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: SC Monday said its ruling on petitions challenging the validity of the special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar electoral rolls ahead of the assembly polls in the state would apply in same rigour to EC's decision for SIR across states from next year.As a litany of petitioners through their counsels competed to identify one or the other fault in the SIR process in Bihar, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, which has passed many interim orders, including treating Aadhaar as the 12th document for filing applications for inclusion or exclusion of name in voter list, said, "We will not pass piecemeal orders. We will hear the arguments on the validity of SIR in Bihar and give a final verdict."Bengal has already challenged the EC decision to conduct SIR in the state. When counsels for states, political parties and NGOs sought adjudication on a nationwide SIR, the bench said, "Whatever we decide on petitions challenging Bihar-SIR, will be applicable to the EC decision to conduct nationwide SIR." It posted the final hearing on petitions challenging Bihar SIR to Oct 7. Another applicant, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, demanded a nationwide SIR, saying non-citizens and illegal migrants must not be allowed to become voters based on Aadhaar. He requested SC to modify its order directing Aadhaar to be the 12th document for filing application for inclusion or exclusion from the voter list. Upadhyay said Aadhaar is just a document for identification and cannot be proof of citizenship, a view already reiterated by the bench. SC had told EC to accept applications based on Aadhaar but empowered it to scrutinise these to determine whether the applicant seeking inclusion in voter list is an Indian citizen.For EC, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi said that the commission would complete by Oct 1 the scrutiny of applications received by Sept 1, and finalise the voter list. "Let EC be allowed to complete its work," he said.When advocates Prashant Bhushan and Vrinda Grover said the entire process for conducting SIR is illegal, SC said whenever allegations made by petitioners are put to EC, a different story emerges. "If we find SIR to be illegal, then we have the power and jurisdiction to quash it," SC said.
New Delhi [India], February 7 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved the order on an application moved by Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid seeking custody parole to attend ongoing parliament session amidst jurisdictional row. However, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while opposing the custody parole, stated that Rashid Engineer does not need to respond to any questions. They emphasized that this request is generic and pointed out that Engineer has no speech to deliver. Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra appeared for NIA also argued that taking an oath and campaigning are separate m ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], February 10 (ANI): The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday said that appeals challenging the acquittals of accused persons in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases need to be filed seriously by prosecution agencies and not just for the sake of it. A bench of justices, Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, was informed by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, who represented the Delhi Police, that the state has asked prosecuting agencies to file Special Leave Petitions (SLPs). Also Read | UP Shocker: Woman Strangulates 2 Daughters, Attempts to Kill Self After Domestic Dispute With ...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 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 >
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has held that there is nothing on record to show any fraud in Maharashtra assembly elections. Dismissing a plea to declare the Maharashtra election null and void, a division bench held that the case of the petitioner appears to be "quite absurd to say the least". The court also held that the use of EVMs does not take away "free and fair elections" in any manner. Prakash Ambedkar, who appeared as a lawyer for the petitioner in the case, criticised the HC for overlooking the concerns raised in the petition. The bench of justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor dism ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...Read More >
Imphal/New Delhi, Jan 17 (VOICE) Leaders of the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex socio-political body of the Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur, held a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Friday and discussed their demands and prevailing situation in the northeastern state, KZC sources said. The four-member delegation of the KZC, led by its Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet, met the Adviser to MHA A. K. Mishra and Joint Director, MHA, Rajesh Kamble. Though the KZC leaders said that they would disclose the details of the discussion at Friday's mee ...Read More >
Itanagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh improved on Saturday with water levels of most rivers receding, even as 33,000 people in 24 districts remained affected, officials said. Twelve people lost their lives and one person went missing in rain-related incidents, including landslides, after the monsoon set in, they said. In its daily report, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said 33,200 people in 215 villages remained affected due to floods and landslides in the state. The water levels of most major rivers and their tributaries were showing a receding trend o ...Read More >
Guwahati: The Assam government is mulling stricter Aadhaar card issuance rules for adults as part of its efforts to curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. Toughened Aadhaar card issuance rules will also further boost the state government's efforts in detecting and deporting illegal foreigners, he added. "Today, we discussed a proposal where Aadhaar cards for adults will be issued only after thorough verification. The Cabinet will take a decision in this regard soon," he said while addressing a press conference after chairing a Cabinet meet ...Read More >
In a heart-wrenching incident, a 30-year-old Dalit youth, who was brutally thrashed, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a hospital in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, and four people have been arrested in this connection. The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of Subhashpura police station on Tuesday, however, the matter came to light after a video surfaced on social media showing four persons beating the youth with sticks and pipes mercilessly. In the video, the victim, identified as Vishnu Jatav, was seen being thrashed by a group of men in a field in Indergarh vil ...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 >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7 (ANI): Two top Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials -- secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam -- resigned from their posts during an emergency managing committee meeting held on Saturday, accepting 'moral responsibility' for stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The incident occurred during celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title win and claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured. KSCA President Raghuram Bhat confirmed the development, saying that the resignations were discussed and accep ...Read More >
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Friday said that his government has decided to introduce a strict rule for issuing Aadhaar cards to adult citizens in Assam to check the influx of Bangladeshi nationals in the state more effectively. Asserting that his government was committed to drive out illegal migrants, the chief minister told reporters that his government has pushed back a new lot of 20 Bangladeshi nationals on Thursday. Informing that it is largely adults who are found to have been entering Assam illegally from Bangladesh and procure an Aadhaar card to prolong ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report on the examination of certain leaked audio tapes which allegedly implicate Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for instigating ethnic violence in the state. A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the CFSL report should be submitted in six weeks in a sealed cover. Also Read | Bengaluru Water Crisis: Residents Brace for Harsh Summer As Groundwater Levels Drop Dangerously Low. The bench then posted the hearing in the week commenci ...Read More >
Kolkata: The number of Bangladeshi released prisoners languishing in correctional homes across the state has come down to 179 -- as of Jan 1, 2024 -- compared to 495 in 2011. According to the West Bengal Correctional Services data, there were 212 released foreign nationals or 'jankhalash' -- 136 men and 76 women -- in correctional homes in the state as of Jan 1, 2024, out of which 179 were from Bangladesh. Most of these foreigners were lodged in Dum Dum Central Correctional Home (171), while the rest were in Berhampore CCH (24), Jalpaiguri CCH (16), and Presidency CCH (1). On Jan 30, the Sup ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A day after the Congress urged the Election Commission to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list, EC sources on Thursday said the demand is "not tenable" under the prevailing legal framework, asserting that a similar plea of the party was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019. The EC sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such demand by the Congress is "not new". Also Read | Udhampur Encounter: 1 Terrorist Killed in Gunfight With ...Read More >
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised questions over the fresh electoral roll revision guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of Bihar assembly polls scheduled this year. Expressing apprehensions, Banerjee said that these fresh guidelines might be implemented in Bengal ahead of the assembly polls in 2026. Speaking to ET, Banerjee said that she has apprehensions that these guidelines may be even worse that National Register of Citizens (NRC), if implemented. "How will poor people get documents? Are they doing this to establish the NR ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Sources within the Election Commission of India (ECI) have clarified that the Indian National Congress' (INC) ongoing demand for machine-readable, digital copies of electoral rolls is 'not legally tenable' and has already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court. Officials pointed out that this issue was earlier raised by former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath in 2018 through written petition (C) No. 935 of 2018. The Supreme Court had definitively ruled in favour of the Election Commission's position in that case. While acknowled ...Read More >
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised questions over the fresh electoral roll revision guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of Bihar assembly polls scheduled this year. Expressing apprehensions, Banerjee said that these fresh guidelines might be implemented in Bengal ahead of the assembly polls in 2026. Speaking to ET, Banerjee said that she has apprehensions that these guidelines may be even worse that National Register of Citizens ( ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, accusing them of trying to erase the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls."The Election Commission has suddenly announced a special intensive revision. This means that the voter list published in February, which had the latest additions and deletions, has now been set aside."He said that the entire list of eight crore Bihari voters has been sidelined, and now a fresh voter list will be created from scratch.He raised doubts over why this ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced that it would streamline its technology-driven system for generating Index Cards and various other post-election statistical reports. The new system will ensure faster reporting through automation and data integration. "This upgraded mechanism replaces the traditional manual methods, which were often time-consuming and prone to delays. By leveraging automation and data integration, the new system ensures faster reporting," the press note issued by the Election Commission read. Also Read | Delhi: Hig ...Read More >
India's International Train Links: These 5 Indian Stations Connect You To Another Country By Train The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations that the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a blueprint for rigging democracy, stating that claims of "inflated voter turnout" and "fake voters" were "unsubstantiated". The EC added that raising such unsubstantiated allegations against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra is an "affront to the rule of law". Following Lok Sabha LoP remark, ECI said, "...unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls ...Read More >
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission after sources in the poll panel dismissed his allegations of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, reported PTI. Gandhi said evasion would not protect the EC's credibility, but telling the truth would. In an article titled "Match-fixing Maharashtra", published in an English daily, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged large-scale manipulation in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that similar tactics would be used in Bihar and other states where the BJP fears defeat. Reacting to t ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A day after the Congress urged the Election Commission to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list, EC sources on Thursday said the demand is "not tenable" under the prevailing legal framework, asserting that a similar plea of the party was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019. The EC sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such demand by the Congress is "not new". "Rather, it forms part of a strategy by the political party for wel ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report on the examination of certain leaked audio tapes which allegedly implicate Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for instigating ethnic violence in the state. A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the CFSL report should be submitted in six weeks in a sealed cover. The bench then posted the hearing in the week commencing on March 24. "Relist in the week commencing on March 24, 2025. It is pointed out that audio clips are sent for ...Read More >
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition on Friday alleged discrepancies in recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly Elections. He was accompanied by his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule when he the Congress leader raised concerns over the surge in new voters, particularly between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Gandhi said that 39 lakh new voters were added in just five months after the Lok Sabha polls. "In five years between Vidhan Sabha 2019 and Lok Sabha 2024 elections, 32 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls in Mahar ...Read More >
In my Parliament speech on February 3, and in a subsequent press conference, I had expressed my disquiet about the conduct of the November 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections. I have doubted the fairness of Indian elections, not every time, not everywhere, but often enough. I am not talking of small-scale cheating, but of industrial-scale rigging involving the capture of our national institutions. But if some earlier election outcomes seemed odd, the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sa ...Read More >