Rush Hour: HC raps Maharashtra for student's arrest over online post, Maoist commander killed & more

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27-05-2025

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The Bombay High Court has criticised the Maharashtra government for arresting a Pune student after she shared an allegedly objectionable social media post about Operation Sindoor. The bench directed the student's counsel to file a bail petition and stated that it would be granted immediately.
The bench also criticised the college where the 19-year-old was studying for rusticating her, saying that educational institutes need to help students rather than turn them into criminals.
On May 7, she allegedly reposted material on Instagram from an account that had criticised the Indian government. After receiving threats online, she deleted the post and apologised. However, following protests against her post, she was arrested on May 9. The college rusticated her on the same day.
The government alleged that the girl's post was against the national interest. But the court said that the national interest would not be hurt by a post by a student who had realised her mistake and apologised.
Tulsi Bhuinya, a commander of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Tuesday. He was killed during a joint operation of the police and the Jharkhand Jaguar, a special task force aimed at combating Maoists. Another Maoist leader Nitesh Yadav, who carries a reward of Rs 15 lakh, was reportedly among those shot during the gunfight.
With this, about 195 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. The Union government has repeatedly vowed to eradicate 'Left Wing Extremism' in the country by March 31, 2026. Read on.
The Supreme Court has rejected a public interest litigation seeking to include the name of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar in the schedule of the 1950 Emblems and Names Prevention of Improper Use Act to prevent its misuse. The Act is aimed at preventing the improper use of certain emblems and names for professional and commercial purposes.
The petitioner had said that he wanted to 'establish certain facts' about the Hindutva ideologue in a legally verifiable manner. He urged the court to direct the Lok Sabha speaker to add Savarkar to the schedule of the Act. Read on.
The United States government has warned Indians studying in American educational institutes that their student visas may be revoked if they dropped out or skipped classes without informing their colleges or universities. It may also lead to ineligibility for future US visas, said the United States embassy in India.
The embassy also urged the students to adhere to the terms of their visa and maintain their 'student status' to avoid problems. This came amid the tightening of immigration regulations under the Donald Trump administration. Read on.
Bengaluru has recorded its highest-ever rainfall for the month of May. As of Monday morning, the city had received 307.9 mm rainfall, said the India Meteorological Department. The previous record for May was set in 2023, when Bengaluru received 305.4 mm of rain.
The southwest monsoon arrived in Karnataka on May 24, nearly 10 days ahead of schedule. It reached Kerala on the same day.
On Monday, Bengaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 26.7 degrees Celsius, which was 5.3 degrees below the normal of 32 degrees Celsius. Heavy rainfall and lower-than-normal temperatures have led to a spike in viral infections, especially respiratory illnesses.