6 Sentenced To Life For Killing Pregnant Woman Over Property Dispute

A court in Maharashtra's Jalna has sentenced six persons, including four women, to life imprisonment for killing a 35-year-old pregnant woman over a property dispute in 2020.

District and sessions court judge V M Mohite passed the order on Wednesday. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on each convict.

The victim, Heena Khan, was six months pregnant when she was murdered in Kazi Pura locality of Jalna city.

The court convicted Nilofar Zafar Khan (23), Nasima Zafar Khan (55), Arbaz Khan Zafar Khan (20), Ismail Ahmed Shah (38), Halima Bi (60) and Shabana Shah (30) and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

According to government pleader Bharat Khandekar, the convicts are relatives of Heena Khan's first husband. They had a dispute with Heena over some property.

On August 9, 2020, the six convicts forced their way into the residence of Heena Khan's second husband Sayyed Majid Tamboli. They attacked Heena with rods, due to which she died on the spot. Tamboli also suffered injuries in the attack.

Later, a case was registered against the six assailants at the Sadar Bazar police station here.

During the trial, the government pleader sought stringent punishment for the accused.

The victim's husband Tamboli, medical officer R B Shejul, and investigation officer Shivaji Nagve were witnesses in the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Gujarat Court Rejects Arvind Kejriwal's Adjournment Plea In PM Degree Case

A metropolitan court here on Wednesday rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh's applications seeking adjournment in proceedings in a defamation case filed against them over their remarks regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational degree.

The court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate SJ Panchal rejected the adjournment applications moved by the lawyers representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. The court also reserved its order for Thursday on Kejriwal's plea stating that he cannot be prosecuted without sanction under section 197 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) because he is a public servant.

The two leaders are facing a criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University (GU) over their "sarcastic" and "derogatory" statements in connection with PM Modi's degree.

Kejriwal and Singh moved pleas seeking adjournment of the case on the grounds that their petitions challenging the summons are pending before the Gujarat High Court and are likely to be taken up in February next year.

Taking strong objection to the adjournment applications, Gujarat University's lawyer Amit Nair said that the HC has not granted any stay on the trial, and witnesses to be examined in the case are present in the court.

Nair also argued against Kejriwal's plea challenging his prosecution in the matter on the grounds that since he is a public servant, sanction for prosecution should have been obtained under section 197 of CrPC.

The lawyer representing the GU said that the utterance of defamatory words does not fall under the category of discharge of official function and hence such a sanction was not required in the present case. He said that the application was a tactic to delay the matter. The court reserved its order for Thursday.

Kejriwal and Singh had approached the Gujarat High Court for a stay on the defamation proceedings against them till the disposal of their revision plea in a sessions court.

The court had summoned the two leaders after observing that prima facie there appeared to be a case against them under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

GU registrar Piyush Patel had filed a defamation case against the two leaders over their comments after the Gujarat HC set aside the Chief Information Commissioner's order on PM Modi's degree.

They made "defamatory" statements in press conferences and on their Twitter, now X, handles targeting the university over Modi's degree, the complainant stated.

He said their comments targeting Gujarat University were defamatory and hurt the prestige of the university which has established its name among the public.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Over 2,000 Children Adopted By Indians, 224 By Foreigners This Year: Centre

More than 2,000 children have been adopted by Indians in the financial year 2023-24 so far while 224 children have been adopted by foreigners, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani informed the Parliament on Wednesday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Ms Irani said the Women and Child Development Ministry had notified Adoption Regulations, 2022, which have been framed in line with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2021), on September 23 last year.

The Adoption Regulations were framed keeping in mind the issues and challenges faced by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and other stakeholders, including the Adoption Agencies and Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs), she said.

According to the data shared by the minister, 3,142 children were adopted by Indians and 417 by foreigners in 2020-21, 2,991 by Indians and 414 by foreigners in 2021-22, and 3,010 by Indians and 431 by foreigners in 2022-23.

In 2023-24, 2,248 children had been adopted by Indians and 224 by foreigners till December 12, the data showed.

CARA has developed CARINGS, an online adoption platform for building bridges and creating links through a robust web-based management system designed to bring transparency in the adoption system and curtail delays at various levels. The CARINGS portal has been further simplified, Ms Irani said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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IndiGo Pilot Approaches Court To Seek Approval To Carry 'Kirpan' On Plane

A pilot working with IndiGo, a private airline, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the Union government to allow him to carry a 'kirpan' while flying.

Kirpan is a short knife with a curved blade, worn, sometimes in miniature form, as one of the five distinguishing signs of the Sikh Khalsa.

Angad Singh, a pilot with InterGlobe Aviation which operates IndiGo, claimed in the petition filed before the Nagpur bench of the high court that he has the right to carry a kirpan as part of the freedom of religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.

A division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Abhay Mantri on Monday issued a notice to the Union government and the airline, seeking their replies. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on January 29, 2024.

Mr Singh's lawyer advocate Saahil Shyam Dewani said the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation are required to be amended as on March 12, 2022, the government issued guidelines permitting Sikh passengers to carry a kirpan of a particular size.

The guidelines, however, said employees (including those belonging to the Sikh religion) working at airports or airlines are not allowed to carry a kirpan.

This was a violation of his fundamental rights, the petition claimed.

Also, allowing passengers to carry a kirpan on board a plane but not giving the same right to airline staff defies logic, it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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In Marathon To Honour Manipur Women's Fight Against Colonial Rule, Age Is Not The Limit

A 17-year-old girl and an 84-year-old woman were the youngest and the eldest runners at a women's marathon held in Delhi on the anniversary of the Nupi Lan, or Women's War, considered one of the most important historical events of Manipur, formerly a kingdom.

Olympic silver medallist and Manipur resident Mirabai Chanu, who attended the event held in Delhi University's polo ground on Tuesday, told NDTV nothing could have prepared her to see Manipur's imas (mothers) run spiritedly for several kilometres in their traditional phanek, a loin cloth wrapped around the waist like a sarong.

"Today is a very special day. It is Nupi Lan, a significant day in the history of Manipur, when women saved Manipur from colonial atrocities. They fought for Manipur. Today, we the women of Manipur came together to remember and honour them. I am very happy to be here, to see the imas (mothers) of Manipur run a marathon," Ms Chanu told NDTV.

"At the same time, I feel sad. I don't know when will the violence in Manipur end. The young generation has been put under immense pressure. Their future is uncertain... I appeal to the Centre, the state government and the Prime Minister to help bring peace to Manipur as soon as possible. We want to see a beautiful Manipur - as it has always been - where everyone lived peacefully," the former world champion in weightlifting told NDTV.

The event organised by the civil society organisation Ningols United Progressive Initiative (NUPI) allowed only women - not men - from any community in the state to participate in the marathon as it was themed on the Nupi Lan, named after the events in Manipur's history - one in 1904 and the other in 1939 - when women rose up and fought against colonial soldiers over their atrocious social and economic decisions.

"We wanted to celebrate Manipur women's historical contributions... We highlighted the resilience of Manipur's women in protecting the integrity of their community," NUPI spokesperson Reemi Khaidem said. Her group is based in Delhi and comprises only women who help the economically weak sections, provide educational incentives, and work for women empowerment.

NUPI in a statement said the historical event has gained immense relevance amid the ethnic tensions in Manipur - "as designed and enforced by certain covert and overt forces" - which has led to the women of Manipur to rise up and defend the state, in parallels with Nupi Lan.

Apart from the Olympian, other key guests at the event included singer Naba Volcano, author Rami Niranjan Desai, folk singer Mangka, actor Soma Laishram, Manipur journalist Sonia, and historian and author Dr Malem Ningthouja.

"The 1939 Nupi Lan showed a strategic union of men and women when women took the frontline initiative for a collective cause to overcome the economic onslaught of colonial market forces that were responsible for the rice famine, exorbitant extraction, and monopoly. Sooner, it had catalytic impacts on the demand for sovereignty and responsible government," Dr Ningthouja said.

Ms Desai, who has done a significant research work in the northeast, said it was a pleasure to see the elderly women of Manipur run the marathon in a symbolic show of strength. "It's (Nupi Lan) the greatest movement not just for this country but in the world, a selfless movement... The collective voice of Manipuri women has always led and will continue to lead to bring the power to restore peace," said Ms Desai, who is also an anthropologist.

Folk singer Mangka said Manipur has not seen a single revolution in which women have not taken part.

Khurien Dhangshwa, 17, won the 5-km 'run for unity' race; N Jerina Devi, 25, finished second, and L Bidyarani, 27, came third. Nonibala Devi, 56, was the oldest woman who completed the race. The youngest to complete the race but who did not come in the first three slots was Jenita Devi, 18.

Sanayaima Gurumayum, 84, was honoured with a special prize for her participation.

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Chief Of Defense Staff Visits Japan To Deepen Military Ties

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, during his visit to Japan's Yokosuka Base, strengthened the defence ties between the two countries.

He was given an overview of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force mission by Vice Admiral Saito Akira, Commander-in-Chief, Self-Defense Fleet.

The visit was aimed at reinforcing strategic cooperation while highlighting the growing importance of the India-Japan defence partnership.

Anil Chauhan departed from New Delhi for Japan on Sunday night to discuss defence ties between the two Asian countries, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an official press release.

The visit is aimed to further robust defence ties between the two nations and underscores the growing importance of India-Japan defence cooperation.

During his visit, General Anil Chauhan is scheduled to interact with the senior military leadership of Japan and will visit defence formations and establishments. The key highlights of the tour include a call-on with the Minister of Defence, Minoru Kihara, a meeting with the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defence Forces General Yoshida Yoshihide, besides interactions with Commissioner of Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) Fukasawa Masaki, and also with Vice President of the National Institute of Defence Studies (NIDS), Japan Major General Adachi Yoshiki.

Additionally, the CDS will interact with the faculty and research scholars at NIDS and also visit military establishments. The meetings and interactions will be aimed at fostering mutual understanding, exchanging views on regional security, contributing towards strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, and cooperating in the field of defence equipment and technology, the ministry said.

The CDS will also visit Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) units and undertake interactions with the Commander in Chief Self-Defence Fleet at Funakoshi JMSDF Base. General Anil Chauhan will also visit the Hiroshima Peace Park and lay a wreath in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima. He will pay special tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Hiroshima towards enhancing peace and tranquilly in the region.

The press statement read, "India and Japan celebrate 71 years of diplomatic ties in 2023. This visit underscores the commitment of both nations to strengthen the special strategic and global partnership. Demonstrating the enduring camaraderie that has flourished between India and Japan over the past 70 years, the visit will further boost bilateral cooperation on a host of strategic issues, particularly in defence collaboration."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BBC India Restructures For New Entity To Comply With Foreign Investment Rules

Four BBC staff members on Tuesday announced plans to leave the organisation and form a new entity in India named Collective Newsroom, which will provide services "as commissioned by the BBC" and in compliance with the country's foreign direct investment (FDI) rules.

According to a statement from the UK-based public service broadcaster, Collective Newsroom has been established as an Indian company that is wholly owned by Indian citizens. It replaces BBC World Service India to continue to provide language-based content.

The move follows the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) premises in India facing "surveys" by tax authorities and an ensuing investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over alleged FDI violations earlier this year.

"The establishment of Collective Newsroom Private Limited ensures the BBC and Collective Newsroom can meet their shared commitment to Indian audiences and cover stories on India that matter to global audiences. It is in compliance with the Indian Foreign Direct Investment law," reads the BBC statement.

"Collective Newsroom has been established as an Indian company, wholly owned by Indian citizens, with four existing staff members leaving the BBC to lead Collective Newsroom. These senior leaders have a wealth of editorial and programme-making experience," it said.

"The BBC will commission Collective Newsroom to produce its six Indian language services as well as Indian digital output and Indian YouTube channel in English for audiences globally," it added.

"Audiences in India can be assured that the BBC's Indian language services and unique range of quality output will inform, educate and entertain audiences across our diverse and highly engaged country under the agreement between the BBC and Collective Newsroom. We launch Collective Newsroom with big ambitions for audiences in India and beyond," said Rupa Jha, Senior News Editor, BBC India, and founding shareholder of Collective Newsroom.

The BBC said it has a long-held and deep-rooted place in India's media landscape, having first launched the Hindi language service in 1940. Since then, it has developed a range of BBC output, expanding the number of Indian language services and growing audience figures from "decade-to-decade with its agenda-setting and high impact journalism".

"The BBC's presence in India is steeped in a rich history that has always put audiences first, so we warmly welcome the formation of Collective Newsroom which continues that progression. The BBC will get first class content from Collective Newsroom that will be rooted in India and in line with the editorial standards audiences expect from the BBC," said Jonathan Munro, Deputy CEO, BBC News.

Liliane Landor, Senior Controller, BBC News International Services, added: "Two of the BBC's critical strengths are its truly global output for audiences and our reputation as a trusted source of news.

"We are deeply committed to excellence in journalism for and from India, and this agreement ensures the continued production of independent, international and impartial journalism that the BBC News brand is renowned for in India and around the world." Under the new arrangement, activity for BBC Monitoring and the BBC's English language newsgathering operation for global output will remain with the BBC.

In India, content is provided in six languages - BBC News Hindi, BBC News Marathi, BBC News Gujarati, BBC News Punjabi, BBC News Tamil, BBC News Telugu, as well as in English, to 82 million people around the country on average each week.

According to official statistics, BBC News Hindi is the BBC's language service with the largest audience and in 2023, across all platforms, its weekly reach figure grew 27 per cent year-on-year.

The BBC World Service claims a reach of 318 million people on average every week globally and operates 42 different language services.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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