National News
‘Aimed to gain publicity’: SC dismisses PIL seeking more security for tourists in hilly and remote areas post-Pahalgam

New Delhi, May 5: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking enhanced safety and security measures for tourists in hilly areas and remote destinations, filed in the aftermath of the deadly April 22 terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed lives of 26 civilians.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh rapped advocate Vishal Tiwari, appearing in person, for filing “purported PILs” aimed at gaining publicity.
“Mr. Tiwari, last time also, we advised you. What is your purpose and motive? Who is inciting you to file this kind of PIL? You don’t understand any sensitivity? You don’t realise your responsibility? I think you are inviting some order with exemplary cost,” the bench said.
The PIL litigant submitted that he was not seeking any direction against the government, and the plea was limited to raising safety concerns of tourists in hilly areas and remote destinations.
However, the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench remained unconvinced and dismissed the petition, saying that advocate Tiwari was engaging in “one or the other purported PILs which are primarily aimed to gain publicity with no intent to serve public cause”.
The PIL said that there exists a lack of safety programmes and guidelines for tourists and the general public on how to save themselves when there is a terrorist attack, how to get immediate help, and how to hide themselves when attacked.
It added that tourists in Pahalgam were an easy target for the terrorists as those innocent people were unarmed and without any security.
“It is for the first time that the tourists have been targeted and in such large numbers they have been killed and injured. Now it has raised the question of safety and security of the people of the country who visit as tourists, mostly in hilly areas and valleys like Jammu and Kashmir,” the plea said.
“Recent terrorist attacks have raised questions of the security of tourists visiting such remote places. In urban areas, it is difficult to attack as there is regular movement of police forces, but tourist destinations are geographically different, where people can be targeted easily,” it added.
The PIL stressed that the Centre and State governments will have to take steps to deploy adequate security for the tourists who visit remote hilly areas and valleys, especially during the summer season. “The VIPs always remain under protection throughout the clock in our country. When they pass, roads are blocked for citizens. A lot of security personnel are deployed in their security, but the common people always suffer,” it further said.
The top court had recently declined to entertain a plea seeking the formation of a probe panel headed by a retired apex court judge to investigate the deadly Pahalgam attack.
Slamming the PIL litigant, the Justice Surya Kant-led Bench said that it would not entertain any plea which could demoralise the country’s armed forces.
“Be responsible before filing such a PIL. Since when have retired High Court or Supreme Court judges become experts in investigation? Since when have we (judges) gained the expertise of investigation? We only decide disputes. Please do not ask for these prayers (for investigation under supervision of a retired SC judge),” the apex court said.
“This is the crucial hour when each and every citizen of the country has joined hands to fight terrorism. Don’t make any prayers which could demoralise our forces. It is not acceptable to us! Look at the sensitivity of the issue,” it added.
National News
‘My Mother’s Tears Fell When Terrorists Killed My Father’: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Reacts To Union HM Amit Shah’s Remarks On Sonia Gandhi’s Tears

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks referencing her mother, Sonia Gandhi’s tears, stating that her mother wept when her father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by terrorists, and that she understands the pain of the Pahalgam terror victims.
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the discussion on Operation Sindoor, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Union Home Minister spoke about my mother’s tears today. I want to answer this. My mother’s tears fell when terrorists killed my father. Today, when I talk about those 26 people (victims of the Pahalgam attack), it is because I understand their pain.”
Her remarks came after Union Minister Shah said that Sonia Gandhi was “sobbing” at the Batla House incident.
“I remember one morning during breakfast, I saw Salman Khurshid crying on the TV. He was coming out of Sonia Gandhi’s residence… He said that Sonia Gandhi was sobbing at the Batla House incident. She should have cried for Shaheed Mohan Sharma instead of the terrorists of the Batla house…” Shah had said.
Further questioning the Union Home Minister over the ceasefire, Priyanka Gandhi said, “The Union Home Minister today spoke about what Nehru and Indira Gandhi did. He even went on to talk about my mother’s tears. But he never answered why the ceasefire was announced…”
Furthermore, Congress leader Vadra accused the government of “escaping” the questions and having “no sense” of accountability towards the citizens of the nation.
“This government always tries to escape the questions…They have no sense of accountability towards the citizens of the nation. The truth is that they have no place for the public in their heart. For them, everything is politics, publicity…” she said.
“Most of the people who are sitting in this House today have a security cover…But on that day in Pahalgam, 26 people were killed in front of their families. All those people who were present in Baisaran Valley on that day did not have any security. No matter how many operations you conduct, you cannot hide behind the truth…” she stated.
Maharashtra
Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.
On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.
Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars
Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.
While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.
Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged
As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.
The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.
Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed
The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.
Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.
The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.
Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?
National News
Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi’s ‘Boasted Friendship’ With Donald Trump, Cites US Engagement With Pakistan

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “much boasted friendship” with US President Donald Trump is now proving to be “hollow” and cited several overtures the latter recently made to Pakistan.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh also alleged that Indian diplomacy was failing in the light of the US partnering with Pakistan.
“The abject failure of Indian diplomacy, especially in the past two months, is revealed most tellingly by four facts. These expose the tall claims made by the Prime Minister and his drum-beaters and cheerleaders,” he said in his post.
Ramesh said that since May 10, 2025, Trump has claimed 25 times that “he personally intervened to stop Operation Sindoor, threatening India and Pakistan that if they didn’t bring the war to a halt, they would not have a trade agreement with the USA.” On June 10, 2025, he claimed, Gen Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, hailed Pakistan as a phenomenal partner of the US in countering terrorism.
On June 18, 2025, Trump held an unprecedented luncheon meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in the White House, Ramesh noted.
“Two months earlier, Munir’s inflammatory, incendiary, and communally provocative remarks had provided the backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22, 2025,” he said.
Just yesterday, the Congress leader claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and thanked Pakistan for its partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.
“The PM’s clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, has already cost India heavily. His much boasted friendship with President Trump is now proving to be hollow,” Ramesh said in his post.
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