Kochi, June 25: In a startling revelation made by the National Investigating Agency (NIA), it has surfaced that the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) had prepared a hit list of 950 people in Kerala.

The list, which surfaced in the media on Wednesday, included a now-retired district judge.

Incidentally, this list was submitted early this month by the NIA at a special court here when the bail applications of four accused in the murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan came up for hearing. The NIA opposed the bail strongly. The four accused, identified as Muhammad Bilal, Riyasudheen, Ansar K.P. and Saheer K.V., were arrested for murdering Sreenivasan at Palakkad, Kerala, in 2022.

The list of 950 was compiled after getting confirmed inputs from different places by the NIA probe team. It includes eight documents seized from the 51st accused, Sirajudheen, which contain a list of 240 people from other communities.

Then, while conducting a search held at Periyar Valley Campus at Aluva, NIA was able to get the details of five targeted persons from the purse of the 15th accused, Abdul Wahad, who is presently on the run.

It was in this list that the name of a former district judge was found.

Another document seized from an accused, who turned approver later, contained a hit list with the names of 232 people.

Similarly, a search held at the home of the 69th accused, Ayoob, a hit list containing the names of about 500 people was found.

When the NIA was probing the Sreenivasan case, the PFI link emerged. It was later found that PFI had sinister plans to create unrest in the country.

During the investigation, the anti-terror agency got details of the PFI carrying out physical and arms training for its cadres.

The NIA has now claimed that it has voice clips and witness statements that reveal the ‘India 2047 plan’ of setting up Islamic rule in India.

The special court, after hearing both sides and going through the documents produced before it, observed that there were reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the petitioners was prima facie true, and rejected the bail petition.

New Delhi, June 25: IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who began his historic mission to become the first from India to reach the International Space Station on Wednesday, said it’s the journey of India’s human space flight.

After 41 years, India will have an astronaut in space. Shukla will be the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984.

“This is not my journey alone, but I am carrying the Indian flag with me, and this is the journey of India’s human space flight,” Shukla said, onboard the flight.

“Liftoff for #Ax4. The #Ax4 crew is on its way to the space station,” said the US-based Axiom Space, which has, in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, organised the mission.

“Liftoff of Ax-4!” added SpaceX.

Shukla’s flight launched at 2.31 a.m. EDT ( noon IST) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The lift-off comes after being deferred at least six times.

“India is returning to space, Jai Hind,” Shukla wrote on X, just before the launch of the mission.

“After 41 years, India’s flag will fly in space again,” he added.

Earlier, Shukla also penned an emotional note for his wife.

“Special thanks to Kamna for being the wonderful partner that you are. Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter,” said Shukla, in a post on Instagram.

He also shared a photograph that shows them saying goodbye through opposite sides of a glass wall.

Shukla also thanked people “involved in this mission for their support”.

He is serving as the pilot of the mission alongside Commander Peggy Whitson of the US.

The other crew members include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, both serving as mission specialists. Once aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct pioneering experiments related to food and space nutrition.

Once aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct pioneering experiments related to food and space nutrition and study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on edible microalgae — a nutrient-rich, high-potential food source for future space missions.

Chandigarh, June 25: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday conducted a raid on the private residence of Shiromani Akali Dal’s former minister Bikram Singh Majithia in Amritsar in a drug case.

He has been facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since December 2021, ahead of the Assembly elections.

A spokesperson for the government said the raid has been underway as part of the Bhagwant Mann government’s biggest ongoing action against drugs. A team of 30 Vigilance personnel, comprising senior officials, reached the residence when Majithia and his family were present there.

Former legislator Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal, had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2022 after a Mohali trial court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition in a case under the NDPS Act registered on December 20, 2021.

In a 49-page FIR filed by the state police Crime Branch at the Mohali police station, the SAD leader has been booked under sections 25, 27A and 29 of the NDPS Act.

In his plea, Majithia had termed the case a result of “political vendetta” and argued that there was no credible and legally admissible material against him.

The court, however, had granted an interim bail but allowed the Special Investigation Team to interrogate Majithia.

The High Court had observed that there was no material placed on record showing possession, transportation, storage by or recovery of any contraband from Majithia.

“All recoveries in the concluded trials have been effected from specific individuals and the petitioner was not shown therein to have any role in that regard,” it had observed, referring to convictions of drug seizure cases of Jagdish Bola and others.

However, the High Court clarified in the 26-page judgment that the court’s opinion was tentative and was made only for deciding his bail application and should not be construed as an expression of a “final opinion”.

In March 2025, the Supreme Court had directed Majithia to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Patiala after the state government reported that he was refusing to cooperate with the probe. However, in April, the apex court dismissed the petition filed by Punjab, challenging the bail granted to Majithia.

“The respondent (Majithia) was participating in the process of further investigation. In view of the said facts and also taking note that the liberty was granted on August 10, 2022, more than two-and-a-half years ago, at present, we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order. Accordingly, the SLP stands dismissed,” observed a Bench comprising Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Aravind Kumar, rejecting the state’s petition.