Mumbai: A special NIA court asked BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, to appear before it from Tuesday (February 27) onwards for recording of statements and warned her of “necessary action” if she fails to do so.

Special Judge A K Lahoti passed this direction on February 22 while granting Thakur’s plea for exemption for the day on medical grounds.

Thakur and six others are facing trial in the case under provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC). The National Investigation Agency court is currently recording statements of the accused under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

In his order, Special Judge Lahoti observed that Thakur and some other accused are not attending the court regularly on the fixed date.

“Time to time, their exemption applications for the reasons put forth by them are also considered by the court. It is observed that some accused are residents of other states and while moving the application they used to mention that they face difficulty in getting tickets at eleventh hour. So, they could not attend the court,” the court said.

However, to overcome the aforesaid difficulty, dates are given in advance to all the accused and, hence, exemption on the same ground will not be considered, the court said. The court considered Thakur’s plea, filed on the ground that she was under medication, for the day.

It, however, directed her to remain present from February 27 onwards “without fail, else, necessary steps will be taken”. Further, the court said all the accused must remain present on the fixed dates given to them till completion of recording of statement.

“Needless to say they (accused) could stay in Mumbai and if there is ill health, they could get medication in Mumbai also,” the court noted.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. Thakur is BJP MP from Bhopal.

 In a provocative remark, Rajasthan’s Education Minister Madan Dilawar has said Mughal emperor Akbar was not great but “a tyrant and rapist”.

Akbar used to get girls from bazaars and rape them, he told reporters at Balotra on Sunday when asked about the changes in school syllabus.

On mandatory organisation of ‘Surya Namaskar’ in Rajasthan schools, he said it is being implemented gradually.

“It has begun. In a few days, ‘Surya Namaskar’ will become regular in all the schools,” he said.

When asked about transfer of teachers, Dilawar said that exams are going on currently and it would not be appropriate to transfer teachers.

“Once the exams are over, we will begin the process of transfer,” he added.

Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas has passed away following a prolonged illness. The news was confirmed in a social media post by his daughter Nayaab Udhas. Reports citing family sources indicate that the Chitthi Ayee Hai and Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein singer breathed his last at a Mumbai hospital around 11 am. The last rites will be held on Tuesday.

“With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padma Shri Pankaj Udhas on February 26 due to a prolonged illness,” read a missive from the family. 

The singer’s demise left the music industry shocked and grieving. Condolence messages poured in after the news broke on Monday afternoon, with many expressing their shock and dismay via social media.

Udhas was born in Gujarat to a musically inclined family and enrolled at the Rajkot Sangeet Academy alongside his brothers at a young age. He later began learning Hindustani vocal classical music from Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab and eventually moved to Mumbai to train under Gwalior Gharana singer Navrang Nagpurkar. 

Reports suggest that his first stage performance was a rendition of Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo during the India-China war — which moved an audience member to give him a reward of ₹51. His first song credit was in the K Chatterjee directed 1972 film Kaamna.

Over the years Udhas has released more than fifty albums and countless compilations. He lent his voice to many Hindi films — including Naam, Saajan and Mohra. While he continued to perform at various ghazal events, his most recent song as a playback singer was for the 2016 film Dil Toh Deewana Hai.

NEW DELHI: India now dreams big and works day and night to fulfil its dreams, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he launched more than 2,000 rail infrastructure projects worth about Rs 41,000 crore.

The third term of his government will begin from June, but the scale and speech with which it has been working have surprised people, Modi said in his video address, taking note of the recent launch of several development projects.

People have seen a new India being built in the last 10 years, he said, underlining the transformation in the railways, including the launch of Vande Bharat trains, an emphasis on cleanliness and electrification of tracks.

In a swipe at previous governments, Modi said his dispensation stopped the loot of public money and every penny earned was used in expanding railway services.

The Indian Railways used to be a victim of politics but it is now the main basis of the ease of travel, he said, asserting that it has also been a big source of employment.

Modi cautioned people, saying the increase in the budget due to the country’s growing economy will not have an impact on the ground if revenue leaks due to scams.

Renovated railway stations are being used to promote local culture and artisans, he added.

The financial losses of the railways used to be a common refrain earlier, but the national transporter is a big force of transformation now, the prime minister said.

“I want to tell youngsters that their dreams are my resolve. Your dreams and hard work and my resolve are a guarantee of Viksit Bharat,” he said.

Several governors and chief ministers, besides hundreds of MPs and MLAs, joined the programme held across the country.

Union home minister Amit Shah |

New Delhi: The newly enacted laws – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act – to completely overhaul the criminal justice system in the country will come into effect from July 1.

The three laws got the Parliament’s approval on December 21 last year and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on December 25.

According to three identical notifications issued by the Union Home Ministry, provisions of the new laws will come into force from July 1.

The laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872 respectively.

The three legislations aim at completely overhauling the criminal justice system in the country by giving definitions of various offences and their punishments.