After Gujarat, now Delhi put on high alert; 10 Pak militants may have 'infiltrated' national capital

March 7, 2016

New Delhi, Mar 7: After Gujarat, now a high alert has been sounded in the national capital following a warning issued by the intelligence agencies that suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jash-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants could have sneaked into Delhi.

According to media reports, security officials have passed information to Delhi Police that 10 suspected militants from Pakistan, who may have entered India via Gujarat, likely have now entered the national capital.

The intelligence agencies further issued a warning saying the suspects may carry out strikes in markets and malls here.

The police have been told to enhance security arrangements in crowded areas and security installations, as per media reports.

Two teams of the National Security Guards (NSG) landed in Gujarat, earlier in the day, following a high alert sounded by the central government amid reports that terrorists have entered the coastal state.

"The Gujarat Police are on alert. The state government had asked the Centre to send NSG teams, which have also arrived," the state`s Home Minister Rajanikant Patel told reporters here, as per IANS.

He said, "We have issued high alert and beefed up security at all key installations."

The state government was galvanized into action, stepping up security across Gujarat, especially the coastal borders with Pakistan, after a note sent by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval about the suspected infiltration of fidayeens (suicide attackers).

Ajit Doval`s note came after Pakistan`s National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua called him up and confided in him that 10 terrorists from the two Pakistan-based outfits have entered Gujarat, according to official sources.

Besides Kutch district, which shares land and maritime borders with Pakistan, heavy patrolling and checking has begun along Gujarat`s border with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Important monuments, pilgrimage centres like the ancient Somnath and Dwarka temples, and Akashardham temple in Gandhinagar which had come under terrorist attack on September 24, 2002, as well as power plants, dams, defence and security establishments have been put on alert.

The central agencies are investigating the discovery of five abandoned fishing boats near Sir Creek on the Kutch coast over the last three months, including one found by a Border Security Force (BSF) patrol on Friday.

The boat found on Friday is 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. Some ration, water jugs, fishing nets, crabs, diesel and mattresses were found on board.

Notably, a top Army commander had said yesterday that there were "disturbing inputs" about a possible terror attack in the country aimed at creating "maximum impact" during the Shivratri festival and the ongoing Parliament session.

"There are security-related problems today. You know, Maha Shivratri is coming. There are inputs which are disturbing but notwithstanding that extra care has been taken," Western Army Commander Lt Gen KJ Singh had said, without giving any further details.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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