Evening brief: Pradhan reiterates govt open to discuss NEET; Mamata’s request to judiciary, more news

A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items that you should check out.

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticised Congress over the NEET exam controversy, accusing them of avoiding discussion and creating chaos. He said the government is open to discussions, but Congress prefers to keep the issue unresolved. Pradhan highlighted reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) under new leadership and mentioned a high-powered committee for enhancing exam security. Amid opposition protests, the government has handed the case to the CBI and announced new NEET-PG dates. Allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, followed the NEET-UG exam on May 5, which saw around 24 lakh candidates. Results were declared on June 4. Dig deeper

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan (File Photo)

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged judges at a Kolkata event to ensure the judiciary remains unbiased and pure. Addressing a program by the National Judicial Academy and the Calcutta High Court, she emphasised the judiciary's role in protecting democracy and the Constitution. Chief justice of India DY Chandrachud and Calcutta high court chief justice TS Sivagnanam attended. Banerjee criticized alleged political influences on the judiciary and emphasized the need for judicial integrity. The event also saw exchanges on judicial independence, with Banerjee taking a swipe at the BJP-led Centre for withdrawing funds for fast-track courts. Dig deeper

The Latest News

Arvind Kejriwal sent to judicial custody till July 12 in excise policy case on CBI plea Dig deeper

JD (U) national executive appoints Sanjay Jha as party’s working president Dig deeper

‘Indira Gandhi put us in jail, but never abused us': Lalu Prasad on Emergency Dig deeper

Global Matters

Reformist Pezeshkian and Hard-liner Jalili to face-off in Iran's Presidential run-off polls Dig deeper

Only 17% of targets to improve global life likely to be reached by 2030: UN Dig deeper

Entertainment Focus

Nag Ashwin's film "Kalki 2898 AD," starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan, grossed ₹298.5 crore worldwide in its first two days. Released in multiple languages on June 27, the film made ₹191.5 crore on its opening day. According to sacnilk.com, it earned ₹149.3 crore net in India alone during this period. The team shared a poster on X (formerly Twitter) celebrating the milestone. Producer Swapna Dutt Chalasani said that the film was made for the love of cinema, not for breaking records. Dig deeper

Sports Going

Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised India skipper Rohit Sharma for transforming the team's mindset after years of disappointment in ICC tournaments. Describing Rohit as "an iron fist in a velvet glove," Hussain highlighted his balance between aggression and calmness, contrasting it with Virat Kohli's passionate leadership. Rohit's influence has created a positive atmosphere in the dressing room, supporting and challenging players when needed. His aggressive batting has been crucial, notably in the T20 World Cup, where he scored key runs to propel India to the final against South Africa. India hopes Rohit can end their 11-year ICC trophy drought. Dig deeper

(That’s all we have at this hour in our evening briefing. Catch you tomorrow morning)