Source: The Hindu  Indian Express and others

Sonam Wangchuk detained under NSA for his ‘provocative speeches’: Ladakh administration

The Ladakh administration on Friday (September 26, 2025) night justified the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), saying his series of alleged provocative speeches with references to Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring resulted in the Wednesday’s violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured. It said the detention of Mr. Wangchuk earlier during the day was important to restore normalcy in the peace-loving Leh town and also important to prevent him from further acting in a manner “prejudicial to maintenance of public order”.

UN Security Council rejects Russia and China’s last-ditch effort to delay sanctions on Iran

The UN Security Council has rejected another last-ditch effort to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, a day before the deadline and after Western countries claimed that weeks of meetings failed to result in a “concrete” agreement. The resolution put forth by Russia and China — Iran’s most powerful and closest allies on the 15-member council — failed to garner support on Friday (September 26, 2025) from the nine countries required to halt the series of UN sanctions from taking effect Saturday, as outlined in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Calcutta HC directs repatriation of six West Bengal residents pushed into Bangladesh

The Calcutta High Court on Friday (September 26, 2025) directed the repatriation of six people from two families hailing from West Bengal’s Birbhum, who were pushed into Bangladesh. A Division Bench comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobrata Mitra gave this direction while deciding two writ petitions filed by Bhodu Sheikh and Amir Khan. Bhodu Sheikh sought repatriation of his daughter Sunali Khatun Sheikh, his son-in-law Danish Sheikh and minor grandson, while Amir Khan sought repatriation of his sister Sweety Bibi and her sons Kurban Sheikh and Imam Dewan.

Supreme Court demands answers from Rajasthan government over non-functional CCTVs in police stations

The Supreme Court on Friday (September 26, 2025) sought a detailed account from the Rajasthan government on the installation and functioning of CCTV cameras across police stations in the State. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a suo motu case registered earlier this month, following a newspaper report that had flagged 11 custodial deaths in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, seven of which occurred in Udaipur.

R. Venkataramani re-appointed as Attorney General

Senior advocate R. Venkataramani was on Friday (September 26, 2025) re-appointed as the Attorney General of India for two years, the Law Ministry said. Mr. Venkataramani has been re-appointed as the top law officer of the country, effective October 1. His present three-year term ends on September 30. “The President is pleased to re-appoint Shri R Venkataramani, Senior Advocate, as Attorney General for India for a further period of two years with effect from 01.10.2025,” the notification read.

India says NATO chief’s remarks on Modi-Putin talks ‘entirely baseless’

India on Friday (September 26, 2025), described as “factually incorrect and entirely baseless” the remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s penalty tariff on India for its continued purchase of Russian crude oil. “We expect the leadership of an important institution like NATO to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in public statements. Speculative or careless remarks that misrepresent the Prime Minister’s engagements or suggest conversations that never occurred are unacceptable,” said Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Recall Char Dham project judgment: Murli Manohar Joshi, environmentalists to Supreme Court

Veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress party veteran and Rajya Sabha MP Karan Singh, along with several environmentalists and scientists have appealed to the Supreme Court to review its 2021 judgment permitting widening of Himalayan roads, part of the Chardham project, beyond 5.5 metres. The Chardham project involves widening several Himalayan roads and has been controversial for more than a decade. Overseen by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the project involves widening mountain roads, including those in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone (BESZ), and those leading up to India’s border with China.

Government says India held ‘constructive’ meetings in the U.S., does not reveal date of next official meeting

The Indian delegation led by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held “constructive” meetings with officials in the US government during its visit to New York this week, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement. It added that the two sides also discussed the possible contours of a Bilateral Trade Agreement. However, the statement fell short of mentioning the next date of formal negotiations for the deal, or whether such a date has been decided. The Indian team had been in the U.S. from September 22-24, while sources have confirmed that the Mr. Goyal returned to India a few days later.

Entirely baseless: India on NATO chief’s claims that Modi asked for Ukraine plan from Putin

India on Friday (September 26, 2025) described as “entirely baseless” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Russian President Vladimir Putin and asked for Moscow’s strategy on Ukraine in view of the impact of Washington’s punitive tariffs on India. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “speculative or careless” remarks that misrepresent Mr. Modi’s engagements or suggest conversations that never occurred are “unacceptable”.