Bollywood's biggest stars ignite the screen! From the dazzling premiere of [mention a recently released film or event] to the brewing controversies surrounding [mention a current entertainment scandal], India's entertainment scene is ablaze. This week saw [mention a significant entertainment event, e.g., a music launch, award ceremony, or box office milestone], further cementing India's position as a global entertainment powerhouse. The battle for box office supremacy heats up as [mention competing films or actors], while the digital realm witnesses the rise of [mention a trending OTT series or online sensation]. Beyond Bollywood, regional cinema continues to flourish, with [mention a noteworthy achievement in regional cinema]. From the vibrant world of music to the captivating realm of television, Abtak.com brings you the pulse of Indian entertainment. Dive in and stay updated on the latest news, reviews, and exclusive interviews—your ultimate destination for all things entertainment. Explore the captivating stories unfolding now!
Mumbai: The special TADA court, conducting the trial against the third set of accused allegedly involved in 1993 blast case, has refused to discard, the confession statements of the accused, who were prosecuted in the first set of trial. Confession Statements as Crucial Evidence The prosecution had recorded confession statement of around 34 accused, which turned out to be crucial evidence to prove conspiracy charges, in the first phase of trial. Based on the confession statements which were corroborated with other evidence, the special court had in 2007, convicted around 100 accused. Defence Objection Overruled The accused, who were subsequently arrested, which included gangster Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, had also questioned use of these confession statement as evidence in the trial against them. The court then had discarded their objection. Hence, the accused now have raised the issue before the Supreme Court in their appeals against conviction. Pending, the issue, the accused, who are now before the court in the third set of right, have also raised the same issue. The defence has claimed that the statements cannot be used against them as the accused whose statements are sought to be used, are not being prosecuted with them. It has been condended that confession statements of the accused can only be used of if those accused are also prosecuted along with the other accused against whom the statements are used. Since, the accused were prosecuted in previous trial, and are not jointly tried with the present set of the accused, it cannot be used now. Court Confirms Use of Previous Confessions The Special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, (TADA) judge V D Kedar, decided to reject the objection observing that that the previous judge in second phase of the trial has already dealt with the same issues and "ruled that confessions of co-accused recorded in first part of the trial would be used against co-accused in subsequent part of the trial". Pending Supreme Court Appeals The court also noted that the same issue is now raised by the second set of the accused, in the appeal filed before the Supreme court and it is still pending. Accused and Alleged Roles Those facing trial now are Farooq Mansoori-alias Farooq Takla, Ahmed Lambu, Munaf Halari, Abu Bakar, Sohaib Qureshi, Sayeed Qureshi and Yusuf Batka. Also Watch: As per the prosecution Mansoori had allegedly facilitated the lodging and transport of four foot soldiers, who were recruited for the blasts before being sent to Pakistan for training. While, Lambu, Bakar, Qureshi, Batka had attended training for bomb making and also use of weapons. Meanwhile, Halari allegedly purchased the scooter allegedly used in the blasts.
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): The Indian government expressed regret on Tuesday over the reported demolition of the ancestral property of celebrated filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to extend cooperation in its restoration. "We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished," the Ministry of External Affairs said. Also Read | India Urges Bangladesh ...Read More >
As India gear up to face Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 14, the fixture has sparked controversy. While sections have raised objections to India playing Pakistan over terrorism concerns, IPL franchise Punjab Kings drew attention with a unique move -- omitting Pakistan's name in their social media post announcing the match. Meanwhile, a plea seeking urgent cancellation of the game was turned down by the Supreme Court. Punjab Kings' soc ...Read More >
Ludhiana, Jun 8 (PTI) Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday asserted that his party will win the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, scheduled to be held on june 19, with a "record margin". "Congress practically has no competition here", he claimed. Warring, who is also the Ludhiana MP, said that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was badly mistaken that the Congress would allow it to abuse power and misuse the official machinery for the elections. "First of all, we will not let any misuse of the official machinery and second, in case any official is found to be misusing ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday extended the term of the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Ravi Agrawal by one year, an official notification said.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the re-appointment of Agrawal, an IRS officer of the 1988 batch, as CBDT chairman for one year from July 1 this year to June 30, 2026, on contract basis.Agrawal took over as the CBDT chairman from Nitin Gupta in June 2024 after Gupta's extended tenure ended. Agrawal has been a member of CBDT. He was member administration and had served as DG investigation in Delhi. The gover ...Read More >
Hyderabad, July 18 (UNI) In view of the ongoing heavy rains in Hyderabad, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed all concerned departments to stay on high alert and ensure swift response to public grievances. The Chief Minister instructed officials from GHMC, HMDA, Water Works, Electricity, and Police departments to work in close coordination to prevent any rain-related disruptions. He also emphasised the need for immediate action in areas facing waterlogging, power outages, or other rain-induced issues. CM Revanth Reddy further directed the deployment of SDRF, NDRF, Hydra teams, and ot ...Read More >
A political controversy erupted after former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed India was "completely defeated" on the first day of Operation Sindoor. Speaking in Pune, Chavan alleged that during the half-hour aerial engagement on December 7, Indian aircraft were shot down, the Air Force was grounded, and no planes could safely take off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa due to threats from Pakistan. He also stated that the operation involved only aerial ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha on Thursday demanded sending the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, to a parliamentary panel for comprehensive discussion and deliberation. As soon as the Bill was taken up for discussion in the House, Mahua Moitra (TMC) moved an amendment seeking to send it to the select committee for greater scrutiny. Opposing the Bill, Harish Chandra Meena (Congress) demanded that the government send the Bill to joint parliamentary committees for comprehensive discussion and deliberation. The Bill in the current form creates ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday, prima facie, observed that Abu Salem, convicted in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, has not yet completed 25 years of incarceration as stipulated in the extradition terms under which he was brought from Portugal. A division bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Rajesh Patil made the prima facie observation while hearing Salem's plea seeking premature release. The Court, while admitting the petition, refused to grant any interim relief. Salem approached the HC after his plea was dismissed by the special TADA court in December 2024. Salem's advocate contended ...Read More >
Lucknow: A Lucknow court on Tuesday granted bail to the leader of opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after he made an appearance in a defamation case filed over his purported remarks on Army personnel. The court accepted Rahul Gandhi's bail application and released him on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 along with two sureties of the same amount.The court had earlier issued him summons on February 11, after finding a prima facie case against Gandhi. He appeared in person on Tuesday before additional chief judicial magistrate Alok Verma in compliance with the summons.The case, based on a crim ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) Homegrown Premier Energies on Monday announced securing multiple solar contract worth USD 19.95 million (around Rs 177 crore) Republic of Benin, West Africa. These projects are part of a national initiative by the Government of Benin to expand access to reliable, sustainable clean energy, Premier Energies said in a statement. Implementation will be carried out by Premier Energies in collaboration with the General Directorate of Energy Planning and Rural Electrification, under the Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines, Republic of Benin. The scope of the contracts cover ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, with a voice vote amid an Opposition walkout. The bill seeks to create a unified legal framework governing personnel across different CAPF forces, replacing the current patchwork of separate service rule regimes for the five Central Armed Police Forces. Replying to the debate on the bill, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the purpose of the bill is ...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 >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court has said money cannot be recovered by filing an FIR and seeking help of police as it quashed a cheating case against the producer of Bollywood movie "Tanu Weds Manu". A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed displeasure over the approach of the Allahabad High Court in dealing with the petition of producer Shailesh R Singh for quashing of the FIR against him by complainant Kunal Jain. "Money cannot be recovered, more particularly, in a civil dispute between the parties by filing a first information report and seeking the help of the ...Read More >
Patna, Aug 1 (PTI) Healthcare services were affected at AIIMS-Patna on Friday as resident doctors went on an "indefinite strike" in protest against the alleged high-handedness of Sheohar MLA Chetan Anand. According to a press statement issued by the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA), AIIMS-Patna, on Friday, "The RDA expresses deep disappointment and anguish over the lack of action by the administration following the violent and traumatic incident that occurred on Wednesday, when MLA Chetan Anand, his wife and their armed guards breached hospital security, physically assaulted staff, and thr ...Read More >
New Delhi: Protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against a recently announced fee hike, the long-standing suspension of students' union elections and calls for administrative accountability have entered their sixth day, with students boycotting classes and staging sit-ins at the Bab-e-Syed gate (the iconic entrance of the varsity). The fee structure for different courses has witnessed a sharp revision. Students say the hike ranges from 25% to over 60% across various programmes. Many claim they first learned of the revised fees only while trying to pay through the university's online ...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 >
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 16 (ANI): Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed that India was defeated on the first day of Operation Sindoor and Indian aircraft were shot down during the four-day conflict. Addressing a press conference in Pune, Chavan made controversial remarks as he claimed that the Indian Air Force was "completely grounded", amid the probability of being shot down by Pakistan. Also Read | 'Case About Recognising the Reality of a Dead Marriage': Supreme Court Dissolves 25-Year-Old Marriage, Grants Divorce to Couple on G ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday flagged deficiencies within the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and said the government should, at the very least, accord respect and support to the brave armed forces personnel who sacrifice everything for the country. Gandhi said that a few days ago, he met ex-servicemen who were injured in the line of duty while defending the nation at the 'Jansansad'. "They highlighted serious deficiencies within the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), such as delays in reimbursement, shortages of medicines, hosp ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh administration has strengthened security arrangements across several districts including Lucknow, Sambhal, and Moradabad to ensure peace and avoid any disruption, as Muharram processions and the Kanwar Yatra are being held at the same time.Large crowds gathered for Muharram processions across different regions, while preparations for the Kanwar Yatra are also underway. Police personnel have been deployed in all sensitive areas, and surveillance is being carried out using drones and CCTV cameras.In SambhalDistrict Magistrate Dr Rajender Pensiya while speaking to ANI ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 19 (ANI): A contingent of 23 athletes supported by Reliance Foundation look to compete at the World University Games across six cities in Germany, with events running until July 27. Representing athletics, archery, and judo, these young talents aim to improve international rankings, achieve personal bests, and bring home laurels. The athletics team forms the backbone of the foundation campaign, with 18 athletes competing in sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles, relay, long jump, decathlon, among other events, beginning July 21, a release said. James Hillier, Di ...Read More >
India opened the scoring through Geeta Yadav (11th minute); however, in the second quarter, Belgium equalised through Marie Goenns (25th) The Indian junior women's hockey team made a positive start to its tour of Europe with a 3-2 win over hosts Belgium here on Sunday. India opened the scoring through Geeta Yadav (11th minute). However, in the second quarter, Belgium equalised through Marie Goenns (25th). Soon Belgium took the lead as Louise van Hecke (34th) found the back of the net. India made a valiant comeback and levelled the scores through Sonam (40th). The visitors continued to att ...Read More >
Lucknow: Umar Ansari, the younger son of gangster-turned-politician late Mukhtar Ansari, was arrested by Ghazipur police from Darul Shafa area of Lucknow late Sunday night.The arrest was made following the registration of a criminal case against him for forgery in Ghazipur. He was taken into custody and transported to Ghazipur for further proceedings.Umar Ansari was booked for allegedly attempting to fraudulently reclaim a property that had been confiscated under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The property was earlier seized under Section 14(1) of the ...Read More >
Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 12 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on September 14, Sanjay Dwivedi, father of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, on Friday said there should be no political or sports ties with Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. He also urged the government to cancel the match. Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Dwivedi said, "On 22nd April 2025, Pakistan killed 26 innocent people of our country. The government of India had said that it would have no relations with Pakistan ...Read More >
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], December 3 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday that the implementation of the new criminal laws has proven to be a significant milestone in making the Indian justice system more "transparent, effective and in tune" with the needs of the present society. Talking about the laws in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Uttarakhand CM said, "These landmark criminal laws have proved to be a milestone in making the Indian justice system more transparent, effective and in tune with the needs of the present society. These changes mark th ...Read More >
Dibrugarh: In one of the largest anti-encroachment drives in recent years, the Lakhimpur district administration on Thursday demolished 218 illegal homes and cleared 288 bighas of encroached land across three Village Grazing Reserves (VGRs).The eviction drive, which was conducted under the supervision of district commissioner (DC) Pronab Jit Kakoty and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gunendra Deka, saw a massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces, along with 12 excavators, at Phukanarhat, Debera Doloni and Christian VGR areas."The drive was conducted peacefully and no untoward ...Read More >
In September 2017, Salem was convicted in the Mumbai serial blasts case. Two years earlier, in 2015, he had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1995 murder of Mumbai-based builder Pradeep Jain The Bombay High Court on Monday prima facie observed that gangster Abu Salem, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has not completed 25 years of incarceration to qualify for remission of his sentence. Salem has claimed that he has completed nearly 25 y ...Read More >
Amethi, Jul 17 (PTI) Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), a joint venture company which manufactures AK-203 assault rifles in Uttar Pradesh's Korwa, will complete the delivery of all 6.01 lakh rifles nearly 22 months ahead of schedule, a senior official said on Thursday. The company, mandated under a Rs 5,200 crore contract to supply 6,01,427 rifles to the armed forces by October 2032, plans to finish deliveries by December 2030, Maj Gen S K Sharma, CEO and Managing Director of IRRPL, told mediapersons during an interaction at the factory. Also Read | India Cautions NATO Chief Mark R ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 18 (PTI) A three-storey chawl collapsed in the western suburb of Bandra here in the early hours of Friday, with at least 10 people feared trapped in the debris, civic officials said. As many as seven people have been rescued from the debris so far and admitted to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital, they said. According to preliminary information, chawl number 37 in the Bharat Nagar area of Bandra East collapsed around 5.56 am. Eight fire engines are at the spot along with teams from the Mumbai police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's local ward machinery, an official from ...Read More >
Delhi/Hyderabad, Aug 4 (Maxim News): The Supreme Court of India delivered a sharp reprimand to Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, following his repeated claims that China has occupied Indian territory. In a hearing conducted on Monday, August 4, 2025, the court questioned the basis of Gandhi's statement, calling into question both his facts and patriotism, with the bench remarking. "If you are a true Indian, you wouldn't say this". Here To Join Us On WhatsApp Rahul Gandhi, who serves as the principal face of the Opposition in Parliament, has consistently claimed in his public addresses tha ...Read More >