Amid continuing protests by both “genuine” and “tainted” losers of teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools in West Bengal following a Supreme Court order earlier this month, a new angle of irregularity has surfaced.

The irregularity concerns a section of the “tainted” candidates already identified by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). These candidates were shown as “non-joined” as per the records of the school education department, which means that these teaching and non-teaching staff have not joined duty despite getting appointments.

The question has now surfaced -- if such candidates were marked as “non-joined” as per records of the state education department, how could they draw salaries for so many years?

Activist Medha Patkar was arrested here on Friday after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena.

She was arrested by the Delhi Police in the morning and will be produced in the court later in the day.

A court here on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Patkar over her non-appearance and non-compliance with the sentence order in connection with a decades-old defamation case filed by Delhi L-G Saxena. The court had observed that she was deliberately flouting its sentencing order to submit probation bonds and Rs one lakh as fine in the defamation case filed in 2001.

The Karnataka cabinet, in a special meeting held in Chamarajanagar district on Thursday, passed a resolution condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and also demanded an investigation into the lapses that led to it.

"Our government strongly condemns the terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. It has been decided to extend heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people of the state to all those who lost their lives," the resolution said.

"The terrorist attacks must be deemed as heinous acts committed against humanity. The entire nation must unite and strive to completely uproot all forms of terrorism."

The resolution also demanded a thorough and appropriate investigation into the lapses.

A team of the District Town and Country Planning (DTCP) department conducted a demolition drive in Gurugram's Sohna block, where ten illegal colonies were being developed over an area of around 15 acres, the officials said on Thursday.

The district town planner, along with its team, carried out a demolition drive in the area.

DTCP officials claimed that these colonies were being developed illegally in Alipur, Ghamroj, Bhondsi, and Sehjawas villages without prior permission from the concerned department.

During the drive, three illegal colonies were demolished in Alipur village. It was coming up over eight acres of land. During this, 7 boundary walls, an under-construction house, and a road network were demolished.

 J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that he is in touch with state governments where harassment of Kashmiris is being reported in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

“The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I’m also in touch with other Chief Ministers in these states and have requested they take extra care,” he wrote on X.

The Chief Minister was responding to a post by ruling National Conference (NC) spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention after videos of Kashmiris being harassed emerged on social media.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that foreigners overstaying their visas in the state are under watch against the backdrop of Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives.

His statement comes after the Union Home Ministry's direction to monitor foreign nationals residing in the country.

Interacting with reporters at the Male Mahadeshwara helipad, CM Siddaramaiah stated that wherever terrorists may be, it is the central government's responsibility to eliminate them.

"There must be no leniency that allows terrorist activities to take place. The Pahalgam incident is highly condemnable and inhumane. I strongly denounce it. Since the Pulwama attack also took place in the same district, extra caution should have been exercised. Security arrangements should not have been relaxed. This indicates a failure of the intelligence system," Siddaramaiah said.

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite all the parties, including those having one MP, to the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Owaisi said that since this is a national issue, everyone must be heard.

The Lok Sabha member posed on X on Thursday that he spoke to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night regarding the Pahalgam all-party meeting.

“He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long”. When I asked “What about us, the smaller parties?” He joked that my voice is anyway too loud,” posted Owaisi.

The Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, on Wednesday condemned the attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Expressing grief over the incident, he offered prayers before the Akal Purakh, seeking eternal peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families to accept His will.

He also prayed that such inhumane acts should never occur anywhere in the world and that peace and harmony should prevail across the nation and the world.

Jathedar Gargaj said the Pahalgam tragedy deeply pained him and reminded him of the March 2000 massacre in Chittisinghpura in Kashmir in which 35 Sikhs were killed, but the truth was "yet to come to light".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the tourists who were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

"We are coordinating with the tourists. We have made arrangements for those who have contacted us. We are bringing some of them through Indigo. After reviewing the arrangements, Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol will request IndiGo to provide an additional plane. The minister is looking after the arrangements for the necessary tickets. They will be brought to Maharashtra as soon as possible, as they are scared due to this incident," CM Fadnavis said in a statement.

He said state ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha are reviewing the arrangements at Mumbai Airport. In Pune, Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Minister of State Madhuri Misal are engaged in the coordination.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of security arrangements in the state in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and asked to ensure strong security arrangements at all religious and public places in the state.

The meeting here saw the presence of top officers of the police and civil administration.

"We will not allow any compromise with national security. Strong security arrangements have been made at all religious places and public places in the state", Mann wrote in a post in Punjabi on X after the meeting.

"The number of security forces has also been increased in educational institutions. It is our responsibility to ensure the safe return of Punjabis stranded in Jammu and Kashmir, and for this, we are constantly in touch with the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The safety of the people of Punjab is our top priority", he added.

The Congress party on Wednesday strongly condemned the "cowardly" terror attack that left more than two dozen tourists dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, stating that those responsible for such heinous crimes "cannot be humans."

Addressing a press conference, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, party spokesperson Pawan Khera, and Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar expressed their deep anguish over the tragic incident and extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families.

"Every single Indian is in deep shock and pain," Khera said.

Kharge said the attack, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Baisaran Valley, has left the entire nation "deeply hurt, shocked, and saddened." He called the incident an outrageous act of terror and a direct assault on the unity and integrity of India.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed many lives and left scores injured.

At least 26 tourists have been killed after gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir.

Terming it a cowardly act, the Chief Minister said such incidents were unacceptable in a civilised society and anti-social elements must be curbed at all costs.

"Our hearts go out to the victims and their families during this incredibly painful time. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the families of the victims and with all those affected by this barbaric act," he said in a statement.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district that claimed 26 lives.

Calling the attack unfortunate, he said: "No amount of condemnation is enough."

"In this hour of grief, the government stands with the families of those who have lost their lives in this incident. I will pray to God to give place to their brave souls at his lotus feet. Strict action should be taken against those who carried out this heinous incident," he said.

"The cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam is unfortunate. My condolences are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. The government is fully with the families who have suffered. No one who carried out this disgusting act will be spared," he said.

Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor on Monday slammed the Bihar government over the caste census, saying that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is ‘deceiving the public’ over the issue.

“Nitish Kumar is deceiving the public over the caste census, land surveys, and employment promises,” the Jan Suraaj chief told media persons in Bihar.

Prashant Kishor also demanded bring White Paper on the caste census Implementation in Bihar.

“Why reservation cap was not increased after the caste survey data was presented in the Assembly. If the JDU-BJP alliance governs both the state and the Centre, what’s stopping them from raising the reservation limit?” he said.

The Panchayats of Goniana Block in Bathinda district have taken a historic decision in support of the Mann government’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh.’ All village sarpanches have passed a resolution stating that drug peddlers in the villages will face collective boycott and will not receive social support of any kind.

The resolution also mentioned that the Panchayats will actively work at their own level to identify drug peddlers, hand them over to the police, and assist in legal proceedings against them. Furthermore, individuals who quit drugs will be honored by the Panchayats and provided with every possible assistance to reintegrate into normal life.

Aam Aadmi Party Punjab leader and senior spokesperson Neel Garg praised this resolution and thanked all the sarpanches. He said that any movement succeeds only when it receives public support. Therefore, this decision is immensely significant for the campaign led by the AAP government against drugs. He added that change is coming to the villages, and Punjab will soon become completely drug-free.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is on a US visit, has raised serious concerns over the integrity of India’s electoral process, alleging voter fraud and accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being compromised.

Addressing members of the Indian diaspora in Boston during his visit to the United States, Gandhi cited discrepancies in the voter turnout figures during the Maharashtra Assembly elections as a key example.

“More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are registered voters,” Gandhi claimed.

“The Election Commission gave us a figure at 5.30 in the evening. Then, between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m., 65 lakh additional votes were cast. That is physically impossible to manage in just two hours.”

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday inspected Minto Bridge and two other waterlogging-prone points for preparedness to tackle waterlogging, promising that her team was working on war footing to save the city from coming to a standstill due to marooning in monsoon.

“We are installing automatic pumps and laying a 2.5-km pipe to prevent water collection under the bridge,” she said, during an inspection in which she was accompanied by Minister Parvesh Verma, responsible for irrigation, flood control and water.

Inspecting the provisions for rainwater inlet and pumping facilities at the colonial-era Minto Bridge, CM Gupta said the government is working in a time-bound manner and conducting checks in advance to “ensure that not even a drop of rainwater” gets collected during rains.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said the government is committed to promoting sports not just as a career option but also as a way of life. He said sports are being made compulsory at the school level across the state to ensure a balanced development of physical and mental health from an early age.

He said a resolution has been taken to provide medical insurance cover of Rs 20 lakh to every player. The Chief Minister was addressing the gathering after formally inaugurating the third All India Shiv Kumar Smriti Basketball Competition in Kiloi village in Rohtak district, the stronghold of two-time Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

On this occasion, he announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for development works at the Shiv Kumar Smriti Stadium, the construction of a Mahila Chaupal in the village, and assured that various other local demands would be fulfilled soon.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a raid on retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja's residence in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday.

The raids are believed to be conducted in search of further documentary evidence in the Rs 2000 crore Chhattisgarh liquor and other scams.

Reports said a Delhi-based special team of the agency, comprising six members, searched the premises for incriminating evidence. This recent raid ties into a series of ongoing probes into several scams, including the Naan scam, the Mahadev app betting scam, and allegations of corruption in coal allocation and excise dealings.

Tuteja’s name has repeatedly surfaced as a pivotal figure in these scandals, making him a prime accused in the multi-layered investigations.

His financial dealings and alleged role in these murky operations have drawn the keen attention of authorities.

Calling the near-defunct National Herald newspaper as an ATM of the Congress, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday targeted the grand old party for following the policy of “family first, party next” and said the ED case has shown that its leaders have been “caught cheating, yet again”.

Hitting out at the Congress for its legacy of alleged corruption since the time of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Thakur said, "Whenever we talk about National Herald... it gives sensation to the entire ecosystem of the Congress party. It is obvious that they would get a sensation as they have been caught stealing red-handed yet again. If you look at the history of Congress, several scams have come to light since Independence."

He said the ED probe has shown that the Congress leaders tried to acquire property worth Rs 2,000 crore by paying Rs 50 lakh, exposing the “Congress model of corruption”.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday assured strict action in the brutal murder of a 17-year-old boy in the New Seelampur area of the national capital, saying that the family will get justice.

CM Gupta said, “I have spoken to the Police Commissioner myself. The deceased, Kunal, was attacked with a knife and was declared dead at the hospital. Those behind the murder will be arrested soon. The family will get complete justice, there will be no shortage. FIR has been registered.”

The incident occurred around 7.38 p.m. on Thursday in J-Block of New Seelampur, when the victim, identified as Kunal, son of Rajveer and a resident of the same locality, was reportedly attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. According to police officials, the local police station (PS Seelampur) received information about the stabbing incident shortly after it happened.

Kunal was immediately rushed to JPC Hospital for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday inspected the Ghazipur landfill site in east Delhi and reviewed the progress of remediation work and assessed the current environmental and infrastructural conditions.

After assessing progress of the work, the Minister also planted a sapling at the landfill site that is proposed to be converted into a green zone after removing the mountains of garbage.

“Guided by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji and the leadership of CM @gupta rekha Ji, we remain committed to building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Delhi,” the Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife wrote in a message on social media platform X.

The ongoing remediation work at Ghazipur involves removing and processing the waste, including separating components like plastic, paper, and bricks, through bio-remediation processes. It is a part of the larger plan to become garbage mountain free by the end of 2026.

Amid mounting troubles for the Gandhi-Vadra families over money laundering investigations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be travelling to the US next week.

He is scheduled to give a talk and interact with the faculty members and students at Brown University in Rhode Island on April 21 and 22.

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera shared the details in his post on X.

He wrote, “Former Congress President Mr. Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Brown University, in Rhode Island, United States, on the 21st and 22nd of April. He will be giving a talk and interacting with faculty members and students”

Rahul Gandhi will also meet the NRIs and members of his party’s overseas unit.

The family members of Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das, the father and son killed in the violence in Murshidabad district of West Bengal last week in which three people died, have declined the compensation offered by the state government.

Last week riot-like situations surfaced in different pockets of minority-dominated Murshidabad district after protests over the newly-promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent.

As per the complaint filed by the family members of the deceased father and son, residents of Samserganj in Murshidabad district, a group of protesters entered their residence on the morning of April 12.

They reportedly hacked the two men to death in front of their family members.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a meeting with the Imams, Muezzins, and religious leaders from the Muslim community on the impact and protests of the Waqf Act, announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each family of the victims of the violence.

Preparations are underway for the smooth conduct of polls to elect Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on April 25.

Political parties are vying to ensure the win of their candidates in the polls and making strategies for that.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress are holding meetings with their leaders and party workers for the polls.

AAP is trying to retain the Mayoral post while the BJP wants to wrest the seat.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the MCD are elected by the councillors, 10 members of Parliament and some nominated members of the Legislative Assembly.

The voting process is secret, and the members exercise their right through ballot papers. This time, special arrangements are in place to maintain transparency.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing it of exploiting Dalits for political gains.

In a series of posts on X on Thursday, the BSP leader said the SP, like other parties, has been trying to incite tension and violence by using Dalits as political tools.

She posted on X in Hindi, "It is known that, like other parties, SP too is creating an environment of tension and violence by putting forward people of the party, especially Dalits, and its controversial statements, allegations and counter-allegations and programmes etc., seem to be their politics of extreme narrow selfishness."

She cautioned Dalits, OBCs and Muslims against SP's political tactics, saying the party can go to any extent to get Dalit votes.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an interim order, on Wednesday asked the Punjab government not to take "coercive" action against Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa till April 22.

The high court also sought the government’s response on Congress legislator Bajwa’s plea to quash the first information report (FIR) against him for spreading misleading information that endangers the country's sovereignty and unity.

A vacation bench of Justice Deepak Gupta, while issuing a notice returnable by April 22, said "no coercive" action shall be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing.

Bajwa approached the High Court on Tuesday, seeking the quashing of the FIR. He purportedly told a news channel that "50 bombs had been sneaked into the state, out of which 18 had exploded and 32 more are still there".

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, accused the Union government of being responsible for the recent tension and violence in the minority-dominated Murshidabad district during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

She also accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of their alleged 'failure' in preventing miscreants from neighbouring Bangladesh from reportedly entering the Indian territory and creating violence in Murshidabad.

“I saw a video related to the National Investigative Agency (NIA), which said that a report of the Union Home Ministry has claimed the involvement of Bangladeshi miscreants behind the chaos in Murshidabad. If that is true, who will take that responsibility? Who is responsible for preventing illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from entering the Indian side? Whose instructions do BSF follow? BSF operates under the instruction of the Union Home Ministry. So what is our fault? Why did the BSF allow the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators to enter?” the Chief Minister questioned while addressing a meeting with the imams, muezzins, and religious leaders from the Muslim community in the state. The meeting has been reportedly convened to prepare the blueprint on how to oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The pilot and co-pilot of a helicopter that was allegedly damaged during former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's visit to Sri Sathya Sai district last week appeared before police on Wednesday.

In response to the notices served by the police, Pilot Anil Kumar and co-pilot S. Jain appeared before the Deputy Superintendent of Police and Circle Inspector at C. K. Palli police station.

Elaborate security arrangements were made around the police station during their questioning.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Jagan Mohan Reddy had reached Papireddypalli village by helicopter on April 8 to console the family of a leader, allegedly murdered by the cadres of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the premises linked to Surana Group and Sai Surya Developers in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The sleuths of the Central agency were searching the offices and residences of the management heads and representatives of the Bhagyanagar Properties, a Surana group company, in connection with a money laundering case.

The ED teams were conducting searches at various premises of the two real estate companies in Secunderabad, Jubilee Hills, and Bowenpally.

In November 2024, Cyberabad Police’s Economic Offences Wing registered a First Information Report (FIR) and arrested Sai Surya Developers promoter K. Satish Chandra Gupta and Bhagyanagar Properties promoter Narendra Surana. They had allegedly defrauded a customer by collecting Rs 1.45 crore as advance payment for a plot in a fabricated and unauthorised layout.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a Bangladeshi citizen who was not only residing in Kolkata after possessing fake Indian identity documents, including a passport, but also was operating a hawala racket from his residence.

The arrested person has been identified as Azad Mullick, the owner of Mullick Trading Corporation. He was arrested late Tuesday night at his residence near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which is located on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

Sources said the investigating officials of the Central agency have tracked that the arrested had transferred Rs 2.62 crore last year from India to Bangladesh using the Hawala route.

Businessman Robert Vadra on Wednesday accused the government of stopping him from “doing good work and speaking about their unjust behaviour towards minorities”.

He said this a day after being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a Gurugram land deal case. As per sources, he will again be questioned by the ED on Wednesday.

Vadra has said that he is innocent and that 'truth will prevail.'

In a Facebook post, Vadra said that his birthday week seva had been hampered by the ED summoning him.

“My Birthday Week Seva has been paused for a few days. Plans I have made for feeding the elderly and gifts for all the children in different areas will be continued as soon as I get over the “Government’s ways of stopping Me”, from doing good and speaking about their unjust behavior towards minorities, or if there are even wishes and talks of me being in politics,” wrote Vadra.

Nine people were arrested for violence over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in West Bengal, Kolkata Police said on Tuesday.

Kolkata Police said the arrests were made in connection with violence at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district on Monday.

The violence was carried out by All India Secular Front (AISF) activists after they were stopped from approaching Kolkata from Bhangar to participate in a rally protesting against the Waqf Act, the police said.

The police have registered five cases in connection with the matter.

The AISF supporters blocked the Basanti Highway in protests, and the tension mounted further as the police tried to remove the blockades using force. During the violence, AISF activists torched five police motorcycles.

Rajasthan's former minister and Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachriyawas criticised the BJP-led Central government following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on properties linked to his family on Tuesday.

"ED functions under the Centre. I don't expect much from this double-engine government. Unnecessary searches are being conducted at my family members' residences," Khachariyawas stated.

"We will cooperate fully with the ED officers and allow the entire search to be carried out, "he said.

Accusing the BJP of political vendetta, he said, "The BJP government is so rattled by my criticism that they ordered these raids. I’ve been speaking out against them for the last one and a half years. They target anyone who raises a voice against them. I knew this day would come, and I’m fully prepared."

Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here on Tuesday after being served a fresh summons in connection with its ongoing probe into a land deal case in Gurugram, Haryana.

The 56-year-old businessman, who is the brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, will record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as per reports.

The case pertains to a land purchase in February 2008 for Rs 7.5 crore by Vadra's Skylight Hospitality in Shikohpur in Haryana's Gurugram district.