Ambani pips Adani to become the richest Indian, again
Mumbai (PTI): Despite a 6 per cent dent in fortune, Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani has reclaimed his title as the richest Indian in 2025, overthrowing rival Gautam Adani, as per a list of wealthiest in the country published on Wednesday.
The 68-year-old Ambani's fortune declined 6 per cent to Rs 9.55 lakh crore, and was far ahead of Adani's Rs 8.14 lakh crore, as per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025.
Adani, who had witnessed a 95 per cent jump in fortunes to Rs 11.6 lakh crore as his group's shares recouped the losses caused by shortseller Hindenburg, had displaced Ambani last year to be the richest Indian.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra of HCL broke into the top-three for the first time with a fortune of Rs 2.84 lakh crore, which gave her the number three spot.
Cyrus Poonawalla and family maintained their fourth position with wealth estimated at Rs 2.46 lakh crore, while Kumar Mangalam Birla was fifth at Rs 2.32 lakh crore.
Birla's fortune suffered a 1 per cent dent -- the least among the top-5 wealthy individuals.
The cumulative wealth of those in the list is pegged at Rs 167 lakh crore, equivalent to nearly half of India's GDP.
The list has 1,687 individuals with wealth of Rs 1,000 crore, which was up by 284 while there are 148 new entrants.
Hurun said India has created a billionaire every week for the past two years now, with those in the list adding Rs 1,991 crore in wealth every day.
Chennai-born Aravind Srinivas (31), founder of Perplexity, made his debut as a billionaire on the list with a wealth of Rs 21,190 crore and is also the youngest among 350 billionaires on the list.
Niraj Bajaj and family saw their wealth jump 43 per cent to Rs 2.33 lakh crore, climbing four spots to be the sixth richest Indian.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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