A court in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Thursday remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to seven-day police custody in a second rape case where he is accused of sexually exploiting a woman on multiple occasions since 2020 under the guise of religious rituals.
A Pawan Hans helicopter with seven people on board crashed into the sea near Mayabunder in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All passengers and crew members were rescued and admitted to a hospital. A technical snag is suspected to be the cause of the crash.
Kerala's 2026 assembly election will see a three-cornered contest where religion and communalism have emerged as central themes for the first time, challenging the state's long-celebrated secular fabric.
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.
Maharashtra minister Narhari Zirwal is embroiled in controversy after a video featuring him and a transgender person went viral, prompting calls for his removal from office.
The Congress party in Kerala has strongly condemned the heckling of its MLA, T Siddique, during the inauguration of a government township project in Wayanad, alleging a conspiracy by the CPI(M). The party claims that hired individuals disrupted the event, and criticizes the Chief Minister's silence during the incident.
During this Ramzan, another religious practice was turned into an offence: Breaking the fast, or iftar.
Election affidavits in Assam have unveiled significant financial disparities among key candidates, with some declaring extensive assets, multiple bank accounts, and numerous vehicles, while others report more modest holdings.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini inaugurated the 38th 'Vasant Utsav' in Panchkula, highlighting the state's commitment to culture, nature, and environmental conservation through various initiatives.
'Losing a house is a terrible feeling... We were not given enough time to shift our belongings.'
The Supreme Court has requested a response from the Manipur State Legal Authority regarding the appointment of legal aid counsel for two women allegedly paraded naked during the 2023 ethnic clashes in Manipur. This follows a plea from the CBI against the Gauhati High Court's decision to grant bail to two accused in the case.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged voters to 'take revenge' for the deletion of names from electoral rolls, alleging the BJP is behind the changes. She also addressed concerns about EVM tampering and the deployment of officers to other states.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Maharashtra State Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar due to her alleged connections with a self-proclaimed numerologist, Ashok Kharat, who has been arrested for rape and exploitation.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea since the end of January.
'Pakistan's is the only military-controlled nuclear weapons programme in the world.' 'As people get radicalised, the risk of a brigadier or pilot taking matters into their own hands is a real concern.'
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Rescue operations are currently underway, and the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, the command said.
The government has mandated that cooking gas LPG supply to households will be discontinued if consumers fail to switch to piped natural gas where such connectivity is available, under a new order aimed at accelerating gas network expansion and reducing reliance on a single fuel.
AI reduces the time taken to find a target and launch a strike. This has led to a major increase in the pace of the conflict, with one report mentioning nearly 900 strikes launched on Iranian targets in the first 12 hours of an operation.
There are hopes of a turnaround in overall corporate earnings after six quarters of single digit growth.
Opposition parties have accused the state government of using force and ignoring rehabilitation concerns.
The United States, which entered this war in expectation of a short, sharp win along the Venezuela model, is now preparing for deeper involvement in a conflict it does not fully control, without the allies it typically relies on, against an adversary that is not behaving as expected, in a global environment that is already absorbing economic shock. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Shaheed Diwas 2026: India observes Martyrs' Day on March 23, marking 95 years since Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged by the British in 1931. PM Modi leads tributes. History, significance, quotes and how the nation is remembering the martyrs today.
It may now be time to question the price India is paying for Israel's disregard of the serious undermining of India's energy security, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accuses the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh of corruption and political patronage, citing illegal tree felling and financial irregularities.
Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could exacerbate global inequalities if not used for the benefit of people, highlighting its immense energy requirements and the need for renewable energy solutions.
According to information shared with students, those enrolled at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences have been offered two evacuation routes -- either through Armenia or Azerbaijan.
'The BJP is keeping its options open and that the final decision is still tightly held.' 'That is consistent with the party's tendency to preserve suspense, avoid premature factional conflict, and use leadership selection as a way of resetting internal hierarchies.'
A French soldier was killed while several others were injured in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed. Macron, in a post on X, confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins lost his life in the attack.
Through policy interventions, Indian cities need to be reimagined as a network of inter-connected assets and services which serve to strengthen the social contract between citizens and their cities by improving their quality of life, the Economic Survey has flagged.
What Subedaar lacks is that element of surprise that makes a film worth the viewer's time and willingness to engage, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Singer Sona Mohapatra has criticised rapper Badshah for using misogynistic tropes in his song 'Tateeree', which has faced backlash for its objectionable lyrics and visuals. Badshah has since apologised and removed the song from social media.
Suspended city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri has announced the formation of his own political party, Rashtriya Adhikar Morcha (RAM), in Vrindavan. He was suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government on charges of indiscipline.
India has strongly condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghanistan, calling them a flagrant violation of international law and hypocritical given the civilian casualties during Ramzan.
FIDE files formal complaint with ethics commission against former world champion Kramnik
Israel wishes to continue its bombing campaign until Iran's military and industrial infrastructure are degraded to a point where it ceases to pose a threat to Israel. Iran, for its part, has learnt from its experience in the 12-day war of last June. Any ceasefire, it believes, will only be a prelude to another attack on itself. It is determined to convey that any attack on Iran will impose heavy costs on Israel, the US, America's allies in the Gulf -- and on the world at large, points out T T Ram Mohan.
Alliances fight wars effectively only when they share an endgame. If Israel acted without US knowledge, then the military alliance is operating without real coordination at the level of strategic targeting. Neither picture is reassuring in a war that is no longer regional in its consequences. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
'Once demographic fear becomes campaign language, it legitimises social targeting.'
Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah, who resigned recently, is set to join the BJP, citing humiliation within the Congress party. He also responded to allegations of accepting money to switch parties.
India should resist knee-jerk responses to tariff volatility in the US and instead use the current geopolitical churn to build manufacturing scale at home, former G20 Sherpa and former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday.
