New Delhi, June 26: A Delhi court on Thursday will hear a criminal defamation complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, the wife of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti, against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The complaint stems from alleged defamatory, false, and malicious statements made by Sitharaman regarding Mitra and Bharti’s marriage during a press conference held on May 17 last year.

Mitra claims the remarks were widely aired by national television channels with the intention of damaging her husband’s reputation and electoral prospects.

Bharti was the INDIA bloc candidate from the New Delhi parliamentary constituency during the general elections.

Earlier, the matter was listed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal, who granted Sitharaman’s counsel additional time to file a ‘vakalatnama (affidavit)’ and review the contents of the complaint.

The court instructed Mitra’s legal team to provide a soft copy of the complaint and a video link of the press conference containing the allegedly defamatory statements.

According to Mitra’s plea, “The accused made these utterances with the sole intention of weakening his chances of winning and for causing immense mental anguish to him.”

She asserted that Sitharaman’s remarks not only harmed Bharti’s political standing but also inflicted “irreparable mental agony” on her and their two minor children — a daughter and a son.

She further noted that Bharti, an alumnus of IIT Delhi with a wide global network, has suffered reputational damage that extends well beyond India.

“The defamatory acts of the accused continue to cause enduring damage unless they are retracted or an apology is issued,” the complaint read.

Mitra urged the court to take cognisance of the alleged offences and summon the Union Minister for trial.

She also sought an injunction to restrain Sitharaman from “publishing, circulating or distributing similar defamatory content” via any platform and requested that steps be taken to ensure the removal of the content from all outlets.

Bengaluru, June 25: An incident has been reported from Bengaluru on Wednesday where a nursing student was allegedly raped by the owner of a paying guest (PG) accommodation after she confessed to a theft, officials said.

The police have arrested the accused.

The arrested person has been identified as 35-year-old Ravi Teja Reddy, the owner of the PG facility.

According to the police, Reddy raped the 21-year-old woman after she admitted to stealing three gold rings from another girl residing in the same PG.

Following the victim’s complaint, Reddy has been booked for rape and taken into police custody.

The victim, a nursing graduate from Andhra Pradesh, had joined the PG only a week prior to the incident and was searching for a job, the police said.

Investigations revealed that the victim had allegedly stolen three gold rings from another PG inmate.

She had also disconnected the CCTV camera wire during the theft.

However, she asked another inmate whether the CCTV footage would still be recorded despite the wire of the CCTV camera being cut.

This conversation was shared with Reddy, which raised his suspicion on the nurse.

Reddy then summoned the victim for questioning and threatened to hand her over to the police.

The girl reportedly confessed to the theft, after which Reddy instructed his aides to retrieve the hidden valuables, police added.

When the victim pleaded with Reddy to forgive her and not to inform the police, he allegedly slapped her and sexually assaulted her.

Initially hesitant to file a complaint, the victim later confided in a male friend.

The friend then contacted a city-based advocate, who helped lodge a formal complaint with the police.

Based on the complaint, the police sent the victim for a medical examination and arrested the accused.

Reddy has been booked under Sections 64(1), 74, and 75(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act.

In her complaint, the victim said that Reddy initially touched her private parts under the pretext of checking her.

When she resisted, he allegedly forced her to perform oral sex.

The FIR further mentions that the victim, unable to control her urge to vomit after the assault, ran to the restroom.

Reddy followed her and allegedly forced her to have unnatural sex again.

The victim also said that Reddy later threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone.

It was only after the victim’s friends came to her support that she gathered the courage to file a complaint.

Seoul, June 25: The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and praised the diplomatic efforts led by the US and other involved countries.

“We hope that all parties will faithfully implement the terms of the agreement so that tensions in the region can be eased swiftly,” the ministry said in a statement.

As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, South Korea “will continue to participate in the international community’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump declared that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had officially taken effect, urging both sides to maintain restraint.

“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!” Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social.

The announcement came amid escalating violence in the Middle East, but President Trump’s declaration appeared to catch both parties off guard. The ceasefire claim was quickly contradicted by Iran, which asserted it had not received any formal proposal from Washington and had not agreed to a bilateral ceasefire.

US President Trump also wrote, “Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, ‘Peace’! I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real winners!”

“Both Nations will see tremendous love, peace and prosperity in their futures. They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of righteousness and truth. The future for Israel & Iran is unlimited and filled with great promise. God bless you both!” he added.

Earlier, Iran announced a unilateral halt to its military operations against Israel, effective 4 a.m. local time, but made it clear that the pause was conditional, based entirely on whether Israel would stop its own airstrikes and military actions.