Student Takes Raj Thackeray's Name, Asks Others To Speak In Marathi, Thrashed

A student was allegedly beaten up outside a college in Navi Mumbai for - in a semi-threatening tone - asking others to speak in Marathi in a WhatsApp group.

Police sources said the students were all part of a college WhatsApp group and some of them were writing messages in Hindi on Monday. Another student then replied in Marathi, "Speak in Marathi, otherwise Raj Thackeray will come." 

Raj Thackeray is the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), whose workers have assaulted several people in the state for what they termed "insults" to Marathi. The attacks include one on a shopkeeper in Thane and, more recently, on a man working in a public toilet in Nanded. 

The student's comment sparked an argument on the WhatsApp group, which kept escalating.  Around 10.30 am the next day, four students, including one Faizan Naik, attacked the student who asked them to speak in Marathi outside their college in Vashi. Naik also hit the 20-year-old on the head with a hockey stick, leaving him severely injured. 

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Vashi) Adinath Budhwant said a case has been registered. 

"A First Information Report has been registered at the Vashi police station in connection with a dispute that arose between two groups. The dispute was a result of an argument between two individuals over comments on the group," Mr Budhwant said. 

"The complainant was also reportedly beaten with a stick. An investigation is on and action will be taken against the accused," he added.

MNS Spokesperson Gajanan Kale and other MNS workers also met police officials and asked for strict action against the attacking students at the earliest. 

"We have met the student and his family as well," Mr Kale said. 

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Pant Surpasses Rohit For Historic Feats But India Struggle vs England

Rishabh Pant continues to break records and win hearts, this time, with the bat in hand even while limping. On Thursday, during Day 2 of the Manchester Test against England, the wicket-keeper batter matched the legendary Virender Sehwag's record for the most sixes by an Indian in Test cricket. Both now have 90 sixes to their name in the longest format. Pant, known for his fearless strokeplay, is now tied at the top with Sehwag, while India captain Rohit Sharma follows closely behind with 88 sixes. MS Dhoni has 78, and Ravindra Jadeja sits fifth on the list with 74 sixes.

If that wasn't enough, Pant also leapfrogged Rohit Sharma to become India's leading run-scorer in the World Test Championship (WTC) era. The southpaw now has 2731 runs from just 38 Test matches, which includes six centuries and sixteen fifties. Rohit, on the other hand, has 2719 WTC runs.

Despite the heroic effort, India finised the day on backfoot as England played Bazball brand of cricket. England were comfortably placed at 225 for two at stumps after bowling out India for 358 on the second day of the fourth Test on Thursday. Openers Ben Duckett (94 off 100 balls) and Zak Crawley (84 off 113 balls) led England's strong response with a brisk 166-run partnership, as the home team trailed India by 133 runs in their first innings at close of play. Ollie Pope (20) and Joe Root (11) were at the crease at stumps. 

What makes Pant's achievement even more special is the context, he returned to bat on Thursday despite suffering a painful toe injury on Day 1 and still made a solid impact.

After Pant's fifty in Manchester in the fourth Test, now he has 14 fifty-plus scores, while Dhoni has thirteen fifties. The left-hander has six hundreds and eight fifties.

Pant smashed 54 off 75 balls, laced with three boundaries and two maximums.

The BCCI has confirmed earlier that Rishabh Pant will not keep wickets for the remainder of the Manchester Test after suffering a toe injury, but he will be available to bat if required.

Team India suffered a setback on Day 1 after Pant was forced to leave the field when a toe-crushing yorker from England pacer Chris Woakes struck him on the right foot. The left-hander was in visible pain and could not continue batting, raised concerns over his participation in the rest of the match.

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Centre In Huddle To Regain Lost Ground On Judge's Impeachment: Sources

Two days after the resignation of Jagdish Dhankhar from the post of the Vice President, the government is brainstorming ways to undo the damage he caused by accepting the Opposition notice for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma - the judge at the centre of the cash-at-home scandal.

While the procedure of impeachment is complicated at best, Mr Dhankhar's move has made the government's job more difficult.

Earlier, sources had said that the government had wanted to take the lead in the impeachment - introducing the issue from the Lok Sabha - to send a message about its stance on corruption in judiciary. It was also a crucial matter of optics, given its earlier efforts to tweak the judges' appointment system.

The Centre had even readied a motion for Justice Varma's removal, taken signatures from Opposition MPs from the Lok Sabha as well.

Following Mr Dhankhar's acceptance of the Opposition notice in the Upper House, a flurry of meetings had started within the government. 

One of these meetings was attended by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Deputy Chairman of RS Harivansh and the Secretary Generals of both the Houses.

The government has concluded that the notice moved by the Opposition and read out by Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday was technically flawed. There were discussions on whether the motion should be withdrawn or necessary amendments should be made to it to conform to procedure, sources have said.

Sources said it has now been decided to withdraw the Opposition proposal from the Rajya Sabha, so the Lok Sabha Speaker can recommend the formation of a three-member committee to look into the allegations against the judge.

It has also been argued that the Deputy Speaker can reverse Mr Dhankhar's move.

Jagdeep Dhankhar's Resignation

On Monday, after Mr Dhankhar accepted the Opposition's proposal for impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma without apprising the government, it was caught completely by surprise. "If the government had been informed, MPs from the ruling party would have also signed the motion," said a source. 

A series of meetings were held - one of them between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior ministers. BJP MPs were called and asked to sign a significant motion about which they were asked to stay silent.

Getting wind of the government's displeasure, Mr Dhankhar had opted to step down, sources said.
 

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Indian Railways Tweaks Emergency Quota Rules, Big Relief For Passengers

Indian Railways has revised the rules for booking tickets under the Emergency Quota (EQ), making it mandatory for passengers to send their requests earlier than before. This change follows the Railway Ministry's recent decision to prepare reservation charts 8 hours before train departure to improve operational efficiency.

Emergency quota seats are reserved for VIPs, railway staff, and passengers with medical emergencies. However, misuse of this facility and last-minute requests often delayed chart preparation, affecting the confirmation of waiting list tickets and causing inconvenience to passengers.

Under the new rule, passengers seeking an EQ ticket must now submit their request at least a day in advance. 

"Emergency quota request for all the trains leaving between 0000 hours and 1400 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1200 hours on the previous day of journey," said a circular issued by the ministry on Tuesday.

"Emergency quota request for all the remaining trains leaving between 14.01 hours and 23.59 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1600 hours on the previous day of journey," it added.

The ministry has clarified that the requests received on the same day of the scheduled departure of a train will not be entertained.

Regarding Sundays or any other public holidays, the ministry has said the requests for the release of accommodation in trains, for which the emergency quota is to be released on Sundays or clubbed holidays after Sundays, should be given during office hours on the previous working day.

The circular said the reservation cell of the Railway Board receives a large number of requests from VIPs, railway officers, senior officers and other departments.

"All efforts are made to allot the quota judiciously and with common prudence," it said.

The ministry has urged all officers to adhere to these timings so that the allotments are given in time and chart preparation is not delayed, which not only results in extreme difficulties to the travelling public but can also lead to a delay in the departure of trains.

It has also requested the forwarding authority to ensure the genuineness of the person under reference and also ensure strict compliance to existing guidelines regarding the allotment of the emergency quota.

The move is aimed at streamlining the ticketing process, ensuring charts are prepared on time, and improving punctuality. For common passengers, this change means they will know the confirmation status of their waiting list tickets earlier, reducing uncertainty before travel. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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In Big Win For Homebuyers, Top Court Okays 22 Police Cases Against Builders

The Central Bureau of Investigation has received green signal from the Supreme Court to file 22 cases involving the nexus between the banks and developers to dupe homebuyers in National Capital region. The cases can involve prominent builders in the zone. The agency has also sought more time to investigate builders of other cities.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for CBI, told the bench of Justices Suryakant and N Koteshwar Singh that more time is needed to complete the investigation. The bench gave it six weeks, expressing satisfaction over the investigation done by CBI.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by over 1,200 homebuyers, who booked flats under subvention plans in various housing projects in the NCR. They have alleged that the banks are forcing them to pay EMIs even though they have not received possession of flats.

Under the subvention scheme, banks disburse the sanctioned amount directly to the accounts of builders. They pay EMIs until the flats are handed over to homebuyers. But the builders have defaulted on EMIs, and in line with the tripartite agreement, banks are now demanding that the homebuyers pay the EMIs.

In July last year, the Supreme Court had directed that no coercive action can be taken against homebuyers by banks or builders over non-payment of EMIs and no complaint against them will be entertained in cases of cheque bounce. But a group of lawyers told the court that lower courts, especially in Gurgaon, were still passing harsh orders against homebuyers.

The court has asked the District and Sessions Judge of Gurgaon to investigate and submit a report within 10 days.
 

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"Apologise": Court As Cop Gets Husband, Father-In-Law Jailed In False Cases

An IPS officer has been asked to issue an unconditional public apology to her former husband and in-laws for the "physical and mental agony" they underwent after she filed multiple criminal cases against them during a marital dispute. While ordering this, the Supreme Court also cancelled all the ongoing cases. 

The Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih also dissolved the marriage since the couple were separated since 2018. The court ordered that their daughter will stay with her mother and the husband and family members will be able to meet her.

In its verdict, the court said the husband had to spend 109 days and his father 103 days in jail due to criminal cases filed by the wife. "What they have suffered cannot be compensated in any way," the court said, ordering the officer to tender a public apology.

"The woman and her parents shall tender an unconditional apology to her husband and his family members, which shall be published in the national edition of a well-known English and a Hindi newspaper," said the judges.

This apology shall also be published and circulated on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other similar social media platforms within 3 days of the order, the judges said. It would not be construed as an admission of liability and shall have no effect on the legal rights, obligations or consequences arising under the law. 

The court also asked the woman "not to use her position and power" or that of her colleagues to initiate any proceedings against the husband and his family. The husband was warned not to use her apology in any manner either.

The woman had filed separate criminal cases against the husband and his family and a parallel one in the family court for divorce and maintenance. Her husband too, had filed tit-for-tat cases. Besides, there were cases filed by third parties. 

Both husband and wife had filed an application in the Supreme Court to transfer the cases to their respective jurisdiction.

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Indian Techie Claims Boss Made Work Life A "Mess" For Rejecting His Proposal

An Indian tech professional has alleged that her European manager, who is married, began targeting her professionally after she rejected his romantic advances. In a viral Reddit post, the woman claimed that her married boss started delaying her salary and micromanaging her, turning her professional life "a mess." The employee, who works remotely for a small 10-employee company, alleged that her European manager confessed to having romantic feelings during a one-on-one call earlier this year. After she rejected him, he reportedly began throwing tantrums, negatively impacting her work life.

"Turns out he got hurt & told somebody, and that somebody moulded his mind or something, that he should let me go, that now this boss is throwing all sorts of tantrums at me, questioning my every move, work, etc. He even remarked, she doesn't work, just clocks in on time. I don't know if the person suggested letting me go emotionally, or if this boss just doesn't have enough balloons to own his feelings & is trying all sorts to get me out of the job because I broke his heart. I just want to keep things professional," the post read. 

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The woman further alleged that her manager displays jealous behaviour, particularly when she interacts with male colleagues. He frequently checks in on her when she's offline, questioning her well-being. Professionally, she has faced challenges, including delayed salaries, tasks outside her role, and public reprimands for mistakes she didn't make, suggesting that he's using work-related issues to express personal resentment.

"Apparently, he may have developed feelings as early as December, and instead of handling it maturely, he's now making things difficult for me professionally. Earlier, he had given me a couple of days off without deducting leave — I thought it was because of my performance and loyalty, but now I wonder if it was something else," he added.

Due to her current role's flexibility, which allows her to spend more time with her family, she's unable to consider switching jobs despite the toxic work environment. "I've held on to this job mainly because it's remote, gives me flexibility with family responsibilities, and is financially efficient (lower taxes, etc.). But this emotional back-and-forth is becoming unbearable. The job market is not great right now, so switching is tough," she added.

Many expressed solidarity with her and criticised the company's handling of the situation. One user said, "The best thing for you to do would perhaps be to prepare for packing your bags from here and joining somewhere else. Since he is your boss, even POSH will not be taken seriously because HRs work for companies and not for employees. I know what I am suggesting sounds like running, but we are just bunnies in this world, and we gotta act in our interests. Start preparing and switch if possible."

Another commented, "Pick up your stuff and leave the company, now it will become more toxic than ever with this in, protect your mental wellbeing."

A third added, "Job switch is the only option. That is the sad reality."

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