Month: May 2025

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Banking on the forecast of a good monsoon rainfall in most parts of the country this year, govt on Thursday set a target of record foodgrain output of 354 million tonne (MT) for the 2025-26 crop year (July-June), which is nearly 4% higher than the target of 2024-25 and over 6.5% more than the actual production of 2023-24.The foodgrains basket comprises of paddy, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.The target, set after taking inputs from all states, was discussed during a national conference on Kharif campaign where policy makers and farm scientists brainstormed over preparedness and availability of adequate inputs (quality seeds, fertilisers, etc.) ahead of the sowing season. IMD had last month predicted 'above normal' rainfall for most parts of the country, including the 'monsoon core zone', where farmers depend on seasonal rainfall. Good monsoon rains (June-Sept) […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Observing the increasing prevalence of live-in relationships in recent years, Supreme Court has stated that if two able-minded adults reside together as live-in partners for more than a couple of years, a presumption would arise that they voluntarily chose that kind of relationship, fully aware of its consequences. Therefore, allegation that such a relationship was entered into based on a promise of marriage may be deemed unworthy of acceptance.While quashing criminal proceedings against a man who was accused of rape charges by his live-in partner, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Manoj Misra said physical relationship continued for over two years without a complaint in between and a presumption would arise of there being a valid consent for initiating and maintaining the physical relationship."A decade or two earlier, live-in relationships might not have been common. But […]

[ad_1] Allahabad HC (File photo) Pocso Act is "never meant to criminalise consensual romantic relationships between adolescents", Allahabad HC observed while granting bail to an 18-year-old boy arrested in March for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girlfriend. Counsel for the accused contended before HC that it is a case of consensual relationship and that there is no medical corroboration of the incident.In its order dated April 29, HC said it would amount to perversity of justice if the statement of the victim was ignored and the accused was left to suffer in jail.Stressing that consensual relationships born out of love should be considered while granting bail, Justice Krishan Pahal said Pocso Act, enacted to protect children under the age of 18 years from sexual exploitation, has become a tool for their exploitation. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] HYDERABAD: Three junior commandos of Greyhounds, Telangana's elite anti-Naxalite force, were killed and an assistant assault commander was critically injured in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists near the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in Mulugu district on Thursday.This is the first instance of police casualties in anti-Maoist operations in the state since 2024 and comes a day after 22 Maoists were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur.Thursday's ambush by a group of 40 Maoists took place around 6 am in the Wazeedu-Perur forest region, where Greyhounds and Mulugu district special police teams were conducting counter-insurgency sweeps to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs).Reds may have had intel on police movementsDirector general of police Jitender, in a statement, said: "While search operations were underway in the Nugur forest near Peddagutta, 4 km northeast of Penugolu village, around 35-40 Maoists, including armed women […]

[ad_1] JAIPUR: A powerful LPG cylinder explosion that rocked Madan Market commercial complex in Bikaner Wednesday has claimed nine lives, with rescue workers recovering six more bodies from the debris Thursday.The blast, which occurred in the second basement of the commercial complex, caused the collapse of two basement floors housing numerous jewellery manufacturing units.Police are investigating the presence of gold and silver buried under the rubble and say action may be taken against those running illegal operations.The incident unfolded around 11am Wednesday when a massive explosion, initially mistaken by locals for an airstrike by Pakistan, tore through the market's basement levels. "Everyone thought it was an airstrike. People panicked and ran for safety," said Manmohan Soni, a local resident.Bikaner SP Kavendra Singh Sagar, who led the rescue operations, said the roofs of several shops collapsed in the explosion, trapping workers […]

[ad_1] Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna NEW DELHI: Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna is understood to have recommended to the Centre to initiate a motion in Parliament for removal of Allahabad high court's Justice Yashwant Varma, who refused to resign despite a judicial inquiry corroborating discovery of huge amount of cash at his official residence in Delhi on March 14.The SC officially said on Thursday that the CJI, in line with the in-house procedure, has written to President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi "enclosing therewith copy of the three-member committee report dated May 3 along with the letter/response dated May 6 received from Justice Varma".Under the in-house procedure, if an inquiry report indicts the judge for corruption or misdemeanour, the CJI would ask the judge concerned to either resign or seek voluntary retirement. If the judge refuses, the CJI is to write […]

[ad_1] MUMBAI: Observing that all, including the main accused Surendrakumar Agrawal, are on bail since the beginning, a special CBI court granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan in a 2009 attempt to murder case. Rajan (69) will continue to remain in jail as he is serving a life sentence for the 2011 murder of journalist J Dey."Without touching the merits of the case, at this juncture, it can be said that the custody of the present applicant is not seen to be necessary for the further trial. It is also seen that if the applicant is released on bail, no impediment would be caused to the prosecution. In such circumstances, the applicant is entitled to bail," Special Judge AM Patil said on Wednesday.Agrawal is the grandfather of a teen accused in the Pune Porsche crash case that killed two software […]