Politics
Delhi High Court seeks Centre’s response on plea against Waqf Act

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought Centre’s response on a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Waqf Act of 1995 and terming it “arbitrary.”
Issuing notices to the Ministry of Law and Justice and Central Waqf Council, a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla clubbed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with other similar petitions and posted for hearing on July 28.
The plea was challenging the Waqf Act 1995 and calling it an entirely violative inter-alia of the scheme of the Constitution and more particularly Articles 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 25, 26 and 300A.
In the plea, petitioner Adv Devendra Nath Sharma contended that the Central government doesn’t have the legislative competence to make laws with respect to Waqf and religious Muslim properties at the exclusion of non-Muslim citizens of India.
He also argued for directions for a Uniform Civil Code which can govern the private properties of citizens under the Constitution. “The upkeep and control of religious Waqf properties in India is a private affair/purpose and not a public purpose, therefore state can’t be permitted to manage the same at the expense of public money,” it read.
In a similar petition, BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay had recently approached the court.
His PIL contended that there is no safeguard for Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and other communities to save their properties from inclusion in the list of Waqf issued by Waqf Boards. Therefore, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahais, Christians, and Zoroastrians are discriminated. It offends Articles 14-15, it said.
Petitioner Upadhyay was challenging the vires of S. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14 of the Act, stating these provisions grant special status to Waqf properties denying equal status to Trust, Mutts, Akharas, Societies, and confer unbridled powers to Waqf Boards to register any property as Waqf property.
Crime
Woman’s body with sealed lips found in dumped trolley bag in Kolkata

Kolkata, April 22: The body of a woman with sealed lips was recovered from a trolley bag dumped at the roadside at Baguihati in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Tuesday.
Local people said that some people from the locality noticed the trolley bag dumped at the roadside on Monday night only. However, all of them chose to ignore it.
However, a newspaper vendor became inquisitive after spotting the trolley bag in the same position on Tuesday morning. He immediately consulted a senior citizen, and they thought it wise to inform the local police station.
On being informed, the cops arrived at the spot. After opening the trolley bag, they saw the dumped body of a young woman in a salwar kurta and her lips sealed with brown tape.
The cops recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem purposes.
“The exact reason behind the death will surface only after the final autopsy report is available. Prima facie, it seems that the woman was murdered somewhere else, and then her body was placed in the trolley bag, and finally, the bag was dumped at the roadside. We have started our investigation into the matter. Our prime aim is to know the identity of women,” said an investigating official.
He also said that the footage from the CCTV cameras is being checked to get any clues in the matter. The missing persons’ diaries registered with the different police stations are also being examined.
To recall, in February this year, two women were arrested at the bank of the River Ganges at Kumartuli in north Kolkata as they were trying to dispose of a trolley bag carrying the headless and chopped body of a third woman in the river.
The two women, mother and daughter, were identified as Falguni Ghosh and Aarati Ghosh. The woman, whose chopped and headless body had been recovered from within the trolley bag, was reportedly that of Sumita Ghosh, an elderly relative of the two arrested women.
Crime
Bengaluru Police file FIR against Air Force officer in road rage case

Bengaluru, April 22: The Bengaluru Police lodged an FIR against an Indian Air Force officer on Tuesday in connection with a road rage incident involving him and a bike rider.
The case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Byappanahalli police station. The FIR has been filed against Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose. Earlier, the bike rider, Vikas Kumar, was arrested in connection with the case. The incident came to light after Bose uploaded a video on social media claiming he was attacked by a local youth for not speaking in Kannada.
However, later CCTV footage revealed Bose overpowering the bike rider, banging, kicking, and punching him.
The FIR has been filed under IPC Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 304 (snatching forcefully), 324 (mischief), and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace).
The complaint was lodged by Vikas Kumar, a call centre employee. According to him, while he was returning a friend’s bike, a car touched his vehicle. “When I questioned why they hit the bike, the officer kicked it. When I objected, he continuously assaulted me. When I tried to call my friend, he snatched my phone and threw it. He also threw away the bike keys and attempted to choke me,” Kumar alleged.
The incident escalated after Kannada organisations condemned the officer’s video and the alleged assault, criticising him for giving the issue a Kannada versus Hindi language twist. After Kumar’s arrest, they also slammed the police for taking one-sided action.
DCP East D. Devaraju had stated earlier that the incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday while the Air Force officer was travelling from DRDO Quarters to the Bengaluru International Airport. “An altercation broke out between the officer, his wife, and the biker. His wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Das, was driving the car. The situation escalated, and we have CCTV footage along with videos taken by bystanders,” he said.
“It’s a clear case of road rage. Both parties could have avoided the incident. Around 6.30 a.m., they came to the police station, and the SHO advised them to seek first aid as they were bleeding,” he added.
He also stated that Bose had left for the airport due to a delay. “Once he went live on social media, we traced the details and contacted Madhumita Das at the DRDO quarters. She later came to the police station and filed a complaint. This is a clear road rage incident,” DCP Devaraju reiterated.
Entertainment
Andrew Garfield speaks up on his return as ‘Spider-Man’

Los Angeles, April 22: Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield, who has openly expressed his desire to return as Spider-Man, has said that the idea has to be very novel.
If the actor returns as the web-slinging superhero, it will be his fourth movie following 2012’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, 2014’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and 2021’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, the latter of which powered to $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office on the strength of Garfield teaming up with fellow web-slingers Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire, reports ‘Variety’.
However, Andrew Garfield said at Middle East Film & Comic Con that coming back as Spider-Man hinges on an offbeat story idea.
He said (via Entertainment Tonight), “It would have to be very weird. I would like to do something very strange. Something very unique, and offbeat and surprising, kind of like the creative freedom they have with the animated ‘Spider-Verse’ movies”.
In an interview with Esquire magazine last year, the two-time Oscar nominee said he was “left dangling” when his Spider-Man role came to such an abrupt end after ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ disappointed at the box office.
As per ‘Variety’, that film’s lackluster performance resulted in Sony coming to an agreement with Disney to share ‘Spider-Man’ so that the superhero could officially enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tom Holland took over the role with 2017’s ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. But the success of ‘No Way Home’ proved there’s still a lot of love for Garfield’s iteration of the comic book hero.
“For sure, I would 100% come back if it was the right thing, if it’s additive to the culture, if there’s a great concept or something that hasn’t been done before that’s unique and odd and exciting and that you can sink your teeth into”, Garfield told Esquire.
“I love that character, and it brings joy. If part of what I bring is joy, then I’m joyful in return”, he added.
Tom Holland’s next ‘Spider-Man’ movie is officially titled ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and is set to hit theaters July 31, 2026.
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