New Delhi: A 24-year-old cab driver from Noida, identified as Anil, died tragically after his car caught fire outside a banquet hall in East Delhi’s Gazipur on Saturday night. The incident occurred while Anil was attending a relative’s wedding at the venue.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Delhi) Abhishek Dhania, the Gazipur police station received multiple distress calls around 11 PM, reporting a vehicle engulfed in flames. "Some bystanders attempted to break the car windows and rescue him, but his body was charred beyond recognition," said Dhania. Anil was rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Crime and Forensic Science Lab (FSL) teams have been deployed to investigate the cause of the fire, and a case has been registered under relevant sections of the law.

Preliminary investigations suggest that Anil was allegedly in a relationship with the bride, but her father opposed the match due to their familial ties. The woman’s family had reportedly arranged for her to marry another man, leading to Anil’s presence at the wedding venue on the night of the incident.

Family members of the deceased suspect foul play, alleging that Anil was murdered due to his past relationship with the bride. Two PCR calls made by Anil’s brothers accused the woman's family of orchestrating a conspiracy. Meanwhile, three separate calls were made to the police by the bride’s father, claiming that Anil’s relatives were resorting to violence.

Police are currently exploring multiple angles, including personal disputes and the possibility of an accident, to determine the circumstances leading to the fire. "The woman and her family have not yet been questioned due to the ongoing wedding, and the FSL reports determining the exact cause of the fire are still pending," said an officer familiar with the case.

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New Delhi: State Assemblies across India convened for an average of just 20 days and spent 100 hours in sessions in 2024, according to a report by PRS Legislative Research.

The report, as cited by Deccan Herald on Friday, highlighted that some states had significantly more sittings than others. Odisha led the list with 42 sittings, followed by Kerala with 37 and West Bengal with 36 sittings. Karnataka, which has a target of 60 compulsory sittings per year, managed 29 sittings in 2024.

In contrast, Uttar Pradesh, despite having a mandate of 90 sittings a year, and Madhya Pradesh only held 16 sittings each. Manipur saw 14 sittings, while Jammu and Kashmir had the least at five sittings.

The Constitution requires legislatures to meet at least once every six months, eleven states met this obligation through short sessions lasting only one or two days. The report noted that state assemblies have met for fewer than 30 days annually since 2017, with 2020 seeing a drastic dip to just 16 sittings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number has since remained close to 20 days each year.

The years 2021 and 2022 saw 21 sittings each while 2023 saw 22 sittings and last year witnessed a slump to 20, added the report.

In 2024, assemblies averaged 100 hours of sitting time, with Kerala topping the list at 228 hours, followed by Odisha with 193 hours. Other states with notable sitting hours included Maharashtra and Rajasthan (187 hours each), Goa (172 hours), Chhattisgarh (155 hours), and Telangana (149 hours). Karnataka’s Assembly had 145 hours of sittings.

Regarding legislative activity, 2024 saw a total of over 500 bills passed across the country. Karnataka led in bill passage with 49 bills, followed by Tamil Nadu (45), Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra (32 each). However, some states had minimal legislative activity, with Delhi passing just one bill and Rajasthan passing only two.