Police in Mirzapur have arrested two more individuals, including a wanted suspect with a reward, in connection with an illegal religious conversion racket allegedly operating under the guise of gymnasiums. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to ten.
The Maharashtra assembly has passed the Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, introducing strict measures to prevent religious conversions through coercion, fraud, or marriage, sparking debate over constitutional rights and religious freedom.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that a marriage based on an illegal religious conversion is invalid under the law. The court made the observation while hearing a petition from a couple seeking protection of their marital life.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a protest in Lucknow alleging illegal religious conversion activities at King George's Medical University (KGMU), following the arrest of a KGMU intern in a rape and blackmail case. The VHP demanded swift action against those involved, claiming an organized attempt at religious conversion.
All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the central government of providing 'VIP treatment' to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, criticising perceived double standards in dealing with crime.
At least eight civilians have been reported killed, and 95 others have sustained injuries following United States-Israeli strikes, Iranian state media Press TV reported.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that claiming a particular religion is the 'only true religion' is inappropriate in a secular country like India and could violate laws against disparaging other faiths. The court dismissed a petition filed by a Reverend Father, stating that such claims could fall under Section 295A of the IPC, which addresses acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the central government of providing special treatment to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Mann's criticism comes after Union Minister Amit Shah spoke about gang activities in Punjab.
India has rejected a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that criticised India's record on religious freedom and called for linking US security assistance and trade to improvements in this area.
A jeweller has been arrested in Haryana in connection with a Rs 590 crore fraud at IDFC First Bank. The investigation revealed that over Rs 250 crore was routed to the jeweller's firm from companies linked to the accused.
A US federal government commission has raised concerns about the state of religious freedom in India, recommending its designation as a 'Country of Particular Concern' and suggesting targeted sanctions.
The father of two sisters in Agra, whose missing persons complaint exposed an illegal religious conversion racket, claims his daughters were 'brainwashed' by some Kashmiri girls. Ten people have been arrested from six states in connection with the case.
The Bombay High Court has denied bail to a man accused of trafficking educated youth on the pretext of providing them jobs abroad, only to coerce them to carry out cyber fraud activities.
'Families go through turmoil at that time. There is a feeling of guilt and uncertainty, and they do not know what they should be doing.' 'Now that the new judgment has clarified what the procedure is, doctors will be confident enough to talk to the families and explain what is to be done.'
What Subedaar lacks is that element of surprise that makes a film worth the viewer's time and willingness to engage, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk after his wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, alleged that key video evidence used to justify his detention was not properly presented to him.
The Supreme Court has sought the Uttar Pradesh government's response on a plea challenging certain provisions of the 2024 amended UP law on unlawful religious conversion, citing concerns about free speech and religious propagation.
A Delhi court acquitted a Brazilian national in a 2016 cocaine seizure case, citing the prosecution's failure to comply with mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced that his government will introduce a new stringent law to prevent religious conversion of tribal people, and possibly others. He also advocated for the delisting of tribals, removing them from the Scheduled Tribe category if they convert to another religion, saying it will prevent proselytisation.
'On August 22, 2015, Shyamvar Rai disclosed to you that he had committed the murder of Sheena Bora along with Rahul Mukerjea.' How would Indrani have reacted to this?
The Chhattisgarh high court has disposed of two petitions seeking the removal of hoardings prohibiting entry to pastors and 'converted Christians' in eight villages, holding that they were installed to prevent forced conversions through allurement or fraudulent means and cannot be termed as unconstitutional.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced that his government will introduce a provision for the death penalty for religious conversion of girls, mirroring the punishment for rape of minors. This announcement was made at a Women's Day event in Bhopal, where the CM also digitally transferred financial assistance to beneficiaries of various schemes. Yadav stated that the government is committed to protecting and respecting women and will take strict action against those involved in illegal conversions.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the assets and finances of Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of an illegal religious-conversion racket in Uttar Pradesh. The ED has written to various authorities and banks to gather information and is expected to seek custodial remand for questioning.
Newly declassified documents from the United States National Security Archive have revealed that Pakistan's nuclear proliferation was a significant concern for both the US and Russia, with leaders expressing 'nervous' fears about the country's atomic stability.
Uttar Pradesh Police data reveals a significant increase in the number of alleged criminals killed in encounters in 2025, along with details of actions against illegal religious conversions, cow smuggling, and property recoveries.
'Trump says India will buy over $500 billion of US goods.' 'At present, India's annual imports of goods and energy from the US are under $50 billion.' 'Reaching $500 billion would likely require more than 20 years, suggesting the figure refers to a long-term aspiration rather than a near-term commitment.'
'Dating someone during divorce proceedings is legally permissible as long as it does not involve provable physical intimacy,' says lawyer Navaneet Kumar.
'When an establishment operates despite demolition or closure orders, without proper fire exits, evacuation plans or safety audits, and yet is allowed to host large crowds, the state cannot hide behind the language of accident.' 'The authorities were aware of the risks and of the violations, but chose not to act decisively because doing so would have inconvenienced those with influence and financial stakes.' 'In such a scenario, the moral and legal responsibility for the resulting deaths moves from negligence towards culpability; calling it 'murder' is a way of underlining that these lives were sacrificed at the altar of greed and complicity, not fate.'
A court in Ahmedabad in Gujarat has directed the Congress and four of its leaders to remove a deep fake video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani from social media platforms.
Besides Karti Chidambaram, the Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga, the CBI had named his alleged close associate and chartered accountant, S Bhaskararaman, Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), a subsidiary of Vedanta, and Mumbai-based Bell Tools, through which bribes were allegedly routed.
Ahead of the Maha Kumbh, a senior cleric has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressing fears that mass conversions of Muslims will take place during the event, while other community leaders have flagged the alleged demand raised by some Hindu seers' body to keep Muslims out of the mega gathering.
'The implementation of the judgment has largely been left to the discretion of the very executive authorities it sought to restrain.'
At present, such a law has been enacted in just eight states to stop illegal conversion while the problem is nationwide, he added.
The judge made the remarks while sentencing 25-year-old Mohammad Alim to life imprisonment, convicting him for raping and threatening a student after falsifying his identity.
In May, 40 Rohingyas were blindfolded and flown to the Andaman and Nicobar islands and then thrown into the sea and made to swim to an island in Myanmar. And after the Pahalgam attack, at least 300 Muslims were 'pushed back' to Bangladesh from Assam.
If women voters are mobilised in big numbers to the voting booths on November 6 and 11 by the Nitish Kumar-led NDA, then it will be quite difficult for the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan to defeat the incumbent government, points out Sheela Bhatt.
'Government officials use Gmail and ordinary phones without basic security consciousness.' 'Interoperability, especially in joint exercises with countries like the US, worries me.' 'It often means we open our systems to them, but they don't reciprocate.' 'They could have kill switches in their systems and might even be able to affect ours.'
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat clarified that he never stated he would retire or that others should retire at 75, addressing speculation following his recent remarks.
The officials said several "incriminating" documents have been seized during the searches, which reveal the "large-scale conversion" allegedly carried out by Umar Gautam and his organisations across India.
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