President, political leaders condole death of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu, Home Minister Amit Shah and other political leaders from across the nation have expressed grief over the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati on Thursday morning.
Posting her message in Hindi on her official ‘X’ account, the President has said, “The news of the death of several people, including Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra, is extremely saddening. The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar ji is an irreparable loss. He will always be remembered for his special contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector. I express my deepest condolences to his family, supporters and admirers. May God also give strength to the families of all those who died in the accident to bear this shock.”
In his personal account, Home Minister Amit Shah has tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and our senior NDA colleague Ajit Pawar in a tragic accident today. Words cannot express the dedication Ajit Pawar gave to the welfare of every section of Maharashtra over the past three and a half decades. Whenever we met, he would have lengthy discussions on various topics related to the welfare of the people of Maharashtra. His passing is a personal loss for me as well as the NDA family. I express my deepest condolences to the Pawar family. In this hour of grief, the entire NDA stands firmly with the bereaved Pawar family. May God grant the departed soul a place in His feet. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti (sic)”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also expressed shock and sorrow at the Pawar, adding that the late political leader had worked diligently for the development of his state. In his personal ‘X’ page, the Defence Minister has said, “Deeply shocked and pained to learn about the untimely demise of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Ajit Pawar. Throughout his long public life, he remained committed to the development and prosperity of Maharashtra. He was known for his compassion for the people and his unwavering dedication to public service. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, well-wishers, and admirers.”
PTI has reported that Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has said that she was saddened by the news that she received early morning. Chaturvedi has also said, “Ajit Pawar ji himself was among the young leadership of Maharashtra, committed and dedicated to the cause of the state. Whatever responsibility he took on, he fulfilled it with complete commitment. We had our differences, but we also had the opportunity to work together. I met him many times on matters connected with the Pawar family. For me, this loss is deeply painful.”
President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) posts,
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
"महाराष्ट्र के बारामती में एक विमान दुर्घटना में महाराष्ट्र के उप मुख्यमंत्री, श्री अजित पवार समेत कई लोगों की मृत्यु का समाचार अत्यंत दुखद है। अजित पवार जी का असामयिक निधन एक अपूरणीय क्षति है। उन्हें महाराष्ट्र के विकास में, विशेषकर… pic.twitter.com/zatIBApqzb
Home Minister, Amit Shah (@AmitShah) posts,
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
"आज एक दुःखद हादसे में महाराष्ट्र के उपमुख्यमंत्री और NDA के हमारे वरिष्ठ साथी अजीत पवार जी को खो देने की सूचना से मन अत्यंत व्यथित है। अजीत पवार जी ने बीते साढ़े तीन दशकों में जिस प्रकार महाराष्ट्र के हर वर्ग के कल्याण के लिए खुद को… pic.twitter.com/KgqyEH9hij
Deeply shocked and pained to learn about the untimely demise of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Ajit Pawar.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 28, 2026
Throughout his long public life, he remained committed to the development and prosperity of Maharashtra. He was known for his compassion for the people and his…
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.
HC to hear NIA's plea for death penalty for Yasin Malik on April 22
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted four weeks to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to a reply filed by separatist leader Yasin Malik to its appeal seeking death penalty for him in a terror funding case, and listed the matter for hearing on April 22.
As Malik, who was virtually appearing from Tihar jail where he is serving life sentence in the case, accused the agency of "wasting time" and causing him "trauma" by "taking dates" in the appeal filed in 2023, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said there was no urgency in the case.
"There is no urgency. This is for enhancement of sentence. You are already on life sentence," the bench remarked.
The court gave four weeks as "last opportunity" to the NIA to file its rejoinder.
NIA counsel submitted that Mailk filed a lengthy reply to the agency's appeal, which even had content "not related" to the case, and the rejoinder was being vetted.
He also objected to Malik's claim of NIA seeking repeated adjournments, and said Malik himself took one year to file his reply to the appeal.
He further informed the court that the agency was seeking an in-camera hearing in the matter.
A trial court in Delhi awarded Malik -- chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)-- life sentence on May 24, 2022, after holding him guilty of various offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The NIA filed an appeal in 2023 in the high court seeking enhancement of his life term to the maximum punishment of death penalty.
In its plea before the high court for enhancement of sentence to death penalty, the NIA said if such "dreaded terrorists" are not given capital punishment on account of pleading guilty, there would be complete erosion of the sentencing policy and the terrorists would have a way out to avoid capital punishment.
A life sentence, the NIA asserted, is not commensurate with the crime committed by terrorists when the nation and families of soldiers have suffered loss of lives and the trial court's conclusion that Malik's crimes did not fall within the category of the "rarest of the rare cases" for grant of death penalty is "ex-facie legally flawed and completely unsustainable".
In his reply filed to the NIA's appeal, Mailk said that he spent nearly three decades as a key figure in a state-sanctioned "backchannel" mechanism, working with a succession of prime ministers, intelligence chiefs, and even business tycoons to foster peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
In an 85-page affidavit submitted before the Delhi High Court, Malik shared details about his journey from his school days to links with terrorists and meetings with political leaders.
He claimed the state was attempting to "erase" the history of engagement.
Malik said "being a scapegoat in politics isn't a new thing, it's a kind of a new normal but being a sacrificial goat is something which goes beyond the shard of high handedness of morality, if at all politics had one".
