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Delhi Confidential: Class Act

3 min readNew DelhiJun 17, 2026 05:46 AM IST Police said they have collected all relevant documents linked to the bed and breakfast facility to strengthen their case. Bajaj and two employees have already been arrested in connection with the incident and the investigations in the case are still underway. Lavkesh Bajaj, the owner of Flourish Stay in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar where a massive fire earlier this month killed 23 people, had applied to the Delhi Police in 2022 for a licence to operate a hotel from the premises. But the application was rejected because he did not possess the mandatory health and trade licence from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), The Indian Express has learnt. According to police sources, Bajaj, who was arrested hours after the blaze, was involved in the medical tourism business since 2012 and was living in the Hauz Rani area. He also owned a property in Chhatarpur, where he accommodated medical tourists visiting the city. “After the Covid pandemic, he realised that he could expand his business by opening additional facilities. In 2022, he purchased a three-storey house in Hauz Rani, and decided to develop it into a full-fledged facility. He subsequently began constructing three additional floors to increase the number of rooms,” a source said.The source added that Bajaj applied for a hotel licence through the Delhi Police Licensing Department in August 2022. However, the application was rejected. Officials said that, at the time, Delhi Police issued final hotel licences only after applicants submitted all mandatory clearances, including licences from civic authorities, revenue records, and a fire NOC from the DFS — Bajaj had not secured these clearances. The licensing system was revised in 2025, and Delhi Police no longer issues such licences. Investigators had earlier claimed that Bajaj went on to construct additional floors and operate 26 rooms, despite having approval for only six rooms under the B&B scheme. “Since construction of the building had already begun, he (Bajaj) decided to obtain approval under the Bed and Breakfast (B&B) scheme administered by the Delhi Tourism department,” a source said. For registration under the B&B scheme, it was mandatory for the owner to reside at the same premises. Police alleged that Bajaj showed his accountant as the owner of the property before the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), which subsequently issued the B&B licence. Police said they have collected all relevant documents linked to the bed and breakfast facility to strengthen their case. Bajaj and two employees have already been arrested in connection with the incident and the investigations in the case are still underway.

UPSC 2025 AIR 6 Zinnia Aurora writes: ‘How a failed attempt taught me to stand up again’

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UPSC 2025 AIR 6 Zinnia Aurora writes: ‘How a failed attempt taught me to stand up again’

Ctrl+F. Ctrl+V. No results. Three keystrokes that shattered my UPSC dream on a grey June morning in 2023.On June 12, I was travelling back home in a car when the Civil Services Preliminary Examination result PDF appeared on my mobile screen. I already knew that the examination had not gone well, but like every aspirant waiting for a result, I held on to a faint hope that somehow things would work out. With a thumping heart and trembling hands, I opened the Notes app where I had saved my roll number. I pasted it into the search bar and waited for the screen to respond. It did, just not in the way I had hoped. I remember that moment with unusual clarity. I was sitting beside my mother, and our car had stopped at the traffic signal near Gyarah Murti in Delhi. While the red light blinked ahead, my eyes drifted towards the iconic sculpture depicting the Dandi March.In an instant, months of preparation, expectations, sacrifices and difficult decisions seemed to collapse into that single line on a PDF. Yet I did not allow any of it to show on my face. My mother’s smile was not something I was prepared to break. We reached home, I told my parents that I had failed, and life appeared to move on. Internally, however, the weeks that followed were far more turbulent than the result itself. I had left a job, declined admission offers and invested heavily in a dream that had not materialised. More than disappointment, what I experienced was a profound questioning of self. The examination had exposed weaknesses I did not know existed and shattered assumptions I had quietly carried about my own abilities. Looking back, it was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. The examination that forces you to meet yourself The Civil Services Examination has a peculiar way of forcing individuals to confront themselves. While it is popularly viewed as a test of knowledge, serious aspirants know that knowledge is only one part of the equation. The examination tests resilience, adaptability, emotional stability and discipline. It pushes candidates into situations where excuses stop working and honest introspection becomes unavoidable. In that sense, the examination often teaches lessons about self-governance long before it teaches governance. Most aspirants do not undergo this transformation immediately. I certainly had not. Like many young people, I initially viewed failure as something that happened to me rather than something that could teach me.Story continues below this ad Zinnia shares a picture of her study table as she tells aspirants why it is important to stand up after failure.It took time to realise that setbacks derive meaning not from the pain they inflict but from the lessons they leave behind. The challenge is not to sit with failure and repeatedly revisit it. The challenge is to stand up against it. What Gyarah Murti taught me That is where the imagery of Gyarah Murti unexpectedly returned to my thoughts. The sculpture commemorates the Dandi March and depicts individuals walking towards a goal far greater than themselves despite uncertainty, hardship and overwhelming odds. As I reflected on that image, I began to appreciate a simple truth — none of those figures could have known exactly what lay ahead, yet they continued moving forward because the cause demanded perseverance. Preparation for the Civil Services Examination evokes a wide spectrum of emotions. Over the years, aspirants experience hope, anxiety, excitement, frustration, admiration, self-doubt and pride, often within the span of a few months.Story continues below this ad The journey is rarely linear. Yet it is these fluctuations that give meaning to eventual success. Without setbacks, achievement would carry little significance. Zinnia shares a picture of the traffic signal where she found an unexpected message about resilience and moving forward.As Percy Bysshe Shelley famously observed, “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.” Many aspirants dis

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TMC is a single party: Abhishek Banerjee writes to LS speaker against recognition to rebel group in parliament | India News

Rebel TMC MPs to join Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India | India News Hindustan Times

Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Dear Students Struggling with Exam Chaos and Scams

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Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Dear Students Struggling with Exam Chaos and Scams

I wish, as educators, we could look you in the eye and say what the government will not, that we are sorry for all the exam-related stress India causes you. Exams are stressful, and the latest NEET and CBSE scandals will add to the stress by diminishing trust in the system. But you see, we cannot say sorry. After all, the prime minister himself wrote an inspiring book for you called “Exam Warriors”.You are warriors in the service of the nation. In case you had any doubts, the Hindi translation of the prime minister’s book also uses the English term “warrior”. War is a cruel business. Battlefield chaos is never pretty; there are glitches, casualties, and setbacks. The prime minister himself gave you recipes for reducing exam stress, making yourself physically fit by doing yoga and pranayama, all sage advice if you do believe exams are like wars.The education system might seem to you like organised and systematic cruelty. It is, and it is by design. But it is preparing you for the battlefield that is Indian society: It tests your endurance. To spruce things up, we have injected an element of chaos. Like warriors, we do not expect you to get upset, to complain, to hold the highest authorities accountable, to ask questions, like what is the whole point of this cruel system. Like warriors, you take this on the chin, be stoic about it, and get ready for battle again. You see, all we can offer you is a character-building exercise. After all, India’s foundations are built on that. When the economy you will enter is in distress with fewer jobs, we will ask you to sacrifice for the sake of the economy. Even our actual warriors, the soldiers, have to rely largely on their character. For a government strong on defence, the budget for procurement was stagnant for a decade. And look, real soldiers also work under conditions where there are procurement delays and maybe even scams. Now this has happened in exams: Think of a dysfunctional OSM system as the equivalent of our brave Air Force not getting planes on time. Defence needs character. So does higher education. We could reduce the stress on you by increasing investment in higher education, by making sure that the stakes in every marginal mark in these exams were not so high as to drive you to despair. If you had more options, perhaps the stress would be less. But then what would happen to your character? Notice the pattern here: Economic reforms on the cheap. No real investment and attention to systems that will make the economy attractive. Defence on the cheap. And higher education, even exam systems, on the cheap. But the country marches on, built on your endurance, stiff upper lip, national pride, and a few breaths of yoga. With education, there is something else. After all, this is the testing ground for One Nation, One Everything. The power of ONE is more important than the objectives of the exam. So let us build centralised systems. You might think exams like CUET are unnecessary and serve no pedagogical purpose whatsoever. But the purpose is not pedagogy: It is exercise. Does a soldier ever complain about “excessive” exercise? Does a warrior complain about the Centre you get? Think of the distant Centre as a posting in tough terrain. The testing industry is also a big boost to GDP; the same education shows up as a “private good” and boosts your GDP numbers. The total spending on private tuition now exceeds the entire central government allocation on Higher Education, and this may be understating the problem. The Comprehensive Modular Survey, based on the NSS’s 80th round, shows not just that slightly under half of all students are in private tuition, but remarkably, 11 per cent of kids in pre-school are in private tuition. Don’t get angry at the government if you don’t make it. Direct your anger at parents who did not start this whole process early enough. Warriors are, after all, built at home. I will let you in on a secret. The whole purpose of India’s exam industry, with a few

Medicines meant for the poor stolen, resold with fake labels: Delhi cops bust Rs 6 crore racket

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Medicines meant for the poor stolen, resold with fake labels: Delhi cops bust Rs 6 crore racket

4 min readMay 31, 2026 04:03 AM IST The accused being brought to Patiala House Court. (ANI)The Delhi Police said Saturday it had uncovered a Pakistan ISI-underworld terror module and arrested eight persons, including a Nepali national, who were allegedly planning attacks on vital installations, security establishments and police personnel in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and cities in Punjab. Police officers said the arrests of the eight, some linked to fugitive underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim, were made in a coordinated multi-state operation, uncovering a conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan ISI, underworld operatives and the network of gangster Shahzad Bhatti operating from Pakistan and Dubai.The arrests were made in Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi and police said the alleged operatives were in touch with handlers in Pakistan and Bangladesh. According to police, 23-year-old Vijay ‘Shooter’, who hails from Mirzapur, was arrested from Pune on May 14. Based on the information he provided, his associate Nitish Paswan, 23, was nabbed from Sahibganj on May 17. Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Anil Shukla said, “Vijay was in regular contact with members of the Shahzad Bhatti network operating from Pakistan and Dubai. Vijay was tasked to carry out various criminal and terror activities in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP. He was also tasked to recruit youth for executing terror activities in Delhi-NCR.” Nitish and Vijay, police said, confirmed that there were modules in Delhi and Mumbai which were planning attacks in both the cities, and had already done a recce of multiple bridges in Mumbai and the Dadar station. Based on Vijay’s disclosures, two men — Tauqeer Sheikh and Arbaz Khan — were nabbed from Mumbai last Wednesday.Story continues below this ad “Both were in contact with ISI handlers Yawar Khan and Munna Jhingada. They were recruited by one Huzaifa from Mumbai, who is absconding and was working at the behest of Shahzad Bhatti, Yawar and Munna. They were tasked to carry out grenade attacks and firing at vital installations, security establishments and police personnel in Delhi and Mumbai,” Shukla said. Arbaz and Sheikh also told police they had prepared a team to attack security personnel and government buildings in Delhi. On Saturday morning, police nabbed three men from Punjab who were headed to Chattarpur in Delhi. A police officer said, “All the three accused, Harvinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh and Manjeet Singh, are residents of Punjab. They were intercepted on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road around 1 am today and a heavy cache of arms and ammunition, including grenades and automatic pistols, were recovered.” Police said they also arrested a Nepali national, Ang Kami Lama, in the early hours of Saturday. He had been tasked by Munna Jhingada to arrange a hideout for the accused in Delhi and fund their activities.Story continues below this ad Shukla said, “Ang Kami Lama was lodged in a Thailand jail from 2001 to 2018 in a narcotics case. There he came in contact with co-inmates Aizaz Rasool and Md. Salim alias Munna Jhingada, both from Pakistan. After coming out of jail, Lama maintained contact with Jhingada.” Senior officers said the module pointed to the re-activation of the Dawood network. The arrests come 20 days after security personnel were alerted about the possibility of a terror attack in the Capital. Intelligence inputs, sources said, had hinted at suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) mounted on vehicles. Among the possible targets were the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg and other crowded areas in Central Delhi, according to sources.Story continues below this ad In April, the Special Cell arrested 11 people following raids conducted across Delhi and Punjab. Police recovered weapons, surveillance equipment, and solar powered CCTV cameras installed near government establishments.

Congresss Raashid Alvi writes: The BJP’s greatest weapon is a divided opposition

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Congresss Raashid Alvi writes: The BJP’s greatest weapon is a divided opposition

While the BJP is accused of manipulating institutions and electoral systems, opposition parties simultaneously weaken themselves by refusing strategic alliances and prioritising regional rivalries over national political coordination. Written by: Raashid Alvi 5 min readMay 20, 2026 01:25 PM IST First published on: May 20, 2026 at 01:25 PM IST For nearly 12 years, the BJP has been the dominant political force in India. Despite repeated allegations by opposition parties regarding the misuse of institutions, unfair electoral practices, and abuse of state machinery, the BJP continues to expand its political influence. It does not hesitate to use every available political tool, including influencing investigative agencies and benefiting from a favourable Election Commission. Why, then, have opposition parties failed to develop a united and long-term strategy to confront such a challenge? They often fail to undertake serious introspection, strategic planning, or coordinated political action. One of the most significant political developments in recent years was the passage of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on December 21, 2023, amid a walkout by opposition parties, and the Rajya Sabha passed it the following day. The opposition failed to mount any effective resistance to the legislation. No serious parliamentary obstruction occurred, and even a formal division of the vote was reportedly not demanded. The Bill was ultimately passed by voice vote. The Act replaced the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee for Election Commissioners with a Union cabinet minister. Consequently, the committee now consists of the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of the single-largest opposition party). This structure gives the Prime Minister decisive influence over the appointment of Election Commissioners. Section 15A of the Act prevents courts from taking action against election officials for acts performed in their official capacity. In such circumstances, an important question arises: How can free and fair elections be guaranteed under the CEC Act, 2023? If this trend continues, public trust in the Election Commission may gradually erode, affecting not only opposition parties and leaders, but the faith of ordinary citizens in the democratic process itself. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment of 1976 froze the total number of Lok Sabha seats, based on the 1971 Census, until the year 2000. The 84th Constitutional Amendment of 2002 further extended this freeze until the first Census conducted after 2026. The Census process is expected to begin in 2026 and conclude in 2027, and the next nationwide delimitation exercise may take place only after the publication of final Census data, possibly after 2030. However, the 84th Amendment did not prevent the delimitation exercise conducted in Assam in 2023 under Section 8A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Using 2001 Census data, the EC redrew constituency boundaries while retaining the total number of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats. The outcome of the exercise was that constituency boundaries were altered in a manner favourable to the BJP. The Supreme Court declined to stay the delimitation exercise while agreeing to examine its constitutional validity. However, the final decision remains pending, even though elections have already been held, a new government has assumed office, and the Chief Minister has taken oath. At this stage, any future judgment may have little practical impact. The BJP government can repeat the Assam model of delimitation in other states. Perhaps the BJP’s greatest political advantage is not merely its organisational strength, but the inability of opposition parties to unite. In several elections, opposition parties have fought one another more aggressive

DMK writes to ECI to ensure peaceful counting of votes

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DMK writes to ECI to ensure peaceful counting of votes

Home Elections Puducherry Businessman Jose Charles Martin, founder of LJK, has pulled off a victory in Kamaraj Nagar, Puducherry. Previously, the seat was held by BJP. Mr. Martin found the LJK late 2025. He won with a whopping margin of 10205 votes Updated - May 04, 2026 04:56 pm IST Counting of votes begins in Puducherry on May 4, 2026, across six counting centres for 30 Assembly constituencies. Counting of votes is underway in Puducherry, with the ruling All India N. R. Congress (AINRC) winning 9 seats as of 4:00 p.m. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cinched Mannadipet and Neravy-T.R. Pattinam, and Nellithope changed hands from BJP to Dravida Munetra Kezhagam (DMK). In Thattanchavady constituency, AINRC founder and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy won with a clear majority.Also read: How to check election results of Assembly polls 2026? A step-by-step guideThe battle forenters its final stage with the counting of votes on Monday (May 4, 2026). In Puducherry, six counting centres have been set up across the Union Territory that encompasses 30 Assembly constituencies. The constituencies are spread over Puducherry (23), Karaikal (five), Mahe (one) and Yanam (one). Also read: Puducherry Assembly elections at a glance: past voting trends, winners and close contestsThe fate of 294 candidates, including AINRC founder and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who were in the fray for the April 9 polls to elect a new Legislative Assembly for Puducherry. The NDA comprising AINRC, BJP, AIADMK and LJK faces a challenge from the INDIA bloc comprising the Congress, DMK and the VCK.Follow the latest updates below: WATCH | Puducherry Election Results 2026 LIVE May 04, 2026 16:53 A. Johnkumar of BJP leading with 879 margin in Mudaliarpet In the ongoing Mudaliarpet Assembly election in Puducherry, A. Johnkumar of Bharatiya Janata Party is leading by a narrow margin of 879 votes over L. Sambath of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, with just two rounds of counting remaining. Notably, the turnout this year has significantly increased, while the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam’s vote share has decreased. Intriguingly, N. Manibalan from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam obtained 4,131 votes, which exceeds the current winning margin. The final result could potentially flip in either direction.May 04, 2026 16:46 S. Mourogane of TVK leading with 38 votes in Indira NagarIn Indira Nagar, Puducherry district, a significant lead change has occurred with S. Mourogane of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam currently leading by 38 votes over P.V. Aroumougame of All India N.R. Congress, as the vote count reaches 25%. Notably, the Indian National Congress’s N. Rajakumar has received 498 votes, which exceeds the current winning margin.May 04, 2026 16:35 Businessman Jose Charles Martin's LJK wins in Kamaraj NagarBusinessman Jose Charles Martin, founder of Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK), has pulled off a victory in Kamaraj Nagar, Puducherry. Previously, the seat was held by BJP. Mr. Martin found the LJK late 2025. He won with a whopping margin of 10205 votes.May 04, 2026 16:29 AINRC leading in Thirubhuvanai against TVK with a slim margin of 27 votesThe race for Thirubhuvanai is extremely tight between leading B. Kobiga of AINRC and AK. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar of TVK, with a difference of just 27 votes as half of the votes are counted. May 04, 2026 16:22 DMK leads with slim margin of 287 votes in Raj BhavanIn Raj Bhavan Assembly constituency, DMK’s Vignesh Kannan is leading by 287 votes against BJP’s V.P. Ramalingame. This shift comes as the vote counting reaches its completion. May 04, 2026 15:14 Independent Dr. V. Vigneswaran wins in Nedungadu, KaraikalDr. V. Vigneswaran wins the Nedungadu seat in Karaikal district as an Independent candidate, beating incumbent C. Chandira Priyanga of the AINRC. Mr. Vigneswaran won with a margin of 4,499 votes. May 04, 2026 14:50 TVK leads in ManavelyTamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate B. Ramu is leading in the Manavely Assembly constituency with a margin of 10

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