Bill to amend Waqf law proposes sweeping changes including ensuring representation of non-Muslims

Bengaluru: Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa was moved from the Bengaluru prison to the Ballari jail amid tight security on Thursday morning.

Darshan, a Kannada A-lister, is in judicial custody till September 9, along with 16 others, for the murder of Chitradurga native Renukaswamy.

According to officials, Darshan was escorted out of Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in a police SUV around 4 am and then moved into a police van near Chikkaballapura. The van with Darshan on board reached the Ballari prison around 9.30 am.

Sources said that the actor was escorted via Andhra Pradesh route to avoid security lapses.

Darshan entered the prison flanked by police officials. He wore a black Puma T-shirt but was seen without his hairpiece.

A Bengaluru court ordered the transfer of Darshan and nine other suspects in Renukaswamy’s murder after photographs of the actor enjoying “special privileges” at the Parappana Agrahara prison went viral.

The actor was seen hobnobbing with gangsters, smoking a cigarette and sipping a cuppa. Fresh cases were also registered against the actor and others.

21-year-old Kaivalya Vohra and 22-year-old Aadit Palicha of quick-commerce startup Zepto with net worth of Rs 3,600 crore and Rs 4,300 crore respectively have topped the 2024 Hurun India Rich List showcasing the youngest entrepreneurs in the country. 

The list, released on Thursday, had SG Finserve’s Rohan Gupta & Family, 25, on the third spot with a wealth of Rs 1,300 crore followed by 26-year-old Shasvat Nakrani of BharatPe (Rs 1,300 crore). 

OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, 30, with a net worth of Rs 1,900 core; Alakh Pandey, 32, of Physics Wallah with Rs 4,500 crore in wealth were also on the list. Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, both 33, were the richest in the ‘Hurun India Rich List – Youngest’ with each having a net worth of Rs 8,700 crore. 

“These individuals are driving change across various industries, reflecting the growing impact of India’s youth in business,” the report said. 

52 entrepreneurs on this year’s list were founders of 29 unicorns and two founders of gazelles, defined as most likely to ‘go unicorn’ within two years. Moreover, the cumulative wealth of Indian unicorn and gazelle listers on the rich list increased by 5 per cent to Rs 2.85 lakh crore. 

Meanwhile, this year’s list reported India’s billionaire count hitting 334, topped by Gautam Adani and family with 95 per cent growth in wealth to Rs 11.6 lakh crore followed by Rs 10.14 lakh crore net worth of Mukesh Ambani and family, Rs 3.14 lakh crore of Shiv Nadar and family, Rs 2.89 lakh crore of Cyrus S Poonawalla and family, and Rs 2.49 lakh crore of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ Dilip Sanghvi. 

“India is emerging as Asia’s wealth creation engine! While China saw a 25% decline in its number of billionaires, India experienced a 29% increase, reaching a record 334 billionaires,” said Anas Rahman Junaid, Founder and Chief Researcher, Hurun India. 

The list found 1,539 individuals across 134 cities with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore. The cumulative wealth of individuals, according to the list, jumped by 46 per cent. Moreover, 1,334 individuals saw their wealth increase or stay the same, of which 272 are new entrants, while 205 recorded a drop in their wealth. 

The report said India minted a new billionaire every five days last year.

Sector-wise, industrial products had 142 individuals from the list while pharmaceuticals had 136 individuals. Chemicals, software, and real estate were other top sectors with 127, 105, and 91 rich individuals from this year’s list. 

“The pivot in the Indian economy from a services-led to a manufacturing-led model is reflected in the 2024 Hurun India Rich List. Industrial products sector entrepreneurs on the list have seen a remarkable 47% CAGR in their cumulative wealth over the past five years—the highest among all sectors,” said Junaid. 

This shift, he said, is fueled by several key factors, including the central government’s significant increase in capital expenditure on infrastructure development, which has risen to $133.3 billion for FY2024-25, marking an 11.1 per cent jump from the previous year.  

“Additionally, India attracted substantial foreign direct investment (FDI), with total inflows reaching US$17.96 billion in FY2023-24.” 

Mumbai with 386 individuals followed by New Delhi with 217 individuals were home to rich listers this year. Bengaluru (100), Chennai (82), Kolkata (69) were other top cities.

Thiruvananthapuram: Actor Mohanlal has resigned as president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following widespread criticism and growing pressure over handling of sexual harassment allegations within Malayalam film industry. All members of the AMMA executive committee have also submitted their joint resignation.

A statement from AMMA said the top decision-making body had taken "moral responsibility" and dissolved itself "in light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee".

An election to form a new committee will be held within two months, AMMA said.

Senior figures in the Malayalam film industry face sexual abuse complaints following the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week. The report - which includes multiple shocking stories of abuse - was submitted to the Kerala government in 2019 but then buried.

It was made public this month after clearing legal challenges from film industry members.

A junior artiste told a TV channel he raped her at his home in Ernakulam district in 2019, after inviting her there on the pretext of a role in one of his films. He has claimed the allegation is false, and meant to scupper his chances of succeeding fellow thespian Siddique as General Secretary of the film body.

Siddique quit last week over another sexual assault claim. He has lodged a police complaint against his accuser, Revathy Sampath, who said she had been "sexually abused... physically and mentally".

Another actor, Minu Muneer, has accused prominent actors M Mukesh and Jayasurya, as well as two others, of physically and verbally abusing her on the sets of a movie in 2013.

"I had a bitter experience while shooting... I went to the restroom and when I came out, Jayasurya hugged me and kissed me without my consent. I was shocked and I ran out," she said.

Maniyanpilla Raju, one of those accused by Ms Muneer, has called for an investigation into the allegations, claiming multiple vested interests are behind the accusations.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under severe scrutiny, announced a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault charges.

That has not, however, stopped the predictable avalanche of political attacks from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.