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Plea to CJI seeks pre-ponement of hearing on eco reservation in NEET-PG course

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A city-based lawyer on Wednesday wrote a letter petition to Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana seeking preponement of the hearing in matters related to the economic reservation in NEET-PG course in the apex court and initiate day to day hearing.

Highlighting the ongoing protests of the resident doctors for the last several days led by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association of India (FORDA) and threat for mass resignation, the letter petition by Adv Vineet Jindal stated that the mass protest has resulted because the Union Health Ministry has not taken any concrete steps to expedite NEET-PG counselling.

The plea also sought directions to the Centre to form a committee to address the issues related to doctors concerned and the Delhi Police Commissioner to initiate an enquiry and take stern action on culprits into the incident of physical assault on the protesting doctors by the cops.

“With doctors as our frontline warriors against this war with Covid, it is imperative to address the issues of resident doctors at the earliest to resolve their demands and to call off the strike as soon as possible,” Jindal pointed out.

“Already, the second wave of Covid-19 has left an indelible impact on lives of people due to the massive death toll, and now we are again facing a crisis of the third wave and are in extreme need of best health care services owing to the current situation of the outbreak of omicron virus,” he added.

Abiding by the constitution of India under Article 19 and 21, the responsibility of securing the life and liberty of the protesting doctors and every citizen of this country, lies in the hand of the apex court, the plea read said.

Recently, the protest against delayed NEET PG counselling has been supported by doctors from five states -Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

The doctors have been striking work over delays in NEET-2021 PG counselling, which is now pending the outcome of a batch of petitions over economic reservations, being heard in the Supreme Court will take up on January 6, 2022 by the apex court.

The strike started with doctors boycotting work in out-patient clinics, which was later escalated to boycotting of all routine work such as care of admitted patients and routine surgeries when they didn’t receive any assurances from the Union health minister.

Initially, the delay of NEET-2021 PG examinations was due to the second wave of Covid-19 and it was further delayed due to the petitions filed and pending for hearing before this court over reservation issue, it said.

The FORDA has pointed out the “acute shortage” of resident doctors across the country as the counselling of NEET-PG 2021 batch has already been delayed by eight months. On December 9, the agitation was suspended by the resident doctors called by the FORDA for a week following the health ministry’s assurance to expedite court hearing and subsequently fast-track the counselling process.

However, FORDA wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, informing him that it was resuming the strike from December 17, the plea added.

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Kalyan Student Suicide Case Update: No Leads Found, Lacks Eyewitness Due To ‘Peak-Hour Crowding’

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Mumbai: In the Kalyan student suicide case, the Thane police have intensified the probe and questioned about 10 commuters who were in the same coach of the Mumbai local train; however, no leads have been currently found in the case. The 19-year-old, Arnav Khaire, was allegedly assaulted and threatened by fellow passengers on a Mumbai local train following a Hindi-Marathi language-based argument. Arnav went into severe mental stress, emotional breakdown and later died by suicide at his residence.

When the police questioned the commuters of the same coach of the CSMT-Ambernath train, many claimed that they did not come across any conflict or assault, ‘citing peak-hour crowding.’ In addition to this, the police sources told Media that the CCTV footage was also examined with the help of Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) to trace multiple passengers who boarded the local train from Ambernath to Thane. Senior inspector Hemant Gurav of Kolsewadi police station told the daily, “We are still trying to identify other passengers in the coach.”

Apart from speaking to commuters, the report added that the police also sent the victim’s mobile phone to forensic lab to retrieve messages, voice recordings, videos, or calls he made before his death.

Earlier on November 22, the Kolsewadi Police registered a case of abetment to suicide against the unknown individuals who assaulted Arnav inside a local train. The FIR clearly stated that the attack played a crucial role in pushing Arnav towards suicide.

On November 22, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke with Arnav’s family and assured the family of full government support, immediate investigation, and justice.  In addition to this, the Deputy CM assured that until the linguistic extremists responsible for Arnav’s suicide are punished, “we will not remain silent.”

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INS Mahe Commissioned In Mumbai: Indian Navy Inducts 1st Anti-Submarine Warfare Vessel; All You Need To Know

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Mumbai: A major boost to India’s coastal defence capability came on Monday as the Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first vessel in the Mahe-class series of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC). The ceremony, held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, was hosted by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and presided over by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.

The commissioning marks the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallow-water combatants, compact, highly manoeuvrable and designed specifically for India’s littoral warfare requirements. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), INS Mahe reflects the strength of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, with over 80 per cent indigenous content in its design, construction and integration. Navy officials described the vessel as ‘sleek, swift and resolutely Indian.’

INS Mahe’s primary role is anti-submarine warfare in shallow waters, an area where conventional deep-water ships face limitations. With a blend of stealth, firepower and agility, the ship will undertake submarine hunting, coastal patrol and surveillance duties, strengthening security along critical maritime approaches.

Its name pays tribute to Mahe, the historic coastal enclave on India’s Malabar Coast. The ship’s crest features the Urumi, the flexible sword of Kalaripayattu, symbolising agility, precision and lethal grace, qualities reflected in the vessel’s mission profile.

Navy officials emphasised that INS Mahe is a multi-purpose warship, capable of being deployed across a wide spectrum of operations:

Anti-submarine warfare

Coastal defence and maritime security

Underwater surveillance

Search and rescue

Mine-laying

High-precision missions in shallow waters

Its compact 78-metre frame, 2.7-metre draft, 896–1,100-ton displacement and robust water-jet propulsion enable rapid manoeuvring even in tight maritime zones, an increasingly crucial requirement in modern coastal defence.

INS Mahe is powered by a modern diesel-engine and water-jet propulsion system, allowing a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 1,800 nautical miles at cruising speed. It carries 57 crew members including seven officers and is equipped with two RHIBs for rapid response.

With an extremely low acoustic signature, the vessel is engineered to remain undetected while tracking enemy submarines. This stealth advantage is reinforced by advanced sonar systems, making it highly effective in both shallow and variable-depth waters.

The ship’s surveillance backbone is built around two state-of-the-art sonar systems:

1. DRDO Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar

Continuously monitors underwater surroundings

Detects submarine signatures, mines and artificial objects

Optimised for shallow-water operations

2. Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS)

Deployed through a cable for deep-water detection

Effective in areas where hull-mounted sonar faces limitations

Long-range, low-frequency scanning for high accuracy

Together, the systems offer round-the-clock underwater surveillance and precise target identification.

INS Mahe is armed with a range of modern weapons, making it a formidable platform for anti-submarine warfare:

12-barrel IRL Anti-Submarine Rocket Launcher

30 mm Naval Surface Gun for defence against small craft and aerial threats

Two triple lightweight torpedo launchers (six ALWT torpedoes)

Anti-submarine mines deployable via mine-laying rails

Two 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote-Controlled Guns for coastal and anti-piracy operations

The combination enables detection, tracking and elimination of hostile submarines and maritime threats across a variety of operational scenarios.

With INS Mahe joining the fleet, the Indian Navy majorly enhances its littoral warfare capability. The vessel will play a vital role in protecting India’s coastal zones, monitoring suspicious submarine activity and contributing to mission-critical operations on the Western Seaboard.

INS Mahe stands as both a strategic asset and a milestone in India’s indigenous defence manufacturing journey, further strengthening maritime security and pushing India closer to naval self-reliance.

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High price tag likely factor behind RCB releasing Livingstone: Anil Kumble

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New Delhi, Nov 24: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that Liam Livingstone’s high price was likely a factor in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decision to release him into the IPL 2026 auction pool.

Livingstone played for RCB in their title-winning IPL 2025 season after being bought for Rs. 8.75 crore at last year’s mega auction. However, he had an underwhelming time – scoring 112 runs in eight innings with a strike rate of 133.33, including one half-century, and taking two wickets in nine overs with an economy rate of 8.44.

It would be interesting to see if RCB or any other team ropes him in for the IPL 2026 auction, to be held in Abu Dhabi, on December 16. “Releases are always tough calls. Liam Livingstone is someone I enjoyed working with closely, and he was extremely good for Punjab in IPL 2022, probably his best IPL season. He can change the game single-handedly in just a few overs with his powerful batting.”

“What makes him special is his bowling flexibility; he bowls leg spin to right-handers and off spin to left-handers, plus he’s a good fielder, making him a complete package. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great IPL season for RCB last year and also missed out on selection for England.”

“Otherwise, I’m sure other franchises would be interested in him. His high price tag was likely a factor in the release. RCB also needs to find backup options, both an overseas fast bowler and an Indian fast bowler to support their main bowling attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. This need for bowling depth might be another reason behind this tough call,” said Kumble, a former RCB skipper, on JioStar.

Saba Karim, former India wicketkeeper-batter and national selector, questioned RCB’s decision to release young batter Swastik Chikara. “It’s a splendid position for RCB to be finally being called as the defending champions. Talking about their auction plans, they can still buy back Liam Livingstone in the mini-auction if he doesn’t go for too high a price.”

“I’m also surprised they didn’t retain Swastik Chikara, who was an excellent buy last season after his prolific performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I was actually expecting him to get a game, but he didn’t play a single match and now, hasn’t been retained. If RCB wants to strengthen their batting lineup, there are several Indian uncapped batsmen they can target in the auction to build their squad depth for the upcoming season,” he added.

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