New Delhi (PTI): Inflicting numerous blade marks all over a seven-year-old child's body, trying to batter his head with a stone and leaving him to die in a pool of blood showed "barbaric mentality", a Delhi court said while sentencing a man to life imprisonment for the offences of kidnapping and attempt to murder.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit Sahrawat was hearing the arguments on the quantum of sentence against Mohammed Moi alias Mohit, who was convicted under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 364 (kidnapping to commit murder).

In an order dated June 4, the court said, "The aggravating factors against the convict in the present case are the age of the victim child and the manner of committing the crime. At the time of the incident (in 2017), the victim child was aged about five to seven years and the convict gave several stone blows to the head of such a minor child, and also gave several blade cuts to the body of the said child and thereafter, left the child in a blood bath at the spot."

Expressing anguish, the court wondered how the convict, a father of three children, attempted to murder the child in such a "brutal manner".

"The act of giving several blade marks on the face, shoulder, hand, legs etc. of the minor child shows the barbaric mentality of the convict, and it also shows the heinousness of the offence.

When the victim child was called in court for final compensation, even after about eight years of the incident, he was afraid of the convict and apprehensive that he could come and cause injuries to him.

He was continuously weeping in the court due to the convict's fear, the court said.

It said the convict did not deserve leniency on the grounds of his poor financial condition and future prospects of his children and needed to be dealt with an "iron hand".

The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the offences.

Regarding the aspect of compensation, the court noted the submissions of the victim's elder brother and grandmother that since the day of the incident, the victim was continuously undergoing mental trauma and was in perpetual fear that the convict could come at any time and cause injuries to him.

"From the submissions, this court is of the considered opinion that it is a fit case for compensation," the judge said, directing the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to award suitable compensation to the child.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.

Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.

While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.

In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."

The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.

As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.

The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.

The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.

In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."

What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.

ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.

In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."

GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.