NEW DELHI: India created history at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first team to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, claim a third title, and lift the trophy on home soil in front of 86,824 fans. Captain Suryakumar Yadav will now join the elite group of Indian captains to win a men’s cricket World Cup, maintaining an unbeaten record since taking charge in July 2024.The final had its share of drama during New Zealand’s chase, with India pacer Arshdeep Singh rattling Daryl Mitchell in a heated moment. In the fifth delivery of the 11th over, Arshdeep, reintroduced after the halfway mark, threw a follow-through ball at the stumps after collecting it, inadvertently hitting Mitchell on the thigh.

Mitchell, frustrated after earlier being sent for a six, charged at Arshdeep with animated gestures. Suryakumar quickly intervened, calming Mitchell, while the umpire spoke to Arshdeep. The pacer immediately apologized after delivering the final ball of the over, shaking hands and sharing a side hug with Mitchell.Reflecting on the incident in an interview with Harsha Bhogle, Arshdeep said: “Mai Mitchell ko sorry bolne gya tha [I just ran off to apologise to Mitchell]. The ball reverse-swung when I threw it and it hit him. Right now it feels great but the emotions will sink in the next 2-4 days. This is a very good team with a lot of match-winners, and the result will be cherry on the cake. As a bowler, our role is to restrict them to under 250 if we score 250 and when bowling first, it’s just to restrict them to as little as possible.”Earlier, India’s batters had set the tone, with Sanju Samson blazing 89 off 46 balls, complemented by Abhishek Sharma’s 52 and Ishan Kishan’s 54. Their power-hitting propelled India to 255/5, the second-highest total of the tournament and the highest ever posted in a T20 World Cup final. James Neesham briefly slowed the onslaught with three wickets in a single over, but Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 26 off eight balls took India past 250.In reply, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah demolished New Zealand’s top order, reducing the visitors to 52/3 inside the powerplay, extinguishing any chance of a record chase. India lived up to the hype, sealing a historic victory and capturing their third T20 World Cup title, having previously triumphed in 2007 and 2024.

NEW DELHI: In a startling disclosure on International Women’s Day, former CJI NV Ramana on Sunday said the govt either lacked intent or determination towards achieving gender parity in constitutional courts, even though there was a healthy 40% representation by women among trial court judges.Speaking at a question-answer session during the first national conference of ‘Indian Women in Law’ at SC, Justice Ramana – who faced numerous pulls and pressures during his tenure as CJI from April 2021 to Aug 2022 – said, “The govt always showed a causal attitude in appointments of women (as judges of SC and high courts).”During his tenure as head of the collegium, three women judges – Justices Hima Kohli, Bela M Trivedi and BV Nagarathna – took oath on Aug 31, 2021, and created history. No other woman judge has been appointed to SC since then, despite the baton passing on to five CJIs – UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and now Surya Kant. Justice Nagarathna will become the first woman CJI on Sept 24 next year. Speaking in her presence, the former CJI said there are two future CJIs in this gathering (referring to Justice Nagarathna and and her successor Justice PS Narasimha) and hoped that during their tenure at least 7-8 women judges will be appointed to SC. Justice Nagarathna, who will retire on Oct 29, 2027, assured Justice Ramana that she would try her best to get more women judges to the top court.Explaining what he meant by lack of intent on the govt’s part, Justice Ramana said though successive law ministers had routinely requested high court chief justices to recommend names of women advocates and judicial officers for appointment as HC judges, “the govt has never strongly insisted on effective representation of women in each and every recommendation.”Justice Ramana said there is a healthy 40% representation of women among judicial officers. There are only 116 women HC judges among a sanctioned strength of 1,122 and only one woman judge in SC, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges.He said it would be unfair to lay the blame entirely at the govt’s door for the skewed representation of women in the judiciary. “The judiciary must respond with sincerity towards inclusivity as there is no dearth of talented women lawyers who can be HC judges,” Justice Ramana said.“Except few HC’s, most major metropolitan centres – there exists a large pool of highly competent women lawyers. It is very worrisome, as to why these numbers are not reflected in the judicial appointments,” he said.

NEW DELHI: With just one out of 33 judges in SC and around 15% of judges in HCs being women, CJI Surya Kant, on International Women’s Day, admitted that their fair and equal participation in the judiciary remained an unfinished task and appealed to HC collegiums to consider elevation of more women to the bench.Of the total working strength of 781 judges in 25 HCs, the number of women judges is only 116. Over the years, 291 women judges had been appointed in HCs out of a total appointment of 5,161, which makes it a meagre 5.6%. No woman judge has been appointed to SC since Sept 2021.Speaking on “Half the Nation, Half the Bench” at an event on SC premises, the CJI said women judges do not bring a different standard of justice but they do bring in a distinct perspective, and diversity. He said the institution must rise to address the concern of 650 million females in the country and make them believe the justice system understands the realities and would respond to them with fairness. He said institutional intent is not enough and should be accompanied by institutional imagination to realise the goal.“HC collegiums must recognise that the moment for measured action is not in the future, it is now… when suitable and meritorious women members are available at the Bar, then their consideration should not be an exception but a norm,” the CJI said.He underscored the need to widen the zone of consideration for judicial appointments and urged HCs not to reject candidates merely because they do not strictly meet the age requirement. “Where in certain HCs, if suitable women candidates within a particular age limit are not immediately available, that should not become a barrier,” he said.Justice Kant said the concern of enough women representation was being addressed, but more was needed. He said at present, two HCs have women chief justices, and with the elevation of Justice Lisa Gill, the number will rise to three. He mentioned Punjab and Haryana HC, which has 18 sitting women judges.“Every woman who takes a place on the bench sends a clear message to those who still face obstacle that your perseverance is not unseen and it is not in vain,” he said.

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan led India to 255 for five against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, the highest total in a men’s T20 World Cup final.Samson scored 89, while Abhishek made 52 and Kishan added 54 as defending champions India set a target of 256 for the Blackcaps.

India also recorded the highest T20 score in Ahmedabad. It was also the third-highest team total in T20 World Cup history and slightly higher than the score India posted against England in Mumbai three nights earlier.Also See: IND vs NZ T20 World Cup Final Live ScoreHighest team totals in T20 World Cup

This was India’s fourth score of 250 or more in 2026, the most by any team in a calendar year.India scored 52 runs in the last five overs.New Zealand needed 256 to win. The target was higher than the total set by England in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final.New Zealand walked out to bat in the second innings of its Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final against India at Ahmedabad, needing to register the highest successful chase in the history of the competition.The previous highest successful chase was completed by England, which managed to chase down 230 against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the 2016 edition.Highest Successful Run Chase In T20 World CupsEngland chased down 230 in 19.4 overs vs South Africa (2016)South Africa chased down 206 in 17.4 overs vs West Indies (2007)India chased down 196 in 19.2 overs vs West Indies (2026)USA chased down 195 in 17.4 overs vs Canada (2024)West Indies chased down 193 in 19.4 overs vs India (2016)Highest Successful Run Chase T20 World Cup FinalNo team has ever successfully chased more than 176 runs in the T20 World Cup finals. Australia holds the second-highest chase after scoring 173 against New Zealand in the 2021 final. The Kiwis have lost both of their prior games in Ahmedabad, and their highest score at this venue is 175. Interestingly, NZ has never scored 180 runs here.At the time of writing this story, New Zealand were in trouble and were four wickets down at the score of 70 in 7.4 overs.FOLLOW LIVE

GHAZIABAD: Bigg Boss 17 contestant and YouTuber Anurag Dobhal (28) – popularly known as ‘UK07 Rider’ – is in a critical condition after his Toyota Fortuner crashed into a divider on Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) near Dasna on Saturday night. The crash occurred while Dobhal was live on Instagram, with more than 80,000 people watching as he appeared distressed, spoke about feeling alone and overwhelmed, and referred to a “final drive”.In the livestream, Dobhal addressed his mother and said, “When I return in the next birth, please give me love.” A Hindi song, “jisko jo bhi milta hai’, could be heard playing in the background.Moments before the impact, Dobhal turned the camera towards the windscreen and speedometer as the SUV accelerated. The Fortuner suddenly veered towards the median and struck the barrier with massive force.Surendra Nath Tiwari, DCP (rural), said police received information about the incident around 10.20pm. “He was headed towards Delhi from the Meerut side when his SUV crashed near Hawa Hawai restaurant, hit the divider and jumped into the other lane. The car flipped several times,” he added.The crash was so severe that the vehicle was mangled and its wheels came off. “We suspect he was cruising at nearly 150-160kmph,” the DCP added.Police are trying to find out if Dobhal attempted suicide. “We suspect he deliberately turned the vehicle towards the divider to cause self-harm,” Tiwari said. By the time police learnt of the crash, Dobhal’s friends had already moved him to a hospital. “We received information on the emergency helpline 112 from his friends.”One of Dobhal’s followers, Ashish Chaudhary of Mehrauli in Ghaziabad, was among the first to reach the spot. Chaudhary said he had been following Dobhal for long and was watching the livestream when the crash occurred. “As soon as I saw the crash live, I rushed to the spot with my friends. Some passersby were already trying to rescue him. We pulled him out of the mangled car and took him to Subharti Hospital in Meerut. That was the nearest,” he said.On Sunday morning, the YouTuber was referred to a private hospital in Delhi after his condition deteriorated.Tiwari said a team had been formed to investigate the sequence of events and examine Dobhal’s recent social media posts. Till late on Sunday evening, his family hadn’t lodged any complaint. Police said they would question him once his condition was stable. Dobhal, who grew up in Uttarakhand, built a massive following by blending travel, lifestyle and biking content. Known for his energetic on-camera style, he built a fan community, “Brosena”. His YouTube channel has nearly 8 million subscribers and his Instagram account about 7.6 million followers.He frequently featured his family in videos, including his wife Ritika Chauhan, mother Chandrakala, father Jagdamba and brother Atul, also known as Kamal Ink.In the days leading up to the crash, Dobhal had posted content that alarmed his followers. On March 4, he uploaded a nearly two-hour YouTube vlog that he described as his “last video”, saying it was recorded in “deep mental distress” and after “five days without food”. He accused his parents, brother and his brother’s girlfriend Shreya of ruining his life over his inter-caste marriage – Dobhal from a Brahmin family and Ritika with Rajput roots – and suggested he had been pushed towards “self-harm”.

NEW DELHI: There was a time when some of India’s leading banking and financial services firms had women at the helm, making these sectors a visible symbol of gender diversity. Today, that centre of gravity has shifted.Consumer-facing industries and pharmaceuticals have emerged as the new strongholds for women CEOs, reflecting where long-standing leadership pipelines are now bearing fruit.A survey by global search firm Executive Access, commissioned by TOI, shows the FMCG sector has the highest number of women CEOs, with a 19% share. Pharma, too, has built a strong management bench that is increasingly feeding into top leadership roles, and follows with a 17% share.“Women are often known for strong intuitive decision-making – a quality that can be a major advantage in today’s uncertain and unpredictable business environment. Equally important is the fact that consumer buying decisions are heavily influenced by them. As organisations recognise this, forward-looking sectors are likely to see the share of women in leadership roles rise by at least 25% by 2030,” said Executive Access India MD, Ronesh Puri.Top women CEOs in the consumer space include Priya Nair (Hindustan Unilever), Prabha Narasimhan (Colgate-Palmolive India), and Geetika Mehta (Nivea India). In pharma, leaders such as Shweta Rai (Bayer), Meenakshi Nevatia (Pfizer), and Annapurna Das (Takeda) are among those at the helm of the Indian entities.

A few years ago, India’s BFSI sector with leaders including Shikha Sharma (Axis Bank), Naina Lal Kidwai (HSBC), Zarin Daruwala (Standard Chartered), and Kalpana Morparia (JP Morgan), stood out as the most visible sector for women leadership.Despite the progress, industry experts note structural and cultural barriers persist at workplaces. “There are still deep-rooted stereotypes that sectors such as infrastructure, capital goods, automobiles are better suited to male leaders. Companies need to actively encourage more women to enter these fields and support them through policies, mentorship and leadership development. The share of women in STEM also remains relatively small, which weakens the leadership pipeline. At the same time, macro issues like safety continue to be real barriers,” said Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director, Namita Thapar.While terming it as the “broken rung” challenge, Achal Khanna, CEO, professional association SHRM (APAC & MENA), cited a 2026 India Inc Leadership Report, which estimated that nearly 30% of companies have seen stagnation or decline in women in senior roles over the last five years, largely because of many exits at the middle-management stage due to limited structural support and perceived unfairness in promotions. Fixing this bottleneck will be critical to building a stronger leadership pipeline.“Beyond mentorship, what matters is sustained sponsorship, cultural change, and policies that support career continuity,” said Vedanta Resources CEO, Deshnee Naidoo. The picture is, however, dynamic and could evolve every year. Sectors that consciously promote gender-diverse talent and prioritise their growth over a period of time, are likely to stay ahead. While industries such as manufacturing, infrastructure, technology and logistics, where the pipeline remains thinner, lag.Meanwhile, multinationals have a higher share of women CEOs as diversity has been embedded in their leadership agenda, the survey said. Indian companies have begun focusing on it only more recently suggesting a gap that may take five to 10 years to narrow.

NEW DELHI: Amid heavy police deployment in west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, civic authorities Sunday demolished illegal portions of a house linked to one of the accused in the Holi clash that left 26-year-old Tarun dead.. The action came amid heightened tension in the JJ Colony area, where Tarun’s family and neighbours said the demolition alone was not enough while demanding similar action on houses of relatives of the main accused.Locals alleged that the demolished property belonged to three brothers related to the woman who was accidentally splashed with colour during Holi, which allegedly triggered the chain of events leading to the assault on Tarun. People in the lane claimed several members of the extended family live close by.

One of their houses stands next to Tarun’s home while the demolished structure was at the end of the lane.Memraj, Tarun’s father, alleged that the lane was filled with relatives of the accused, which discouraged others from intervening. He also claimed some of them tried to prevent neighbours from stepping out of their homes to help by locking their doors from outside.“We have lived in this block for nearly 50 years. Earlier their family had just one house here, but over time it has grown to nearly 10-15,” Memraj told TOI. “On the day of the incident, many of them gathered and intimidated us while my wife, other women and elderly people were pleading with them to stop. People think my son was attacked in the heat of the moment but the fight had been going on for hours. He had nothing to do with the argument. He was called there later to come save us while we were all locked inside and specifically targeted.”Police have since arrested another individual identified as Imran, taking the number of arrests to seven.Another family member said, “All the houses belonging to those involved should be demolished and more arrests made. What will happen when the police leave and the barricades are removed? Everyone who played a role, including the woman involved in the argument, should be arrested. At least 20-25 more people were part of the attack, not just seven or eight”An MCD official said the demolition was limited to the illegal portion of the structure. “The part built over the drain has been removed. Water used to accumulate there, especially during the monsoon. Only the encroached section has been demolished, and similar action may continue in other areas as well,” the official said. The demolition comes a day after CM Rekha Gupta said on social media platform X that “Strict and exemplary action will be taken in this case, so that no one dares to commit such an inhumane act in the future”

Abhishek Sharma said the support from the team management helped him regain confidence during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after a difficult run in the competition.Abhishek made an impact in the final against New Zealand, scoring 52 from 21 balls and giving India a quick start along with Sanju Samson after the side was asked to bat first. India posted 255 for five and went on to win the match by 96 runs, becoming the first team to defend a T20 World Cup title.

“The one thing was very clear, I wanted to share before as well, but today is the best day. The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before, it was a tough tournament,” Abhishek said after the match.“I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn’t easy. But I love this team because the way they backed me. It wasn’t easy for me because going through the whole year I was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament I wasn’t able to.“But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain and they said you’ll win us the big games. The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times,” Abhishek added.India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad after posting the highest total in a T20 World Cup final.Samson scored 89, while Abhishek made 52 and Ishan Kishan added 54 as India finished with 255 for five.The total was the highest ever in a T20 World Cup final. With the win, India also became the first team to defend the T20 World Cup title and became the only team to win the tournament for the third time.

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Sunday carried out a demolition drive, razing the illegal portions of a house linked to one of the accused in the Uttam Nagar Holi clash case, in which a 26-year-old man was killed, police sources said.Heavy police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area to maintain law and order during the operation.Sources said civic officials arrived at the locality with bulldozers and demolished only the illegally constructed sections of the structure, not the entire house.

The MCD officials were not available for their comments.On March 4, Tarun (26) was killed in a clash between his family and their neighbours in the JJ Colony area, police said. The violence erupted after water from a balloon thrown by a girl from Tarun’s family splashed onto a woman from the neighbouring family.

According to police, the two families had known each other for nearly five decades and had frequent disputes over issues such as parking and garbage disposal.So far, police have arrested six persons and apprehended a minor in connection with the case. Charges of murder and provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been added to the FIR.The accused have been identified as Umardeen (49), Jummadeen (36), Kamruddin (36), Mustaque (46), Muzzafar (25), Tahir (18) and a minor.Maan Singh, the victim’s relative, had earlier called for justice. He said, “We want the Yogi (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) bulldozer model to be used. Their unauthorised houses should be demolished and all illegal extensions removed.” The incident triggered tensions in the area, with an angry mob vandalising several vehicles and setting some on fire on Friday, prompting heavy deployment of police forces.Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh stated, ‘In continuation of the arrests earlier made in the case, eighth accused – Imran @ Bunty, aged 38 years, has also been arrested.Also, as per the statements of deceased Tarun’s family, stringent provisions of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act have been invoked.’(With agency inputs)