SIT to submit first progress report on Sabarimala gold case to Kerala HC
Pathanamthitta (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from Sabarimala is expected to file its first progress report to the Kerala High Court soon, police sources said on Monday.
The division bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar will hear the case again on Tuesday.
Sources told PTI that the SIT plans to submit the report on the same day.
Officials said the report will cover the current status of the investigation, including the arrest of Bengaluru-based Unnikrishnan Potty, who sponsored the electroplating of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum )door frames in 2019.
It will also detail the investigation carried out at Chennai, where the plates were electroplated, sources said.
The High Court, while assigning the SIT to the case, had directed the team to file a progress report within two weeks and set a six-week deadline to complete the investigation.
The SIT has registered two cases related to gold missing from the plates of Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames. As many as 10 persons have been arraigned as accused in both cases, including Potty and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials.
SIT is expected to interrogate other accused persons soon.
The amicus curiae, retired High Court judge Justice KT Sankaran, assigned to prepare an inventory of valuables, including gold at the hill shrine, is also expected to submit a preliminary report when the case is considered on Tuesday.
Justice Sankaran visited Sabarimala and examined the strong rooms last week.
Meanwhile, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph alleged that the government is protecting the accused persons in the Sabarimala case.
“Even though the court ordered the SIT probe on October 6, the arrest was made only on October 16. When Congress workers are arrested within hours in other cases, those accused of stealing crores of rupees worth of gold from Sabarimala are freely roaming. The government is intentionally protecting them,” he said.
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CBSE plan for 2026-27: Three-language formula from Class 6; two levels of maths, science for Class 9
New Delhi (PTI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out its new curriculum, launching a phased implementation of the three-language formula from Class 6 and a two-level system of mathematics and science for Class 9 starting in the 2026-27 academic session, officials said on Friday.
While the three-language formula mandated under the new National Education Policy (NEP) will be implemented from 2026 for Class 6, introduction of the two-level system of mandatory standard and optional advanced courses in mathematics and science will be done for Class 9.
"Languages are organised through a structured three-language framework across stages: R1, R2 and R3. As per recommendations of new National Curriculum Framework (NCF), two of these three languages must be native to India. In continuation of the board's phased implementation of multilingual education, a third language will be made mandatory from Class 6 with effect from the academic session 2026-27, ensuring that every learner studies at least two Indian languages," a senior board official said.
"While it is desirable that the same scheme of languages is adopted, under exceptional circumstances for students returning from foreign schools where the third language studied till Class 8 or 9 is not available in domestic schools, such students may be exempted as per approved norms. However, such students will be required to study the total number of subjects as stipulated in the scheme of studies," the official added.
Mathematics and science will see a major structural shift with the introduction of a two-level system starting in the 2026–27 academic session.
"All students will study the standard curriculum and appear for a common 80-mark examination of three hours; those opting for higher proficiency can choose an additional 'advanced' level in either or both subjects. This advanced component will consist of a separate 25-mark, one-hour paper designed to test higher-order thinking skills and deeper conceptual understanding.
"Students must mandatorily take the standard exam, while the advanced paper remains optional. Importantly, performance in the advanced paper will not be added to the overall aggregate; instead, students scoring 50 per cent or above will have the advanced-level qualification reflected separately in their mark sheet," the official said.
The two-level system (standard and advanced) in mathematics and science will begin in the 2026–27 academic session for Class 9 students, and the first board exams for Class 10 students with this structure will be held in 2028 for that cohort.
