MP HC criticises NCPCR for "ill-intentioned" case against Christian missionary, quashes FIR
Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Jabalpur Bench has quashed an FIR against Dr. Ajai Lall, a Christian missionary and office-bearer of Aadhaarshila Sansthan, for charges of child trafficking related to adoptions that took place 15 years ago. The Court expressed its disapproval of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which had initiated the investigation despite no complaints from the children or their adoptive parents.
Justice Sanjay Dwivedi ruled that the adoption was carried out legally and approved by the family court, thereby making further inquiries by the NCPCR unwarranted. "Once the competent court has declared the children legally free for adoption and the order was never challenged, the NCPCR’s action is not justifiable," the Court stated.
The allegations against Lall emerged from claims that he failed to provide required adoption details to the authorities. He was booked under s. 370 (trafficking of persons) and s. 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with s. 80 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. However, Lall argued that the children were not present in the orphanage but in the hostel of the Central India Academy, a residential school operated by Aadhaarshila Sansthan.
The Court also criticized NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo for allegedly using social media to defame the petitioner and influence authorities, which was seen as an overreach of the commission’s mandate.
The petitioner was represented by Senior Advocates Vivek Tankha and Shashank Shekhar, while Advocate General Prashant Singh appeared for the State.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
