National News
Hijab row: K’taka HC resumes hearing; many students boycott exams
A three-judge panel of Karnataka High Court, formed to look into the petitions on hijab row, resumed hearing on Monday afternoon.
Even as the bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi is hearing the matter on a day-to-today basis, the hijab crisis continues in the state, raising concerns over the law and order situation.
Meanwhile, many students across the state have boycotted crucial II PUC practical exams that have started on Monday for not being allowed to wear hijab in the classrooms. However, majority of the students, including those from Muslim community, took off their hijab and attended exams.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has extended the prohibitory orders surrounding 200 meters of surroundings of schools, PU Colleges, Degree Colleges or other educational institutions till March 8.
If II PUC students remain absent for practical exams they will lose out 30 marks and that will make them get a maximum score of 70 marks in theory exams. To attend CET, the students will have to score a minimum of 45 marks. The scores of practical exams are crucial for the future of students.
The main exams are scheduled between April 16 and May 6. Practical exams will be held for physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, computer science and electronics subjects. The marks will be uploaded to the website of PU Board immediately after exams. If students remain absent for practical exams, no second chance would be given to them.
More than 40 students in Vijayapura district boycotted exams for being asked to remove hijab and staging protests before the District Commissioner’s Office. More than 10 students refused to take off their hijab and waited near Women’s Polytechnic College in Hassan on the premises. Later, they got into an argument with the Principal demanding entry into classes with hijab.
Prohibitory orders will continue in Koppal district till February 26. The district administration has warned that around 300 meter radius more than five people can’t gather. Meanwhile, the six students who started the agitation at Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College have remained absent for the practical exams.
As many as nine students of Madikeri Junior College staged a silent protest at the entrance gate. They sat near the gate holding placards containing messages of ‘hijab is our right, our choice’, ‘we want justice’.
Students of Kolar Government Pre-University College demanded a letter from the Principal for not allowing them with hijab to classrooms. They claimed that the court has consented for the entry of students in colleges which do not have a college development committee. They have also staged a protest.
The larger bench has directed the state government to see to it that it’s interim order is not violated. Counsels for petitioners have been vehemently pressing for allowing Muslim students with hijab by reconsidering interim order. One of the counsels has requested the court to allow Muslim students to wear hijab at least on Fridays, the jumma day which is considered as most auspicious day for Muslims.
The counsels have also submitted that there is no legal sanctity for the College Development Committee (CDC) and School Development and Management Committees (SDMC). They have also questioned MLA, representing a political party and ideology being let in the academic environment.
The bench has already questioned Advocate General Prabhuling Navadagi representing the government on the legal sanctity of CDCs and SDMCs. He had submitted that the order issued by the government on February 5, did not ban the headscarf but only gave the power of deciding on uniform to CDCs. He also clarified that the government has taken a conscious stand not to intervene in the matters related to religious symbols and it is unnecessarily being dragged into the issue.
The Advocate General will present his arguments on three points and stated firstly he would prove that hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam, preventing its use did not violate Article 25 of the Indian constitution and the challenged Government Order was in accordance with law. The bench has questioned Advocate General on why the government has referred to verdicts given by the high courts and the Supreme Court while giving the order.
National News
Mumbai: Cooper Hospital Doctors Raise Alarm As Security Overhaul Leaves OPD Unprotected; MARD Warns Of Mass Leave

Mumbai, Nov 24: A sudden overhaul of the security system has created confusion among doctors at Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle after they noticed the absence of guards in the Out-Patient Department (OPD).
The hospital has witnessed several assaults on doctors in recent weeks, increasing anxiety among staff and prompting the Cooper Hospital unit of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to raise concerns with the administration.
On November 8, three doctors were attacked by a man after a 60-year-old patient died during treatment. Shockingly, the security personnel present in the emergency ward allegedly remained passive during the incident, raising serious questions about the efficiency of the contracted security agency.
Following the incident, the BMC administration removed around 150 personnel of the outsourced agency and initiated the process to appoint a new one. It later emerged that both the old and proposed agencies were operated by the same individual under different company names.
As the appointment of a new agency will take time, the BMC temporarily deployed its own staff. About 90 personnel were pooled from various departments and assigned to Cooper Hospital. The abrupt shift led to confusion among doctors, who initially believed no security had been deployed.
Chief Security Officer Ajit Tawade said the misunderstanding has now been cleared. “Doctors were not aware that BMC security personnel had been deputed,” he said. Tawade added that 90 guards will be deployed round the clock in three shifts, with fewer staff required at night. Previously, 150 guards were posted across the hospital.
Under the revised arrangement, one guard will be assigned to each floor instead of every ward or OPD, raising concerns about reduced vigilance.
“With limited manpower, we cannot post guards in each ward or OPD. Doctors are demanding the same strength they had with the private agency. We deploy security in the same manner at Sion, KEM and other hospitals. At present, we are functioning with only 50 percent of the required strength,” Tawade said.
MARD president Dr. Chinmay Kelkar said doctors have been assured that security deployment will be gradually increased. “If there is no improvement, we will be forced to go on mass leave,” he warned.
Crime
Thane Shocker: Young Woman’s Body Found Stuffed Inside Suitcase Under Desai Khadi Bridge On Kalyan–Shil Road; Police Launch Murder Probe

Kalyan, Nov 24: A shocking incident has come to light after the body of a young woman was discovered inside a suitcase under the Desai Khadi bridge on the Kalyan–Shil Road on Monday. The gruesome finding has triggered panic and concern throughout the area, as it clearly indicates a cold-blooded murder.
According to police sources, the age of the deceased woman is estimated to be between 25 and 30 years. The body was packed inside a medium-sized suitcase and dumped beneath the bridge, suggesting that the killers deliberately chose a secluded spot to dispose of the evidence.
Prima facie, officers believe the woman was murdered before being stuffed into the suitcase and abandoned. However, the exact cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem examination.
The identity of the victim remains unknown at this stage. The police have begun checking missing women complaints from Kalyan, Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mumbai and surrounding regions.
Forensic experts have been called to examine the suitcase and surrounding area for fingerprints, blood traces, or any other clues that may help identify the perpetrators.
CCTV footage from nearby locations, toll plazas, and road junctions along the Kalyan–Shil corridor is also being collected and analyzed to trace the vehicle or individuals who might have transported the suitcase.
The Dyghar Police have officially launched a murder investigation and formed a special team to trace the identity of the woman and hunt down those responsible. Police have appealed to the public to contact them immediately if they have information about a missing woman matching the victim’s description.
The brutal killing has sent a wave of shock across the city, raising serious concerns about safety. Police say they are treating the case with utmost urgency and are confident of making a breakthrough soon.
Crime
J&K: ED attaches property valued at Rs 1 crore in money laundering case

Jammu, Nov 24: The Jammu Sub-Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Jammu and Kashmir said on Monday that the agency has attached immovable property worth Rs 1 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
A press statement by the ED said, “The Jammu Sub-Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable property worth nearly Rs 1 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
“The provisionally attached property comprises industrial land at Panipat, Haryana, of M/s Vidit Healthcare Private Ltd., Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, the ED initiated investigation in respect of case registered by the Jammu NCB against M/s Vidit Healthcare (Managing Partner, Neeraj Bhatia) Niket Kansal and others for illegal diversion of a codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS), “Cocrex”, for misuse as intoxicant/drug, from manufacturer, M/s Vidit Healthcare,” the statement added.
“ED investigation revealed that M/s Vidit Healthcare supplied CBCS to entities viz. M/s S.S. Industries, M/s Kansal Industries, M/s Nouveta Pharma, M/s Kansal Pharmaceuticals and N.K Pharmaceuticals (all operated and controlled by Niket Kansal r/o Delhi) during 2018-24, to the tune of about Rs 16.74 crore. Part of such illegally diverted CBCS was supplied to Raees Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Srinagar, from whom large quantities of CBCS was seized on January 14, 2024 by NCB.”
“ED investigation further revealed that M/s Vidit Healthcare earned gross profit estimated to be nearly Rs 2.92 crore as proceeds of crime from the sale of codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS) to entities operated by Niket Kansal viz. M/s S.S. Industries, M/s Kansal Industries, M/s Nouveta Pharma, M/s Kansal Pharmaceuticals and N.K Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in this case, ED has conducted search at the premises of Neeraj Bhatia and Niket Kansal on February 13, 2025, resulting in seizure of cash amounting to Rs 32 lakh and jewellery valued at Rs 1.61 crore from the residential premises of Neeraj Bhatia and in furtherance of investigations, ED has further attached immovable property in the form of land at Panipat of M/s Vidit Healthcare, worth nearly Rs one crore.”
“Further investigation is underway,” the statement said.
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