India

New Delhi, – Hundreds of passengers faced severe disruption at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, this morning after a major technical fault in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system caused cascading delays for over 100 flights. The glitch, which began late Thursday, forced air traffic controllers to abandon automated processes and resort to manual procedures, drastically slowing the country’s busiest airport operations.   The Root Cause: AMSS Failure   The chaos has been attributed to a malfunction in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS). The AMSS is a critical component of the ATC infrastructure, responsible for automatically transmitting crucial flight plan data, weather updates, and operational messages between ATC and airlines. System Failure: The AMSS crash prevented controllers from automatically receiving flight plans and other necessary data on their screens. Manual Processing: To maintain the highest safety standards, controllers had to revert to a significantly slower manual process: physically compiling and coordinating flight plans using available data. The Bottleneck: This manual workflow severely reduced the number of flights that could be processed per hour, leading to extensive congestion both on the ground and in the airspace. Flight tracking data indicated that the average departure delay climbed to approximately 50 minutes across the day. Airlines Issue Urgent Advisories   Major carriers, including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, immediately issued advisories to their passengers, urging them to check their flight status before heading to the airport. 📢 IndiGo Advisory: “Flight operations at #Delhi Airport are currently experiencing delays due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. As a result, flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted1.” The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages the ATC services, confirmed the issue and stated that technical teams are working to restore the system. However, no definitive timeline for a return to normal operations has been provided. Widespread Impact Beyond Delhi   As a key hub for North India and a major international gateway, the disruption at Delhi Airport has had far-reaching consequences: Cascading Delays: The delays have spread throughout the domestic network, grounding aircraft and disrupting crew schedules across the country. Passenger Frustration: Passengers reported long wait times at boarding gates and inside already-boarded aircraft, with many missing onward connections. The situation underscores the acute dependence of modern aviation on automated digital infrastructure. Advice for Travelers   If you are flying to or from Delhi (IGIA) in the immediate future: Check Status: Do not proceed to the airport without confirming the updated status of your flight directly with your respective airline (e.g., via their website or mobile app). Allow Extra Time: Anticipate and prepare for extended wait times for check-in and security, even after the ATC system is fully restored, due to the lingering backlog. Contact Airline: For rebooking, cancellation, or compensation inquiries, contact your airline’s customer service channels. Would you like me to check for the latest official update on the status of the ATC system restoration at Delhi Airport?

New Delhi, In a significant order aimed at enhancing public safety and addressing the nationwide menace of stray animals, the Supreme Court of India has issued stringent directives for the immediate removal of stray dogs and cattle from key public infrastructure, including railway stations, bus stands, hospitals, educational institutions, and all national and state highways. The three-judge special bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N. V. Anjaria, passed the sweeping directions after noting the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents, particularly in institutional areas, and the fatal accidents caused by stray cattle on high-speed expressways.   Key Directives: Clearing Institutional Areas and Transport Hubs   The Supreme Court’s order, delivered as part of an ongoing suo motu (on its own motion) case concerning stray dog management, focuses on insulating specific high-traffic, sensitive zones from the threat posed by strays. 1. Railway Stations and Public Premises: Immediate Removal and Relocation: All stray dogs must be forthwith removed from the premises of government and private educational institutions, hospitals, public sports complexes, bus stands, depots, and railway stations. No Release Back: Crucially, the court has directed that the dogs so picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up. They must be relocated to a designated shelter after due sterilization and vaccination, as per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. Securing Premises: Administrative heads of these institutions must ensure the premises are secured with adequate fencing, boundary walls, and gates to prevent the ingress of stray dogs. This exercise must be completed within eight weeks. Nodal Officers and Inspection: Every institution must designate a nodal officer responsible for ensuring strays do not enter the campus. Local municipal authorities and Panchayats are mandated to carry out regular inspections at least once every three months.   Zero Tolerance for Strays on Highways   The court also moved decisively to tackle the danger posed by stray cattle and other animals on the country’s road network, affirming earlier directions of the Rajasthan High Court. 2. Highways and Expressways: Mandatory Removal of Cattle: Authorities, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), must ensure the immediate removal of all cattle and other stray animals from national highways, state highways, and national expressways. Joint Coordinated Drive: A joint, coordinated drive must be undertaken to identify stretches where stray cattle are frequently found. Helpline Numbers and Patrols: All major highways must prominently display helpline numbers at regular intervals for commuters to promptly report the presence of stray animals or accidents caused by them. Dedicated highway patrol teams are to be constituted for continuous surveillance and immediate response. Shelter and Care: Removed animals must be kept in appropriate cattle pounds or shelters and provided with necessary food, water, and veterinary care in accordance with the law.   Accountability and Compliance   The Supreme Court has placed the responsibility for strict enforcement squarely on the highest authorities. Chief Secretaries Responsible: The Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the order. Personal Accountability: The court explicitly warned that any “lethargy in this regard shall be viewed seriously,” and the concerned officers will be held personally accountable for non-compliance. Status Reports: States and UTs must file comprehensive status compliance reports detailing the remedial mechanisms within eight weeks before the matter is taken up for further hearing on January 13, 2026. This directive marks a major judicial push for public health and safety, signaling a shift toward more centralized and immediate action to manage the stray animal population in sensitive public areas across India.

New Delhi: On the occasion of the nationwide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, the national song has become the center of a fresh political controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a significant historical charge, accusing India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, of committing a “historic sin” by deliberately truncating the song in 1937, specifically removing stanzas that hailed Goddess Maa Durga.   The Core Allegation: Truncating the National Song   The charge, led by BJP spokespersons and echoed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is focused on the decision taken by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in 1937. The Claim: BJP asserts that the Congress, under the presidency of Nehru, adopted only the first two stanzas of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s original six-stanza composition, omitting the later verses that contained direct devotional references to Hindu deities like Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi. The Motive Cited: According to the BJP, this action was driven by a “communal agenda” to appease certain sensitivities, primarily the concerns raised by sections of the Muslim League who viewed the song’s strong idol-worshipping imagery as exclusionary. Historical Evidence: BJP leaders have cited historical documents, including letters written by Nehru to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1937, where Nehru reportedly stated that the full song’s background was “likely to irritate Muslims” and opined that the song was “not suitable as a national song.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating the year-long commemoration, weighed in on the issue, stating that the decision to drop the important stanzas in 1937 “not only broke the song into pieces but also sowed the seeds of partition.”   The 1937 Context: The Congress Resolution   Vande Mataram, penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s and published in his novel Anandamath in 1882, became the rallying cry of the Indian freedom movement. It was first sung in an Indian National Congress session by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896. The 1937 decision by the CWC followed protests from the Muslim League, especially in provinces where Congress formed governments, over the singing of the full song. The Resolution: The Congress officially adopted only the first two stanzas as the national song, arguing that these initial verses—which depict the motherland in geographical and non-deity-specific terms—were unobjectionable to any community. The later stanzas, which explicitly deified the nation as a manifestation of Goddess Durga, were the ones removed from the Congress’s official public recital. Role of Intellectuals: Historical accounts suggest the CWC resolution was influenced by advice sought from various quarters, including Rabindranath Tagore, who reportedly found the later stanzas, while harmless, potentially objectionable to those who believed in monotheism.   Congress Hits Back: ‘Proud Flagbearer’   The Congress party has swiftly rejected the BJP’s charges, labeling them a “distortion of history.” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that the party has always been the “proud flagbearer” of Vande Mataram, which “awakened the collective soul of the nation.” Congress leaders pointed out that the 1937 decision was an attempt to maintain unity across religious lines during the freedom struggle. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh cited historical accounts, noting that the decision was a crucial step taken to define the song’s place in public life and highlighted that the full song was one of the central symbols of the freedom movement that the Congress championed. The political exchange ensures that as India celebrates 150 years of its powerful national song, the debate over its history, original form, and symbolism will remain intensely political.

New Delhi | November 5, 2025 The upcoming release of the film ‘Haq’, starring Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi, is doing more than just filling cinema seats—it’s reopening one of the most consequential chapters in India’s legal and political history: the landmark Shah Bano Begum case of 1985. Scheduled for release on November 7, the courtroom drama is inspired by the battle of Shah Bano, an Indore woman whose pursuit of dignity and financial security after divorce exposed the deep fault lines between secular law, religious personal laws, and women’s rights in the country. The controversy is already building, with Shah Bano’s own daughter reportedly moving the High Court to seek a stay on the film’s release, alleging unauthorized and misrepresented depiction of her mother’s life.   The Fight for Maintenance: Why Shah Bano Went to Court The story begins in 1978, when 62-year-old Shah Bano Begum, a mother of five, was divorced by her husband, Mohammed Ahmed Khan, a prominent lawyer, after 43 years of marriage. After her husband stopped providing the promised maintenance, she took a courageous step and filed a petition in the local court. Her legal fight was not filed under Muslim Personal Law, but under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). This is a secular, welfare provision that applies to all citizens, regardless of religion, and mandates that a person of sufficient means must provide maintenance to dependents, including a divorced wife who is unable to maintain herself. Her husband contested the plea, arguing that under Muslim Personal Law, his financial obligation was limited to the iddat period—the mandatory waiting period of roughly three months following the divorce—and the payment of Mehr (dower).   The Landmark Verdict That Shook the Nation On April 23, 1985, the Supreme Court of India delivered a unanimous verdict that would reshape the national conversation on gender justice. The five-judge Constitution Bench ruled decisively in Shah Bano’s favor, holding that: Section 125 of CrPC is secular and applies to all citizens to prevent destitution and vagrancy. A divorced Muslim woman is entitled to maintenance from her former husband beyond the iddat period if she cannot maintain herself. The judgment asserted that secular law takes precedence over personal law in matters of maintenance to ensure basic human rights. The court even took the opportunity to express regret that Article 44 of the Constitution, which calls for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC)—a common set of laws governing personal matters for all citizens—remained a “dead letter.”   The Political Overturn: The Act of 1986   The progressive judgment was immediately met with fierce backlash from conservative Muslim groups and clerics, who viewed it as an encroachment on Sharia law and an attack on their religious identity. Massive protests and political polarization ensued. Under immense pressure, the then-Rajiv Gandhi-led government enacted the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. This Act effectively nullified the Supreme Court’s verdict, severely restricting the rights of divorced Muslim women by limiting the husband’s liability for maintenance to only the duration of the iddat period. After that, the woman was to rely on relatives or the state-run Waqf Board.   A Legacy That Endures Today   Despite the political reversal, the spirit of the Shah Bano judgment was later upheld by the Supreme Court through creative interpretation. In the Danial Latifi v. Union of India case, the court ruled that the “reasonable and fair provision and maintenance” mandated by the 1986 Act must be a one-time lump-sum payment made during the iddat period, sufficient to maintain the divorced woman for the rest of her life. This restored much of the financial protection initially granted to Muslim women. The case remains a watershed moment, not just for maintenance law, but for setting the stage for subsequent judicial reforms. It laid the groundwork for the eventual striking down of Triple Talaq (instantaneous divorce) by the Supreme Court in 2017, demonstrating the judiciary’s ongoing role in safeguarding gender equality against the rigidities of personal laws. As ‘Haq’ reaches the silver screen, it serves as a powerful reminder of the arduous fight for a uniform code of justice, where a woman’s fundamental rights stand above religious and political expediency.  

New Delhi | November 5, 2025 In a concerning incident highlighting the persistent religious friction in cross-border relations, Pakistan has reportedly denied entry to seven Indian citizens who were part of a Sikh pilgrimage group (jatha) traveling to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. The stated reason for the denial was simply: “You are Hindu”. The pilgrims were traveling as part of a larger jatha, a group of Sikh devotees, to holy sites in Pakistan to mark the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The denial of entry to members of the group based on their Hindu faith has sparked immediate concern and raised questions about the criteria and discriminatory practices being employed for religious tourism visas.   The Pilgrimage and the Protocol Every year, thousands of Sikh devotees from India travel to Pakistan to visit Gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. These visits are generally facilitated under a bilateral protocol that aims to ensure smooth travel for religious purposes. The inclusion of Hindu members in the jatha is a common occurrence, reflecting the deep cultural and historical ties between Sikhism and Hinduism, as well as the composite nature of Indian society. The pilgrims who were denied entry were following the same religious itinerary as the Sikh members of their group.   A Step Backwards? This incident is particularly jarring as both nations have often sought to use religious pilgrimage as a path for cultural and people-to-people exchanges, notably with the Kartarpur Corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. The reported rationale—that being Hindu disqualifies an Indian citizen from being part of a Sikh pilgrimage group—is a clear case of religious profiling. It directly contradicts the spirit of the pilgrimage, which celebrates a faith whose founder championed universal brotherhood and religious tolerance. The denial of entry based on the identity “You are Hindu” suggests an institutional bias against Indian nationals of a specific faith, even when they are part of a widely recognized religious delegation. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is expected to take up the matter with Pakistani authorities to seek an immediate clarification and ensure that such religious discrimination does not occur in future pilgrimages. The incident casts a shadow over the festive occasion of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary, turning a spiritual journey into an unfortunate episode of bureaucratic and religious exclusion. Would you like to search for official statements from the Indian or Pakistani governments regarding this incident, or would you be interested in an analysis of the visa protocols for religious travel between the two countries?

Ahmedabad, Gujarat – In a shocking case reminiscent of a dark cinematic thriller, police in Ahmedabad have unearthed the skeletal remains of a man who had been missing for over a year, finding the body buried meticulously beneath the kitchen floor of his own home. The startling discovery has blown the lid off an 18-month-old disappearance case, leading to the detention of the deceased man’s wife and her alleged lover. The sensational murder plot, which some local media are already comparing to the plot of the popular Drishyam film franchise, has gripped the city, revealing a calculated attempt to conceal a homicide. The Grimmer Truth Under the Floorboards The victim, whose identity has been confirmed through investigation, was reported missing by his own family approximately a year and a half ago. For months, the case remained shrouded in mystery, with initial inquiries yielding few concrete leads. The breakthrough came recently when the Ahmedabad Crime Branch developed specific intelligence suggesting the man had not simply disappeared but had been murdered and his body hidden inside the very house he shared with his wife. Acting on the tip-off, a police team arrived at the residence and, after a focused search, began digging beneath the kitchen floor. The excavation revealed human skeletal remains, which were immediately sent for forensic analysis to confirm the identity and cause of death. The Conspiracy: Murder and Cover-Up The police investigation, which intensified following the macabre discovery, quickly zeroed in on the victim’s wife and a male acquaintance, her alleged lover. Interrogation of the suspects reportedly led to a confession that detailed the chilling sequence of events. Sources suggest the murder was a result of an illicit relationship between the man’s wife and her paramour. The duo allegedly conspired to eliminate the husband to be together, executing the murder and then going to extreme lengths to conceal the body within the house itself, meticulously cementing the kitchen floor over the grave to destroy all evidence. The audacity of living over the burial site of a murder victim for over a year highlights the sinister nature of the planning. The detention of the wife and her lover marks a significant breakthrough in the case, finally providing closure to the disappearance that had baffled investigators and tormented the victim’s family. Investigation Underway Police have officially detained the two main accused on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. They are now working to determine the exact date and method of the murder, as well as whether any other individuals assisted the couple in planning the crime or disposing of the body. The case serves as a grim reminder of how deeply secrets can be buried and how tenacious police work and forensic science remain crucial in unravelling even the most meticulously planned crimes. The accused are expected to be formally arrested and produced before a magistrate soon as the police gather all necessary evidence to build a strong case.