The Central government on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps, including the very popular PUBG Mobile Lite and PUBG Mobile Nordic Map: Livik, citing their engagement in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country.
The Central government on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps, including the very popular PUBG Mobile Lite and PUBG Mobile Nordic Map: Livik, citing their engagement in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. This is the second such ban on Chinese apps after video-sharing app TikTok and 48 others were prohibited following the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China since May this year. Wednesday’s list includes VPN for TikTok which was used to bypass earlier restrictions.
A press release from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the Centre had invoked its powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act along with provisions of the Information Technology Rules 2009 to proscribe the 118 Chinese apps.
The IT Ministry said it had received numerous complaints regarding the apps’ misuse by stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data in an unauthorised manner to servers outside India. The apps that have been banned are both mobile and non-mobile. It must be noted that PUBG has 33 million users in India and is very popular among the young.
The IT Ministry press release said,
“The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps.. Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India. There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against apps that harm India’s sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens.”
In June, the Centre had banned 59 mobile applications, including TikTok, UC Browser and WeChat, citing the same concerns. Wednesday’s decision comes at a time when China has allegedly attempted a further transgression near the southern bank of Pangong Tso, which was thwarted by the Indian Army. India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the People’s Liberation Army in multiple areas including the Galwan Valley.
Here’s the full list of apps banned today:
The Central government on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps, including the very popular PUBG Mobile Lite and PUBG Mobile Nordic Map: Livik, citing their engagement in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. This is the second such ban on Chinese apps after video-sharing app TikTok and 48 others were prohibited following the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China since May this year.
A press release from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the Centre had invoked its powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act along with provisions of the Information Technology Rules 2009 to proscribe the 118 Chinese apps.
The IT Ministry said it had received numerous complaints regarding the apps’ misuse by stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data in an unauthorised manner to servers outside India. The apps that have been banned are both mobile and non-mobile. It must be noted that PUBG has 33 million users in India and is very popular among the young.
The IT Ministry press release said,
“The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps.. Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India. There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against apps that harm India’s sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens.”
In June, the Centre had banned 59 mobile applications, including TikTok, UC Browser and WeChat, citing the same concerns. Wednesday’s decision comes at a time when China has allegedly attempted a further transgression near the southern bank of Pangong Tso, which was thwarted by the Indian Army. India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the People’s Liberation Army in multiple areas including the Galwan Valley.
Prof. Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, has been entrusted with the additional charge of the post of Chairman, AICTE till the appointment of a Chairman of AICTE or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
It is noteworthy that AICTE Chairman Prof. TG Sitharam was relieved of his duties after his term ended on December 20, 2025. According to a letter issued by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, on Monday, Prof. Yogesh Singh’s appointment is until the appointment of a regular AICTE Chairman or until further orders whichever is earlier.
Prof. Yogesh Singh is a renowned academician with excellent administrative capabilities, who has been the Vice-Chancellor of University of Delhi since October 2021. He has also served as the Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education. In August 2023, he was also given the additional charge of Director of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA).
Prof. Yogesh Singh served as the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University from 2015 to 2021; Director of Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi from 2014 to 2017, and before that, he was the Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda (Gujarat) from 2011 to 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. He has a distinguished track record in quality teaching, innovation, and research in the field of software engineering.
Goa nightclub fire case: Court extends police custody of Luthra brothers by five days
A Goa court has extended the police custody of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the nightclub where a deadly fire killed 25 people, by five more days.
A court in Goa on Monday extended the police custody of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, by five more days in connection with the deadly fire incident that claimed 25 lives on December 6.
The order was passed as investigators sought additional time to question the two accused in the case linked to the blaze at the Anjuna-based nightclub.
Owners were deported after fleeing abroad
According to details placed before the court, the Luthra brothers had left the country following the incident and travelled to Thailand. They were subsequently deported and brought back to India on December 17, after which they were taken into police custody.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing the families of the victims, confirmed that the court granted a five-day extension of police custody for both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra.
Another co-owner sent to judicial custody
The court also remanded Ajay Gupta, another owner of the nightclub, to judicial custody. Police did not seek an extension of his custody, following which the court passed the order, the victims’ counsel said.
The Anjuna police have registered a case against the Luthra brothers for culpable homicide not amounting to murder along with other relevant offences related to the fire incident.
The Delhi High Court has sought responses from Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case. The petition challenges a trial court order that refused to take cognisance of the agency’s prosecution complaint.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued notices to the Gandhis and other accused on the main petition, as well as on the ED’s application seeking a stay on the trial court’s December 16 order. The high court has listed the matter for further hearing on March 12, 2026.
The trial court had ruled that taking cognisance of the ED’s complaint was “impermissible in law” because the investigation was not based on a registered First Information Report (FIR). It observed that the prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was not maintainable in the absence of an FIR for a scheduled offence.
According to the order, the ED’s probe originated from a private complaint rather than an FIR. The court further noted that since cognisance was declined on a legal question, it was not necessary to examine the merits of the allegations at that stage.
The trial court also referred to the complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and the summoning order issued in 2014, stating that despite these developments, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not register an FIR in relation to the alleged scheduled offence.
The ED has accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and a private company, Young Indian, of conspiracy and money laundering. The agency has alleged that properties worth around Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which publishes the National Herald newspaper, were acquired through Young Indian.
The agency further claimed that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi held a majority 76 per cent shareholding in Young Indian, which allegedly took over AJL’s assets in exchange for a Rs 90 crore loan.
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