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Tuesday,19-May-2026
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25 members of Jagan Reddy’s revamped Cabinet take oath

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has reconstituted his Cabinet with all 25 ministers taking oath on Monday.

Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office and secrecy to members of the revamped Cabinet at a ceremony held near the State Secretariat and attended by leaders and workers of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and senior officials.

Eleven of those who took oath have been part of the earlier Cabinet since June 2019, while the remaining are new faces.

Ambati Rambabu was the first to take oath.

Adimalupu Suresh, Usha Sricharanan and Peddireddy Ramachandrareddy took oath in English while all others completed the formalities in Telugu.

Fourteen new ministers are Dharmana Prasada Rao, P. Rajanna Dora, Gudivada Amarnath, Buddi Muthyala Naidu, Dadishetti Raja, Karumuri Nageswararao, Kittu Satyanarayana, Jogi Ramesh, Ambati Rambabu, Meraga Nagarjuna, Vidadala Rajini, Kakani Govardhanreddy, Roja K. Selvamani and Usha Sricharan.

Botsa Satyanarayana, Peddireddy Ramachandrareddy, Narayanaswamy, Buggana Rajendranath, Gummanooru Jayaram, Sidiri Appalaraju, Pinipe Vishwaroopam, Cheluboina Venugopalakrishna, Taneti Vanitha, Amjad Basha and Adimalupu Suresh had served as ministers in previous Cabinet.

After taking oath, Gudivada Amarnath and Jogi Ramesh knelt down before Jagan Reddy to thank him.

Actor politician R.K. Roja and other first-time women ministers V. Rajini and Usha Sricharan touched the Chief Minister’s feet while the latter blessed them.

There were loud cheers by supporters of the ministers when their names were announced for swearing-in.

While constituting his first Cabinet in June 2019, Jagan Reddy had promised to revamp it halfway through his tenure.

All 24 ministers had submitted their resignations to the chief minister on April 7 to enable him to reconstitute the Cabinet.

There was one vacancy due to the demise of Mekapati Goutham Reddy in February.

The Chief Minister had told the Cabinet meeting that the dropped ministers will be given responsibilities in the party so that their experience can be used to ensure the party’s victory in the 2024 elections.

A lion’s share in the revamped cabinet has gone to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Backward Classes (BCs).

Out of 25, a total of 16 ministers are from SCs (5), STs (1) and BCs (11). In the previous cabinet, these sections had 13 members (5 SCs, 1 ST, 7 BCs).

Amjad Basha remained the sole representative from minorities. The representation of Other Castes (OCs) has come down to 8 from 11 earlier.

The number of women ministers has also gone up to four from three in the previous Cabinet.

YSRCP stormed to power in 2019, bagging 151 seats in the 175-member Assembly.

Jagan Reddy had formed the Cabinet with 25 ministers. In 2020, two of them Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and R Mopidevi Venkataramana resigned after they were elected to Rajya Sabha.

They were replaced by Venugopalakrishna and Appalaraju.

Including the Chief Minister, the strength of the state cabinet stayed at 26, which is the maximum strength the council of ministers can maintain.

Crime

Delhi HC sentences YouTuber to six months jail for criminal contempt

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New Delhi, May 19: The Delhi High Court has sentenced YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja, who runs the channel “Fight 4 Judicial Reforms”, to six months’ simple imprisonment in two criminal contempt cases for making derogatory and scandalous remarks against the judiciary and judicial officers.

A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 in each matter while observing that the contemnor had shown no remorse and had, in fact, compounded the contempt through further scandalous submissions made during the hearing.

However, the Delhi High Court suspended the sentence for 60 days to enable Pahuja to challenge its judgment holding him guilty of criminal contempt before the Supreme Court.

The Justice Chawla-led Bench said that despite being given an opportunity to make submissions on punishment, the contemnor questioned the conviction itself and, during oral arguments, made further scandalous remarks against the judicial system.

“He, in fact, compounds his contempt by making further scandalous submissions before this Court and thus, evidently, he is neither repentant nor deserves any mercy,” the order said.

Rejecting his plea to recall the conviction judgment, the Delhi High Court said it could not sit in review of its earlier order and that the contemnor was free to challenge the same in accordance with law.

“As far as his submissions on our judgment dated 21.04.2026 are concerned, we cannot sit in review of the said judgment and the contemnor has full right and had an opportunity to challenge the same in accordance with law,” the bench said.

It further recorded that during oral arguments, Pahuja made remarks such as “adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai aur main koi nyay ki umeed nahi kar raha (the wilfulness of the courts is constantly increasing and I am not hopeful of any justice)” and described the functioning of courts as “taanashahi (dictatorship)”.

Advocate Harsh Prabhaka, amicus curiae appointed in the matter, submitted that Pahuja had shown “no course correction or remorse” and continued uploading videos targeting judicial officers despite earlier directions restraining him from doing so.

Considering the nature of the conduct, the Delhi High Court observed that leniency in such circumstances could embolden similar conduct in the future and that the case warranted maximum punishment.

“We also find that by not imposing adequate punishment on him, we may encourage him to repeat these acts in future and to embolden him in doing the same. [W]e are of the opinion that these cases call for the imposition of the maximum punishment,” the bench observed.

Accordingly, the Delhi High Court sentenced Pahuja to six months’ simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 2,000 in each case, directing that the sentences would run concurrently.

It further ordered that in case of default in payment of the fine, he would undergo an additional one month’s simple imprisonment.

However, taking note of the contemnor’s submission that he intends to challenge the judgment before the Supreme Court, the bench suspended the sentence for a period of 60 days.

“In case an order suspending the sentence… is not passed by the Supreme Court, the contemnor shall on his own surrender before the Registrar General of this Court forthwith on expiry of the above-mentioned period,” the order said.

The contempt proceedings arose from videos and online content uploaded by Pahuja on his YouTube channel, in which he made sweeping and unverified allegations against judicial officers and the judiciary. In its earlier judgment, the Delhi High Court had held that such remarks were intended to scandalise the institution and lower public confidence in the justice system, and were not protected under the right to free speech.

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Crime

Delhi Police bust gambling racket in Dwarka, 14 arrested

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New Delhi, May 19: Continuing its crackdown on illegal activities, the Dwarka District Police on Tuesday busted a gambling racket operating in JJ Colony in Sector-3, Bindapur, and arrested 14 persons allegedly involved in the operation, officials said.

Police recovered stake money amounting to Rs 6,810 along with gambling-related material, including writing pads, charts, satta slips, carbon papers, pens, mobile phones, and electronic devices used for maintaining gambling transaction records.

According to police officials, the operation was carried out as part of the district police’s ongoing campaign to curb organised crimes such as gambling and bootlegging and to maintain a safe and crime-free environment for residents.

To strengthen action against illegal activities, the Special Staff of Dwarka District had intensified intelligence gathering, activated local informers, and increased surveillance in vulnerable areas. A dedicated team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Kamlesh Kumar, in charge of Special Staff, Dwarka District, under the close supervision of ACP Operations Subhash Malik.

The team comprised SI Dinesh Kumar, SI Topesh, ASI Vijay Singh, HC Jagat Singh, HC Jairam, HC Naresh, HC Rajesh, and Constable Manjeet, who were tasked with collecting intelligence and identifying hotspots where illegal activities were taking place.

On May 7, at around 10 p.m., the team received specific information regarding a gambling racket operating in the Sector-3 JJ Colony area of Bindapur. Acting swiftly on the information, the police team laid a strategic trap near the identified location.

At around 10:30 p.m., the police spotted several individuals gathered in a narrow lane and allegedly engaged in gambling activities. The team immediately conducted a raid and apprehended 14 persons at the spot.

During the search operation, police recovered stake money worth Rs 6,810, along with charts, satta slips, writing pads, carbon papers, pens, and registers allegedly used for maintaining gambling records and transactions. The local beat staff also reached the spot during the operation.

Following the recovery, a case vide FIR No. 255/2026 under Sections 12/09/55 of the Gambling Act was registered at Police Station Bindapur. All the accused were arrested after sustained interrogation.

The arrested accused have been identified as Sandeep (26), Ajay (25), Sartaj (42), Bappi Haldhar (60), Suresh (36), Neeraj Kumar (44), Abul Hasan (40), Chandan Sahni (35), Sudama (27), Maniyappan (42), Ashok (46), Diwari Sahni (37), Mathwef (41), and Jony (35), all residents of different areas of Dwarka, Uttam Nagar, Matiala, and nearby localities in Delhi.

Police said the recovery made during the raid included cash worth Rs 6,810, two charts, eight pads, five carbon papers, three pens, and around 350 satta slips allegedly used in gambling activities.

Officials stated that further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused were linked to a larger gambling network operating in the area.

The operation highlights the proactive policing efforts of Dwarka District Police in cracking down on unlawful activities and maintaining law and order in the national capital.

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International News

PM Modi heads to Oslo after ‘productive’ Sweden visit

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Gothenburg, May 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from Gothenburg on Monday after successfully concluding his visit to Sweden, during which he elevated the bilateral ties between the two countries to a Strategic Partnership. He is now en route to Norway for the fourth leg of his five-nation tour.

In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “A visit advancing innovation, sustainability and strategic cooperation. PM Narendra Modi departed from Gothenburg for Oslo after a productive visit marked by the elevation of India-Sweden ties to a Strategic Partnership. The visit opened a new chapter in India-Sweden ties.”

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi thanked the people and the Government of Sweden for the warmth and friendship.

The Sweden visit was marked by several important outcomes that will add new momentum to relations.

“From elevating our ties to a Strategic Partnership, launching the Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0 and the India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor, to setting an ambitious goal of doubling bilateral trade in the next five years, the discussions were highly productive,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

During his visit, PM Modi also addressed the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) in Gothenburg.

The Prime Minister said his speech focused on the growing convergence between India and Europe, the opportunities emerging from the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and India’s reform-driven economic growth journey.

He also held wide-ranging conversations with the business leaders in Sweden on how economic linkages between India and Sweden can be enhanced, particularly in futuristic technologies, R&D, AI, security and healthcare.

During the visit, PM Modi was also conferred with the ‘Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross’ in recognition of his exceptional contribution to India-Sweden relations and his leadership in deepening cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi and his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, also exchanged special commemorative gifts honouring the enduring legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, highlighting the deep cultural ties between India and Sweden.

PM Modi is now heading to Oslo, where he will hold discussions focusing on strengthening the bilateral cooperation.

He will participate in the 3rd India-Nordic Summit and hold bilateral engagements with Norwegian leaders.

The visit marks PM Modi’s first trip to Norway and the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 43 years. During the visit, he is scheduled to call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja, besides holding bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

The Prime Minister will also address the India-Norway Business and Research Summit along with the Norwegian Prime Minister.

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