India News Highlights,14 July 2026: Kejriwal to visit Wangchuk’s protest site on July 16, writes to PM over E20 fuel

A boiler blast in Tamil Nadu kills one, injures many. Wangchuk on day 16 of his hunger strike. India-US trade deal framework agreed. Ahmedabad blasts: HC upholds death for 38.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal speaks at a Press Conference in New Delhi. (Screengrab/PTI)Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal speaks at a Press Conference in New Delhi. (Screengrab/PTI)

Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, said he and his party support the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest and its demands, and that he will visit the protest site on July 16. Kejriwal said he has written to the Prime Minister on the issue of ethanol-blended fuel, raising two demands and seeking time for a meeting.

If you are just joining us, this is The Indian Express Realtime breaking news blog – where we bring you the latest news updates of the day in real time. Scan the top headlines of the day here, or keep scrolling to see the latest updates stream in. This blog is curated by Sudhakar Singh, Sneha and Aditi Anand

Wangchuk, day 17: ‘PM should be sensitive’

Activist Sonam Wangchuk entered the 17th day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak. In an interview with The Indian Express, Wangchuk said the Prime Minister should be sensitive to students’ concerns, and called for the issue to be debated in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. “A resignation is merely the starting point,” he said.

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India-US trade deal: Framework agreed, signing at ‘right moment’

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has confirmed that India and the US have agreed on the framework of a trade deal that is expected to shield Indian exporters from additional US tariffs under a Section 301 investigation. The deal will be signed at the “right moment,” he said — language that signals progress while leaving the timing deliberately open.

Ahmedabad blasts: Gujarat HC upholds death penalty for 38

The Gujarat High Court has upheld death sentences for 38 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, observing that the accused “had no remorse” for an attack that killed 56 people across the city. The ruling is one of the largest mass death-penalty confirmations in Indian judicial history.

UK to designate Iran’s IRGC a terror organisation

The United Kingdom has announced it will declare Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation, citing a rise in antisemitic attacks linked to IRGC networks on British soil — a significant diplomatic escalation that aligns London more closely with Washington’s position on Tehran.

Man claiming to be US citizen held trying to cross into Nepal with Chinese passport

A 36-year-old man claiming to be a US citizen was arrested by a joint SSB and Uttar Pradesh Police team in Maharajganj district while attempting to cross into Nepal through an unofficial footpath, with a Chinese passport, Nepalese currency and an AI-powered translation device recovered from his possession. He identified himself as Jordan Brown, a California resident with no documents to confirm his identity, prompting police to inform the US embassy, said Maharajganj SP Shakti Mohan Awasthi. During questioning, the man reportedly claimed he had served in the US Navy and had travelled through Thailand, Sri Lanka, Goa and Noida after losing his documents, before arriving at the border town in a bid to cross into Nepal.

France vs Spain: A World Cup semifinal between football’s two great philosophies

France and Spain meet in the World Cup semifinal carrying contrasting ideas about how the game should be played — Spanish connection and flow against French organisation and firepower. It is, as much as any match this tournament, a philosophical argument conducted in football.

Live Updates
Jul 14, 2026 09:24 PM IST
Bombay HC questions compensatory afforestation for bullet train project

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday questioned why compensatory afforestation for mangroves being felled for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project was taking place hundreds of kilometres away from the affected site, remarking that "a day will not be far when Mumbaikars will have to carry oxygen cylinders on their backs."

Hearing MahaTransco's plea to divert 3.35 hectares of forest land in Palghar, including 1.96 hectares of mangroves, the court suggested afforestation should ideally begin before trees are cut and be carried out near the project area rather than in distant districts such as Solapur. While making it clear it would not halt the bullet train project, the bench said it would examine whether a better model for compensatory afforestation could be adopted. The matter will be heard next on July 20.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 09:20 PM IST
Panchkula Police arrest alleged mastermind in Rs 2.26 crore I-T refund fraud

The Cyber Crime Police in Panchkula have arrested Dalip B.R. alias Dalip Rajgoda, the alleged mastermind of an inter-state cyber fraud racket accused of fraudulently obtaining a Rs 2.26 crore Income Tax refund by hacking the e-filing account of a UK-based NRI.

Dalip, a BTech graduate, was arrested in Karnataka and remanded to eight days' police custody. Investigators recovered a laptop and mobile phone and said they traced transactions worth around Rs 13 crore through nine bank accounts linked to him. Police alleged the accused hacked the victim's Income Tax account, altered the registered contact and bank details, filed a fake revised return and diverted the refund through multiple accounts before routing the money to the alleged masterminds. The investigation is continuing, with more arrests expected.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 08:35 PM IST
James Webb telescope reveals earliest galaxies followed key cosmic law

Astronomers from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, have discovered that some of the universe's earliest spheroidal galaxies were already highly organised, challenging previous assumptions about galaxy formation.

Using deep observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the researchers analysed hundreds of galaxies that existed just 400-900 million years after the Big Bang. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, found these early galaxies already obeyed the Kormendy relation, which links a galaxy's size with its surface brightness. The finding suggests that fundamental structural laws governing galaxies were established less than a billion years after the universe began, providing a new benchmark for models of galaxy formation and evolution.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 07:38 PM IST
CJP releases list of leaders contacted seeking support for Jantar Mantar protest

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has released a list of political leaders it says it contacted on July 9 and 10, seeking support for the student protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged exam paper leaks, recruitment failures and compensation for families of students who died.

In a post on X, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said letters were sent to leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, JP Nadda, Chandrababu Naidu, Kanimozhi, Sanjay Raut, Asaduddin Owaisi and Omar Abdullah, among others.

The group said several leaders and party members had already extended support or met its delegation, while responses from others were still awaited.

"History will remember who stood with the youth when they called for justice. We only appeal that all of us stand on the right side of history", he wrote.

Jul 14, 2026 07:26 PM IST
Former SCERT chief arrested over Odisha textbook errors

The Odisha Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested former State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) director Manoj Kumar Padhy over alleged criminal conspiracy linked to errors in school textbooks for Classes 1 to 8.

Padhy, an Odisha Administrative Service officer who headed SCERT when the books were prepared, has been booked under provisions relating to criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and knowingly framing incorrect official documents. The Crime Branch alleged he approved print-ready manuscripts without proper verification, resulting in textbooks containing 1,678 errors across 55 books and causing an estimated loss of Rs 175 crore to the state exchequer. The probe is continuing, with more SCERT officials and teachers involved in textbook preparation also under scrutiny.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 07:20 PM IST
Shiv Sena corporator gets bail in Mumbai doctor assault case

A Kalyan court on Tuesday granted bail to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting doctors and nurses at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli last week.

Thane City Police opposed the bail plea, arguing that Mhatre's release could endanger the doctors involved in the case and citing his alleged criminal record of over 10 FIRs. His lawyers argued that he suffers from multiple ailments and acted without personal animosity. The court granted bail on a bond of Rs 50,000. The incident occurred after a dispute over the treatment of a pregnant woman, prompting protests by resident doctors across Maharashtra.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 07:02 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor rejects BMC report on Chembur tree collapse

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has rejected the BMC's internal inquiry into the June 30 Chembur tree collapse that killed an 11-year-old schoolboy, calling the report "unacceptable" and insisting the civic body must be held accountable.

A day after the inquiry cleared the BMC's road and garden departments, Tawde said a Rs 7 lakh penalty on the contractor and supervising consultant would not deliver justice. She said responsibility lay with both the site engineer and the garden department, which should have worked together to prevent the incident. The inquiry had recommended a Rs 5 lakh fine on the roadwork contractor and Rs 2 lakh on the supervising consultant for negligence during excavation, while absolving the BMC departments and recommending new SOPs and expert supervision for urban tree safety.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 06:03 PM IST
US refunds $81 billion in Trump tariffs after Supreme Court ruling

The US government has refunded $81 billion in tariffs collected under President Donald Trump's trade policy after the Supreme Court ruled a significant portion of the levies unlawful.

The repayments, made to companies that imported goods subject to the tariffs, surged from $5 billion during the same period a year earlier, with most refunds issued in May and June. The ruling has dealt a major blow to one of Trump's signature economic policies, as tariff collections have been offset by court-ordered repayments. Despite the setback, the Trump administration is preparing a new round of tariffs, with temporary global duties due to expire later this month and fresh measures under consideration against several trading partners.

Read the full report here at The Indian Express here.

Jul 14, 2026 05:28 PM IST
Newborn found dead in drain at Mumbai civic hospital, probe on

The body of a newborn was found in the drainage line of a restroom near the outpatient department (OPD) at the civic-run Cooper Hospital in Mumbai’s Vile Parle area, triggering a police investigation, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident came to light on Monday evening when a woman visiting the hospital entered the restroom and noticed the arm of an infant protruding from the toilet bowl. She immediately alerted hospital authorities, following which security personnel and medical staff reached the spot.

Police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The Juhu Police have obtained CCTV footage from the hospital premises and launched an investigation to identify the person who allegedly abandoned the newborn.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 05:21 PM IST
Bengaluru restaurants permitted to extend services till 3.30 a.m. for FIFA World Cup

Karnataka government has allowed hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru to extend their services from 1.00 a.m to 3.30 a.m. on 14th, 15th and 19th July in order to facilitate late night match screenings for the onging FIFA World Cup.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said in a post on X, "This decision has been taken while ensuring that public safety, law and order, and the convenience of citizens remain our highest priorities. I urge everyone to enjoy the matches responsibly and extend full cooperation to the authorities."

Jul 14, 2026 04:46 PM IST
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin to return to Kolkata

Taslima Nasrin, an exiled Bangladeshi author, will return to Kolkata after almost 2 decades to participate in an anti-fundamentalism literary event at Rabindra Sadan, where she is also expected to recite poetry.

In a post on Facebook, she said that she would be in the city on August 1 to take part in the event being organised by a group of secular and anti-fundamentalist organisations. A literary event, it has come to notice following the debate on freedom of expression since the BJP assumed office in West Bengal.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 04:38 PM IST
J&K court asks for records of Rs 550 crore 'fake silver' offerings at Vaishno Devi

After media reports emerged that out of a Rs 550 crore consignment of silver donations, only Rs 30 crore turned out to be genuine, a petition was filed by advocate Deepak Sharma.

Following this, a Jammu and Kashmir court has sought a status report from the Crime branch asking for a record of the fake offerings.

(With PTI, ANI inputs)

Jul 14, 2026 04:37 PM IST
Kanpur man sets himself on fire outside police station; SHO among four officers injured during rescue

A 32-year-old man allegedly set himself on fire outside the Maharajpur police station in Kanpur on Tuesday, shortly after filing a complaint against his wife.

The man sustained critical burn injuries, while four police personnel, including the Station House Officer (SHO), were injured while attempting to rescue him, police said.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 04:26 PM IST
'Freedom from Waste' campaign launched in Bengaluru to tackle illegal garbage dumping

The Indian Express's Kiran Parashar reports that in a major decision, Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday said that the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will launch 'Freedom from Waste' campaign across Bengaluru to remove the debris and garbage that are illegally dumped in the city.

He also said that the GBA from today (14 July,2026) will set one month deadline for the vacant site owners to clean their debris and waste or later, the GBA would do it and charge the amount in the property tax.

Krishna Byre Gowda's decision comes after the city launched campaigns against footpath encroachment and abandoning of vehicles on the road side this month.

Jul 14, 2026 04:19 PM IST
Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia slammed by SC for non-compliance

The Supreme Court sharply criticised comedian Samay Raina and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia for failing to comply with its directions, describing them as “self-styled youth icons” on Tuesday.

The court said it believed Raina had “taken the court for a ride” and had brazenly violated its orders, while reprimanding both content creators over their non-compliance. Read more here

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 02:40 PM IST
Maharashtra ATS raids 65 Pune sites over Pakistan-based terror network's radicalisation drive

Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad, along with Pune City, Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune Rural police, searched 65 locations across the Pune Metropolitan Region on Tuesday targeting individuals with alleged online ties to an ISI-backed criminal-terror network accused of radicalising and recruiting Indian youth, officials said, describing it as a follow-up to nearly 200 searches carried out elsewhere in Maharashtra three days earlier.

Investigators linked the network to a group of Pakistan-based handlers, including Shahzad Bhatti and Amjad Gujjar among others, who allegedly use social media to draw in youths reacting to domestic incidents, first testing them with minor tasks before assigning bigger operations meant to trigger law-and-order threats

Report- Sushant Kulkarni

Jul 14, 2026 02:28 PM IST
Ladki Bahin row: Sanjay Raut threatens legal action over Rs 14,000 crore paid to ineligible beneficiaries

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said he would send legal notices to the Maharashtra government and move the High Court if needed, a day after The Indian Express reported that over 92 lakh beneficiaries later found ineligible under the Ladki Bahin scheme had collectively drawn close to Rs 14,000 crore before disbursements were halted.

Raut accused the previous Shinde-led dispensation of continuing payments without proper verification to sway voters ahead of the Assembly polls, claiming tens of thousands of male beneficiaries and government staff had wrongly benefited despite the administration being aware of the lapse, and called for both a criminal case against former cabinet members and seizure of officials' personal assets to recover the funds.

The state government has maintained that its verification drive was meant to weed out ineligible recipients, with recovery efforts to be limited to categories like men and government employees — a position Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare has reiterated in ruling out clawbacks from other affected beneficiaries.

Report- Vallabh Ozarkar

Jul 14, 2026 01:36 PM IST
Kolkata: Rs 2 crore seized in midnight New Town raid, seven held as police suspect hawala racket

Police recovered more than Rs 2 crore in cash after a nearly 12-hour raid on a flat in New Town near Kolkata, arresting seven people, including a woman, on suspicion of running a hawala racket from the premises posing as a call centre office.

A joint team from Bidhannagar Police's Cyber Crime unit, Detective Department and Technocity Police seized two cars resembling those used to ferry cash from ATMs, a scooter, laptops and mobile phones, besides the cash itself, which was carried out in trolley bags past midnight.

The accused, who had rented the flat seven months ago, could not explain the source of the money or provide valid documentation, police said, adding they suspect influential persons may be involved and are investigating where the funds were being routed.

Report by Tanushree Bose

Jul 14, 2026 01:25 PM IST
Search operation launched after two suspected terrorists spotted in J&K

A massive search operation was launched in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district after CCTV footage reportedly showed two suspected terrorists crossing a road late on Sunday night.

Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army are searching Bhanghai, Hasplote, Karyote, Kopra top and nearby forested villages to trace the suspects.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 01:12 PM IST
Chargesheet filed against a sixth accused in Magadh Naxal revival case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against a sixth accused in a case linked to bringing back the banned Naxal group in the Magadh region. The accused, Chandan Kumar, was arrested in Mumbai in January 2026. He is accused of collecting money and asking former members to rejoin the group. The NIA said the money was used to buy weapons and support violent activities.

(ANI)

Jul 14, 2026 01:12 PM IST
Arvind Kejriwal extends his support to CJP protest

In the press conference held at 12pm today, former Delhi Chief Minster, Arvind Kejriwal, extended his support for the ongoing protest by Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar. He also said that he will visit the protest site at 5pm on Thursday, 16 July to meet the protestors and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on the 17th day of his indefinite hunger strike.

Jul 14, 2026 12:56 PM IST
Worker killed after iron beam falls at Thane construction site

A 19-year-old construction worker was killed after an iron beam fell from an upper floor and struck him on the head at a construction site in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Philip Andreas Bhegra, was a native of Jharkhand and lived at the construction site in Khidkali under the Shil-Daighar police station limits.

The incident occurred on the evening of July 11 after Bhegra had finished work and was walking around the site. An iron beam reportedly fell from the under-construction building, fatally injuring him.

Police have registered a case against the contractor in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 12:47 PM IST
Supreme Court rejects plea against CRZ clearance for Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat renovation

The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance granted for the expansion and renovation of Shah Rukh Khan's sea-facing residence, Mannat, in Mumbai's Bandra.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V.

Mohana questioned the genuineness of the petition filed by Mumbai-based activist Santosh Daundkar.

The plea had challenged a September, 2025 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order that upheld the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority's (MCZMA) approval for the renovation of the bungalow.

(ANI)

Jul 14, 2026 11:54 AM IST
12-year-old schoolgirl killed after school bus hits e-rickshaw, driver held

A 12-year-old girl died after a school bus hit an e-rickshaw carrying schoolchildren near Majlis Park Metro Station in northwest Delhi on Tuesday morning, police said.

The girl, identified as Priyanshi from Rama Garden in Mukundpur, was on her way to school in the e-rickshaw when the accident happened.

Police said they received a PCR call about the crash at Adarsh Nagar police station. A team rushed to the spot, rescued the victims, and began legal action. The bus driver has been apprehended.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 11:49 AM IST
Transporters launch strike against VLTD permits in Rajasthan

Hundreds of trucks remain off the roads in Rajasthan, as transporters have launched an indefinite strike against the issues originating from Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) permits.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 11:25 AM IST
Mortal remains of Indians killed in Vietnam boat tragedy arrive in Chennai

The mortal remains of people who died in the devastating boat tragedy in Vietnam, have arrived at the Chennai Airport.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 11:20 AM IST
Supreme Court refuses to interfere with Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad’s bail in fodder scam case

The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with the Jharkhand High Court’s order suspending RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s sentence and granting him bail following his conviction in the fodder scam case. While refusing to cancel the bail, the apex court has asked the High Court to expedite hearing of the pending appeals, preferably within six months.

Jul 14, 2026 11:17 AM IST
MEA summons Iranian Deputy Chief of Mission over the killing of an Indian sailor

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has summoned Iranian diplomats, including Deputy Chief of Mission Mohammad Javad Hosseini, over the recent attack on merchant vessels and the killing of an Indian sailor during the strike on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.

(PTI, ANI inputs)

Jul 14, 2026 11:06 AM IST
49.5 kg opium seized in Manipur's Senapati district

49.5 kg of opium was seized by Manipur Police on Tuesday in Senapati district, according to an official statement.

During a checkpoint inspection at T Khullen on the Imphal-Dimapur NH-2 on Sunday morning, a four-wheeler was signalled to stop, but it sped away.

Upon chasing the vehicle, the police later found it abandoned at a distance.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 10:58 AM IST
NIA court issues non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed

A special NIA court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba, in connection with the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack.

The warrant was issued on July 8, two days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary chargesheet against Saeed in the case.

Hafiz Saeed, who has been declared a global terrorist by India and the United States, is also accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 10:40 AM IST
Project head arrested, culpable homicide charges invoked in Pimpri-Chinchwad plant collapse that killed 9

Pimpri Chinchwad police have arrested Ashokkumar Siyaramsharan Gupta, the 59-year-old project head of Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd, and booked safety officer Vijay Ramrao Sapkal under culpable homicide charges after a collapsed waste-to-energy plant building in Moshi killed nine workers on July 8.

The building caved in when a mound of legacy waste destabilised in heavy rain and fell on the structure, which housed 23 employees at the time; five escaped immediately, while a joint NDRF, Army, PCMC fire brigade and PMRDA operation later rescued nine survivors and recovered nine bodies.

Police have invoked BNS sections 105 and 125 against Gupta, who sustained minor injuries and will be produced before the court on Tuesday, while Sapkal remains hospitalised.

ENS

Jul 14, 2026 10:40 AM IST
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal to hold press conference at 12pm

Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, said in a post on X, that he has written a letter to the Prime Minister on the issue of E20 petrol, and will also hold a press conference today.

(PTI)

Jul 14, 2026 10:30 AM IST
Karnataka Lokayukta seeks Governor's sanction to prosecute former Karnataka minister Zameer Ahmed Khan

Karnataka Lokayukta police have written to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot seeking sanction to prosecute former Congress minister Zameer Ahmed Khan under the Prevention of Corruption Act, in a disproportionate assets case where he is alleged to have amassed wealth 2031 times his known income based on an ED reference from 2021.

The Lokayukta probe has since found Rs 26 crore in wealth disproportionate to his known sources, and the case can now move to a chargesheet if the Governor grants sanction.

The Karnataka High Court last year had rejected Khan's plea to quash the investigation.

Jul 14, 2026 10:23 AM IST
UP leads in cyber fraud complaints, Maharashtra loses most in 6 months

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cyber fraud complaints nationally at 1.85 lakh between January and June this year, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar, as over 12.71 lakh complaints were filed across the country involving alleged fraudulent transactions worth more than Rs 10,178 crore, The Indian Express has learnt. While Uttar Pradesh led in complaint volume, Maharashtra topped the list by amount involved at Rs 1,637.66 crore, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, according to data discussed at a Union Home Ministry meeting on financial cyber fraud.

Reports Mahender Singh Manral

Jul 14, 2026 10:22 AM IST
Illegal shrine demolished in Pitampura-Shalimar Bagh by Delhi government

The Delhi government on Monday morning demolished an illegal shrine built on government land in the middle of the road. The demolition is a part of the road-widening project taking place in Pitampura-Shalimar Bagh.

(ANI)

Jul 14, 2026 10:19 AM IST
'Can citizenship depend on who's in power?': Karnataka HC hears plea of man held on suspicion of being Bangladeshi

Karnataka High Court's Justice Suraj Govindaraj on Monday took strong exception to the West Bengal government seeking a further two weeks to review documents that had earlier certified Rafikul Biswas as an Indian citizen, after counsel for Biswas asked whether his citizenship could depend on "vagaries of who is in power in a particular state." Biswas, detained by Bengaluru police last September on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national, suffered two heart attacks during his detention before being released on medical grounds in December; enquiries by West Bengal police and a Block Development Officer in October 2025 had found him to be an Indian citizen by birth. The court noted Biswas has since been issued a fresh voter ID after clearing the SIR revision process, and posted the matter for July 23, saying no further adjournments would be granted.

Reports Mustafa Plumber

Jul 14, 2026 10:08 AM IST
Bihar Police arrest Katihar man for suspected links to Pakistan-based terror network

Bihar Police arrested a 22-year-old man, identified as Mohammad Ahad, a resident of Musapur village in the Koda police station area of Katihar district, for suspected links with a Pakistan-based terror network. Officials said further details on the nature of the alleged links and the ongoing investigation are awaited.

Jul 14, 2026 10:07 AM IST
'3 Idiots' actor Omi Vaidya expresses support for Sonam Wangchuk

Actor, Omi Vaidya, best known for playing "Chatur" in the Bollywood movie, 3 Idiots, expressed his support for activist, Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. Vaidya urged people to bolster the movement, and take part in whichever way they can on a reel posted on his instagram handle.

Jul 14, 2026 09:39 AM IST
Teen in ICU, six injured after armed men attack East Delhi housing society

At least seven people, including a 13-year-old boy, were injured after a group of armed men allegedly attacked residents of a housing society in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar Phase 3 late Sunday night, with the minor and a 40-year-old man remaining in the ICU. The clash began as an argument between a man and a woman, escalated after the boy's scooter headlight accidentally struck the man's face, and drew in more than half a dozen associates armed with sticks, iron rods and nail-studded clubs who allegedly rampaged through the society for nearly 30 minutes. Police have registered a case including attempt to murder and are conducting raids based on CCTV footage, even as residents allege it took officers up to two hours to respond.

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