NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday banned the Class 8 social science textbook that had a section on corruption in judiciary, prohibited its circulation in all forms and asked the school education secretary and NCERT chairperson to show cause why contempt proceedings not be initiated against them despite the Centre tendering an unconditional and unqualified apology for the fiasco.The second day of hearing in the case saw solicitor general Tushar Mehta, right at the outset, apoologising for “the unpardonable mistake” committed by two persons who authored the book and said the govt has taken a decision to permanently bar them from involvement in preparation of any textbook.

SC, however, said that it would not accept the apology at this stage and would inquire whether there was a deliberate and calculated design to denigrate the institution and harm its reputation. SC: Ensure all copies, hard or soft, are seized, removed from public access A shot has been fired mindlessly and the judiciary is bleeding. The design was to defame the judiciary by telling students, their parents and teachers, the entire society, about corruption. As the head of the institution, it is my duty to protect the institution from such macabre and baseless insinuations,” CJI Kant said.The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi ordered, “The NCERT in coordination with the Union and state education depts is directed to ensure that all copies of the book (hard or soft) currently in circulation, whether held in storage, retail outlets, or educational institutions, are seized and removed from public access. Compliance be filed.” Further, it said, “It shall be personal responsibility of NCERT director and the principal of every school where the book has reached to effectuate immediate seizure and sealing of all copies of the book in their premises and submit a compliance report. Ensure that no instruction is imparted based on the subject book. Principal secretaries of all states are to comply.” It asked the NCERT to file compliance within two weeks.“As an abundant precaution, a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book. Any attempt to circumvent this order through electronic means or altered titles shall be seen as direct interference, wilful breach and defiance of directions,” it said.The CJI-headed bench directed NCERT to reveal the name of persons who were entrusted with preparing the textbook, their credentials and submit the minutes of the meetings where the contents of the book were deliberated upon and finalised. The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 11.The bench said the manner in which corruption in judiciary is portrayed in the book by imputing several complaints against judges, a deliberate impression was given that the judiciary has not acted upon those complaints. The solicitor general said the way pendency figures are quoted to mention in the book that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ appears to teach the children that justice is denied in India. Nothing could be farther from truth, he said.Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, A M Singhvi and Vikas Singh termed the portion in the textbook scandalous, calculated and designed to selectively target judiciary to denigrate its image. CJI Kant said politicians, bureaucrats and other professionals are being regularly convicted for various offences and yet judiciary has been blatantly targeted. He said, “The authors forgot that judiciary has played a stellar role in protecting the Constitution, the fundamental rights of citizens and passed series of orders over the last 75 years to protect democracy, not to mention its stellar role in making it possible to provide free legal aid to poor and marginalised sections of the society.” The CJI said on the day the news report was published, the SC secretary general had sought a clarification from the NCERT director.

Indian cricket team (ANI)

India did not just win on Thursday night, they produced one of the most complete batting performances in their T20 World Cup history. The 256 for four against Zimbabwe was their highest total in the tournament and it came with 17 sixes, the joint most India have hit in a T20 World Cup innings, going past the 15 they struck against Australia in Gros Islet in 2024. India have now smashed 63 sixes in this edition, their highest in a single World Cup, with only West Indies on 66 ahead of them overall.What stood out even more was the collective intent. All six Indian batters scored at a strike rate above 150, the first time in T20 World Cup history that six or more players have scored 20-plus runs at that tempo in the same innings. There were only 26 dot balls in the entire 20 overs, equalling the fewest in a completed innings at the tournament. The pressure never dipped and Zimbabwe were forced to chase leather almost throughout.Abhishek Sharma set the tone. After three ducks following his return from illness, he found his rhythm with a 26-ball fifty that reignited India’s charge. Sanju Samson provided early fluency, Ishan Kishan kept the momentum intact and then Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma delivered the knockout blows. Pandya powered his way to an unbeaten fifty, while Tilak, who had faced questions over his strike rate, hammered 44 off 16 balls at a strike rate of 275. India scored 80 runs in the final five overs to put the game out of reach.Zimbabwe had their own highlight through Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 97, the second highest individual score against India in T20 World Cups after Chris Gayle’s 98 in 2010. Bennett’s assault included a 26-run over off Shivam Dube, whose 46 runs conceded in his first two overs became the most by a bowler at that stage of a T20 World Cup match.In the larger picture, this was India rediscovering their attacking identity after a heavy defeat to South Africa. The sixes, the strike rates and the minimal dot balls all reflected a team that recalibrated quickly and struck back with authority, keeping their semifinal hopes alive in emphatic fashion.

CHANDIGARH: Slowing down at a traffic signal proved fatal for two br_{others from Saharanpur when a speeding Mahindra Thar rammed their motorcycle near Kalagram late on Tuesday night. The SUV, driven by an 18-year-old, was later traced and the accused arrested before being released on bail. The victims were identified as Gulsher Ali, 46, and Abdul Subhaan, 44.Though the Thar driver fled after the crash, a passerby noted the vehicle’s registration number, enabling Manimajra police to arrest the accused, Arman of Sector 22, soon after. The suspect, whose father is a head constable, was later released on bail.}

Family members said the brothers had ridden to Chandigarh from Saharanpur on Feb 21 and were staying with a relative in Manimajra for madrassa-related work. Around 11pm on Tuesday, they were headed to meet another relative, with Gulsher riding the motorcycle.As they neared the Kalagram light point, the signal had 4-5 seconds left on red when Gulsher slowed down. The speeding Thar crashed into their bike from behind. Passersby alerted police at 112, and both men were rushed to PGI, where Gulsher was declared dead on arrival. Abdul Subhaan died during treatment.Both brothers taught at a madrassa in Saharanpur. Gulsher is survived by his wife and five children, while Abdul leaves behind his wife and four children. After the postmortem, Manimajra police handed over the bodies to the family on Wednesday.In a separate accident, 28-year-old Akshay, a resident of Sector 24, died after his motorcycle skidded on the dividing road of Sectors 42/43 early Wednesday.Sector 26 police said Akshay, who worked as a delivery boy for an online grocery platform, was heading home around 2am when he lost control of his bike near the back of the Sector 43 District Court. He fell, hitting his head on the divider, and was found unconscious. Passersby alerted police, who rushed him to GMSH-16, where he was declared dead on arrival. Police did not find a helmet at the spot.Deadly crashes Oct 15, 2025 | A speeding Mahindra Thar struck two sisters waiting for transportation in Sector 46 in the afternoon, killing one and critically injuring the other. The crash occurred around 3pm when the sisters — Sojef, 22, and Isha, 24 — were standing by the roadside outside Dev Samaj CollegeOct 29, 2025 | A late-night crash in Nayagaon turned fatal when a Thar, allegedly driven by a drunk lawyer, mowed down a stray cow and then hit a cyclist, killing both, before ramming a scooter near Kansal–Kaimbwala Road. The deceased was identified as Saheb Lal (35). The scooter rider suffered serious injuries and was admitted to GMSH-16Dec 11, 2025 | A 62-year-old cyclist, Milkha Singh of Sector 38, died in a hit-and-run near the Sector 23/24 light point. Police said he was returning home when a Thar hit him and sped away. He fell on the road and sustained severe injuries. Passersby alerted the police at 112, and he was rushed to GMSH-16, where he was declared deadDec 23, 2024 | A speeding Thar crashed into a tree near the Sector 34 police station, killing one person and injuring three others. Police said the vehicle was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control. The deceased was identified as Rounak, 19, a resident of Aerocity, Mohali. Initial findings pointed to excessive speed and reckless drivingJan 15, 2023 | A 25-year-old architecture student feeding stray dogs was hit by a speeding SUV near the furniture market in Sector 53, Chandigarh. The hit-and-run incident was caught on camera, helping police arrest the driver two days later. The victim, Tejashwita, a resident of Sector 51, was found lying in a pool of blood after the crash

India beat Zimbabwe by 72 runs in the Super 8 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday. The win kept India alive for the semi-final race, as they need to face the West Indies in the final game of the Super 8 stages, on Sunday at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

After this hefty win, India needs just one match to win against the West Indies in their final Super 8 fixture to qualify for the semi-final. After the West Indies lost today against South Africa. Both India are West Indies are on the same points after one win and one loss. It is going to be a virtual quarter-final for both nations.

India need to win their final game against West Indies

India will hope that South Africa wins their last game against Zimbabwe and they qualify as the first team from Group 1. However, the result of that game will not affect India much, as they have a run rate lower than the Proteas. So even if the Proteas loses they will not go down to second place.

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Coming to the match, India were invited to bat first, and they smashed the Zimbabwe bowlers all over the park, scoring 256/4 in their 20 overs, and bringing up the highest T20 World Cup total for this edition and the second highest in T20 World Cup history.

Abhishek Sharma is finally got back to form

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma laid the foundation of the total the side posted. India made two changes in the form of Samson and Axar Patel. Samson scored 24 off 15 and gave a good start for the Men in Blue as they scored 48 for the first wicket, which was also the highest opening score for India in this edition of the T20 World Cup.

Abhishek also scored his first fifty in this competition and might have just picked up the form ahead of the important clash against the Windies. He scored 55 off 30 balls. Ishan Kishan and skipper Suryakumar Yadav played crucial knocks towards the middle overs as they did not let the run rate fall. The former scored 38 off 24, and SKY played a knock of 33 off 14.

Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma gave India the finish they needed to have. The two scored 55 off the last three overs of the game. Hardik scored 50 off 23 balls, and Tilak, who was struggling to get runs fast in the edition, struck at 275.00, scoring 44 off 16 as they posted a target of 257.

Zimbabwe never looked to chase such a big total

Zimbabwe looked decent while coming out to chase, but they did not have the firepower to chase such a massive target. They kept striking at a good pace, but in the end failed to chase. They are now out of the semi-final race after two back to back loss.

Brian Bennett, what a tournament he has been having, as he scored his career high score of 97 off 59 balls, smacking eight fours and six sixes. The opener remained unbeaten till the end of the innings. Arshdeep Singh was the standout performer in bowling, picking 3/24 as they scored 184/6.

Also Read: Former India captain points out major weakness in Sanju Samson’s batting vs Zimbabwe

NEW DELHI: Almost all states have reaped a bounty after implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) with their own tax revenue efforts getting a major boost.A decadal study by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) on the implementation of GST and its impact on the own tax revenue of states showed that the average growth in the three years prior to introduction of GST, from 2013-14 to 2016-17, was 10%, which accelerated to 11.7% during the post-GST phase of 2018-19 to 2023-24, reports Pradeep Thakur.This included the Covid period when economic activity and tax collections were hit hard. Gujarat saw the steepest acceleration.Arunachal saw record high SGST growth during FY19-FY24Despite that, between 2018-19 and 2023-24, the average annual growth of state GST was over 13%. The contribution of GST in states’ revenue kitty ranged from 35-47%. Apart from GST, the constituents of states’ own tax revenue (SOTR) includes excise collection on liquor, tax on auto fuel, electricity, registration of properties and royalties. States have a poor track record in boosting SOTR, something 16th Finance Commission pointed out and RBI flags every year.The recently released CAG report studied the tax trends in states, starting from 2013-14 and up to the period after the introduction of GST from July 2017. Gujarat saw the steepest acceleration — 4.6% to 12.4% — while deceleration was seen in at least five states — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala.“Since 2018-19, the average annual growth of revenues from SGST outpaced the average annual growth of SOTR in almost all states, except Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana and Tripura,” CAG said. The study said that in 5 of 8 eight northeastern states and Madhya Pradesh, average annual SGST growth was over 17% from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Arunachal Pradesh recorded an exceptionally high average annual growth of 27% in SGST during this period.

NEW DELHI: Young adults in India ranked 60th out of 84 countries in key mental well-being parameters in the 2025 report of an ongoing global mental health study, scoring significantly poorly than their peers aged 18-34 in most parts of the world.The ‘Global Mind Health in 2025’ released Thursday by US-based Sapien Labs reveals not just a serious mental health crisis among young Indian adults but also a profound generational gap, as older people enjoyed significantly better mental health scores.

The report, which surveyed over 78,000 internet-enabled individuals in India, assigned young adults (18-34 years) a low mind health quotient (MHQ) score of 33. This contrasts sharply with an MHQ score of 96 for those aged 55 and above, a level aligning with normal mental function and putting them at rank 49 among 84 countries. This stark difference highlights a “structural, multi-year generational shift” in mental well-being that researchers suggest is not merely a temporary effect of recent events like the pandemic.“The scores reflect a very steep decline in younger generations – steeper than many other countries globally. While those aged 55+ are doing fine, younger adults are seriously struggling,” said Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist at Sapien Labs.“This reflects declines in the factors we have outlined in the study, and some others, as well such as increased toxic load in the environment (air, water, food) and lack of physical activity,” she added.The study says the mental health crisis among India’s youth goes beyond issues such as anxiety and depression, reflecting a broader reduction in core mental functioning, including the ability to regulate emotions, maintain focus, build stable relationships, and recover from stress.Based on data generated in previous years, the study identifies four key drivers of mental health – family bonds, spirituality, consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) and early exposure to smartphones. In India, the 64% of respondents in the 18-34 age group reported being close to their family, compared to 78% of those over 55.While relatively lower than in some other nations, regular UPF consumption among young Indian adults (44%) was substantially higher than among the older generation (11%). The average age for a first smartphone in India was 16.5 years, a figure expected to be much lower for Gen Alpha, with earlier exposure linked to increased mental health risks.Globally, the study found young adults in economically developed countries struggling with mental health much more than their counterparts in less developed nations. Those at the bottom included Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the UK and China, while countries with relatively better mind health were predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania. Finland, which consistently tops the World Happiness Index, ranked 28 on mind health for those 55+ and 40 for those 18-34 years – indicating that satisfaction with circumstances of life was distinct from mental capacity to navigate life’s challenges .The mind health quotient is a metric that aggregates respondent ratings of 47 cognitive, emotional, social and physical capacities and problems that enable or diminish our ability to function effectively. The scale reflects a person’s fundamental mental capacity, says Sapien Labs.