MUMBAI: Taking cognisance of the chargesheet, a special court on Monday issued summons to businessman Ripu Sudan Kundra, popularly known as Raj Kundra, in connection with the Rs 6,600 crore “Gain Bitcoin” Ponzi scheme money laundering case. The court directed Kundra and another accused, Rajesh Satija, to appear before it on Jan 19, 2026. The Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case originated from multiple FIRs registered by the Maharashtra and Delhi Police against Variable Tech Private Limited and several individuals, including now-deceased Amit Bhardwaj.The order was delivered by special Judge RB Rote following submission of a supplementary prosecution complaint by the central agency. Special Public Prosecutor Kavita Patil, representing the agency, presented the case during the proceedings. In the formal order, the judge stated, “Issue process against accused No. 17 Ripu Sudan Kundra alias Raj Kundra and accused No. 18 Rajesh Ram Satija… for the offence under section 3 punishable under section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.”The ED alleged that the promoters collected vast sums in Bitcoins from the public by promising a 10% monthly return. Instead of using thesefunds for Bitcoin mining as promised, the promoters reportedly cheated investors and concealed the assets in obscure online wallets.According to the investigation, Kundra allegedly received 285 Bitcoins from the mastermind, Amit Bhardwaj, for the purpose of establishing a mining farm in Ukraine. The agency claimed these Bitcoins were derived from the proceeds of crime. As the deal never materialised, the agency claimed Kundra remained in possession of these assets, which were valued at more than Rs 150 crore.Last year, the agency provisionally attached properties worth Rs 97.79 crore, including a residential flat in Juhu held in the name of Kundra’s wife, actor Shilpa Shetty, and a bungalow in Pune.In Dec, the judge granted the ED’s application to issue a “Letter of Request” to the Central Authority of the UAE. This formal request, submitted through Special Public Prosecutor Kavita Patil, sought legal assistance to execute attachment orders against immovable properties acquired in the UAE using the proceeds of the crime. “This court is satisfied that for the purpose of legal assistance and the execution of orders… it is necessary to issue a letter of request to the Central Authority, United Arab Emirates for seeking legal assistance and execution of the orders,” the judge said.

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An IPL match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Lucknow Super Giants. (File photo)

Bangladesh on Monday banned the broadcast of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, citing the removal of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the tournament. The decision followed instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release the Bangladesh fast bowler from their 2026 squad.The IPL season is scheduled to begin on March 26.

The ban came a day after Bangladesh decided not to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup and asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move all of its group matches to Sri Lanka, the tournament’s co-host.

What Bangladesh government said

“It has come to attention that Mustafizur Rahman, a star player from Bangladesh, has been instructed to be dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches,” the Bangladesh government said in an official statement.“No logical reason for such a decision (Rahman’s release) by the BCCI is known, and such a decision has saddened, hurt, and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh,” the notification said.“In this situation, until further notice, it is requested by order to stop the broadcasting/telecasting of all matches and programs of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This order is issued with the approval of the proper authority and in the public interest,” the release added.Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the decision to ask KKR to release Rahman was taken due to “developments all around,” without giving further details.Relations between India and Bangladesh have been under strain since the removal of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 after anti-government protests. She was later sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal over her alleged role in a crackdown during the protests, in which several students were killed. Violence against minorities has been reported since her removal.

Sarat Chakraborty Mani and Rana Pratap Bairagi (Images/X)

Bangladesh witnessed two deaths within 24 hours in a fresh spike of violence against its minority Hindu community. The incidents have triggered serious concerns over law and order and the safety of minorities. The back-to-back killings take the toll to six Hindu deaths in 18 days, with the latest victims identified as Sarat Chakraborty Mani (40), a grocery shop owner killed in Narsingdi on Monday night and Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who was shot and had his throat slit in Manirampur, Jashore, on the same day.Mani was attacked with sharp weapons at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila while he was running his shop as usual. Bangladesh news channel Blitz reported, citing eyewitnesses, that unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him, leaving him critically injured. As locals rushed him to the hospital, he died on the way.Sarat Chakraborty Mani was the son of Madan Thakur, a resident of Sadharchar Union in Shibpur Upazila. His wife, Antara Mukherjee, is a homemaker and he is survived by a 12-year-old son, Abhik Chakraborty.Mani had earlier worked in South Korea and returned to Bangladesh a few years ago. He later built a house in Brahmandi, Narsingdi town, where he lived with his family.A family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mani lived a simple and peaceful life and had no disputes with anyone. He was, however, deeply troubled by the deteriorating situation in the country.On December 19, he wrote in a Facebook post: “So much fire everywhere, so much violence. My birthplace has turned into a valley of death,” according to Blitz.Mani’s neighbour described him as calm, humane and socially responsible, stating that he had no enemies. According to the neighbour, the only possible reason for his killing was that he was Hindu.

Hindu journalist killed in targeted Jashore assault

Mani’s killing came on the same day as the murder of Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi (also known as Rana Pratap) in Manirampur, Jashore. The 45-year-old factory owner and acting editor of BD Khobor was shot multiple times in the head and his throat was slit in the Kopalia Bazar area.Monirampur Police station officer-in-charge Md Raziullah Khan said the attack took place around 6 pm. He said: “Rana was shot three times in the head, and his throat was slit. Upon receiving the news, we went to the scene. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. We are investigating the perpetrators.”Police recovered seven bullet casings from the spot.Witness Ripon Hossain said the attackers arrived on a motorcycle, called Rana out of his ice factory, shot him multiple times and fled immediately. Rana was the son of a schoolteacher from Arua village in Keshabpur upazila and had been running his ice factory for two years.Rana’s murder followed a series of brutal attacks on Hindus across Bangladesh.In Mymensingh district, Dipu Chandra Das, a local garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob, after which his body was hung from a tree and set on fire last month.Another killing was reported last week, when Khokon Das (50), a Hindu pharmacy owner and bKash mobile banking agent, was attacked while returning home after closing his shop in Keherbhanga Bazaar. He was assaulted by three to four attackers near the Tilai area and later died from his injuries.Last week, Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead while on duty at a factory in Mymensingh.

Sexual violence against Hindu women adds to minority fears

Alongside these killings, sexual violence against Hindu women has also sparked outrage. In Jhenaidah district, a 40-year-old Hindu widow was allegedly tortured, raped, tied to a tree and had her hair cut by two local men. The survivor was rescued unconscious and admitted to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.Hospital superintendent Dr Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman said: “Later, through medical examination, we came to know that she had been subjected to torture.”Jhenaidah additional superintendent of police Bilal Hossain said: “We have called the victim to the police station and registered her complaint. After completing the investigation, the police will take strict legal action against those responsible.”The two accused have since been arrested.The string of killings and assaults has drawn international attention. India has expressed concern over what it described as “unremitting hostility” faced by minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation.

The Pakistan ODI captain, Shaheen Afridi, was ruled out of competitive cricket following an injury during a BBL match between the Brisbane Heat and the Adelaide Strikers. A major update has been issued confirming his recovery from the knee injury ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan have set their 2026 ICC T20 World Cup preparations in motion as they have announced the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka from the 7th of January. As per the understandings between the BCCI and the PCB, Pakistan will play all their matches outside India in a neutral venue.

With Sri Lanka as the official co-hosts of the competition, Pakistan are scheduled to play the entire tournament in the Lankan islands, and if they reach the knockouts, then even those shall be played in Sri Lanka. Hence, PCB announced the Sri Lanka tour on short notice and with approval from the SLC.

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Shaheen Afridi’s return date finalized ahead of ICC T20 World Cup

Pakistan had lost their seasoned pacer Shaheen Afridi ahead of the marquee tournament. Pakistan had to sustain injury blows to one of their most crucial campaigners in the ICC tournaments, Shaheen Afridi. The Pakistan ODI skipper suffered a knee injury during a BBL contest with the Brisbane Heat.

He was hence ruled out for the remainder of the BBL season, while other Pakistani players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf continued to star in the Australian T20 league.

The latest update through reports on Shaheen Afridi has clarified that the pacer has begun his rehab for his knee injury at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, and the doctors and physios have recommended him a one-week rehab.

Marking the end of his rehab, Afridi will resume bowling in the nets after his MRI report is satisfactory and no serious injury concern is noted through the reports.

🚨UPDATE ON SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI’S INJURY 🇵🇰

– He has begun rehab for his knee in NCA Lahore

– Doctors have recommended a 1-week rehab
– He will resume bowling after that.MRI report is satisfactory no serious injury,( Qadir Khawaja) pic.twitter.com/B4PG0qtllq

— junaiz (@dhillow_) January 5, 2026

Shaheen Afridi did not have a promising season in the BBL

The left-handed bowling all-rounder from Pakistan did not have a very promising debut in the Big Bash League. He was picked by the Brisbane Heat and featured in all four games before he was ruled out with an injury.

Playing for the Heat in his maiden BBL season, Afridi was quite ineconomical and leaked away a lot of runs in his spells. In the four matches, he managed to pick just 2 wickets, one against the Perth Scorchers and the other against the Sydney Thunder.

He also played against his teammates Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan, who are playing the BBL for the Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades, respectively.

Will Shaheen Afridi play the Australia T20I series before the World Cup?

Shaheen was not picked in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming three-match T20I tour to Sri Lanka. The injury might have forced the PCB not to consider him for the preparatory series for the World Cup. However, a few days later, he was named in Pakistan’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup.

Citing his major miss in the Sri Lanka tour, Shaheen might look forward to featuring in the home series against Australia. Australia and Pakistan were likely to schedule a three-match T20I series between January 30th and the 5th of February, while the ODI league of the series would be held in March after the proceedings of the ICC T20 World Cup.

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NEW DELHI: Holding that delay in trial and long incarceration cannot be a “trump card” to get bail in UAPA offences and that a court cannot treat liberty of an accused as the sole criterion and societal security as peripheral, Supreme Court Monday rejected bail pleas of student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case but granted relief to other five co-accused — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.

The case relates to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turning violent, leading to communal clashes during the visit of US President Trump in 2020.

Khalid and Imam, who along with others have been in jail for over five years, may have to spend another year in prison as the bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said they can apply afresh after a year or after all protected witnesses have been examined, whichever is earlier.The bench cited “hierarchy of culpability” to say Khalid and Imam stood on a different footing than the others.

Granting bail is the discretionary power of a court and the outcome of a bail plea largely depends on the approach of a bench and that perhaps explains inconsistency of Supreme Court’s in the recent past in deciding cases, particularly those related to serious offences under special acts like PMLA and UAPA which provide stringent bail conditions..In some cases, like those of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister, Senthil Balaji, accused’s constitutional right to speedy trial was given precedence over the seriousness of the alleged offence and bail was granted on the ground of long incarceration and delay in trial. In some others; for instance, Gurvinder Singh v State of Punjab, gravity of the offence has been the deciding factor, with SC expressly cautioning against the mechanical invocation of prolonged incarceration as a ground for bail in cases involving serious offences under special enactments.While dealing in UAPA case, a three judge bench had in 2021 held that Section 43D(5) of UAPA per se does not prevent constitutional courts to grant bail on grounds of violation of fundamental rights of accused. “Courts are expected to appreciate legislative policy against grant of bail but the rigours of such provisions will melt down where there is no likelihood of trial being completed within a reasonable time and the period of incarceration already undergone has exceeded a substantial part of the prescribed sentence,” Justice Surya Kant, now the CJI, who penned the judgement for the bench said. Justice Kant had said such an approach would safeguard against the possibility of provisions like Section 43D (5) of UAPA being used as the sole metric for denial of bail or for wholesale breach of constitutional right to speedy trial.While rejecting bail plea of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria referred to 2021 judgement and said “The same decision, however, does not indicate as laying down a mechanical rule under which the mere passage of time becomes determinative in every case arising under a special statute. The jurisprudence of this Court does not support a construction whereby delay simpliciter eclipses a statutory regime enacted by Parliament to address offences of a special category.“It said the proper constitutional question, therefore, is not whether Article 21 (right to life and liberty) is superior to Section 43D (5) of UAPA dealing with the higher bail threshold. “The proper question is how Article 21 is to be applied where Parliament has expressly conditioned the grant of bail in relation to offences alleged to implicate national security. The law does not contemplate an either-or approach. Nor does it contemplate an unstructured blending of statutory and constitutional considerations. What is required is disciplined judicial scrutiny that gives due regard to both”.While granting bail to an accused in 2024 who was under custody for four years and trial had not initiated, SC had said the “the over-arching postulate of criminal jurisprudence that an accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty cannot be brushed aside lightly, howsoever stringent the penal law may be”.The court had said, “If the State or any prosecuting agency including the court concerned has no wherewithal to provide or protect the fundamental right of an accused to have a speedy trial as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution then the State or any other prosecuting agency should not oppose the plea for bail on the ground that the crime committed is serious. Article 21 of the Constitution applies irrespective of the nature of the crime.”In an important ruling, SC in 2024 held that the conventional idea ‘bail is the rule, jail is an exception’ should be applicable not only to IPC offences but also other offences for which special statutes have been enacted like UAPA if the conditions prescribed under that law are fulfilled.In cases of Khalid and Imam the court emphasised that they also contributed to the delay in trial.

Joe Root, now second only to India icon Sachin Tendulkar in overall Test runs, struck 15 boundaries during a commanding 242-ball innings that powered England to 384 in their first innings. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Joe Root kept the door open for a possible return to Australia after producing a masterclass 160 in the fifth Ashes Test on Monday, with the England great showing no signs of winding down. The 35-year-old brought up his second hundred of the series in Sydney, his 41st in Tests, drawing level with Australian legend Ricky Ponting for third place on the all-time list.Root, now second only to India icon Sachin Tendulkar in overall Test runs, struck 15 boundaries during a commanding 242-ball innings that powered England to 384 in their first innings.

With England’s next Ashes tour of Australia scheduled in four years’ time, Root would be 39, leading many to believe that this might have been his final appearance Down Under. His acknowledgement of the crowd as he left the field added to that sentiment, but Root was quick to play down such interpretations.“I think you might be looking into it a little bit too much,” Root said when asked if it was a farewell.“I just felt like we’ve had some amazing support throughout this series, and we’ve not been able to achieve what we set out to as a group.“But at no point has that (support) ever wavered, and that’s never wavered whenever I’ve come out here on tour, it’s been exceptional. And it’s a way of saying thank you, really.”Pressed on whether he could return for another Ashes series in Australia, Root remained non-committal but hopeful.“Who knows? We’ll see. I’d love to, but we’ll see how things unfold in time,” he said.The century was Root’s second of the series, following his sublime unbeaten 138 in the Brisbane day-night Test, which ended a long wait for a hundred in Australia after three previous Ashes tours.Only Tendulkar, with 51 Test centuries, and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, with 45, have more hundreds than Root, who is also closing in on Tendulkar’s record tally of 15,921 Test runs, having amassed 13,937 so far.Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann was effusive in his praise, describing Root as “the best player outside of Bradman” after the Sydney innings.“I’ve said it before, once he ticked off the hundred in Australia, he’ll be the greatest player outside of Bradman, statistically,” Lehmann said on ABC radio.“He’ll break all the records. He’ll beat Tendulkar, he’ll make more hundreds than anyone else. And it’ll take a lot of catching because he’s quite fit.”