terrorists.

“A Joint Operation, that commenced on the intervening night of 06-07 May in general area Redwani Payeen, Kulgam, has been concluded after a relentless vigil of approximately 40 hours. 03xTerrorists have been eliminated along with recovery of war-like stores, inflicting yet another hit on the terror ecosystem,” the Indian Army wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It added, “The Chinar Corps remains committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity in Kashmir.”

On the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, a fierce exchange of fire broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Redwani Payeen area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam. Following this, the Indian army and the Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint operation.

One of the eliminated terrorists – Basit Dar – e was involved in more than 18 cases, including killings of police and innocent civilians and planning of attacks on minorities. Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh on Basit Dar in a case of civilian killing and also issued a non-bailable warrant against him as he was accused of killing two non-local labourers in Kulgam in 2021.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kulgam-indian-army-says-3-terrorists-killed-40-hour-long-encounter-concludes-101715226508197.html

Heavy rains have been taking a toll on the large trees dotting the cities that are not prepared without a complaint from the neighbourhoods. A software professional was injured when a tree crashed over him earlier this week.

Bengaluru: More than 100 trees were ripped from the ground, streets became raging rivers, and power cuts blacked out many areas as pre-monsoon rains pummelled the city for the third consecutive day.

RR Nagar bore the brunt of the tree falls with 70 incidents, followed by the West Zone (30), East Zone (24), South Zone (16), Yelahanka (7), Dasarahalli (3), and Bommanahalli (2).

Heavy rains have been taking a toll on the large trees dotting the cities that are not prepared without a complaint from the neighbourhoods. A software professional was injured when a tree crashed over him earlier this week.

The downpour did not just topple trees; it also flooded roads, leaving motorists and pedestrians stranded. Broken and damaged electrical poles also disrupted power supply in a few neighbourhoods.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/day-3-of-pre-monsoon-rains-152-tree-falls-power-outages-and-waterlogged-streets-in-bengaluru-3014557

Abhijeet and Robin Gartan were arrested in New South Wales on Tuesday, two days after the fatal stabbing of Navjeet Sandhu in the Melbourne suburb of Ormond.

Two brothers from Haryana have been arrested in Australia for stabbing to death a 22-year-old MTech student from India. Abhijeet and Robin Gartan were arrested in New South Wales’s Goulburn on Tuesday, two days after the fatal stabbing of Navjeet Sandhu in the Melbourne suburb of Ormond, officials said.
“Brothers Abhijeet Abhijeet and Robin Gartan were arrested in Goulburn with the assistance of NSW Police,” the Victoria Police said in an official statement.

The victim and the accused were residents of Haryana’s Karnal.

According to the victim’s uncle, Sandhu was “fatally stabbed in the chest” with a knife by another student when he was trying to mediate a confrontation in a rent-related dispute between a group of Indian students. Navjeet’s 30-year-old friend also sustained injuries in the incident.

“Navjeet’s friend (another Indian student) had asked him to accompany him to his house to pick up his belongings as he had a car. While his friend went inside, Navjeet heard some shouting and saw there was a fight. When Navjeet tried to intervene asking them not to fight, he was fatally stabbed in the chest with a knife,” Sandhu’s uncle Yashvir was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/navjeet-sandhu-abhijeet-robin-gartan-2-brothers-from-haryana-arrested-for-killing-indian-student-in-australia-5621939

India was the top country receiving remittances in 2010, 2015, and 2020, with the remittances crossing the USD 100 billion mark in 2022.

India received over USD 111 billion in remittances in 2022, the largest in the world, becoming the first country to reach and even surpass the USD 100 billion mark, the United Nations migration agency has said.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in its World Migration Report 2024 launched Tuesday, said that in 2022, India, Mexico, China, the Philippines and France were the top five remittance recipient countries.

“India was well above the rest, receiving more than USD 111 billion, the first country to reach and even surpass the USD 100 billion mark. Mexico was the second-largest remittance recipient in 2022, a position it also held in 2021 after overtaking China, which historically had been the second-biggest recipient after India,” the report said.

According to the report’s data, India was the top country receiving remittances in 2010 (USD 53.48 billion), 2015 (USS 68.91 billion), and 2020 (USD 83.15 billion), with the remittances crossing the USD 100 billion mark to reach USD 111.22 billion in 2022.

It noted that with a very large number of migrant workers from the subregion, Southern Asia receives some of the largest inflows of remittances globally.

Three countries in Southern Asia – India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, rank among the top ten recipients of international remittances in the world, underscoring the significance of labour migration from the subregion.

“With India estimated to have received more than USD 111 billion in 2022, it is by far the largest recipient of international remittances in the world and the first country to ever reach that figure,” the report said.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were the sixth and eighth largest international remittance recipients in 2022, receiving nearly USD 30 billion and USD 21.5 billion respectively.

The report however noted that while remittances remain a lifeline for many people in the subregion, migrant workers from these countries continue to face a myriad of risks, including financial exploitation, excessive financial debt due to migration costs, xenophobia and workplace abuses.

The Gulf States remain significant destinations for migrant workers from around the world, and the 2022 football World Cup further underscored the importance of migrant labour to the subregion as well as rights violations.

Migrants continue to comprise high proportions of the total populations in many Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States.

In the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, migrants made up 88 per cent, nearly 73 and 77 per cent of the national populations, respectively.

Most migrants – many of whom come from countries such as India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya – work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, security, domestic work and retail.

The report added that nearly 18 million or 1.3 per cent of the total population, India is also the origin of the largest number of international migrants in the world, with large diasporas living in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-becomes-1st-country-to-receive-over-100-billion-in-remittances-un-5614408

An SII spokesperson said in a statement: “From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side effects, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), in the packaging insert in 2021.”

With British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca asking for the withdrawal of marketing approval of its Covid-19 vaccine in Europe, Serum Institute of India (SII), which partnered with the company to provide Covishield vaccines in India, said Wednesday it had stopped production in December 2021.

The European Medicines Agency, the medicine regulator for the European Union, had on Tuesday said that the marketing authorisation of the vaccine Vaxzevria, known as Covishield in India, has been withdrawn at the request of the company.

An SII spokesperson said in a statement: “From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side effects, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), in the packaging insert in 2021.”

Earlier, according to media reports, for the first time, AstraZeneca had admitted in British courts that its vaccines could, in very rare cases, have the potential to cause the rare side effect TTS, opening doors for payouts in a class action lawsuit. TTS leads to blood clots combined with low platelet count after immunisation with vaccines that use an adenovirus platform such as Vaxzevria and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen.

The first cases came to light within months of the vaccination drives beginning in Europe, with some countries halting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for a while. Although immunisation with the vaccine was resumed, it was not recommended for young women, who were found to be most susceptible to TTS.

While SII did include warning regarding TTS in the second half of 2021, stating that people with a history of clotting (thrombosis) and autoimmune disorders should refrain from using the vaccine, family members of those who died of TTS and other rare side effects said that the package insert was never accessible to the people getting the shot during the mass vaccination drive and no one was there to inform them about the possible effects.

AstraZeneca, however, maintained that the withdrawal has been initiated due to a surplus of available updated vaccines since the pandemic. AstraZeneca spokesperson in a statement told The Indian Express: “As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzervria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied. AstraZeneca has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the Marketing Authorisations for Vaxzevria within Europe.”

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/disclosed-all-side-effects-package-stopped-making-covishield-2021-sii-9316530/

According to the Trombay police officials, the deceased victim is identified as Prathamesh Bhokse, and on the evening of May 3, he had gone to a shop which was run by Anand Kamble and Mohammad Ahmed Reza Shaikh to eat chicken shawarma with his friends.

Mumbai: A 19-year-old youth died on Tuesday morning after consuming chicken shawarma from a local shop located at Mankhurd’s Maharashtra Nagar area, while at least 5 are still admitted at KEM Hospital, receiving treatments for food poisoning.

According to the Trombay police officials, the deceased victim is identified as Prathamesh Bhokse, and on the evening of May 3, he had gone to a shop which was run by Anand Kamble and Mohammad Ahmed Reza Shaikh to eat chicken shawarma with his friends.

Bhokse returned home as usual, but the next day, he started to experience stomach pain and vomiting. Thinking he would get better, Bhokse stayed home but since his vomiting didn’t stop up until the evening, his parents took him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

In the statement by deputy commissioner of police Hemrajsingh Rajput, Zone VI, he said that Bhokse felt alright after receiving the treatment but he couldn’t consume food for the whole day on April 5. By evening, again his symptoms continued, this time along with diarrhea.

Given the severity, Bhokse was taken to KEM Hospital in Parel where he was treated. Bhokse was given some medicines and sent back home. However, as he reached home, his symptoms continued and he was taken back to KEM hospital and this time, he was admitted for an elaborate treatment.

However, despite the treatment, Bhokse couldn’t survive and the doctors declared him dead on Tuesday morning at 10:30 am. DCP Rajput added that a case was registered against the two accused, who ran the chicken shawarma shop, for using spoiled chicken that led to the death of Bhokse.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-1-dead-5-admitted-due-to-food-poisoning-after-eating-chicken-shawarma-in-mankhurd

The DRF ( Disaster Relief Force) teams were deployed and were clearing water stagnation and fallen trees in various places in the city, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials said.

Heavy rain lashed the city and several parts of Telangana on Tuesday throwing the life out of gear in some parts.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/telangana/rain-havoc-7-killed-in-after-wall-collapses-in-hyderabad-3013087

Endorsements by public figures, influencers, celebrities etc. go a long way in promoting a product and it is imperative for them to act with responsibility, the Court said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday warned that social media influencers and celebrities would be equally responsible and liable if they are found endorsing products or services in misleading advertisements.

A Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah noted that there are Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines which call for influencers to be transparent about paid endorsements.

The Court went on to observe:

“We are of the opinion that the advertisers or the advertising agencies or endorsers are equally responsible for issuing false and misleading advertisements. Endorsements by public figures, influencers, celebrities etc. go a long way in promoting a product and it is imperative for them to act with responsibility when endorsing any product in the course of advertisements.”

The Court has emphasised that influencers and celebrities should ensure that they comply with CCPA guidelines while endorsing any product and should not abuse the trust placed in them by the public.

“They have to take responsibility for advertisements as contemplated in guideline 8 (ads that target or use children) and guideline 12 (duties of manufacturers, service providers and ad agency) to ensure that the trust of the consumer is not abused or exploited due to sheer lack of knowledge or experience. Guideline 13 requires due responsibility to be taken for advertisements and requires a person who endorses a product to have adequate information or experience with the specific food product to be endorsed, and it must be ensured that it is not deceptive,” the Court said.

The Court added that these CCPA guidelines and other provisions under the Consumer Protection Act are meant to ensure that the consumer is aware of the products purchased from the market, particularly in the health and food sectors.

The Court made these observations while dealing with a case filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against Patanjali Ayurved over misleading ads published by Patanjali which disparaged modern medicine.

The Court’s focus in this case was initially on Patanjali’s misleading ads (which the Court later imposed a temporary ban on), the failure of regulatory authorities to act against Patanjali, and the corrective steps to be taken by Patanjali and its promoters (Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna).

However, the Court’s attention was later drawn to several larger issues, including misleading advertisements by other consumer goods suppliers as well as unethical practices in modern medicine.

The Court today passed a slew of directions on these aspects today (click here to read more).

Advertisers need to give self-declaration before publishing ads: Court

The Court has also passed an interim “tide-over” order directing TV broadcasters and print media to file self-declaration forms assuring that any advertisement published or broadcast on their platform conforms to the laws in India, such as the Cable TV Network Rules of 1994 and the Advertising Code.

This self-declaration form is to be filed before the advertisement is carried.

The Court clarified that it should be made easy for the advertisers to file these self-declaration forms and that there should be no red-tape involved in the process.

“We don’t want a lot of red tape there (in submission of self-declarations by Advertisers). We don’t want to make it difficult for advertisers to advertise. We only want to make sure there is responsibility,” the Court said.

The Court proceeded to order that TV broadcasters be made to file the self-declaration on the Broadcast Seva portal run by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/celebrities-influencers-equally-liable-if-endorse-misleading-ads-supreme-court

India’s statement came in response to a Nagar Kirtan parade organised in Ontario, where floats and speeches aggressively targeted Indian political figures, including a depiction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind bars.

India has again slammed Canada for giving space to extremist elements after pro-Khalistan imagery was displayed at a Nagar Kirtan parade at Malton in Toronto.

In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “As you are aware, we have repeatedly raised our strong concerns regarding the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against our political leadership. Last year, a float depicting the assassination of our former Prime Minister was used in a procession. Display of posters of Indian diplomats have also been put out across Canada threatening violence against them.”

“Celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilised society. Democratic countries which respect the rule of law should not allow intimidation by radical elements in the name of freedom of expression,” he added.

The Nagar Kirtan parade was organised by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee, where floats and speeches aggressively targeted Indian political figures, including a depiction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind bars.

The parade, spanning 6 kilometres, featured inflammatory speeches by figures such as Paramjit Mand of Dal Khalsa and Avtar Singh Pannu, who has been declared a terrorist by Indian security agencies.

“We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear,” Jaiswal said.

“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” he added.

Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have been strained since Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a potential involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”.

Recently, Justin Trudeau, along with other prominent Canadian leaders, attended a Khalsa Day celebration event in Toronto. Videos from the event showed pro-Khalistan slogans being raised as Trudeau began addressing the crowd.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-canada-celebration-of-violence-at-pro-khalistan-parade-2536396-2024-05-07

Accused killers of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar made a brief court appearance in British Columbia. The murder caused tensions between Canada and India. Canadian police are looking into connections to the Indian government

TORONTO: The three men accused of murdering Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in a killing that triggered a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India appeared briefly in a British Columbia courtroom on Tuesday.

Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22, all Indian nationals, face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The three appeared via video link wearing orange prison uniforms.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prompted a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi when he cited evidence of Indian government involvement in Nijjar’s death.

Canadian police said Friday they are probing whether the three accused had ties to the Indian government.

India has denied involvement in Nijjar’s death. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday India will wait for Canadian police to share information on the three accused.

“One of our concerns which we have been telling them is that, you know, they have allowed organized crime from India, specifically from Punjab, to operate in Canada,” Jaishankar said.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a “terrorist.”

Canadian Sikh leaders have called for Canada to investigate Indian interference in Canadian affairs. Nijjar’s longtime friend Moninder Singh called the arrests in his friend’s death “bittersweet” last week.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/i-pray-but-bengal-governor-ananda-bose-says-saving-mamata-banerjee-difficult-for-god-amid-molestation-probe-11715008777963.html

The Bare Necessities Index measures quality and accessibility of basic needs in India. It is based on 26 indicators across five dimensions: water, sanitation, housing, microenvironment, and other facilities.

Citing the “Bare Necessities Index” developed in Economic Survey 2020-21, former CEA Krishnamurthy Subramanian said India’s Muslim community benefited as much as Hindus from various schemes of the Modi government, including those for housing, health benefits and power.

The Bare Necessities Index measures quality and accessibility of basic needs in India. It is based on 26 indicators across five dimensions: water, sanitation, housing, microenvironment, and other facilities.

“The increase in the index from 2012 to 2018 (latest available data from NSSO surveys) is the same for Hindus and Muslims. Thus, Modi Government has helped to improve access to the bare necessities equally to Hindus and Muslims. The access to bare necessities has improved for every religious group in the country. As access to bare necessities was higher for other religious groups, their increase has been lower. Yet, the levels of access to bare necessities remains higher for the other religious groups as of 2018,” he said in a post on X.

Subramanian said the Prime Minister had “walked the talk” of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. “Think about your kids and their economic future and get out of the psychology of fear created by vested interests.”

A recent study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister said that there was no evidence of the Modi government catering only to one community from 2015-16 to 2019-21, and has claimed that in some cases, minority communities have gained more than majority.

Titled ‘A Secular Democracy in Practice: Objective Assessment of Amenities Programs in India’, the study by EAC-PM member and economist Shamika Ravi examined the gains in electricity, bank accounts, mobiles, and toilets, citing the data to contest the perception of ‘dwindling democracy’ in India as alleged by opposition parties.

Source: https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy/story/modis-policies-have-benefited-muslims-as-much-as-hindus-former-cea-wades-into-a-contentious-debate-428517-2024-05-07

The complaint was lodged by the parent of one of the boys. He told the police that his son and four other children were playing when their ball flew into a nearby BEST power station.

Mumbai: The special POCSO court has sentenced a security guard to 10 years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting five children in December 2018. The complaint was lodged by the parent of one of the boys. He told the police that his son and four other children were playing when their ball flew into a nearby BEST power station.

When the children went into the premises to retrieve the bail, the guard, 24-year-old Surendrakumar Jaiswal, caught them. Jaiswal made them strip and took their photos. Thereafter, he took one of the boys to another floor and sexually assaulted him. He then sexually assaulted all the children.

The complainant said the accused threatened the boys that he would upload their picture on social media if they discussed the incident with anyone. The public prosecutors, Vinod More and Veena Shelar, examined 13 witnesses, including the complainant and the children. The children identified the accused and narrated the entire incident before the court.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-security-guard-sentenced-to-10-years-in-jail-for-sexually-assaulting-5-children-in-2018

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam’s personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and his house help after it recovered “unaccounted cash”, estimated to be Rs 34.23 crore.

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam’s personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and the latter’s house help Jahangir after it recovered “unaccounted cash” worth Rs 34.23 crore during a raid on Monday.

The PTI news agency said the two men were arrested under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after they were questioned overnight.

A video shared by news agency ANI showed Sanjiv Lal and Jahangir Alam being brought to the court before their arrest.

On Tuesday, Lal and Jahangir will be produced before a court today, following which the Enforcement Directorate will take them on remand.

On his part, Alam, the 70-year-old Congress leader and Jharkhand’s Rural Development Minister, has denied any wrong doing.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate conducted multiple raids in Ranchi, including a flat occupied by Lal’s house help, in connection to a money laundering case against Virendra K Ram, a former chief engineer of the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, who was arrested in February 2023.

The case is linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes in the department.

Besides the huge amount of cash and jewellery recovered from Jahangir’s premises, the probe agency also found Rs 3 crore at another location that belonged to builder Munna Singh, who used to work as a contractor in the Jharkhand Rural Development Department.

The money laundering case against Virendra K Ram stems from a complaint by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jharkhand-ministers-aide-his-help-arrested-after-rs-3423-crore-cash-recovered-during-ed-raid-2536056-2024-05-07

In a road rage incident in Greater Noida, a family of four was assaulted by a group of men around 1 a.m. in the Knowledge Park area as they were on their way to a hospital. The frightening ordeal was captured on the family’s car dashcam. The attackers, driving a BMW, not only repeatedly rammed into the family’s car from behind but also overtook them multiple times and hurled bottles at their vehicle.

As shared by CarsIndia on Reddit, the video shows several cars approaching from the opposite direction, and a BMW aggressively overtaking a vehicle in front of the family’s car. Despite the family’s car not making any mistakes or retaliating, the BMW started tailing them down a deserted road. After overtaking them once and attempting to engage in an argument by stopping in front of their car, the driver of the EcoSport carrying the family chose to avoid confrontation and changed his route.

As the family continued to drive at a high speed, with a woman in the background heard calling for emergency assistance, the BMW continued to ram and attack their car from behind.

The BMW once again overtook them, this time on a road with no alternate routes, and 2-3 individuals exited the BMW to throw bottles at the family. Thankfully, the driver, remaining calm and alert, quickly reversed the car and then made a U-turn to accelerate away.

Goons in BMW attacked family at 1 AM in Greater Noida, this is so scary man, also shows the importance of dashcam
byu/D_Invincible inCarsIndia

This portion of the video, which was shared on Reddit, quickly went viral, instilling fear in the viewers.

“High beam, overtaking through the wrong lane, damaged the car, it was 100% their mistake after all that they have b***s to not only turn around and chase after them but start hitting them. Sometimes I wish I was just a vigilante chasing after these type of people and breaking each and every bone in their body,” commented one user. Another expressed, “So Scary man !!!! Props to the driver for not panicking. He was so calm and controlling the car so smoothly,” expressed another.

Source : https://www.news18.com/viral/greater-noida-road-rage-men-in-bmw-attack-family-at-1-am-dashcam-records-scary-encounter-8879320.html