Education first: Nanded woman appears for Class 12 exam with her 10-day-old baby
Nanded (Maharashtra) (PTI): A woman carried her 10-day-old baby while appearing for her Class 12 Maharashtra board examination in Nanded city, prompting authorities to set up a special mother-friendly facility at the exam centre, officials said.
Shital Chandrakant Chitte (21) arrived at the centre on Wednesday for her Political Science exam with her newborn. Earlier, just two days after delivery, she had also appeared for the English exam on February 10, accompanied by her sister.
Appreciating her determination towards education, the People's College authorities created a dedicated 'Matrusneh Kaksha' (mother-friendly room) and arranged a cradle for the baby, allowing Chitte to write her exam while her child rested.
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Married two years ago, Chitte, a student of Shri Basweshwar College here, said she had no one at home to look after the baby as her husband leaves for work during the day.
With the Class 12 examination crucial for her future, she chose not to miss it, and her family has supported her decision to continue her education, Chitte said.
Nanded education officer Madhav Salgar appreciated the college's move to form a separate facility for the student during the exam.
"Henceforth, we, on behalf of the administration, will make arrangements at exam centres for such students to motivate them," he told PTI.
Maharashtra board's Latur divisional president Sudhakar Telang claimed this is the first such initiative in the state.
The Maharashtra board's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations began on February 10 and are being conducted smoothly at the centre, where 861 candidates are appearing.
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Former South Korean President Yoon receives life sentence for imposing martial law
Seoul (AP): Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
Judge Jee Kui-youn said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a “considerable” time.
Yoon is likely to appeal the verdict.
A special prosecutor had demanded the death penalty for Yoon, saying his actions posed a threat to the country's democracy and deserved the most serious punishment available, but most analysts expect a life sentence since the poorly-planned power grab did not result in casualties.
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South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, in what is widely seen as a de facto moratorium on capital punishment amid calls for its abolition.
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. Yoon's critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon's martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree as necessary to stop liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces, from obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.
The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since last July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon's Cabinet members in other cases. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.
