Category: News

New Delhi – On Thursday, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal talked about how we can fix social problems by building a caring society. He spoke at the opening of the KK Luthra and Nirmal Luthra Centre for Comparative Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Studies at OP Jindal Global University. Meghwal shared a story about a famous lawyer named Chittaranjan (CR) Das, who helped defend Sri Aurobindo Ghose in the Alipore Bomb case even though he wasn’t paid to do it.

Meghwal explained that Das moved from working in criminal law to helping with social justice through his charity work. When a British judge asked if Ghose had hired Das, Das replied that he was there to make sure justice was served, not to earn money. This showed how he went from focusing on crime to helping society.

The event, which introduced the Centre as a worldwide place for studying and talking about criminal law and justice, was attended by important legal figures, including Supreme Court judge Sanjay Karol and former attorney general KK Venugopal.

The Centre will be supported by a special fund from the Nirmal Luthra Foundation and the Luthra family, which includes Supreme Court lawyers Sidharth Luthra, Ketaki Goswami, Geeta Luthra, and Dr. Meera Luthra.

Justice Sanjay Karol, who spoke at the event, expressed worry about the growing gap between rich and poor people. He said that studying different criminal laws could help make justice fair for everyone, especially for those who are often left out. “Even though India is growing economically, the truth is that the gap between the rich and poor is getting bigger. Many groups still face discrimination, and wealth is too concentrated in the hands of a small number of people,” he said.

Justice Karol added that comparing legal systems from around the world can help scholars find better ways to bring fairness and justice. “Looking at how different countries handle laws can show us where things are unfair and allow us to share ideas for a better criminal justice system,” he said.

Shares of Religare Enterprises Limited (REL) are grabbing attention after the Burman family took control of the company. They now own 25.16% of REL, which means they have a big say in its operations.

On February 17, 2025, the Burman family completed their open offer to buy shares, adding 231,025 shares, which is a tiny portion of the total. Before that, on January 31, 2024, they bought 13.2 million shares, which was about 4% of REL’s total shares. This means they are serious about becoming key players in the company.

The Burman family, famous for creating Dabur India, got the green light from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in December to buy more shares in Religare. Their goal is to make the company stronger, improve its management, and keep it growing sustainably.

After this news, the company’s shares dropped by 2%, ending the day at Rs 223.

Bengaluru: Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy has accused the Congress government of targeting him through a recent survey of his farmland near Bidadi, Kethaganahalli. He believes the survey was politically motivated. Kumaraswamy spoke to reporters at his home and criticized how the state government is investigating him.

This survey happened after some activists claimed he had taken 14 acres of government land. The Karnataka High Court instructed the revenue department to check on the matter, which led to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) being formed. Revenue officials looked at over 110 acres of land owned by Kumaraswamy and his family, including his sister, who is related to a BJP Member of Parliament.

Kumaraswamy insisted that he bought this land legally 40 years ago from his earnings as a film distributor. He said, “People have always had their eyes on this land.” He accused the Congress government of trying to scare him with these actions, saying they have investigated him since 2012 without finding anything wrong. He also said he has never stolen government land.

He recalled that in 1986, some individuals had written to the Prime Minister about his land ownership, mentioning that he had legally bought it. Kumaraswamy defended his ownership, stating he has all the right documents. He targeted social activist SR Hiremath, who raised the allegations, saying he hasn’t even received a notice from the court regarding these issues.

Kumaraswamy questioned why complaints against him are suddenly emerging after 40 years of no problems. He pointed out that the SIT was planning to carry out the survey without notifying him, but he insisted they do it properly. The JD(S) leader suggested using expert surveyors to check the land records, stating he’s never done anything illegal. He finished by saying he knows how some people misuse power and how some have taken government land inappropriately. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has not responded to these allegations.

The Karnataka Lokayukta—a special ombudsman—submitted a huge report with 11,000 pages to a court in Bengaluru regarding the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land case. This happened just a day after police cleared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi of any wrongdoing. Police said there was not enough proof to charge them.

The police, led by Superintendent Udesh, shared 27 volumes of documents with a court that handles cases involving lawmakers. They assured the public that the investigation is ongoing and the documents are important for the inquiry.

Recently, it was reported that the Lokayukta was likely to absolve Siddaramaiah and Parvathi from all accusations. On Wednesday, Lokayukta Police closed the case, stating no evidence was found to support the allegations made against the chief minister, his wife, and two others.

The case began when an activist named Snehamayi Krishna raised concerns about land allocated by MUDA. The report noted that the accusations were either misunderstandings of the law or simply not proven enough to take further legal action. Krishna was informed that if he disagrees with the findings, he can challenge them in court.

The land in question was a three-acre plot that Siddaramaiah claimed was given to his wife in 1998. In 2014, MUDA acquired this land for development without proper permissions, and Parvathi later applied for compensation. She ended up getting 14 residential plots worth over ₹8 crore, making people suspicious that this somewhat unfairly benefited their family.

In September 2024, the Karnataka High Court allowed Lokayukta to investigate the land allotment. On November 5, the court directed the Lokayukta Police to present a status report on Krishna’s claims for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. However, on February 7, the court decided that the Lokayukta Police would continue the investigation.

Some skepticism arose from the opposition party, BJP, who questioned the fairness of the inquiry, suggesting it should be handed over to the CBI. Senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi stated they could not trust the investigation since the same police officers were appointed by Siddaramaiah.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar supported the Lokayukta’s report, saying that the allegations were politically motivated and Siddaramaiah was innocent. He emphasized that the Lokayukta is an independent body that operates without influence from the Chief Minister.

Delhi has a new chief minister, Rekha Gupta! She was officially sworn in on Thursday and her first task was very special. Along with her team, she performed a religious ceremony called ‘Yamuna aarti’ at Vasudev Ghat. This event is important because the BJP party, which she represents, promised to clean the Yamuna River during their election campaign.

Rekha Gupta, along with other leaders from the BJP, did a prayer for the river called ‘Maa Yamuna puja’ before performing the aarti. They played devotional songs and shouted slogans like “Jai Shree Ram” to celebrate the moment. Gupta mentioned that their goal is to clean the Yamuna, saying they will use resources to make it a priority.

Virendra Sachdeva, the president of Delhi BJP, also spoke about the importance of cleaning the Yamuna, promising the citizens that they would work hard to keep it clean.

Earlier in the day, Rekha Gupta took her oath as chief minister in a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. She is a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and defeated the former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the elections.

Many important people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Afterward, Gupta visited the Delhi Secretariat to start her new job as chief minister, joined by some party leaders.

Next week, a big event called ‘Advantage Assam 2.0’ will be held in Guwahati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many important people from businesses and governments will attend this two-day summit. PM Modi will open the event, which will feature talks from famous business leaders like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.

Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said that more than 18,000 people have already signed up to join. They expect to finalize over 1,500 important agreements (called memorandums of understanding, or MoUs) and look for investments over ₹1 lakh crore (which is a huge amount!).

Many important ministers will also attend, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who will bring a group of 35 ambassadors from countries like Germany and Australia. Before the summit, they will visit Kaziranga National Park.

The event will have high-level business guests from Japan, South Korea, and other countries. On February 25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be the special speaker for the closing session.

There will be different talks on topics like tourism and health, and the state cabinet will carefully review the MoUs to make sure they lead to actual projects. This summit is a follow-up to the first ‘Advantage Assam’ event in 2018, where many companies promised to invest large sums in the state, totaling over ₹65,000 crores.

Pankaj Kumar Singh, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and MLA for Vikaspuri in Delhi, has become a cabinet minister in the new government led by Rekha Gupta. He took his oath on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan, where six other cabinet ministers were also sworn in. This important event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many senior BJP leaders, and chief ministers from states where the BJP and its allies rule.

Singh shared his vision for a clean and beautiful Yamuna river, saying, “We will inspect the river, and I promise you will see big improvements by the next Chhath festival. Our first cabinet meeting will focus on these changes.” He also emphasized that the people of Delhi will see a cleaner environment under his leadership.

Here are four key points about Pankaj Singh:

1. Background: Pankaj Singh is a dentist with a degree from Magadh University in Bihar.
2. Political Involvement: He has been active in Delhi politics, holding various roles in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), where his father was a commissioner.
3. Experience: Before becoming an MLA, he served as a ward councillor.
4. Election Victory: In the 2025 Delhi assembly election, he won against AAP’s Mahinder Yadav by around 13,000 votes.