A special court in Rajasthan on Tuesday sentenced four terrorists to life imprisonment in the case of live bombs found during the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur in 2008.

The court issued a 600-page verdict on Tuesday.

On May 13, 2008, there were eight serial blasts in Jaipur, and the ninth bomb was discovered near a guest house in Chandpole Bazaar. It was defused just 15 minutes before it could explode.

The court remarked, “The greatest court is our mind… our mind knows what is right and what is wrong… punishment has been given, which means the crime has been committed.”

Earlier on Tuesday, during the sentencing debate, government lawyer Special PP Sagar Tiwari called for life imprisonment for the accused, stating, “The act of the culprits is the most serious crime. They cannot be treated with leniency under any circumstances.”

In a major breakthrough, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police has arrested Ravi Bhushan, the alleged mastermind behind the Community Health Officer (CHO) examination gang, along with his close aide Shashi Ranjan, in Patna district.

The arrests were made in connection with the July 2024 CHO recruitment exam, which had advertised 4,500 vacancies under the Bihar State Health Society.

The exam was conducted in 12 online centres through the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, managed by ‘We Shine Tech Pvt. Ltd’.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday searched multiple locations, linked with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Satinderjit Singh aka Goldy Brar, across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

NIA teams conducted extensive searches on the premises belonging to suspects and accused associated with Goldy Brar and US-based gangster Randeep Malik in the case relating to the December 2024 grenade attacks at Warehouse Club and Human Club in Sector 29 in Gurugram.

Several electronic and other incriminating materials were recovered during the searches conducted at eight locations in various districts of the two states, the NIA said in a statement.

The materials are being examined by the NIA for clues to the entire conspiracy behind the bombing incident, in which arms, ammunition and explosive materials were seized from the accused involved in the attack.

Soon after the grenade attack, gangster Rohit Godara had taken responsibility through a social media post.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast rainfall across Tamil Nadu until April 13, citing the formation of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal as the primary cause.

According to B. Amudha, Deputy Director General of the RMC, the low-pressure area formed over the central parts of the southern Bay of Bengal is expected to move northwestward over the southwest Bay of Bengal and gradually shift northwards over the west-central Bay of Bengal.

The Weather Department has also predicted heavy rainfall in some southern and delta districts of Tamil Nadu.

Districts such as Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai are likely to experience heavy rainfall at isolated locations on Tuesday. Chennai and its suburbs may also receive light rain in some areas.

Four members of a family were killed after their SUV plunged into a pond in Bihar’s Gaya district, officials here said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred near Dakhingaon Bridge under the Wazirganj police station area around midnight.

The deceased have been identified as Shashikant Sharma (43), a well-known farmer from Sahawajpur village, his wife, Rinki Devi (40), and their two sons -- Sumit Anand (17) and Balkrishna (5).

The SHO of Wazirganj police station confirmed the incident. He said the family was returning from a Shraddha Karma ceremony held in Bihar Sharif when tragedy struck.

In a hit-and-run case, a high-speed SUV driven by a drunk factory owner created chaos on the roads in Jaipur, killing three people and injuring six others.

The vehicle sped uncontrollably for seven kilometers through a crowded area of the city, causing significant destruction. The out-of-control SUV struck nine pedestrians and cyclists, resulting in three fatalities, including a woman. Six others sustained serious injuries. The tragic incident occurred around 9.30 pm on Monday.

According to police reports, the first information came in about a high-speed car colliding with vehicles on MI Road. The vehicle then proceeded into the narrow streets of the city. The most damage occurred in the Nahargarh police station area. About a kilometre from there, the car got stuck in the narrow streets, and with the help of locals, the police were able to apprehend the driver.

Rajasthan is experiencing an intense heatwave, with Barmer and Jaisalmer emerging as the hottest regions.

According to the Meteorological Centre in Jaipur, a severe heat spell has begun and is likely to continue for the next two to three days, with no immediate relief in sight.

Barmer recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state on Sunday at 45.6 degrees Celsius, which is 6.8 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average.

This marks the highest temperature recorded in the first week of April in Barmer since 1998, when the mercury had touched 45.2 degrees Celsius on April 3.

A pregnant woman was severely injured after her husband hit her with a stone in Hyderabad.

The shocking incident occurred under the limits of the Gachibowli Police Station of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on the night of April 1 but came to light on Monday.

The accused attacked his wife in front of a hospital after she was discharged. The gruesome attack was captured on a CCTV camera.

After an argument between the man and his wife, he picked up a big stone and hit her repeatedly on her head. Believing her to be dead, the accused fled the scene.

Passersby noticed the woman lying injured on the road and informed the police. She was shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). She slipped into a coma due to critical head injuries.

The PMK, the political arm of the influential Vanniyar community, has called for a protest to demand a CBI pobe into the suspicious death of a youth accused in an elephant poaching case in Tamil Nadu.

In a statement issued on Monday, PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss raised serious concerns regarding the death of Senthil Kumar, a youngster from Dharmapuri district, who was allegedly tortured and killed in the custody of the Forest Department.

Dr Ramadoss stated that Senthil, along with his father Govindaraj and brother Sakthi, was taken in for questioning by forest officials on March 17. However, the family received no information about their whereabouts for days. Following a police complaint, Sakthi was returned to the family, while Govindaraj was arrested in connection with the poaching of a tusker.

According to the Forest Department, Senthil allegedly escaped while in handcuffs during a field visit to the incident site. However, his decomposed body was found 15 days later in the Eriyur reserve forest. The department claimed he had taken his own life after escaping custody, but Dr Ramadoss and human rights activists suspect foul play.

The Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire on Monday on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, and the Indian Army retaliated befittingly, officials said.

“Pakistani Army violated bilateral ceasefire on the LoC today in Digwar sector of Poonch district. Indian Army retaliated befittingly,” officials said.

A search operation has been launched in the area to ensure that no infiltration took place in the area under the cover of Pakistani Army firing.

On April 1, the Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing after a mine explosion along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district. The Indian troops responded effectively in a “controlled and calibrated manner, said the Army in a statement.