Gangster Chota Rajan has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by a special CBI court in Chennai for obtaining a passport using forged documents. The conviction follows a 22-year legal battle, with Rajan having assumed the identity of Vijaya Kadam.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that an Indian passport is primarily a travel document issued to regulate the departure of citizens and is not intended as proof of citizenship. This statement comes amidst a debate on its use for verifying citizenship, particularly concerning electoral rolls, and has drawn criticism from opposition parties.
Amid the passport row, Shashi Tharoor has proposed legal changes to simplify proof of Indian citizenship.
Government sources have clarified that a passport has never been considered proof of citizenship in India, a stance consistent for the past 12 years and rooted in the Passport Act 1967. This clarification, reiterated by the Ministry of External Affairs, has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and public figures.
Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show was dramatically interrupted when police officers arrived at his Chennai residence.
An Afghan national has been arrested at Goa International Airport for allegedly travelling on fraudulently obtained passports while impersonating an Indian citizen.
Pakistani boxer Qudratullah has reportedly disappeared from the team hotel in Glasgow following the Commonwealth Games, marking another incident of a Pakistani athlete vanishing during an international event.
Opposition leaders have questioned how caste responses will be recorded without state-wise pre-prepared lists.
The US State Department is set to release a limited-edition passport featuring images of President Donald Trump and the Founding Fathers to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence in July. The special passports will be available in person at the Washington Passport Agency.
The Supreme Court has disposed of Teesta Setalvad's plea for passport release, advising her to reapply with a travel itinerary. The case relates to alleged fabrication of documents in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a new target of creating six crore 'Lakhpati Didis' to empower women and transform the rural economy. He highlighted the success of the existing initiative and the growing contribution of women in various sectors, from defence to technology.
In addition to caste details, the Census will, for the first time, collect personal information such as the total number of bank accounts held by individuals, along with their mobile number, Aadhaar number, voter ID number, passport number and driving licence status, according to the 40 questions notified by the Registrar General of India on Friday.
The Centre has notified 40 questions for the upcoming Census 2027, including caste and place of Covid vaccination, marking the first time caste details will be collected as part of the decadal exercise. The population enumeration will be a fully digital process, with an option for self-enumeration.
The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to DMK leader and former minister V Senthil Balaji in a fresh corruption case related to alleged irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), with conditions including cooperation with the investigation and depositing his passport.
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that foreign nationals with unverified nationality cannot be deported unless their home country confirms their identity and agrees to accept them. This submission was made in response to a plea challenging indefinite detention of declared foreigners in Assam.
England fast bowler John Turner, 25, has announced his shock retirement from professional cricket, citing a persistent stress fracture and injury record.
Nationalist Citizens Party of India leader Abu Taher attended a breakfast meeting hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for NDA allies but asserted that his party is not part of the ruling alliance. He stated his attendance was solely to raise public issues directly with the Prime Minister.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear pleas filed by a former IPS officer and two persons, who claimed to have been injured by pellet guns fired during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led students' protest on NEET paper leaks.
Families don't really break apart in a single moment, they just quietly stop fitting under one roof, notes Binu Alex.
'He wanted to know what products I'd brought along, so I showed him jackfruit flour, which research has linked to managing type 2 diabetes.' 'Then jackfruit seed flour, a strong source of protein that rural households have eaten for generations without it ever becoming a commercial product. I gave him ripe jackfruit chips too.'
Two NCPI MPs from Murshidabad, West Bengal, met with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to express concerns over the removal of mosque loudspeakers, alleging police overreach and targeting of Muslims. They also sought his intervention to expedite hearings for approximately 27 lakh people excluded from electoral rolls, highlighting difficulties faced by genuine voters due to delays in tribunal decisions.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has denied allegations made by the Congress party that his wife possesses multiple passports and concealed property information, vowing to take legal action against the Congress leader who made the claims.
A clarification by the ministry of external affairs that the passport is not a proof of citizenship has once again brought to the fore the need for a legal framework to provide citizens with a single document to establish they are Indians.
The Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal for the sexual assault of a junior colleague in 2013, overturning his 2021 acquittal by a trial court.
The Supreme Court has referred activist Teesta Setalvad's application for the release of her passport to a three-judge bench, in a case related to alleged fabrication of documents in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Passport offices, seva kendras, and post offices across Rajasthan were searched following a bomb threat email, leading to evacuations and security operations.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Umer Harris, also known as 'Khargosh', is believed to be in Saudi Arabia after escaping India using a forged passport. An investigation into the inter-state LeT terror module has exposed systemic loopholes and raised concerns about passport issuance processes.
Despite a population of 1.45 billion, India's football team is ranked a lowly 138th in the world and failed to qualify for next year's Asian Cup, highlighting deep-rooted systemic issues and a failure to implement reforms that keep the World Cup dream distant for fans.
A former IPS officer and two individuals injured during a recent protest in Delhi have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies for crowd dispersal. The petitioners argue that pellet guns are an arbitrary and dangerous tool, violating the right to freedom of assembly and failing the test of necessary and proportional force. They also seek compensation and medical treatment for victims.
A special NIA court in Ahmedabad has sentenced six Pakistani nationals to eight years of rigorous imprisonment for their involvement in the 2019 mid-sea seizure of 330 kg of 'brown heroin' off Gujarat's Jakhau coast. An Indian man, allegedly the intended recipient, was acquitted due to benefit of doubt. The National Investigation Agency had probed the case, alleging funds from the smuggling were intended for a terror organisation.
Samsung Electronics has launched its new Galaxy Z8 series, featuring the Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8, and Z Flip8. These foldable smartphones are thinner, lighter, and boast larger displays, AI capabilities, and enhanced durability through new Flex Titanium technology. Indian customers can pre-order the devices soon.
A Delhi court has discharged a woman accused of using forged documents to apply for her son's passport, cautioning against the misuse of criminal charges in matrimonial disputes. The court found that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the charges of forgery and cheating.
A police team in Kochi intervened to help a NEET candidate who was about to be denied entry to her examination centre due to a missing passport-size photograph. Their timely action, involving contacting a studio owner on a Sunday, ensured the student could sit for the crucial medical entrance test.
Henley Passport Index 2026 has once again ranked Singapore as the passport offering its people access to the most countries and therefore near-seamless travel accross the planet.
The failure of the State when it directly affects our lives, through a corrupt exam system, has produced this current anger, points out Aakar Patel.
The Passport Bhavan in Panaji, Goa received a bomb threat email, prompting an evacuation and search. Authorities later declared the threat a hoax after finding nothing suspicious.
Bangladesh summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner to convey "deep disappointment" after Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, an adviser to the Prime Minister, was stopped and questioned by immigration authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The incident led to Rahman's decision to return home despite being cleared to proceed.
The police investigating the Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal murder case will conduct a "gait analysis" of accused Chetan Chaudhary and are also planning to compare the CCTV footage capturing his movements at the Lohagad Fort with a recreated video, a court was informed on Monday.
The spiralling agitation over the NEET issue saw protests and counter-protests by Congress and BJP across the country on Wednesday, with clashes and tense face-offs at many places, a day after Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders were forcibly removed from a dharna outside the prime minister's residence.
Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary meticulously planned the murder of Goyal's fiance, Ketan Agarwal, after initially considering injuring him to delay their wedding. The couple allegedly watched suspense films, browsed the internet, and scouted multiple locations before deciding to push him off Lohagad Fort, driven by the urgency of an upcoming Bali trip.
