Gold Smuggling, Supercomputer, Pickleball

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It’s March 7. Today, we’re covering Ranya Rao’s gold smuggling case, Krutrim’s planned supercomputer, and the rise of pickleball. Plus job openings at Swiggy, Mudrex, and more in Who’s Hiring at the end.

Policy & Governance

> SC Rejects Rape Allegation in 16-Year Relationship Case

The Supreme Court has rejected a woman's plea to charge her former partner with rape on the grounds of a false promise of marriage, stating it is "hard to believe" that she engaged in a 16-year relationship solely based on such a promise. The court noted that both individuals were well-educated and had a consensual relationship. Calling it a love affair gone sour, the bench ruled that rape charges could not be sustained in this context. (Times of India)

> Madras HC Orders Unblocking of Ananda Vikatan Website

The Madras High Court directed the Centre to unblock Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan's website if it removes a satirical cartoon of PM Modi and former US President Trump, which was flagged as harmful to India's sovereignty and foreign relations. The magazine argued it was blocked without due process, while the Centre cited the cartoon as the reason. (Bar and Bench)

> Actor Ranya Rao Caught in ₹17.29 Crore Gold Smuggling Case

Kannada actor Ranya Rao has been remanded to 24 days in judicial custody after being caught smuggling 14.2 kg of gold from Dubai at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The ₹17.29 crore haul is one of the largest gold seizures at KIA, according to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. (The Hindu)

Business

> Distributors File Antitrust Case Against Quick Commerce

Indian consumer product distributors have filed an antitrust case against quick-commerce giants Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto, alleging deep discounting practices and seeking an investigation by the Competition Commission of India. The move follows broader scrutiny of e-commerce pricing, with past probes finding Amazon and Flipkart favoring select sellers and engaging in predatory pricing. (Reuters)

> Reliance Retail Overhaul Targets $125B Valuation

Sources say Mukesh Ambani is restructuring Reliance Retail Ventures to push its valuation to $125 billion, slashing jobs, costs, and marketing budgets while limiting store expansion. The company is also planning to merge Reliance Brands with Reliance Retail and reviewing global brand partnerships. The overhaul follows brokerage estimates pegging its valuation at $50 billion—half of its last funding round's valuation. (Bloomberg)

> Rajeev Misra’s Son Launches $150M Fund for Indian Startups

Rohan Misra, son of former SoftBank Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra, is launching his own investment firm, Gravity Holdings, based in London. The fund has raised around $150 million and will focus on Indian technology startups, sources said. Rajeev Misra, known for his role in raising SoftBank’s $100 billion Vision Fund, is one of the world’s most influential investors. (Economic Times)

Tech, Media & Telecom

> Krutrim to Build India’s Largest Supercomputer

Ola’s AI venture, Krutrim, has partnered with Lenovo to develop Krutrim 3, a 700-billion-parameter large language model while also building India’s largest supercomputer. The move aligns with Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s aggressive AI push—he has committed ₹2,000 crore to Krutrim, with plans to increase this to ₹10,000 crore by next year. (Economic Times)

> Tech Leaders Earn the Highest Salaries in Startups

A report by xto10x reveals that engineering, product, and data science leaders are the highest-paid in Indian startups, far outpacing functions like marketing, HR, and finance. CTOs earn a median ₹1.77 crore, while SVP-Product makes ₹1.72 crore. In contrast, brand marketing heads earn ₹80.6 lakh, VP-Sales (B2B SaaS) makes ₹85.1 lakh, and CHROs take home ₹95.2 lakh. CFOs, who earn ₹1.1 crore, see pay fluctuations based on fundraising success. (Moneycontrol)

> Deep Tech Startups Struggle with Funding

Early-stage deep tech startups are facing a capital crunch, according to a report by VC firm 3one4 Capital. While the government has designated deep tech as a “national priority,” funding remains skewed toward consumer internet startups, leaving AI, semiconductors, and clean mobility underfunded. The Frontier Tech 2025 report highlights that deep tech’s long development cycles, high R&D costs, and regulatory challenges require patient capital—something still scarce in India. (Economic Times)

> IT Ministry Launches AI Compute Portal and AIKosha for AI Innovation

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the IndiaAI compute portal and AIKosha dataset platform under the IndiaAI Mission to improve access and innovation. The compute portal will provide over 18,000 GPUs, cloud storage, and AI services to students, startups, and researchers, aiding the development of India's own foundational AI model. AIKosha will offer datasets, tools, and mentorship for AI model builders. (Business Standard)

Sports

> Pickleball Booms in India

Pickleball is rapidly gaining traction in India, with active players reaching 60,000 by the end of 2024 and nearly 100,000 having tried the sport at least once. The number of pickleball courts has also surged, growing from 200 in early 2024 to over 1,200 today, with 3-4 new courts opening weekly in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi. The All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) estimates that India could have one million active players by 2028. (The CapTable)

> Sharath Kamal Announces Retirement

Indian table tennis legend A Sharath Kamal, 42, will retire after the WTT Contender Chennai this month, ending a two-decade career. He has won seven Commonwealth Games golds and two Asian Games bronzes. (Economic Times)

Environment

> 7 Lakh Olive Ridley Turtles Nest at Odisha Beach

Odisha’s Rushikulya beach witnessed a record-breaking arrival of nearly seven lakh Olive Ridley turtles from February 16-26, surpassing the 2023 count of 6.3 lakh. Scientists say this is the largest mass nesting in 20 years, indicating a thriving population. Olive Ridleys, classified as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN, require clean sandy beaches for nesting, which are rapidly disappearing. (The Wire)

> Unsubscribed Tenders Signal Slow Renewables Growth

India's renewable energy sector faces challenges like weak tender demand, project cancellations, and power agreement delays, according to IEEFA. In 2024, 8.5 GW of tenders went undersubscribed due to complex structures and transmission delays. Over 40 GW of capacity lacks signed agreements and 38.3 GW of projects have been canceled since 2020 due to design issues, location constraints, and delayed agreements. (Reuters, Bloomberg)

Quick Hits

> The Supreme Court Collegium recommended Justice Joymalya Bagchi's appointment to SC. This will bring the total count of judges to 33.

> India condemned a security breach during Foreign Minister Jaishankar's London visit, where a pro-Khalistan protester tore the Indian flag.

> The Reserve Bank of India has announced a $21 billion liquidity infusion into the banking system to ease lending conditions and support economic growth.

> 34% of women professionals prioritize menstrual leave over other benefits, yet 75% say their companies still don’t offer it.

> Vasundhara Naik, an India-qualified lawyer, became the first Indian judge at Canada’s Family Court of Justice in Ontario.

> Prayagraj boatman Pintu Mahara earned ₹30 crore during Maha Kumbh by expanding his fleet from 60 to 130 boats.

Worth a Look

In the weekend spirit, here’s a great piece on the world’s best-selling whiskies. Fun fact: Indian whiskies make up eight of the top twenty.

Who’s Hiring

> Swiggy – Hiring a Legal Counsel. Perfect for lawyers looking to break into tech.

> Samsara – The US-based IoT company is hiring a Data Protection and Privacy Counsel.

> Glean – The work AI platform is hiring a product management lead. It was last valued at $4.6 billion.

> Mudrex – The Y Combinator-backed crypto exchange is hiring a product manager.

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