New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The Centre on Friday reduced the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil to 10 per cent, a move aimed at bringing down the retail prices of cooking oils and protecting domestic processors.

Earlier, the duty on these three crude edible oils was 20 per cent.

India imports more than 50 per cent of its domestic edible oil requirement.

India imported 159.6 lakh tonnes of edible oils during the 2023-24 oil marketing year (November to October), valuing Rs 1.32 lakh crore.

A notification in this regard was issued by the finance ministry on Friday with immediate effect.

When contacted, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the government has slashed the basic custom duty on crude edible oils to 10 per cent from 20 per cent.

Industry body Solvent Extractors Association of India's (SEA) executive director B V Mehta said the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been reduced to 10 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent.

The effective import duty (including the basic custom duty and other charges) on these three products will now be 16.5 per cent as against the 27.5 per cent earlier.

The basic custom duty on refined oil remains unchanged at 32.5 per cent.

At present, the effective duty on refined oils is 35.75 per cent.

Industry bodies SEA and the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) welcomed the decision.

They have been demanding increasing the duty difference between the crude and refined edible oils to protect the domestic processors.

In a late-night statement, SEA president Sanjeev Asthana said, "The government's decision to increase the duty differential between crude and refined oils from 8.25 per cent to 19.25 per cent is a bold and timely move. It will discourage imports of refined palmolein and shift demand back to crude palm oil, thereby revitalising the domestic refining sector."

The reduction in duty on crude oil will help reduce domestic prices, benefiting consumers, he added.

Mehta pointed out that imports of refined palm oil have risen of late, because it is cheaper than the crude palm oil.

India imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia. Soyabean oil comes from Brazil and Argentina.

IVPA president Sudhakar Desai said, "We thank the government for accepting the IVPA recommendation to increase the duty differential between crude and refined edible oils to 19.25 per cent."

It is a significantly bold move towards ensuring Make in India and also protecting the sector from the influx of refined oils, causing capacity injury to the vegetable oil sector, Desai said.

"This is a win-win situation for vegetable oil refiners and consumers, as the local price will go down due to the lower duty on crude oils," Mehta said.

On September 14, 2024, the basic custom duty on crude soyabean oil, crude palm oil and crude sunflower oil was raised from 0 per cent to 20 per cent. PTI MJH RC

Rudraprayag, May 30 (PTI) One person was killed and five others were injured in a landslide on the Kedarnath National Highway in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Friday.

This took place after a vehicle carrying devotees from Chhattisgarh was struck by the landslide near Kund, close to Guptkashi.

The administration and Station Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams reached the spot on receiving information about the incident and began the rescue and relief operations, officials said.

The injured were taken out of the vehicle and admitted to the nearby Augustmuni Hospital, they said.

Two persons were seriously injured, while three others sustained minor injuries.

The deceased was identified as driver Rajesh Singh Rawat (38), a resident of Lambgaon in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district.

He was carrying the pilgrims from Chhattisgarh to visit Kedarnath.

The injured, aged between 19 to 25 years, are residents of Chhattisgarh's Durg district. PTI COR AS

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Faridabad, May 30 (PTI) Their names were the same, their fathers’ too, their crimes vastly different. And so it was that the Nitesh accused of repeatedly raping a minor boy was mistakenly released on bail instead of the Nitesh charged with trespassing.

The jail administration on Friday suspended five jail employees including two officers, officials said.

That the two were lodged in the same prison just added to the chain of coincidences, perhaps confounding the administration of Neemka Jail, Faridabad.

Sadar SHO Umesh Kumar assured that a search is underway and that the rape accused will be nabbed soon.

Nitesh Pandey (27), son of Ravinder Pandey, was arrested on October 2021 for raping a nine-year-old boy in Faridabad.

Complicating matters, there is a second individual named Nitesh, who is 24-years-old and also has a father named Ravinder. He was jailed the previous Sunday on charges of house trespass and assault.

The second Nitesh, accused of assault, was granted bail on Monday by the Faridabad court Chief Judicial Magistrate.

Interestingly, even though both men share the same name, only one seems to have a surname. A factor enough to avoid any major confusion, however, Nitesh Pandey was freed instead of the Nitesh who was set to be released on Tuesday.

The jail administration, in an attempt appearing to shift blame, is now claiming that Nitesh Pandey managed to obtain his release by 'hiding his identity'.

"We have lodged a complaint with the Sadar Police Station against Nitish Pandey for obtaining his release by hiding his identity," Jail Deputy Superintendent Vikram Singh said.

Jail Superintendent Harendra Singh conducted sent a report to top officials after conducting a probe

During his probe, jail superintendent found Assistant Superintendent Jail Mohanlal, Deputy Superintendent Jail Pradeep Tyagi, Head constable Rajendra and two warders Sanjeev and Rajesh guilty of negligence.

Taking action on the recommendation report, the Director General of jail suspended all five jail employees on Friday. PTI COR MPL NB

Agartala, May 30 (PTI) Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Friday ordered a probe into a blast at an under-construction tourist facility in Betlingchhip along the inter-state boundary with Mizoram.

A group of unknown people reportedly hurled a low-intensity bomb and vandalised an under-construction eco-park and tourist amenities in North Tripura district early on Wednesday, official sources said.

"Several construction works for tourism at Jampui Hill were damaged due to the bomb explosion. To know about the details, I held a meeting with the local MLA, district magistrate, SP and other senior officials," Chowdhury wrote on Facebook.

"I asked the officials to identify the accused through a proper investigation and ensure stringent punishment for their act," he added.

North Tripura Superintendent of Police Avinesh Kumar Rai had on Thursday said the under-construction eco-park and cafeteria at Betlingchhip were damaged.

A forensic team has gathered evidence from the spot, he added.

Security was beefed up along the Tripura-Mizoram inter-state boundary after the low-intensity blast.

Betlingchhip, the highest peak of Tripura, is located near the Phuldungsei village in Mizoram's Mamit district. The area is also claimed by Mizoram.

Construction of the tourist facility was put on hold by the Tripura government after Mizoram objected to it recently, officials said.

Mizoram shares a 66-km-long border with Tripura.

Tensions recently flared along the interstate boundary after Mizoram's civil society groups and students' organisations opposed the construction of the facility.

Condemning the incident, Mizoram's apex students' body, MZP, said it is being seen as a "mischievous act" to put the blame on Mizos. PTI PS ACD

Dumka, May 30 (PTI) Two cousin sisters, including a minor, drowned in a river in Jharkhand's Dumka district on Friday, a police officer said.

The deceased, identified as Puja Gorai (16) and Uma Bharti (20), were maternal cousins.

The incident took place in Gandrakpur village when they slipped while bathing, the officer said.

They were taken to a hospital in Dumka, where doctors declared them dead, he added. PTI BS RBT

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The government has cut the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil by 10 per cent to bring down the prices of cooking oils and protect domestic processing industries.

India imports more than 50 per cent of its domestic edible oil requirement.

When contacted, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the government has slashed basic custom duties on crude edible oils to 10 per cent from 20 per cent.

Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) executive director B V Mehta said the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been reduced to 10 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent.

A notification in this regard was issued on Friday and has come into force with immediate effect.

The effective import duty (basic custom duty plus other charges) on these three products will now be 16.5 per cent as against the earlier 27.5 per cent. The effective duty on refined oils is 35.75 per cent.

Both the SEA and the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) have welcomed the decision.

They have been demanding increasing the duty difference between the crude and refined edible oils to protect the domestic processors.

Hailing the decision, Mehta said this will help the domestic industry utilise its refining capacity.

The move will also help reduce the retail prices of cooking oils, he added.

Mehta said there was higher import of refined palm oil because it is cheaper than the crude palm oil.

India imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.

IVPA president Sudhakar Desai welcomed the decision of the government to reduce the basic import duty on crude edible oil from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

"We thank the government for accepting the IVPA recommendation to increase the duty differential between crude and refined edible oils to 19.25 per cent," he said.

It is a significantly bold move towards ensuring Make in India and also protecting the sector from the influx of refined oils, causing capacity injury to the vegetable oil sector, Desai said.

Mehta complimented the government for the bold decision.

"This is a win-win situation for vegetable oil refiners and consumers as the local price will go down due to the lower duty on crude oils," he said.

On September 14, 2024, the basic custom duty on crude soyabean oil, crude palm oil and crude sunflower oil was raised from 0 per cent to 20 per cent, making the effective duty on crude oils 27.5 per cent.

The basic custom duty on refined palm oil, refined sunflower oil and refined soyabean oil was increased in September last year from 12.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent, making the effective duty on refined oils 35.75 per cent.

The basic custom duty on refined oils remains unchanged. PTI MJH RC

Gangtok, May 30 (PTI) The Sikkim Vigilance Police (SVP) conducted search operations at multiple locations in the country over alleged irregularities in development of a hydel power project in the state, officials said on Friday.

The anti-corruption wing initiated an investigation following an FIR in this regard, they said.

"The SVP carried out search operations at multiple locations spread across Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Siliguri and Gangtok in connection with an ongoing investigation into the irregularities perpetrated, before and during the development of ambitious 1200-MW Teesta Stage III Hydro-Electric Project in Chungthang, North Sikkim," it said in a statement.

The searches were carried out at the offices and residences of individuals associated with the development of the project, it said.

The operations led to seizure of a large number of incriminating documents and digital records, the statement said.

Further inquiries will be made to ascertain “whether the officials concerned received any cash, immovable properties... through clandestine routes and acts, if any, committed to conceal the criminal origin of the money”. PTI KDK RBT

Thane, May 30 (PTI) A major fire broke out in a godown in Shil area of Thane on Friday night, though there are no reports of anyone getting injured, a civic official said.

The blaze started at 11pm in MS Compound near Dostil Complex, TMC disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.

"Firefighting operations are underway. There is no report of injuries. Police personnel, Torrent Power Company employees and fire brigade personnel with two fire vehicles, one water tanker and one rescue vehicle are at the site," he said. PTI COR BNM

Kochi, May 30 (PTI) The Kerala High Court held on Friday that the state government withholding the pension of Ciza Thomas, former vice-chancellor of the A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University, was a violation of her fundamental rights and directed that her entire terminal benefits be released within two weeks.

A bench of Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Johnson John noted that the government exercised its authority and power to "harass" Thomas for taking up

the VC's office at the instance of the chancellor, the then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.

"This court cannot ignore the gross injustice meted out to such a distinguished government servant. We will have to protect her pensionary right, which is a property right under the Constitution, and it cannot be denied as such unless by a procedure established by law.

"In view of the above, we direct the official respondents (government) to release the entire terminal benefits due to her within two weeks from today," the bench said.

It said the question of interest payable on the amount can be left to the Administrative Tribunal to decide.

The bench came to the finding after noting that the disciplinary proceedings initiated against Thomas were quashed by the high court and no judicial proceedings were pending against her.

It said the Kerala Service Rules allow the state government to withhold pension only when departmental proceedings or judicial proceedings are pending.

"In the absence of any pending departmental or judicial proceedings, the government cannot withhold pensionary benefits of Dr Ciza Thomas.

"We note that the government exercised its authority and power in flagrant violation of her fundamental rights and to harass her for taking up the office of the vice-chancellor at the instance of the chancellor, the then governor," the bench said.

The order came on a plea moved by Thomas seeking a direction to the government to disburse her regular pension, arrears and all other terminal benefits.

According to the court, the only justification given by the government for the delay in disbursing the pensionary benefits was that it has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the dismissal of its special leave petition challenging a Kerala High Court order that set aside its show-cause notice to Thomas as part of the disciplinary action initiated against her.

The action was initiated after she retired in March 2023 as the principal of the Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram.

The government was of the view that she violated the Government Servants Conduct Rules by assuming the office of the vice-chancellor. PTI HMP RC

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) On the occasion of Hindi Journalism Day, the Delhi University's Standing Committee on Academic Matters approved the introduction of a master's programme in journalism in Hindi medium, which is set to commence in the 2025-26 academic session, according to the panel members.

Celebrated annually on May 30, Hindi Journalism Day marks the publication of "Udant Martand" in 1826 -- the first Hindi-language newspaper in India -- and highlights the significant role of journalism as the fourth pillar of democracy.

The newly-approved postgraduate course will be offered under the Department of Hindi and is part of the Faculty of Arts. It is designed in alignment with the university's Postgraduate Curriculum Framework.

However, for the course to be implemented, it must receive a final nod from the Academic Council.

The committee members confirmed the launch of the Hindi-medium course and revealed that an English-medium counterpart, to be offered under the Department of English, is expected to start in the following academic session, 2026-27.

The committee convened on Friday to discuss and approve the syllabi for several undergraduate and postgraduate courses. These included the seventh and eighth semesters of various BA programmes, such as education, Hindustani music (both programme and honours) and geography, all structured under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF).

The postgraduate syllabi in disciplines, including philosophy, economics, geography, sociology, political science and mathematics, were also reviewed during the session, with changes made in accordance with the new curriculum framework.

The committee had held meetings on May 2, 6 and 8 to deliberate on syllabus revisions, many of which were later approved by the academic and executive councils, despite instances of dissent. PTI MHS RC

Itanagar, May 30 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday virtually laid the foundation stones of Rs 750-crore infrastructure development projects in the education sector.

These projects, to be executed by the Rural Works Department (RWD), are scheduled for completion in the current financial year.

A major portion of the investment focuses on strengthening educational infrastructure. This includes upgrading 39 government higher secondary schools across the state under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

Additionally, Rs 322 crore has been earmarked for the construction of 156 hostels and teachers' quarters in all districts under the scheme.

Under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), 14 high-capacity hostels with 120 beds each will be built at a cost of Rs 71.40 crore. The initiative also covers the construction of 60 bachelor barracks in rural schools with an allocation of Rs 9 crore.

Further, Rs 30 crore will be used for infrastructure development at Arunachal University in Pasighat (East Siang district), while Rs 23.64 crore has been set aside for constructing 394 kitchen sheds-cum-stores under the PM Poshan scheme.

"This is in line with our commitment to successfully implement the Shikshit Arunachal 2029 Mission adopted by our government," Khandu stated.

He emphasised that the mission aims to comprehensively address infrastructure requirements in government schools, while also enacting policy reforms to revamp the state's education system.

Reiterating his stance on improving quality, the chief minister announced that non-functional schools or those with zero attendance will be shut down. These will be replaced by an inter-village school model to optimise resources and outcomes.

"Over the years, in our pursuit of quantity, we compromised on quality. Under the Shikshit Arunachal Mission, we aim to elevate the standard of education to top-notch levels by 2029," he asserted. PTI UPL UPL ACD

Nicosia, May 30 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a telephonic conversation with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos and the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral and India-EU ties.

Jaishankar also said he appreciated the support extended by Cyprus in India’s fight against terrorism.

“Warm conversation with FM @ckombos of Cyprus. Discussed strengthening our bilateral partnership as well as India-EU ties. Appreciate the support consistently extended by Cyprus in combatting terrorism,” the external affairs minister posted on X.

Kombos said he had a “productive exchange” with Jaishankar and the two leaders reaffirmed the excellent ties between India and Cyprus.

In a post on X, he said he expressed support to deepening EU India co-operation, also in view of the upcoming Cypriot presidency of the Council of the EU. PTI GSP

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New York/Washington, May 30 (PTI) US President Donald Trump on Friday repeated his claim that he stopped India and Pakistan from fighting and told the two nations that his administration cannot trade with people that are shooting at each other.

“We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office with billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is leaving the Trump administration after helming the Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump added that he wants to thank the “leaders of India, the leaders of Pakistan, and I want to thank my people also. We talked trade and we said ‘we can’t trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons’.”

Trump said that leaders in India and Pakistan are “great leaders” and “they understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped”.

“We are stopping others from fighting also, because ultimately, we can fight better than anybody. We have the greatest military in the world. We have the greatest leaders in the world,” Trump said.

About two weeks after the horrific April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Indian government sources in New Delhi have maintained that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect. They said no third party was involved.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict. PTI YAS GSP

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Islamabad, May 30 (PTI) A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced 11 supporters of jailed former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including a lawmaker, for violent protest in the capital on May 9, 2023.

The PTI workers had vandalised public property and attacked defence installations in the country on the day as they protested the arrest of the 72-year-old party founder.

Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, of an Anti-Terrorist Court, found the accused guilty of attacking the Ramna police station in Islamabad and sentenced them to a total of 27 years along with a fine worth Pakistani Rs 327,000.

“You are accused of attacking the Ramna police station in Islamabad. If you attack your own police stations, the country will no longer be liveable,” the judge said.

A case had been registered against them for offences, including burning a motorcycle and attacking police personnel.

Those convicted included member of the National Assembly Abdul Latif, who was elected from Chitral area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After conviction, he was disqualified for five years.

Other accused who were convicted were Zariyab Khan, Muhammad Akram, Meera Khan, Sameol Robert, Wazeerzada, Abdul Basit, Shan Ali, Shah Zaib, Muhammad Yousaf and Sohail Khan.

Earlier, in December 2024, military courts had sentenced 85 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in violent attacks on military installations during the riots on May 9, 2023.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases. PTI SH GSP GSP

Peshawar, May 30 (PTI) The representatives of Ahmedzai tribe in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have renewed their call for the removal of passport and visa requirement, demanding easier cross-border movement at the Afghanistan border point.

The tribesmen made the demand at a sit-in protest camp, underway in South Waziristan district for last few months.

The representatives of the four major clans of Ahmedzai Wazir tribe — Tojhi Khel, Gangi Khel, Zali Khel, and Khojel Khel — renewed their call for easier cross border movement and removal of passport and visa requirements at Angoor Ada border point.

Speaking to journalists, organisers of the ongoing sit-in protest said that the Ahmadzai tribes have inhabited these ancestral lands for centuries and share deep-rooted cultural and familial ties across the border.

They criticised the current border policies as “bureaucratic hurdles” that are damaging a historic relationship built on mutual heritage and kinship.

A tribal protester said, “For decades, we were allowed to travel using just our national identity cards without any issues. So why these sudden restrictions now. Have centuries of living here now become a crime.”

The protest, which has been ongoing for the past 20 months, is not a result of political stubbornness or momentary emotion, the organisers emphasised, but rather a desperate response to what they describe as repeated violations of their basic human rights.

“It is unfortunate, that we live on the borders of two countries that speak of human dignity, cultural values, and shared heritage, yet in practice, we see none of it,” a community elder said.

The protesters demanded the implementation of a One Document Regime (ODR) that would allow cross-border movement using national identity cards, e-pass systems, or RFID cards.

They also called for dedicated immigration counters for local residents at the border and the complete removal of visa and passport requirements.

“If our peaceful protest for 20 months hasn’t been heard, one must ask what is our fault,” said a protest leader. “We are law-abiding, peaceful citizens, simply asking for justice, brotherhood, and humanitarian consideration.”

The protest organisers expressed hope that authorities in both Pakistan and Afghanistan would act with reason, compassion, and legality, and work toward restoring peace, prosperity, and harmony in the region.

Angoor Ada gate is a key trade point along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in South Waziristan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah told a jirga, a traditional assembly of tribal leaders, in mid-April in Wana district headquarters of South Waziristan that the government has finalised a comprehensive framework to permanently reopen the crossing at Angoor Ada point for commercial activity.

“Trade operations will resume soon from Angoor Ada point, bringing economic relief and opportunities to the region,” he added. PTI AYZ GSP

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Kathmandu, May 30 (PTI) Nepal's authorities on Friday banned protests and public gatherings around the Narayanhiti Palace area in the heart of Kathmandu amid demonstrations by pro-monarchist groups demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy and the establishment of a Hindu state.

According to a notice issued by Chief District Officer Rishiram Tiwari, the restriction will be in effect from Saturday until July 8.

The restricted zone spans from Kesharmahal Chowk to the southern gate of the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, including the route via Jaya Nepal Mode and the Mahendra Statue to the museum's southern gate.

All forms of protests, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations and assemblies are prohibited in this area.

Similar prohibitory orders had earlier been enforced in front of the residences of the President and Vice President, the Parliament building as well as in Bhadrakali, Singha Durbar and surrounding areas.

The decision came in the wake of pro-monarchy demonstrations in the capital city.

The pro-monarchist groups, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), have launched Kathmandu-centred protest programmes from Thursday with the objectives of reinstatement of monarchy and establishment of a Hindu state in Nepal.

They have announced that they will organise demonstrations near the Narayanhiti Palace Museum area on Saturday.

The protesters, including cadres and leaders of the RPP, disrupted traffic in several parts of Kathmandu, including Maitighar-Mandala, Babarmahal and Naya Baneshwar area.

The RPP is the fifth-largest party in the House of Representatives.

The protesters, carrying photographs of former King Gyanendra, chanted slogans against Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli-led government. The protests have been peaceful so far.

Nepalese political parties, through a Parliament declaration, abolished the 240-year-old monarchy in 2008 and turned the erstwhile Hindu kingdom into a secular, federal, democratic republic.

There have been a series of protests in Kathmandu and some other parts of the country by the pro-monarchists, in recent months, demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy. PTI SBP GSP ZH

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Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Special Inspector General of Police Jalindar Supekar, whose name had cropped up in the Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry harassment-suicide case, was on Friday transferred from the prisons department to the Home Guards as deputy commandant general.

The transfer comes a day after the state government relieved him of additional responsibilities as deputy inspector general of prisons of Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions.

Vaishnavi Hagawane allegedly committed suicide in Pune's Bavdhan area on May 16, with her kin alleging that her in-laws and others had tortured her for dowry. Her father-in-law Rajendra Hagawane was subsequently expelled from the NCP after the case hit national headlines.

Supekar is the uncle of Vaishnavi's husband Shashank. Incidentally, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had asked the ADG Prisons to probe allegations that Supekar was trying to shield the accused in the dowry harassment and suicide case.

"As per the order issued on Friday, Supekar has been transferred due to administrative reasons. The post of deputy commandant general of Home Guards has been downgraded to accommodate Supekar," an official said.

The order of Thursday under which he was relieved of additional responsibilities as deputy inspector general of prisons of Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions claimed the post of DIG in the prisons department is "important" and full of "responsibilities".

Giving additional charge of three posts to an IG rank officer, who is second in command after the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), was not "appropriate" as per administrative requirements, the order had stated. PTI DC NR BNM

New York, May 30 (PTI) Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Indian-American student from Texas, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after he spelt “éclaircissement” correctly, maintaining the dominance of the children from the community in the prestigious US competition.

Zaki will take home USD 50,000, a medal and a trophy as he won the Spelling Bee in its 100th year.

Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night.

The 13-year-old took home the Scripps Cup outspelling more than 240 students from across the country, Scripps said in a post on X.

A 7th-grade student at C M Rice Middle School, Zaki finished second in 2024 in a spell-off to another Indian-American Bruhat Soma.

This was Zaki’s fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Zaki earned the prestigious title in round 21 when he correctly spelt “éclaircissement,” which is defined as “the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.”

He outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title.

The culmination of the national championship came with a shock. Zaki had an earlier chance to win this year’s bee, in the 18th round, after mistakes by two other finalists.

In what could have been the last round, when there were three left, Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane got their words wrong.

It seemed to be Zaki’s big chance. But he rushed to spell his word before a proper explanation and got the first letter wrong.

Hardly before the word “commelina” had left the pronouncer’s mouth, Zaki jumped on it, saying, “k-a-m ——”

He recognised his mistake right away, but it was too late.

As he spelt the winning word, Zaki fell on the stage in joy as confetti rained down. “I don’t know what to say. I’m just really happy,” he said.

Organisers congratulated Zaki's parents and his grandparents, who were watching the competition from their home in Hyderabad.

“I can’t describe it,” Zaki said minutes later. “It’s so amazing, getting to this point. Winning? I never expected this.”

Adam Symson, president and CEO of the E W Scripps Company, presented the championship trophy.

“Faizan exemplified the determination that defines a champion,” said Symson. His unwavering focus and preparation led to a well-earned victory tonight on the Bee’s largest stage, he said.

“In this landmark 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Scripps is honoured to celebrate Faizan’s extraordinary achievement as well as the spellers throughout the Bee’s history who continue to inspire millions,” he said.

The first Spelling Bee competition was held in 1925 in Washington, DC, and only nine kids participated, according to Scripps. This year, more than 200 students competed.

Zaki is only the fifth speller in Bee history to win after coming in second place the year before. He tied for 21st place in 2023 and 370th place in 2019.

Zaki will take home USD 50,000, a medal and a trophy. He will receive a USD 2,500 prize and a reference library from the Bee’s dictionary partner Merriam-Webster.

Kadam of Visalia, California, placed second in the competition and will receive USD 25,000.

Dharavane of Dunwoody, Georgia, will receive USD 15,000.

Thirty of the past 36 champions, including Zaki, of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian American.

Nupur Lala was the first Indian-American to win the competition in 1999. PTI NSA NPK

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New York, May 30 (PTI) Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will address a leadership summit hosted by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum next week where three pioneering business leaders from the QUAD nations will be honoured for their leadership.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) will host the eighth edition of its Leadership Summit on June 2 in Washington, D.C, where Lutnick will deliver the keynote address, sharing “his insights on strengthening the US-India strategic and economic partnership to achieve” the goal set by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for $500 billion in bilateral trade.

Vance, the first Indian-American in the role of Second Lady, will speak at a fireside chat.

USISPF said Vance's presence symbolises the deepening partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, and highlights the robust strength of the people-to-people ties.

USISPF will also present the 2025 Global Leadership Awards to IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Hitachi Executive Chairman Toshiaki Higashihara “for their outstanding contributions in strengthening the US-India-Japan economic partnership.”

This is the first time that business leaders from the QUAD grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US will be honoured at the USISPF summit.

USISPF said that IBM, led by Krishna, has accelerated global digital transformation through advancing cutting-edge research in AI, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain, with India playing a pivotal role in its global R&D and talent ecosystem.

Under Birla’s leadership, the Aditya Birla Group is the largest Indian greenfield investor in the United States, with investments exceeding $15 billion.

Hitachi, under the leadership of Higashihara, continues to expand its investments in infrastructure, mobility, and digital innovation, closely aligning with key US-India -Japan-India collaboration in energy, transportation, and technology. 

The summit will also feature conversations with Ambassador of India to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans Senator Steve Daines and Representative Rich McCormick and USISPF Board members.

“USISPF was founded with the single goal of uniting the two most powerful and robust democracies,” John Chambers, Chairman, USISPF; Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures, said. 

USISPF President and CEO Mukesh Aghi said the organisation is proud to welcome Lutnick, Vance and recognise exemplary business leaders who have strengthened the US-India-Japan corridor.

"These three leading democracies -- together representing well over $35 trillion -- are united by a shared commitment to strengthening supply chains and upholding a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Aghi said. 

He added that with Japan’s strength in advanced engineering manufacturing, India's robust economic growth, demographic dividend and engineering talent and the US innovation economy and capital, this trilateral partnership is uniquely positioned to drive progress across critical sectors.

USISPF is an independent not-for-profit institution focused on strengthening the US-India partnership. PTI YAS ZH

ZH

Kathmandu, May 30 (PTI) In view of the proposed protest by pro-monarchists, Nepal authorities on Friday imposed restrictive orders around Narayanhiti Palace Museum, which lies in the heart of the capital city.

Issuing a notice, the Kathmandu district administration has declared a restricted zone around the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, citing security concerns.

The decision comes in the wake of recent pro-monarchy demonstrations in the capital city.

The pro-monarchist groups, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, have launched Kathmandu centred protest programmes from Thursday with the twin objectives of reinstatement of monarchy and establishment of a Hindu state in Nepal.

According to the notice issued by Chief District Officer Rishiram Tiwari, it has been stated that the restriction will be in place from May 31 until July 8.

The restricted area spans from Kesharmahal Chowk to the southern gate of the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, extending to Jaya Nepal Mode, and from the Mahendra statue to the museum’s southern gate.

The pro-monarchist groups have announced that they will organise demonstrations near the Narayanhiti Palace Museum area on Saturday.

Gatherings of more than five people, including sit-ins, demonstrations, rallies, and other protest-related activities, have been prohibited in the designated area. PTI SBP GSP

GSP

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The Centre on Friday reduced the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil to 10 per cent, a move aimed at bringing down the retail prices of cooking oils and protecting domestic processors.

Earlier, the duty on these three crude edible oils was 20 per cent.

India imports more than 50 per cent of its domestic edible oil requirement.

India imported 159.6 lakh tonnes of edible oils during the 2023-24 oil marketing year (November to October), valuing Rs 1.32 lakh crore.

A notification in this regard was issued by the finance ministry on Friday with immediate effect.

When contacted, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the government has slashed the basic custom duty on crude edible oils to 10 per cent from 20 per cent.

Industry body Solvent Extractors Association of India's (SEA) executive director B V Mehta said the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been reduced to 10 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent.

The effective import duty (including the basic custom duty and other charges) on these three products will now be 16.5 per cent as against the 27.5 per cent earlier.

The basic custom duty on refined oil remains unchanged at 32.5 per cent.

At present, the effective duty on refined oils is 35.75 per cent.

Industry bodies SEA and the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) welcomed the decision.

They have been demanding increasing the duty difference between the crude and refined edible oils to protect the domestic processors.

In a late-night statement, SEA president Sanjeev Asthana said, "The government's decision to increase the duty differential between crude and refined oils from 8.25 per cent to 19.25 per cent is a bold and timely move. It will discourage imports of refined palmolein and shift demand back to crude palm oil, thereby revitalising the domestic refining sector."

The reduction in duty on crude oil will help reduce domestic prices, benefiting consumers, he added.

Mehta pointed out that imports of refined palm oil have risen of late, because it is cheaper than the crude palm oil.

India imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia. Soyabean oil comes from Brazil and Argentina.

IVPA president Sudhakar Desai said, "We thank the government for accepting the IVPA recommendation to increase the duty differential between crude and refined edible oils to 19.25 per cent."

It is a significantly bold move towards ensuring Make in India and also protecting the sector from the influx of refined oils, causing capacity injury to the vegetable oil sector, Desai said.

"This is a win-win situation for vegetable oil refiners and consumers, as the local price will go down due to the lower duty on crude oils," Mehta said.

On September 14, 2024, the basic custom duty on crude soyabean oil, crude palm oil and crude sunflower oil was raised from 0 per cent to 20 per cent. PTI MJH RC

Kolkata, May 30 (PTI) IFB Agro Industries Ltd on Friday said its board has approved a proposal to acquire the entire commercial shrimp and freshwater fish feed business of Cargill India, marking a strategic move to consolidate its aqua feed operations.

The acquisition – on a slump sale basis – includes Cargill India’s manufacturing facilities at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, along with feed formulations, assets, business contracts, liabilities, licenses, employees, and other associated resources, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The transaction, subject to the execution of a definitive Business Transfer Agreement (BTA), is expected to be completed by July 31, 2025.

The consideration will be paid in cash, though the specific value will be disclosed in the final agreement, IFB said.

The move aligns with IFB Agro’s strategy to grow its presence in the aqua feed segment, the company said.

Cargill India, incorporated in 1996, is a major player in the Indian animal nutrition sector and also operates in grain, oilseed and the food ingredient market. PTI BSM RBT

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The government has cut the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil by 10 per cent to bring down the prices of cooking oils and protect domestic processing industries.

India imports more than 50 per cent of its domestic edible oil requirement.

When contacted, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the government has slashed basic custom duties on crude edible oils to 10 per cent from 20 per cent.

Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) executive director B V Mehta said the basic custom duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been reduced to 10 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent.

A notification in this regard was issued on Friday and has come into force with immediate effect.

The effective import duty (basic custom duty plus other charges) on these three products will now be 16.5 per cent as against the earlier 27.5 per cent. The effective duty on refined oils is 35.75 per cent.

Both the SEA and the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) have welcomed the decision.

They have been demanding increasing the duty difference between the crude and refined edible oils to protect the domestic processors.

Hailing the decision, Mehta said this will help the domestic industry utilise its refining capacity.

The move will also help reduce the retail prices of cooking oils, he added.

Mehta said there was higher import of refined palm oil because it is cheaper than the crude palm oil.

India imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.

IVPA president Sudhakar Desai welcomed the decision of the government to reduce the basic import duty on crude edible oil from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

"We thank the government for accepting the IVPA recommendation to increase the duty differential between crude and refined edible oils to 19.25 per cent," he said.

It is a significantly bold move towards ensuring Make in India and also protecting the sector from the influx of refined oils, causing capacity injury to the vegetable oil sector, Desai said.

Mehta complimented the government for the bold decision.

"This is a win-win situation for vegetable oil refiners and consumers as the local price will go down due to the lower duty on crude oils," he said.

On September 14, 2024, the basic custom duty on crude soyabean oil, crude palm oil and crude sunflower oil was raised from 0 per cent to 20 per cent, making the effective duty on crude oils 27.5 per cent.

The basic custom duty on refined palm oil, refined sunflower oil and refined soyabean oil was increased in September last year from 12.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent, making the effective duty on refined oils 35.75 per cent.

The basic custom duty on refined oils remains unchanged. PTI MJH RC

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Industry body Assocham on Friday said India retained its position as the world's fastest-growing major economy in 2024-25, with real GDP expanding 6.5 per cent.

Growth accelerated more in the second half as compared to the first half, achieving a 7.4 per cent rise during the March quarter.

"This pick-up was supported by robust domestic demand, strong public infrastructure investment and shifting global supply chains that increasingly favour India amid geopolitical reorientations," Assocham President Sanjay Nayar said.

He further said construction, manufacturing and services sectors were key drivers of this momentum, strengthening India's macroeconomic stability and global growth leadership.

The 6.5 per cent growth rate during the fiscal year elevated the size of India's economy to USD 3.9 trillion and held promise of crossing world's fourth-largest economy Japan in FY26.

The Indian economy grew at 7.4 per cent in January-March -- the fourth and final quarter of April 2024 to March 2025 fiscal (FY25) -- reflecting a strong cyclical rebound that was helped by a rise in private consumption and robust growth in construction and manufacturing.

The expansion of 7.4 per cent during January-March 2025 was the best in the fiscal year.

The 6.5 per cent growth in FY25 was in line with the government projection made in February. This growth was the slowest in four years, and compared to a 9.2 per cent expansion in the previous 2023-24 fiscal year. PTI NKD TRB

TRB

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The IRB Infrastructure and Developers board on Friday approved a proposal to transfer three road assets of IRB Infrastructure Trust to IRB InvIT Fund.

The three BOT assets -- IRB Hapur Moradabad Tollway, Kaithal Tollway and Kishangarh Gulabpura Tollway -- have an enterprise value of Rs 8,450 crore, IRB Infrastructure and Developers said in an exchange filing.

"Further to the non-binding offer exchanged on 8th May 2025, IRB Infrastructure Trust and IRB InvIT Fund have now executed a binding term sheet to transfer three BOT (build-operate-transfer) Highway Assets from former to later," it said.

The three sell three BOT highway assets with enterprise value of about Rs 8,450 crore.

Virendra D Mhaiskar, Chairman & Managing Director of the company, said, "The company and IRB Infrastructure Trust can leverage deal proceeds to fund future sector opportunities almost 2x the size of assets being transferred."

He further said this development propels the company towards its goal of achieving Rs 1,40,000 crore asset base in three years.

IRB is India's first integrated infrastructure player in the highways segment. It is the country's largest integrated private toll roads and highways highways infrastructure developer with an asset base of over Rs 80,000 crore in 12 states. PTI ABI TRB

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) India and Chile have concluded the first round of negotiations for the proposed comprehensive free trade agreement between the two countries, the Department of Commerce said on Friday.

The two countries implemented a preferential trade agreement (PTA) in 2006 and are now negotiating to widen its scope for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA).

An expanded PTA was subsequently signed in September 2016 and became effective on May 16, 2017.

"India and Chile have successfully concluded the first round of CEPA negotiations. Discussions were held across 17 tracks during the round and both sides reiterated their commitment to deepen economic engagement and trade ties," the department said in a post on X.

The next round of negotiations is expected in July-August this year and will be preceded by intersessional discussions through virtual conferences to address outstanding issues in advance of the upcoming meeting.

During the inauguration of the first round of talks, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal emphasised that the agreement will pave the way for a deeper economic partnership and the creation of strengthened global value chains between the two countries.

The CEPA aims to build upon the existing PTA between the two nations and seeks to encompass a broader range of sectors, including digital services, investment promotion and cooperation, MSMEs, and critical minerals.

Vimal Anand, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce is the Chief Negotiator from the Indian side.

The Chilean negotiating team comprised 17 delegates, and was led by Chief Negotiator Pablo Urria, Director for Asia and Oceanic at the Secretariat of International Economic Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.

The tracks include trade in goods, services, movement of natural persons, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation.

It also includes Dispute Settlement, MSMEs, Women's Economic Empowerment, Critical and Strategic Minerals Trade and Sustainable Development, Investment Promotion and Cooperation, and Intellectual Property Rights.

Earlier this month, the two countries signed the terms of reference to negotiate a comprehensive free trade pact.

The bilateral trade between India and Chile is modest. In 2024-25, India's exports to Chile were down 2.46 per cent to just USD 1.15 billion. Imports, however, grew 72 per cent to USD 2.60 billion.

The biggest Indian exports to Chile are auto and pharma. The biggest imports from Chile are minerals worth around USD 1.58 billion. Other products that are imported from Chile are copper and chemicals.

Chile is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the LAC (Latin American countries) region.

India's exports to Chile are diversified and constitute motor vehicles/cars, drug formulations, chemicals, products of iron and steel, man-made yarn, fabrics, cotton fabrics, made-ups, RMG (ready-made garments), auto components, electric machinery and equipment, leather goods, rubber products, aluminium and its product, and ceramics. PTI RR TRB

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda on Friday said the multilateral funding agency stands ready to provide up to USD 4.5 billion sovereign lending to India each year.

"Yesterday I met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi to deepen ADB's partnership with India and advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision," Kanda said in a post on X.

"ADB stands ready to provide between USD 4 billion and USD 4.5 billion in sovereign lending each year, alongside about USD 1 billion in private sector financing, while mobilising additional third-party capital," he said.

ADB agreed to move quickly on large, high-impact projects, such as the bank's support for solar rooftops, which can accelerate clean energy adoption across the country, he said.

"Our shared agenda centres on urban transformation, private sector development, and skills programs that strengthen India's manufacturing base," he said.

At the minister's request, ADB will also sharpen support for integrated rural prosperity by transforming food systems, creating jobs, and nurturing local entrepreneurship, so villages become resilient communities, he said.

During the meeting with Kanda on Thursday, Sitharaman had urged for deeper ADB support for integrated rural prosperity measures, including creation of jobs and local entrepreneurship, and fostering innovation in agriculture, to transform villages into resilient communities.

"ADB will pair global expertise with catalytic finance, de-risking tools, and robust PPP frameworks to unlock private investment. Our partnership will create a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable India by 2047, ensuring that progress reaches every city and village," he said. PTI DP TRB

New York, May 30 (PTI) Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will address a leadership summit hosted by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum next week where three pioneering business leaders from the QUAD nations will be honoured for their leadership.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) will host the eighth edition of its Leadership Summit on June 2 in Washington, D.C, where Lutnick will deliver the keynote address, sharing “his insights on strengthening the US-India strategic and economic partnership to achieve” the goal set by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for $500 billion in bilateral trade.

Vance, the first Indian-American in the role of Second Lady, will speak at a fireside chat.

USISPF said Vance's presence symbolises the deepening partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, and highlights the robust strength of the people-to-people ties.

USISPF will also present the 2025 Global Leadership Awards to IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Hitachi Executive Chairman Toshiaki Higashihara “for their outstanding contributions in strengthening the US-India-Japan economic partnership.”

This is the first time that business leaders from the QUAD grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US will be honoured at the USISPF summit.

USISPF said that IBM, led by Krishna, has accelerated global digital transformation through advancing cutting-edge research in AI, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain, with India playing a pivotal role in its global R&D and talent ecosystem.

Under Birla’s leadership, the Aditya Birla Group is the largest Indian greenfield investor in the United States, with investments exceeding $15 billion.

Hitachi, under the leadership of Higashihara, continues to expand its investments in infrastructure, mobility, and digital innovation, closely aligning with key US-India -Japan-India collaboration in energy, transportation, and technology. 

The summit will also feature conversations with Ambassador of India to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans Senator Steve Daines and Representative Rich McCormick and USISPF Board members.

“USISPF was founded with the single goal of uniting the two most powerful and robust democracies,” John Chambers, Chairman, USISPF; Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures, said. 

USISPF President and CEO Mukesh Aghi said the organisation is proud to welcome Lutnick, Vance and recognise exemplary business leaders who have strengthened the US-India-Japan corridor.

"These three leading democracies -- together representing well over $35 trillion -- are united by a shared commitment to strengthening supply chains and upholding a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Aghi said. 

He added that with Japan’s strength in advanced engineering manufacturing, India's robust economic growth, demographic dividend and engineering talent and the US innovation economy and capital, this trilateral partnership is uniquely positioned to drive progress across critical sectors.

USISPF is an independent not-for-profit institution focused on strengthening the US-India partnership. PTI YAS ZH

ZH

Kolkata, May 30 (PTI) Jewellery retailer Senco Gold Ltd on Friday reported a 94 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 62.44 crore for the fourth quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal from Rs 32.17 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.

The consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,377.71 crore in the quarter under review, up from Rs 1,137.28 crore a year earlier, it said in a release.

"The strong wedding & valentine (season) has given a boost to Q4 business, witnessing more footfalls and improvement in sales by 21 per cent. Diamond jewellery grew by 38 per cent," Managing Director & CEO Suvankar Sen said.

For the full fiscal year 2024-25, the company's consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 6,328.07 crore, marking a 20.7 per cent increase from Rs 5,241.44 crore in FY’24.

The consolidated PAT for FY’25 was Rs 159.31 crore compared to Rs 181.00 crore in the previous fiscal. PTI BSM RBT

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Educational services provider Arihant Academy on Friday said strategic expansion and cost optimisation measures helped the company report a strong 35 per cent growth in revenue in the last financial year.

Anil Kapasi, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Arihant Academy said that the company saw a significant improvement in profitability on the back of focused cost-optimization measures and operational efficiency.

“The company embarked on a robust expansion mode leading to acquisition of several leading institutions namely Carmel Tuitions, Carmel Classes, Zen Education, ZEAL etc. These have not only improved our service offerings but also enhanced our reach significantly across Mumbai,” Kapasi said.

For the full year FY2024-25, revenue rose by 35 per cent to Rs 42.58 crore compared to Rs 31.55 crore in the previous fiscal year. Profit after tax jumped nearly three-fold Rs 4.45 crore in FY25 against Rs 1.54 crore in FY24.

The Board of Directors recommended a final dividend of 10% (₹1 per equity share) for FY2024–25.

Arihant Academy specialises in coaching services and comprehensive educational support across Mumbai, and Maharashtra. PTI MR BAL

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Cinema meant everything to Raj Khosla and he kept working till the very end, says daughter Sunita Bhalla, reminiscing about the director's career and the close bond he shared with Guru Dutt, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand.

Khosla was an important figure in Hindi with several hits like "C.I.D." (1956), "Woh Kaun Thi?" (1964), "Mera Saaya" (1966), "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) and "Dostana" (1980) to his credit. His 100th birth anniversary will be celebrated on Saturday.

Legacy was something that Khosla never thought off or even talked about with his family, said Sunita, the second of the director's five daughters.

"He never thought or talked about legacy, like what he is going to leave behind. He just worked and worked. That's all he did all his life. He never regretted what he did. He never regretted his work. He loved his work. He was very happy with what he did till the end. Cinema meant everything to him," Sunita told PTI in an interview.

Khosla would take good care of people who worked with him and maintained a calm atmosphere on his sets, she said.

"He used to enjoy his work and that was the best part... The stars used to enjoy working with him. He would just say, 'Give your best.' Everybody worked so happily with him. He worked with many top actresses -- from Madhubala, Sadhana, Mumtaz, Waheeda Rehman, and Asha Parekh, and others," she added.

Among the over 25 films that her father made as a director, Sunita said she loved "C.I.D.", "Bombai Ka Babu" and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh".

She remembered being on the set of "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", which featured Dharmendra and Asha Parekh in lead roles with Vinod Khanna playing the antagonist.

"It was in Udaipur. I saw my dad taking shots for the movie, the song 'Maar Diya Jaye Ke Chhod Diya Jaye', which is such a brilliant song, was shot in the studios. 'Apni Prem Kahaniyan' was another memorable track.

"We fell in love with the costumes and jewellery and we would tell dad we wanted to wear all that," Sunita said, adding that she also saw the shooting of "Dostana" in Ooty, and "Kachche Dhage" in Mahabaleshwar.

Dev Anand and Guru Dutt played a pivotal role in Khosla's life. The director wanted to be a playback but destiny had different plans for him.

He served as an assistant director to Dutt before making his directorial debut with "Milap" in 1955.

Anand and Khosla collaborated on several hits, including "C.I.D.", "Kala Pani" and "Solva Saal".

Sunita said the bond between the trio was "strong" and unbreakable.

"I’ve been with him to Dev Anand's house. He had close association with Chetan Anand and Guru Dutt. So, it was four of them together. They would often talk about films. I remember a discussion around who would direct ‘Guide’. Some of the portion was shot by dad also, and then Vijay Anand took over after that."

She said Bhatt considered Khosla as a mentor.

"He was an assistant at that time, working under him, assisting in movies and all that."

Khosla was also close friends with poet lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, lyricist Anand Bakshi, filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee and writer Rahi Masoom Raza.

"They were like a family (Bakshis). I must be 14 or 15 maybe that time. There were so many good moments... Rahi Masoom Raza was his close friend. He also had a bond with Majrooh Sultanpuri, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. With Hrishkesh Mukherjee, he used to play chess everyday. That's how he used to pass his time in the evenings."

Sunita shared that as a father had set certain rules for his five daughters to follow and weekends were always reserved as "family time."

“He used to make sure that all five of us used to be in the house at seven o'clock in the evening. Nobody was allowed to go anywhere (after that) unless we told him. Every Saturday,Sunday, we used to have family time at our ancestral house. My grandfather would be there and keep all our stuff ready for us. We used to eat biryani over there, and enjoy it,” she added.  

Despite making some of the most critically-acclaimed films of Hindi cinema, Sunita believes her father hasn’t been appreciated much.

And that's why a retrospective to commemorate his 100th birth anniversary is a “special” moment for the family, she added.

"All the heroines and people who have worked with him should come together and just honour him. That's all my request from the industry. I would appreciate it if people in the industry understood and just honoured him,” Sunita said.

Titled ‘Raj Khosla 100 – Bambai Ka Babu’, the event will take place on May 31 at Mumbai’s Regal Cinema and also features a special panel discussion on the legacy of one of Indian cinema’s most versatile directors.

As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla’s acclaimed films -- "C.I.D." (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960), and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) -- will be screened. PTI KKP RB BK

BK

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Filmmaker Karan Johar said on Friday that his upcoming reality series The Traitors promises to be nothing short of “authentic,” as he unveiled the 20 contestants set to take part in the show.

Johar, who has appeared as a judge on various reality shows like “Jhalak Dikhla Jaa” and “India’s Got Talent”, will be serving as a host for the upcoming Prime Video series, which is adapted from the popular international reality show “The Traitors”.

“I saw the UK, US version of the show, which are already cult, and hugely popular shows, all into their third season. I was engrossed, invested, engaged and mesmerized by the sheer craziness of this supremely clever format. It was a Dutch format,” Johar told reporters at the press conference of the show.

“The Traitors”, a collaboration with All3Media International and produced by BBC Studios India Productions, features 20 celebrities from various spheres, who come together in this ultimate test of trust and betrayal, as they compete to win a significant cash prize and the coveted title.

“It seems so exciting. It is different from other reality shows, and this is something I haven’t done. Here (in this show) you don’t need to be inauthentic. On many reality shows, we are fraudulent. We are crying when we don’t want to cry, or laughing loudly when we don’t want to laugh.

"Here it’s none of that. It’s all real time drama and you’re reacting authentically, like you’re really feeling betrayed or hurt or happy or empowered,” the filmmaker said.

The “Traitors” features noted celebrities such as Arjun Kapoor’s sister Anshula Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, Elnaaz Nourouzi, Harsh Gujral, Jannat Zubair, Janvi Gaur, Jasmine Bhasin, Karan Kundrra, Lakshmi Manchu, Maheep Kapoor, Mukesh Chabbra, Nikita Luther, Purav Jha, Raftaar, Raj Kundra, Sahil Salathia, Sudhanshu Pandey, Sufi Motiwala and Uorfi Javed.

It will also feature comedian Apoorva Mukhija, who was embroiled in the 'India's Got Latent' controversy earlier this year.

“The Traitors” will premiere on the streamer on June 12. PTI KKP RB

RB

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) His first stint in cinema came as a stunt double for a heroine, Waheeda Rehman made her Hindi debut in his film, he wanted to be singer instead went on to become the master of the crime-suspense genre with gems such as "CID" and "Woh Kaun Thi?".

Raj Khosla, the director with unlikely beginnings, would have been 100 on May 31. He had a limited oeuvre of just over 25 films in 34 years but most stand out in the crowded gallery of Indian movies for their watchability, their star power and perhaps most of all for the many songs heard and remixed even today.

With his centenary - which will be celebrated in Mumbai with a one-day retrospective of his restored films - cinephiles reopen a chapter of Indian cinema history that may not have got the prominence it deserved.

Beginning his movie making career with “Milaap” in 1955 and ending with “Naqaab” in 1989, both fairly forgettable, Khosla directed a host of major hits in between. He gave Sadhana three of her best films in "Woh Kaun Thi?", "Mera Saaya" and "Anita", worked with Dev Anand in memorable classics, including “Kala Paani” and “Solva Saal”, and was mentored by Guru Dutt.

With his second film “CID”, a stylish crime drama, Khosla sealed his place as a hit director still remembered. The 1956 film, which also starred Dev Anand and Shakila and introduced Waheeda Rehman, was offered to him by Guru Dutt.

Khosla, the director who carefully balanced art and commerce in his movies, has also given Hindi cinema some of its most memorable songs -- "Lag Jaa Gale", "Mera Saaya", "Jhumka Gira Re", "Kahin Pe Nigaahen Kahin Pe Nishaana", "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan", "Nazar Lagi Raja Torey Bangley Per" and "Hai Apna Dil To Awara" and so many more.

In fact, “Jhumka Gira Re” from “Mera Saaya” has been repurposed in Karan Johar’s 2023 film “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani”.

Born on May 31, 1925, in Rahon in undivided Punjab, Khosla's parents moved to Mumbai when he was just three. Khosla attended Anjuman-I-Islam school. He completed his college from Elphinstone College, where he became interested in theatre. Khosla trained in Hindustani classical music from a young age and hoped to make a career in music after graduation but life had other plans.

He was a fan of legendary singer Kundan Lal Saigal and they sometimes did their 'riyaaz' together.

"At my ancestral house in Matunga, just down the road, Mr K L Saigal used to stay, and every day in the morning, dad used to go to his place and do riyaaz. He would listen to him sing as well. He used to practice with him also. This was an everyday ritual,” Khosla’s daughter Sunita Bhalla told PTI.

"Later, KL Saigal sahab told dad, ‘Why don't you go and sing on the radio or in movies'. So, he got two-three opportunities to sing in films and he sang as well. This was before he made his debut as a director with 'Milap'," she recalled.

According to “Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography” by Amborish Roychoudhury, Khosla worked briefly at a bank after college but quit the job after just three months. His first stint in cinema came as a stunt double for a heroine. He had to ride a horse. Khosla was paid Rs 75 for this adventure.

He would eventually make his acting debut with a film called "Raen Basera" where he also got to sing for one of the songs. But the movie did not do well and Khosla continued to search for playback opportunities. He got his second song for “Bhool Bhulaiyan”, the book says.

The singing career was shortlived. It was his friendship with Dev Anand, a rising star at the time and the actor of many of Khosla's hits later, which changed the course of his life.

Dev Anand offered Khosla a chance to work as an assistant director with Guru Dutt on "Baazi" and promised that he would get a chance to sing as well. And life took a turn.

The book has Khosla telling Nasreen Munni Kabir in an interview, "I met Guru Dutt and he asked me, ‘Have you any experience in assisting?’ I said, ‘Yes, I have.’ Tommy-rot, I knew nothing about film-making. The second thing he asked, ‘Do you know Hindi?’ I replied, ‘Of course I know Hindi.’ Guru Dutt said, ‘Okay, start from tomorrow'."

“I couldn’t actually write in Hindi. I’m from Punjab, Gurdaspur, so I knew Urdu. In those days, in the Punjab learning Urdu was very common; even now you will find that many Punjabis who are over forty know how to write Urdu, not Hindi,” he is quoted as saying.

The first thing Khosla did after the meeting was to buy a book on the Hindi alphabets and learn the letters from scratch, the biography goes on to say.

Khosla assisted Guru Dutt on "Jaal" (1952) and "Aar Paar" (1954). In fact, his directorial debut "Milap" starred his friend Dev Anand and Geeta Bali, who was married to Guru Dutt.

The very next year came "CID", which propelled him to the big league. After that came back to back hits in "Kala Pani", "Solva Saal", both in 1958, and "Bombai Ka Babu", all with Dev Anand.

In 1964, he directed "Woh Kaun Thi?", a ghostly tale starring Sadhana, Manoj Kumar and Prem Chopra. The movie set the standard for Bollywood suspense and established Khosla’s flair for moody psychological dramas. Sadhana’s dual performance as the twin sisters and Madan Mohan’s haunting music, including the still-popular track “Lag Jaa Gale” sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

In 1966's "Mera Saaya" was another gem from Khosla in the thriller space that once again featured Sadhana in a dual role. The film cemented his reputation as a filmmaker who could blend suspense with emotion.

As a filmmaker, Khosla placed women at the centre of his story, something that was not the norm at the time as screens were ruled by male stars. Later on in his career came "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki" and "Dostana". "Sunny" in 1984, starring Dharmendra, was his last major success.

In the foreword for "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography", his protege Mahesh Bhatt narrates the story of his first meeting with the director. Bhatt, who went on to have a successful career of his own in Hindi cinema, was all of 20 when he met Khosla in Mehboob Studios in 1969.

The director, who had emerged from one of his afternoon siestas, asked Bhatt, 'Do you know anything about filmmaking?' When Bhatt said, 'No, Sir'. Khosla grinned and said, 'Ah, zero is a great place to start".

Who better than Khosla to know that.

Khosla died in 1991, an aspiring singer who went on to establish a remarkable career as director. PTI RB BK MIN MIN

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Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Yash Raj Films (YRF) on Friday unveiled the teaser of their upcoming home production film, “Saiyaara”, which marks the acting debut of Ananya Panday’s cousin, Ahaan Panday.

The romantic drama is directed by Mohit Suri of “Aashiqui 2” and “Ek Villain” fame. It also stars Aneet Padda, who has acted in the web series “Big Girls Don't Cry” and the Kajol-starrer film “Salaam Venky”.

In a social media post, YRF shared the one-minute 15-second teaser, which captures the essence of love, heartbreak, and emotional healing of a young couple, played by Ahaan and Aneet.

“An intense love story that will break your heart and heal it too...#Saiyaara only in cinemas on 18th July. #AhaanPanday #AneetPadda @mohit11481 #AkshayeWidhani,” the post read.

“Saiyaara” is produced by YRF’s CEO Akshaye Widhani, and is set to release on July 18 worldwide. PTI KKP

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New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) "Nikita Roy", a psychological thriller starring Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role, will now release in theatres across the country on June 27.

The film, which explores themes of mysticism, psychological tension, and human vulnerability, is directed by Sonakshi's brother, Kussh S Sinha. It was earlier scheduled for release on Friday.

Written by Pavan Kirpalani, "Nikita Roy" explores the fragile boundary between perception and reality, unraveling themes of paranoia, buried truths, and the human mind’s darker recesses, a press release said.

The movie also stars Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal and Suhail Nayyar in pivotal roles.

The film is produced by Nickky Bhagnani and Viicky Bhagnani. Anand Mehta, Prakash Nand Bijlani, Shakti Bhatnagar, Mehnaaz Shaikh, and Prem Raj Joshi serve as co-producers. PTI RB RB

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf", the prequel series to Prime Video's hit action show "The Terminal List", will debut on the streamer's platform on August 27.

"Dark Wolf" is co-created by Jack Carr, the author of "The Terminal List" book series and David DiGilio, who developed and served as a showrunner of “The Terminal List”, which came out in 2022.

The show will debut with its first three episodes on August 27, followed by new episodes weekly until the season finale on September 24, a press release said.

“Dark Wolf”, an espionage thriller that explores the darker side of warfare and the human cost that comes with it, is set in the years prior to “The Terminal List”.

It tells the origin story of Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) throughout his journey from the Navy SEALs to the clandestine side of CIA Special Operations.

Chris Pratt, who headlined the original show as James Reece, will reprise the part in the new series. They are joined by actors Tom Hopper, Robert Wisdom, Luke Hemsworth, Dar Salim, Rona-Lee Shimon, Shiraz Tzarfati, and Jared Shaw.

"The Terminal List: Dark Wolf" is executive produced by Kitsch alongside Pratt through Indivisible Productions.

DiGilio, Carr, Antoine Fuqua and Kat Samick executive produce through Hill District Media. PTI RB RB

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has announced a one-day retrospective to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of writer-filmmaker Raj Khosla.

Titled ‘Raj Khosla 100 – Bambai Ka Babu’, the event will take place on May 31 at Mumbai’s Regal Cinema and also features a special panel discussion on the legacy of one of Indian cinema’s most versatile directors.

As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla’s acclaimed films -- "C.I.D." (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960), and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) -- will be screened.

The first two movies have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The event will feature a panel discussion with veteran actor Asha Parekh, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography".

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation, said, “I would describe Raj Khosla as the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films."

"He excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director’s chair with his name emblazoned on it," he added.

Parekh, who collaborated with Khosla on several films including "Chirag", "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki", and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", said his 1966 film Do Badan transformed the way audiences perceived her as an artist.

"Before my first film with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. It was 'Do Badan' that changed people’s perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. I shared a great rapport with Rajji and I enjoyed working with him. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturization was remarkable," she said.

Mahesh Bhatt paid a tribute to Khosla, saying, “His words haunt me still. He likened fame to starlight — a flow emanating from stars long dead, their light journeying across vast distances to reach us. ‘The light is the message,’ he said, ‘but the star, the messenger, is gone’. Raj Sahab is such a star. Though he is long gone, his light still shines through me."

Prakash Magdum, managing director, NFDC, revealed that NFDC-NFAI has had a 35mm release print of 'Bombai Ka Babu' in its collection for over 40 years, which made the 4K restoration possible in the first place.

"This screening at Regal, Mumbai, is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, 'Bombai Ka Babu' in 4K restored version," he added. PTI RB RB

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Mumbai, May 29 (PTI) Filmmaker Anurag Basu and actor Konkana Sen Sharma, who have reunited for “Metro…In Dino”, said that their late actor friend Irrfan Khan's absence was keenly felt throughout the shooting process.

The upcoming film is a spiritual sequel to Basu’s 2007 movie “Life in a… Metro”.

"There were many moments in the film when we missed him (Irrfan) during the shooting. There was a scene that we were shooting with Konkana, and the tone of the scene was something that we had shot before.

"There was a silent moment, we exchanged looks, and Koko started crying. We miss him. We miss Kay Kay very much, cameraman Bobby Singh, art director and other people who were an integral part of the film, and are not part of it, so we miss them,” Basu told reporters here last evening.

Konkana, who played Khan's love interest in the first part of the film, echoed similar sentiments.

“Yes (I missed him). ‘Zamaana Lage’ (a song that is a heart-touching ode to lost love) to forget him. But that happened many times, I don’t want to say what and when, you will watch the film, you will know when,” she said.

Konkana said reuniting with Basu for “Metro…In Dino” felt like a homecoming.

“It was homecoming (working on ‘Metro... In Dino’). I was so happy when Anurag called me. It’s so nice to meet people who have their own playful attitude towards life because everyone has some or the other problem.

"I've deep admiration for his (Basu) craft; it is unfathomable how he does what he does. I was like, ‘Oh my god, we can get to do this again, what a fun’. I don’t know how the film got made. I just had to trust him and not worry about anything,” Konkana said.

“Metro…In Dino” will also feature an ensemble cast of Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh.

The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series and Anurag Basu Productions Pvt Ltd.

It has music by Pritam, who earlier collaborated with Basu on films “Gangster”, “Life in a… Metro”, “Barfi!”, “Jagga Jasoos”, and “Ludo”.

Reflecting on their creative dynamic, Basu, on a lighter note, said, “We fight like old married couples”.

“Till the time our music doesn't create a love story, we keep fighting. That’s how we work. We fight a lot. We don’t know how we create music; we talk a lot, eat, and music happens,” the director said.

Pritam added, “Sometimes, not always (we fight).”

The musician credited Basu for giving him the freedom to explore.

“Anurag finds the correct route, and he gives me the space. He knows how much space to give. We keep on throwing ideas. In any film, a director, music director and lyricist are the trio of a successful film album. He manages the lyrics also; he takes charge of it. Our collaboration is more like a partnership.”

"I’ve had the best time creating music with Pritam. He understands the pulse of the script. I’m not a good narrator, but despite that, he understands things and sets the sur of the film. We wanted to make a song that has poetry, we wanted to touch a chord through the song, and he did it with ‘Zamaana Lage’, the first song from the movie,” the director added.

Pritam also praised Bhushan Kumar for his support.

“I’ve been working for more than 20 years, and I haven’t seen anyone as passionate as him (Kumar) about music. He is the most passionate person. He is always awake when you reach out to him, even whether it is at 2:00 am or so. This is his reason for the success,” he said.

The song, "Zamaana Lage" is sung by Arijit Singh and Shashwat Singh, composed by Pritam and lyrics by Indian poet Qaisar Ul Jafri and Sandeep Shrivastava.

“Metro… In Dino” will be released in theatres on July 4. PTI KKP BK

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Mumbai, May 29 (PTI) In an industry known for its unpredictable schedules and long hours, Bollywood actor couple Kajol and Ajay Devgn on Thursday backed for an eight-hour shift, particularly for working mothers, during movie shoots.

At the trailer launch of “Maa”, Devgn and Kajol were asked to comment on the demand for an eight-hour shift for working mothers.

"I love the fact that we can work less," Kajol told reporters here.

Devgn said “honest” filmmakers in the industry are open to the idea of an eight-hour shift.

“It's not that it's not going well (the demand for eight hour shift); people understand it. Most of the honest filmmakers will not have a problem with this (demand). Apart from working mothers, many others have usually started working for eight to nine hours. So, it is person-to-person, and most of the industry understands this,” the actor-producer said.

Actor Deepika Padukone's alleged exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's "Spirit" after the two did not agree over an eight-hour working shift among other conditions has sparked a discussion around shooting hours in the industry.

Padukone and Vanga never officially announced that they were collaborating but Vanga recently accused an unknown actor for playing "dirty pr games" and revealing key plot details in media. He later announced Triptii Dimrri as the heroine of the movie.

"Maa" features Kajol in the titular role and is directed by Vishal Furia, who is known for his work on "Lapachhapi", "Criminal Justice" and "Chhorii".

Devgn, who is producing “Maa”, said he was instantly attracted to the idea of making a mythological horror movie, and thought of roping in his actor wife Kajol for it.

“When Saiwyn (Quadras, writer) narrated to me the thought of this film (‘Maa’), I realised a lot of films in the horror genre are being made, like horror-comedies, but no one has attempted mythological horror.

"Hollywood often makes characters despite not having a mythological reference, but we don’t use it. It was a great idea, and we decided to do it. The character of the mother was so strong, so who else could we think of apart from her (Kajol),” the superstar said.

Kajol said she is happy to feature in a horror movie.

“For the first time, a mythological horror is attempted, and I’m happy to be part of it. I’m excited,” the actor said, adding, “I’ve never been approached for a horror film. This time, the casting was in-house.”

When asked about similarities between "Maa" and “Chhorii”, Furia said the only common thread between them is that they both narrate the ordeal of a mother trying to protect their daughter.

“The only similarity is that both stories are about mothers. But in this film, we are talking about Kali Maa, which is a bigger entity; this world is much bigger. It is a cinematic experience, and you can’t watch it at home. The vision is of sir (Devgn), and the script is Saiwyn sir (Quadras),” the director said.

Devgn, who has been a part of horror movies like "Bhoot" and "Shaitaan", said he fails to understand why the horror genre was not popular in the past.

“I don’t know why the horror genre was not attempted with a bigger star cast before. It was not done for many years. I’ve always felt that it is a strong genre,” he said.

Slated to be released in cinema halls on June 27, “Maa” also stars Indraneil Sengupta, Kherin Sharma and Ronit Roy.

Presented by Jio Studios and Devgn Films, "Maa" is produced by Ajay Devgn and Jyoti Deshpande and co-produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak. PTI KKP BK

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Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) Veteran batter Rohit Sharma on Friday was delighted to make a critical contribution to Mumbai Indians’ victory over Gujarat Titans in a must-win IPL Eliminator match here but wished he had a few half-centuries to his credit compared to four he has had so far.

Rohit made an outstanding 81 off 50 balls to guide MI to a handy 228 for five, good enough for a 20-run win over GT, and to set up a Qualifier 2 meeting with Punjab Kings on June 1 at Ahmedabad.

“I've got only four fifties (this IPL season). I think I would have liked to get more. I do understand the importance of playing the Eliminator and it was a complete team performance,” said Rohit during the post-match presentation. He is the second highest scorer in MI with 410 runs although that is far behind Suryakumar Yadav's 673 runs.

Player of the Match Rohit also underlined the importance of a couple of reprieves he got during his innings..

“It’s trying to understand how I can play my best. Today, after having the luck going my way, I knew I had to make the most of it. I'm glad I could do that, and get the team into a good position.

“We knew it would be slightly challenging with the dew coming in. I've played all those shots in the game before, and unfortunately, I found fielders. I got lucky as those catches got dropped.”

Rohit lauded his opening partner Jonny Bairstow in helping him give a thunderous start to MI innings..

“I've watched Bairstow over the years from the other side. We know what he can do upfront with the bat. He took his chances, and it came off. We always look for that kind of start,” said Rohit.

MI skipper Hardik Pandya lauded Rohit and Bairstow for giving his side a flying start.

“The way Jonny started, for him to make his debut for us and the way Rohit batted. He took his time. When you see important games, all these margins help.”.

Hardik said having the services of a master fast bowler like Jasprit Bumrah is a luxury for him at any stage of the game.

“Whenever you feel the game is going far away, just get him. It's like Mumbai housing prices - he's that expensive! I just need to throw the ball.

“I just thought if we can keep some extra runs at the end. It was important Jassi comes and bowls that over, and the margin becomes bigger. It's going to be very important to recover well (ahead of Qualifier 2),” he added.

A disappointed Gujarat Titans’ skipper Shubman Gill said the last few overs did not in his side’s favour as MI’s Pandya made a quick-fire 22 off 9 balls.

Gill also said the dropped catches in MI innings played a big role in his team’s defeat.

“The last three or four overs didn't go our way, but still a very good game of cricket. Its’ not easy when we drop three sitters, especially in the power play. It was not easy for the bowlers to control,” said Gill.

Gill said the team management had given the freedom to Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar to go all out in a tall chase.

“The message was simple: just play the game you want to play. The goal was the same for both [Sai Sudharsan and Washington],” said Gill referring to the 84-run alliance for the third wicket.

“But lot of positives for us. Last two or three games didn't go our way, but credit to all the players - especially Sai, and he was terrific. I think 210 was par score on this pitch,” he said. PTI UNG KHS

Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) The mighty Mumbai Indians handled the nerves better on the big stage to outlast Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan here on Friday.

Rohit Sharma (81 off 50) rode his luck to play a fine knock after Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22) made instant impact on his Mumbai Indians debut to push them to an imposing 228 five in 20 overs.

Titans, who were sloppy in the field and with the ball, were able to take the game down to the wire with sensational batting from Sudharsan (80 off 49) before falling short at 208 for six to exit the tournament.

In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who won the key moments to advance in the competition. The victory took them to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday when they take on Punjab Kings.

Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knock-out game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.

Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.

While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.

The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle. Mumbai Indians debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav, the vice-captain was marshalling resources in the final over and it was a brave punt to bring Gleeson in for three deliveries knowing that he is in considerable discomfort. Once the target was out of reach, Surya took him off and asked left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar to complete formalities.

Earlier, on a surface which had less grass compared to the one used on Thursday, Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and the batters ensured the team goes into the break with an upper-hand.

Titans dropped three crucial catches -- two of Rohit (81 off 50 ) and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) - and produced another ordinary effort with the ball in the knock-out fixture.

Rohit was dropped twice in the powerplay before veteran made the opposition pay dearly for their on-field errors. On the first occasion, Gerald Coetzee dropped him in the deep and Kusal Mendis' GT debut went all awry when he bungled a regulation take behind stumps off Mohammed Siraj.

It was Bairstow (47 off 22), who gave Mumbai Indians the momentum in the powerplay with some sublime hitting.

The out of favour England batter, who joined the mighty Mumbai Indians days after collecting back-to-back fifties in county cricket for Yorkshire, took his chances early on and was well rewarded.

He targeted Titans’ best pacer of the season, Prasidh Krishna, plundering him for 26 runs in the fourth over of the innings that included three sixes. The first hit was a pull that comfortably sailed over square leg fence before picking the pacer for a clean hit down the ground.

Rohit too got into the act when spinner Sai Kishore was introduced inside the powerplay. The former MI captain employed the sweep shot to perfection to collect two fours and a massive six to take his team to 79 for no loss in six overs, the team’s best powerplay of the season.

Most batters prefer to see out Rashid Khan but having found his rhythm, Rohit even went after the star Afghanistan spinner. He first went for the inside out aerial drive before slog sweeping Rashid for a six. At 113 for one in 10 overs, Mumbai Indians looked unstoppable.

When Suryakumar joined Rohit in the middle, boundaries continued to flow. India’s T20 captain welcome Gerald Coetzee into the attack with couple of sixes, one a pull shot while the other was cut that just about cleared the ropes.

The confidence of the top-order also rubbed off on Tilak Varma (25 off 11) who has had a off season by his standards. He smashed three sixes in quick time before falling to Siraj.

Skipper Hardik Pandya picked Coetzee for couple of sixes in the 20th over to push the total past 225..

For third innings in a row, the opposition team was able to amass against a total in excess of 225 against the Titans, contributing their downfall. PTI BS KHS

Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) Scoreboard of the IPL Eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans here on Friday. Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma c Rashid b Prasidh 81

Jonny Bairstow c Coetzee b Kishore 47

Suryakumar Yadav c Sundar b Kishore 33

Tilak Varma c Mendis b Siraj 25

Hardik Pandya (not out) 22

Naman Dhir c Rashid b Prasidh 9

Mitchell Santner (not out) 0

Extras (B-7 W-4) 11

Total (20 overs, 5 wickets) 228

Fall of wickets: 1-84, 2-143, 3-186, 4-194, 5-206.

Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 4-0-37-1, Prasidh Krishna 4-0-53-2, Sai Kishore 4-0-42-2, Rashid Khan 4-0-31-0, Gerald Coetzee 3-0-51-0, Washington Sundar 1-0-7-0.

Gujarat Titans:

Sai Sudharsan b Gleeson 80

Shubman Gill lbw Boult 1

Kusal Mendis (hit wicket) Santner 20

Washington Sundar b Bumrah 48

Sherfane Rutherford c Tilak b Boult 24

Rahul Tewatia (not out) 16

Shahrukh Khan c Yadav b Ashwani 13

Rashid Khan (not out) 0

Extras (LB-2, W-4) 6

Total (20 overs, 6 wickets) 208

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-67, 3-151, 4-170, 5-193, 6-208.

Bowling: Trent Boult 4-0-56-2, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-27-1, Richard Gleeson 3.3-0-39-1, Hardik Pandya 3-0-37-0, Mitchell Santner 1-0-10-1, Naman Dhir 1-0-9-0, Ashwani Kumar 3.3-0-28-1. PTI UNG

Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) Mumbai Indians earned a IPL Qualifier 2 berth with a hard-fought 20-run win over Gujarat Titans here on Friday.

The Hardik Pandya-led side will face Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad on June 1.

Former skipper Rohit Sharma’s 81 off 50 balls was the cornerstone of MI’s competitive 228 for five, with good support from Suryakumar Yadav (33).

For GT, Prasidh Krishna and R Sai Kishore took two wickets each.

The Titans mounted a good chase manned by in-form B Sai Sudharsan (80, 49b, 10x4, 1x6) and Washington Sundar (48, 24b).

But they could only muster 208 for six in full quota of 20 overs.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians: 228/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47, Suryakumar Yadav 33; R Sai Kishore 2/42) beat Gujarat Titans: 208/6 in 20 overs (B Sai Sudharsan 80, Washington Sundar 48; Jasprit Bumrah 1/27). PTI UNG KHS

Canterbury, May 30 (PTI) Karun Nair was elegance personified while serving a timely reminder to the Gautam Gambhir-led team management with a classy unbeaten 186 as India A cruised to 409 for 3 against a below-par England Lions on the opening day of the first 'Unofficial' Test here on Friday. While Nair is known to bat either at No. 4 or below in first-class cricket, he looked at ease during his unbeaten 246-ball knock which made the Lions bowlers, including their Test star Rehan Ahmed, look completely pedestrian.

India A batters made the best use of loose deliveries but the quality of Lions bowling attack and nature of the track might not be an appropriate reflection of what can be expected in Test matches.

The Bengaluru man, who now plays for Vidarbha, used his extensive experience of playing for English County Northamptonshire during his 24th first-class ton.

His innings had 24 fours and one six but it couldn't have come at a more opportune time as Gambhir frets over his batting combination for the opening Test against England at Leeds, starting June 20.

Sarfaraz Khan (92 off 119 balls) blended a bit of muscle and a lot of cheekiness but missed out on a three-figure mark after doing all the hard work.

The duo added 181 runs for the third wicket stand and then Dhruv Jurel (82 batting, 104 balls) made merry during another 177-run stand for the unbroken fourth wicket alliance.

Call it irony, just like Nair had pipped Sarfaraz as the extra batter in the Test squad, he also overshadowed the Mumbai man on a flat deck where the Lions attack didn't have enough teeth to trouble some of the senior India stars. Conceding 51 boundaries and three sixes in 90 overs doesn't make for a great reading.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (24 off 55 balls) played out the first hour but didn't utilize the start while Abhimanyu Easwaran (8), who should consider himself massively lucky to have got another shot at Test team, showed why he isn't cut out for the big league.

The Canterbury County ground pitch had a greenish tinge but there was hardly any lateral movement on offer. Nair had extra time to play his shots and was severe on all bowlers with a lot of shots square of the wicket.

Rehan, the England Test leg-spinner, was extremely ordinary as he was clobbered for 95 runs in 16 overs. Sarfaraz, in fact, hit him inside out for a boundary to complete his fifty and also hit him straight for a maximum, and against pacers, he used the bounce to play the ramp shot over slips for useful runs.

Nair was severe on anything that was pitched short and looked regal whenever he rocked back to play the pull shot. When off-spinner Dan Mousley bowled, he repeatedly played the reverse sweep with minimal effort.

The duo farmed the strike without much ado and when Sarfaraz lazily chased a wide delivery from Hull down the leg-side, even Lions bowlers didn't expect a wicket.

But the joy was short-lived as there was no taking the foot from the pedal from either Nair or Jurel, who continued to show disdain for home team bowlers.

Brief scores: India A: 409/3 in 90 overs (Karun Nair 186 batting; Sarfaraz Khan 92, Dhruv Jurel 82 batting; Josh Hull 2/51). PTI KHS UNG

Stavanger (Norway), May 30 (PTI) D. Gukesh’s topsy-turvy start in Norway Chess seems to have taken a far more assured and positive turn, as he is seeking to break the cycle of disappointments since he won the world title in December last year.

Gukesh was off to an inauspicious start here, losing the first two rounds of Classical chess before he struck back to overcome the challenge of American world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and then tying down another American Fabiano Caruana in the Armageddon tie-break to place himself in joint fourth going into the first rest day of the prestigious tournament.

As the six players competing in the event went for some recreational activity on the outskirts of the city on Friday, including using the ‘lariats’ to rope in dummy livestock, indulging in some shooting practice, and participating in axe-throwing competition, Gukesh would know that he has a realistic chance of becoming the first Indian to win the tournament.

Gukesh, joint fourth with compatriot Arjun Erigaisi on 4.5 points, is pitted against Wei Yi in Round 5, and given the Chinese No.1’s vulnerabilities in the high-quality field – he is currently on the bottom of the pile with 4 points – the Indian could fancy his chances of taking three full points in the contest.

Even though local hero Magnus Carlsen’s shadow will continue to loom large in this six-player double round-robin tournament, this is the best opportunity for Gukesh to catch up with the defending champion, who is leading with eight points.

It would also prepare Gukesh for the subsequent rounds, especially the reverse match against Carlsen, who beat the Indian in a thrilling opening-round game.

Gukesh also seems to have sorted out his time pressure puzzle, which contributed to back-to-back losses against Carlsen and Erigaisi in the first two games.

He had said after defeating world No.2 Nakamura in Round 3 that, “I think my time management was much better than before (in the Classical game against Nakamura).”

In the Armageddon tie-break against Caruana, Gukesh, known for his strengths in the Classical game, showed he is up for the challenge in the time-controlled format as well.

On the other hand, Erigaisi's challenge has suffered setbacks when it should have taken off after victories against Wei Yi (Armageddon tie-break) and Gukesh (Classical).

Defeats against Caruana and Carlsen in Round 3 and 4 have come as a dampener for the 21-year-old but he will have to find ways to win if he wants to make an impact in his maiden outing here.

Erigaisi will face Nakamura in Round 5 and hope his tactic to put pressure on his opponent early on with his lightning moves gives him an advantage, as the American is one of the best exponents of rapid and blitz chess.

Pairings (Round 5):

(Open) 1. Arjun Erigaisi vs Hikaru Nakamura; 2. Wei Yo vs D Gukesh; 3. Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen.

(Women) 1. Sara Khadem vs R. Vaishali; 2. Anna Muzychuk vs Ju Wenjun; 3. Koneru Humpy vs Lei Tingjie. PTI AM UNG

Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) Scoreboard of the IPL Eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans here on Friday.

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma c Rashid b Prasidh 81

Jonny Bairstow c Coetzee b Kishore 47

Suryakumar Yadav c Sundar b Kishore 33

Tilak Varma c Mendis b Siraj 25

Hardik Pandya (not out) 22

Naman Dhir c Rashid b Prasidh 9

Mitchell Santner (not out) 0

Extras (B-7 W-4) 11

Total (20 overs, 5 wickets) 228

Fall of wickets: 1-84, 2-143, 3-186, 4-194, 5-206.

Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 4-0-37-1, Prasidh Krishna 4-0-53-2, Sai Kishore 4-0-42-2, Rashid Khan 4-0-31-0, Gerald Coetzee 3-0-51-0, Washington Sundar 1-0-7-0. (More) PTI UNG

Mullanpur, May 30 (PTI) Former skipper Rohit Sharma made well-paced 81 off 50 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to 228/5 against Gujarat Titans in the IPL Eliminator here on Friday.

Rohit made his knock off just 50 balls with nine fours and four sixes, and shared a 84-run stand with fellow opener Jonny Bairstow (47, 22b).

The veteran batter shared another 59 runs for the second wicket with national T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav (33).

For GT, left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and pacer Prasidh Krishna picked up a couple of wickets.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians: 228/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47, Suryakumar Yadav 33; R Sai Kishore 2/42). PTI UNG KHS

Gumi (South Korea), May 30 (PTI) From choosing high jump as her event only in 2019 and practising on sacks filled with stubble for initial years, the 18-year-old Pooja Singh reaped right rewards for her toil on Friday with a gold medal in the Asian Athletics Championships here.

Pooja, jumped to her personal best of 1.89m in women’s high jump to win the gold medal, said it wasn’t an easy ride for her to win the first medal at the senior level but it was indeed the reward for her toil..

“I started in 2017 and till 2019 I was doing yoga and gymnastics, I have took part in multiple events as well. In 2019, I selected high jump and I have reached here after a lot of hard work and struggles,” Pooja told the media in an interaction organised by Athletics Federation of India.

Pooja said practicing on sacks filled with stubble was the method which helped her break the national record at U-16 level..

“When I started high jump I did not have a mat, I would practice on sacks filled with parali (stubble),” she said.

“I did that for 2-3 years before I got an old mat and with practicing on that I made the U-16 record (1.76m) and since then the improvement has been there, in U-18, and now in U-20 which I am currently in. Both my coach and I had the confidence of doing well in high jump,” Pooja added.

Talking about her medal winning performance, Pooja said, “The competition was very good, my body was functioning very well. I almost cleared the record of 1.92m but missed by a little margin but 1.89m is my personal best and I was able to record that..

The Haryana girl, who is the youngest in the Indian touring party, said she is having her share of fun being the junior most while being focussed on her sport..

“I am the youngest in the team and I am enjoying it, I am having fun out here as well as focussing on my game. My target is to qualify for the next Olympics and win the gold medal,” she said.

Nandini Agasara, who clinched the gold medal in heptathlon, said she experienced pain in her elbow from a past injury during the javelin throw of 34.18m..

“I thought I would throw 38-40m but unfortunately I felt pain. After the four events yesterday I started feeling the pain in the elbow," Nandini said..

“I had an injury one year ago and I thought it had been cured. I had gone to the national camp where they had help me to cure it. But again after shot-put (throw), in which I had to put in more power, I again felt a little pain and after taping it I thought it would not be there. But after the first throw I felt the pain.”.

Nandini added, “I was leading with good points after long jump, I thought I will maintain the lead but unfortunately could not do well in the javelin throw but I covered it in the 800m.”.

Nandini said she was under pressure after an ordinary throw but the coaching staff helped her to put a strong show thereon. “I was under a little pressure after javelin throw because the girl from China was leading by 70 points,” she said..

“All the coaches supported and motivated me and I used that to make myself confident to win the gold for India and I recorded my best points after a long time. My first goal was to break the national record of 6200 points. I thought I would cross that in this competition but because of the javelin throw I could not,” Nandini added.

Gulveer Singh, who won the gold medal in 5000m after a similar success in 10,000m, said the focus was only on winning the medal and not the timing.

“The goal was to win the gold medal in 10km and in 5km race, the timing was not an issue. The coaches said we will address the timing in the next competition but I have to win the gold in this competition. The World Championships are up next and I will make progress for that,” he said.

Jyothi Yarraji, who won the gold medal in women’s 100m hurdles, said she wanted to better the personal record. “I came here totally fit and there are no complaints. I tried to do a personal best but that did not happen,” she said..

The silver medal winner in women’s 3000m steeplechase Parul Chaudhary broke her national record in 10 days’ time said trying to stay alongside Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto helped her better it.

“Yes, I came into this competition with that thought in mind. I knew that the 2022 World Champion is here and I thought if I’d run with her, my timings would be good,” she said.

Avinash Sable, the first Indian to win a steeplechase gold in 36 years, said his training is going in the right direction. "I was injured in the last two events in competed in. I was practicing in Ooty but could not do the hurdles because of the injury," he said.

"I then had two competitions — Diamond League and Asian Championships — but they were too close and I decided to do one. I came here to build the confidence that the training I am doing is in the right direction," he added. PTI DDV KHS

Bengaluru, May 30 (PTI) Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva struck the solitary goal as the Indian women’s football team went down 0-1 to Uzbekistan in the first of two FIFA International Friendlies, here on Friday.

After a goalless first half, Khabibullaeva broke the deadlock in the 56th minute to secure the win for the hosts.

The two teams will face off again in the second friendly on June 3.

India earned a few corners early on, while goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu did well to keep the Uzbekistan attackers at bay in the opening exchanges.

Panthoi, who marched in as the captain on Friday, did especially well to collect the ball from Nilufar Kudratova in the eighth minute, after the Uzbekistan forward was played through behind the India defence.

As the game wore on, India began to gain more composure, building their own attacks in the Uzbek third.

Soumya Guguloth, on the counter, threaded a pass through to Dangmei Grace, who had raced past the Uzbekistan back line and only had the goalkeeper to beat. However, Maftuna Jonimqulova rushed out of her line and snatched the ball from the India forward’s feet.

A little after the half-hour mark, Diyorakhon ran on to an aerial through ball and had just Panthoi to beat. However, India centre-back Shilky Devi showed good presence of mind to contain the Uzbekistan forward with her physical presence, allowing Panthoi some time to snatch the ball.

India coach Chettri brought striker Pyari Xaxa into the game instead of Manisha Naik, thus pushing Grace into midfield.

The move seemed to have been working in the initial stages of the second half, as India began to enjoy long bouts of possession in the Uzbekistan half. However, it also left them more susceptible to a counter-attack, which resulted in the deciding goal.

Maftuna Shoyimova, who was freed down the left flank, sent in a pinpoint cross into the India box. Diyorakhon tapped it in from close range in the 56th minute to give her side the lead.

Diyorakhon had a chance to double the lead on the hour mark when she tried to volley another cross, this time from the left, but the forward could not connect with the ball as Panthoi plucked it out of the air.

India went searching for the equaliser with Pyari being the focal point. Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi sent in a looping cross from the right, which was headed goalwards by Pyari. However, the header lacked power and rolled wide with around 20 minutes to go.

Sumati Kumari, advancing down the right wing, sent a low cross to Pyari in the closing stages. The Indian striker trapped the ball and pulled the trigger from the edge of the box. However, Jonimqulova did well to produce a diving save to keep India out. PTI ATK DDV

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) A man was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl after breaking into her house through the window, a police official said.

The Vikhroli Parksite police station official identified the accused as Sameer Shaikh (31).

"He was held on the basis of technical inputs and CCTV footage. Shaikh has been charged with rape and other offences under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," the official said. PTI ZA BNM

Bijnor (UP), May 30 (PTI) Six people have been arrested for allegedly cheating a retired Navy officer of over Rs 2 crore in a fake share trading scheme, police said on Friday.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Kumar Jha said Bhupendra Singh, a resident of Lalpur village, was lured into investing Rs 2.08 crore between March and April through a WhatsApp group run by the accused.

The group falsely promised high returns and later demanded Rs 50 lakh more to release his so-called "profits", the officer said.

Police recovered Rs 3 lakh cash, laptops, mobile phones, and identity documents. So far, Rs 2 lakh has been returned and Rs 17 lakh frozen in bank accounts, he added.

Further investigation is ongoing in the case, the police said. PTI COR KIS NB

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Gurugram, May 30 (PTI) A man who allegedly threatened to shoot a female colleague and fired several rounds in the air was arrested hours after the incident took place in Sector 44 here, police said.

They said a motorcycle was impounded and a country-made pistol along with two cartridges were recovered from the accused, Satyavrat alias Satya Pandit, a native of Gopalganj in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district.

He was produced in a court on and remanded to four days' police custody for questioning, a Gurugram police spokesperson said.

According to the comaplaint filed by Laxmi Verma alias Mehak, from north Delhi and currently residing in Sector 44, she had been working with the accused in a private management company for the past one month.

The incident took place around 10.15 pm on Wednesday when she and her friend Anu Rajput were en route to the HUDA Market in Sector 53.

"When we reached near Kanhai colony, Satyavrat came on a bike, stopped in front of me and threatened to shoot me. He then took out his pistol and fired around four to five rounds in the air," the complainant told police.

She then alerted police and an emergency response vehicle reached the spot. Upon seeing the police vehicle the accused fled.

An FIR was registered at Sushant Lok police station, following her complaint and the accused was arrested near a CNG pump in Sushant Lok area on Thursday, police said. OZ

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Palghar, May 30 (PTI) A 17-year-old girl sustained a bullet wound at a lodge in Kelva in Palghar district on Friday afternoon and a senior police official claimed the injury was possibly due to an accidental firing while a firearm was being handled.

The incident occurred around 1:30 PM after the girl had checked into the resort with an 18-year-old male friend, who has been detained, Palghar Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh told reporters.

"The girl was found seriously injured from a bullet fired from a revolver. The girl was taken to Mahim primary health centre and then to a hospital in Boisar. The 18-year-old male in the room with her was taken into custody and the firearm was seized," the SP said.

"As per our preliminary probe, the firearm, a katta (country-made weapon), is illegal and was in the possession of the boy. We believe the firearm accidentally went off while it was being handled by them. The boy is being questioned for the chain of events and antecedents of the revolver," he said.

We will also inquire with the owner of the lodge and others at the site as part of the probe, the SP added.

Earlier in the day, Palghar Additional Superintendent of Police VS Narale told PTI the girl was injured after a bullet struck her spine when the weapon was being handled. PTI COR SKL BNM

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Four members of a gang allegedly involved in assaulting two watchmen of a private firm in Beed in Maharashtra and stealing property worth Rs 12.87 lakh were booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA ) on Friday, a police official said.

The assault and robbery had taken place on April 7 at a unit of Avaada Group in Vida village in Kej tehsil, some 390 kilometres from here, the official said.

"A group of 14 persons had assaulted watchmen Akash Jadhav (26) and Abhijeet Dunghav. The two were tied with bedsheets and then thrashed with sticks on the hands and legs. The accused then stole items worth Rs 12.87 lakh from the site. A probe led to the arrest of Baban Sardar Shinde (40), Dhanaji Kale (23), Mohan Hari Kale (30), and Lalasaheb Pawar (26), all residents of Beed and Dharashiv," he said.

"Beed police found the gang was involved in at least 11 cases of robbery, theft and serious body offences. Accordingly, Superintendent of Beed Navneet Kanwat sent a proposal of imposing MCOCA sections in the case against the accused. The proposal was cleared by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range Inspector General Virendra Mishra on Friday," he said.

Six persons are wanted in the case, the official added. PTI DC BNM

Durg, May 30 (PTI) Police have arrested nine persons, including five women, for allegedly trying to convert members of a family to Christianity in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, officials said on Friday.

The accused were identified as pastor Mamta Kumari Dixit (50), Sapan Deep (42), her son Shubham (24), Rajesh Patel (35), his wife Madhu Tandi (35), Neeta Baghel (40), her daughter Devanti (21), Bini Tandi (30) and Ribeiro Willaims (36), an official said.

The incident took place in a house located near Raipur-Durg check-post under the Padmanabhpur police station limits and a complaint in this connection was lodged by a local resident, he said.

"As per the complaint, the accused persons conducted a healing service meeting on Thursday night at the residence of Madhu Tandi, where they allegedly tried to convert her family to Christianity," he said.

One of the local residents filed a complaint with the police after the incident came to their notice, he added.

Subsequently, a police team reached the spot for investigation following which a case was registered, he said.

They were nabbed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, the official said. PTI COR NP

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Two persons were arrested for allegedly being part of an online racket that cheated a woman of Rs 36.56 lakh after promising her high returns in share trading, a Mumbai police official said on Friday.

As per the North Region cyber police, accused Pankaj Prabhakar Lohar and Dharmesh Dhirajlal Chawda were in touch with cyber fraudsters and had provided multiple bank accounts to them to facilitate the crime.

"The complainant, a resident of Goregaon, has been investing in shares for many years. In December last year, she came across an advertisement related to share trading on social media. On clicking the link, she was added to a WhatsApp group where stock trading discussions and daily tips were being shared," the official said.

"The group had several members, many of whom appeared to have earned significant returns, creating a sense of credibility. She was assigned an account through which she invested Rs 36.56 lakh. After a while, the app showed a profit of Rs 2.82 crore in her account. However, she could not withdraw this amount," he added.

When all her attempts to contact the admin of this Whatsapp group failed, she lodged complaints with the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the North Region Cyber Cell, the official said.

"A case was registered and a probe zeroed in on Lohar and Chawda. The prime accused in the case is still on the run and efforts are on to nab him," the official said. PTI ZA BNM

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) The Thane-based engineer, arrested on the charge of spying, shared sensitive information about warships and submarines to the Pakistani intelligence operative through sketches, diagrams and audio notes, and received money from various bank accounts in India and abroad in return, police said.

The 27-year-old mechanical engineer Ravindra Verma, a resident of Kalwa in neighbouring Thane, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police on Wednesday. According to police, he was lured into passing classified information after being honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent posing as a woman on Facebook.

"During the investigation, it came to light that Verma shared sensitive information knowingly and intentionally multiple times. In exchange for the information, he received money from various bank accounts from India and abroad," an official told PTI.

It was found that he had shared information about various warships and submarines to the Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), another official said.

Verma worked as a junior engineer with a defence technology firm and by virtue of his work, he had access to the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai. He would also go on board naval ships and submarines, he said.

"During his visits to the Naval Dockyard, he was not allowed to carry a mobile phone inside. Therefore, after finishing his work there, he used to share sensitive information about warships and submarines by making sketches or diagrams. Sometimes, he would share information through audio notes also," the official added.

The ATS suspects that he also shared the names of submarines and warships to the Pakistani agent, he said.

Verma had been in contact with the Pakistani agent since November 2024, he said.

He had received friend requests on Facebook from users with account names as Payal Sharma and Ispreet in 2024, which he accepted.

While chatting with him, both these account users posing as women initially portrayed that they were from India and worked on a project for which information about warships was required, he said.

After a few sessions of conversations, they honey-trapped him and started digging sensitive information about vital installations, he said, adding that Verma used to share all the sensitive information with Pakistani operatives.

"He was very much aware of what he was doing and to whom he was passing on the sensitive information. He was getting money in exchange for providing the information," he said.

A court has remanded him to ATS custody till Monday. PTI DC NP

Raisen (MP), May 30 (PTI) A paternal grandfather is among three persons arrested in connection with the kidnapping of his two-year-old grandson, a relative of Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Devendra Patel, for a ransom of 1.5 kgs of gold, officials said here on Friday.

The child, who is son of Yogendra Patel (nephew of MLA Devendra Patel), was kidnapped from his home in Paloha village under Begamganj tehsil in Raisen district on Thursday morning and subsequently rescued late in the night by police from Tamia town in Chhindwara district, approximately 200 km away.

Superintendent of Police of Raisen district Pankaj Pandey alleged that the main accused, Arvind Patel, is the child's paternal grandfather.

"We constituted 11 police teams for tracing the child and based on clues, we zeroed in on Tamia in Chhindwara district from where the kidnapped boy was recovered from the house of Arvind Patel's friend," Pandey said.

Upon his rescue, the child was safely reunited with his family members.

According to the police officer, the kidnapping was meticulously planned by Arvind Patel and his relative Rakesh Patel, and executed with the help of a third accomplice. The trio had demanded a substantial 1.5 kgs of gold as ransom from the child's family for his release.

Police have seized a van and a motorbike used by the accused in the kidnapping and all the three were being questioned.

The child disappeared from his house at around 11 am on Thursday and police immediately treated it as a case of kidnapping and launched a search operation which involved sniffer dogs and drones in the surrounding areas to locate the child and his abductors.

The Congress MLA represents the Silwani constituency in Raisen district. PTI COR MAS SKL RSY

Phagwara, May 30 (PTI) Three masked armed robbers looted about Rs 40 lakh from the branch of a private bank in Rehana Jattan village on Punjab's Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road Friday afternoon, police said.

Eyewitness accounts said that three armed robbers came in a white-coloured car. While two of them, wielding pistols, entered the bank, the third remained inside the vehicle.

Carrying guns, the armed duo threatened the bank manager and forced the cashier to hand over the cash, they said.

Within a few minutes, they decamped with about Rs 40 lakh cash, they said.

Kaputhala SSP Gaurav Toora rushed to the spot with local police officers.

He said that CCTV footage was being viewed. Some mobile phones, which the robbers had allegedly snatched from some customers, were later recovered a little distance away from the spot.

We have constituted different teams to trace the robbers at the earliest, he said. PTI COR SUN NB

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Jhansi (UP), May 30 (PTI) A court here on Friday sentenced a man and his second wife to life imprisonment for murdering his minor daughter in 2016 in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district.

The Additional District and Sessions Court convicted Amit Shukla and Akanksha Shukla and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each, Assistant Government Advocate Rajendra Rawat said.

The case dates back to August 26, 2021, when Amit, a resident of Katra locality, lodged a complaint claiming that his daughter Khushi, who was playing outside the house, had been killed by unidentified persons.

Initially, police registered a case against unknown individuals. However, during investigation, it was revealed that Amit's first wife had passed away, and Khushi was their daughter. He later married Akanksha Shukla.

Akanksha reportedly became troubled by Khushi's presence, leading the couple to murder the child, the lawyer said.

Following the investigation, both Amit and Akanksha were named as accused. PTI COR KIS NB

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Kochi, May 30 (PTI) The Kerala High Court held on Friday that the state government withholding the pension of Ciza Thomas, former vice-chancellor of the A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University, was a violation of her fundamental rights and directed that her entire terminal benefits be released within two weeks.

A bench of Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Johnson John noted that the government exercised its authority and power to "harass" Thomas for taking up

the VC's office at the instance of the chancellor, the then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.

"This court cannot ignore the gross injustice meted out to such a distinguished government servant. We will have to protect her pensionary right, which is a property right under the Constitution, and it cannot be denied as such unless by a procedure established by law.

"In view of the above, we direct the official respondents (government) to release the entire terminal benefits due to her within two weeks from today," the bench said.

It said the question of interest payable on the amount can be left to the Administrative Tribunal to decide.

The bench came to the finding after noting that the disciplinary proceedings initiated against Thomas were quashed by the high court and no judicial proceedings were pending against her.

It said the Kerala Service Rules allow the state government to withhold pension only when departmental proceedings or judicial proceedings are pending.

"In the absence of any pending departmental or judicial proceedings, the government cannot withhold pensionary benefits of Dr Ciza Thomas.

"We note that the government exercised its authority and power in flagrant violation of her fundamental rights and to harass her for taking up the office of the vice-chancellor at the instance of the chancellor, the then governor," the bench said.

The order came on a plea moved by Thomas seeking a direction to the government to disburse her regular pension, arrears and all other terminal benefits.

According to the court, the only justification given by the government for the delay in disbursing the pensionary benefits was that it has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the dismissal of its special leave petition challenging a Kerala High Court order that set aside its show-cause notice to Thomas as part of the disciplinary action initiated against her.

The action was initiated after she retired in March 2023 as the principal of the Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram.

The government was of the view that she violated the Government Servants Conduct Rules by assuming the office of the vice-chancellor. PTI HMP RC

Berhampur (Odisha), May 30 (PTI) A court in Odisha on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping his minor daughter in Ganjam district in 2023.

Pranati Pattnaik, the Additional District Judge-cum-Judge of the POCSO court here also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.

He will undergo jail term for another year if he fails to pay the fine amount, said Special Public Prosecutor Narayan Panda.

The court also directed the district legal service authorities to pay Rs 10.50 lakh to the victim, he said.

“... The accused is none other than the father of the minor victim who is supposed to protect her from any such sexual harassment from anybody else. In spite of that, he committed rape on his minor daughter repeatedly,” the court observed.

“In the above circumstances, he does not deserve any leniency. However, considering the entire facts, I hold that this is a fit case in which the convict is liable to get the extreme punishment like imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life,” the judge said.

Police sources said the victim is the daughter of the convict's first wife, who had died in 2021.

He was arrested on December 23, 2023. PTI CORR BBM RBT

Prayagraj (UP), May 30 (PTI) The Allahabad High court on Friday adjourned till July 21 a public interest litigation (PIL) matter seeking directions for the timely and expeditious filling of all the vacant judges' posts in the court.

A bench of Justices Vivek Kumar Birla and Jitendra Kumar Sinha was hearing the petition filed by senior advocate Satish Trivedi.

Senior advocate S F A Naqvi appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner when the matter was taken up on Friday.

Claiming that the high court is "facing the gravest crisis in its history", the PIL has also sought binding guidelines that should be mandatorily adhered to for streamlining the process of judicial appointments in the court, including strict adherence to the timelines prescribed under the memorandum of procedure.

Highlighting the severe shortage of judges in the court, the PIL pointed out that with a population of 24 crore and more than 11 lakh pending cases in Uttar Pradesh, there is currently only one judge for every 30 lakh people, with each judge handling an average of 14,623 pending cases.

The PIL has said the high court is in a "state of functional paralysis" as it is operating at less than 50 per cent of its sanctioned judicial strength and this has led to an insurmountable backlog of more than 11 lakh cases. PTI COR RAJ RC

Rampur (UP), May 30 (PTI) A special MP-MLA sessions court in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur has rejected three applications filed by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan's legal team, seeking to recall prosecution witnesses in ongoing cases related to the 2019 Rampur orphanage land dispute, a lawyer said on Friday.

The cases involve allegations of forcible demolition of houses built on Waqf land, theft and loot, including charges of stealing buffaloes and goats. These were among a dozen cases registered against Khan in 2019.

According to District Government Counsel Seema Singh Rana, the trial is currently at the prosecution evidence stage.

While the prosecution was presenting its case, Khan's lawyers filed three separate petitions requesting to recall witnesses already examined, she said.

The prosecution objected to the move and the court dismissed all three applications, Rana added.

The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for June 2, she said. PTI COR KIS RC

Prayagraj (UP), May 30 (PTI) Hearing a PIL related to medical facilities in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court observed on Friday that though the state government has developed medical infrastructure in the capital, those living in other cities are being denied such help.

"It seems that the entire focus of the state government is in developing medical infrastructure at the state capital and the people living in other cities of Uttar Pradesh are being denied medical help. They have to run either to Lucknow or Delhi for medical treatment. It is the taxpayers' money which should be evenly spent across the state and not a particular city should be developed as a medical hub, neglecting other cities of the state," the court observed.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal directed the government to take immediate action against deteriorating medical facilities in the state and said before things go out of hand, the existing infrastructure needs to be improved and strengthened.

As the principal secretary (medical education and health) was not present in the court, the judge directed him to appear before the bench on July 1.

The judge also directed him to apprise the court of the efforts undertaken by the government to improve the overall condition of the 42 medical colleges in the state and the hospitals attached therein.

Besides, the court directed the principal secretary to visit all the medical colleges by the next date fixed to gather first-hand knowledge of the requirements of the hospitals.

Directing to put up the case as fresh on July 1, the judge asked Prayagraj's district magistrate, police commissioner as well as the municipal commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Prayagraj, superintendent in-charge and deputy SIC, Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital, Prayagraj, and chief medical officer (CMO), Prayagraj, to remain present before the court on the next date.

The court also directed the principal secretary to file an affidavit disclosing the entire budgetary allocation to all medical colleges of the state, including the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), King George's Medical College (a deemed university) and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.

The court further directed the principal secretary to place before the state government for consideration a proposal to upgrade the medical facility at the SRN Hospital, which is associated with the Motilal Nehru Medical College in Prayagraj, from 1,250 beds to at least 3,000 beds, keeping in view the next Kumbh to be held in 2031.

According to government estimates, 66.3 crore people visited the city of Prayagraj during this year's Mahakumbh.

"The officer concerned shall also apprise the government about the poor medical facilities available in the city of Prayagraj compared to the medical facilities available at Lucknow and Gorakhpur. Prayagraj being an important religious place, where tourists are coming from all around the world and is also having a large local population, is being neglected for the last several years with little or no medical facility," the court said.

The court also directed the principal secretary to inform it about the strengthening of the primary health centres across Uttar Pradesh as these facilities are practically in a non-working condition, which is putting great pressure on the hospitals attached to the medical colleges.

The court also directed the principal secretary to place the matter before the state government for consideration of setting up, if necessary, an Institute like the SGPGI in the Prayagraj region to cater to the needs of the neighbouring districts, as patients from the medical colleges are being referred to the SGPGI, Lucknow or to Delhi.

The court was apprised that though there are doctors, due to a lack of proper infrastructure and the non-availability of medicines, patients cannot be treated in these medical colleges. PTI COR RAJ KIS RC

Ranchi, May 30 (PTI) IAS officer Vinay Choubey on Friday moved the Jharkhand High Court, challenging his arrest and prosecution initiated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

The ACB had on May 20 arrested the 1999-batch senior officer in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam in the state.

The officer has been accused of causing Rs 38-crore loss to the state exchequer by indulging in corrupt practices.

Choubey filed a petition for quashing the criminal proceedings and the FIR, and also challenged his arrest by the ACB.

The IAS officer mentioned in his petition that he has been falsely implicated in the case, and there is no evidence against him.

Choubey was taken to Birsa Munda Central Jail at Hotwar after a special court on May 20 remanded him to judicial custody till June 3.

He was arrested after hours of interrogation by the ACB, which has been inquiring into the allegation of irregularities in excise policy during his tenure as secretary of the excise department.

Choubey has held several key posts, including secretary to the CM and principal secretary, Department of Panchayati Raj.

The Jharkhand government has alleged that he indulged in corrupt practices and did not follow norms in selecting placement agencies to operate liquor shops and its sales.

The ACB team had arrested Choubey, the former managing director of the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Ltd, after a thorough investigation and lodging an FIR.

The opposition BJP, meanwhile, has been demanding a CBI investigation against Choubey, claiming that the state ACB action is an eyewash. PTI CORR NAM RBT

Prayagraj (UP), May 30 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has expressed surprise at the actions of the Waqf Madarsa Qasim ul Uloom in encroaching a land in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur that belongs to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), carrying out construction on it, sub-letting it and charging rent on the property.

Noting that the petitioner, Waqf, had encroached upon the land owned by the NHAI, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal dismissed the petition.

The court called it a "classic case" where the NHAI land was encroached upon and a madrasa, a mosque and certain other constructions were raised and the property was being claimed to be a "waqf".

The petitioner had filed the plea seeking a permanent prohibitory injunction restraining the respondent authorities from demolishing the disputed property and making new construction over the same. The petitioner had submitted that a madrasa, a mosque and a police chowki existed on the land.

Regarding the petitioner's claim that the land was a waqf property, the defendants had pleaded that the same was not registered as a waqf with the Waqf Board.

In the suit, the defendants had filed an amendment application that was allowed by the trial court. Against this, the petitioner had preferred a revision, which was dismissed. Thereafter, the petitioner approached the high court on grounds that the amendment could not be allowed as a new case was being set up by the defendants.

The court said the petitioner-plaintiff had not, at any stage, shown the registration of the waqf and how the suit property was a waqf under the Waqf Act, 1995.

Holding that the property belonged to the NHAI, the court dismissed the petition against the trial court order allowing the amendment application.

The order dated May 12 came into the public domain on Friday. PTI COR RAJ KIS RC

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) A Delhi court on Friday sentenced former Madhya Pradesh MLA Kishore Samrite to six months in jail for threatening to blow up Parliament in September 2022 over his 'unfulfilled demands'.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull noted that the threatening letter and the suspicious substance were sent to Parliament "which is the temple of Indian democracy".

"It is a forum where issues of all hues and pertaining to national interest are expected to be discussed with decorum and in deference to public aspirations. For the highest contemplative body of the country to be subjected to a threat of being blown up with dynamite and the threatening letter to actually be accompanied by a suspicious substance is indeed a grave circumstance which requires an appropriate sentence," he said.

It is equally pertinent that the convict is not just an ordinary citizen, but a former MLA from Lanji in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, the judge said.

"Being most acquainted and sensitised to the security of Parliamentary establishments and more so to the sanctity of such representative institutions, his dispatch of such a threatening letter to the Parliament acted to normalise the threat of violence towards the elected Houses of the Parliament.

"If such conduct is not deterred, it raises the prospect of others emulating the course taken by Samrite for voicing his dissent towards government policies. Perhaps, every such threat would not be accompanied by harmless substances," the judge said.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on Samrite.

A parcel containing some suspicious substance related to explosives, besides an Indian flag, and a copy of the Constitution was received through speed post at the Parliament House on September 16, 2022.

The judge said that the letter from Samrite, a former MLA from Lanji in Balaghat, threatening to blow up the Parliament building, constituted a threat to cause destruction of property by fire, thereby rendering him liable for conviction under Part II of section 506 of IPC.

The judge, however, acquitted Samrite of the charge under Explosives Act, after noting that the substance in question did not constitute an "explosive" under the Act.

Samrite was represented by advocate Manish Kumar Choudhary.

The court in December 2022 granted bail to the accused noting that the threat to blow off Parliament did not result in any kind of explosion or loss to life or property.

The parcel also had a 10-page signed complaint of Samrite, from which it was made out that he was showing dissatisfaction with the policies of the ruling government and made 70 different demands with a threat to blow off Parliament House on September 30, 2022 if his demands were not fulfilled.

During the investigation, it also came to light that the accused has sent a similar parcel to the Supreme Court on September 19, 2022 and a separate FIR was lodged in that regard. PTI UK ZMN

Kotdwar, May 30 (PTI) A court here on Friday sentenced a resort owner and his two employees to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.

Bhandari (19), who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort located in Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, was murdered on September 18, 2022 by resort owner Pulkit Arya and his two employees Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi also imposed a fine of Rs 72,000 on Arya and Rs 62,000 on each of the other two accused, Special Public Prosecutor Avnish Negi.

According to the prosecution, Bhandari and Arya had a dispute over something after which the three pushed the woman into the Cheela canal in Rishikesh.

After her body was found from the canal, the police arrested all three.

Pulkit Arya is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. As soon as the matter came to light, the party showed the door to Vinod Arya.

The court convicted Arya under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence/giving false information), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 5(1) D of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA), he said.

Negi said that Bhaskar and Gupta were convicted IPC sections 302, 201 and Section 5(1)d of the ITPA.

He said that all the sentences of the convicts will run simultaneously.

Negi said that the court has also ordered the government to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to Ankita's parents.

The murder had triggered protests by locals following which the state government formed a special investigation team to probe it.

The hearing of the case lasted for two years and eight months and during this period 47 witnesses were examined.

A large number of police force was deployed in the court in view of the verdict in the case. The court premises were cordoned off by more than 450 policemen.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said justice has been ensured for the daughter of Uttarakhand.

The state government had resolved to provide justice to Ankita and took all steps in that direction.

Police were immediately instructed to arrest the accused and an SIT was formed under the chairmanship of a woman IPS officer who investigated all the angles and collected evidence, he said.

Dhami said the case was effectively pleaded in the court and as a result the accused could not even get bail.

During this period, the administration kept in constant communication with Ankita's family and they were given financial help.

“We cannot bring Ankita back. But we have ensured that justice is done to her. This decision shows our commitment towards the safety and respect of every daughter of the state,” Dhami said.

Welcoming the court’s decision, the CM said that it further strengthens the confidence of the people in the judicial system.

Reacting to the verdict, Uttarakhand Congress chief Karan Mahara said the decision was an important step towards justice but it provided only partial justice to Ankita.

Many important questions are still unanswered which the Dhami government has to answer, he said.

“Even today it is not clear which 'VIP' persons the state government tried to save. On whose orders were bulldozers run on Vanantra Resort with the intention of destroying evidence. Who is responsible for the negligence shown by the administrative officials in the initial investigation,” he said, adding that the Congress will continue to raise this issue.

On the other hand, Uttarakhand BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan described the punishment given to the culprits in the Ankita murder case as a victory of justice and called the Congress's reaction unfortunate and politically motivated.

Chauhan said that the court has given its decision on the basis of facts and the allegations of weak advocacy levelled by other opposition parties including Congress have automatically become meaningless. PTI DPT NB

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