NEW DELHI: Data from the Digital Flight Data Recorder of Ajit Pawar’s crashed Learjet 45 near Baramati has been successfully downloaded at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s Flight Recorder Laboratory, the ministry of civil aviation said on Thursday, adding that a preliminary report into the January 28 accident will be issued within 30 days in line with ICAO norms and that all investigative actions are being taken with full transparency and professional integrity.Maharashtra Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in the crash.The ministry said the AAIB’s probe is technical and evidence based. It involves systematic examination of wreckage, operational and maintenance records and laboratory testing of components where required.The crashed VSR Ventures-owned Learjet 45 was equipped with a Digital Flight Data Recorder and a Cockpit Voice Recorder. Both devices were exposed to intense heat and sustained fire damage. Data from the DFDR, manufactured by L3-Communications, has been successfully downloaded at AAIB’s Flight Recorder Laboratory.“The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), manufactured by Honeywell, is undergoing detailed technical examination. Assistance has been sought from the Accredited Representative of the State of Manufacture for specialised support in data retrieval,” AAIB said in a statement on February 17.Following the accident, the ministry directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to conduct a special audit of VSR Ventures. The audit covers regulatory compliance, operational control systems, maintenance practices, crew training standards, safety management systems and CVR and FDR monitoring.“The audit commenced on February 4, 2026, and is expected to conclude shortly. Findings will be reviewed, and action will be taken in accordance with DGCA’s Enforcement Policy and Procedures Manual,” the ministry said.The regulator has also been asked to carry out special audits of other major non-scheduled operators and aerodromes engaged in VIP and VVIP operations. These audits are being conducted in phases and enforcement action will be taken wherever required.In 2025, the DGCA conducted 51 regulatory audits of non-scheduled operators, the ministry said. It added that multiple surveillances of VSR Ventures were carried out in areas including flight safety systems, flight duty time limitations, maintenance compliance, documentation and station facilities, and that all findings were addressed and closed.“Stakeholders are requested to refrain from speculation and allow the statutory investigation and regulatory processes to proceed in accordance with established procedures,” the ministry said, reiterating that all investigative and regulatory actions are proceeding with full transparency and professional integrity.Meanwhile, political reactions intensified with fresh demands for an independent inquiry.Nationalist Congress Party leader Rohit Pawar called for the Aviation Minister to step down, alleging a possible conflict of interest.“The owner of VSR Aviation recently held his son’s wedding in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which was attended by a main leader of the TDP. The Aviation Minister belongs to that party. If they can attend the wedding of the VSR Aviation owner’s son, the investigation may not proceed in the right direction. That is why we believe he should not remain in that post while the investigation is ongoing,” he said.He further said, “Everyone should demand a different kind of inquiry. If everyone conducts a transparent inquiry, we can reach a proper conclusion. So, I welcome that move. Though it is a little late, it doesnot matter. What matters is that the investigation should be done by many organisations and investigation agencies, but along with this, some international agencies should also be involved.”NCP working President Praful Patel also demanded a CBI inquiry into the crash.” After the tragic demise of Ajit Pawar, we should also get information whether every aspect is being investigated in the right direction or not. Today, AAIB is investigating technical matters. I have heard that the black box is also going to America for investigation. Perhaps they have not been able to investigate thoroughly here. The state government has also given the investigation to the CID. But after such a big accident involving such a big leader, we feel that information should be obtained from every aspect. CBI is a reliable organisation. If the investigation is done by CBI, then some facts and aspects should also be taken into account. CBI can do this work.”

Thiruvananthapuram: In a huge embarrassment to the LDF govt, Kerala HC has set aside a govt order that sanctioned Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme, even as the state budget revealed there was no financial provision for the project. The state govt has now moved Supreme Court challenging the verdict. The budget, presented on Jan 29 by state finance minister K N Balagopal, raises questions about the financial planning behind the proposed survey, seen by critics as politically motivated and funded with public money. The govt order, passed on Oct 10, 2025, sanctioned Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme, which reportedly aimed at gathering public feedback on development and welfare initiatives. The order stated that the Rs 20 crore required for the exercise would be met from the budget head ‘special PR campaigns’. For financial year 2025-26, the total allocation under this head was only Rs 4.6 crore. In the 2026-27 budget, the revised estimate for this was further reduced to Rs 4 crore. This clearly indicated that even the revised financial estimate did not reflect any provision for Rs 20 crore expenditure. Also, the Oct 2025 order committing Rs 20 crore did not find mention in the revised estimate placed before the assembly in Jan. In effect, the budget head identified to fund the survey does not contain sufficient allocation even on paper, raising questions about how govt intended to finance the programme. Even if SC ultimately grants relief to govt, the financial liability may not fall within the tenure of the present administration. In the absence of allocation in the current budget cycle, the payment of the Rs 20 crore is likely to spill over to the next financial year, and potentially to the next govt. If that scenario unfolds, the burden of clearing the dues arising from the the present administration’s decision would rest on its successor. The controversy has, therefore, moved beyond a legal setback to a fiscal and administrative issue: How was a Rs 20-crore commitment issued without corresponding budgetary backing? With the matter now before SC, the legal challenge continues, but the financial arithmetic reflected in the budget documents remains difficult to reconcile.

MUMBAI: A suit dating back to the year India got independence finally stood disposed of by the Bombay high court this month, with the fourth generation of the original land owner amicably settling a property dispute. The estate included vast portions of the village of Dahisar in north Mumbai. The area was a whopping 2,891 acres or over 1,100 hectares. It was 3.5 times the size of Central Park in New York.Over the decades, the legal battle saw repeated pleas against sale of parcels of land in Dahisar to private parties, as well as an acquisition by the state under the Salsette Law and Forest Act.Justice Farhan Dubash, one of the newest judges of the high court, put a quietus via a consent term order to the legal tussle 78 years, or over three quarters of a century later, on a suit filed on Oct 7, 1947.The original suit had sought administration of the estate of one Haji Alimohammed Haji Cassum following his demise, as per personal laws applicable. It was filed by Badrushama, widow of Suleman Haji Alimohammed Haji Cassum, versus Salim Dawood Agboatwala and others.Justice Dubash, began his order with: “This order disposes of probably the oldest Suit that is currently pending before the Bombay high court.”Over the years, several orders were passed in the matter, including a preliminary decree passed on Nov 25, 1952 that determined the legal share of all heirs.Before that, the HC appointed a court receiver in 1950 to look after the property. Successive generations continued the legal battle before the HC. Finally, with the litigation entering the fourth generation, all heirs decided to amicably settle. They filed consent terms before the HC on Feb 5. The terms were accepted, and the suit was struck off from a pendency list to a disposed one.This verdict resulted in one of the longest pending cases in the history of the Bombay HC coming to a close.The HC recorded the agreement arrived at between the parties after hearing Kevic Setalvad, senior counsel with advocate Vijaylaxmi Kulkarni appearing for the plaintiffs, and Anupam Surve, counsel with solicitor Nanu Hormasjee and Co for contesting heirs.The settlement was between Ateeq Anwar Agboatwala, a power of attorney holder for the first plaintiff, and other members of the Agboatwala family.At the end of the settlement, what was payable to the court receiver towards costs and charges in the matter was Rs 7 lakh. After deducting this amount, the rest of the undisclosed amount is to be returned on or before Feb 20, 2026 to the family.

PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday spoke on the need to shield children from the harms of AI and social media. “We must become even more vigilant about children’s safety. Just as a school syllabus is carefully curated, the AI space too must be child-safe and family-guided,” Modi said at the India AI Impact Summit. Addressing the summit earlier, Macron expressed hope that India would join France and other countries in banning social media networks for children under 15 years of age, emphasising that protecting children is about not just regulation but civilisation as well. He said there was no reason to expose children to content online that is legally forbidden in the real world. Govts must work together for safe Net: Macron The French leader struck a bullish note on India being part of AI revolution and benefiting from it. Backing India and Europe’s AI aspirations, he said India had proved the world wrong after being told a decade ago that 1.4 billion people could not be brought into the digital economy. On a ban on social media networks for children under 15 years of age, Macron said France is embarking on the journey, with several European countries also committed to it. Australia has become the first country to ban social media for children under 16 and, in India, BJP ally TDP has pushed for a regulation along similar lines. “I know, Mr Prime Minister, you will join this club. And this is great news that India will join such an approach to protect children and teenagers,” he said, referring to Narendra Modi who was in the audience along with other global leaders and tech bigwigs. IT minister Ashwini Vaishnav had on Tuesday said that India was debating the issue of restricting children’s access to social media. “Our platforms, govts and regulators should be working together to make the Internet and social media a safe space,” Macron said. He also emphasised France’s shared vision with India to ensure access to AI for everyone at a time when it has become a “major field of strategic competition”. “Hegemony from any quarter is not a fatality. There is a path for innovation, independence and strategic autonomy. And this path, I’m convinced, is what countries like France and India must take together,” he said, heaping praise on India for its advances in providing digital access, be it for identity or financial transaction, to its entire population. “That is not just a tech story. That is a civilisation story,” he said. “Access to Al for all is critical. France and India share a common vision: a sovereign Al used to protect our planet and to foster prosperity for all.” He said the future of Al will be built by those who combine innovation and responsibility, and technology with humanity. “India and France will help shape this future together. We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game. And to do it with our allies because we believe in core shared values.“

NEW DELHI: India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent will be strengthened soon as the country’s third indigenous Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman (designated S4), is likely to be commissioned by April-May. “The commissioning of INS Aridhaman is expected by this summer as the submarine is currently in the final stages of sea trial,” a defence source told TOI.Last Dec, Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi had said that INS Aridhaman would be commissioned this year.INS Aridhaman, built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam, will be larger (7,000 tonne) than predecessors INS Arihant and INS Arighaat (6,000 tonne), featuring enhanced capability to carry long-range K-4 missiles. INS Aridhaman will be armed with 24 K-15 Sagarika SLBMs (750 km range) and eight K-4 SLBMs (3,500 km range), which are capable of reaching most parts of Asia.Once it enters service, India will have three operational ballistic missile submarines under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) at sea for the first time, moving the country closer to achieving ‘Continuous At-Sea Deterrence’, a strategic defence policy where a nation maintains at least one SSBN on patrol 365 days a year.As a stealthy underwater platform, INS Aridhaman boosts India’s “second-strike” capability—the ability to retaliate after a nuclear attack. It is designed to carry more long-range nuclear-tipped missiles than its predecessors INS Arihant and INS Arighaat.In addition to INS Aridhaman, the Indian Navy is securing an Akula-class SSN nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia, commonly referred to as “Chakra III”, with expected delivery by 2027 or early 2028. Besides these submarine projects, India and Germany are in the final stages of negotiating a $8-10 billion Project-75(I) deal to build six advanced, conventional diesel-electric submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology.The new submarine acquisitions are timely as Pakistan is acquiring eight advanced Hangor-class diesel-electric attack submarines from China under a $5 billion 2015 deal to bolster its naval capabilities.INS Aridhaman is equipped with an 83 MW pressurised water reactor and advanced sonar suites, possesses indigenous USHUS and Panchendriya sonar systems for better target detection and has improved acoustic damping with anechoic tiles to reduce noise, making it harder to detect. Once operational, it will be based at Project Varsha, a high-security facility with underground pens near Visakhapatnam.