India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
Mumbai: Bombay high court refused to direct the Central Adoption Resource Agency (Cara) to approve the adoption of an American child by an Indian Muslim couple. It observed that neither the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act nor the Adoption Regulations allow the adoption of a child of foreign citizenship unless the child is 'in need of care and protection' or 'in conflict with law.'"There is no fundamental right of the petitioners to adopt an American child, which child does not fall within the applicability of the JJ Act and the regulations thereunder even if he is born to Indian parents. Neither is there any violation of any fundamental right of the child of American nationality to be adopted by an Indian citizen," said Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale on Wednesday.They dismissed a petition by the childless couple from Pune who sought to adopt a child (now six years of age) from their California-based relatives. They brought him to India in Oct 2019. As they are Muslims with no law for adoption, they approached the district court under Section 56 (2) for adoption from 'a relative'. Cara, the regulator for in-country and inter-country adoption, refused to register them as prospective adoptive parents. They moved the high court, saying without valid adoption the child's stay in India may become illegal.Their advocate, Shirin Merchant, argued that Section 56(2) provides for the adoption of a child from a relative. She said Cara is unnecessarily treating the adoption under AR 23 for NRI, OCI, and foreigners. Cara's advocate, Y S Bhate, said the JJ Act and AR do not apply to the adoption of a child who is an American citizen by Indian parents.The judges said the JJ Act applies to all matters concerning 'child in need of care and protection' and 'child in conflict with law'. Admittedly, the child does not fall within these definitions. "Hence, provisions of the Act... do not apply," Justice Gokhale wrote.The judges said Section 56 (2) cannot operate independently of the Act. A relative must first relinquish the child for it to be a 'child in need of care and protection'. Also, AR 23 provides for post-adoption procedures for bringing a foreign child adopted by Indian parents to India. The petitioners were "always at liberty to adopt this legal and regular procedure."While Merchant insisted that the adoption be treated as in-country adoption provided under the AR, the judges said it has to follow the parent Act. They said the petitioners' "predicament" can be resolved by Cara's suggestion to apply for Indian citizenship and following surrender by biological parents to follow the JJ Act or adopt the child in US. The petitioners "were not inclined to accept the same".
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Karnataka government and the Centre should resolve the issue in connection with the release of financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state for drought management. The matter came up before a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, requested the bench that he needed some time to file an affidavit in the matter. "You should resolve it," the bench said. During the hearing, the bench queried, how much amount has been released so far? ...Read More >
India is not a dharmashala (free shelter) that can entertain refugees from all over the world, the Supreme Court said today, refusing a Sri Lankan national's plea for refuge. The bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing a petition by a Sri Lankan national, who was arrested in 2015 on suspicion of being linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organisation once active in Sri Lanka. In 2018, a trial court convicted him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sentenced him to 10 years in jail. In 2022, the Madras High Court sla ...Read More >
New Delhi: In an open letter sharply condemning the detention and alleged expulsion to Bangladesh of a number of people declared foreigners by tribunals in Assam as a violation of their rights, a group of activists, lawyers and academics has urged the government to stop such expulsions and allow the return of those sent across the border. Dozens of those expelled to Bangladesh reportedly have appeals against their declaration as foreigners pending in the Supreme Court, the letter noted. "Pushbacks," said the letter using the term being used by the government for these expulsions, "fall on the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
The Election Commission introduces new rules for voter enrollment. Voters enrolled after 2003-04 must now provide proof of citizenship. This includes a self-attested declaration and supporting documents. The move aims to remove illegal immigrants from the electoral roll. Bihar will be the first state to implement the special intensive revision. Other states will follow soon.In a move to identify and remove illegal immigrants wrongly included in the electoral rolls, the Election Commission has man ...Read More >
Sivasagar (Assam) [India], June 29 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced an exception for tea garden workers in the state's new Aadhaar card issuance policy, aiming to address the challenges faced by this community while maintaining stringent measures against illegal immigration. Speaking during a review visit to the Rang Ghar beautification project in Sivasagar, Sarma detailed the policy, which requires adult applicants to obtain Aadhaar cards only after satisfying the District Commissioner, except for tea garden workers, among whom nearly 50,000 adults are yet ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), indicated a level of hypocrisy attached to criticism about Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), saying ""EVMs are tampered when you lose and fine if you win". The oral remark was made by Justice Vikram Nath before dismissing a petition filed by evangelist K.A. Paul, who urged for a judicial order to return to paper ballots. Also read:EVM-VVPAT case | Cannot disclose 'source code' of EVMs, will result in misuse: Supreme Court Justice Nath, during the hearing, asked Mr. Paul whether he wanted to turn the court into a political arena. Mr. Paul sa ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders of the Apex Court. A Special Bench headed by CJI Sajiv Khanna asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the clutch of petitions challenging the validity of the 1991 Act, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. The Bench, also c ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], May 21 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, accused of forging her documents to obtain eligibility for the 2022 Union Public Service Commission test. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma asked Khedkar to cooperate in the probe. Also Read | Security Scare in Kolkata: Police Launch Probe After Drone-Like Objects Spotted Over Sky, Centre Seeks Report From West Bengal Govt. During the hearing, the bench said, "What is the grave crime she has committed? ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday a plea filed by two journalists from Madhya Pradesh who were allegedly assaulted and abused at the instance of Bhind's Superintendent of Police over their reporting on "illegal sand mining" in the Chambal river. As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan will resume hearing the matter on June 9. On Wednesday, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice on the writ petition filed by journalists Shashikant Jat ...Read More >
Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira entered India to live in his ancestral village in Goa just four months after his birth, but it has taken him 43 years to obtain Indian citizenship. IMAGE: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hands over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira. Photograph: @DrPramodPSawant/X Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Pakistan-born Christian man under the Citizenship (Ame ...Read More >
The Supreme Court halted new temple-mosque legal battles. The court will review the 1991 law impacting religious site status. This law froze the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947. Several cases, including Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah, challenge this law. The law's validity is being questioned. The court's decision impacts ongoing and future disputes.In its ruling on the keenly-watched Place of Worship Act case, the Supreme Court said on December 12 that no new Mandir-Masjid suits are to ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 29 (ANI): The Congress party on Sunday named 58 observers for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the list of party leaders, appointing them as observers for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, scheduled to be held later this year, the party said in a statement posted on X. As per the statement, Amba Prasad, Wg Cdr Anuma Acharya, Amarjeet Bhagat, Ajeet Bhartiya, Ali Mehandi, Arif Masood, Arun Vidyarthi, Ashok Chandna, Bhuvaneshwar Baghel, Deen Bandhu Boipai, Deepak Mishra, Devendra Nishad, Devendra Singh Rajput, Dhi ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
Panaji, Dec 10 (PTI) Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira entered India to live in his ancestral village in Goa just four months after his birth, but it has taken him 43 years to obtain Indian citizenship. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Pakistan-born Christian man under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Shane is the second person from the coastal state to receive the certificate, after Joseph Francis Pereira, another Pakistani citizen who was granted Indian citizenship in August this year. Shane, originally from Demello Wado ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 7 (ANI): PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti offered Namaz in Srinagar on Saturday on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha. Pointing out that the gates of the Jama Masjid have been 'locked again', PDP leader Iltija Mufti said, 'Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been put under house arrest again. I want to ask the NC government and the LG why Mirwaiz is still being placed under house arrest when you claim everything is normal. As India's only and the largest Muslim majority state, we Kashmiris have the right to worship... More than infrastructure, we ...Read More >
New Delhi: Lawyers from the district courts decided on Saturday to roll back their decision to abstain from work in protest against the shifting of the judges of the 34 digital Negotiable Instruments Act courts to the Rouse Avenue courts.A statement released by the All District Courts Bar Association of Delhi on Saturday said that the lawyers' coordination committee met the chief justice of Delhi High Court and was assured that all digital courts would function strictly as digital platforms only. The remaining proceedings and judicial work only would be conducted in the regular local courts, t ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - Human rights groups and legal experts have condemned India for carrying out what they call illegal and discriminatory deportations of Muslims to Bangladesh, many of whom claim to be Indian citizens. The alarming reports have sparked fear among India's 200 million Muslims, especially in the eastern states where Bengali is widely spoken. According to officials from both countries, hundreds -- possibly over 2,500 people -- have been forced across the border since May. Many victims say they were pushed into Bangladeshi territory at gunpoint without trial or proper documentation checks ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Friday accorded approvals to a slew of industries. Among those are Krishnapatnam Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), which is set to establish a 350 MW Solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Thamminapatnam and Mommidi villages of SPSR Nellore district with a Rs 1,225 crore investment, creating 575 jobs. Furthermore, the government also waived off a Rs 54 crore extension of time fee, contingent on project completion within two years as per the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy-2024. The government also allocated 22.80 acres at MPSEZ in N ...Read More >
Digha: A day after Rath Yatra, the festive fervour continues in Digha as the seaside town is now gearing up to host Ulta Rath or the return journey of the deities from the 'Masir Bari' or the old Jagannath temple. On July 5 -- the Ulta Rath day -- hotels are hoping for fresh tourist influx. Though the deities are currently in Masir Bari, a large queue of devotees visited the newly-constructed Jagannath temple on Saturday. They offered prayers to the stone idol permanently installed there. It is the wooden idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra that have taken the chairot rides. Bipradash Cha ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Srinagar: In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in a continued assault on religious freedom, the New Delhi-imposed administration barred Kashmiri Muslims from offering the Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid and Eidgah in Srinagar. According to Radio Pakistan, the ban was enforced by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration on the instructions of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. This continues a repressive pattern, as Eid prayers have been barred at Jamia Masjid and Eidgah since 2019, the year the Modi government revoked the special status of IIOJK. This m ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 2 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah claimed that Muslims are feeling unsafe and stated that there is no discrimination based on religion, as guaranteed by the Constitution. The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also said that the government should treat Muslims without any discrimination. "...There is no doubt that Muslims are feeling unsafe. I will ask the govt of India to stop that. 24 crore Muslims cannot be thrown into the ocean. They (the govt) should treat Muslims equally, there is no di ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed courts across the country to refrain from admitting or passing any new orders on pleas seeking surveys of mosques to determine if temples lie beneath them. This decision extends to existing suits, halting any further orders on the matter. The directive was issued as the apex court continued hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This Act prohibits filing lawsuits to reclaim places of worship or alter their character from what existed on August 15, 1947. Judicial Revie ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], February 5 (ANI): Hundreds of Pakistani Hindu refugees who have been living in Delhi cast their votes for the first time after being granted citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act. This marked a powerful moment in their journey from statelessness to citizenship. Interacting with ANI after exercising their voting rights, refugees expressed their happiness and said that they feel proud of being citizen of the country. Dhanwanti, one of the Pakistani refugees, now an Indian voter, said, "We came here from Pakistan...I voted for the first time here in India...I am fe ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 2 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition alleging that the Assam government has reportedly launched a "sweeping and indiscriminate drive" to deport persons suspected to be foreigners to Bangladesh. A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma asked the All BTC Minority Students Union (ABMSU) to approach the Gauhati High Court for appropriate relief. Also Read | INR 2,000 Currency Notes Worth INR 6,181 Crore Still in Circulation After Withdrawal 2 Years Ago, Reveals RBI Data. The petitioner said that the state of Ass ...Read More >
Pakistan's former Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, recently faced public embarrassment at a United Nations press briefing after he was fact-checked by a reporter for making unsubstantial claims that Muslims were being 'demonised' in India. Bilawal Bhutto, part of Islamabad's diplomatic team at the UN, made the remarks during a press conference to clarify Pakistan's stance on Kashmir. Pahalgam attack was politicised to demonise Indian Mus ...Read More >
Hyderabad: In a major espionage breakthrough amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, the authorities have uncovered a network of Indian netizens allegedly recruited by Pakistan's ISI to leak sensitive information. The key figure in this alleged spy ring is Noshaba Shehzad, codenamed 'Madam N.' Shehzad, a travel agency head from Lahore, is accused of luring Indian net influencers and even government officials into becoming spies for Pakistan. Sources claim that Shehzad facilitated the travel of nearly 3,000 Indian citizens and 1,500 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to Pakistan over the last six months ...Read More >
After the banned CPI (Maoist)'s general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju was killed in an encounter between Maoists and security forces on May 22, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated that Naxalism will be eliminated from the country by March 31, 2026. In the Congress-ruled Telangana, however, B Mahesh Kumar Goud, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, says that the government should not use iron fist to wipe out Maoists but deal with them through "legal and constitutional means". He has urged the Centre to hold "peace talks" with the Maoists and declare ...Read More >