Representational image of lawyers at the Supreme Court in New Delhi
| Photo Credit: PTI

SC judge Nagarathna says men should share funds to empower their homemaker wives

Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court, in a judgment on Wednesday, said husbands should share their financial resources with their ‘homemaker’ wives who did not have an independent source of income to empower them.

“An Indian married man must become conscious of the fact that he would have to financially empower and provide for his wife, who does not have an independent source of income, by making available financial resources particularly towards her personal needs; in other words, giving access to his financial resources,” Justice Nagarathna observed in a separate opinion upholding a divorced Muslim women’s right to maintenance under a secular Section 125 of the erstwhile Code of Criminal Procedure.

IIT-Madras ruled out ‘mass malpractice’ in NEET-UG exam, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Centre on Wednesday submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court referring to a data analytics report submitted by the Indian institute of Technology-Madras ruling out “mass malpractice” or localised set of candidates having been benefited in the NEET-UG 2024 exam leading to abnormal scores.

India has given ‘Buddha’ to the world, not ‘Yuddha’: PM Modi in Austria

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10 said India has given ‘Buddha’ to the world, not ‘Yuddha’ (war) which means it has always given peace and prosperity, and therefore the country is going to strengthen its role in the 21st century. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Vienna, PM Modi also said that India is working towards being the best, the brightest, achieving the biggest and reaching the highest milestones.

ITBP seizes 108 kg gold biscuits near China border

The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) arrested two men near the China border in Eastern Ladakh on July 9 for allegedly smuggling 108 kg of gold biscuits from China. While smuggling of smaller items was common, it was the first time ever that an alleged gold smuggling racket was exposed in the area with the arrest of two locals. Another person has been detained, an ITBP official said.

Apple issues two fresh Pegasus-like spyware alerts in India

At least two people in India on July 10 reported receiving a Pegasus-like alert from Apple, Inc. on their iPhones. The alerts, sent out on Tuesday night, warn them that they have been targeted by a targeted “mercenary” attack. Apple previously called these attacks “state-backed,” but changed this in April. Such spyware allows attackers to sift through targets’ personal devices, allowing them to view messages, photos, and tap into microphone and camera feeds in real time.

Russia, India agreed to go ahead with trade in national currency: Russian diplomat

India and Russia have decided to establish a system for national currency settlement, Roman Babushkin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy, said on Wednesday. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his two-day visit to Russia, Mr. Babushkin described the visit as “historic and game-changing”, and slammed the Western powers for supporting Ukraine.

Mumbai hit-and-run case: Key accused remanded to police custody, father sacked from Sena post

Prime accused in the Mumbai hit-and-run case, Mihir Shah, was remanded to police custody by a court in Mumbai till July 16 on July 10. Mr. Shah was arrested on Tuesday evening after being on the run for over 72 hours.

Bihar’s first transgender sub-inspectors make history

In a first, three transgenders qualified the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC) exam to become police sub-inspectors. Earlier, following a Patna High Court judgment in 2021, the State government had asked BPSSC to recruit third genders into police services.

India-Sri Lanka to sign MoU on public administration and governance

India and Sri Lanka are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) focused on capacity development and the exchange of expertise in public administration and governance aimed at training around 1,500 Sri Lankan civil servants, a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office of Sri Lanka said.

New textbooks for Class 6 to be made available by July-end, clarifies NCERT

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said on Wednesday that new textbooks for Class 6 will be made available by the end of July. In response to a story published by The Hindu on July 9, the NCERT stated that all Grade 6 textbooks would be made available by the NCERT this month and that the two-month timeline referred to in the article was incorrect.

BJP lauds SC verdict on maintenance for divorced Muslim women under secular law

The BJP on July 10 praised the Supreme Court verdict which declared that a divorced Muslim woman was entitled to seek maintenance from her husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Addressing a presser at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the verdict had “ended” a threat to the Constitution by the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, passed by a Congress government in the past.

‘Germany well positioned in Navy’s submarine deal’

German submarine manufacturer TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) was initially not inclined to bid for the Indian Navy’s mega deal for six conventional submarines under Project-75I due to the “terms and conditions”, but later entered the fray as the German government backed the project, said the company’s India head Khalil Rahman on Wednesday.

England reaches Euro 2024 final by beating Netherlands 2-1 on Watkins late goal

England reached a second straight European Championship final by beating the Netherlands 2-1 thanks to substitute Ollie Watkins’ stoppage-time winner on Wednesday. Watkins, who came on for captain Harry Kane in a bold call by coach Gareth Southgate, turned and smashed a fierce shot into the bottom corner in the first minute of added-on time.

New Delhi:

Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) were today detained when they were protesting near the Parliament over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. They were detained after they faced off with the police and broke barricades.

The IYC members had gathered in Delhi and said it was a “Parliament gherao” move and they would continue their march.

Allegations of paper leaks and irregularities have led to significant unrest among students and parents, they said.

संसद से महज़ चंद कदमों के फासले पर, पेपर लीक वाली लीकेज सरकार के विरुद्ध पूरे जोश के साथ गरज रहे हैं IYC के साथी! #IYCSansadGheraopic.twitter.com/lCLAv6BC77

— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) June 27, 2024

“Thousands of IYC workers have come out on the streets of Delhi today, becoming the voice of students suffering from the atrocities of paper leak,” IYC chief BV Srinivas said in a post on X.

The NEET-UG exam, which was held on May 5, has been mired in controversy with allegations of cheating and impersonation.

ALSO READ | “Strictest Punishment For NEET Accused”: President Murmu In Parliament

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the exam, has faced severe criticism, leading to protests and legal actions.

The Centre has replaced the chief of the NTA and formed a committee to review and improve its functioning. The Supreme Court is also scheduled to hear petitions related to the issue on July 8.

On Wednesday, the Bihar government handed the investigation over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has already taken several accused into custody.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the NTA following a petition filed by a learning app alleging exam rigging in the NEET-UG exams. The court directed the NTA to respond to the notice by July 8, when the hearing on the matter will take place.

Godhra:

A criminal case has been registered against a schoolteacher in Godhra in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district and two others for their alleged involvement in trying to help six candidates appearing for the NEET-UG competitive exam by promising to solve their papers for a sum of Rs 10 lakh each, police said on Thursday.

The racket was unearthed at a Godhra school designated as a centre for the NEET-UG exam held on Sunday for entrance to medical colleges after the district collector received a tip-off that some persons were involved in malpractice, according to an FIR.

ALSO READ: MBBS Student Appears As Proxy Candidate In NEET, Detained With 5 Others

A physics teacher identified as Tushar Bhatt, who was the deputy superintendent of exam at the centre, was booked along with two others — Parsuram Roy and Arif Vora. Rs 7 lakh in cash was recovered from Bhatt’s car which was paid to him by Vora as an advance to help a candidate get into the merit list, said the police.

As per an understanding reached between the accused and some NEET-UG (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) aspirants, the latter were asked to leave blank questions whose answers they did not know. The answers to these questions were to be written once the papers were collected after the exam, they said, quoting the FIR.

As per the FIR lodged at the Godhra taluka police station on a complaint of the district education officer, Bhatt was working as a teacher at Jay Jalaram School and was appointed the deputy centre superintendent for NEET in the city.

A team of district additional collector and district education officer reached the school on the day of the examination and questioned Bhatt. When they checked his mobile phone, they recovered a list of 16 candidates with their names, roll numbers and exam centres which was sent to his WhatsApp number by co-accused Roy, stated the FIR.

When asked about the list, Bhatt said these were candidates who were to take the NEET exam at his centre. He confessed to having been promised Rs 10 lakh each to solve the question papers of six of these candidates, District Education Officer Kirit Patel said.

One of the aspirants had paid Rs 7 lakh in advance which was seized by authorities.

ALSO READ: ‘Munna-Bhai?’: MBBS Student Gives NEET Exam For Younger Brother, Both Arrested

The investigating team seized the teacher’s mobile phone, cash and the car from where the cash was recovered and submitted a report to the district collector, who later ordered the registration of an FIR.

“The FIR was lodged last night (Wednesday) and further action was being taken,” Patel said.

As per the FIR, the accused said the candidates who promised to pay money were instructed to solve the questions that they knew and leave others blank so that they could be filled with answers when papers were collected from them after the exam.

The three accused were booked for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy, a Godhra taluka police station official said.

Further investigation in the case was underway, said the official.

The NEET (UG) is an all India entrance test for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS) and AYUSH (BAMS, BUMS, BHMS) courses in government and private institutions in India.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)