India’s smallest state, big on history and coastline
The Bombay High Court's Goa bench has convicted Tarun Tejpal, the founder of Tehelka, of rape and sexual harassment, overturning a 2021 acquittal. He is sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined about Rs 1 million. Tejpal plans to appeal to the Supreme Court; surrender is set within four weeks.
Thousands of protesters, led by opposition politicians and the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, have marched in multiple Indian cities to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation after a nationwide voter-roll revision removed about 130 million names. Authorities have detained demonstrators, closed metro stations and deployed large security forces while the Election Commission and the government deny wrongdoing.
Renowned Indian actor Patekar has died at the age of 75 from a suspected cardiac arrest. His career spanned five decades across Hindi and Marathi cinema, with national awards and a Padma Shri to his name. He was active in theatre and social causes, and is mourned by Prime Minister Modi and others in the industry.