National News
Sambhal mosque row: SC stays implementation of notice relating to well

New Delhi, Jan 10: In an interim direction passed on Friday, the Supreme Court told the Sambhal’s Municipal Council to not give effect to its notice concerning a well situated near the Shahi Jama Masjid.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar asked the Uttar Pradesh authorities to file a status report within two weeks, and, in the meantime, ordered that the authorities will not give effect to any notice in relation to the well.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the mosque committee, said that the impugned notice referred to the site as ‘Hari Mandir’ and now, the other side will likely start using the well for ‘puja (worship)’, bathing, etc.
Ahmadi said the well, which is “half inside and half outside” the mosque premises, has been used to draw water by the mosque administration since time immemorial. On the other hand, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the Hindu plaintiffs, contended that well situated outside the purview of the mosque cannot be a subject matter of the proceedings challenging the district court-ordered survey of the disputed site. At this, the apex court observed that it was keeping a close watch so that peace and harmony were maintained.
“Issue notice returnable on Feb 21. In the meantime, a status report will be filed by respondents in two weeks. The respondents (authorities) shall not give effect to any notice in relation to the well,” the SC ordered.
The matter will be heard next on February 21.
On November 29, the CJI Khanna-led Bench told the Uttar Pradesh government that “peace and harmony must be maintained” as it dealt with a plea filed by the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid Committee seeking a stay on a district court-ordered survey of the mosque. However, it had asked the mosque committee to approach an appropriate forum against the district court-ordered survey and in the meantime, asked the trial court to not proceed with the matter.
The apex court had said that in case any appeal is preferred before the Allahabad High Court or any other forum, the appeal will be listed within three working days after it is filed.
Clarifying that the Supreme Court has not expressed any opinion on merits, it had ordered to re-list the matter in the week commencing January 6.
In its Special Leave Petition, the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid Committee had sought an ad-interim and ex-parte stay on the operation of the impugned decision passed by Chandausi’s Civil Judge on November 19, where a survey was ordered in a plea filed by the Hindu petitioners, claiming that the mosque was built by Mughal invader Babur in 1526 after demolishing Shri Harihar Mandir. Further, it demanded that the report of the survey commissioner be kept in a sealed cover and the status quo be maintained until the issue is determined by the Supreme Court.
The petition had also sought directions to the effect that surveys should not be ordered and executed as a matter of course in cases involving disputes over places of worship without hearing all parties and allowing sufficient time for the aggrieved persons to seek judicial remedies against the order of survey.
The survey of Shahi Jama Masjid was undertaken on November 19 and November 24. As the second round of survey began at the mosque, violence broke out in the area resulting in the death of four individuals.
In a related development, the CJI Khanna-led Special Bench, in an interim order passed on December 12, had ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act, 1991 in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders. The Special Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, had asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the batch of petitions challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.
Crime
DRI seizes 2 leopard skins, wild boar horn; two suspects apprehended

Bhopal, May 6: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Nagpur unit, under the Mumbai Zonal jurisdiction, successfully apprehended two individuals engaged in illegal trade and possession of leopard skins.
Following the seizure, the confiscated wildlife articles and the detained individuals were handed over to the District Forest Division of Ujjain for further investigation in accordance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
The operation, conducted in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, resulted in the seizure of two leopard skins with heads, along with an ivory (wild boar horn), from the suspects.
Acting on specific Intelligence regarding attempts to sell these prohibited wildlife items, the DRI team intervened at a hotel in Ujjain on the morning of May 4 leading to the suspects’ capture.
The seized leopard skins and ivory were confiscated under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which strictly prohibits the trade, purchase, or possession of leopard skins or any part of the animal, as leopards are listed under Schedule I of the Act.
The agency is active in various wildlife enforcement actions, including a recent operation in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, where it seized two leopard hides and 18 leopard nails, leading to the arrest of five individuals.
In March 2024, another mission in Vizag city resulted in the seizure of a leopard skin and the apprehension of four traffickers.
Additionally, DRI’s Pune unit intercepted a leopard skin in Akola, Maharashtra, leading to the arrest of three persons.
This operation is part of DRI’s ongoing efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.
Earlier in January 2025, the Nagpur unit intercepted three individuals in Maharashtra’s Akola district and recovered one leopard skin.
These successful missions reaffirm DRI’s steadfast commitment to curbing illegal wildlife trade and safeguarding India’s biodiversity.
Employing its Intelligence-based approach and enforcement capabilities, the DRI continues to dismantle trafficking networks and enforce wildlife protection laws in collaboration with other agencies.
Crime
12 more militants apprehended in Manipur, large cache of arms recovered

Imphal, May 6: Security forces have arrested 12 more militants, including a woman cadre, of different outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Manipur during the past 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday.
A police spokesman said that of the 12 militants apprehended, 11 belong to the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) outfit and one to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) group.
The militants, including a woman cadre, were arrested from four districts — eight from Imphal East, one from Imphal West, two from Thoubal, and one from Kakching.
A large cache of arms and ammunition, including AK series/A1/M4/self-loading rifles, .303 rifles, pistols, camouflage uniforms, mobile phones, various electronic devices, incriminating documents and various other materials were recovered from the militants.
These extremists were involved in kidnapping, threatening people, various types of crimes, forcible collection of money from government employees, contractors, traders and common people.
The security forces, comprising Central and state forces, arrest militants of different outfits almost every day.
Meanwhile, police, during the past 24 hours, have recovered six more stolen vehicles in a special drive conducted for the recovery of stolen/snatched vehicles from anti-social elements/ miscreants.
Amid the ethnic violence in Manipur, widespread theft of cars and two-wheelers was reported, and 151 stolen cars and 30 two-wheelers have been recovered since April 16 from different places in the state when a special drive for the recovery of stolen/snatched vehicles was launched.
Combined security forces have continued search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts. Manipur has two National Highways — the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) and the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2), both very crucial to bring in foodgrains, various essentials and useful items, medicines, transport fuels, construction materials, machineries, and numerous other commodities from outside the state. To prevent any attack or any untoward incident, the security forces provide escorts to all kinds of vehicles when they move through the National Highways.
National News
High level meeting begins in Home Ministry regarding mock drill, many officials also present

New Delhi, May 6: A high level meeting has started in the Home Ministry on the mock drill to be held on May 7. The Home Secretary is holding a meeting with representatives of 244 civil defense districts.
In fact, this is an important meeting regarding the mock drill to be held on May 7, which has been organized in North Block under the chairmanship of Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The presence of Chief Secretaries and senior officials of the states in the meeting makes it clear that this is a national level coordination effort related to security and disaster management.
The objective of this meeting is to ensure preparation and coordination for the mock drill to be held on May 7. Due to this, officials of NDRF, Civil Defense DG, DG Fire and Air Defense as well as representatives of state governments have also participated in it.
Apart from this, the focus is on border and sensitive districts. Representatives of 244 civil defense districts and border areas have specially participated for this meeting. Also, this drill will focus on preparing for emergency scenarios like rockets, missiles and air strikes. Apart from this, discussions are also possible in the meeting on how to make arrangements for sirens and blackouts. This meeting is being considered a big step towards testing and improving the country’s security and disaster handling capabilities.
It is worth mentioning that after the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, the central government has taken a big step regarding security preparations. The Home Ministry has directed many states of the country to organize a comprehensive civil defense mock drill on May 7.
According to government sources, important activities will be carried out under the mock drill. During this, air raid warning sirens will be operated. This is a step related to issuing alerts about major danger and enemy activities.
Citizens and students will be trained in necessary civil defense techniques to keep themselves safe in case of possible attacks. Crash blackout will be arranged. Under this, emergency protocols will be implemented to hide cities and structures from enemy aerial surveillance or attack.
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