The Supreme Court on Friday castigated Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his alleged derogatory remarks on freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

In November 2022, Rahul Gandhi, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, made defamatory comments on Savarkar at a rally in Maharashtra's Akola.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan asked Rahul Gandhi to refrain from making “irresponsible statements” as it told him not to speak anything against freedom fighters.

“Mahatma Gandhi also used ‘your faithful servant’ while addressing the Viceroy? Someone does not become a servant like this. Next time, somebody will say Mahatma Gandhi was the servant of the British,” it remarked.

Amid continuing protests by both “genuine” and “tainted” losers of teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools in West Bengal following a Supreme Court order earlier this month, a new angle of irregularity has surfaced.

The irregularity concerns a section of the “tainted” candidates already identified by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). These candidates were shown as “non-joined” as per the records of the school education department, which means that these teaching and non-teaching staff have not joined duty despite getting appointments.

The question has now surfaced -- if such candidates were marked as “non-joined” as per records of the state education department, how could they draw salaries for so many years?

Activist Medha Patkar was arrested here on Friday after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena.

She was arrested by the Delhi Police in the morning and will be produced in the court later in the day.

A court here on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Patkar over her non-appearance and non-compliance with the sentence order in connection with a decades-old defamation case filed by Delhi L-G Saxena. The court had observed that she was deliberately flouting its sentencing order to submit probation bonds and Rs one lakh as fine in the defamation case filed in 2001.

Additional sessions judge Vishal Singh had observed that instead of appearing before the court to comply with the sentencing of April 8, the 70-year-old social activist had remained absent and deliberately failed to comply with the order to avail of the benefit of probation subject to furnishing the compensation amount.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that he is in touch with state governments where harassment of Kashmiris is being reported in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

“The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I’m also in touch with other Chief Ministers in these states and have requested they take extra care,” he wrote on X.

The Chief Minister was responding to a post by ruling National Conference (NC) spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention after videos of Kashmiris being harassed emerged on social media.

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite all the parties, including those having one MP, to the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Owaisi said that since this is a national issue, everyone must be heard.

The Lok Sabha member posed on X on Thursday that he spoke to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night regarding the Pahalgam all-party meeting.

“He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long”. When I asked “What about us, the smaller parties?” He joked that my voice is anyway too loud,” posted Owaisi.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president stated that this is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all-party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism and those countries that harbour terrorists.

Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema reached Karnal and paid tribute to Lt. Vinay Narwal, who was martyred in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The young officer was laid to rest with full state honors.

Addressing the media, Harpal Singh Cheema expressed deep sorrow over the loss of a brave son of the nation. He said, “Lt. Vinay Narwal’s martyrdom is a painful moment for the entire country. It is heart-wrenching to see the young lives of our soldiers cut short. The central government must take decisive action to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the tourists who were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

"We are coordinating with the tourists. We have made arrangements for those who have contacted us. We are bringing some of them through Indigo. After reviewing the arrangements, Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol will request IndiGo to provide an additional plane. The minister is looking after the arrangements for the necessary tickets. They will be brought to Maharashtra as soon as possible, as they are scared due to this incident," CM Fadnavis said in a statement.

He said state ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha are reviewing the arrangements at Mumbai Airport. In Pune, Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Minister of State Madhuri Misal are engaged in the coordination.

The Congress party on Wednesday strongly condemned the "cowardly" terror attack that left more than two dozen tourists dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, stating that those responsible for such heinous crimes "cannot be humans."

Addressing a press conference, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, party spokesperson Pawan Khera, and Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar expressed their deep anguish over the tragic incident and extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families.

"Every single Indian is in deep shock and pain," Khera said.

Kharge said the attack, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Baisaran Valley, has left the entire nation "deeply hurt, shocked, and saddened." He called the incident an outrageous act of terror and a direct assault on the unity and integrity of India.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed many lives and left scores injured.

At least 26 tourists have been killed after gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir.

Terming it a cowardly act, the Chief Minister said such incidents were unacceptable in a civilised society and anti-social elements must be curbed at all costs.

"Our hearts go out to the victims and their families during this incredibly painful time. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the families of the victims and with all those affected by this barbaric act," he said in a statement.

CM Sukhu prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district that claimed 26 lives.

Calling the attack unfortunate, he said: "No amount of condemnation is enough."

"In this hour of grief, the government stands with the families of those who have lost their lives in this incident. I will pray to God to give place to their brave souls at his lotus feet. Strict action should be taken against those who carried out this heinous incident," he said.

"The cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam is unfortunate. My condolences are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. The government is fully with the families who have suffered. No one who carried out this disgusting act will be spared," he said.