Set to premiere on October 30, 2026, Akka explores a fictional matriarchal society. The teaser features women defending their territory against an outsider's threat to their power. Keerthy Suresh plays Bhavani, while Radhika Apte portrays Rudra, whose arrival disrupts their established order. The series is directed by debutant Dharmaraj Shetty and produced by Yash Raj Films. Read on!
Father of Murder Victim Seeks Justice After Verdict in Meerut Case
Following a recent verdict, the father of murder victim Ketan Agrawal expresses hope for justice and demands the death penalty for the accused. Father of Murder Victim Seeks Justice After Verdict in Meerut Case
CJI Surya Kant urges law graduates to uphold justice, remain true to values
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday urged graduating law students to uphold justice, defend liberty and remain committed to constitutional values, saying the legal profession demands courage, integrity and the ability to listen to voices that often go unheard. Addressing the 34th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here, he said legal education must go beyond academic learning and prepare students to engage with diverse perspectives and serve society. I greet you not only with congratulations but also with immense expectations, the CJI said. The purpose of legal education extends beyond learning the principles of criminal or constitutional law; it rests in the invigorating experience of encountering those who see the world differently than we do, he said. Emphasising the responsibilities of the legal profession, Surya Kant said it required not only knowledge of statutes and precedents but also the courage to stand up for justice a
Sanjay Raut submits explanation in SC contempt case, says we expect justice
Bhopal Murder: Crowd Demands Justice For Slain Girl
An angry crowd attempted to storm a police station in Bhopal on Saturday, demanding justice after a 12-year-old girl was found murdered in an abandoned building on Friday. Police have arrested a 23-year-old suspect and are awaiting the postmortem report to determine further details, including potential sexual assault.
A major political controversy has erupted in Bihar following reported remarks by Janata Dal (United) MLA Anant Singh claiming that he had got nine people murdered, triggering a sharp offensive from the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), even as the MLA and his party asserted that the statement stands refuted. Breaking his silence over the controversy, Anant Singh briefly dismissed the claims, stating, ...The statement has already been refuted. Addressing the brewing row, JD(U) Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha maintained that the party had taken note of the matter while downplaying its electoral impact. He has made a statement followed by a clarification. The state unit of the party is aware of the entire situation and has taken note of all these developments. Our candidates in Patna will win by a large margin; the party is well aware of the matter, Jha told reporters. Defending Nitish Kumar, senior JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad stated that the former Bihar Chief Ministe...
Co-Chairs of the US India Caucus, Ro Khanna and Rich McCormick, on Friday (local time) condemned the attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, and urged the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to take action against what they described as growing threats and hostility directed at Hindu Americans and Indian Americans.
Jayapal, Omar Lead 6 U.S. Lawmakers
Six Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. have called for an investigation into alleged surveillance of protesters by Indian diplomatic missions in American cities and urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise concerns over India's handling of student protests during his upcoming visit to the country.
Katie Zacharia may exit White House press secretary role after just one week
I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me. But she also wouldn't say when her next press briefing might be.
Trade Deal In Final Stages As Secretary Rubio Prepares To Visit India
India and the U.S. are trying to resolve the last major differences in their trade negotiations, with access to India's dairy market emerging as the biggest hurdle.
Bipartisan Bill Seeks Formal Dialogue Between U.S. Congress And Indian Parliament
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to set up a group of American lawmakers who would meet Indian parliamentarians every year to discuss issues between the two countries.
Pradeep Purnekar murder: CM assures slain Sena (UBT) leader's son of justice
Ram Purnekars meeting with the chief minister comes amid the investigation into the killing of his father, who served as the ward chief of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) in Manpada
Was An Honour To Work For Him: Trump's Press Chief Katie Zacharia After Being Fired
When Zacharia was appointed, she had shared a screenshot of Trump's post on TruthSocial that confirmed her new position.
Trump's New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Out After Five Days
A White House official said Katie Zacharia is transitioning out of the job. It's unclear if she would take another position in the White House or in Trump's orbit.
Here is a select list of stories to start the day
Katie Zacharia out as White House press secretary after just 5 days, Trump asks her to 'reconsider'
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is transitioning out of her role after a brief and turbulent tenure as US President Donald Trump's chief spokesperson, according to a person familiar with the matter. The development...
Katie Zacharia to Leave White House Press Secretary Role After Rocky Start
Zacharia had come under immediate scrutiny when she appeared uncomfortable during her inaugural briefing on Tuesday, delivering halting remarks touting the president and his accomplishments
Families demand justice after Pakistan school collapse
Parents are demanding accountability after a school roof collapse in Pakistan's Peshawar killed 34 children. Families demand justice after Pakistan school collapse
Trumps New Spokesperson Lasts JUST Five Days? Katie Zacharia OUT Amid Media Backlash
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is out after just five days on the job, following a rocky media debut and scrutiny over her legal credentials. President Donald Trump had urged her to reconsider the role before her sudden departure emerged. Zacharia recently defended her background on Fox News Hannity, saying she had little time to prepare for her first White House press briefing. Her next role is expected to be announced later as the Trump administration faces fresh White House shake-up questions.
US Lawmakers Urge FBI To Probe Illinois Temple Plot As Federal Hate Crime
They also asked the FBI and the Justice Department to share timely threat information with state and local law enforcement and with Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and other South Asian houses of worship, and offer them protective resources.
Alleged mass shooting plot at Aurora Hindu temple sparks condemnation of anti-Indian hate
By Ritu Jha- An alleged plot by a 19-year-old man to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian people at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, has shocked the community and drawn condemnation from elected officials and civil rights organizations. Alexandros Paporakis is accused of planning an attack on the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji Temple), []
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia fired after five days on the job
US President Donald Trump has fired White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after just five days in the role. Her brief tenure faced scrutiny following criticism of her first press briefing and questions about her legal credentials.
Katie Zacharia Was Linked to an AI Rare-Earths Startup. It
The short-lived White House press secretary was listed as an adviser to a Kristi Noem-linked company that aims to use AI for mining. Both the company and she say she never worked there.
Zacharia was on shaky ground from her first White House press conference, and over questions about her claims of being a lawyer despite not passing a ... Katie Zacharia out as Trump's White House press secretary
Lko Police launches Sutrasarthi WhatsApp bot to gather crime intelligence
US India Caucus seeks hate-crime probe into Illinois temple shooting plot
US India Caucus seeks hate-crime probe into Illinois temple shooting plot
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia 'Let Go' from role
Katie Zacharia has been dismissed from her role as White House Press Secretary after public scrutiny. President Donald Trump suggested to her that she reconsider her position due to the ongoing challenges. During a conversation with reporters, Trump emphasised that being in this role might not lead to happiness. He expressed concern about the difficulties associated with the job.
Spas in Kochi come under scanner after a series of alleged crimes
Two men reportedly running several spas arrested in alleged gang rape case; at least two others reportedly absconding; officials flag concerns over recruitment practices at wellness centres and alleged abuse of women employees; police to examine whether spas are being run with the required permissions and licences
Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, a longtime Trump adviser who left as press secretary in August. It's unclear who will fill the role now, or when that person would be appointed.
Toddlers death in Goregaon building: Juvenile Justice Board sends 10-year-old girl for counselling
Cybercrime lawyer turns conman, leads digital heist of 9.88cr, six arrested
Katie Zacharia reportedly out as White House press secretary after first week on the job
President Trump signaled on Friday that he might replace embattled new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after less than one week on the job. Around the same time, multiple outlets reported that Zacharia had already been let go. Citing three people familiar with the matter, the New York Times reported on Friday afternoon that Trump had fired Zacharia. A senior White House official told Fox News that Zacharia is transitioning out of her role, and CBS News and the Washington Post published similar reports. If confirmed, that would make Zacharia the shortest-tenured White House press secretary in U.S. history. We're talking about doing something, Trump told reporters outside the White House, adding that he told Zacharia to reconsider whether she need[s] this. I told her, 'I think you're better off being happy and I don't think you could ever be happy in this job,' Trump said. Asked if he was planning to fire Zacharia, the president said no. But, he added, I want her to have a good life. I don't want [her] to have a life like she's led in the last three days. She is being brutalized by the media. Trump: I told Katie that in my opinion she was treated very very unfairly by the news. Let's call it the fake news. I said, 'Katie, do you need this? I don't think you need this.' We're talking about doing something. I want her to have a good life. She's being brutalized by the pic.twitter.com/Ivkk5imCjS Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026 Trump said he would discuss the matter further with Zacharia when he returns from a Friday campaign rally in Georgia. The president announced on Friday, Oct. 9, that he had chosen Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in August. Zacharia started at the White House on Monday gave her first press briefing on Tuesday. But she has spent the days since then facing questions about her own legal credentials rather than Trump's agenda. In his post on Truth Social announcing her appointment, Trump described Zacharia as an attorney as well as a devoted fan and member of MAGA! Zacharia holds both a law degree and a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University, and her LinkedIn page says she served as general counsel at Fix California, a nonprofit founded by former acting Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell to promote conservative policies in the Golden State. In media appearances, she has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer. But the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that while Zacharia sat for the California bar exam after graduating from law school, she didn't pass. A senior administration official confirmed to NBC News that Zacharia did not pass the California bar exam. Reuters also investigated her credentials and could not find records showing Zacharia was registered as an attorney or member of the bar in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia. Asked by reporters Tuesday on the South Lawn where she passed the bar, Zacharia twice replied, When I moved to China. In a phone interview with the New York Times on Wednesday , Zacharia said she misheard the question. I assumed the question was, 'Where were you after law school?' she told the paper. That's all I could hear over the sound of Marine One. And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question. Zacharia pointed out that it was only her second day on the job. White House press secretary Katie Zacharia looks on as President Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn on Oct. 13. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson In a statement to the Washington Post , the White House said that Katie moved to China with her husband after graduating because of his job at an American private equity firm while she worked on international transaction law. According to USA Today , Zacharia worked for a Chinese law firm's international-practice team on multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements involving investments through the World Bank. She did not attempt to take the bar exam a second time. On Thursday, Zacharia confimed that she did not pass the bar, telling the conservative outlet Real America's Voice that she was incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited at the time by her impending marriage and move to China. We just said 'I'll take the bar and see what happens,' Zacharia recalled. The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn't need the bar in China. On Wednesday, a nonprofit watchdog group called Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the California bar asking it to investigate whether Zacharia had violated state law by repeatedly holding herself out as a lawyer. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung responded on social media by dismissing the Campaign for Accountability as a radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Legal experts told the Times that it's debatable whether a law school graduate can describe herself as a lawyer before she passes the bar. But she cannot call herself an attorney someone who is licensed to practice law and give legal advice nor can she serve as a general counsel or as an associate at a Chinese law firm, they added. Zacharia told Real America's Voice that she was very careful about how I executed this and I never came across as somebody who was an attorney-at-law. I consulted for a very long time many people in the field 'Is it OK and acceptable if I label myself 'lawyer' and provide legal analysis, not legal advice, she explained. They said, 'Absolutely,' across the board. 'You can call yourself a lawyer.' On Thursday night, Fox News host Sean Hannity pressed Zacharia on her halting explanation . Why not just say, 'I went to Pepperdine Law School and then took a different career path, and I took the bar once and didn't pass it'? Hannity asked. Why get into this long drawn-out thing about the difference between a lawyer and an attorney? When I moved back to the United States, I didn't retake the bar, Zacharia said. I had four kids in six years. It was never my intent to go into the practice of law. What happened in Zacharia's first briefing? White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the Briefing Room on Oct. 13. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Zacharia's first briefing lasted 15 minutes, most of which was taken up by her opening statement. I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House press secretary, Zacharia told reporters in the Briefing Room. I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work with him for a very long time. She took questions from three news outlets Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail before ending the briefing. Asked what she planned to do as press secretary, Zacharia said, I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was getting to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump's incredible agenda for the American people. In his post on Truth Social announcing her appointment, Trump said Zacharia has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. Zacharia called the appointment the honor of a lifetime in a post on X . Who is Katie Zacharia? President Donald Trump and Katie Zacharia. Katie Zacharia/X The 42-year-old California native and mother of four left her role as senior communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs Truth Social, to join the White House. Before that, she served for about two months as a deputy assistant secretary and spokesperson for former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to her LinkedIn profile . She was best known for her frequent appearances defending the administration's policies on Fox News, CNN, Newsmax, One America News and other outlets. She told CNN in April around the time she left DHS that she's a huge fan of ICE and a big fan of the Border Patrol. Zacharia first came to Washington in 2006 to intern for the Republican National Committee while George W. Bush was president. She lives in California with her husband and their four young children. During Tuesday's briefing, she was asked about juggling the competing roles of being a mother and White House press secretary. The idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable, Zacharia said, before confusing her spouse with her boss. So my president excuse me, my husband is out here. Zacharia then praised Trump as the most family-friendly president we've ever had and said her family will be moving from California to Washington, D.C., soon. CNN reported on Friday that Zacharia's selection came about quickly and that she was not being considered for the role as of last week. CNN also reported that on multiple occasions, senior officials had narrowed down the list of possible press secretaries only to find that candidates had said something negative about the president, disqualifying them from the position. In a New York Post column in February , Zacharia recounted a clash with liberal patrons of her local cardio kickboxing gym that ended with the gym owner asking her not to wear her red Team Trump 2024 hat to exercise class. I responded that I would never take my Trump hat off to appease the left, Zacharia wrote. I refuse to stay silent. This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/katie-zacharia-out-as-white-house-press-secretary-after-5-days-on-the-job-reports-182158704.html
CM Fadnavis Meets Slain Sena Leader's Son, Promises Justice
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Ram Purnekar, son of murdered Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar, in Thane and assured him that justice would be served. Pradeep Purnekar was killed on September 29, and five arrests have been made in connection with the case.
'Time's up': Justice Dept. sues California over suspected 20K illegal voters | Mail-in Ballot Fraud
'Time's up': Justice Dept. sues California over suspected 20K illegal voters | Mail-in Ballot Fraud
Katie Zacharia is out after 5 days as White House Press Secretary
The ouster came as Zacharia was shadowed by questions about how she had presented her legal career and handled her first press briefing
Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia 'let go' after just days in the role
Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia 'let go' after just days in the role
Katie Zacharia fired after five days as White House press secretary
Dhruv Rathee on Neha and Abhijeet detentions : Is Waving the Tricolour a Crime?
Ankita Bhandari Case: Cong Seva Dal Holds Candle March, Demands Justice
Carrying candles and raising slogans demanding justice, participants emphasised that the concerns of Ankita Bhandari's family must be addressed and that every relevant allegation must be examined fairly.
Police identified 20 mule bank accounts and links to 54 cybercrime cases across India; Chinese national allegedly earned 4% commission for routing stolen funds
Police arrests youth for transferring abroad cybercrime funds via cryptocurrency
Police arrests youth for transferring abroad cybercrime funds via cryptocurrency
Hazel Johnson transformed a personal tragedy into a lifelong battle against environmental pollution after losing her husband to lung cancer and witnessing health problems among her seven children. In 1979, she established the People for Community Recovery to demand cleaner air and water in Chicago. She was later recognised a sthe Mother of Environmental Justice Movement.
Tesla Shows Off Flying-Car Stunt With Redesigned Roadster In Texas
Tesla has demonstrated a version of its long-delayed Roadster electric sports car performing an upside-down drive and brief airborne maneuvers, using technology developed with SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket company.
1.2 Billion Young People, Only 400 Million Jobs: World Bank Chief Banga Warns Of Crisis
The global economy could fall short of providing jobs for nearly 800 million people over the next 10 to 15 years, as a growing young population enters the workforce faster than employment opportunities can be created, World Bank President Ajay Banga has warned.
The Elephant Ownership Exception: A History of Protection and Possession
In 1963, private forest owners in Malabar challenged provisions of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 (Act IV of 1962). The question before the Court was whether the State could deprive forest owners of their existing right to capture and own elephants found on their land. In Kuppathode Madhavan Nair v State of Kerala (1963), the Kerala High Court sided with the owners. Applying common-law principles inherited from the colonial period, it held that ownership of land conferred a qualified right over wild animals found there ( ratione soli ), including the right to capture them and claim them as private property. Within a decade, the Indian Parliament would enact a national conservation law and the Constitution would soon expressly recognise duties towards forests, wildlife ( Article 48A ) and living creatures ( Article 51A(g) ). Even though the elephants legal status would change profoundly as both a Schedule I animal in law and a National Heritage Animal, a symbol of the country itself, the owners place in her life would prove much harder to dislodge. Elephants, forests and capture The Malabar litigation belonged to a much longer history in which protecting elephants and putting them to work were closely connected. In Elephants and Kings: An Environmental History (2015), Thomas R. Trautmann, a historian and anthropologist, explains how the military value of elephants gave Indian rulers an interest in preserving wild populations and the forests that sustained them, even as they continued to capture individual animals. Academic Natasha Nongbris 2003 study of nineteenth-century Northeast India shows how colonial authorities regulated capture of elephants through licences, leased grounds and royalties. The forest was not simply a place where elephants lived. It was also the source of successive generations taken into captivity. Preserving wild elephant populations and capturing individual animals became part of the same policy which gave birth to the Elephant Preservation Act, 1879, a national law modelled on the regional Madras Wild Elephant Preservation Act, 1873. It was arguably the first national law on Elephants in British India enacted with the ostensive realisation that a live elephant was more valuable than dead. The policy as preservation, not conservation, was instrumentalised to preserve the source the elephant in the forest, to allow for its simultaneous extraction from it to feed the rising demand for captive elephants. Among the important establishments in this system were Dacca, now Dhaka, and Mysore , both associated with khedda operations in which wild elephants were driven into stockades and subdued with the help of trained elephants. The Dacca establishment drew upon the Garo Hills and other northeastern forests, while the Mysore operations captured elephants from the forests of southern India. These regional systems of capture existed alongside wider networks of trade. The Sonpur fair in Bihar , already an important elephant market in the nineteenth century, connected elephants captured in the Northeast with buyers from elsewhere in India. Against this background of an extensive elephant trade, the forest-owning timber merchants in Kuppathode Madhavan Nair asserted their right to capture elephants and put them to work within a legal order that still accepted their removal into human service. The shift in constitutional law The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 introduced a national framework for conservation, prohibiting the hunting of the most protected species. Yet the elephants initial classification revealed how much of the older world remained. She appeared in Schedule II, Part I as special game, whose hunting which included capture could be licensed, while Section 2(6) included domestic elephants, curiously for a wildlife law, in its definition of cattle. The changes of the next five years gave the law a different direction. The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 , passed during the Emergency, is remembered for weakening fundamental rights and curbing the powers of the courts. Yet it left a curious and enduring legacy in the protection of the environment and animals. Even during the darkest period of Indira Gandhis leadership, her concern for the natural world found expression in the Constitution. The amendment inserted Article 48A, directing the State to protect the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife, and Article 51A(g), making it the duty of every citizen to protect the natural environment and to have compassion for living creatures. These duties gave constitutional weight to the responsibilities we owe to the non-human world. In October 1977, months after these provisions took effect, the elephant was elevated to Schedule I , bringing her capture within the highest level of statutory protection. In 1986, amid growing concern over the killing of elephants for their tusks, Parliament prohibited domestic trade in Indian elephant ivory. In 1991, following stronger international restrictions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, it extended the prohibition to imported ivory, which traders had been using as a cover for selling ivory from poached Indian elephants . That year, Parliament also removed the Acts definition of cattle, which had included domestic elephants. It introduced livestock in its place, expressly excluding protected wild animals. Yet these changes did not bring private ownership of elephants to an end. Under Sections 4042, people in lawful possession of elephants could declare them to the authorities and obtain certificates recognising their ownership after an inquiry. Even as the law strengthened protection for elephants and restricted the trade in their ivory, it continued to recognise that a living elephant could remain someones property. The 2002 amendment: live elephant ownership exception and the prohibition on sale A 2002 amendment to the Act (which became effective from 2003) tightened restrictions on private ownership of protected captive animals. However, it expressly exempted live elephants. Although the newly introduced Section 43 prohibited transfers for any commercial consideration, a person could still acquire an elephant and pass her to another owner with the necessary permissions. This left an opening for sales disguised as gifts. In the years that followed, animal protection organisations documented how this distinction enabled trade to continue. At the Sonpur Mela in Bihar, where elephants had long been bought and sold, transactions were now presented as gifts. Researchers even recorded owners carrying blank gift deeds to transfer possession. These practices formed part of the challenge brought to the Supreme Court in 2014 by the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) and others in W.P.(C) No. 743 of 2014. Still pending twelve years later, the WRRC case has become a central proceeding through which the Court supervises the treatment and regulation of captive elephants. Although the Court imposed no blanket prohibition, the continuing proceedings, notices to forest departments in every State with captive elephants, and numerous interim orders largely halted the trade. These included a nationwide census and checks on ownership certificates , welfare inspections at tourist resorts in Goa , and an order blocking Keralas attempt to regularise 289 elephants held without ownership certificates and restraining their transfer. The Courts scrutiny of ownership papers and transfers had made the trade harder to carry on. A 2021 case in Guwahati High Court confirmed the concerns raised by WRRC before the Supreme Court in 2014. In April 2021, forest officials at Doomdooma in Assams Tinsukia district intercepted two elephants travelling from Arunachal Pradesh to Odisha, ostensibly for religious purposes. Their investigation went beyond the ownership certificates and transport permissions. In a recorded statement, the claimed owner described bank payments of 9 lakh and 17 lakh from an intermediary who had also arranged the documents. He could not identify the receiving religious institution. In State of Assam v. Sri Chow Sonjit Pomong (2021), the Gauhati High Court found prima facie evidence of a commercial sale and set aside the order releasing the elephants to the claimed owner while the investigation continued. The elephants were reported to be in the Forest Departments custody at Kaziranga National Park. The 2022 amendment: religious and other purposes In December 2021, the Central Government introduced the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 , which went considerably further than the amendment eventually enacted. It proposed exempting transfers of live elephants by ownership certificate holders from Section 43 altogether, subject to government permission and prescribed conditions. This would have removed the prohibition on commercial transfers for those elephants, allowing them to be openly bought and sold again. The pressure for change came particularly from Kerala, where temple authorities and private elephant owners associations were seeking easier acquisition and interstate transfer of elephants. In my view, the elephant provision in the 2022 amendment must be understood as an attempt to loosen the practical restraints that the Supreme Courts scrutiny in the WRRC case had helped impose. Following objections from conservation and animal protection organisations, the Parliamentary Standing Committee chaired by Jairam Ramesh recommended deleting this proposal. In April 2022, it suggested a narrower provision allowing transfers of existing captive elephants for religious institutions, with additional safeguards. The version Parliament ultimately enacted extended this to transfers for a religious or any other purpose , subject to conditions prescribed by the Central Government. The prohibition on commercial consideration remained. Non-commercial transfers were already possible under the elephant exception introduced in 2002. An amendment was therefore unnecessary merely to allow an elephant to pass from one private owner to another as a gift. In this respect, the new provision largely reaffirmed the existing position, while creating a specific framework for central rules governing transfers . Its practical significance lay in giving renewed statutory backing to transfers at a time when litigation and enforcement had made them increasingly difficult. The words any other purpose were particularly troubling because they offered no meaningful limit of their own. For those of us who had worked to curb the use of elephants for begging, entertainment, circuses and timber logging, the concern was that this broad wording could encourage attempts to revive practices we had spent years challenging. The safeguards governing these transfers consequently became crucial. On March 14, 2024, fifteen months after the amendment, the government notified the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules (2024 Rules). These attempted to place meaningful safeguards around a difficult accommodation. By limiting transfers to elephants whose ownership certificates predated the Rules and to their offspring, and by requiring registration of genetic profiles, they offered a means of confining transfers to an identifiable population already lawfully in captivity. Read together, these provisions seek to break the logic of the khedda , in which the forest continually supplied elephants for human use. Putting this into practice is a demanding exercise. The State must build a reliable genetic record of the captive population, then verify each claimed captive birth through a DNA match with the mother and records establishing that she was lawfully held. Each new addition must be traceable to this legally recognised population, closing off the forest as a continuing source of captive elephants. Yet the government was still struggling to identify the population it sought to regulate. In August 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change placed the proceedings of the Captive Elephant Healthcare and Welfare Committee (formed under Project Elephant) for the month of February before the Supreme Court in the WRRC case . These recorded that the profiling exercise remained incomplete and that, among 2,075 samples analysed, 40.5 per cent of elephants had unknown origins and 25.4 per cent were documented as wild-caught. Nearly two-thirds therefore fell into these two categories. The continuing exception These concerns have become urgent with the September 2026 movement of five young elephants from Assam to Tamil Nadu temples: Durga, Rupsing, Shiva, Hiralal and Bijuli. More than fifty organisations have sought an independent investigation into their origins, ownership documents and the possibility of sales disguised as gifts. The pace of the transfers shows how readily decisions that will shape decades of an elephants life can be made while fundamental questions remain publicly unanswered. In my account of Durgas transfer , the sequence from the request for a health certificate to her departure from Manas took three days. Her ownership certificate was issued in October 2025, after the 2024 Rules came into effect, so her transfer depended on a claimed captive birth to a mother covered by them, yet her mothers identity and lawful captive status remained publicly unverified. A five-year-old elephant is not a remnant of pre-conservation law; she is another generation entering a system that can determine almost her entire future. These journeys follow years of large transfers from the Northeast to Vantara in Jamnagar, where reporting in 2024 documented convoys coming in from Arunachal Pradesh and the private wildlife facility hosting more than 200 elephants. Vantara describes its work as rescue and rehabilitation, and in September 2025 the Supreme Court accepted an investigation reporting no legal violations. Its transfers and those to temples have different stated purposes, but their scale raises a very important question: how should a constitutional commitment to wildlife, and to compassion for living creatures, govern the continuing movement and concentration of elephants in human institutions? Elephants leaving the Northeast in convoys is not very dissimilar from the old geography of the khedda , when the forests of the Garo Hills supplied elephants to distant establishments and markets. Trautmann and Nongbri show that the forest sustained a system in which wild populations were protected in part because they supplied animals for capture. The question is whether the modern ownership regime has truly broken that relationship. In his Study on Illegal Sale and Transfer of Live Elephants from Assam , Chaturbhuja Behera, then a regional official of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, described illegal sales and transfers, accounts of wild calves being captured, and weaknesses in records used to establish captive birth. Findings such as this make it difficult to treat an ownership certificate, by itself, as an answer to where a young elephant came from. The 2024 Rules thus return us to the contradiction the law has carried since 1972. Once again, the government is trying to make its core commitment to protection coexist with private ownership, a relationship that subordinates an elephants life to the purposes of her owner. The safeguards are necessary, but they cannot resolve that contradiction while the exception is effectively allowing institutions to replenish their captive populations for generations to come. The demand for young elephants must be supplied from somewhere. The historical answer is in front of us: it is the forest. The forest is the breeding ground from which elephants have long been taken to replenish captivity. The exception leaves open the route by which demand for elephants in captivity can be met through illegal capture in the wild, disguised as captive-born. More than sixty years after the Malabar owners defended their right to capture elephants for timber in Kerala High Court, the law is yet to confront the continuity between that older system and the present one.
Hyderabad: Cyber Crime Police arrest 4 for online trading fraud
Hyderabad: The Cyber Crime Police of Hyderabad have apprehended four persons allegedly involved in an online trading fraud. They allegedly opened mule bank accounts and made commissions for giving them to cyber fraudsters to route crime proceeds. The unit received a complaint on April 4 this year from a woman who said she was contacted Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
The Agitation In India Demanding Resignation Of Gyanesh Kumar
A tidal wave or a tsunami seems to be sweeping all over India with a single demand: the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, who is regarded as a stooge of the ruling BJP, must resign or be sacked for allegedly having deleted the names of 13 million voters (who, it is believed, would have voted against the BJP) from the electoral rolls unilaterally through a special intensive revision (SIR), thus totally undermining democracy in India.
8th Grader Raji Doshi Wins 3M Young Scientist Challenge For Ocean Acidification Solution
An eighth-grade Indian-origin student from Connecticut has developed a science-based solution to fight ocean acidification, earning her the top prize in the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge and a cash award of $25,000.
Norwegian teenage hitman hired for UK murder by Iran-backed crime gang jailed for 20 years
Malaysias welcome for Min Aung Hlaing undermines its stand on justice
As the US attacks the ICC, Kuala Lumpur welcomes a leader the courts prosecutor wants arrested. Malaysias welcome for Min Aung Hlaing undermines its stand on justice
Madras High Court allows RSS route marches at 128 locations in Tamil Nadu on October 25, November 1
The Madras High Court has permitted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct route marches across 128 locations in Tamil Nadu on October 25 and November 1, while taking exception to the State Polices repeated refusal to grant permission on grounds that had previously been rejected by the courts. Justice V Lakshminarayanan criticised the police [] The post Madras High Court allows RSS route marches at 128 locations in Tamil Nadu on October 25, November 1 appeared first on India Legal .
Twisha Sharma death case: Supreme Court stays Bhopal Trial, seeks responses on father
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed further proceedings before the Bhopal trial court in the death case of former actor and model Twisha Sharma and issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the two accused on a plea by her father, Navnidhi Sharma, seeking transfer of the trial to Delhi. A Bench [] The post Twisha Sharma death case: Supreme Court stays Bhopal Trial, seeks responses on fathers plea to transfer case to Delhi appeared first on India Legal .
Supreme Court grants Mahua Moitra relief in circuit house accommodation row
The Supreme Court on Friday granted relief to Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in a dispute over access to the Krishnanagar Circuit House in West Bengal, relaxing the advance-notice requirement for her visits and calling for a uniform protocol governing the allotment of government guest houses and circuit houses to elected representatives. A Bench comprising [] The post Supreme Court grants Mahua Moitra relief in circuit house accommodation row appeared first on India Legal .
The Supreme Court on Thursday warned that it may initiate contempt proceedings against Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories that fail to provide information on the implementation of its directions recognising menstrual health as a fundamental right. A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan granted the States and Union Territories a [] The post Supreme Court warns Chief Secretaries of contempt action over States failure to implement menstrual hygiene direction appeared first on India Legal .
The Supreme Court on Friday issued show-cause notices to Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and journalist Nikhil Wagle in a criminal contempt case arising from their remarks targeting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and the judiciary. The Bench sought their responses on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against [] The post Supreme Court issues contempt notices to Sanjay Raut, Nikhil Wagle over remarks against CJI Surya Kant appeared first on India Legal .
Supreme Court adjourns Athar Khan
The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned by four weeks the hearing on Athar Khans bail plea in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. The adjournment came after the Delhi Police informed the Court that it had filed its response to Khans appeal. A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice [] The post Supreme Court adjourns Athar Khans bail plea in 2020 Delhi Riots UAPA case by four weeks appeared first on India Legal .
Very Unfortunate: Sanjay Raut, Journalist Issued Notices Over Chief Justice Comment
Sanjay Raut had allegedly made 'deliberately misleading and disparaging' remarks against the Chief Justice after he refused to meet the Opposition delegation.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an interlocutory application concerning allegations by a pregnant journalist that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pushed her inside the Courts registry premises during the Oppositions march to the Supreme Court on October 12. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed on [] The post Journalist moves Supreme Court alleging Rahul Gandhi pushed her during October 12 March; hearing On October 26 appeared first on India Legal .
Woman can be charged with gang rape for facilitating the crime: Delhi High Court
The court upholds the trial court order to frame charges against the mother, alleged to have forced her minor daughter into sexual acts with the co-accused
Sanjay Raut apologises to Supreme Court, stresses it as final hope for electoral justice
The News Mill
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, asserting that India's democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest and categorising the party's current offensive against constitutional bodies as its fourth unforgivable crime. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh chronicled what he described as the dark chapters of the Congress party, listing four major historical transgressions committed under Congress governance. I believe that under the protection and governance of the Congress, three of the biggest unforgivable crimes have been committed: Their first unforgivable crime was the Emergency imposed by Indira-ji in 1975. Their second unforgivable crime was the 1984 massacre of Sikh brothers and sisters under the patronage of the Congress. And their third unforgivable crime was in 1990, when they supported and saved the government of those who shed rivers of blood of the Ram devotee kar sevaks,...
Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of four historic crimes including attacks on constitutional bodies
The News Mill
Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Courts direction to register a First Information Report (FIR) in the alleged CMRL-Exalogic payoff case, after the High Court declined to permit him and two family members to appeal against the order. The challenge follows the Kerala High Court Division [] The post Ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan moves Supreme Court against High Court order directing FIR in CMRL-Exalogic case appeared first on India Legal .
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria Exits As Company Cuts 1,000 Jobs
Netflix has replaced chief content officer Bela Bajaria with former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice in a major leadership shake-up that comes alongside the streaming giant's largest round of layoffs to date reports said.
AIM for Sevas annual donor appreciation event, Ramam Bhaje, brought together more than 600 people Oct. 3 at the Heritage Theatre in Campbell, California, for an evening of devotional music, cultural storytelling and fundraising to support education for underserved children in India.
American singer Mary Millben has accused billionaire George Soros of funding protests in India, escalating her public clash with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke.
Navi Mumbai Crime Branch arrests two in alleged iridium investment scam
The accused promised returns of Rs 9 crore to Rs 28 crore on a Rs 5 lakh investment by November, and both were detained the moment Sengupta accepted Rs 1 lakh in cash as an advance.
Lula defends cutting Brazil's criminal responsibility age to 16 for heinous crimes
Brazilian President
Best of Opinion: An opportunity to rethink the infrastructure of justice
Today's editorials and columns examine the IDBI Bank privatisation deal, India's steel ambitions, tribunal reforms, AI-driven infrastructure improvements and a book on the changing geopolitical order
Starlink being blocked by certain oligarchs in India, a crime against people: Elon Musk
Company says it has built the ground infrastructure but crucial last mile to connect users remains uncovered
The revised training also puts greater attention on ethical conduct, communication skills and officers behaviour towards citizens.
From Study Visas to Crime: Punjabi Young People in Canada
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: From Study Visas to Crime: Punjabi Young People in Canada There are concerns over Punjabi young people in Canada as police named 17 suspects linked to extortion and shootings. The post From Study Visas to Crime: Punjabi Young People in Canada appeared first on DESIblitz .
Justice will be done, says Akoijam as he leaves for Delhi to join police probe
The window to legislate on tribunals is a golden opportunity to rethink their administration and that of the judiciary as a whole
Big items are done: Envoy Gor hints major boost in India-US trade negotiations
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed that negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement are advancing rapidly. Both sides have resolved major issues and are close to finalizing the agreement. Gor emphasized that the pace of negotiations is unusually swift compared to previous trade deals. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also indicated that progress ensures a positive outcome is imminent.
Her misconceptions: India rejects US lawmaker's remarks on SIR
TechSparks 2026 grand finale: Intel, Jhunjhunwala, Food Pharmer on Indias rise
TechSparks 2026 finale: Intel, Sri Chaitanya, Prof. Jhunjhunwala and Food Pharmer on education, edge AI and a builder-first India.
Saudi Arabia Flight Cancellations: India Embassy Issues Travel Alert Until October 24
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has warned travellers that flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah remain cancelled until October 24, 2026.
From Farmers To Small Businesses: Google Expands Its AI Push In India
Google is using AI to help develop climate-resilient jowar, send crop advice to farmers by SMS, train teachers and support small businesses. Heres how its new India initiatives could touch everyday lives.
Major Restructuring in Indian Nationalist Party: Navjot Kaur Sidhu Relieved of Responsibilities
The Indian Nationalist Party has relieved Navjot Kaur Sidhu of her duties for health reasons, appointing Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal as the new Punjab in-charge. Major Restructuring in Indian Nationalist Party: Navjot Kaur Sidhu Relieved of Responsibilities
Pernod Ricard India sales grow 19% in Sept qtr; IPO plan awaits board approval
Pernod Ricard has demonstrated remarkable sales growth of 19 percent in India for the September quarter, driven by strong market demand and ongoing premiumisation trends. The company's preparatory measures for a potential IPO have positively influenced sales. Despite declines in the US and China, India remains a focal market. The final decision on the IPO awaits board approval.
India's current account deficit narrowed to $5.2 billion in August, compared to $6.1 billion a year earlier. The capital account surplus increased substantially to $50.6 billion, influenced by non-resident deposits of $83 billion. The balance of payments showed a surplus of $45.4 billion, contrasting with a deficit of $5.6 billion in the previous year. External commercial borrowing saw a net outflow of $22.4 billion during this time.
India-China trade jumps 29% to $91.76 billion, overtakes US in first half of FY27
Keralam considering sites in Thrissur, Kasaragod for proposed All-India Institute of Ayurveda
Over 200 acres each have been identified in Vettilappara Grama Panchayat in Thrissur and Cheemeni Grama Panchayat in Kasaragod
States And Union Territories In India Where Indian Citizens Need A Special Permit To Visit
There are multiple states and union territories in India that require a special entry permit for tourists to visit due to their location, sensitive indigenous communities, environmental concerns and proximity to international borders. Here are the key destinations where Indian travellers need to ensure they do additional paperwork for a hassle-free holiday.
Too Early To Pick India's Fast Bowling Attack For 2027 ODI World Cup, Says WV Raman
ODI World Cup: Former India batter WV Raman believes it is too early to settle on India's fast bowling attack for the 2027 Mens ODI World Cup, saying that injuries have several frontline bowlers out of action regularly and that a year is a long time when it comes to finalising a bowling combination. Raman's assessment comes soon after India opened their ODI World Cup build-up with a 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies, but raised questions about the bowling make-up. While captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had a great time with the bat, the bowling, however, told a different story. The pitches at all three venues offered little assistance, and both attacks struggled, but India's bowlers rarely looked like they were breaking through, with Kuldeep Yadav's effort in the series opener in Thiruvananthapuram being the lone exception. With Jasprit Bumrah away on Asian Games duty and the likes of Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana injured, other pacers had a chance to step up, but failed to grab it, thus exposing the team's dependence on its fast bowling spearhead. Debutants Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj were costly, while Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy didnt make much impact. With India set to announce its ODI squad in the coming time, with the five-game series in New Zealand to take place from November 4 to 15 after the T20I series is over on November 1, it remains to be seen who will be the pacers tried out in the run-up to the mega event. Well, it's too early if you are talking about the bowlers because one year is a long time as far as a settled combination is concerned. For a simple reason, we have seen a lot of bowlers not playing regularly due to injuries. The other thing is that this A (red-ball) series is all about providing the players an opportunity to get acclimatised, if at all there is a possibility of any one of them being called up because it's difficult to go straight out of India and get into a Test series or ODI series in New Zealand. But at the moment, if you look at it, you are looking at possibly these being the options for Bumrah quite obviously. If you are talking about ODI, then you will have Prasidh Krishna, and then you have Arshdeep also as one of the options because primarily he is a left-arm seamer. Then you have got a lot of other options who have enough time to stake a claim too, like Harshit Rana, of course, if he is fit, and then Hardik Pandya if he is fit. So, there are a lot of question marks as far as fitness is concerned. So, that's one of the reasons why I think it's going to be a bit tricky to really fix your mind on who the likely bowlers are going to be one year hence, Raman told IANS in a select virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Thursday. Turning to the immediate challenges batters will face, especially with India set to play two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch, Raman felt the Indian batters would need to play late and close to the body to handle the windy, nippy conditions in New Zealand. That's a good question because what happens is when there's a bit of nip in the air, and when it's a bit windy, what happens is the ball does not come quickly in the air and holds its line. So what happens is technically what they need to do is they've got to try and play a bit late because the ball is going to wobble a little bit and also because of the resistance in the air when it's nippy, it's going to come a little bit slower in the air than it is the case in India. So they got to try and play it a bit late and play it a bit closer too, and that's why you would not see the batters just hitting through the line as easily as they can do in the subcontinental conditions because the ball is going to do a little bit and that little bit of slight adjustment has to be made. With little time to acclimatise before the T20I series starts on October 22, Raman added the bowlers would have to read the bounce and find the right length quickly. Bowlers need to try and find the right length based on the kind of bounce that a pitch has on offer because generally, we tend to think it is length which matters. But the length is dependent on the bounce of the surfaces matches being played on. So, that is something that they got to try and discern very quickly and hit it. That is true as that is almost 70 percent of what bowling is all about: knowing which length to bowl under what conditions. Asked whether New Zealand would adopt England's back-of-a-length approach that troubled India's top order in the T20I series defeat in July, Raman said the hosts were more likely to pitch it up if the surfaces offered movement. As far as the England bowlers bowling back of a length and troubling the Indian batters, now in New Zealand, it could be a different scenario altogether. If, as we expect, the pitches have a little bit of juice and there is a bit of lateral movement, I think the back of the length will be slightly fuller, encouraging the batters to play their shots on the up because our batters are used to playing on surfaces where there is hardly any movement of the surface. You do not see much movement in India, and also the atmosphere is such that you do not get to see swing in the air too. So, that could be perhaps a bit of a challenge adapting to the fact that you need to pick the right balls to play your shots. So, the length could be maybe the usual Test match length or a slightly fuller length if the pitches are going to help the seamers. Raman also warned against taking New Zealand lightly, adding that the Black Caps have always thrived on teamwork and adapting quickly to conditions on offer. See, if you look at the way New Zealanders play their cricket, there's no flair, there's no flamboyance. It's just that you tend to think they are like good kids attending a classroom, being obedient and going back home. But they produce the results that they're after, isn't it? So, they are masters at playing well as a unit, and they play with their own brand of attitude, which is to get your hands dirty, and that's what has made them the side that they are. So, let's not get carried away by the lack of seemingly big names or great performers in the squad or in the eleven. They always played as a unit. They always relied on their attitude to take them through tough situations, he concluded. It's just that you tend to think they are like good kids attending a classroom, being obedient and going back home. But they produce the results that they're after, isn't it? So, they are masters at playing well as a unit, and they play with their own brand of attitude, which is to get your hands dirty, and that's what has made them the side that they are. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS
