Stay updated with the latest Other news, articles, and insights from trusted sources. Explore in-depth coverage and expert analysis on Other topics.
Bhubaneswar: In a significant verdict advancing employee rights, the High Court of Orissa has ruled that maternity benefits must be granted to female employees regardless of their employment status -- whether permanent, temporary, or contractual. A division bench of Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad and Justice Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo upheld a previous single-judge order in favour of Anindita Mishra, a contractual employee with the state's Health and Family Welfare Department. The court came down heavily on the state's position that contractual staff are ineligible for maternity leave. "Denying maternity benefits on account of employment category is abhorrent to the notions of humanity and womanhood," the court remarked during a recent hearing, adding that all women employees form a single, homogenous group for the purpose of availing such benefits. The judges further underlined that such discriminatory treatment violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to equality before the law. Dismissing the state government's appeal at the admission stage, the division bench held it devoid of merit and instructed authorities to comply with the order within eight weeks. The case originated in May 2014, when Anindita Mishra was appointed on a contractual basis. After giving birth to a daughter in August 2016, she sought six months' maternity leave, submitting requisite medical documents in line with finance department guidelines. However, her request was summarily turned down on June 7, 2017, citing her contractual employment status. Mishra challenged the decision before the High Court, where a single-judge bench ruled in her favour in August 2022, directing the government to sanction her maternity leave in accordance with prevailing laws. The state's subsequent appeal against that decision was dismissed by the division bench on June 24, 2025, which described the earlier judgment as "sound and unassailable." In a significant observation, the court also highlighted the essential principle of 'zero separation' between a mother and her newborn during early infancy. "A lactating mother has a fundamental right to breastfeed her child during its formative years," the judges noted.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Karnataka government and the Centre should resolve the issue in connection with the release of financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state for drought management. The matter came up before a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, requested the bench that he needed some time to file an affidavit in the matter. "You should resolve it," the bench said. During the hearing, the bench queried, how much amount has been released so far? ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Rahul Gandhi criticized the RSS after its general secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale, suggested reviewing the terms "socialist" and "secular" in the Constitution's Preamble. Gandhi alleged the RSS prefers "Manusmriti" over the Constitution, aiming to deprive marginalized communities of their rights. He vowed to defend the Constitution against the RSS's alleged agenda.leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the mask of the RSS has come off again as it wants "Manusmriti" and not the Constitution, after the ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 5 (ANI): Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading the country with its claim that the BJP-led government at the Centre wants to change the Constitution. He added that AICC has now become the 'All India Cheating Congress'. "The words 'secular' and 'socialist' were not there in the Constitution. It was added after the 42nd Amendment. The Amendment was brought during the Emergency. Emergency was a black day in the democratic history of our country. So, the original Constitution did not have the words 'secular' and ...Read More >
Kochi: Edison Babu's neighbours in Muvattupuzha knew him as the quiet engineer who had returned home during the pandemic. The 35-year-old former auto industry professional seemed to lead an unremarkable life in this sleepy Kerala suburb, occasionally visiting the local post office with packages: nothing unusual for someone running what appeared to be a small online business. What they didn't know was that their mild-mannered neighbour had built India's most sophisticated darknet drug empire, one that relied heavily on the very government postal service that was meant to serve the community. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) YouTuber Samay Raina appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Delhi on Tuesday, months after he was summoned in connection with allegedly offensive and sexist content aired during his show "India's Got Latent", officials said. Raina was also among the five social media influencers who appeared before the Supreme Court in a case seeking action against them for ridiculing persons suffering from disabilities. Raina submitted his statement in response to the allegations to NCW officials. Officials said further steps will be considered after reviewing his ...Read More >
PATNA: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is all set to embark on 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' from Bihar's Rohtas district on August 17 to register a protest against how the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls was being conducted in the state. This comes at a time when the Opposition is ratcheting up its protest against the SIR and casting aspersions on the integrity of elections. AICC general secretary (organisation) and MP KC Venugopal held a meeting with the INDIA bloc leaders at Sasaram in Rohtas district on Wednesday and reviewed preparations for Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bi ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders of the Apex Court. A Special Bench headed by CJI Sajiv Khanna asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the clutch of petitions challenging the validity of the 1991 Act, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. The Bench, also c ...Read More >
Bengaluru Power Cuts: Citizens of Bengaluru brace yourself for long hours of power outages from June 29 and June 30. More than 100 areas will be impacted as BESCOM undertakes its quarterly maintenance work in various of its division. Bengaluru Power Outages June 29: According to the update by BESCOM on its X handler, there will be power outages in Kittaganahalli, Palasandra, Saptagiri, Maruthinagar, Sankapur, Raghavendra Nagar, Goolarivee, Baddihalli, Kesaramadu, C.M Badawan, Kalalli and SKS village on June 29 from 10 am to 5 pm. BESCOM's executive engineer has appealed to consumers to coop ...Read More >
Kolkata: A two-member National Commission for Women team on Sunday visited the south Kolkata law college where a student was allegedly gang-raped last week.The team, accompanied by a videographer, was initially denied entry and asked to produce a formal order. After an hour-long discussion at the college entrance, the team, led by Archana Majumdar, was allowed in under two conditions -- no access to the crime scene and no videography permitted.The visit lasted 10 minutes. "We were denied access to the crime scene and other floors. I will include this in my report," said Majumdar, who was the f ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Congress on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its recent directive to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's voter list within just one month. With the state elections drawing closer, senior Congress leaders alleged that the move is a "deliberate attempt to delete names of the poor, Dalits, backward communities, and migrant workers." At a press briefing held at the new Congress headquarters in Delhi, Congress Media and Publicity Chairman Pawan Khera, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, and ...Read More >
Mohali (Punjab) [India], July 11 (ANI): 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder' producer Amit Jani expressed his disappointment over the verdict of the Delhi High Court and said that they have moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict. In a conversation with ANI, he said, 'Humne High Court ke faisle ke khilaaf Supreme Court mein appeal ki hai uske revision ke liye kyunki hum usse santusht nahi hai (We have appealed against the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court for its review because we are not satisfied with it)' He added, 'We have appealed in the Supreme Court against ...Read More >
The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of self-regulation and understanding the value of freedom of speech and expression, while hearing a plea regarding offensive social media posts. The court is considering guidelines to regulate such posts, stressing the need to curb divisive tendencies without resorting to censorship. The Supreme Court on Monday said citizens must know the value of freedom of speech and expression and observe self regulation as it mulled guidelines to regulate offensive ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled the bail of Kannada actor Darshan in connection with the fan murder case and also ordered the authorities to take him into custody immediately. The court has similarly cancelled the bail of Darshan's partner, Pavithra Gowda and five other accused persons, who will also be taken into custody immediately after the order. A bench comprising Justices R. Mahadevan and J.B. Pardiwala pronounced the verdict, stating that the High Court's decision in the case was flawed. The court further directed that the trial of witnesses be carried out swiftly, ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) India's gains from importing discounted Russian oil are estimated to be just USD 2.5 billion per annum, significantly lower than the previously speculated range of USD 10-25 billion, a research report said on Thursday. Stopping Russian oil imports would force India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, to rely on limited alternatives, potentially driving global crude prices up to USD 100 per barrel amid rising demand and tight supply. "Benefit from Russian oil imports is way less than exaggerated media numbers," brokerage CLSA said in a report. While ...Read More >
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], June 7 (ANI): Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that the 'government of the day is handicapped' as it can't register a first information report and said that the three-decades-old judicial order provides a 'virtually impregnable cover'. The Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, today said, 'The Government of the day is handicapped. It can't register an FIR. Because there is a judicial order. And that judicial order is more than three decades old. It provides virtually impregnable cover. Unless permission is accorded by a functionary at the highest level in ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea challenging the decision of the Delhi High Court, which had put on hold the release of the film 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal tailor murder'. The movie was scheduled to release on July 11. A counsel, representing the producer of the movie, mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. The counsel contended that the High Court put on hold the release of the film despite it being certified by the censor board. The counsel argued that the apex court had refused urgent list ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) The Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.5 per cent in the current financial year, despite geo-political tensions and trade policy uncertainties, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Chairman S Mahendra Dev said on Tuesday. In an interview with PTI, Dev further said that domestic growth will be driven by low inflation, resulting from good monsoon and benign interest rate regime, triggered by three back-to-back rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India. "There are significant global headwinds like the twin shocks of geo-political tensions and trade ...Read More >
Patna, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a major action against corruption, the State Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Saturday arrested Sub-Inspector Putul Kumari, the SHO of the Women's Police Station in Samastipur, for accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. Her driver was also arrested in the case. The arrest has created a stir within the police department. According to an official, Putul Kumari was caught red-handed while taking the bribe from Rajiv Ranjan, a resident of Chhatauna village under Mufassil police station limits, in connection with an assault case. Rajiv Ranjan had filed a written complaint with ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 6 (PTI) The Karnataka State Cricket Association had sought permission for RCB's IPL trophy celebrations at Vidhan Soudha, a letter sent by it to the state government has revealed, reaffirming KSCA's assertion that it facilitated approvals for the franchise which is under fire following 11 deaths in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. After an FIR was lodged against them, KSCA president Raghuram Bhat, secretary A Shankar and treasurer E S Jayaram submitted in the Karnataka High Court that the gate management and crowd management were not the responsibility of the associa ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) Karnataka High Court on Friday set aside two criminal cases filed against BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which alleged he made objectionable remarks during a protest rally criticising the Waqf Board and the state government over alleged encroachment on farmers' and temples' properties. Justice S R Krishna Kumar, delivering the order, allowed Bommai's plea to quash the proceedings that had been initiated by Shiggaon police under Section 196(1)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to promoting enmity between different groups on ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a strong and clear message, Shiv Sena supremo and Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asked the party ministers, legislators and office bearers to strictly follow party discipline and not compel him to take action. "In the past few days, certain incidents have taken place. People don't point fingers at you -- they point at me for what you do. They ask me: 'What are your MLAs up to? You all are my people. We are one family. Your disrepute is my disrepute. Don't waste your energy on unnecessary matters. Speak less, work more. "Some ministers had ...Read More >
New Delhi: The death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen, has been postponed for the time being. She was to be executed by shooting today, July 16. According to media reports, activist groups and influential religious leaders intervened in the matter, after which the death sentence of Nimisha Priya was postponed. Earlier, many efforts were also made at the diplomatic level to save Nimisha from the death penalty. There is also news that the victim's family has not yet agreed to clemency or blood money. As a last-ditch effort to save her, Kanthapuram A. ...Read More >
Cuttack, Jul 3 (PTI) Rejecting a writ appeal of the state government, a Division Bench of Orissa High Court here has recently upheld a three-year-old judgment passed by a single-judge Bench stating that maternity leave and associated benefits cannot be denied to a woman employed by the state on contractual basis. In a recent ruling, the Division Bench of Justices Dixit Krishna Shripad and Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo affirmed the August 2022 decision of a single-judge Bench, which had ruled in favour of a contractual employee of the Health and Family Welfare Department whose maternity leave applicat ...Read More >
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 11 (ANI): Yash Sahu, the son of Kanhaiya Lal, the tailor who was murdered in Rajasthan's Udaipur, said that despite having video evidence, the criminals have not been punished for the last three years. His statement comes after the Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered a stay on the release of the film 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder', which was set to hit theatres on July 11. 'Despite having video evidence and everything else, the criminals have not been punished for the last three years. And when someone wants to show the truth to the country t ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
New Delhi: Traffic in central Delhi will be affected on Thursday as the traffic police has issued an advisory due to the Janmashtami and Tazia processions.According to police, the traffic movement in Paharganj is likely to be affected from 1.30pm in view of the shobha yatra for Janmashtami and the Tazia procession.The Janmashtami procession will start from Mandir Shri Banke Bihari Ji in Paharganj's Sangatrasan Bazar and pass through Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Chuna Mandi, Main Bazar, Munja Chowk and Arakashan Road. The Tazia procession will start from Ajmeri Gate and proceed through Pul Paharganj ...Read More >
Gurgaon: MCG additional commissioner Yash Jaluka directed bulk waste generators (BWG) across the city to ensure proper disposal of waste by private agencies who are assisting them. Giving these instructions in a meeting held on Friday, he said it is often observed that BWGs hand over their waste to private agencies, which only sort valuable items and dump the remaining waste on roads, drains, vacant land or public places. This, he said, not only affects cleanliness of the city but also poses a threat to public health."Under the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016, it is the legal and moral respo ...Read More >
Ranchi, June 28 (UNI) The political row over the preamble of the Indian Constitution has intensified after senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale advocated the removal of the words 'secular' and 'socialist', a suggestion that has found support from Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Reacting strongly, Jharkhand Pradesh Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti accused the BJP-RSS of attempting to dismantle the foundational spirit of the Constitution. "Secularism and socialism are not just words -- they reflect the soul of India and embody the dreams of 140 crore citizens," he said in a sharp ...Read More >