National News
SC grants custody parole to Tahir Hussain for campaigning in Delhi polls

New Delhi, Jan 28: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted custody parole to the 2020 Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain to campaign ahead of the February 5 Assembly polls in the national capital.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Hussain as a candidate from the Mustafabad constituency.
A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath ordered that Tahir Hussain walk out of jail for 12 hours every day under police custody from January 29 to February 3.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta, recorded the undertaking given on Tahir Hussain’s behalf that he may deposit the expenses incurred towards his security arrangements. The expenses for the first two days of police custody need to be paid by 6 p.m. Tuesday, said the apex court.
Further, it restrained Tahir Hussain from making any public comments regarding the merits of the cases pending against him.
Justice Nath-led bench clarified that its order granting custody parole will have no bearing on the merits of the bail application pending adjudication before the Delhi High Court in connection with Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma’s murder case.
Earlier in the day, the top court asked the Delhi Police to apprise it of the security measures that would be needed if Tahir Hussain is allowed to campaign under custody parole. It told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, to give an estimate of how much security personnel would be required if Tahir Hussain is given custody parole and the expenses it would entail.
Senior advocate Siddharth Agarwal, appearing on Tahir Hussain’s behalf, stated that he was restricting his prayer to grant custody parole in view of the limited time of 3-4 days left for campaigning.
Agarwal said that Tahir Hussain is willing to stay away from his residence and will stay in a hotel room and provide details. Opposing this, ASG Raju said that granting relief to Tahir Hussain would set a “wrong precedent” as every prisoner would then file a nomination to contest elections to walk out of jail.
After the Justice Nath-led Bench sought to know the details of security arrangements and costs if Tahir Hussain is granted custody parole, the law officer sought an adjournment to seek instructions.
Last week, a 2-judge Bench of the top court delivered a split verdict on Tahir Hussain’s petition. While Justice Pankaj Mithal dismissed his plea, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah was inclined to order Tahir Hussain’s release on interim bail in view of his incarceration of over four years on the charge of being an instigator during the 2020 riots in the national capital. Resultantly, the 2-judge Bench ordered the file to be placed before the Chief Justice of India, who is the master of the roster, for referring the matter to another bench.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had turned down Tahir Hussain’s plea for interim bail but granted him parole to enable him to file nomination papers for the upcoming Assembly polls. Following the order of the Delhi High Court, Hussain, while out on custody parole, did not have any access to the phone or Internet, did not interact with any person except the officials concerned in the nomination process, and also could not address the media.
On January 14, the Justice Neena Bansal Krishna-led Bench reserved its decision after hearing the arguments raised by senior advocate Rebecca John, representing the former Councillor, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, who appeared on behalf of Delhi Police. Opposing Hussain’s interim bail plea, ASG Sharma said the AIMIM candidate, facing “gruesome allegations”, may file his nomination papers from Tihar jail or under custody parole. Sharma added that there is no fundamental right to contest elections and if released on interim bail, Hussain may influence witnesses.
National
Five Pakistani aircraft destroyed in Operation Sindoor: BJP’s Amit Malviya

New Delhi, May 24: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and ground forces downed at least five Pakistani aircraft, including a Chinese JF-17 and two F-16 fighter jets, during Operation Sindoor, in-charge of the BJP’s National Information and Technology, Amit Malviya, said on Saturday.
The information related to the setbacks to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), shared by Malviya on his social media handle X, comes in the backdrop of intense politics over Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi seeking information about IAF’s aircraft losses and the BJP questioning him for not caring to inquiring about Pakistani losses during the conflict.
Hailing IAF’s precision strikes and air dominance during Operation Sindoor, Malviya listed the PAF aircraft casualties as: one C-130 J medium lift aircraft, a JF-17 and two F-16 fighters on the ground and in the air.
A Pakistani SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system was destroyed as far as 315 kilometres away deep in Pakistan, said Malviya.
The Saab 2000 Erieye AEWC aircraft owned by Pakistan is equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system.
Malviya quoted a media report which said that the IAF also has proof of its missiles having downed one C-130 J medium lift aircraft, a JF-17 and two F-16 fighters on the ground and in the air.
The BJP leader also commended the performance of the S-400 air defence system. “India’s S-400 air defence system in Adampur went into action no less than 11 times during Operation Sindoor,” he wrote.
Adampur Air Base is the one which Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited after the ceasefire ‘understanding’ with Pakistan.
Malviya also shared other details of the IAF strikes on May 10, pointing to Rafale-launched SCALP missiles and SU-30 MKI-launched Brahmos missiles taking out the northern air command-control network at Nur Khan airbase in Chaklala in the first strike itself.
Talking about the precision missiles that struck Pakistan four times, he wrote on X, “The last strike was carried out at Jacobabad and Bholari air bases, but by that time Pakistan had folded and was seeking US intervention for a ceasefire.”
Malviya’s claims about IAF success against the enemy also demolish claims made in fake news circulated on social media and attributed to a British newspaper. The posts carried an article with the headline “Pakistan Air Force: The Undisputed King of the Skies.”
Crime
Seer arrested for raping minor in Karnataka’s Belagavi

Belagavi, May 24: A prominent Hindu seer has been arrested on charges of raping a 17-year-old girl in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, police said on Saturday.
The police have filed a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case against the accused.
A case in this regard was registered at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station and subsequently transferred to the Mudalagi police station.
The accused is the head pontiff of a prominent mutt in a village in the Rayabagh taluk of Belagavi district.
According to police, the seer allegedly raped the girl repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident.
The accused seer had taken the girl to Raichur on May 13 and stayed there for two days.
Later, he took her to Bagalkot on May 15, staying there for another two days.
The accused seer took the girl with him, claiming to drop her back at her residence, and took advantage of the situation to commit the crime.
The seer left the victim at the Mahalingapura bus stop in Bagalkot district on May 17. Later, the girl revealed her ordeal to her parents, and a complaint was lodged against the seer at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the girl’s parents, who were devotees of the mutt and revered the accused seer, used to leave their daughter at the mutt often for weeks. The seer allegedly took advantage of this.
Police said there are allegations against the mutt and the seer of carrying out illegal activities.
It also came to light during the investigation that in 2021, the accused seer was beaten by villagers.
Local people have appealed to the police to initiate strict legal action against the accused seer.
The police have recorded the statements of the villagers and the victim.
The accused seer has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.
Crime
Murder accused shot by TN Police after attacking officers in Salem

Salem, May 24: A 26-year-old man accused of the brutal murder of a 70-year-old woman in Omalur, Salem, was shot in the leg by police early Saturday after he attacked two officers with a machete while trying to escape from his hideout near Sankari Fort.
The accused, Naresh Kumar of Kattikaranoor village in Omalur block, is a habitual offender with over 20 robbery cases registered against him across various police stations in the district.
The incident traces back to May 20, when the victim, Sarasu alias Saraswathi, a resident of Chinnerikadu in Omalur, was murdered while grazing her cattle. Her body was discovered by locals along a roadside path, bearing injuries to her ear and nose.
Initial investigation suggested that she had been attacked for her gold jewellery, with at least one sovereign of gold reported stolen. A murder and robbery case was registered by the Deevattipatti police. In response, special teams were formed to track down the suspect.
Based on intelligence inputs and surveillance, police identified Naresh Kumar as the prime suspect and located his hideout at the foothills of Sankari Fort.
During the early hours of Saturday, a special police team closed in on his location. However, as officers attempted to apprehend him, Naresh Kumar brandished a machete and violently attacked Sub-Inspector Vijayaraghavan and Constable Selvakumar, injuring both.
In an act of self-defence and to prevent his escape, one of the officers fired a service pistol, hitting the accused in the leg. Naresh Kumar collapsed on the spot and was immediately taken into custody.
He, along with the injured policemen, was admitted to the Government Hospital in Sankari for treatment.
According to police sources, Naresh Kumar has a criminal history of targeting elderly women in rural areas, primarily for jewellery snatching. Previous incidents have been reported from Sankari and Magudanchavadi.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of senior citizens in the region and the increasing audacity of repeat offenders. Police have intensified surveillance and patrolling in vulnerable rural zones to prevent further attacks.
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