Nitish Kumar has resigned from the Bihar Legislative Council, complying with constitutional provisions after his recent election to the Rajya Sabha. Kumar, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16, was required under the Constitution to relinquish his membership in the state legislature within 14 days. March 30 marked the final day for him to do so.. Nitish Kumar addresses his last Bihar yatra — the Samriddhi Yatra — in Patna. (HT Photo). Under the Prohibition of Simultaneous Membership Rules, 1950—framed under Articles 101 and 190 of the Constitution—a person cannot simultaneously remain a member of both Parliament and a state legislature. They must resign from one seat within the stipulated timeframe.. BJP president Nitin Nabin on Monday also resigned from his position as member of the legislative council of Bihar, after being elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 16.. Nabin, announced his resignation on social media, addressing his constituents from Bankipur Bihar, and reflected on his political journey. The BJP president was elected to the assembly in a by poll necessitated by the demise of his father a legislator.. “After the sudden demise of my father in January 2006, the party gave me the opportunity to contest the by-election from Patna West, and on April 27, 2006, I was elected for the first time from the Patna West constituency, marking the beginning of my social and political life,” he said. 

 Airlines will begin offering at least 60 per cent of seats on every flight without any extra fee from April 20, according to the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). They have also been directed to follow a clear and open seat allocation policy.. At present, only 20 per cent of seats can be chosen without a fee, while the rest require payment. (Representational Image/Unsplash). This comes after an announcement by the civil aviation ministry on March 18 that airlines had been instructed to ensure that at least 60 per cent of seats on each flight are offered free of charge, to ensure fair access for passengers.. ALSO READ | Airlines object to ‘no selection fee’ directive for 60% seats, say it could raise fares for everyone, write to ministry. The aviation regulator issued a revised Air Transport Circular on March 20. A DGCA official told news agency PTI that the circular will come into force from April 20.. 60% seats in flights to be offered free of charge: What the circular says. The regulator said airlines must ensure “at least 60% of the seats in any flight shall be offered free of charge”, as mentioned in the DGCA circular.. “Airlines should maintain transparent seat allocation policies and clearly communicate the availability of free seats and applicable conditions on their booking interfaces,” it read.. The regulator also said that passengers booked under the same PNR (Passenger Name Record) should, as far as possible, be seated together. This usually means seats next to each other in the same row.. An official told the news agency that airlines are preparing to implement the new rule. At present, only 20 per cent of seats can be chosen without a fee, while the rest require payment.. Reports say airlines usually charge between ₹200 and ₹2,100 for seat selection. The cost depends on factors such as front-row seats and seats that offer extra legroom.. ALSO READ | Man ‘influenced by ghost’ tries to open emergency door on Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight. DGCA’s other directives for airlines. The circular also said that all charges for optional services, such as carrying sports equipment or musical instruments, along with liability terms in case of damage, must be clearly displayed and without confusion on airline websites and booking platforms.. The DGCA said the circular will take effect 30 days after the date of issuance.. The move comes at a time when concerns are growing over airlines charging high fees for different services, including seat selection.. Last week, IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet strongly opposed the decision. They said stopping airlines from charging for at least 60 per cent of seats will push them to raise ticket prices to make up for the loss in revenue.. In a letter sent to the civil aviation ministry on March 20, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents the three airlines, asked the ministry to reconsider and withdraw the decision. 

 Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued yet another written message — this time thanking Iraq — but his continued absence from public view is raising questions about his condition and whereabouts.. Iran’s message to US. (AP/Reuters). In his latest message, Khamenei expressed appreciation to Iraq for backing Iran during the ongoing conflict. According to Iranian media, the message specifically acknowledged both the Iraqi people and its top religious leadership.. He “expressed his appreciation to the supreme religious authority (in Iraq) and the people of Iraq for their clear stance against aggression against Iran and their support for our country”, the ISNA news agency reported, referring to Ali Sistani.. However, Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence from the public has fuelled speculation about whether he is alive or not. Adding to the uncertainty, Donald Trump, in an interview with the Financial Times, recently cast doubt on Khamenei’s condition. “The son is either dead or in extremely bad shape. We’ve not heard from him at all. He’s gone.”. Also read |Where is Mojtaba Khamenei? CIA, Mossad continue search for Iran’s Supreme Leader. The message was conveyed after a meeting involving the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad, though details about how it was transmitted were not disclosed, news agency AFP reported.. Still no public appearance. Despite being named supreme leader after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in an airstrike on February 28, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public even once.. Also read | How the son of Iran’s Supreme Leader built a global property empire. So far, his communication has been limited to a handful of written statements. These include an initial message after assuming leadership and another marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Both were read out on television by others rather than delivered by him directly.. State media has circulated images of him, but without confirming whether they are recent. Officials have suggested he is recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike, but there has been no independent confirmation.. Speculation intensifies. The lack of any direct appearance has triggered intense speculation globally. Questions over whether he is able to lead in person remain unanswered.. US President Donald Trump last week said Washington was in talks with a “top person” in Iran, but clarified that the individual was not the supreme leader.. “We have not heard from the son… We don’t know if he is living,” said Trump.. Mojtaba Khamenei, now Iran’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has taken charge at a moment of war and uncertainty. His leadership, however, is unfolding largely through written words rather than public presence. 

 Baltej Singh, a New Zealand businessman and the nephew of one of Indira Gandhi’s assassins who is serving a 22-year prison sentence in New Zealand for masterminding one of the country’s largest methamphetamine importation operations, has lost a legal bid to keep his name suppressed. His identity was revealed on Saturday by New Zealand media outlet Stuff after courts lifted name suppression orders granted over fears that his family’s notoriety among Sikhs and Hindus worldwide could expose them to harm.. New Zealand authorities say Baltej Singh played a central role in an international drug-smuggling network (X/@NoticerNews). In an affidavit presented to the court, Singh’s father had previously told a New Zealand court that the family had faced threats, intimidation and hostility after the assassination made them “notorious” among Sikh and Hindu communities worldwide, Stuff reported.. The court initially accepted those concerns, ruling that the risk to the safety of Singh’s relatives outweighed the public interest in open justice. But the New Zealand government appealed and in November, the court overturned the order, finding there was an “appreciable public interest” in identifying a man responsible for importing an unprecedented quantity of drugs into New Zealand. Judges said anyone motivated by revenge connected to the 1984 assassination would likely already know Singh’s identity and assessed that the risk of harm from revealing his name was very low, Stuff reported.. Singh had initially sought to challenge the ruling before the Supreme Court but later abandoned that effort, Stuff reported.. New Zealand authorities say Singh played a central role in an international drug-smuggling network that concealed methamphetamine inside commercial shipments labelled as beverages.. In 2021, cans of coconut water arriving in New Zealand from New Delhi were found to contain dissolved methamphetamine and ephedrine, a precursor chemical used to manufacture the drug, Stuff reported.. In 2022, containers arriving in New Zealand from Canada and the US carried tens of thousands of cans of “Honey Bear” lager beer and bottles of kombucha. Police later discovered the beverages were being used to transport liquid methamphetamine into the country.. The drugs were sent to an industrial unit where they were converted into crystal meth. Police seized more than 700kg of liquid and crystallised methamphetamine — the largest haul ever uncovered by New Zealand.. The operation came to light after one of the cans of beer was mistakenly given to a 21-year-old man by an associate of Singh, Himatjit Singh Kahlon, who was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years in prison.. Days after the victim was hospitalised, police arrested Baltej Singh at Auckland International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Dubai. 

 Varanasi: A passenger on board an IndiGo flight was booked for attempting to open the aircraft’s emergency exit door just before landing at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and take the aircraft back into the air, officials said. The flight landed safely a few minutes later.. The aircraft eventually landed safely at approximately 10:35 pm. (Vipin Kumar/HT). The passenger was taken into custody, and interrogated by multiple security agencies before being released, officials said. The accused initially told the police during questioning that he was under the “influence of a ghost,” police said. However, he later said he was unaware that pressing the emergency exit button could open the aircraft door.. ALSO READ | IndiGo flight reports engine failure mid-air, makes safe emergency landing in Delhi. According to officials, IndiGo flight 6E-185 (aircraft VT-IRW) from Bengaluru was approaching Varanasi airport around 10:20 pm on Saturday when the passenger allegedly tried to open the emergency exit door moments before touchdown.. Acting swiftly, the pilot executed a go-around, averting any potential danger. The aircraft eventually landed safely at approximately 10:35 pm. The incident triggered panic among over 100 passengers who were on board.. Officials said the passenger, identified as Mohammad Adnan, 26, had earlier attempted to tamper with the emergency exit shortly after the flight departed from Bengaluru, but was restrained and pacified by the cabin crew.. Following the safe landing, the accused was handed over to the airline’s security and the CISF, who subsequently transferred him to the local police, in accordance with security protocols.. He was booked under Section 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) based on a complaint filed by IndiGo assistant security manager Devanshu Pratap Singh, said Phulpur station house officer (SHO) Atul Kumar Singh.. Confirming this, deputy commissioner of police (Gomti Zone) Akash Patel said, “After interrogation, a notice was served to the accused passenger. He was later handed over to his parents. Investigations are ongoing.”