New Delhi: The ED does not require an FIR lodged by any enforcement agency for any scheduled offense to initiate investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).Lifting the stay on ED’s investigation against Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), a publicly listed company of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by CMRL on the grounds that the ED’s money laundering probe is independent of the existence of a scheduled offence.A day after the Kerala High Court verdict, the ED on Wednesday began searches at nine premises in Thiruvananthapuram, including the residence of former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, where he was staying with his daughter Veena, one of the accused who allegedly received Rs 2.8 crore from CMRL without providing any IT services, as claimed.Justice TR Ravi of the Kerala High Court rejected petitioner CMRL’s challenge against the summons issued by the enforcement agency, saying “the issue of summons was only for the purpose of investigation and there is no need to even register an FIR”.Citing the Supreme Court judgment in Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary (supra), Justice Ravi said that “non-filing of FIR in respect of a scheduled offense does not prevent the initiation of inquiry/investigation by the authorities referred to in section 48 of the PMLA for initiating civil action for provisional attachment of property.”The court further observed that “The word ‘investigation’ has been defined in Section 2(n)(a) to include all proceedings taken by the Director or the authorized authority to collect evidence. A reading of the summons issued would show that what has been initiated is merely an investigation.”The judge said, “It is not possible to tell at this stage what will be the outcome of the investigation. As the Supreme Court has already laid down the law that existence of FIR is not a pre-condition for issuing summons under Section 50 of the PML Act, the same has to be followed only by this court.”The court said that the writ petition has been filed prematurely and is not maintainable against the summons issued under Section 50 PMLA. It further said that the exemption under the Income Tax Settlement Mechanism does not bar PMLA proceedings and the powers of the ED are independent of the final report of the SFIO or prosecution.Dismissing the petition, the court said that the subsequent filing of the SFIO prosecution complaint “cured the main objection of the petitioners regarding the absence of the prescribed offence”.

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the family of a 22-year-old NEET aspirant who died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar, days after the National Testing Agency (NTA) canceled the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 exam due to paper leak.In a social media post on Twitter, Rahul said that Pradeep’s death was not a suicide but the result of a broken and corrupt system.Rahul said, “Today I met the family of promising student Pradeep Meghwal, who was so hurt by the NEET paper leak that he committed suicide. Their pain cannot be expressed in words. A mother and father have lost their son and they were guilty without any fault.”“Lakhs of children across the country are living under pressure from studies, competition and their future. And when a paper leaks, it’s not just a test – a child’s dream is shattered, and an entire family’s. Those who handed over the examination system to the mafia, and who are still clinging to their chairs – the Modi-Shah duo are answerable to this family,” the Congress leader said.Pradeep’s family members said he was under a lot of stress after the medical entrance exam was canceled following the paper leak controversy.According to the police, Pradeep was found hanging in his room. He was taken to SK Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Later his body was kept in the mortuary of the government hospital for postmortem procedures. Udyog Nagar Police has started investigation. Pradeep’s father Rajesh Kumar said that his son studied hard for three years for the medical entrance exam and performed very well this time.The NEET-UG 2026 exam conducted for admission to undergraduate medical courses was later canceled after allegations of paper leak.The Center later handed over the investigation into the irregularities to the CBI, which has so far arrested 10 people in the case.

New Delhi: Allaying fears of shortage amid scorching heat and high power demand, Coal India said the country has a buffer stock of 168 million tonnes of dry fuel, enough to meet the requirements of domestic thermal power plants for 19 days.The company also said that depletion of coal stock levels at thermal plants during peak summer was a natural phenomenon and about 50 MT of in-situ mine coal was readily available for quick extraction and supply if the demand required.Coal-fired power stations are expected to maintain a “standard” stock of 26 days, which is calculated on the amount of electricity generated compared to the maximum possible output at 85% plant load factor or full capacity. As against the requirement of 75 MT coal to maintain this level, the total stock availability was 49.7 MT or 66% of the standard requirement.According to the daily coal stock report compiled by the Central Electricity Authority, 24 of the country’s 190 coal-based plants with a collective capacity of 223 GW had significant coal stocks as of May 26, meaning the availability was less than 25% of the standard requirement.India is currently in the grip of extreme heat, due to which the demand for electricity is increasing in most parts of the country. The maximum power demand reached 271 GW on May 21. Coal-based power plants provide about 68% of the country’s total electricity requirement during the day.However, Coal India Ltd, which supplies about 80% of the country’s coal requirement, said stocks at domestic coal-fired plants stood at 47.6 MT on May 23, while inventories at its own mine heads stood at a “comfortable level” of 113.5 MT on May 24, 10% higher than the same period in 2025.“This level is sufficient to meet 19 days’ consumption. Besides, about 3 MT of coal is awaiting movement at goods sheds, private washeries and transit points like ports,” CIL said in a statement.The public sector company said about 4 MT of coal remains in transit at any point of time, taking the total coal available in the system to 168 MT. CIL said it had advised power plants with less coal availability to create stocks in advance for peak demand periods. “As such, CIL has sufficient quantities to meet the generation capacity of domestic coal-based plants,” it said.

New Delhi: Senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader SP Velumani on Wednesday said “there is no division in the party, only differences”, indicating a possible reconciliation within the AIADMK after the rival factions withdrew petitions filed against each other before the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker.Referring to the tensions that have emerged within the party after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Velumani told reporters, “There is no division in the party, only differences. We are all united. There are no conflicting views.”These comments came after both Edappadi K Palaniswami The (EPS) camp and the Velumani-CV Shanmugam faction decided to withdraw petitions seeking action against each other.“After the elections, we expressed some views and took some decisions which were seen as supporting the ruling party. He had filed a petition demanding disqualification of 25 of our members. Similarly, we had also filed a petition demanding his disqualification. Now both the parties have withdrawn their filed petitions. Velumani said, we have submitted the return letter to the Assembly Speaker.He said that despite internal differences after the election defeat, the party leadership structure remained unchanged and Edappadi K. Palaniswami remained AIADMK general secretary.“After the defeat, we had put forward some ideas. We expressed our opinion with the belief that AIADMK should continue to exist even a hundred years from now,” he said.Velumani also said that there have been discussions within the party regarding organizational reforms, including convening a general council meeting and forming a committee. According to him, the party leadership had assured that the suggestions would be considered.Earlier in the day, Velumani and MLAs supporting his faction met Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the Secretariat.The Speaker later said that he would examine the petitions presented by both sides before taking a decision.“I cannot disclose the contents of the petitions filed by the two groups of AIADMK. I will study the petition in detail and tell you about my decision tomorrow morning,” he said.The development comes after weeks of internal unrest within the AIADMK after the Velumani-Shanmugam faction extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam government during the floor test in the Assembly.The EPS camp had later sought disqualification of 25 rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, while the rival faction had also filed petitions against the EPS side.However, reconciliation efforts appeared to gain momentum after leaders of the Velumani-Shanmugam camp met EPS and handed over an apology letter to the AIADMK leadership. Almost all the MLAs from the so-called rebel camp, except senior leader C Ve Shanmugam, attended the meeting.The AIADMK later indicated that “there will be no further division” within the party, hinting at a possible conflict between rival camps.

New Delhi: East Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai, in a rare dissent, has publicly opposed the CBSE’s revised three-language mandate, triggering a fresh political controversy in Tamil Nadu.Annamalai urged the Union Education Ministry to withdraw the CBSE notification making three languages ​​compulsory for Class IX students from the current academic year, saying the sudden move was “a shock to many parents, especially those from Tamil Nadu.“This public disagreement has given rise to more political controversy than linguistic debate, for obvious reasons.And the reason is simple.Over the years, Annamalai has been one of the BJP’s most aggressive defenders of the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language formula in Tamil Nadu, repeatedly taking on the former chief minister. mk stalin And Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) whenever it accused the Center of trying to “impose Hindi” in the state.This is what has made the recent intervention politically effective.On May 15, CBSE issued a notification to make the third language compulsory for Class IX students from the current academic year, pushing forward the earlier timeline, which was proposed to be implemented from 2029-30.Annamalai objected not to the policy itself, but to its sudden implementation.“This has come as a shock to many parents, especially those in Tamil Nadu,” he wrote onHe also reminded the Center that the previous CBSE notification issued in April had clearly stated that the compulsory requirement of Class 9 would start only from the academic year 2029-30.“I request the Education Ministry to immediately withdraw this notification and honor its previous commitment,” he said.The sharpness of the statement came because just a few weeks ago, Annamalai had welcomed the comprehensive three-language framework for Class VI students, saying it would introduce children to the “diverse literary landscape” of India.This contradiction indicates that the statement may not just be a policy disagreement, but also a deliberate political signal to the BJP leadership in Delhi.

Why does the statement matter?

Language remains the most politically flammable issue in Tamil Nadu.The anti-Hindi movements of the 1960s reshaped the state’s political landscape and helped Dravidian parties establish their decades-long dominance. Even today, any linguistic imposition immediately takes on emotional and political overtones.For decades, parties like the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have portrayed the BJP as a “North Indian” party attempting to weaken Tamil linguistic identity.The BJP has struggled to break that perception.Annamalai’s political project since entering Tamil Nadu politics has partly been an attempt to localize the BJP’s image – to make it appear less like an external ideological force and more like a party capable of speaking the language of Tamil identity and regional aspiration.

It becomes difficult to strike a balance on issues like NEP and three-language policy.If the BJP aggressively pursues the policy, it risks giving credence to the DMK’s charge of “Hindi imposition”.Annamalai’s latest intervention appears to be an attempt to walk that middle line.Notably, he did not reject multilingual education or the NEP. Instead, he framed the issue around implementation, student pressure, and administrative overreach.This distinction is important politically as it allows them to oppose the Centre’s way of handling the issue without appearing ideologically rebellious.

Perfect timing?

In the case of a firebrand politician, the timing of the disagreement is equally important.The BJP’s poor performance in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections has intensified the debate within the party over strategy, leadership and alliances in the state.The BJP won just one seat, while ally AIADMK secured 47 seats.Even before the elections, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami had reportedly asked the BJP to sideline Annamalai to form an alliance.Meanwhile, the BJP had removed Annamalai from the post of state president, a decision widely seen as a way to revive ties with the AIADMK.At that time Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that “Annamalai’s organizational skills will be leveraged within the national framework of the party.”Later BJP also decided not to field Annamalai in the assembly elections. State President Nainar Nagendra had said, “This decision has been taken by the party high command.”Annamalai, on the other hand, had reportedly expressed uneasiness over the BJP coming too close to the AIADMK. According to party insiders, his rationale was that the BJP needed to develop as an independent force in Tamil Nadu rather than permanently function as a junior partner to the Dravidian chiefs.That internal debate did not disappear after the election.In recent times, reports have revealed that the organizational structure and leadership of Tamil Nadu BJP is being reviewed after the disappointing performance of the NDA. It was said that discussions are ongoing in Delhi regarding possible restructuring and future leadership roles.

In that backdrop, Annamalai choosing to speak publicly on a politically sensitive issue like language does not seem accidental.This statement effectively served several purposes.This projected him as a leader who is capable of articulating Tamil Nadu-specific concerns, even if they differ from the immediate position of the Centre.In effect, Annamalai was telling the BJP leadership that Tamil Nadu needed a different political grammar.

a preemptive political move

The intervention may also be aimed at denying the opposition an easy political opening.If the BJP had defended the CBSE notification without qualification, the DMK and actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam would have likely taken advantage of it to revive the BJP’s image of “Hindi imposition”.Language is one of the few issues that has been able to rapidly strengthen anti-BJP sentiment across all sections of society in Tamil Nadu.By criticizing the circular itself, Annamalai effectively blunted that line of attack before it could gain momentum.The contours of his objection also appear to have been carefully crafted to attract urban middle-class families whose children study in CBSE schools – a demographic that the BJP has increasingly targeted in Tamil Nadu.

More regional space within BJP?

Annamalai’s statement may ultimately reflect a larger reality facing the BJP in Tamil Nadu.The party’s national rise has largely been based on message discipline and ideological stability. However, Tamil Nadu has historically resisted centralized political narratives, particularly on language and identity.To propel the BJP forward in the state, its leaders may need space to publicly formulate positions in line with regional sentiments.Annamalai’s dissent shows that at least some within the party believe this.For Annamalai personally, the episode also helps cement the image she has carefully built – that of a Tamil leader first, a BJP leader later.At a time when the future leadership structure of the Tamil Nadu BJP is under discussion, Annamalai’s intervention may serve as a reminder to the party high command that he is one of the few BJP leaders capable of shaping the political narrative in the state and perhaps that is why the leadership should not listen to him.

New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday objected to the “insistence” of a section of the Muslim community on cow slaughter during Eid-ul-Azha and said religious sentiments of the Hindu community should be respected to ensure peaceful co-existence in the society.VHP central joint general secretary Surendra Jain said the Hindu community worships the cow as “Mother Cow” and alleged that repeated arguments in support of cow slaughter hurt Hindu sentiments.Jain said, “Hindu society worships cow as a mother. Despite this, this kind of insistence continues to be very unfortunate. Every day new arguments are being given to justify cow slaughter and this is hurting the sentiments of Hindu society.”He also objected to the arguments seeking to declare the cow as the “national animal” and claimed that referring to “Mother Cow” as merely an animal is an insult to the sentiments of Hindus.He said, “Calling mother cow just an animal is an insult to the sentiments of mother cow and Hindu society. The attitude towards the symbols associated with the nation and Sanatan traditions is well known.”Referring to past incidents, Jain cited the cattle slaughter rules of 2017 and alleged that after the implementation of the rules, cows are openly slaughtered in some states.He said, “When rules were made in 2017 to regulate animal slaughter, it also included cows. In some states where governments were supportive, cows were reportedly slaughtered openly. The demonstrations that took place were extremely unfortunate and condemnable.”The VHP leader said anti-cow slaughter laws are in place in more than half of the country and added that the Hindu community will not tolerate cow slaughter.He said, “Hindu society will not tolerate cow slaughter at any cost. People should understand the sentiments associated with mother cow and respect the laws already in force in large parts of the country.”Citing history, Jain claimed that the rebellion of 1857 was also related to the protection of cows.He said, “Hindu society had fought to protect mother cow even during the revolution of 1857. The society can go to any extent to protect its faith and belief.”He also stressed the need for mutual respect between communities. Jain said, “If peaceful coexistence is to be maintained in the society, then every community must learn to respect the religious beliefs and sentiments of others.”

The Railway Ministry on Tuesday approved the operation of India’s first hydrogen-powered 10-coach DEMU train between Jind and Sonipat under the Northern Railway zone.As per PTI report, the train will run at a maximum speed of 75 kmph and will use hydrogen fuel cells instead of diesel or conventional electric traction to generate power.With a total power output of 1,200 kW, the train will operate on Distributed Power Rolling Stock (DPRS) technology, where power is distributed across the coaches rather than concentrated in a single locomotive.Security clearance and compliance still ongoingThe ministry’s approval came after technical clearance from the Research Design and Standards Organization and safety testing by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS).As quoted by PTI, the sanction letter sent to the General Manager of Northern Railway has been directed to comply with all safety, maintenance and operational conditions prescribed by RDSO, CCRS and other statutory authorities including Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO).The letter further added, “Various sensors (leak detectors, flame detectors etc.) provided at hydrogen production, storage and distribution facilities on the ground are prone to failure due to dust accumulation. Necessary schedule for regular clearing of failed operations will be ensured.Officials clarified that the approval does not mean immediate start of operations, as several compliance and verification steps are still pending.diesel locomotive to pull train for maintenanceAccording to officials, the hydrogen train will operate only on the Jind-Sonipat section, while maintenance facilities have been set up at Shakurbasti in Delhi.For maintenance movements, the hydrogen system will be shut down and the train will be pulled in a “dead position” using a diesel locomotive.The ministry has also mandated special training and competency certification for staff handling hydrogen fueling and onboard operations.