National News
SC orders release of death row convict found to be juvenile at the time of crime

The Supreme Court has set side the death sentence of a rape-murder convict, after it was established that he was a juvenile on the date of commission of the offence.
A top court bench of justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol said: “The conviction of the appellant is upheld; however, the sentence is set aside. Further, as the appellant at present would be more than 20 years old, there would be no requirement of sending him to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) or any other child care facility or institution. The appellant is in judicial custody. He shall be released forthwith.”
The apex court affirmed the trial court order convicting him for the offence of rape and murder, but set aside the death sentence awarded to the accused, convicted in a December 2017 rape and murder case in Madhya Pradesh.
The bench noted that it is of the view that merits of the conviction could be tested and the conviction which was recorded cannot be held to be vitiated in law merely because the inquiry was not conducted by the JJB.
“It is only the question of sentence for which the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015, would be attracted and any sentence in excess of what is permissible under the 2015 Act will have to be accordingly amended as per the provisions of the 2015 Act. Otherwise, the accused, who has committed a heinous offence and who did not claim juvenility before the trial court, would be allowed to go scot-free,” added the bench.
The top court judgment came on a man’s plea challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order dated November 15, 2018. The Indore bench of the high court had upheld the death sentence awarded by the lower court and dismissed the appeal filed by the appellant challenging his conviction and sentence.
The accused, during the pendency of these appeals, moved an application claiming juvenility and consequently the benefits available under the provisions of the 2015 Act.
The bench said the appellant is held to be less than 16 years, and therefore, the maximum punishment that could be awarded is up to three years.
“The appellant has already undergone more than five years. His incarceration beyond three years would be illegal, and therefore, he would be liable to be released forthwith on this count also,” it added.
The bench considered a report from the Court of First Additional Sessions Judge, Manawar, Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, dated October 27, 2022 along with all the material evidence both documentary and oral adduced before it on the basis of which the report has been submitted.
The top court accepted the trial court report and held that the appellant was aged 15 years, four months and 20 days on the date of the incident.
It added, “It would also be pertinent to notice that the institution is not a private institution, but a government primary school and this court does not find any reason to disbelieve or even doubt the testimony of government servants both working and retired.”
The bench noted, “The intention of the legislature is to give benefit to a person who is declared to be a child on the date of the offence only with respect to its sentence part.”
National News
Even UN-designated terrorists didn’t say India surrendered: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dangerous’ mentality

New Delhi, June 4: The BJP on Wednesday escalated its criticism of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his controversial “Narendra, surrender” remark, accusing him of displaying a “sick and dangerous” mentality and asserting that he lacks the maturity and seriousness expected from someone in his position.
At a press conference held at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi tore into Gandhi, saying, “On one hand, members of various opposition parties, including Congress MPs, who were part of the joint parliamentary delegation sent by India, are returning after strongly and unitedly presenting India’s position in various countries across the world.”
“On the other hand, Congress’ self-proclaimed leader and Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is making utterly shallow and frivolous remarks, showing the world that even after attaining the position of LoP, he severely lacks the seriousness and maturity the role demands,” he said.
Trivedi took strong exception to Gandhi’s comments linking Operation Sindoor to “surrender,” saying it was an insult to the armed forces.
“How Rahul Gandhi compared our armed forces’ valour and army officers’ brief on Operation Sindoor’s success with surrender shows how sick and dangerous his mentality has become,” he remarked.
He went on to say that Gandhi’s comments surpassed even those made by India’s adversaries.
“Till now, Congress leaders were making headlines in the Pakistani media, their statements were being quoted in Pakistan’s parliament, and Rahul Gandhi’s statements also made their place in Pakistan’s dossier. But for the first time, Rahul Gandhi has said something which even the Army Chief of Pakistan has not said, nor has any terrorist organisation of Pakistan. Even Masood Azhar or Hafiz Saeed have not said such a thing. None of them said that India surrendered,” he added.
Trivedi posed a sharp question to Gandhi, asking, “Does he want to get one step ahead of these people? Till now, he was giving cover fire to the people of Pakistan, the Pakistani Army and terrorist organisations. Is he trying to become their leader now?”
Calling Gandhi’s words a grave insult to national pride and the Indian Army, Trivedi said, “He doesn’t realise how badly he is insulting this country’s self-respect and the army’s valour.”
Trivedi further questioned the LoP’s political judgment and leadership, saying, “The level of intelligence and wisdom of someone who sees receiving less mandate in their third attempt in the election as a success, and views PM Modi being elected as the Prime Minister for the third time as a defeat, is obvious.”
He also challenged the Congress party to clarify its stance: “According to the Congress, has their Leader of Opposition insulted the Indian Army by using the word ‘surrender’ or not?”
National News
PoK could’ve been retrieved if Op Sindoor wasn’t stopped: Congress MP backs Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, June 4: Congress MP Imran Masood on Wednesday came out in support of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s controversial “Narendra, surrender” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that had the government not halted Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army would have succeeded in reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Speaking at the Congress’ state headquarters in Bhopal, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had surrendered to the United States during President Donald Trump’s tenure.
Gandhi linked this to a broader historical trend, accusing the BJP and RSS of bowing to pressure.
“Jaise udhar se Trump ne ishara kiya, phone uthaya, kaha Modi ji kya kar rahe ho. Narendra…Surrender aur ji huzur kar Modi ji ne Trump ke ishare ka palan kiya,” Gandhi said, implying that PM Modi obediently followed Trump’s directions.
Backing Gandhi’s remarks, Masood told Media, “What wrong has Rahul said? Has Rahul ever said anything wrong? He spoke the truth. Just remember 1971, when a country was split into two (referring to the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan). This time, if we had taken control of PoK, it would have been done — but they (the government) stopped it. Our Army has no shortage of bravery and valour.”
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari also echoed support for Rahul Gandhi, criticising the Modi government for “failing” to counter Trump’s repeated assertions that he facilitated a ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan.
“Rahul Gandhi fired an arrow of truth that struck directly at the BJP’s guilt, leaving them rattled. The BJP seems mentally unbalanced now. They’ve resorted to abusive, unparliamentary language — only someone mentally disturbed would speak this way. What Rahul Gandhi said is absolutely right,” Tiwari said.
“Trump, not just once, but several times, made such claims. PM Modi should have publicly rejected them at least once, but he chose to be mum. I want to say that if PM Modi has the courage, he should stand before Indira Gandhi’s portrait and say that Trump did not ask India to surrender. We want a strong Prime Minister,” he added.
Gandhi also took aim at his own party’s internal rifts, asserting that some Congress leaders were working in favour of the BJP and that the “lame horses” within the party would retire soon.
Commenting on this, Masood told Media, “This is a matter of party leadership. I have no say in this. Who they think is right or wrong, only Rahul Gandhi can speak about it.”
“To go to war, you need strong horses — like Chetak-type horses. But such horses are being sidelined. Are they now being searched for? What kind of preparation is this? This is an exercise in organisational restructuring, and it will continue in that direction,” he added.
Crime
Punjab Police arrest man for sharing sensitive information with Pak on Op Sindoor

Chandigarh, June 3: Acting swiftly, Punjab Police have arrested Gagandeep Singh of Tarn Taran for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor, Director General of Police Guarav Yadav said on Tuesday.
The accused had been in contact with the Pakistan’s ISI and Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla.
Investigations have revealed that he was engaged in sharing classified details, including troop deployments and strategic locations, posing a threat to national security, DGP Yadav wrote on the social media platform X.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Singh had been in touch with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Chawla for the past five years, through whom he was introduced to the Pakistani intelligence operatives.
He also received payments from operatives via Indian channels, the DGP said.
The police have recovered a mobile phone containing intelligence that Singh shared with Pakistan, as well as details of over 20 ISI contacts.
“Thorough financial and technical investigations are underway to trace other linkages and establish the full scope of this espionage network,” the DGP added.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered under the Official Secrets Act at the police station (city) in Tarn Taran town, and further investigation is in progress.
Earlier, Punjab Police arrested two people, including a 31-year-old woman, for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to an official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
Those arrested were identified as Gazala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla in Punjab.
Police teams had recovered two mobile phones from their possession. Their arrest came days after Amritsar (Rural) Police arrested two people, Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih, for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
DGP Yadav had said that the preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information. They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions.
Accused Gazala was arrested for leaking sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements to a Pakistan-based handler.
Based on disclosures made by her during interrogation, a second conduit identified as Yameen Mohamad was also identified and taken into custody.
Accused Gazala admitted that she was doing it in lieu of money, and the accused official has sent her Rs 30,000 in two transactions – Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 – via UPI.
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