Pakistan arrive in Bengaluru; team celebrates Babar Azam's birthday
Bengaluru (PTI): Pakistan players chose to confine themselves to their hotel rooms upon their arrival here from Ahmedabad on Sunday, but the relatively low-key touchdown did not prevent them from celebrating the birthday of captain Babar Azam.
The players cut a cake at the team hotel as Babar turned 29 on Sunday.
"It was a small function attended by the players and support staff. There were not many activities today as it was a travel day, and the team will soon start preparations for the upcoming matches," said an official travelling with the team.
Pakistan will face Australia on October 20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and they will be eager to give a better account of themselves after the seven-wicket mauling at the hands of India on Saturday.
This is also Pakistan's first visit to Bengaluru since 2012. They had then beaten India by five wickets in the first T20I match of the two-match series.
Pakistan have also played just two ODIs in the Garden City in the quarterfinals of the 1996 World Cup and in the final of the Pepsi Cup in 1999.
While the Green Brigade had lost the World Cup match, they had beaten India by 123 runs in the Pepsi Cup.
"Bengaluru is a welcoming city and we are happy to be here. The climate too seems a lot cooler here. Hopefully, there will not be rain as we have seen some reports of heavy rains in some parts of South India," the official said.
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
