20 cows die mysteriously in Haryana 'gaushala'

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took objection to the manner in which advocate Koustav Bagchi addressed the court. 

"I have been noticing your demeanour for the last two hours. Don't raise your voice, lower your pitch. You are addressing three judges of the Supreme Court and not the views of the YouTube who are watching the proceedings live," Chief Justice Chandrachud told him sternly. 

The angry reaction by Justice Candrachud came when Bagchi interjected while the bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was asking the West Bengal government to not take any adverse action against the protesting doctors if they resumed their duties tomorrow by 5 p.m. 

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, assured the court that no adverse action, including punitive transfers, would be taken. -- PTI

 The incident has triggered national outrage, with doctors going on strike recently in several states and citizens' groups holding protests daily seeking justice for the victim. "The Kolkata horror and some other incidents across the country has raised concern about safety of women. So I chose this theme for the decoration for Ganpati festival this time," said Shubham Vanmala (28). "It took me 15 days to complete the decoration. It has posters on the theme of crimes against women, cardboard models of the Supreme Court, the RG Kar facility, the West Bengal Assembly and a statue of the Lady of Justice," said Vanmala, a security in-charge in a private airline who has been creating decorations based on current affairs since 2018,

The cause of their deaths in 'Nandigram Gaushala' in Haryana's Uncha village remained unclear and post-mortem of the cows will be conducted, they said. 

The police said a team of doctors are treating the cows that are in critical condition. 

According to police, Rupesh Yadav who handled work at the cow shelter said all the cows were fine till 8.30 pm on Sunday. 

When he returned around 5 am the next day, he saw that four cows were lying dead near the gate. 

More cows were found dead on checking inside, he said. Veterinary doctor Deepak Arya reached the 'gaushala' from Sunped village and examined the cows. 

Arya said that about 20 cows have died and 10 more are critically ill. 

The treatment of the sick cows continued till late Monday evening, he said. -- PTI

Bhujbal's assertion came a day after Ajit Pawar suggested Baramati should get a new MLA so that the constituency's voters realise his importance. 

The Nationalist Congress Party president is the sitting MLA from Baramati, which is part of the Lok Sabha seat of the same name which is represented by his cousin Supriya Sule of the rival NCP faction led by veteran politician Sharad Pawar. 

Speaking at a gathering in Baramati on Sunday, Ajit Pawar remarked that despite undertaking extensive development works in the constituency, voters did not support him during the recent Lok Sabha elections, where his wife Sunetra was pitted against Sule, who won for the fourth consecutive times. Sunetra Pawar lost the elections to Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, by more than 1.50 lakh votes. 

Ajit Pawar said once there is a new representative, the people of the Baramati assembly constituency will realise his importance. -- PTI

A case under relevant provisions of the Arms Act was registered at Moti Nagar police station, a senior official said, adding that the Delhi police decided to conduct an investigation by its anti-terror unit Special Cell. 

"A police team under assistant sub-inspector Surender was on duty at Moti Nagar flyover on Saturday night. They tried to stop a black colour Yahama FZ-16 motorcycle coming from Patel Nagar side. But the rider picked up speed and tried to flee," the officer said. 

"The police team gave a chase to the motorcycle. While being chased, the man abandoned the vehicle near a traffic stop and fled," the officer said, adding on checking the vehicle, police found 10 boxes of live cartridges of 7.62 caliber. 

The officer further said that the vehicle was stolen from Shastri Park on January 15. 

The rider was using a fake registration number plate. 

"As the number of the live cartridges is big, the matter will be investigated by the Special Cell of Delhi police," said the officer. -- PTI

"Chinar Corps Commander visited Vajr Division, Kupwara and Tangdhar sector today to assess the security situation and review operational preparedness," the Chinar Corps said in a post on X. 

During interaction with the troops, Lt Gen Ghai highlighted the importance of situational awareness and strict vigilance to effectively counter emerging challenges, the Army said. 

The first phase of the three-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to be held on September 18. 

Assembly segments in north Kashmir districts are going to polls in the last phase on October 1.

The incident took place at Guramkhedi on Jabalpur-Itarsi rail route at 10am, Pipariya RPF police station in-charge Gopal Meena said. 

"The driver of Somnath Express applied brakes after seeing a tractor on the track. His alertness averted a mishap. An RPF team removed the tractor. Efforts are on to nab the tractor driver," Meena said. -- PTI

Ravi, a prominent face in Tamil cinema, shot to pan-India fame with Mani Ratnam's two-part period saga Ponniyin Selvan. 

He essayed the role of the titular character, Prince Arulmozhi Varman, who would later go on to become the Chola emperor, Rajaraja I. 

Aarti, who is the daughter of noted television producer Sujatha Vijayakumar, and Ravi got married in 2009 and have two sons. 

In a post on X, the 43-year-old actor said the decision was not taken in haste. 

"It is with a heavy heart that I must share a deeply personal update with all of you. After much thought, reflections and discussions, I have taken the difficult decision to proceed with the dissolution of my marriage with Aarti. This decision was not made out of haste and it stems from personal reasons that I believe are in the best interests of everyone involved," the actor said in a post. 

Ravi said he decided to share the news with his fans as he has always strived to be "as transparent and honest" with fans and media as much as possible. 

The actor requested privacy, urging them to not participate in rumours and allegations. -- PTI

The assembly elections will be held in Haryana on October 5. 

In an official statement, district election officer Vikram Singh confirmed that Bajrangi has filed his nomination as an independent from NIT Faridabad seat. 

Bajrangi, who formed Gau Raksha Bajrang Force, has a long association with controversies. 

Bajrangi has been an accused in the case of Nuh violence that had started in July last year after a procession organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was attacked by a mob. -- PTI

A top court bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who held the court till 6 pm as against the usual 4 pm, was requested by a lawyer that the plea be heard on Tuesday or else, the Congress leader will have to appear in a Delhi court in connection with the private defamation complaint the same day. 

"Just circulate the email. I will look into it just now," the CJI said. 

The Delhi high court refused to quash the defamation proceedings against Tharoor on August 29. 

It had said prima facie, imputations like "scorpion on Shivling" against the prime minister are "despicable and deplorable". 

The high court had said prima facie, the remarks defamed the prime minister, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as its office-bearers and members. -- PTI

The company explained that the BCCL official was helping the Minister of State for Coal and Mines to fix the belt which is used to carry the headlamp battery. 

"It (claim on social media video) is entirely false and misleading to claim that the company official adjusted the minister's pyjamas," a Bharat Coking Coal Ltd official said. 

The official said that recently, during Dubey's visit to BCCL, some media platforms portrayed that the minister's shoes were removed by a BCCL official. 

This news, he said, is completely baseless and misleading. 

A clear review of the video shows that when the minister took off his mining boots after coming out from inspecting the underground mine, the BCCL official simply moved them aside and handed them over to staff to be stored. 

According to practice, all items like mining boots, helmets, headlamps, lamp-battery belts, and sticks etc. are counted and kept in the store after the visit to and from the mine. -- PTI

The designer's brand page on Instagram shared the pictures of the two fashion icons on Sunday night. While Lopez attended the Toronto International Film Festival 2024 Golden Globes Party in the jewellery by Sabyasachi, Rihanna was photographed wearing the accessories as she was out and about. "Jennifer Lopez wears earrings, cuff and ring from Sabyasachi High Jewellery for the Toronto International Film Festival 2024 Golden Globes Party @jo @robzangardi @marielhaenn @gettyimages @emmaeliza @bucknerphoto @jlocharts @justjared #JenniferLopez #Sabyasachi #TheWorldOfSabyasachi #SabyasachiJewellery #25YearsOfSabyasachi #TIFF #GoldenGlobesParty," "Rihanna wears a multi-layered Constantinople Necklace from Sabyasachi High Jewellery. @badgalriri @illjahjah @amirdayi @gettyimages @rbrtgrphy @backgrid_usa @breezy_@fentyxawge @rihannaofficiall @fentybeauty rihannanavy_queen_ #Rihanna #Sabyasachi #TheWorldOfSabyasachi #SabyasachiJewellery #25YearsOfSabyasachi," the post read, It's not the first time Rihanna opted for Sabyasachi accessories. She previously wore a necklace from the designer for a fashion event for her brand Fenty Hair in Los Angeles.

According to the Sitabuldi police station official, the Audi car first collided with complainant Jitendra Sonkamble's car at 1 am and then with a moped, leaving two youth riding it injured. 

"The Audi car struck some more vehicles moving towards Mankapur area. At T-Point there, the vehicle hit a Polo car. Its occupants chased the Audi and stopped it near Mankapur bridge. Three occupants, including Sanket Bawankule, fled," he said. 

"The car's driver, Arjun Hawre, and one more occupant, Ronit Chittamwar, were stopped by the occupants of the Polo car. They were taken to Tehsil police station, from where they were handed over for further probe to Sitabuldi police," he said. 

The official said the occupants of the Audi were returning from a beer bar in Dharampeth when the incident took place, though he did not give information on whether anyone of them was drunk. -- PTI

Besides Aakash Vijayvargiya, an MLA of the BJP which was then in opposition, nine other accused in the case were also acquitted of various charges, including assault and criminal intimidation, by the special court set up for trial of criminal matters involving MPs/MLAs, said a defence lawyer. 

The special court was presided over by Judge Dev Kumar. 

"The prosecution could not prove the charges in the case in the court. Due to this, the court acquitted Vijayvargiya and nine others," defence lawyer Udaypratap Singh Kushwah told reporters. 

"Another accused in the case was murdered (during pendency of the trial)," he said. -- PTI

The 30-share BSE Sensex rebounded 375.61 points or 0.46 per cent to settle at 81,559.54. 

The index opened lower and hit a low of 80,895.05 points in early trade due to weak global trends. 

Later, it recovered from lows and jumped 469.43 points or 0.57 percent to hit the day's high of 81,653.36 as European markets opened with gains. 

The NSE Nifty went up by 84.25 points or 0.34 percent to finish at 24,936.40 after three days of fall. 

Among the 30 Sensex firms, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, UltraTech Cement and HDFC Bank were the biggest gainers. -- PTI

There was no official word on what transpired at the meeting, but according to sources, Shah assured the two Bharatiya Janata Party allies that there would be a "respectful" distribution of assembly seats among the Mahayuti partners for the state elections which are likely to be held in November. 

Shinde heads the Shiv Sena, while Ajit Pawar is president of the Nationalist Congress Party and both are allies of the BJP in the ruling Mahayuti coalition. 

Shah, a former BJP president and a key poll strategist of the party, was on a two-day visit to Mumbai, where he attended a function on Sunday evening to release the documentary produced by a media organisation. 

He then met core committee members of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the state government's Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai. 

Before leaving Mumbai, Shah met Shinde, deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, NCP working president Praful Patel, its state president Sunil Tatkare, and other key leaders on Monday. 

Earlier in the day, Shah visited the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal in Mumbai. -- PTI

 Her remarks came a day after PDP candidate from south Kashmir's Shopian assembly segment Yawar Shafi Banday was injured in an alleged attack by the workers of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), which is led by Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, in Balpora area of Shopian.

 "Our candidate was going to his constituency, some workers associated with AIP assaulted them, even our candidate Yawar Banday was beaten and he is fighting for his life, his ribs broken, his condition is serious," Mehbooba claimed while addressing a press conference in Khanabal area of Anantnag district. 

 Rashid defeated former chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency earlier this year. The PDP chief questioned how the AIP was organising resources and candidates when their chief was behind the bars.

Abdullah's remarks came a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said restoring Article 370 was impossible as long as the BJP is there. 

"I want to ask him how many years did it take for them (BJP) to revoke it? We might take many years to restore it, but we will surely restore it. This is the voice of the whole J-K, this is the voice of the people," Abdullah told reporters in Baramulla district. 

Referring to the recent terror attacks in Jammu region, the NC president said the BJP had claimed Article 370 was the root cause of terrorism in J&K, but attacks were taking place even after its abrogation. 

"They were saying terrorism is there because of Article 370...I want to ask them, where is this terrorism coming from then? Let them answer," he added. -- PTI

A press release from the city-based firm said the strategic investment marks a significant milestone in Fitday's mission to revolutionise the nutrition and healthy snacking industry. 

With a presence in over 10,000 stores, Fitday has established a strong foundation in the retail market. 

Babu's investment will help amplify the startup's retail footprint and support its expansion into new markets, it said. 

Expressing his enthusiasm about the partnership, Babu said, "I'm thrilled to support Fitday's pioneering work in the nutrition, snack, and nutraceutical markets. Their commitment to innovation and quality deeply resonates with my values. I believe their new product line will set industry standards. This investment reflects my strong belief in their vision and their ability to impact health and wellness across India." 

Babu's involvement brings increased credibility and visibility to Fitday, attracting a wider audience and driving potential growth in a competitive market, it further said. 

Fitday's founder and CEO, Suresh Raju, said, "We're grateful to have earned the trust of superstar Mahesh Babu. While we've received numerous investment proposals, we've been strategic in choosing the right opportunities, always prioritising partnerships that align with our vision." -- PTI

The body of the male student, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was found in his room in the Brahmaputra Hostel, they said. Investigation is underway, a police officer said, adding, the body has been sent for postmortem examination. 

This is the fourth death of a student in IITG this year. 

On August 9, a female student was allegedly found hanging in her room. 

"IITG is deeply saddened to report the loss of a student from our community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the student's family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," a spokesperson stated. 

The well-being of students is the top priority of IITG and it is committed to providing support and resources to help students navigate the challenges they may face, he said. 

"We encourage our student community to reach out to our support networks. IITG reaffirms its commitment to fostering a supportive and safe environment for all students," the spokesperson said. 

"IITG remains dedicated to prioritising the mental health and well-being of our student community during these challenging times,' he added. -- PTI 

The Fitment Committee, comprising the Centre and state tax officials, on Monday presented a report giving data and analysis and implications of GST reduction on life, health and reinsurance premiums. 

"Broad consensus has been reached on GST rate reduction on health and life insurance but modalities would be decided in the next council meeting," one of the sources said. 

The 54th meeting of the GST council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state ministers, is currently underway. 

Sources said most states were on board with rate reduction as the monthly GST collections are seeing an uptrend providing room for taking taxpayer-friendly measures. 

If GST rates are reduced, it would be beneficial for crores of policyholders as the premium would come down. 

The monthly gross GST collections have stabilised at around Rs 1.75 lakh crore compared to Rs 90,000 crore in the first year of Goods and Services Tax, introduced on July 1, 2017. -- PTI

In a press statement, environment minister Gopal Rai said that the ban is necessary to mitigate the seasonal surge in air pollution, which is worsened by firecrackers. 

"There is a risk of increased air pollution in Delhi during the winter season. Burning firecrackers during this time further exacerbates pollution," Rai said. 

"In light of this situation, like last year, we are imposing a complete ban on the production, storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers, so that people can be protected from pollution. There will also be a complete ban on the online sale and delivery of any kind of firecrackers," he added. 

Rai said, "To avoid any confusion, this ban applies to all types of firecrackers. The ban will remain in effect in Delhi until January 1, 2025, to provide relief to Delhiites from the pollution caused by burning firecrackers." -- PTI

The 54th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is currently underway. 

"Helicopter services for religious purposes like Kedarnath, Badrinath has been reduced to 5 percent from 18 percent. There was no clarity on this. After this, there will be clarity," Agarwal told reporters. 

The Council is slated to deliberate on a host of issues, including lowering of taxes on life and health insurance premiums, as well as levy of GST on payment aggregators for small digital transactions up to Rs 2,000, via debit and credit cards. 

Agarwal further said the Council has referred the issues of levy of 18 percent GST on payment aggregators (PAs), like BillDesk and CCAvenue, for small digital transactions up to Rs 2,000, via debit and credit cards to the fitment committee. 

Currently, payment aggregators are exempt from paying GST on transactions amounting to less than Rs 2,000. 

The council is also likely to discuss a fitment committee report on taxation of life and health insurance premiums. -- PTI

All the 17 accused, including Darshan and Pavithra, were produced before the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court through video conferencing from various prisons across the state, where they are lodged, as their judicial custody ended today. 

Police last week submitted to the court a 3,991-page preliminary chargesheet in the case. 

 Meanwhile, Darshan has filed a writ petition in the High Court, requesting a directive to restrain media outlets from broadcasting or publishing any details from the chargesheet.

The 47-year-old actor is currently lodged in Ballari prison. He was shifted there from the Parappana Agrahara Central jail here by obtaining court permission, after a photograph of him hanging out with three others, including a rowdy-sheeter, on the lawns of the jail had gone viral, sparking an uproar. 

 In the picture, the actor is seen in a relaxed mood, sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette and a coffee mug. Also, a purported video of Darshan speaking to a person over a video call from the prison too had surfaced on social media. 

 The court had also permitted shifting of other co-accused in the murder case to various prisons in the state. Other accused -- Pawan, Raghavendra and Nandish -- are now lodged in Mysuru Jail, Jagadish and Lakshmana in Shivamogga Jail, Dhanraj in Dharwad Jail, Vinay in Vijayapura Jail, Nagaraj in Kalaburagi/Gulbarga Jail, and Pradosh in Belagavi Jail. 

 Three accused -' Pavithra Gowda, Anukumar, and Deepak -- continue to remain at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail here. Four accused -- Ravi, Karthik, Nikhil and Keshavamurthy -- were earlier shifted to Tumakuru prison and they continue to remain lodged there.

 The body of Nazia (18), who used to live in a room on the upper portion of the MLA's house in Malikana locality in the city area, was found hanging from a fan there, he said. Beg is SP MLA from Bhadohi Sadar seat. Chauhan said when Nazia did not wake up for a long time this morning, the MLA's family looked inside and found the door locked from inside and Nazia's body hanging from the ceiling fan from her dupatta. He said on receiving the information, the police reached the spot, broke the door, took out the body and sent it for post-mortem.

 The forensic team is also working to investigate every aspect of the case. The post-mortem of the body will be done by a panel of two doctors and its videography will also be done, he said. Beg said Nazia had been working in his house for the last eight years. 

She was given a place to live in the store room on the top floor of the house. This morning, when the other maid went to wake Nazia up, there was no response from inside. After this, she told everyone and ultimately the police was informed, he said. PTI

 The 30-share BSE Sensex rebounded 375.61 points or 0.46 per cent to settle at 81,559.54. The index opened lower and hit a low of 80,895.05 points in early trade. Later, it recovered from lows and jumped 469.43 points or 0.57 per cent to hit the day's high of 81,653.36. The NSE Nifty went up by 84.25 points or 0.34 per cent to finish at 24,936.40 after three days of fall.

 Among the 30 Sensex firms, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, UltraTech Cement and HDFC Bank were the biggest gainers. Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, NTPC, Tata Motors, Power Grid and Titan were among the biggest laggards.

 On Monday, the West Bengal government told the Supreme Court that 23 people have died because of the doctors' protests. The top court directed the protesting resident doctors to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said no adverse action shall be taken against them on resumption of work. 

 The protest started on the evening of August 9, shortly after the body of a female medic was found in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. 

On August 20, the Supreme Court, while hearing a suo-motu case regarding the alleged rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at the same hospital, urged the protesting doctors to end their strike and resume work. The court noted that the doctors' absence adversely affects those in need of medical care. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also asked the junior doctors to join duty and normalise healthcare services. 

 "It's over a month and the investigation could not reach any conclusion. When will justice be given to the victim? Do you think that we are doing injustice to the people? We do not want to continue to cease work, but unless justice is meted out, we will not resume duty," one of the junior doctors at the RG Kar Hospital told PTI. 

The agitating junior doctors have launched a telemedicine service, the 'Abhaya Clinic', through which they have started attending patients. "We do not want the poor patients to suffer because of our cease work. But our demands are clear and loud, you give us justice and we resume duty. Remember the more you delay, the fierceness of our movement will increase," he added. According to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, several thousands of patients have already been treated through their virtual telemedicine service since it was launched on August 31. 

 "We are also attending patients through these virtually held clinics and that is why we organised open-to-all clinics across the state to see patients. We have decided to hold such camps frequently beside this virtual free-of-cost service at Abhaya Clinic," he told PTI.

On Sunday agitating junior doctors also held an open clinic at the city's Kumartuli, College Street, Chitpur, Dharmatala and BB Ganguly Street and thousands of patients turned up. Similar, physical 'Abhaya Clinics' were also organised in the districts of the state. 

 "We had doctors from various disciplines who attended yesterday's clinics and there were a huge number of patients who turned up for advice," he said. 

 In the absence of the junior doctors, their senior counterparts as well as professors have been attending patients at the outpatient departments (OPDs), as well as the other departments. The junior doctors have been demanding the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal as they believe that the IPS officer has "failed" to carry out their duty in the wake of the rape and murder of the woman doctor. 

 They also held a rally to the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar and handed over a deputation to Goyal demanding his resignation. Ironically, the junior doctors held a replica of a spine during their rally to the police headquarters mocking that the top cop was missing it. Though the state health department is "not ready" with the exact number of patients who have lost their lives allegedly after their treatments were delayed because of the ongoing cease-work, it claimed that the poor and marginalised class of the society were deeply affected by it. 

 Talking to PTI on condition of anonymity, an official of the state health department said there were reports of deaths of patients, but there was no proof whether they were directly or indirectly because of the cease work by junior doctors. 

"Healthcare services are badly hit. We know how we have been managing the huge flow of patients at the different hospitals. It's not an easy task," he told PTI. According to a senior official of the SSKM Hospital, there has been a slump in the flow of patients during this period compared to what they normally witness. 

"Patient inflow has deteriorated. During the initial days, patients were coming but left without seeing the doctors because they were not there at the OPDs. Then we decided to push the senior doctors to attend to the patients. But, I think patients fearing rejection have chosen not to come," he said. 

 Speaking to PTI from Ichchapur in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, arthritis and diabetic patient Sunirban Chatterjee said that he is continuing with the medicines prescribed earlier by doctors at the OPD of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital. 

Debolina Dutta Ray, a high school teacher in Raiganj has skipped coming to Kolkata to consult doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital due to this ongoing crisis. A senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital echoed taking similar steps to handle the number of patients coming to the medical establishment every day. 

 "We do not have any option other than employing the senior doctors at the services following the directives of the health department," he said. PTI

 In a letter sent to states and union territories on Monday, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra asked them prevent any undue panic amongst the masses.

 "No new case of Mpox has been reported in India in the current outbreak, and none of the samples in suspected cases have tested positive," he said, while emphasising the need to stay alert. 

 He underlined that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare continues to closely monitor the evolving situation. He asked the states and UTs to review public health preparedness particularly at health facility level, identify isolation facilities in hospitals, and ensure availability of required logistics and trained human resources at such facilities. 

 He also called for the orientation of all key stakeholders with focus on surveillance units under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at state and district levels to re-orient them on definitions of suspect, probable, confirmed cases, contact tracing and other surveillance activities. PTI 

The top court also directed the protesting resident doctors in West Bengal to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said no adverse action shall be taken against them on resumption of work. The court passed the direction after the West Bengal government assured it that no action, including punitive transfers, shall be taken against the protesting doctors on resumption of work. 

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said there was no reference of the 'challan' (document) used, and sought an answer from the CBI and the West Bengal government.

"Where is the challan of the body when it was handed over for postmortem?" the bench also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, informed the bench that the challan was not part of their records Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, told the bench that he could not find the document immediately and would get back to the court on this question.

 The court also flagged the at least a 14-hour delay by Kolkata Police in registering FIR in rape and murder incident. The top court directed the CBI to submit a fresh report by September 17 on the probe in the case. The apex court also directed immediate removal of photographs of the victim from all social media platforms to protect the dignity and privacy of the deceased. 

 On the issue of security of medical institutions in the state, the Supreme Court said "All DMs, SPs in West Bengal to take stock of situation to ensure safety, security of government medical colleges". Earlier in the day, the court perused the report filed in a sealed cover by the Solicitor General. 

 "A status report has been filed by CBI, it appears that investigation is in progress, we direct the CBI to file fresh status report...We don't want to guide the CBI on its investigation," the bench said. 

 Mehta told the bench that the probe agency has decided to send forensic samples to AIIMS for further investigation. The apex court also directed a senior officer of the West Bengal government's Home department and a senior CISF officer to ensure all three companies of the CISF, which are deputed for security at the RG Kar Hospital, are given accommodation. It also directed that all requisition, security gadgets needed by the CISF should be handed over to it today. 

 The matter is posted for next hearing on September 17. At the outset, the West Bengal government told the top court that 23 people have died as doctors are on strike protesting the rape and murder of the postgraduate medic. Sibal submitted a status report filed by the state health department.

"I told the deceased doctor's parents that if they wanted to do something in their daughter's memory, our government is with them. This is a conspiracy by the Centre and some Left parties are also involved.

She added that Kolkata CP Vineet Goyal had offered to resign after the RG Kar protests but the state needed someone who knows law and order ahead of Durga Puja.

 Thousands of doctors across West Bengal and other parts of the country are holding protests over the rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor on duty on August 9. 

Sanjay Roy -- a civic volunteer -- has been arrested in the case.

The top court also directed the immediate removal of photographs of the victim from all social media platforms and posted further hearings on the case on September 17. 

 A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud perused the report filed in a sealed cover by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI.

 "A status report has been filed by CBI, it appears that investigation is in progress, we direct the CBI to file fresh status report...We don't want to guide the CBI on its investigation," the bench said. 

 Mehta told the bench also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that the probe agency has decided to send forensic samples to AIIMS for further investigation. The apex court also directed a senior officer of the West Bengal government's Home department and a senior CISF officer to ensure all three companies of the CISF, which are deputed for security at the RG Kar Hospital, are given accommodation.

 It also directed that all requisition, security gadgets needed by the CISF should be handed over to it today. At the outset, the West Bengal government told the top court that 23 people have died as doctors are on strike protesting the rape and murder of the postgraduate medic.

 "If there is any technology to go to his grandmother and ask her about the role of RSS, then go and ask or look in the pages of history. To know about RSS, Rahul Gandhi will have to take many births. A traitor cannot know RSS. Those who go abroad and criticise the country cannot know RSS. It seems that Rahul Gandhi goes abroad only to defame India. Rahul Gandhi will not be able to understand RSS in this birth. RSS is born from the values and culture of India," Giriraj Singh said. 

Giriraj Singh said that for the third time, the people of the country had rejected Congress under the leadership of 'Yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi. 

"The people of the country rejected Congress for the third time under the leadership of 'Yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi. India, which used to import defence, in the form of 'Make in India' is now exporting it. India, which used to import Rs 19 lakh crores in the country, has reached Rs 80 lakh crores today. Instead of praising India, he is going abroad and abusing India and praising China, praising the enemy country. It seems like he is thriving on China's money, and they are going abroad and branding China. If PM Modi did not protect the Constitution, cases of treason should be registered against such people who go outside India and criticise India," Singh said.

On Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's statement on unemployment, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said that if the leader of the opposition makes "irresponsible statements" like this, then the public will surely give them an answer. 

 "Rahul Gandhi does not know reality. By referring to China, he has once again told the nation how much he loves China...After PM Modi came to power, employment opportunities are being created in India. If there is a problem of unemployment in the nation, it is because of the Congress rule when it was unable to provide employment opportunities...In the past 10 years, new employment opportunities have been created by PM Modi by implementing various schemes...If the leader of the opposition gives irresponsible statements like this then the public will surely give them an answer," Khandelwal said.

The Supreme Court has commenced hearing a suo motu case related to the rape and murder of a postgraduate medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. 

 A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing the matter. 

 On August 22, the apex court had tore into the Kolkata Police over the delay in registering the unnatural death of the woman doctor, who was raped and killed at the RG Kar Hospital, calling it "extremely disturbing", and questioned the sequence of events and the timing of its procedural formalities. 

 The top court had earlier constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other health care professionals. 

 Terming the incident as "horrific", the apex court had excoriated the state government over the delay in filing the FIR and allowing thousands of people to vandalise the state-run facility. The alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the state-run hospital has sparked nationwide protests.

 BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that Rahul Gandhi has become "evil" now because all his statements reflect falsehood against India. 

 "Rahul Gandhi is so eager to bat for China and he has a habit of insulting India. The world is aware of a 17 per cent youth unemployment rate in China as of August 2024. So, the question is -- is it because of his MoU with the Communist Party of China that he always bats for China and does not bat for India? Rahul does not stop here, he attacks the Indian legal system just because he is out on bail. He predicts social tension in India just because it is his strategy of divide and rule," Bhandari told ANI. 

"Sam Pitroda says that he is no longer the 'Pappu'. He has become very evil now because all his statements reflect falsehood against India, all his statements reflect a man who wants to divide society and a man who wants to bat for the Chinese. He insults the Hindu dev and devta by saying that it does not mean God. This is why the INDI Alliance is always against Sanatana. The essence of Rahul's speech is, it is against Bharat, against the women of India and it is everything that China or any other power wants to further their agenda in India. This is why the people of India rejected Rahul Gandhi and Congress in 2014, 2019 and 2024. They will continue to reject it in 2029 and choose PM Narendra Modi," he added. 

 Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that for the third time, the people of the country rejected Congress under the leadership of 'Yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi. 

 "The people of the country rejected Congress for the third time under the leadership of 'Yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi. India, which used to import defence, in the form of 'Make in India' is now exporting it. India, which used to import Rs 19 lakh crores in the country, has reached Rs 80 lakh crores today. 

"Instead of praising India, he is going abroad and abusing India and praising China, praising the enemy country. It seems like he is thriving on China's money, and they are going abroad and branding China. If PM Modi did not protect the Constitution, cases of treason should be registered against such people who go outside India and criticise India," Singh told ANI.

 The incident sparked a sustained mass movement transcending political affiliations, with citizens from all walks of life demanding justice and accountability, and its grassroots intensity and lack of overt political banners have made it the most formidable civil movement since Banerjee's rise to power, exposing deep-seated frustrations over governance and safety under her administration. Political observers and leaders believe the sustained mass movement following the tragedy has created fertile ground for a new political party in West Bengal driven by ordinary citizens, students, and professionals disillusioned with the ruling TMC and opposition BJP and CPI(M). 

"The movement's strength lies in its independence from traditional political banners, reflecting a broad demand for justice, transparency, and effective governance. It has exposed a leadership vacuum in the existing opposition parties that a new party could potentially fill by aligning with the protesters' calls for accountability," political scientist Maidul Islam said. The young doctor, whose body was found on August 9, was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty. A civic volunteer was arrested by Kolkata Police the next day. 

The public reaction was intense, with thousands of medical professionals, students, activists, and ordinary citizens flooding the streets of Kolkata and other cities in protests marked by poignant displays of grief and anger. Initially "slow and controversial" in its response, the TMC's handling of the case has been widely criticised as inadequate and reactive.

Gandhi made the remarks on Sunday in Dallas during his first interaction with the Indian diaspora after becoming Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha this summer. 

"RSS believes that India is one idea. We believe that India is a multiplicity of ideas," he said. "Very much like the United States, we believe everybody should be allowed to participate. We believe that everybody should be allowed to dream, (and) everybody should be given space, regardless of their caste, language, religion, tradition, history," he said. 

"This is the fight. The fight crystallised in the election when millions of people in India clearly understood that the Prime Minister of India was attacking the Constitution of India. Because what I am saying to you is the union of states, respect to languages, respect to religions, respect to traditions, respect to caste. This is all in the Constitution," Gandhi added. 

In his address, Gandhi said his role was to inject values of love, respect and humility into Indian politics.

"I think what is missing in our political systems and across parties is love, respect and humility. Love to all human beings, not necessarily only people of one religion, one community, one caste, one State, or to those who speak one language," he said. 

"Respect to everybody who is trying to build an India, not just the most powerful, but the weakest and humility, not in others, but in oneself. I think that is how I see my own," he added. 

Making an indirect reference to the Lok Sabha results in which the BJP failed to get a majority on its own, Gandhi said, "The people were saying the BJP is attacking our tradition, attacking our language, etc. What they understood was that anybody who is attacking the Constitution of India is also attacking our religious tradition." 

"We saw that immediately, within minutes of the election result, nobody in India was scared of the BJP, of the Prime Minister. These are huge achievements. These are huge achievements of the people of India who realised democracy, of the people of India who realised that we are not going to accept an attack on our Constitution. We're not going to accept an attack on our religion. We're not going to accept an attack on our States, he said. Asserting that the US needs India and vice versa," Gandhi said the Indian diaspora is a "bridge" between the two nations. 

"In my view, you should travel freely between these two homes. You should bring the idea of India to the United States and the ideas of the United States to India, Gandhi said in his remarks. You have a very important role because the relationship between these two unions is going to determine the future of both the countries," he said. PTI

They ventured into the waters at the Morjim beach at around 5 am, a senior police official said. Both of them got pulled into the waters due to strong undercurrents, he said. Some locals saved the woman, but Lvov drowned, the official said. The body was later recovered by lifeguards, the police added. PTI

CBI detectives, who took up the probe into the case after the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation from the Kolkata Police on August 13, said that they were unable to join several dots due to lack of evidence from the crime scene, a senior official said. 

 This, he said, has affected the investigation of the crime which came to light after the body of the trainee doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital on August 9. The police arrested Sanjoy Roy, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, the next day in this connection. 

 It was found during the investigation that former principal of the hospital Dr Sandip Ghosh ordered the demolition of a restroom and a toilet close to that seminar room on August 10. 

As a portion of the two areas were demolished by the PWD, it is suspected that key pieces of evidence were lost. Besides, a video surfaced on social media showed the seminar room was crowded with people soon after the body was found. 

The police, however, claimed that the spot inside the room was cordoned off. The CBI has grilled witnesses including Ghosh, other doctors, officials, security guards and the arrested prime accused, Sanjay Roy. 

 "There is a lack of evidence in this case. That is the reason why our detectives are unable to come to a conclusion. From circumstantial evidence, questioning of people and the DNA evidence do not show involvement of multiple persons in the sexual assault on the woman," the officer told PTI. 

 He said that the forensic tests conducted at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) confirmed a match between the DNA of the victim and the arrested civic volunteer. 

 "Separate DNA profiling on samples gathered from the victim and Roy and the DNA comparing with other seized evidence from the crime scene also corroborated the CFSL report," he stated. 

 Echoing the claims of the CBI about tampering with evidence, the parents of the deceased also alleged the same. 

 "When we reached there (after her death), we found several people inside the seminar hall, one policeman guarding the entrance of it and many more standing outside. It can be assumed that the entire scene was very carefully arranged. Going by the brutality of the crime, the scene could not be so," the mother of the victim said. 

 The counsel of the accused claimed that her client had been framed to shield the actual criminals. In the case of financial irregularities in the hospital for which the ex-principal Ghosh was arrested along with three others, the CBI officer said they found more names who were involved.

 "More people were involved in the irregularities which were carried out in a well-planned manner," he said, adding that at times there were no footprints of the financial misconduct. 

 The central probe agency has submitted before a court that Ghosh had played a vital role in siphoning off funds and orchestrated 84 illegal appointments during his tenure at the hospital as the principal from 2022 to 2023. 

 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a simultaneous investigation of the financial irregularities case revealing that the former principal and his wife own a luxurious bungalow in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. 

They also discovered more property owned by Ghosh and confiscated several "important" documents during search operations at his residence, as well as those of his relatives and accomplices.

The train hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt on Sunday morning. Due to being hit by the train, the cylinder was thrown away from the tracks, they said. 

An attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express by placing the LPG cylinder on the tracks. Soon after receiving information about the incident around 8.20 am on Sunday, senior officials rushed to the site and launched an investigation into the matter, police said.

The forensics team was also called in and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is also investigating the matter, they said. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chandra said the loco pilot saw that the LPG cylinder was placed on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. The train hit the cylinder before coming to a halt and as a result, the cylinder moved away from the tracks. The loco pilot informed the guard and the gateman about the incident, he said. 

The train was stationed at the incident site for about 20 minutes and was again stopped at the Bilhaur station for investigation, the ACP said. The damaged cylinder has been recovered. A bottle of petrol and matchboxes were also recovered from the spot, Chandra said. He said efforts were being made to identify the culprits and they will be dealt with sternly. PTI

"He (Rahul Gandhi) has a vision contrary to what BJP promotes by spending crores of rupees. I must tell you, he is no Pappu. He is highly educated, well-read, a strategist with deep thinking on any subject and sometimes it is not very easy to understand him," Pitroda said.

Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Pitroda said that Gandhian thoughts, inclusion and diversity were at the core of his (Pitroda's) learning.

"Going to school in early fifties, Gandhian thoughts were the core of our learning. Inclusion, diversity, these were not just the words this is what we lived by and when I begin to see changes in our society which attack the basic fabric I worry about it. So the idea... is to make sure that we respect our people irrespective of the race, religion, language, state. We create same opportunities for everybody we provide dignity to labour and these are the issues that Rahul Gandhi is championing and that makes me very happy," he said.

Pitroda said that Rahul Gandhi's agenda is to celebrate diversity."Rahul Gandhi has a different agenda which is more focused on something that we have been trying to address for a long time but have not been able to quite address well and that is inclusion, celebration of diversity..," he said.

Pitroda explained that democracy is not that simple and cannot be taken for granted.

"Democracy is not that simple... Democracy requires work from large number of people like us. We can't take it for granted because there are people who are focused on hijacking democracy. We have seen it in many countries... At the time of independence, there was this fervor about independence movement and the leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose were very clear of the kind of nation they wanted to build. Everyone understood what freedom meant and the opportunities free India would create... I want you to join Indian Overseas Congress, improve quality of our activities, quantity of our members and bring in more diverse group of people," he said.

Pitroda said, "When Rahul Gandhi was here last time visiting us at a major meeting in New York, there was a demand for him to come to Dallas and he promised them that during my next trip I will come to Dallas and he is keeping his promise. He walks the talk and I am delighted that from his busy schedule he could take three days off to come visit us where he is spending a day here and two days in Washington DC."

Talking about IOC, he said, "Indian Overseas Congress is part of the Indian National Congress looking after all of the global party initiatives. We are in 32 countries and our job is to get people to understand what our party stands for, what we believe in and align forces of all kinds of democratic initiatives. 

"We have been at this for a while now we are in 32 countries and our job is to increase our membership, improve our events and activities and get more people working towards protecting our democracy." -- ANI

Two heavily armed terrorists were killed in a gunfight as alert Army troops thwarted an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday.

The gunfight broke out late Sunday night in the Laam sector of Nowshera after the troops picked up the movement of a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate from across the border, they said.

In a post on X, the Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said that based on inputs from intelligence agencies and police regarding a likely infiltration bid, an anti-infiltration operation was launched on the intervening night of September 8 and 9 in the general area of Laam.

"Two terrorists have been neutralised and a large quantity of war-like stores including two AK-47s and one pistol (have) thus far (been) recovered. Search operation is in progress," it said.

The officials said the Army troops illuminated the area and kept it under strict surveillance throughout the night following the encounter and the search operation was launched at first light.

The search operation was still on when the last reports were received, they said. -- PTI