A Chinese man who was abducted as a toddler and later adopted by a billionaire family has been found by his birth family, whom he has chosen to return to.

Mei Zhiqiang, 27, was 2 years old when he was abducted by human traffickers from outside his home in Yunnan province in southwestern China in 1997.

Mei was reportedly sold to a family that abandoned him because he was “too thin and small” before he was adopted by a wealthy family reportedly worth billions in southeastern China’s Fujian province.

He subsequently grew up with two older sisters and a younger brother, who were all biological children of his adoptive parents.

Mei reportedly did not attend university after he graduated from secondary school, opting instead to work at his adoptive parents’ hospital.

It’s been over five years since a case was filed against independent journalist Neha Dixit for criminal defamation and promoting “disharmony, enmity, hatred or ill-will” through a five-part series she wrote for Outlook magazine in 2016.

Since then, the case has been listed approximately 40 times in the Gauhati High Court. Dixit has spent over Rs 3 lakh on legal and travel fees, has appeared in the high court five times, and, she said, has received no support from Outlook in the process.

“The process is the punishment,” Dixit told Newslaundry, “because it is harassment in a way.”

The series in question was Outlook’s cover story in its July 29, 2016 edition. Titled “Operation #BetiUthao”, it uncovered how the Sangh Parivar “flouted every Indian and international law on child right to traffic 31 young tribal girls from Assam to Punjab and Gujarat to ‘Hinduise’ them”.

Days later, on August 6 that year, then assistant solicitor general SC Koyal and BJP spokesperson Bijon Mahajan filed a criminal complaint against Dixit under sections 153A (promoting disharmony, enmity, etc) and 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

During his career, the new Chief Justice of India has been part of several constitution benches & delivered landmark judgments in high-profile cases, like Ayodhya land title dispute.

New Delhi: Whether he concurs or dissents, either way, his judgments evoke a keen interest. His verdicts are an assertion of constitutional principles — stressing on acceptance of diversity and inclusivity — and speak of him as a true liberal who is extremely sensitive and empathetic towards marginalised sections of society.

However, at the same time, he is equally conscious of maintaining judicial decorum and refrains from breaching the “lakshman rekha” (a strict boundary never to be crossed) when it comes to deciding on policy matters or development projects. Here he chooses to indulge in a deliberative process with the executive, nudging and not directing it to follow judicial orders.

This is how the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, is defined by his college mates, law teachers, and bar as well as bench colleagues.

Sworn in Wednesday by President Droupadi Murmu, Chandrachud, who will turn 63 on 11 November, will have a two-year term in the CJI’s office. Not only will he have the longest tenure for a CJI in a while, he will also be the youngest one in office in the past 10 years.

The sources added that it became a surprise for the lawyers in the apex court corridors, when the CJI came to the first court with his two daughters.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, on Friday brought his two foster daughters to visit the Supreme Court.

According to top court sources familiar with the development, at around 10 a.m., the CJI brought his two daughters, who are differently-abled, to the courtroom from the public gallery.

The sources added that it became a surprise for the lawyers in the apex court corridors, when the CJI came to the first court with his two daughters.

A source said that Chandrachud could be heard telling his daughters, "See, that is where I sit", as he took them on a tour of the apex court premises.

New Delhi, Nov 9 (UNI) Known for

upholding constitutional rights and freedom

of speech and expression, and upholds the

rights of the LGBT class, CJI-Designate

Justice Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant

Multiple estimates from different agencies indicate a very high number of orphaned children in the country following deaths due to COVID-19. However, the number of new registrations on the CARINGS portal has decreased continuously in the last three years and the number of adoptions has also come down.

A study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the USA, estimates that as of 01 May 2022, around 10.5 million children globally have experienced the loss of a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19-related deaths. An increase in the likelihood of poverty, abuse, delayed development, mental health challenges, reduced access to education, etc. is a few of the potential risks that such children are exposed to.

This model estimates that around 2 million children in India have experienced orphanhood (death or one or both of the parents) due to COVID-19.

Government of India estimates that 4,345 children have lost both the parents during pandemic

As per the update provided in Lok Sabha on 09 December 2022, a total of 4,345 children have lost both the parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This information is based on applications approved under PM CARES for Children scheme.

INDORE: A woman allegedly inflicted burns on the private parts of her nine-year-old adopted daughter as a punishment for bedwetting in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Monday.

An offence has been registered against the 40-year-old woman under sections 294 (abusing), 323 (manhandling) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (threatening) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), MIG police station in-charge Ajay Verma said.

The accused woman is a close relative of the victim and had adopted her, he said.

The woman had inflicted burns on the child's private parts as a punishment for wetting her bed at night, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made so far in the case.

Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) president Pallavi Porwal said the girl had sustained serious burn injuries on her private parts, some hair on her head had been uprooted and there were nail injury marks on her body.

The Bombay High Court Thursday came down heavily on the Maharashtra government for its stand that benefits like reservation extneded to orphaned children cannot be given to abandoned children [NEST India Foundation v. State of Maharashtra & Ors]

A division bench of Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale noted that the Juvenile Justice Act does not distinguish between a child who is abandoned and a child who is an orphan.

“We note the definition of orphans, interestingly, also includes children whose legal guardian is incapable of caring for the child. Point to be noted is that act itself does not distinguish between child who is adopted and child who is orphan” the order states.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by NEST India Foundation, a charitable trust, which sought issuance of certificate from the authorities to the girls declaring them as abandoned children.

Government pleader Purnima Kantharia informed the Court about a government resolution which does not permit certificate to be given to an abandoned child.

Three months after the drowning of a 16-year-old adopted girl, the ex-gratia award by the special relief commissioner has split two families to such an extent that the biological parents launched an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday in front of the Community Health Center (CHC) at Rajnagar, demanding death certificate of their daughter to attain eligibility for compensation.

Namita, 16, was the biological daughter of Ranjan Mai and Rupali Mai of Ostia village. The couple also has two sons. Namita was legally adopted as a daughter of a couple Ratnakar Das and Mamata Das of Gopaljewpatana village under Rajnagar block. Namita is mentioned as the daughter of Ratnakar and Mamata in Aadhaar card and school admission register.

The feuding natural and adoptive parents of Namita reached a flashpoint following claim and counter-claims by both the warring parents. As a result, the Rs 4 lakh cheque is yet to be issued by anybody’s name. The medical officer of the Community Health Center at Rajnagar will issue the death certificate of Namita carrying the names of the deceased’s parents.

After getting the death certificate, we will provide the amount to the parents of Namita. The legally eligible parents will be awarded Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia compensation as drowning has been declared as a state-specific disaster, said Ashiwini Kumar Bhuyan, Tehasildar of Rajnagar.

After examining relevant documents and consulting government officials and pleaders, we will issue the death certificate of Namita, said Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty, the Medical Officer of CHC, Rajnagar.

JOHANNESBURG - An adoption nightmare, or human trafficking? In Zambia in Southern Africa, eight Croatians have been arrested twice on the same human trafficking charge. The eight are accused of child trafficking in general, and in particular of having forged adoption papers for four children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who they wanted to take to Croatia.

Charges against the Croatians were dropped earlier this month, but they were re-arrested on the same charge at the airport as they tried to leave the country 48 hours later.

Croatia’s Justice Minister Ivan Malenica has condemned the re-arrest as "strange", saying at a press conference reported by Croatian news site N1 that he is concerned about this "very serious situation," as he claims adoption papers for the children are not forged.

"Those documents were issued in Croatia according to a valid procedure," he told reporters in Zagreb, Croatia. "In addition to the adult Croatian citizens, naturally, we are continuing to care for the children as well."

The eight Croatians – four couples – have all pleaded not guilty. The seemingly regular couples are also professionals with jobs including an administrator, an electrical technician, a medical doctor, a program director and a professional musician who is a guitarist in a popular music band.