The Madras High Court asked the Tamil Nadu Police to release Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Udhayanidhi Stalin. He had been arrested earlier in the day for purportedly derogatory remarks about Chief Minister Vijay and actor Trisha Krishnan.

The leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly had made the alleged remarks at a protest rally in Thanjavur a day prior. The first information report against him was filed by a worker of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The complaint alleged that Stalin’s remarks were an indecent double entendre. Read on.

Fourteen persons on board an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi were injured after the aircraft experienced sudden loss of altitude of approximately 300 feet. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will conduct an investigation into the incident, an official said.

One crew member was reportedly severely injured. Read on.

The All India Institute for Medical Sciences told the Supreme Court that jailed religious leader Asumal Harpalani, also known as Asaram Bapu, does not need to be hospitalised for treatment. However, the institute said that the 85-year-old convict needs round-the-clock assistance by trained caregivers.

The report was filed after the court on July 17 asked the Rajasthan government to examine Asaram’s health reports to determine whether his condition warrants his release on interim bail on medical grounds. The directive had come after the religious leader’s counsel informed the court that he had developed “acute internal bleeding”.

On June 30, the Supreme Court rejected Asaram’s bail plea, saying that it would consider granting it only if there was a grave medical necessity, “such as danger to life”. Read on.

The Indian government has brought back 274 fugitives from 36 countries since 2019, stated the Ministry of Home Affairs. Among them, 62 criminals were wanted for murder, robbery or other violent crimes, and 53 for sexual offences, including those booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

While nine of the fugitives were brought back in 2019, only seven were repatriated in 2020. In 2021, 23 fugitives were brough back and the number increased to 40 in 2022. Thirty-seven of the fugitives were repatriated in 2023, 43 in 2024, 70 in 2025 and 45 so far in 2026, said the ministry. Read on.

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