New Delhi, Aug 14: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed criminal defamation proceedings against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, holding that the requisite sanction from the Uttar Pradesh government for prosecution had not been obtained.
A Bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu allowed Gandhi's plea and set aside the summons issued against him by the lower court.
The case relates to remarks Gandhi made during the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra in 2022, when he described Savarkar as a “servant of the British” and alleged that he received a pension from the British.
SC Stays HC Order on Karur Stampede Jobs
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Madras High Court order that had quashed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide government employment to family members of those killed in the Karur stampede last year.
A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran passed the interim order while hearing the Tamil Nadu government's challenge to the July 27 verdict of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
During the hearing, the apex court questioned the challenge to the state's decision, observing that the government had offered employment to bereaved families following an unfortunate tragedy.
The High Court had struck down the decision to provide compassionate appointments to families of those who died in the September 2025 Karur stampede.
New Delhi, May 12: A massive protest organised by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) broke out near the Shastri Bhawan on Tuesday, against the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG this year. The exam was held on May 3, following which allegations of paper leak surfaced, triggering investigations by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) and central agencies. Earlier, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, and said the examination will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately. In a statement, the NTA said the decision was taken with the approval of the Government of India in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.
Srinagar, Feb 12: Jammu and Kashmir recorded over 15.48 lakh traffic violation cases in 2025, with authorities collecting more than Rs 34.17 crore as penalty under the Motor Vehicles Act, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday. The information was shared in the Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal. According to the official data, 15,48,525 challans were issued across the Union Territory in 2025, while the penalty amount recovered stood at Rs 34,17,36,740. The figures further show that in 2024, a total of 15,44,105 violations were registered with a penalty collection of around Rs 43.40 crore, while in 2023, 12,38,584 challans were issued and Rs 34.56 crore was collected. For the current year, till February 8, 2026, Jammu and Kashmir has recorded 1,63,531 traffic violation cases, with revenue collection of about Rs 2.11 crore. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stated that stricter penalties under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 are aimed at ensuring better compliance and deterrence. It also said that traffic enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of States and Union Territories. The government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for electronic monitoring and is promoting technology-driven enforcement through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras integrated with the VAHAN database. Awareness campaigns under the Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan are also being carried out to improve road safety.
New Delhi, Jan 25: The Dental Council of India (DCI) has directed all universities and dental colleges across the country to strictly ensure a minimum of 80 percent biometric attendance for Post Graduate students before allowing them to appear in examinations. The decision has been taken to curb absenteeism among postgraduate dental students. According to a circular issued by the Dental Council of India-a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the decision has been taken after multiple complaints were received from dental colleges in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh regarding non-attendance of PG students. "The matter was examined by the Grievance Sub-Committee of the DCI in its meeting held on November 24, 2025," the circular reads. It reads that after detailed discussion and deliberation, the committee recommended that all universities and dental colleges must ensure compliance with Regulation 18(a)(i) of the DCI Master of Dental Surgery Course Regulations, 2017, which mandates at least 80 per cent attendance. "The recommendation of the Grievance Sub-Committee has been approved by the Executive Committee of the Dental Council of India through circulation and has now been formally communicated for information and necessary action," the circular reads. As per the circular, all the universities and dental colleges have been directed to ensure minimum 80 per cent biometric attendance of all PG students before permitting them to appear in examinations. The order, issued by Deputy Secretary Dental Council of India Mukesh Kumar, is expected to be implemented with immediate effect across the country.
Srinagar, Jan 8: Contractual faculty members working in government degree colleges of Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department (HED) have expressed strong resentment over what they term as a glaring disparity in salaries, demanding revision of their pay in line with University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and regularisation of their services. The faculty, many of whom hold PhDs and are qualified through NET, SET and JRF, said they have been denied UGC-recommended pay scales despite discharging academic responsibilities equivalent to their regular counterparts. “Hundreds of highly qualified scholars have been pushed into silent suffering. For years, we have been assured that our pay revision is under consideration, but nothing has materialised so far,” said Dr Ishfaq Gowhar, a contractual faculty member. Earlier, Director Colleges J&K had acknowledged the legitimacy of the faculty’s demand, stating that while the issue was genuine, its implementation involved significant financial implications due to the large number of contractual appointments. “We are aware that they deserve salary enhancement, but the number of contractual faculty is huge and it has financial implications,” he earlier said. Dr Gowhar pointed out that contractual lecturers, who form the backbone of the higher education system, continue to work on a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 28,000, which has remained unchanged for nearly a decade. “The irony is that a Class IV employee with a Class 10 qualification draws a salary exceeding Rs 50,000, while doctorate-holding teachers engaged in teaching, mentoring and academic research are paid a fraction of that,” he said. He added that institutions such as SKUAST-K, University of Kashmir and Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) have implemented revised UGC pay scales, but the Higher Education Department has failed to extend similar treatment to its contractual faculty. Dr Gowhar said the demand for “equal work, equal pay” gets prominently featured in election campaigns, raising hopes among contractual teachers. “Promises were made and slogans echoed during elections, but once the process ended, our voices were reduced to silence. Even meeting officials now feels impossible,” he said. He said contractual faculty were not seeking privileges but dignity, fairness and recognition for their service. The faculty appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Education Minister to intervene and take concrete steps towards addressing their long-pending demands. “This issue is not merely about salaries. It is about survival, justice and dignity in the classrooms of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Srinagar, March 6: Around 17 candidates from Jammu and Kashmir have qualified the Civil Services Examination (CSE)-2025, the result for which was declared by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Friday. The commission recommended a total of 958 candidates for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and various central services. Anuj Agnihotri, an MBBS graduate, has topped the civil services examination 2025, while Rajeshwari Suve M and Akansh Dhull have got the second and third ranks respectively. According to the official list released by the UPSC the 17 candidates from J&K who have figured in the final merit list include Suvan Sharma (Rank 148), Sugandha Gupta (207), Towseef Ganie (Rank 254), Ritika (Rank 456), Sooyash Shivam (Rank 572), Muneeb Parrah (Rank 581), Ghulam Din (Rank 683), Dwarka Gaadhi (Rank 721), Akash (Rank 747), Koh E Safa (Rank 763), Yasaar (Rank 811), Abhishek (Rank 820), Pankaj (Rank 856), Mohammad Ajaz (Rank 869), Azhar (Rank 886), Sarfraz (Rank 936), and Irfan (Rank 957). The results were declared after conducting the written examination in August 2025 followed by the personality tests (interviews) conducted between December 2025 and February 2026. As per the result notification issue by the UPSC, a total of 958 candidates have been recommended for appointment against 1087 vacancies reported by the government for the examination cycle. These include 180 vacancies in the IAS, 55 in the IFS, 150 in the IPS, 507 in Central Services Group A and 195 in Group B services. Of the total recommended candidates, 317 are from the general category, 104 from the economically weaker sections, 306 from other backward classes, 158 from scheduled castes and 73 from scheduled tribes. A consolidated reserve list of 258 candidates has also been published in accordance with the rules. The claims of recommended candidates regarding reservation categories will be subject to verification by the concerned authorities. The UPSC has stated that the candidature of 348 recommended candidates has been kept provisional, while the result of the two candidates has been kept withheld. The CSE is conducted annually in three stages- preliminary, Mains and interview by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others. The civil services (preliminary) examination 2025 was conducted on May 25 of 2025. A total of 937876 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,76,793 actually appeared in the test. A total of 14,161 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (Main) examination which was held in August, 2025. Of these, 2736 candidates had qualified for the personality test (interview) of the examination. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the candidates who qualified the UPSC exam. "Congratulations to all those who have successfully cleared the Civil Services Examination, 2025. Their dedication, perseverance and hard work have led to this significant milestone. Wishing them the very best as they embark on a journey of serving the nation and fulfilling the aspirations of the people," PM Modi wrote on his official X handle. "To those who may not have secured the desired outcome in the Civil Services Examination, I understand that such moments can be difficult. However, this is only one step in a larger journey. Many opportunities lie ahead, both in future examinations and in the many avenues through which you can contribute to our nation. My best wishes for the road ahead," his post on X reads. UPSC chairman Ajay Kumar announced the declaration of the result and congratulated the candidates who qualified the exam. "Congrats to all successful candidates as you begin a career of service to the nation. For those who did not make it-the learning from this journey will guide you in the paths ahead," UPSC Chairman wrote in a post on X. Among the 17 candidates from J&K who qualified UPSC exam inlcude a visually impaired candidate Irfan Ahmad Lone, a resident of Manzpora in the Naidkhai area of Bandipora.
New Delhi, Aug 14: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed criminal defamation proceedings against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, holding that the requisite sanction from the Uttar Pradesh government for prosecution had not been obtained. A Bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu allowed Gandhi's plea and set aside the summons issued against him by the lower court. The case relates to remarks Gandhi made during the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra in 2022, when he described Savarkar as a “servant of the British” and alleged that he received a pension from the British. SC Stays HC Order on Karur Stampede Jobs The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Madras High Court order that had quashed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide government employment to family members of those killed in the Karur stampede last year. A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran passed the interim order while hearing the Tamil Nadu government's challenge to the July 27 verdict of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. During the hearing, the apex court questioned the challenge to the state's decision, observing that the government had offered employment to bereaved families following an unfortunate tragedy. The High Court had struck down the decision to provide compassionate appointments to families of those who died in the September 2025 Karur stampede.
New Delhi, Jun 22: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Monday held wide-ranging talks with senior Iranian security official Ghadir Nezamipour focusing on the evolving security environment in West Asia. Nezamipour, the Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs at Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), is in New Delhi to attend a conclave of BRICS. "Both sides reviewed the ongoing situation in West Asia. They also discussed cooperation under the BRICS platform and India-Iran bilateral ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on social media. It is the first visit to India by a senior official from Iran after it struck a peace agreement with the US. The NSAs of BRICS nations will hold extensive discussions on the security scenario in the region on Tuesday. The conclave officially begins on Monday. India to host key BRICS security conclave amid rising geopolitical tensions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, and other top BRICS security officials are set to be part of the deliberations. The conclave will be chaired by NSA Doval. New Delhi is hosting the conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the influential grouping. BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with Indonesia joining in 2025. BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade. The top BRICS security officials are expected to deliberate extensively on the overall regional security scenario including the situation in West Asia as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Indian side is likely to raise its concerns over terrorism including cross-border terrorist activities targeting Jammu and Kashmir by terror groups based in Pakistan. The Pakistan-Afghanistan hostilities may too figure in the deliberations, people familiar with the matter said. The BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in May had ended without a joint statement as sharp differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict were on full display. BRICS operates under a framework of consensus and India had issued a chair's statement and outcome document featuring two specific paragraphs where unanimity could not be reached.
Pune, May 30: Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said the armed forces were preparing for the possibility of “Operation Sindoor 2.0” while simultaneously transforming themselves into a future-ready force capable of fighting wars across multiple domains, including cyber, space and cognitive battlefields. Addressing media persons during his visit to review the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the 150th Course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) at the prestigious tri-services academy in Khadakwasla, Pune, the Army Chief said future conflicts would no longer remain confined to conventional battlefields and would increasingly involve land, air, sea, space, cyber, electromagnetic and cognitive domains. Referring to Operation Sindoor, General Dwivedi said the operation demonstrated India's resolve and the armed forces' capability to deliver a “calibrated, precise and purposeful response.” He said the operation highlighted the importance of integrated planning, real-time intelligence, precision targeting, robust air defence systems, secure communications and synergy among different military domains. “Operation Sindoor is still continuing. There is a temporary cessation of hostilities. The Indian Army and all three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 2.0, if it takes place,” he said. He added that the armed forces were enhancing interoperability and equipping themselves for the next generation of warfare. The Army Chief said that modern battlefields have become highly transparent, where movements are constantly monitored by adversaries. "Every movement is known to the other side, therefore we have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment, employment and the protection required to protect our troops as well as civilians in border areas,” he said. Emphasising the growing role of technology in warfare, General Dwivedi described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a critical force multiplier. He said AI enables faster decision-making in high-velocity conflict environments where commanders must process vast amounts of information and manage multiple operational cycles simultaneously. “With numerous drones and counter-drone systems on the battlefield, automation and AI become essential for handling resources and making decisions quickly,” he said. Highlighting the Army’s ongoing transformation, General Dwivedi said several technology-enabled formations, including the 1st Regiment Battalions, Divyastha Batteries, Shaktimaan Regiments and Bharat Battalions, have been raised from existing resources as part of the Army’s “Decade of Transformation.” He also underscored the significance of drone warfare, stating that every soldier must acquire drone-operating skills. “Eagle on the Arms means every jawan should know how to fly a drone,” he said, noting that extensive drone training is being conducted at military academies and training establishments. According to the Army Chief, networking and data-centric warfare will be the next major leap for the armed forces. “Data has become a strategic resource and decision-making must be faster, smarter and more resilient,” he said. General Dwivedi further highlighted the government's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing and innovation, saying the Army is working closely with DRDO, industry, start-ups, academia and national institutions to convert indigenous ideas into battlefield capabilities. Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of “JAI” (Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation), he said these principles would continue to guide India’s military preparedness. On the proposed theatre command reforms, General Dwivedi said the process of military theatrisation is progressing steadily. He revealed that discussions within the Chiefs of Staff Committee have concluded and a comprehensive report has been submitted to the Defence Minister for review. He expressed confidence that the next leadership under the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) would advance the reforms and that theatre commands could become operational within the next two to three years. Under the proposed structure, service chiefs would focus on force sustenance and capability development, while theatre commanders would oversee operational deployment and joint force orchestration. The Army Chief also stressed the importance of public trust in the era of information warfare. “Information warfare is only successful if the whole nation gets together and trusts the people who are giving the information,” he said. He added that nations united by trust and shared purpose are ultimately more likely to prevail in conflicts. Recalling his days as a cadet at the National Defence Academy (NDA), General Dwivedi expressed confidence in the capabilities of the younger generation. He said the confidence and enthusiasm displayed by today’s cadets assured him that the next generation of military leaders would surpass their predecessors and carry forward the transformation of the Indian armed forces.
