BJP expels Ram Jethmalani for six years over 'breach of discipline'

May 28, 2013

New Delhi, May 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday expelled noted lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani from the party's primary membership.

The BJP expelled Jethmalani for six years over “breach of discipline”.

In a letter to Jethmalani, BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar on Tuesday said the party's parliamentary board had taken a unanimous decision on Monday to expel him from membership of the party.

“The central parliamentary board after considering all your replies, responses and letters was of the unanimous opinion that you have indulged in a breach of discipline.

The parliamentary board, therefore, decided to expel you for a period of six years from the primary membership of the Party,” the letter stated.

The MP's expulsion follows his continued open defiance of party's policies and leaders.

Recently, Jethmalani had called on the BJP leadership to take a call on his suspension.

He had earlier said that the BJP leadership was being soft on the corruption-tainted UPA government.

Jethmalani was earlier suspended by the party for his tirade against the then chief Nitin Gadkari in 2012.

Jethmalani will now continue as an independent MP in the Upper House of Parliament.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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