New Delhi: From scientists breaking new grounds to rural entrepreneurs transforming local economies, six inspiring women took over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's social media accounts on International Women's Day.
These women shared their journeys, achievements and the challenges they overcame, offering a glimpse into the power of Nari Shakti in shaping India's future. The women selected for this unique initiative represent diverse fields.
Chess Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu from Tamil Nadu has been making India proud on the global stage.
Anita Devi, popularly known as the "Mushroom Lady of Bihar," has empowered hundreds of rural women through sustainable agriculture.
Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist at BARC, and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist at ISRO, showcased women's contributions to cutting-edge research and technology.
Ajaita Shah, the Founder & CEO of Frontier Markets, has enabled thousands of women to become rural entrepreneurs. Dr Anjlee Agarwal, a leading accessibility advocate, has spent three decades working for inclusive infrastructure in India.
Through this platform, these women shared their experiences, inspiring millions across the nation. Their remarkable stories reinforce the idea that women are not just participants but pioneers in building a stronger, more inclusive India.
Prime Minister Modi, in his Women's Day message, reaffirmed his government's commitment to women's empowerment.
"We bow to our Nari Shakti on #WomensDay! Our government has always worked to empower women, reflecting in our schemes and programmes. Today, as promised, my social media properties will be taken over by women who are making a mark in diverse fields!" he posted on X before handing over his account to the women achievers.
This is not the first time that women achievers will be taking over the PM's social media accounts. On International Women's Day in 2020, Modi's social media accounts were operated by seven women achievers, providing them a global platform to inspire others.
A financially empowered woman is a confident decision-maker, independent thinker, architect of her own future and a maker of modern India! And, our nation is taking the lead in building financially empowered women.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
I, @Ajaita_Shah, am really delighted to be handling PM… pic.twitter.com/Jx0ony2hwS
मैं अनीता देवी, नालंदा जिले के अनन्तपुर गांव की रहने वाली हूं। मैंने जीवन में बड़े संघर्ष देखे हैं। लेकिन मेरा हमेशा से मन था, अपने दम पर कुछ करने का। 2016 में मैंने खुद स्वरोजगार करने का निर्णय लिया था। उसी दौर में स्टार्ट-अप्स का इतना क्रेज बढ़ गया था। इसलिए 9 साल पहले मैंने भी… pic.twitter.com/DFrQ8sDJd2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
Space technology, nuclear technology and women empowerment…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist and we are thrilled to be helming the PM’s social media properties on #WomensDay.
Our message- India is the most vibrant place for science… pic.twitter.com/G2Qi0j0LKS
Vanakkam!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
I am @chessvaishali and I am thrilled to be taking over our PM Thiru @narendramodi Ji’s social media properties and that too on #WomensDay. As many of you would know, I play chess and I feel very proud to be representing our beloved country in many tournaments. pic.twitter.com/LlYTmqE2MQ
We bow to our Nari Shakti on #WomensDay! Our Government has always worked for empowering women, reflecting in our schemes and programmes. Today, as promised, my social media properties will be taken over by women who are making a mark in diverse fields! pic.twitter.com/yf8YMfq63i
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
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Kochi (PTI): The prosecution had "miserably" failed to prove the conspiracy charge against Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case, a local court has observed while citing inconsistencies and lack of sufficient evidence against the Malayalam star.
The full judgement of Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese was released late on Friday, and has revealed the judge also pointing out at unsustainable arguments put forth by the prosecution.
"The prosecution miserably failed to prove the conspiracy between accused No.1 (Pulsar Suni) and accused No.8 (Dileep) in executing the offence against the victim," the court held.
It examined in detail, the prosecution's allegation that Dileep had hired the prime accused to sexually assault the survivor and record visuals, including close-up footage of a gold ring she was wearing, to establish her identity.
On page 1130 of the judgment, under paragraph 703, the court framed the issue as whether the prosecution's contention that NS Sunil (Pulsar Suni) recorded visuals of the gold ring worn by the victim at the time of the occurrence, so as to clearly disclose her identity, was sustainable.
The prosecution contended Dileep and Suni had planned the recording so that the actress' identity would be unmistakable, with the video of the gold ring intended to convince Dileep that the visuals were genuine.
However, the court noted that this contention was not stated in the first charge sheet and was introduced only in the second one.
As part of this claim, a gold ring was seized after the victim produced it before the police.
The court observed that multiple statements of the victim were recorded from February 18, 2017, following the incident, and that she first raised allegations against Dileep only on June 3, 2017.
Even on that day, nothing was mentioned about filming of the ring as claimed by the prosecution, the court said.
The prosecution failed to explain why the victim did not disclose this fact at the earliest available opportunities.
It further noted that although the victim had viewed the sexual assault visuals twice, she did not mention any specific recording of the gold ring on those occasions, which remained unexplained.
The court also examined the approvers' statements.
One approver told the magistrate that Dileep had instructed Pulsar Suni to record the victim's wedding ring.
The court observed that no such wedding ring was available with her at that time.
During the trial, the approver changed his version, the court said.
The Special Public Prosecutor put a leading question to the approver on whether Dileep had instructed the recording of the ring, after which he deposed that the instruction was to record it to prove the victim's identity.
The court observed that the approver changed his account to corroborate the victim's evidence.
When the same question was put to another approver, he repeated the claim during the trial but admitted he had never stated this fact before the investigating officer.
The court noted that the second approver even went to the extent of claiming Dileep had instructed the execution of the crime as the victim's engagement was over.
This showed that the evidence of the second approver regarding the shooting of the ring was untrue, as her engagement had taken place after the crime.
The court further observed that the visuals themselves clearly revealed the victim's identity and that there was no need to capture images of the ring to establish identity.
In paragraph 887, the court examined the alleged motive behind the crime and noted that in the first charge sheet, the prosecution had claimed that accused persons 1 to 6 had kidnapped the victim with the common intention of capturing nude visuals to extort money by threatening to circulate them and there was no mention about Dileep's role in it.
The court also rejected the prosecution's claim that the accused had been planning the assault on Dileep's instructions since 2013, noting that the allegation was not supported by reliable evidence.
It similarly ruled out the claim that Suni attempted to sexually assault the victim in Goa in January 2017, stating that witness statements showed no such misconduct when he served as the driver of the vehicle used by the actress there.
The court also discussed various controversies that followed Dileep's arrest and the evidence relied upon by the prosecution, ultimately finding that the case had not been proved.
Pronouning its verdict on the sensational case on December 8, the court acquitted Dileep and three others.
Later, the court sentenced six accused, including the prime accused Suni, to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment.
The assault on the multilingual actress, after the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, 2017, had shocked Kerala.
Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.
