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KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate the aspect of criminal conspiracy in the Sabarimala gold scam, observing that the chain of events commencing in 2019 and the subsequent entrustment of the dwarapalaka idols to Unnikrishnan Potti appeared to be part of a larger and well-orchestrated scheme. The court also referred to a letter dated August 21, 2025, from the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, citing directions from the president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to expedite the gold-plating work proposed by the sponsor. A Division Bench, comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar, held that the investigation should extend to uncovering the larger conspiracy, identifying TDB officials who may have colluded to conceal the misappropriation of gold from the gold-cladded plates, and determining whether the entrustment of the dwarapalaka idols in 2025 formed part of a broader scheme to suppress the pilferage that occurred in 2019. The bench directed the SIT to examine every facet of the matter and ascertain the role and complicity, if any, of each TDB officer, from the highest echelons downward. "The higher officials of the Board cannot absolve themselves of responsibility or shift the blame onto subordinate officers, for each of them bore a collective duty to ensure that the sacred valuables of the deity were neither pilfered nor wasted," it observed.
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...Read More >
Digha: A sea of devotees swamped the road as the wheels of chariots rolled for the maiden Rath Yatra in Digha on Friday. In keeping with the tradition followed for the chariot festival in Puri, chief minister Mamata Banerjee took part in rituals, washed the road where the three chariots were parked, performed aarti with earthen lamps, and swept the path with a gold broom to set off the Rath Yatra from Jagannath Dham. The rain could not dampen the festive fervour of devotees who started thronging the temple area with umbrellas since 6 am. The priests began the rituals around 9 am and the crowd ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: In a distinctive departure from traditional Rath Yatra, the holy trinity of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra embarked on a unique water-borne sojourn at Kankan Sikhari, an islet in Chilika lagoon, on Friday. The deities are placed on a specially designed chariot mounted on three interconnected boats."After the ceremonial Pahandi ritual, we took the deities to the chariot mounted on boats at 1pm. The divine procession circumnavigated the islet while devotees and priests chanted hymns and beat gongs during the journey. At 2.15pm, we brought the deities from the boat ...Read More >
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Imagine stepping into a home where even the taps glisten in gold, that's what Instagram creator Priyam Saraswat found during his visit to a stunning mansion in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The house belongs to Anoop Agrawal, a government contractor, who takrs highway projects. The video of his mansion has gone viral for its jaw-dropping interiors, decorated with 24-carat gold. From furniture and light switches to lamps and idols, almost everything in the house has been coated or crafted in gold. Even the water taps, murti (idols), and decor pieces sparkle with pure gold ...Read More >
Puri: Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be dressed up in Rajarajeswar Besha, also known as Suna Besha on Sunday. The Trinity will be adorned with over 208 kg of gold ornaments on their chariots in front of the Singhadwar. Devotees will be allowed to witness the ritual from 6.30 pm to 11 pm. The temple and district administrations have made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth darshan of the Trinity. Chief Administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration Arabinda Padhe said, discussions were held with all nijogs of Srimandir to ensure all rituals a ...Read More >
Puri, July 6 (UNI) An unprecedented crowd of over two million devotees converged on the sacred city of Puri today to witness the spectacular Suna Vesha (golden attire) of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra atop their respective chariots stationed near the Simhadwar of the Sri Jagannath Temple. The three-kilometre-long Grand Road, the venue of the Rath Yatra, was virtually transformed into a flowing sea of humanity, with two massive streams of devotees -- one moving towards the chariots and the other returning after offering their darshan during the golden adornment ritual. Th ...Read More >
Puri: A day before the :Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, thousands of devotees thronged Puri to witness the reappearance of sibling deities at the 12th-century shrine here on Thursday. They reached the 'Singha Dwar' (Lion's Gate) of the temple before the sun rose to have a 'Nabajouban darshan' (youthful appearance) of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath on the 'Ratna Bedi' (sacred platform in sanctum sanctorum). The deities appeared before the devotees after a fortnight. The public 'darshan' of the sibling deities was stopped after bathing rituals on June 11. "It is believed that t ...Read More >
BHUBANESWAR: The chariots of the holy Trinity reaching the Gundicha temple notwithstanding, there was no abatement in the political slugfest on the issue even on Saturday. Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik called for a deep introspection by all in the government over the 'terrible mess' which overshadowed the Rath Yatra this year. The former chief minister, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai, said in a post on X, "We are not here to point fingers or blame the administration for yesterday's inordinate delay in pulling the Nandighosha chariot. But it is imp ...Read More >
Puri: Lord Jagannath and His Siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were adorned with 208 kg gold ornaments during the 'Suna Besha' ritual on chariots Sunday, an integral part of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. The devotees can have 'darshan' of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). According to temple sources, the deities adorn around 30 different designs of ornaments which include gold, diamond, silver and other precious metals. "Initially, around 138 designs of ornaments were used during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 146 ...Read More >
Lucknow: Amid chants of 'Jai Jagannath', 'Jai Subhadra' and 'Jai Balabhadra', the city marked the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra on Friday with great fanfare.Children participated by donning costumes of deities while many walked the procession barefooted for several kilometres. Elderly people lined up on the streets to shower petals on the deities. At Chardham temple in Rani Katra, a silver palanquin (palki) adorned with flowers and lights was carried, promoting world peace. Devotees presented offerings of lassi, sharbat, kadhi chawal and samosas to Lord Jagannath at various locations.At Ravindra ...Read More >
Puri (Odisha) [India], June 29 (ANI): At least three people have reportedly died in a stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha on Sunday. According to Odisha local media reports, several people have also sustained injuries and further details are awaited in the incident that took place this morning near the Gundicha Temple. Visuals from the postmortem centre in Puri showed families of victims gathered outside the facility. A man who lost his wife in the stampede said, 'When this incident happened, no one responded, neither the fire officials, nor the rescue team, nor the hos ...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 >
Puri: LordJagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be adorned with 208 kg gold ornaments during the 'Suna Besha' ritual on chariots, an integral part of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. The 'Suna Besha' ritual of the deities were held on Sunday and the devotes can witness the ritual from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). According to temple sources, the deities adorn around 30 different designs of ornaments which include gold, diamond, silver and other precious metals. "Initially, around 138 designs of ornaments were used ...Read More >
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 6 (ANI): Thousands of devotees rejoice as they make their way to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple today, a momentous occasion in the spiritual and cultural landscape of India. Uttam Kumari Sheluwal, a local from Nepal, said,' We've come to Ayodhya to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, where our beloved Bhagwan Shri Ramchandraji resides. Our family's Ishtadev is Bhagwan Shri Ram, and we worship Mata Janaki too. We're thrilled to be here in Ayodhya, the city of Lord Ram, and can't wait to have Darshan of Prabhu Shri Ram. We're grateful to Chief Minister Yogi ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 28 (ANI): Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik raised concerns over the 'inordinate delay' in pulling the Nandighosha chariot on Saturday. Some people experienced suffocation and reportedly fell unconscious due to high humidity during the Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri on Friday. Taking to 'X', the Biju Janata Dal chief stated that he doesn't want to 'point fingers or blame' the administration for the delay in pulling the Nandighosha chariot, but it is 'impossible' to 'voice' deep concern and anguish on how the things unfolded during the most sacred eve ...Read More >
Digha: A day after Rath Yatra, the festive fervour continues in Digha as the seaside town is now gearing up to host Ulta Rath or the return journey of the deities from the 'Masir Bari' or the old Jagannath temple. On July 5 -- the Ulta Rath day -- hotels are hoping for fresh tourist influx. Though the deities are currently in Masir Bari, a large queue of devotees visited the newly-constructed Jagannath temple on Saturday. They offered prayers to the stone idol permanently installed there. It is the wooden idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra that have taken the chairot rides. Bipradash Cha ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 18 (ANI): Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announcement of free electricity up to 125 units, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that whatever schemes the Congress party is giving in Karnataka, the entire country is following it. Speaking to the media, Shivakumar emphasised that in the entire country, Congress Party has stood for the welfare of the people. After independence, till today, whenever the Congress Party is in power, either in the Central or state government, it has given various schemes, such as pension, woman and ch ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, June 28: Expressing deep anguish over the "terrible mess" in the conduct of Lord Jagannth's Rath Yatra in Puri this year, Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Saturday prayed to the almighty to forgive those responsible for the development. Patnaik, who is also a former five-time chief minister of Odisha and president of BJD, said that it is impossible not to voice concern and anguish over how things unfolded during the most sacred event in the state. Patnaik, who is recuperating at a hospital in Mumbai after surgery, in a post on X said: "We aren't here to p ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Jul 8 (PTI) A day after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) completed repair and conservation work of the sacred Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Tuesday said the long-awaited inventory of valuables stored in the treasury may begin in August with the assistance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Responding to a question on the next step after ASI's conservation efforts, the minister said, "The inventory of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar could be undertaken any time in August. The state government ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 9 (ANI): Following the violent protest at Kerala University, a case has been registered against 27 activists of the ruling CPM's Students Federation of India (SFI), including its state secretary P S Sanjeev, who has been named the prime accused, police said. The case also names 1,000 identifiable protesters who have been accused of damaging public property, forcibly entering the university campus, and assaulting police and university staff, police said on Tuesday. Also Read | Nobel Peace Prize 2025: From Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru, Check Full ...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 >
Puri: Despite travel uncertainties due to recent conflicts in some parts of the world, people from Europe and elsewhere have reached Puri to witness the annual Ratha Yatra of the sibling deities.As non-Hindus are not allowed inside the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, the Ratha Yatra provides a rare opportunity for devotees across the world to see the deities in their full glory atop their majestic wooden chariots."Back home, we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear. But here, I found peace. I came because this is my only chance to see Lord Jagannath. He comes out for the whole world. This is v ...Read More >
Puri, Jul 7 (PTI) Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri on Monday announced that the ASI has completed repair of the 12th century shrine's 'Ratna Bhandar' (treasury) and inventory-related work will begin after approval of the state government. This was announced in a joint press briefing by SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee and Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) Superintending Archaeologist, D B Garnayak here. ASI is the custodian of the 65-metre-tall imposing temple in the seaside town. "By the infinite grace of the Lord, the conservation and renovation work of th ...Read More >
Kochi: After weeks of controversy over its title, the Suresh Gopi-starrer 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' has finally received a U/A certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Director Pravin Narayanan announced the update on social media: "Janaki V V/s State of Kerala - U/A 16." Initially, the CBFC had raised strong objections to the film's title, citing that 'Janaki' is another name for the Hindu goddess Sita, and had proposed 96 cuts. However, following backlash and a legal appeal by the filmmakers in the Kerala High Court, the board revised its stance, eventually re ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Ayodhya Ram Mandir was open to the public in January last year. The first floor of the temple will have Raja Ram installed in his grand, kingly form. This step also involves performing Pran Pratishtha for several deities throughout the complex, including those in seven nearby shrines and seven additional mandapams. As the second phase of the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir has started, let us tell you about the beautiful golden top (Shikhar) and the new first floor of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir. About the First Floor of Ayodhya Ram Mandir The Ram Mandir T ...Read More >
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 6 (ANI): Thousands of devotees rejoice as they make their way to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple today, a momentous occasion in the spiritual and cultural landscape of India. Uttam Kumari Sheluwal, a local from Nepal, said," We've come to Ayodhya to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, where our beloved Bhagwan Shri Ramchandraji resides. Our family's Ishtadev is Bhagwan Shri Ram, and we worship Mata Janaki too. We're thrilled to be here in Ayodhya, the city of Lord Ram, and can't wait to have Darshan of Prabhu Shri Ram. We're grateful to Chief Minister Yogi ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) At least three people, including two women, died and 10 others were injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri. The incident occurred around 4.30 a.m. when the three Raths carrying idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra were near Shree Gundicha Temple, about three kilometres from Jagannath Temple. As per reports, the holy chariots were at the Gundicha temple, and a large crowd had gathered for a darshan. As the crowd swelled, some people fell and a stampede began. Three people died on the spot. These include two w ...Read More >
KOCHI: Justice N Nagaresh of the Kerala High Court on Friday expressed displeasure over the suspended Kerala University registrar describing "Bharat Mata" as "a lady holding a saffron flag" in the petition challenging the disciplinary action against him. Registrar K S Anil Kumar was suspended by the vice-chancellor in-charge for cancelling permission for a June 25 event scheduled to be attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar. He had cited the display of a controversial image of "Bharat Mata" carrying a saffron flag on the dais at the Senate Hall, Thiruvananthapuram as the reason for withdrawing ...Read More >
A young woman named Oleti Pushpa (22) was killed by her live-in partner Sheikh Shamma (22) in the Ambedkar Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, reported India Today. She was living with Sheikh for the past 6 months after she separated from her spouse. The incident took place in Siddhartha Nagar, B Savaram village of Rajolu mandal on 16th July. Shamma reportedly accused Pushpa of having affairs with other men. He forced her to engage in prostitution and frequently instigated fights with her when intoxicated. As per police, Shamma was addicted to ganja. On the fateful night, he against pressuri ...Read More >