Here are your top five stories of the evening

Relief for gig workers: Blinkit drops ‘10-min’ delivery claim; Zepto, Swiggy may follow

Quick commerce platform Blinkit has dropped its “10-minute delivery” promise, replacing it with the message “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep,” amid government deliberations on strengthening gig worker safety and welfare. The shift follows protests by delivery workers over the intense pressure created by ultra-fast delivery expectations, and similar changes are likely from other platforms.Read full story

Iran unrest: About 2,000, including security personnel, killed; Tehran blames ‘terrorists’

An Iranian official has said that around 2,000 people, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed during ongoing protests, with authorities blaming what they describe as terrorists and armed groups for the violence. The government has dismissed portrayals of the unrest as peaceful, as demonstrations entering their third week have triggered a strong security crackdown and tighter controls on information.Read full story

Five J&K govt employees sacked over ‘terror links’; one was in ‘regular contact’ with top LeT commander

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday ordered the termination of five additional government employees over alleged links to terrorist organisations. With these dismissals, the number of government staff removed since 2020 has risen to 85, as the Union territory administration has intensified efforts to eliminate what officials describe as the penetration of the terror ecosystem within government institutions. Read full story

Mustafizur Rahman row: ‘Position remains unchanged’ on India travel for T20 World Cup, Bangladesh tells ICC

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has reiterated that it is unwilling to travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, citing security concerns and asking for its matches to be held at alternative venues. While the International Cricket Council has rejected these concerns and urged Bangladesh to review its position, the BCB has so far maintained its stance, with talks continuing to resolve the issue.Read full story

‘Take them to your house’: SC questions those feeding stray dogs; issues warning for states

The Supreme Court has cautioned states that failure to act on stray dog attacks could result in substantial compensation, noting that children and senior citizens are among the most affected. The bench also called for accountability from individuals feeding stray dogs, suggesting they take responsibility by housing the animals, and highlighted that poor implementation of Animal Birth Control rules by civic bodies has led to fatalities from dog bites and related accidents. Read full story

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday terminated five more government employees for suspected links with terrorist organisations.Since 2020, the Union territory administration under Sinha has dismissed 85 government employees after they were found to be working for terror groups.Officials said the aim is to target the “roots of the terror ecosystem” and its “penetration” within the government institutions.The dismissals were carried out under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution; the provision allows for the removal of a civil servant without a formal inquiry if the president or the governor/lieutenant governor is satisfied that in the interest of the security of the state, holding such an inquiry would not be practical.Those terminated include Mohammad Ishfaq, a teacher; Tariq Ahmad Shah, a laboratory technician; Bashir Ahmad Mir, an assistant lineman; Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a field worker in the forest department; and Mohammad Yousuf, a driver in the health department.According to the dossier against them, Mohammad Ishfaq was working for the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). He was in regular contact with LeT commander Mohammad Amin alias Abu Khubaib, who is designated as a “terrorist” operating from the neighbouring country.Ishfaq was given an “active operational role” by the LeT and he was tasked to execute the killing of a police officer in Doda in early 2022.His activities were put under surveillance, and sustained monitoring revealed that he helped in the terror activities by certain Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the terror group. He was arrested in April 2022 before he could execute the plan.Tariq Ahmad Rah came under the influence of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen right from a very young age. Rah’s terror link emerged during the State Investigation Agency (SIA) probe into the escape of Hizbul terrorist Amin Baba to Pakistan in 2005.Bashir Ahmad Mir was regularised in 1996 in the Public Health Engineering department. Mir became an active OGW of LeT in the Gurez area of Bandipora.Farooq Ahmad Bhat was actively working with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.Mohammad Yousuf was in regular contact with terrorists, particularly Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a Pakistan-based Hizb terrorist.(With PTI inputs)

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday justified his decision to align with Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP ahead of the upcoming local body polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.In an interview with news agency ANI, Pawar said a joint election strategy was decided after it was learnt that votes would split if workers of both factions contested against each other.

He, however, added that his decision would not affect his equations with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.NCP–NCP(SP) reunion“I view it very positively,” Pawar said about the alliance between the NCP and the NCP (SP).“It was because of the efforts of the workers that a joint election strategy was decided upon in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The workers knew that if they contested against each other, the votes would be split. That was something they wanted to avoid at all costs. The workers wanted to win the election… Some people from both parties tried to find a solution,” he added.When asked whether both factions of the NCP would merge in the future, Pawar said, “We haven’t thought about that yet because today is the last day of campaigning, so we are focusing more on ensuring that the voting takes place properly. That’s why we haven’t thought about it from that angle.”He added that such a decision could only be taken after leaders of both sides are taken into confidence, and not just workers. “Not just karyakartas, we need to talk to other leaders too because the party is functioning with them, and they have to talk with their leaders.”“Not just party workers, but we will have to discuss with both party leaders. Leaders run the party, so we need to have discussions first,” he added.Cracks within Mahayuti?During the interview, Pawar also dismissed reports of rifts with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after his decision to join hands with Sharad Pawar’s faction.“No, it will not be affected. 100%, it will not happen,” Pawar said, referring to differences between him and the chief minister.He also justified his decision to part ways with the NDA for the local body polls. Recalling how the NCP and Congress allied for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but contested local body polls separately, he said a similar situation existed between the BJP and the Shiv Sena as well.“Since I’ve been in politics, in all the elections we’ve fought since 1999, we had an alliance with the Congress. We were working together in the Lok Sabha, in Parliament, and fighting elections together. We were fighting on our respective symbols. The same thing happened in the Assembly elections. But in local body elections, to support and empower our respective party workers, we always fought against each other,” Pawar said.“The same thing happened with the BJP and Shiv Sena. In the 2017 elections in Mumbai and Thane, they were fighting against each other. So, there’s no need to think that something very different is happening here,” he added.Local body polls will not impact functioning of Maharashtra govtPawar also affirmed that the three parties contesting separately—BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena—against each other in the local body polls have agreed that the elections will not impact the functioning of the Maharashtra state government, even after results are declared on January 16.This comes after Chief Minister Fadnavis took a swipe at Ajit Pawar for criticising the BJP during the poll campaign.Speaking during an interaction with actor Girija Oak, Fadnavis said the BJP and the NCP had decided well in advance that they would not contest the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic elections as allies, since both were strong parties in the region.“Ajit dada only speaks, but my work speaks. We had already decided that even if we contest against each other, it would be a friendly contest and that we would refrain from criticising each other or each other’s parties. I have followed that rule till now, but his restraint is somewhat shaken,” Fadnavis said.However, Ajit Pawar will not “speak” after January 15, when votes will be cast, Fadnavis said, exuding confidence in the BJP’s performance.‘I have a secular mindset’Pawar also condemned attempts to give the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections a “communal angle”. Reaffirming that he has “a secular mindset”, he said that in a diverse country like India, everyone is an equal citizen.“I do not like this at all. I have a secular mindset. The ideology of Ambedkar does not teach us this. Our country is so big, and those who live in this country are all Indians. If someone is committing treason against the country, action should be taken against them, and they should be given the death penalty. A new law should be made,” Ajit Pawar told ANI.Pawar’s statement comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that the new BMC mayor will be “from the Mahayuti, will be a Hindu, and a Marathi.”

Stray dogs issue: Activists, citizens protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday continued hearing the case on stray dogs, warning that states will likely pay a compensation for ‘not doing anything’ for every bite that leads to death or injury to either children or the elderly.The apex court also asked for accountability from those claiming to be dog feeders, telling them to continue their activity from their house. The hearing took place in front of three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. AnjariaAccording to LiveLaw, Justice Nath said, “For every dog bite, death or injury caused to children or elderly, we are likely going to fix heavy compensation by state, for not doing anything. Also, liability and accountability on those who are saying we are feedings dogs. Do it, take them to your house. Why should dogs be littering around, biting, scaring people?”

The case so far

The SC had refused to examine allegations of harassment of women dog feeders and caregivers, reiterating that such complaints fall under law and order issues and that affected individuals can lodge FIRs. Hearing arguments in the stray dogs case, the apex court also declined to consider claims that derogatory remarks were being made against women in the course of the debate.The three-judge special bench observed that some of the submissions made before it were ‘far from reality’ and pointed to several videos showing stray dogs attacking children and elderly persons.The court was hearing a batch of pleas, including those filed by dog lovers, seeking modification of its earlier orders as well as petitions demanding strict enforcement of existing directions.The bench clarified that it had never ordered the removal of all stray dogs from the streets and that its directions were limited to the treatment of stray canines in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. It also flagged widespread non-compliance by civic bodies, noting that people were dying not only due to dog bites but also because of road accidents caused by stray animals.Citing an “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents in institutional areas such as schools, hospitals and railway stations, the Supreme Court on November 7 directed that stray dogs be relocated to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. It also ordered that dogs picked up should not be released back at the places from where they were removed.The court further directed authorities to ensure the removal of cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways.The Supreme Court is hearing the matter as a suo motu case initiated on July 28 last year following media reports on stray dog attacks leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday pronounced a split verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act that barred the agencies from probing corruption charges against government officials without the Centre’s permission.A bench of Justices KV Vishwanathan and BVNagarathna differed on the decision with the former judge observing that the said provision is constitutionally valid and the latter holding it as unconstitutional and should be struck down. Justice Nagarathna said that no prior sanction should be needed from competent authority to prosecute a public official, claiming that the requirement of prior sanction is contrary to the object of the Act“Section 17A is unconstitutional and it ought to be struck down. No prior approval is required to be taken. This provision is an attempt to resurrect what has been earlier struck down in Vineet Narain and Subramanian Swamy judgments. The requirement of prior sanction is contrary to the object of the Act, and it forecloses inquiry and protects the corrupt rather than seeking to protect the honest and those with integrity who really do not require any protection,” Justice Nagarathna observed as quoted by Live Law.She added that corruption in the country is rampant and pervasive and there is a need to have strong anti-corruption law, claiming that section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act protects a corrupt official.Meanwhile, Justice K V Viswanathan said that the provision is valid but Lokpal/Lokayuta should decide whether a govt official should be prosecuted or not. he added that striking down Section 17A would amount to “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”.“Section 17A is constitutionally valid subject to the condition that the sanction must be decided by the Lok Pal or the Lok Ayukta of the State,” Justice Viswanathan observed.He added that unless honest and public servants are shielded from frivolous investigations, a “policy paralysis” will set in.He also emphasised that a fine balance has to be maintained between the need to protect a public servant from mala fide cases and the importance of upholding probity in public offices.He in his opinion reasoned that object of Section 17A was not to condone illegal acts but to have a screening mechanism. “Bhagvad Geeta says for a self-respecting man even death is more preferable than disrepute. In this age of technology and social media the act of parading in court etc. is irreversible even if proven innocent later”, the judge said. The bench thus, ordered referring the matter to the Chief Justice of India. We direct the Registry to refer the matter to the Chief Justice of India to constitute an appropriate bench to hear the matter afreshThis comes after ‘Centre for Public Interest Litigation’ filed a plea in the apex court, claiming that introduction of Section 17A in PC Act was nothing but resurrection of the earlier Section 6A of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, infamously known as ‘single directive’ which mandated the CBI to take the Centre’s sanction before probing joint secretary and above level officers.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing CPIL, had contended that Section 17A had become a tool to shield corrupt officials and obstruct legitimate inquiries.What the law saysAccording to the Section 17A of the act, no police officer shall conduct any enquiry or inquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant under this Act, where the alleged offence is relatable to any recommendation made or decision taken by such public servant in discharge of his official functions or duties, without the previous approval“Provided further that the concerned authority shall convey its decision under this section within a period of three months, which may, for reasons to be recorded in writing by such authority, be extended by a further period of one month,” it adds.