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.
Crime
CBI arrests proclaimed offender in Bengal gold trader’s murder in 2007

New Delhi, July 14: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested proclaimed offender Shibu Kumar Singh, one of the accused in the 2007 Sukanta Ghosh murder case, an official said.
He was arrested from his hideout at Raiganj Road in Gorakhpur’s South Gandhi Ashram, where he was living under the assumed name Akhilesh Kumar Shahi, the CBI official said in a statement.
The case was registered on the order of Calcutta High Court delivered on August 27, 2009.
After investigation, the CBI filed charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet on December 31, 2010, and November 14,2011, respectively, against Shibu Kumar Singh and three others, the statement said.
Absconding for several years, Shibu Kumar Singh was declared a proclaimed offender on September 15, 2016.
The accused was apprehended using human intelligence and technical inputs, the CBI said.
After obtaining a transit warrant, the accused will be taken to Kolkata for production before the competent court on Wednesday, the CBI added.
Barrackpore-based gold merchant Sukanta Ghosh was murdered on July 6, 2007.
The police found his body lying in a pool of blood with 18 stab wounds in Jawahar Kunja of Latbagan.
The police, after initial investigation, found that there was suspicion of the involvement of some goons allegedly working under the patronage of a Left legislator and his brothers.
The investigators found that the victim was murdered for refusing to pay protection or extortion money to the local mafia linked to the MLA.
During the investigation, the High Court had even directed the CBI to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder.
Justice Samapti Chatterjee had instructed the CBI to frame the SIT to reinvestigate the case that had initially been probed by the state police.
The High Court had directed that the SIT should be led by a CBI officer of the rank of Joint Director who would be responsible for providing updates to facilitate a court-monitored probe.
National News
NIA chargesheets 6th accused in CPI-Maoist Magadh zone revival, extortion case

New Delhi, July 14: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed its third chargesheet in a major conspiracy case, naming Chandan Kumar as the sixth accused in the revival of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit’s activities in the Magadh zone of Jharkhand and the systematic extortion of funds from contractors to procure arms and ammunition.
The chargesheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Ranchi, Jharkhand, in connection with a case, which the anti-terror agency had registered suo motu in December 2021.
Chandan Kumar, arrested by the NIA from Mumbai in January 2026, is described as a key figure in the operation.
According to the NIA’s investigation, Chandan Kumar played an active role in raising funds for the CPI (Maoist) through extortion from contractors working in the region.
The agency’s probe revealed that these illicit funds were channelled through multiple routes to support the terror outfit’s activities, including the purchase of arms and ammunition.
Further investigations established that Chandan Kumar was also involved in efforts to revive the CPI (Maoist)’s Magadh Zone by mobilising and encouraging former cadres to re-join the organisation.
His alleged objective was to strengthen the group’s presence and propagate its ideology through violent means.
The chargesheet highlights that prominent SAC Member of CPI (Maoist), Pradyuman Sharma, along with other accused persons including Abhinav and Chandan Kumar, were part of the larger conspiracy to resurrect the banned organisation’s operational capabilities in the area.
The NIA’s findings point to a well-planned strategy by the Maoist group to regain influence in the Magadh region through financial extortion and cadre mobilisation.
The agency has gathered substantial evidence linking the accused to these terror-related activities.
This is the third charge-sheet filed by the NIA in the case so far, with six accused now formally charge-sheeted.
The central probe agency is continuing its investigation to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy, identify additional operatives, and trace the complete money trail.
The development underscores the NIA’s ongoing commitment to dismantling the financial and operational networks of Left-Wing Extremist organisations operating in the country. Officials indicated that further arrests and chargesheets may follow as the investigation progresses.
Crime
Delhi Cyber Police bust mule bank account racket, arrest four in courier scam case

New Delhi, July 14: The Cyber Police Station of North-East District, Delhi, has busted a mule bank account racket and arrested four persons in connection with a fraud case involving cheating of Rs 2.47 lakh on the pretext of a courier delivery company.
The arrested accused have been identified as Md. Arbaz Daniyal alias Labbu (20), Jimmy Bathla (41), Abdul Wadood (27), and Aniket Verma (25). Police said the accused were allegedly involved in operating and supplying mule bank accounts used to receive and transfer money obtained through cyber fraud.
According to the police, a case vide e-FIR No. 00194/2026 dated 16.06.2026 under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Cyber Police Station, North-East District, on the complaint of Satender, a resident of Babarpur, North-East Delhi, who works as Deputy General Manager (DGM) at Delhi Transco Limited (DTL).
Police said the complainant received a call from a fraudster impersonating a courier executive regarding the delivery of a parcel. The caller allegedly convinced him to dial a number and activate call and message forwarding on his mobile phone. As a result, incoming calls and SMSs, including banking OTPs, were diverted to numbers controlled by the fraudsters, allowing them to fraudulently withdraw Rs 2.47 lakh from his bank account.
During the investigation, police analysed financial transactions, technical evidence and field intelligence to trace the money trail. Investigators found that Rs 80,000 of the cheated amount had been transferred to a Nainital Bank account belonging to the accused Md. Arbaz Daniyal alias Labbu.
Police said further investigation revealed that the account was allegedly opened and operated as a mule account for receiving proceeds of cyber fraud. A dedicated team conducted raids in Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand and Lucknow, Mirzapur and Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, leading to the arrest of all four accused.
“Investigation has exposed a well-organised network engaged in procuring and supplying mule bank accounts to cyber fraudsters for laundering cheated money,” Delhi Police said.
During interrogation, police said Md. Arbaz disclosed that he had opened the bank account on the instructions of Jimmy Bathla in exchange for Rs 50,000. Jimmy allegedly handed over the account to Abdul Wadood for Rs 1 lakh.
Police further said Abdul Wadood allegedly supplied the Nainital Bank account details to Aniket Verma, who then provided the account information to cyber fraudsters operating through Telegram for use in online financial frauds.
Four mobile phones, one from each accused, have been recovered during the investigation. Police said analysis of the seized devices revealed transaction details linked to the alleged cyber fraud network.
The arrests have provided important leads about the larger interstate cyber fraud syndicate, and efforts are underway to identify other members, trace additional fraudulent transactions and recover the remaining proceeds of crime.
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