A trial court in Kerala has acquitted Malayalam film actor Dileep in a 2017 case pertaining to the abduction and rape of an actor. He was acquitted of all offences after a nearly eight-year trial.

However, the court found six other persons guilty of rape, conspiracy and abduction, among other offences. The punishment will be pronounced on Friday.

On February 17, 2017, six men kidnapped and sexually assaulted an actor inside her car for two hours. They had allegedly also filmed the assault to blackmail the woman. Dileep was among the 10 persons accused in the case and was alleged to be the mastermind of the assault. Read on.

As IndiGo’s flight operations were disrupted for the seventh day, the Union government has said that the crisis was caused by “an operational issue” created by the airline. The government had ordered an inquiry and intended to set “an example” for the aviation sector by taking strict action in the matter, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament.

IndiGo had failed to maintain its pilot roster despite having enough time to prepare for the new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules that took effect on November 1, said the minister. He added that the crisis occurred due to lapses in the airline’s “crew rostering and internal planning systems”.

This came as more than 450 flights operated by the airline were cancelled on Monday. Read on.

The Opposition has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to “own” and politicise Vande Mataram. This came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the debate in Parliament to mark 150 years of the patriotic song.

Modi said that the “mantra of Vande Mataram” had given strength and inspiration to the freedom movement and claimed that the song had been sidelined earlier. He also alleged that the Congress had compromised on the use of the song “under the guise of secularism and communal harmony”, calling it an example of the party’s “appeasement politics”.

Reacting to the speech, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said it was his party that had elevated Vande Mataram “from a slogan to a national song”. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said the government should focus on living up to the values of the freedom struggle rather than attempting to claim the legacy of the song. Read on.

The Union government has opposed activist Sonam Wangchuk’s request to appear before the Supreme Court via video conference from the Jodhpur Central Jail in proceedings challenging his detention. Such an “exception” cannot be made for Wangchuk, said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

Wangchuk was arrested in Leh on September 26 under the National Security Act, two days after four persons were killed in police firing during protests seeking statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Read on.

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