Hindustan Times

Pramod Nautiyal, a suspended personal assistant to the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman, was arrested on July 12, 2026, by Chamoli Police in connection with alleged irregularities in Badrinath temple donations. An FIR was filed on July 7 following social media reports, with a BKTC inquiry finding the allegations prima facie true and CCTV footage cited as evidence. Uttarakhand authorities formed multiple probe committees, and Nautiyal was taken to Badrinath for questioning.

A Delhi court convicted Tahir Hussain, a former Aam Aadmi Party councillor, along with four others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the February 2020 North East Delhi riots. The court acquitted six of the eleven accused while convicting five individuals total. Sharma's body was recovered from a drain near Chand Bagh.

The Supreme Court on Monday set aside Gauhati High Court judgments that had upheld Foreigners Tribunal declarations of 27 individuals as foreigners and remanded the matters for fresh adjudication. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta cited the high constitutional significance of citizenship status. The petitioners had challenged the ex parte tribunal orders after 23 years and did not appear before the High Court despite notices.

A 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling rejected China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea after the Philippines brought the case. Fourteen countries issued a joint statement marking the tenth anniversary, and India publicly reaffirmed its backing of the decision. China described the award as a worthless piece of paper.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Uttar Pradesh SIT to file a status report on its probe into alleged embezzlement of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and sought details on the SIT's composition. The Court also issued notice to the Trust. Eight arrests have been reported in the case, with the SIT inquiry having begun without an FIR.

Two commercial vessels, MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa, sustained missile strikes, fires, and material damage while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on July 14. India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned Iran's deputy chief of mission and issued a formal protest. Specific casualty figures remain disputed across reporting.

Two people died in a fire that broke out on Wednesday in a five-story building in Mamura village, Noida's Sector 66. The blaze was extinguished after a response involving seven fire tenders, a hydraulic platform, police, and rescue teams, and an FIR was filed against the building owner who is now in custody. All reported details originate from Hindustan Times and Times of India.

Praful Patel, NCP national working president, stated there is no rift in the party following a legal notice from national secretary Sachchidanand Singh contesting Sunetra Pawar's February 26 election as president. The notice, issued July 9 by a Delhi law firm, claims the election was unconstitutional. Patel described the letter as carrying no weight.

The Supreme Court heard a suo motu matter on the right to privacy of adolescents on July 13, 2026, before Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan. The proceeding follows the 2024 setting aside of a 2023 Calcutta High Court ruling that urged adolescent girls to control their sexual urges. The bench observed that parents sometimes initiate POCSO proceedings to safeguard family honour in cases of teenage elopement and questioned the statute's application to consensual relationships between 15- and 18-year-olds.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized Samay Raina for non-compliance with a prior order in the India's Got Latent matter and imposed fines of ₹3 lakh each on Raina and four others. Ranveer Allahbadia, who appeared on the show, received interim protection from the Court after multiple FIRs were filed across states. The bench noted Raina's actions as taking the court for a ride, with proceedings also addressing show composition notices.

Ashutosh Tiwari submitted nomination papers for the Datia assembly bypoll on July 13, 2026, with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and former Home Minister Narottam Mishra in attendance. The bypoll, scheduled for July 30 with counting on August 3, follows the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti after a conviction. Mishra's supporters later blocked National Highway-44 for 11 hours in protest.

The Election Commission of India adjusted SIR timelines in four states following state-level requests, extending house-to-house verification to August 8, setting draft roll publication for August 17, and establishing qualifying dates of October 1, 2026 for Karnataka, Telangana and Punjab and July 1, 2026 for Delhi. Karnataka reported 95.69% enumeration form distribution and 40.70% digitization as of the announcement date. All reported details derive from two left-center sources.

Madan Mitra switched from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC to the rebel faction headed by Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday, hours after his wife, daughters-in-law and sons received ED summons in a municipal recruitment money-laundering case. Mahua Moitra and Mamata Banerjee publicly addressed the development the same day.

Citizens for Justice and Peace sent letters on July 9 and 10 to leaders across parties inviting them to a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in solidarity with students opposing the NEET UG paper leak. The protest, led by Sonam Wangchuk on an indefinite hunger strike now in its 25th day, includes a demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Rahul Gandhi has not appeared at the site despite receiving a letter, while Congress has scheduled separate events on paper leaks.

Multiple outlets report US strikes on Iranian sites lasting five hours and targeting six locations, alongside Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on commercial vessels that killed one Indian seafarer. An interim June deal on safe passage through the strait and renewed US operations killing at least 28 people in Iran are also cited. All available sources carry left-center bias ratings, with no center or right coverage identified.