Connect with us
Friday,24-October-2025
Breaking News

National News

Vijender Gupta elected Delhi Assembly Speaker; Oppn forces adjournment

Published

on

New Delhi, Feb 24: Vijender Gupta, BJP legislator from Rohini, was elected the Speaker of Delhi Assembly on Monday after his name was proposed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Soon after his election, the proceedings of the House were adjourned due to disruptions by the Opposition legislators of the AAP.

During the House proceedings, conducted by pro-tem Speaker Arvinder Singh Lovely, Gupta was elected as the new Speaker with unanimity.

Soon after assuming the new role, Speaker Gupta faced the challenge of slogan shouting by the AAP legislators during the discussion on vote of thanks for the election of new the Speaker.

In his opening remark, he condemned the Leader of Opposition Atishi for trying to raise an issue without permission and disturb the proceedings.

“I want to warn the Opposition that they should not try to spread anarchy. They should let the proceedings to continue smoothly,” he said, expressing his displeasure over the behaviour of AAP legislators.

Earlier, while greeting Speaker Gupta on his election Atishi said photos of B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh had allegedly been removed from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Her remarks, without the permission of the Chair, triggered noisy protests from the Treasury Benches with the Speaker censuring the LoP for speaking out of turn and context. When the AAP legislators continued to disrupt the proceedings, the Speaker adjourned the House proceedings.

Earlier, CM Gupta along with her Council of Ministers took oath as members of the Legislative Assembly. The first session of the House commenced on Monday morning and saw all newly-elected legislators taking oath.

There are 48 BJP legislators and 22 AAP legislators in the 70-member Assembly.

Along with Delhi CM, the BJP ministers namely Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Kapil Mishra, Ravinder Singh Indraj, Pankaj Kumar Singh and Manjinder Singh Sirsa also took the oath.

AAP’s MLAs, including Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Atishi, also took oath during the first session of the House.

With her appointment, Rekha Gupta has become the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following in the footsteps of Sheila Dikshit, Sushma Swaraj, and Atishi.

She is also the fourth BJP leader to hold the top post in the national Capital, succeeding Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj.

The first session of the Delhi Assembly is set to last for three days.

The proceedings began with BJP MLA Lovely taking oath as the pro-tem Speaker, a temporary position responsible for conducting House proceedings until a full-time Speaker is elected. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena administered the oath to Lovely at Raj Niwas.

Crime

Mumbai Airport Customs Seizes Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹12 Crore; Passenger Arrested

Published

on

Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officers have arrested a passenger for allegedly smuggling hydroponic weed valued at around Rs 12 crore, sourced from Bangkok.

According to the agency sources, on the basis of specific intelligence, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), intercepted one passenger arriving from Bangkok on Wednesday.

During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 11.92 kg of suspected hydroponic weed (marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately Rs 12 crores.

The narcotic substances were concealed inside the checked-in trolley bag carried by the passenger, who was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

In his statement, the passenger told Customs officers that he was aware that smuggling of hydroponic weed and other illegal drugs into India attracts stringent punishment. However, he was getting some inducement in lieu of smuggling the contraband to India.

“The preliminary investigation carried out so far in accordance with the law and the statement given by the accused disclose involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced. The investigation in this case is at the preliminary stage and efforts are on to trace other suspects involved in the case,” said a Customs officer.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Airport Customs officers had arrested two persons – Thane resident Mohammad Irfan Khan (27) and Malwani resident Sara Bi (36) for allegedly smuggling hydroponic weed collectively valued at Rs 7.86 crore.

In the intervening night of October 19-20, on the basis of specific intelligence, the Customs officers at CSMIA intercepted one passenger arriving from Bangkok and seized hydroponic weed worth Rs 10.50 crore.

Continue Reading

Business

Colgate-Palmolive India’s Q2 profit falls 17 pc, revenue slips over 6 pc

Published

on

Mumbai, Oct 23: Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited on Thursday reported a 17 per cent drop in its net profit for the second quarter of the current financial year (Q2 FY26).

The company’s profit stood at Rs 327.50 crore for the quarter ended September 2025, compared to Rs 395.05 crore in the same period last financial year (Q2 FY25), according to its stock exchange filing.

Revenue also fell 6.15 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,519.50 crore, down from Rs 1,619.11 crore in the previous fiscal.

Operating income or EBITDA declined 6 per cent to Rs 465.43 crore, while the EBITDA margin was almost unchanged at 30.6 per cent, compared to 30.7 per cent last financial year.

Prabha Narasimhan, Managing Director and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive India, said the quarter’s performance reflected a temporary impact from disruptions among distributors and retailers due to the GST rate revision.

She added that the company has worked with its partners to ensure consumers benefit from the lower prices that took effect after the tax change.

“Despite the short-term challenges, we remain focused on our long-term strategic goals and will continue to invest in our brands,” Narasimhan said.

Alongside the results, the company announced a first interim dividend of Rs 24 per share for the financial year 2025–26, amounting to a total payout of Rs 652.8 crore.

The record date for the dividend has been set as November 3, and the payment will be made on or before November 19, according to the company’s exchange filing.

Colgate-Palmolive (India)’s quarterly results were released after market hours. On Thursday, its shares closed 1.16 per cent higher at Rs 2,286.90 on the NSE.

However, the stock has fallen 31.35 per cent over the past year and 14.69 per cent so far in 2025.

Continue Reading

Crime

BSF apprehends minor with 11 gold biscuits along India-Bangladesh border

Published

on

Kolkata, Oct 23: The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended a minor boy with 11 gold biscuits along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal.

The incident has brought to light how smugglers are now using minors as couriers to evade arrest.

“Troops of the 143 Bn BSF, South Bengal Frontier, deployed at the Bithari Border Outpost, had received intelligence inputs of an attempt to smuggle gold in their area of jurisdiction. During checks, they came across an Indian minor carrying a briefcase. During a search, a black packet with the 11 gold biscuits were found in his possession,” a senior BSF official said.

According to an official, the weight of the seized gold is 1,286.17 grams. It is valued at around Rs 1.64 crore.

During questioning, the boy said that he is a resident of Daharkanda village in the Swarupnagar police station area of North 24-Parganas. He also said that he had been sent by his mother to deliver the packet to a designated point.

The boy has been handed over to concerned authorities, along with the gold, for further legal processing. A search has been launched for the boy’s mother and others involved in the racket.

“This recovery once again underscores the alertness, professionalism, and commitment of BSF troops in curbing cross-border smuggling along the India–Bangladesh border, despite attempts by criminal networks to exploit minors for such illegal activities,” the official said.

While stating that the BSF personnel are fully capable of preventing all kinds of illegal activities along the border, he urged the border population to report any information regarding gold smuggling or other crimes to ensure peace in the area.

“They can call the Seema Sathi Helpline Number 14419 or send a WhatsApp text or voice message to 9903472227. Those providing credible information would be suitably rewarded and their identities kept confidential,” he said.

Continue Reading

Trending