A CBI court in Dehradun has acquitted Acharya Balkrishna, general secretary of Patanjali Yogpeeth, in a 15-year-old passport forgery case. Co-accused Naresh Chandra Dwivedi was also acquitted. The case, initiated in 2011 by the CBI, alleged Balkrishna obtained an Indian passport using forged documents, claiming he was a Nepali national.
Students and political parties in Odisha are protesting widespread errors in school textbooks, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond. The CJP has extended support to the Navnirman Yuva Chhatra Sangathan's 'satyagraha', while the state government has begun distributing corrected textbooks.
More than a dozen Shiv Sena functionaries, including district and city unit chiefs and an MLA's son, have been booked for allegedly assaulting, abusing, and threatening hospital staff in Palghar. The incident occurred after 'govindas' injured during Dahi Handi celebrations were brought for treatment, and a dispute arose over medical bills. The NCP (SP) has condemned the incident, calling it an attack on the medical system and the rule of law, and demanded strict action.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran will not succumb to "bullying" from the US and Israel, vowing to protect national interests amidst escalating West Asian hostilities. During his visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit, Pezeshkian also discussed strengthening bilateral ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and advocated for local currencies in BRICS trade, positioning Iran as a strategic energy and transport partner.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced the suspension of Shiv Sena Palghar city president Rahul Gharat following an alleged assault on hospital staff, including a doctor, by party functionaries. The incident occurred at Relief Hospital in Palghar over a dispute concerning medical bills for Dahi Handi participants. Shinde condemned the violence, stating that such behaviour would not be tolerated and that grievances should be addressed through legal channels.
A third generation murtikar and probably one of the first in her family, Manaswi Bagwe, a self-taught sculptor, is quietly pushing the boundaries of idol-making.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has publicly responded to yoga guru Baba Ramdev's critical remarks about her controversial comments on Gen Z. The exchange escalated on Instagram after Ramdev questioned Kangana's past, prompting her to reference his 2024 Supreme Court case regarding Patanjali's misleading advertisements.
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to two NESCO Ltd employees, Sunny Jain and Balkrishna Balram Kurup, who were arrested in connection with the alleged drug overdose deaths of two students at a concert in Goregaon. The court rejected the police's request to stay the bail order, allowing the employees to be released on a surety of Rs one lakh each.
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to two NESCO Ltd employees, Sunny Jain and Balkrishna Balram Kurup, who were arrested in connection with an alleged drug overdose case at a music concert in Goregaon. The court found no evidence of their conspiracy or abetment with drug peddlers, noting no narcotics were recovered from them and the investigation was complete.
A 42-year-old police constable in Beed district, Maharashtra, allegedly committed suicide at his residence. The cause of death is under investigation.
Unidentified individuals allegedly stole 73 taps from the Congress office in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, vandalised washrooms, and left a handwritten note mocking the police.
Unidentified thieves broke into the district Congress office in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, for the third time in recent months, stealing 73 water taps and leaving a mocking note for the police.
A man was injured in a shooting in Navi Mumbai after an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle opened fire. Police are investigating the incident as attempted murder.
Two senior executives of an exhibition centre, arrested in connection with a fatal drug overdose case at a music concert in Mumbai, have moved the Bombay High Court challenging their arrest and seeking bail.
A bouncer has been arrested in connection with the drug overdose deaths at a Mumbai concert, accused of allowing drug peddlers into the venue without tickets.
A four-year-old boy who was brutally assaulted by an autorickshaw driver in Vasai, Palghar, is recovering in hospital. The accused, Sandeep Pawar, has had his police custody extended. The incident, captured on CCTV, involved the driver slamming the boy to the ground after an argument with the child's father.
Mumbai police have arrested a key supplier in connection with the deaths of two MBA students from suspected drug overdose at a concert in Goregaon. The arrest brings the total number of people in custody to nine as the investigation continues.
An autorickshaw driver in Palghar, Maharashtra, was arrested after brutally assaulting a four-year-old boy following an argument with the child's father. The incident, captured on CCTV, shows the driver slamming the boy to the ground and hitting his head with an iron rod. The child is in critical condition.
A 20-year-old man and his friend died in a car crash in Gujarat after he allegedly drove at 150 km/h while recording videos for social media. Police are investigating the incident and the car's ownership.
Police in Thane have registered a case against two men accused of defrauding 12 people of Rs 1.78 crore through a bogus share market scheme.
In two separate affidavits filed in the apex court, Ramdev and Balkrishna tendered unqualified apology for the 'breach of the statement' recorded in the November 21 last year order of the apex court.
Larger listed domestic-focused tyre companies have underperformed the benchmarks in the last three months but exporter Balkrishna Industries has bucked the trend. The company, which exports off-highway tyres, has generated 43 per cent returns in this time compared to MRF and Apollo Tyres, which are down 5-10 per cent. In addition to better-than-expected performance in the March quarter, exports and market share gains have helped Balkrishna pull ahead of peers.
Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an "unconditional and unqualified apology" before the apex court over advertisements issued by the firm making tall claims about the medicinal efficacy of its products.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the contempt notice issued to yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd in the misleading advertisements case.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that he has no connection with the alleged multi-crore land deal in Pune involving his son, Parth Pawar.
A rally marking the 41st anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy was disrupted by a controversy over an effigy allegedly depicting an RSS 'sevak,' leading to an FIR against organizers.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Saturday met his aide Balkrishna, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a fake document case, in a jail in Dehradun, police sources said.
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The man who owns close to 94 per cent of the shares of Patanjali Ayurved, an unlisted company, does not, however, take a salary or receive dividends.
Yoga guru Ramdev's aide Balkrishna was on Friday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by a special court in Dehradun in an alleged fake documents case.
A Central Bureau of Investigation court on Saturday rejected the bail application of yoga guru Ramdev's close aide Balkrishna and remanded him in nine-day judicial custody in a fake document case.
Balkrishna had gone "missing" from his Divya Yoga Mandir Trust residence in Haridwar on July 25, a day after CBI registered a case against him for cheating and criminal conspiracy for procuring fake degree and violation of section 12 of Indian Passport Act for furnishing fake documents to get a passport.
Balkrishna, an aide of Yoga Guru Ramdev, may be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday for allegedly furnishing fake documents to get his passport. The CBI has summoned Balkrishna to appear on Thursday in connection with the case as he could not be traced at his residential address in Haridwar. "He has been missing from his residence for three days. If needed, he may be arrested," sources said. The CBI had earlier issued a look-out notice.
The Uttarakhand high court on Thursday granted bail to yoga guru Ramdev's close aide Balkrishna, nearly a month after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a case pertaining to fake documents. After hearing the bail application, a single judge bench of Justice Tarun Agrawal granted bail to Balkrishna.
Yoga guru Ramdev's close aide Balkrishna, arrested for his alleged roles in case of forgery and violation of the Indian Passport Act, on Thursday moved a local court for bail.
Widening its probe into the finances of yoga guru Ramdev, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned his aide Balkrishna in connection with a foreign exchange violation case registered against their trusts.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed the contempt proceedings against yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Limited after accepting the apology tendered by them in the misleading advertisements case.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Tuesday alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to kill his close aide Balkrishna, who is currently lodged in a jail in Dehra Dun, and put the blame on him.
