A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has found repeated instances of employees concealing cash during counting and flagged serious security and supervision lapses. The preliminary report, shared with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, indicates systematic irregularities and financial discrepancies among employees, leading to arrests and resignations within the trust.
The Supreme Court will hear petitions on August 17 seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, after deferring the original hearing due to the Solicitor General's UN engagement.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions on July 13 seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with petitioners requesting a CBI investigation and a CAG audit of the temple trust's finances.
The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has granted Supriya Mishra, wife of Luv Kush Mishra, who is accused in the Ram temple donation case, an additional week to provide documents for a house in her name that is under construction in Ayodhya's Saadatganj area, the police said.
Police in Kolkata have arrested three individuals from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The arrests mark a significant breakthrough in the investigation.
Three individuals, including a minor, allegedly involved in the firing incident at actor Tiger Shroff's car in Mumbai, were detained in Kota, Rajasthan. Police intercepted them on a train, revealing a connection to an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and a plan to flee to Nepal. Mumbai Police are now taking custody of the suspects for further investigation.
Five individuals have been arrested in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district in connection with the murder of former deputy mukhiya Sanjay Boipai. Police suspect a land dispute and personal enmity led to a contract killing, with the alleged mastermind and four contract killers apprehended.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were released from Tihar Jail on Wednesday after furnishing personal and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each. They provided written undertakings not to breach peace or call for protests at Jantar Mantar as long as the site remains denotified. Their release followed a court order despite police seeking an extension of their judicial custody.
The owner of the building that collapsed in Satya Niketan, Delhi, killing seven people, has been apprehended from Rajasthan's Bhiwadi area. Hariram Gupta was arrested after a massive search operation, having gone into hiding immediately after the incident. Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances of the collapse and the repair work being carried out.
Police in Kozhikode, Keralam, arrested a 38-year-old man, Muhammad Shafi, with 600.21 grams of MDMA from a lodge. Shafi was allegedly involved in drug peddling, procuring the banned substance from other states and selling it locally. Authorities are investigating the source of the large quantity of MDMA.
'Peter Hegemann was so kind that a paper published in 2010 in Nature Method which mentioned optogenetic as a tool of the year, he wrote, 'My graduate student Suneel Katariya was the one who identified gene in coding channelrhodoxin and that was the turning point of my research'.'
The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has shortlisted 18 candidates for the Chief Executive Officer position from over 5,300 applicants. Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, with the CEO's role focusing on temple administration and management. The selection follows allegations of embezzlement of temple donations, which led to an SIT probe and arrests.
Police in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district have solved a sacrilege case and arrested five individuals allegedly involved in the crime. An investigation was launched after police received information about the incident on May 8.
Six alleged members of a notorious burglary gang, active across several Uttar Pradesh districts, have been arrested in three separate police encounters. Three of the accused sustained gunshot injuries during the operations, which also led to the recovery of stolen goods and weapons.
A Kottayam Vigilance Court has sentenced former Kerala DGP Tomin J Thachankary to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30.84 lakh in a disproportionate assets case. This marks the first time a DGP-rank officer in Kerala has been convicted for such an offence, with the court finding him guilty of amassing wealth 135.80 per cent in excess of his known income between 2003 and 2007.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to hold crucial meetings to appoint a new general secretary, fill three vacant trustee posts, and deliberate on the appointment of the temple's first Chief Executive Officer (CEO), all while addressing the ongoing donation theft controversy and the Supreme Court's call for a fair investigation.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for June 29 on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the registration of an FIR and a time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya.
Seventeen undertrial prisoners escaped from Theni sub-jail by faking an epileptic seizure and overpowering guards, with four recaptured and 13 still at large. The incident has sparked a major political controversy in Tamil Nadu, with opposition parties criticising the ruling TVK government over law and order.
The CBI has filed a closure report in the 2002 disinvestment of Hindustan Zinc Ltd, stating that allegations of irregularities could not be substantiated. This comes despite a 2022 Supreme Court directive by then-CJI D Y Chandrachud to register a regular case, citing sufficient material and concerns over undervaluation and the role of a global advisor. The special court will now decide on the report.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Valsad police have apprehended three men in connection with the murder of Punjabi social media influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu in Amritsar. The arrests follow an earlier detention by Ahmedabad Crime Branch of an alleged shooter. The detained individuals were found in Vapi, Gujarat, and have been handed over to Punjab Police for further investigation into their roles, including reconnaissance.
A 38-year-old man from West Bengal was arrested in Gurugram for allegedly committing an obscene act against his 17-year-old stepdaughter. He was traced to Malda district after fleeing following the registration of an FIR under the POCSO Act.
Police in Saharanpur have arrested three alleged drug peddlers and seized 2.38 kg of smack valued at approximately Rs 4.76 crore. The arrests were made during a joint operation, leading to the recovery of cash, an electronic weighing machine, mobile phones, and a motorcycle. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway to dismantle the drug network.
Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Pradeep Purnekar was brutally murdered in Thane, Maharashtra, leading to one arrest and one detention. The incident has sparked widespread protests, with party leaders like Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut alleging political rivalry and demanding further arrests, including a former mayor and her husband. Police are investigating all potential angles, including personal enmity and Purnekar's activism against the builder lobby and drug networks.
Gopal Nagarakatte alias Gopal Rao, a special invitee member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has clarified his status amidst allegations and an ongoing donation theft probe. Rao stated he was asked to temporarily step away from meetings, not removed, and denied all allegations except those related to the theft. His remarks follow the Trust's announcement of other resignations and his own removal as an administrator, as a Special Investigation Team continues to probe nearly 70 suspected instances of theft at the Ram Temple.
'The remaining 30% are scared they will be shot at and they too will shell out the money soon.'
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has cancelled the JSSC-CGL exam and all tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL since 2014, following widespread protests by job aspirants over alleged irregularities. An examination reforms committee has been formed, while some protesters continue to demand a CBI probe.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee of women legislators to amend laws and ensure effective implementation against harassment and religious conversion in the corporate sector. This decision follows an incident at a TCS unit in Nashik involving alleged exploitation and forced conversion, which is currently under SIT investigation. Probes have also been ordered into similar complaints at a Spanish multinational in Pune and a government ITI in Solapur, highlighting a broader issue of workplace misconduct.
A special PMLA court in Mumbai has remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until May 26 in connection with an alleged Rs 70 crore money laundering case.
An investigation has been launched in Mizoram after it was discovered that 16 convicts were released from Lunglei district jail using forged documents. Police have apprehended 12 of the released convicts, and a special investigation team has been formed to probe the fraud.
An Alappuzha court has reserved its order on the anticipatory bail petitions of three gunmen of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who are accused in an assault case involving Youth Congress workers during the Nava Kerala Sadas programme in December 2023. The incident led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the new UDF government.
'You want the main man, and you cannot even bring him to Mumbai, where he has allegedly carried out a high-profile shootout.'
Its unresolved, noncommittal conclusion is exactly the sort of anticlimactic reality Daayra wants to bring our attention to. Neither justice nor revenge can undo the fate met by the world's Nirbhayas or Arushis, observes Sukanya Verma.
The Uttar Pradesh government has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of financial mismanagement and missing donations related to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya. The move follows a request from the Trust itself, amidst escalating political demands for transparency from various parties including the Samajwadi Party and Congress.
The Supreme Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine all six allegations of financial irregularities levelled by the Enforcement Directorate against Sameer Gehlaut, former chairperson of Indiabulls Housing Finance (IHFL), and five corporate groups, following repeated criticism of investigating agencies for lack of progress.
The Supreme Court has issued comprehensive directives to the Delhi Police Commissioner to enhance safety for women and minor girls in Delhi-NCR. These measures include forming dedicated police teams, conducting vulnerability audits of public spaces, improving lighting and CCTV surveillance, and strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms. The court also sought reports on the functioning of fast-track courts, utilisation of sexual offender databases, and the Mission Shakti programme.
Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda removed his Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Deepam Raichura, following allegations of accepting a Rs 1 crore bribe related to liquor contracts in Bhopal. The allegations were made by Mohit Gogiya, an accused in a large fraud case, who claimed Raichura facilitated liquor contracts and helped secure a fake bank guarantee. Devda has ordered a probe into the matter.
Uttar Pradesh DGP Rajeev Krishna stated that the state's law and order situation has significantly improved, with criminals losing their former confidence. He warned against anti-social elements using social media to intimidate and discussed ongoing probes into the Ayodhya Ram Mandir irregularities and the extradition of a drug trafficking kingpin. The DGP also highlighted the rising challenge of cybercrime and police efforts to combat it.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called for an independent judicial probe and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate alleged irregularities in the CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, questioning the awarding of the contract to a firm with a controversial past.
West Bengal Police have arrested three individuals from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide to Suvendu Adhikari. The arrests followed leads from a UPI transaction made at a toll plaza.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare has called for a thorough investigation into the Ashok Kharat case, urging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to prioritise the investigation over political manoeuvring. Andhare also demanded that the SIT probe former minister Deepak Kesarkar and former state women's commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar.
