The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments to respond to appeals filed by two convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case of 2002 against their conviction and the sentence of life imprisonment handed out to them by the Bombay high court in 2017.. The Supreme Court issued notice to the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments (PTI FILE). A bench of justices Rajesh Bindal and Vijay Bishnoi issued notice on the appeals moved by Bipinchand Kanaiyalal Joshi and Pradip Ramanlal Modhiya and posted the matter for hearing on May 5.. The two, represented by senior advocates Sidharth Luthra and Sonia Mathur, are the first to challenge their conviction in the March 2002 case amid the Gujarat communal riots when Bano was trying to escape along with her family. The riots broke out in the aftermath of the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002.. Bano, a 21-year-old pregnant woman at the time, was gangraped and several members of her family were killed. Eleven people were charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which probed the case following an order of the top court in December 2003.. In August 2004, the Supreme Court shifted the trial to Mumbai. The designated court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment in 2008. The Bombay high court upheld their conviction and sentence on May 4, 2017.. Luthra told the court that the delay in challenging the high court order was due to developments during the interregnum, as the accused were granted remission by the Gujarat government on August 10, 2022, after which they were released. Bilkis Bano and others challenged the government order in the top court, which set it aside in January 2024. The convicts subsequently surrendered and are currently lodged in a jail in Gujarat.. The top court’s order was passed on the ground that the power to grant remission in this case lay with the Maharashtra government, and the Gujarat government “usurped” this power.. The 11 convicts were convicted under sections 302 (murder) and 376(2)(g) (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code. 

 Over 50 Indian nationals have entered Armenia and Azerbaijan from neighboring Iran, raising the total number of people crossing land borders in recent days to more than 700, according to the external affairs ministry on Tuesday. FILE: Passengers with their luggage at the airport as the second repatriation flight in Beirut. (@IndiaInLebanon X/ANI Photo) (@IndiaInLebanon). The Indian embassy in Tehran is assisting Indian nationals, mainly students and pilgrims, in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan via land borders, as Iranian airspace is still closed. Approximately 9,000 Indians were in Iran when Israel and the US initiated military strikes on February 28, sparking the conflict. Follow the latest updates on the US-Iran conflict. Among the 550 Indians who arrived in Armenia in recent days were 284 pilgrims, with 130 of them returning to India on Tuesday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. “We have 50 more Indian nationals who have entered Armenia, and a few more in addition to Azerbaijan,” Jaiswal stated. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, told the briefing that 161 Indian seafarers had been repatriated from West Asia since Monday. He stated that 611 Indian seafarers aboard 22 merchant ships positioned west of the Strait of Hormuz were safe. Jaiswal further noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had addressed the West Asia situation with counterparts from several European Union (EU) member states while visiting Brussels this week for a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council. Also Read: PM Modi speaks to UAE President, stresses on safe navigation through Strait of Hormuz. In addition to discussing India-EU relations, he and the foreign ministers from various EU countries addressed global challenges and their impact on energy security. He stated, “The ministers also emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to achieve an early resolution to this specific conflict.” Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, noted that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had reopened its airspace following a temporary closure early Tuesday morning. 

 Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, stated on Tuesday that his party had passed the “agnipariksha” (trial by fire) following the court verdict in the excise policy case. “There were difficulties at every step.” “We confronted the worst of the situation…” Kejriwal said. (Photo by HT / Sanchit Khanna). Kejriwal challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold fresh Assembly elections in Delhi, asserting that AAP would win if polls were conducted now, according to PTI. This follows a trial court’s decision to discharge Kejriwal and 22 others in the excise policy case, while criticizing the CBI. The court ruled that the agency’s case could not withstand judicial review and was entirely discredited. Commenting on the verdict, the AAP leader noted that some people had been questioning his silence over the past year. Some politicians have thick skin. But I’m just an ordinary person like you. It upsets me when someone calls Kejriwal dishonest. 

 New Delhi: Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on March 19 regarding the stayed University Grants Commission equity regulations, activists on Tuesday called for their immediate enforcement, highlighting the imperative to combat caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions. Activists demand UGC equity rules implementation before March 19 SC hearing. The demand was voiced at a public hearing and press conference held at the Press Club of India by the All India Forum for Equity and Samta Sangharsh Samiti. Speakers highlighted the regulations’ role in combating university discrimination. Controversy arose after the UGC announced the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, on January 13, requiring all affiliated higher education institutions to form equity committees with OBC, SC, and ST representatives to handle discrimination complaints and foster inclusion. The decision faced criticism from various groups, who argued it could be abused to stir caste tensions and poison the academic atmosphere. In response to the outcry, the Supreme Court on January 29 stayed the UGC’s equity regulations on campus caste discrimination, deeming the framework “prima facie vague,” potentially leading to “very sweeping consequences” and risking societal division with a “dangerous impact.” “If we do not intervene, it will lead to a dangerous impact, will divide society and will have a grave impact… Prima facie, we say that the language of the regulation is vague and experts need to look into it for the language to be modulated so that it is not exploited,” stated a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The court also directed the Centre and UGC to reply by March 19 to three petitions challenging the University Grants Commission Regulations, 2026, which define caste-based discrimination narrowly as bias against SCs, STs, and OBCs. Delhi University faculty member Kanchan condemned “institutional murders” in universities and underscored the need for clauses 3 and 3. She argued that fears of “false complaints” dismiss victims’ realities. Senior journalist Anil Chamadia remarked, “The resistance to UGC regulations reveals the hierarchical nature of Indian society lurking behind a constitutional facade.” Additional speakers pointed out that caste discrimination persists outside UGC institutions and stressed the importance of “strengthening collective platforms” for the anti-caste movement. Student activists affiliated with left-wing groups from multiple Delhi universities also attended the conference. This article was produced from an automated news agency feed with no changes to the text. 

 YSRCP leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused TDP on Tuesday of being the sole political party whose MP, P Mahesh Kumar, was nabbed in a drugs case. TDP ‘only’ party with parliamentarian caught in drugs case: YSRCP chief Jagan. Telangana police raided a farmhouse owned by former BRS MLA Rohit Reddy near Hyderabad, where Kumar was caught using drugs and subsequently released. The former chief minister criticized the ruling TDP, questioning its governance and law enforcement. “TDP is the only party whose MP has been implicated in a drug case,” Reddy stated during an internal YSRCP meeting at the party’s central office in Tadepalli. Citing the drug incident, he challenged the ruling party’s reliability and dedication to administration. The opposition figure claimed women are unsafe in the state and accused the NDA coalition of sidestepping problems by forming committees rather than acting decisively. He highlighted a sharp difference between the prior YSRCP administration and the current TDP-led NDA government, saying households statewide are voicing discontent. Reddy accused the NDA alliance of corruption, noting that his YSRCP government took over a state with just ₹100 crore in the treasury in 2019. Despite Covid-19 hurdles, he said the previous YSRCP regime implemented fixes, sustained welfare initiatives, and fully executed its manifesto. Of more than ₹3.3 lakh crore in borrowings, he noted that ₹2.7 lakh crore went to welfare for the underprivileged. He charged the NDA with fiscal irresponsibility, pointing out it borrowed over ₹3.3 lakh crore in two years without delivering on election pledges. He further claimed falling state revenues, lands sold cheaply, and corruption plaguing projects in the greenfield capital of Amaravati. TDP offered no immediate reply to Reddy’s claims. Reddy announced plans to launch a padayatra soon to address public grievances, emphasizing priority for party workers in this phase. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.