The court also directed YouTube and a Marathi news channel to forthwith remove the video of the press conference and also restrained them from uploading it in future.
The Supreme Court of India will hear a batch of pleas seeking a probe into the alleged unauthorised use of Pegasus spyware for the surveillance of journalists and others next week. The court had previously ordered a technical panel to investigate the matter but received no reports. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for some petitioners, urged the court to pass directions as the reports were not shared. The court has now listed the matter for hearing on April 29.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's opposition party, was fined Rs 200 for skipping a court appearance in a defamation case related to his comments about freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The case stems from Gandhi's remarks during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022, where he allegedly made derogatory comments about Savarkar. The court has scheduled the next hearing for April 14.
Earlier, on behalf of Uday Shankar Srivastava, former director of Border Roads Organisation -- a rank equivalent to that of a colonel in the army -- lawyer Vivek Tiwari had filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government has not taken vindictive action against any person for re-sharing or re-uploading stand-up comic Kunal Kamra's video in which he indirectly passed a 'traitor' jibe at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday questioned the issue of using "spyware against terrorists" and stated that any report touching upon the country's "security and sovereignty" won't be made public. The court indicated it might address individual concerns regarding privacy breaches, but the report of the technical committee would not be a document for public discussion. The court will examine the extent to which the report can be shared publicly. The court's statement came during a hearing on a petition related to the alleged use of Pegasus spyware for surveillance. The court also emphasized that "having spyware is not wrong, against whom you are using is the question" and that the security of the nation cannot be compromised. The hearing has been adjourned to July 30.
The Uttarakhand High Court questioned a plea challenging the mandatory registration of live-in relationships under the state's Uniform Civil Code, asking how it was an invasion of privacy when couples were living together without marriage. The court raised concerns about the petitioners' claim of privacy intrusion while openly living together. The court directed that aggrieved parties can approach the high court and will hear the matter alongside similar pleas on April 1.
At least six people were killed and 30 injured in a stampede during a temple festival in North Goa, India. The incident occurred at the Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village, around 40 km from Panaji, as thousands of devotees thronged the narrow lanes to the temple for the annual festival.
'There is need for India-specific pricing.' 'Google, Microsoft and others also have different pricing.' 'It is important for OpenAI to think on these lines as the global pricing may not work in the Indian context.'
The Bombay High Court has ruled that Pushpa Ganediwala, the former HC judge who had faced criticism for a series of controversial judgments in POCSO Act cases, is entitled to receive pension on par with a high court judge. Ganediwala was demoted as district sessions judge at the end of her additional judgeship in 2022 following an uproar over some judgments passed by her on the interpretation of what constitutes a sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She had filed a petition challenging a communication issued by the HC registrar declaring that she was not eligible for pension of a HC judge. The court quashed the communication and directed the registry to fix her pension with 6% interest from February 2022.
Jharkhand, led by Commonwealth Games gold medalists Lovely Choubey and Rupa Tirkey, dominated the lawn bowls competition at the National Games in Dehradun, winning three gold medals. The state's women's fours team defeated West Bengal in the final, while Jharkhand also secured gold in the men's pairs and women's U-25 singles events.
The Bombay high court has permitted the Adani group to cut 209 mangroves for the construction of a high voltage transmission line proposed to increase electricity supply in Mumbai and suburbs, noting it was a project of public importance.
United States President Donald Trump for the fourth time in recent days claimed that the Biden administration allocated $21 million funding to India for 'voter turnout', evoking a sharp response from the Congress which urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to 'talk to his friend' and strongly refute the allegation.
India is home to more than 100 million diabetics, and the demand for anti-diabetic drugs is on the rise -- the Rs 20,611 crore anti-diabetic drug market in India is growing at 9 per cent or so.
Adani Properties Pvt Ltd (APPL) has emerged as the highest bidder for the redevelopment of Motilal Nagar in Mumbai, offering more built-up area than its nearest rival, L&T. This will be the second mega redevelopment project of Adani Group in Mumbai, after the Dharavi slum redevelopment project. The total estimated redevelopment cost of Motilal Nagar is around Rs 36,000 crore, and the rehabilitation period is seven years from the project start/commencement date. The project will rehabilitate 3,372 residential units eligible under MHADA, 328 eligible commercial units and 1,600 eligible slum tenements.
After the Dharavi slum redevelopment project, billionaire Gautam Adani's group has emerged as the highest bidder for the Rs 36,000 crore redevelopment of Motilal Nagar in Mumbai, sources said. Motilal Nagar I, II & III is one of Mumbai's biggest housing redevelopment projects, covering 143 acres in western suburb of Goregaon (W).
Parents of students were incensed over the abrupt closure of FIITJEE centres in Noida and Ghaziabad, demanding government intervention and refunds. FIITJEE founder D K Goyal and 11 others were booked after several of its centres in Delhi-NCR shut down abruptly, the Noida Police said. Parents reported paying lakhs of rupees in fees and expressed concerns about the future of their children's education. The police launched a probe in Delhi after allegations of fraudulent practices and mismanagement at the FIITJEE's East Delhi centre.
Bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped multi-fold as more people travel for the Maha Kumbh, with the air ticket prices rising up to 21 per cent for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights. According to an analysis by travel portal ixigo, the one-way airfare between Bhopal and Prayagraj has surged the maximum at 498 per cent to Rs 17,796 from Rs 2,977 last year.
Arbitrage funds, the new favourite of individual investors, delivered their best performance in nearly a decade in 2024. On average, the schemes delivered 8 per cent return last year, the highest since 2016, according to data from Value Research. The returns were supported by positive equity market sentiments, surge in open interest in stock futures, high interest rate, among other factors, analysts said.
Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra have been suspended following attacks on buses and their crew. The decision was taken given the tension prevailing in the border district of Belagavi over a sensitive issue. The language row began after a group of people allegedly intercepted a KSRTC bus and assaulted its conductor and driver for not speaking to a passenger in Marathi. The passenger, a minor girl, also filed a complaint stating that the conductor misbehaved with her. However, the family of the minor girl has decided to withdraw the case and urged people to stop escalating the matter into a language dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
'Alok Verma can say he was helpless, but he could have made representations to the CVC, the Chief Justice of India or the prime minister in writing.' 'He could have told them that his number 2 was not cooperating and is corrupt, but he did not do that.' 'He acted arbitrarily and in a hurried manner, overnight.'
Twelve of the 16 Naxalites killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district have been identified as dreaded ultras carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 3.13 crore, including a central committee member of the outlawed movement, a police official said. Among them was Chalpathi alias Jairam, a member of the central committee and Odisha state committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), who had a collective bounty of Rs 90 lakh on his head in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It was the first time someone from the central committee, the main governing body of the proscribed outfit, has been eliminated in an encounter in Chhattisgarh. The encounter, which lasted three days, involved personnel from E-30 (a Gariaband district police unit), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and Odisha police's Special Operation Group (SOG).
Sharma was the president of the conference, the first since the Paris Agreement of COP21 that expected parties to make enhanced commitments towards mitigating climate change.
'I need to work to find some joy in this life.'
Job creation, improving farm productivity, and mobilising public funds for infrastructure development were some of the issues that figured during the interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and economists ahead of the 2025-26 Union Budget. The prime minister on Tuesday met eminent economists and sectoral experts at NITI Aayog to hear their views and suggestions for the upcoming Budget. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for 2025-26 in the Lok Sabha on February 1, 2025.
A witness in a criminal case was allegedly attacked with a blade by the accused in the Karkardooma court, Delhi, on Monday.
Two years after his dismissive stance on India's AI potential raised eyebrows here, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday gave a ringing endorsement to Artificial Intelligence momentum in the country -- and billed India as an important market not just for the new-age technology itself but for the ChatGPT creator as well. In New Delhi on Wednesday, Altman -- while sharing dais with Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw -- said India is the second biggest market for the company and that Open AI had tripled its users here in the last year.
There's clearly no limit to how dramatic a wedding can be.
Karnataka to face Services in men's doubles tennis final
The Supreme Court has sought details from the Allahabad High Court regarding controversial statements made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav at a VHP function. The development comes amid calls for action against the judge for his remarks, which have been labeled as hate speech by some. The judge's statements were made at a VHP function on December 8, where he spoke about the Uniform Civil Code and the law working according to the majority. Several individuals and organizations, including lawyer Prashant Bhushan and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, have called for an inquiry into the judge's conduct and for his removal from judicial duties.
'He slobbered over women, drunk and created a scene.'
To curb raw material imports from China and promote textiles, the Uttar Pradesh government is looking to set up nearly a dozen private textile parks in the state. The textile parks would be established under the UP Textile and Garmenting Policy 2022.
Another junior doctor, who was observing a fast-unto-death in protest over the rape and murder of a woman medic at RG Kar Medical College was rushed to a hospital on Saturday evening after his health condition deteriorated, an official said.
The Madhya Pradesh high court in Jabalpur on Monday directed the state government to take steps within six weeks for disposal of Bhopal-based Union Carbide's 337 tonnes of hazardous waste as per safety protocols, while restraining the media from publishing any fake news on the same.
A meeting with the head of Zee TV, film-maker Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, would never be forgotten. 'He asked me to leave the show, and the country.' 'When I refused, he asked his staff members to push me out of the room.' 'Men like Alok Nath feel empowered to misbehave with women because they have the tacit backing of powerful peers.'
Air passengers might have a reason to smile this Diwali season as average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped 20-25 per cent compared to the year-ago period, according to an analysis. Increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices. The analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes have declined in the range of 20-25 per cent.
'Alok Nath cannot leave the country and he cannot be seen anywhere around the periphery of where I live,' says Vinta Nanda.
"I have suddenly become the talk of the town," Alok Nath laughs.
The police said the incident happened on Thursday when a jagran programme was underway at the temple in Jaipur's Karni Vihar, and local residents objected to the noise and crowd in their neighbourhood at late hours.
National champion Alok Kumar blanked Praput Chaithanasukan of Thailand 6-0 to win the Asian Billiards Championship at the Olympic Stadium of Kish Island, Iran, on Thursday.