May 30: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of academician Madhu Purnima Kishwar in a case registered against her for allegedly retweeting a video clip on social media.
The bench of Justice Aman Chaudhary on Friday observed that there was a distinction between “constructive criticism and tweeting/trolling” and said that since Kishwar had a large following on social media, the repercussions could be huge.

The court, in its order, observed this was not a “solitary incident” and that Kishwar had been posting on “sensitive” matters.
The high court noted that the investigation is at a nascent stage and several aspects are yet to be brought out and dismissed Kishwar’s plea, seeking prearrest bail in the matter.
Kishwar had been booked on charges of defamation, promoting enmity and other offences by Chandigarh Police following a complaint alleging circulation of forged and misleading content on social media.
Kishwar, through her counsels Kapil Sibal and Sartaj Singh Narula, contended that the only allegation against her was that she had retweeted a 14-second video clip on social media platform X, which was innocuous and without any illintent.

The offence of forgery is not made out against her, as she is not the one who had prepared the video, according to the plea.
She is a seasoned academician, who has authored many books and has no criminal antecedents, her counsels argued.
They argued that her previous posts cannot be taken into consideration for this case as no action has been taken against her regarding those posts. She has no control over the comments others make on what she uploads/posts, thus cannot be held responsible for acts of others, the counsels submitted.

The counsel appearing for the Union Territory of Chandigarh contended that it would be wrong to say it was a mere retweet by Kishwar.
The video in question was first uploaded by another person on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Then Kishwar downloaded the video and uploaded it on her X, where she has a huge following, with 18 lakh persons, the counsel submitted.
“The same (video) got widely circulated and received 1,74,000 views, which would make her gain further popularity in such issues. Thus she not only aided in spreading misinformation, but also defamed the image of the head of the government,” the counsel submitted.

The court while referring to a status report in the matter, observed that even though the first notice was duly served to the petitioner at her Delhi address on April 20, she failed to appear before the investigating agency.

This continued for the notices dated April 26 and May 5, which by itself shows her conduct of non-cooperating with the investigating agency, the court observed.

“Apparently, the video under scanner, was uploaded on other social media platforms, however, as a matter of fact, it was only after the petitioner uploaded the same with her comment/s, that it garnered 1,74,000 views and speculations were made of it resembling the holder of a Constitutional post, which was confirmed when she further retweeted in that regard,” the court said in its order.

“There is, however, an obvious distinction between constructive criticism and tweeting/trolling to malign, cause aspersions and insinuations, and in (this) case, the same is by someone like the petitioner, who has a large social media following, the magnitude of the repercussions can be far from that can be fathomed,” the court stated.

“Such posts can create disharmony, encourage separatist sentiments and put the unity and integrity at peril. She, being a prominent social media personality and a scholar, as has been proclaimed on her behalf cannot be presumed to be oblivious to the impact of such a tweet, which created a stir, as it attracted not only 1,74,000 views but even comments by other co-accused and public at large,” the court observed.

Further, had it been a solitary incident, one may have still given it another thought, but as has been brought out, even on previous occasions, she had been tweeting with different hashtags material/posts of “sentimental sensitivity”, as is depicted in the status report, it said.
Given that, misconception and misinformation can be made to spread at lightning speed due to social media, “there comes greater social responsibility whilst creating content and forwarding the same,” it said. “Where seeing becomes believing, regulatory provisions are in an emergent need.” The court further observed that the peculiarity of the facts and circumstances of the present case being such that the investigation is at a nascent stage and several aspects remain to be unearthed.
“It is way too soon to rule out the element of criminality involved, as such this court is not inclined to grant the concession of anticipatory bail to the petitioner. Ex consequenti, this petition stands dismissed,” read the court order. (Agenciese)

Till 10-15 years ago, India’s identity abroad was primarily linked with Mahatma Gandhi but that has changed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now the country’s “biggest brand ambassador”, says Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
The culture of India – its heritage, festivals and cuisine – is the country’s identity too, the Union culture and tourism minister said in an interview with PTI Videos.

The way India was perceived in the world had been “somewhat lacking”,he said.
“Till 10-15 years ago, if you went to any country in the world and if you asked a person, based on his appearance, whether he was an Indian, he would hesitate in calling himself an Indian. He would introduce himself as an Asian.
“Then, if you asked him, where in Asia he was from, he would say that I am an Indian,” the minister told PTI earlier this week.
Moreover, if a visitor would tell anyone abroad that he or she was an India, the answer would be, “India! Oh, Mr Gandhi”, Shekhawat said, adding that the image and identity of India remained “stuck with Gandhiji”.

“But today, and I say it with confidence, you can go to any country in the world… from the smallest Caribbean island to America, and from South Asia to West Asia, you can go anywhere, and if you tell someone that ‘I am from India’, you will see a bright smile on his face, and an exclamation, ‘India! Oh, Mr Modi’.” The minister was asked what was India’s bigger brand ambassador — culture and tourism or Bollywood.
“Nowadays, the biggest brand ambassador we have is our prime minister,” he replied.

“Otherwise also, this is not a political reply. I am saying this as a layman. Like we just said, till 10-15 years ago, Gandhiji was the brand ambassador of India for decades. And now Modiji is the brand ambassador of India. But the culture of India is the brand ambassador of India. And the culture of India is the identity of India in itself,” Shekhawat said.

While culture and heritage will remain the essence of a country and its identity, the image of a leader changes the image of a country abroad, he said. And when the image of a country changes, it inevitably impacts the country’s tourism, and the attraction towards that country gets augmented, the tourism minister argued.
The change that has taken place gives India leverage and gives the confidence and conviction that foreign tourist arrivals in India will grow from 10 crore at present to 100 crore by 2047, Shekhawat added.

If there is any beneficiary sector in India’s anticipated economic prosperity and the way world class facilities are being developed, it will be tourism. Should tourism be treated as a strategically important sector, just like the IT sector is? “If I compare, I feel that it has not got that much strategic importance, but the prime minister has worked at a very swift pace in this direction,” Shekhawat replied.
All the missions of India have been told that one of the parameters for assessing their performance will be the number of tourists coming to India from that country. So, now the missions are also on the job, and everyone is on their toes, he said.

If South Korea made K-Pop a brand identity and Thailand sold its hospitality sector as its identity, what is India’s global tourism identity? “It is Incredible India. And, now we are taking it to Inevitable India,” the minister said. (Agencies)

Outgoing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday said he had a “very satisfying and excellent tenure” as he bid farewell to military service after receiving a ceremonial Guard of Honour and laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in the national capital.
Reflecting on the conclusion of his service, General Chauhan said it was a great honour to receive the Tri-Services Guard of Honour and thanked the three services and Headquarters IDS.
“It’s a matter of great honour for me to superannuate with a tri-services guard of honour. I thank the three services and Headquarters IDS for it. With the conclusion of the guard of honour, I bid farewell to my colleagues in uniform, comrades in arms forever. I just laid the wreath at the War Memorial for the last time in uniform, as a humble tribute to those who laid down their lives in the line of duty,” he told reporters.
“After the wreath laying, I was welcomed by the friends, relatives and well-wishers. This is symbolic of my transition from uniform to civilian life. I had a very satisfying and excellent tenure,” Chauhan added.
The ceremonial farewell marked the culmination of General Chauhan’s tenure as the country’s top military officer. His extended tenure as CDS and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in September 2025, extending his service up to May 30, 2026.
Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1981, General Chauhan served for over four decades and held several key command and staff appointments during his distinguished military career. He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
During his tenure as CDS, General Chauhan played a central role in pushing jointness and integration across the three services. On Friday, he released the Joint Air Defence Doctrine, described by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff as a significant step towards greater integration, synergy and operational preparedness among the armed forces.

Earlier this week, he also chaired the concluding meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and launched the Tri-Services Tele Directory Web Application developed by the Directorate General of Signals to enhance coordination across the defence establishment.

General Chauhan had also addressed personnel at Headquarters IDS and the Department of Military Affairs, emphasising “JAI” — Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation — as the guiding principle for transforming the Indian armed forces.

With the Guard of Honour at South Block and wreath-laying at the National War Memorial, General Chauhan formally concluded a tenure marked by a strong emphasis on tri-services integration, operational synergy and defence modernisation. (Agencies)

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said Operation Sindoor had set a benchmark for when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining India’s response to provocation.
Reviewing the passing-out parade of the 150th course at NDA, Khadakwasla, General Dwivedi said the world cadets were stepping into “does not pause for introductions” and threats today “do not always arrive in uniform or on a declared front”.

“From contested grey zones to high-velocity hybrid warfare, today’s security environment demands that those who serve must think sharply as they act,” he said while addressing the parade.
“Operation Sindoor demonstrated that and set the benchmark when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining how Bharat responds to provocation. That standard now belongs to you to uphold,” the Army Chief said.
He said that the integrated response seen in Operation Sindoor, India’s military exercise against terror infrastructure in Pakistan in May 2025, was built on the kind of jointness the NDA instils from day one.
“As our defence services deepen their integrated structures, remember, irrespective of the uniform we wear next, you will serve shoulder to shoulder again

Calling the occasion “a poignant and a particularly personal moment”, General Dwivedi recalled passing out from the same quarterdeck over 42 years ago. “Today, as I stand before you at the far end of a life in uniform, preparing to doff mine as you prepare to don yours, I can tell you with certainty: what you begin here endures forever,” he said.
He complimented the parade commander and cadets for an “impressive standard of drill” and extended special compliments to Cheetah Squadron for winning the banner.
He also acknowledged 24 cadets from 12 friendly foreign countries passing out with the course, saying, “You came from different soils, but you leave shaped by the same ground and the same values.” (Agencies)