King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow has issued a public notice on its campus regarding the alleged religious conversion case involving accused Rameez Malik. Speaking on this matter, senior professor Dr KK Singh said, ‘Any female employee or any employee of the university, worker, student, if they have any information regarding conversion… they can give their information in a sealed envelope.’ The administration has given the individuals three days to come forward with information while promising to keep their identities hidden. A committee is currently recording statements and reviewing representations from various organizations to gather evidence. Dr Singh stressed that although the investigation is ongoing, conclusive evidence has not yet been established. He said the university is taking proactive steps to ensure a thorough investigation without compromising the sanctity of the investigation. The KGMU administration is on alert as the police continue to search for the accused Malik, who has reportedly been removed from the institute following the allegations.

Aldrich Ames, a senior CIA officer and counterintelligence chief, sold America’s deepest Cold War secrets to the KGB for cash.

In this edition of Democratic Newsroom, Preeti Choudhary and a panel of editors discuss the Supreme Court’s rejection of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. Legal editor Nalini Sharma and senior legal correspondent Anisha Mathur analyze the judgment, highlighting the court’s observation that ‘delay is no trump card’ for removing statutory safeguards. The discussion explores the ‘multilingual’ nature of the Supreme Court, comparing this judgment with previous UAPA judgments. Senior executive editor Gaurav Sawant argues that national security outweighs individual liberty in serious crimes, while the panel debates the consistency of judicial reasoning.

This news report covers two major political controversies in India. The primary focus is the indefinite postponement of actor Vijay’s last film ‘Jannanayakan’, which was scheduled to release on January 9. The delay due to lack of certification from the Censor Board has given rise to a political controversy in Tamil Nadu. The Congress and DMK allege that this is a deliberate move by the BJP-led Center to weaken Vijay’s political debut, a claim the BJP denies. Madras High Court is ready to pronounce its verdict on the release of the film. The program also examines the funding controversy in Karnataka, where the state government’s advertising spending is under scrutiny. Reports indicate that the ‘National Herald’ newspaper received a disproportionately large share of advertising funds, raising questions about the use of taxpayers’ money and potential conflicts of interest. The discussion includes panelists Kasturi Shankar (BJP), Salem Dharani Dharan (DMK), and analyst Suman C. Raman.