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.
New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) It is advisable to forgive the wrongdoer but not to forget the wrongdoing, the Supreme Court has said while directing that its verdict with details of alleged sexual harassment by a vice-chancellor of a university be made part of his resume so that it "haunts" him forever, after the complaint against him was time-barred. A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B Varale passed the order on Friday on a plea by a faculty member of a West Bengal-based university who had lodged the complaint in December 2023 alleging sexual harassment by the VC. The apex court said the Calcutta High Court's division bench had committed no error of law in restoring the decision of the local complaint committee (LCC) that the appellant's complaint was time-barred and was liable to be dismissed. "It is advisable to forgive the wrongdoer, but not to forget the wrongdoing. The wrong which has been committed against the appellant (faculty member) may not be investigated on technical grounds, but it must not be forgotten," the bench said. "In this view of the matter, we direct that the incidents of alleged sexual harassment on part of respondent no.1 (VC) may be forgiven but allowed to haunt the wrongdoer forever. Thus, it is directed that this judgment shall be made part of the resume of respondent no.1, compliance of which shall be strictly ensured by him personally," it said, while dismissing the appeal against the high court's order. The apex court noted the appellant had lodged a formal complaint in December 2023 with the LCC alleging sexual harassment by the VC. It noted the LCC rejected the complaint as barred by time in as much as the last alleged incident of sexual harassment occurred in April 2023, whereas the complaint was filed on December 26, 2023, which was not only beyond the prescribed period of limitation of three months but also beyond the extendable period of limitation of six months. Aggrieved by the rejection of her complaint, the appellant approached the high court. A single judge of the high court in May 2024 quashed the LCC's order and directed the rehearing of the complaint on merit. Later, a writ appeal was taken up by the high court's division bench that allowed it in December 2024. The division bench held that administrative actions taken against the appellant after April 2023 were collective decisions of the executive council, consisting of eminent academicians, jurists and even apex court judges and were not just personal actions of the VC. Referring to the averments made in the complaint, the apex court noted that it had alleged that the VC called the appellant in his office in September 2019 and insisted that she should accompany him for dinner, "which would greatly benefit her personally". It noted that the complaint further claimed that the appellant told him that she was not comfortable and wanted to keep the relationship professional only. It said as per the complaint, the VC "demanded sexual favour from her and threatened her if the offers are declined". "A plain reading of the entire complaint would reveal that the sexual harassment, if any, of the appellant at the hands of respondent no.1 (VC) commenced sometime in September 2019, and the last incident in that connection took place in April 2023," the bench said. It said the complaint of appellant from the last incident of sexual harassment of April 2023 was "certainly beyond time". The bench said the incident of removal of appellant from a post in August 2023 cannot be attributed as an act of sexual harassment in connection with the previous incidents. "The actions taken against the appellant in August 2023, are administrative in nature and does not create a gender based hostile environment, and hence, fall short of being actions amounting to acts of sexual harassment," it said. PTI ABA RT
New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) "On the face of it you are a corrupt person. Crores of rupees were recovered from your premises," the Supreme Court on Wednesday told former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, held in an alleged cash-for-job scam in the state. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, which reserved its verdict on the bail plea of Chatterjee, questioned the enforcement directorate (ED) over his continued incarceration saying he cannot be kept inside for an indefinite period. "On the face of it you are a corrupt person. Crores of Rupees were recovered from your premises. Wha ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Dec 18 (PTI) Noise levels exceeded the prescribed limits during singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's concert here on Saturday, the Chandigarh administration told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday. The submission was made by the administration before a division bench of the high court. "Strict action" has been recommended against the violators, the court was further informed. On December 13, the high court had allowed Dosanjh's event scheduled to take place the next evening, with a direction that the organisers comply with the noise pollution regulations. While greenlighti ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Monday suggested Abhishek Lodha and his brother Abhinandan Lodha to try and amicably resolve the issue over the use of 'Lodha' trademark. The Abhishek Lodha-promoted Macrotech Developers Ltd earlier this month filed a suit in the HC against Abhinandan Lodha's real estate firm, House of Abhinandan Lodha, claiming the name 'Lodha' was their trademark and no one else could use it. The suit sought Rs 5,000 crore as damages from Abhinandan Lodha's company. In an interim application, Macrotech Developers sought a perpetual injunction against the defen ...Read More >
Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday announced a new housing policy, which includes a comprehensive programme ranging from slum rehabilitation to redevelopment, with an investment of Rs 70,000 crore. Talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the policy focuses on housing for the common man with the motto "My Home -- My Right". He said the policy prioritises low-income groups, senior citizens, women, industrial workers and students. The policy comprises a comprehensive programme from slum rehabilitation to redevelopment, with an ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal stone mining in Karbi Anglong district in violation of a Supreme Court order. Addressing a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora also alleged that Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang was allowing illegal activities in the district in nexus with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Large-scale illegal stone mining is taking place in the hills of Karbi Anglong in violation of the Supreme Court order. The SC had banned mining in and around K ...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 >
Lakhimpur Kheri, December 3: Talent knows no boundaries. A testament to this is 28-year-old Muneer Khan from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, whose innovations and technical skills have gained him global recognition. From a 'smart water bottle' to 'smart soil testing device,' and more recently, 'AI-enabled eye-glasses,' what makes his innovations stand out is their ability to improve everyday convenience for ordinary people. Born in a humble and poor family in Kheri's Gauriya village, Muneer lost his father when he was just one year old. His four older brothers and mother worked tirelessly t ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Dec 11 (PTI) The National Law School of India University, which has pioneered and developed an integrated five-year BA LLB (honours) degree that transformed Indian legal education, has now come up with a three-year (honours) BA course with an option of an additional fourth year. The first cohort of the programme will be admitted in July 2025, the NLSIU said. "We are looking to develop something that is responsive to 2025, but is completely different," the NLSIU Vice Chancellor Sudhir Krishnaswamy said at the launch of the programme. He said the university will teach the social sc ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jan 13 (PTI) The Karnataka High Court has dismissed on Monday an appeal by J Deepak and J Deepa, the legal heirs of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, seeking the release of her assets confiscated in a 2004 disproportionate assets case. Jayalalithaa was convicted by a special court in 2014 for amassing wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income during her tenure from 1991 to 1996. Following her conviction, her properties were confiscated by the authorities. Although she was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in 2015, then congress government in Karnataka ...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 >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the caste census will greatly benefit the indigenous Muslim community living in both the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley in the state. The Centre on Wednesday announced that India's 16th Census with caste enumeration will be carried out in 2027. The indigenous Muslim communities of Assam have been demanding for a long time, a caste-based census to assert their distinct socio-cultural identities, the chief minister said on the sidelines of the World Environment Day programme here. ''The proposed caste enumerati ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 5 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the suspension of Bengaluru police commissioner and several senior police officials in connection with the stampede in front of Chinnaswamy Stadium here, which left 11 people dead. He has also ordered the arrest of representatives of RCB, DNA event managers and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), while handing over the probe to the one-man judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge of Karnataka Justice Michael Cunha. The stampede occurred on Wednesday evening in front of the stadium, where a ...Read More >
The Supreme Court overturned a Madras High Court decision. The high court had refused to dismiss defamation charges against Union minister L Murugan. Murugan faced these charges over statements made in 2020. The Supreme Court accepted Murugan's argument. He said he did not intend to defame the Murasoli Trust. The case is now closed.The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed criminal defamation proceedings against Union minister L Murugan on a complaint filed by the Chennai-based Murasoli Trust for his ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jan 31 (PTI) The Gauhati High Court has issued notices to the Assam government and its various departments over rampant rat-hole coal mining and asked them to furnish what steps they have taken to stop the unlawful activity. Taking suo motu cognizance of the Dima Hasao coal mining tragedy, the high court registered a public interest litigation on Monday and issued notices the next day to seven government departments, including the office of the chief secretary. "The court has taken note of various reports which suggest that around more than 200 rat-hole mines are in operation in Um ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed further recovery of an outstanding tax demand from news portal NewsClick, directing the company's banker not to release any more money to the tax department based on a 2023 notice, and allowing the portal to use its two bank accounts for daily operations. The order was passed by a bench headed by justice BV Nagarathna on an application moved by PPK Newsclick Studio Limited, which alleged that ICICI Bank was not allowing the company to use its accounts despite a top court order to this effect passed on August 9. The tax department had raised the demand again ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said accelerated the trial against former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee facing money laundering probe in the teacher recruitment scam, while directing his release on bail on or before February 1, 2025. The apex court's judgment came on the bail plea of Chatterjee in the money laundering case arising out of the West Bengal cash-for-jobs scam. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said a suspect can be held in custody indefinitely. The apex court decided to grant bail to Chatterjee, prime accused in teach ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 18 (PTI) Senior NCP leader in Kerala and state Forest Minister A K Saseendran on Wednesday rejected media reports about the change in the party's lone ministership in the Left government and made it clear that there is no obstacle for party MLA Thomas K Thomas to be part of the state cabinet instead of him. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP is an ally in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state. It has two MLAS - A K Saseendran and Thomas K Thomas. Saseendran told reporters here that he had already made his stand clear in this regard and informed the party's state a ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 5 (PTI) BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony here to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries. Fadnavis, who would be occupying the CM's post for the third time, along with two deputy chief ministers will take the oath of office, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters, adding that other members of the cabinet will take oath later. Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde are expected to take oath as ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday granted conditional future bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-job scam. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said that Chatterjee shall be released on February 1, 2025 subject to the trial court framing charges before the winter vacation and examination of vulnerable witnesses by the second and third week of January 2025. The top court said upon his release Chatterjee shall not hold any public office but can continue as MLA. The bench said that a suspect canno ...Read More >
Kolkata: BJP on Saturday criticised urban development minister Firhad Hakim over a video where the Kolkata mayor is purportedly heard making a comment on minorities. Hakim had made the comment while addressing an educational conference recently. Hakim said BJP was using his quote out of context and he was only referring to the gulf between the educated and the uneducated. "As education spreads, the gulf will be bridged and there will be one identity," said Hakim. Saying that he would never play ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday launched a veiled attack on party president Ajit Pawar over his exclusion from the new council of ministers, claiming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in favour of his induction in the cabinet. He said Ajit Pawar, the NCP president, makes decisions for the party like Fadnavis for the BJP and Eknath Shinde for the Shiv Sena. Amid speculation over his "Jahan nahi chaina, wahan nahi rehna" remark a day before, Bhujbal said he would speak on Wednesday after discussing with NCP workers and people from the Yeola cons ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 18 (PTI) Private equity and venture capital (PE/VC) funds invested USD 4 billion in November, which was 156 per cent higher than the year-ago period but lower about 15 per cent compared with the preceding month, a report said on Wednesday. The month saw 87 deals -- 47 per cent higher than the 59 transactions in November 2023, as per the report by industry lobby grouping IVCA and consultancy firm EY. "While 2024 had started off on a strong note, geopolitical tensions, uncertainty over US elections outcome, and inflation weighed on the markets, as did the bid-ask spread between sel ...Read More >
Kolkata: On the 13th day of teachers' protest outside Bikash Bhavan, the protesting teachers split among themselves and formed a new platform. At least 2,500 protesters stood by the chief minister, as stated in a press conference by education minister Bratya Basu on Monday. Reacting to a question from media, Basu said in Titagarh, "I will trust those who have written to me expressing their faith in the chief minister."The new organisation formed was named the West Bengal Untainted Teachers Associ ...Read More >
Patna: BJP's West Bengal in charge and Bihar's health and law minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday claimed that a three-member committee appointed by the Calcutta High Court had exposed the Mamata Banerjee govt and implicated Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in the Murshidabad violence, in which three people, including a father-son duo, were brutally killed during protests against the waqf law last month.The committee, tasked with probing the Murshidabad incident, highlighted serious lapses by the ...Read More >
Kolkata, May 23 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed protesting teachers and other staff of West Bengal government-run and -aided schools, who lost their jobs due to a Supreme Court ruling, to shift their protest venue in the interest of public convenience. The court also limited the number of participants to 200 at any given time. Hearing petitions filed by the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum, under whose banner the protest is being organised, and the state government, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh ordered the protesters to move to Central Park in Salt Lake, located opposite Bikash B ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday granted conditional future bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-job scam. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said that Chatterjee shall be released on February 1, 2025 subject to the trial court framing charges before the winter vacation and examination of vulnerable witnesses by the second and third week of January 2025. Also Read | Atul Subhash Suicide Case: Wife Nikita Singhania Absconds, Karnataka Police Arrest Her Mother, Brother From Uttar Pradesh's Jaunp ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party, accusing it of stalling Delhi's development while treating the city as its "political ATM" to fund its ambitions in other states and using the "looted" money for its own publicity. Addressing a public rally in Dwarka here, he urged people to vote for the BJP in the Assembly polls and allow him to serve them. Modi stressed that Delhi does not need a confrontational government but one that works in coordination with the Centre. The prime minister urged voters to elect a "double-engine go ...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 >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Dec 18 (PTI) Alleging that the country's reputation was "hurt" following the indictment of Gautam Adani in a US court, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to protect the industrialist. The chief minister, who participated in a 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' here as per a call given by the AICC, said the Congress government is ready to pass a resolution in the Assembly seeking JPC on the Adani issue if the opposition BRS extends support. Congress and the INDI Alliance demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into ...Read More >