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.
PUNE: The additional sessions court in Pune has discharged sitting MLA Jitendra Awhad from all charges in connection with a 2016 incident of violence at Fergusson College. The order, passed by additional sessions judge Aniruddha Subhash Gandhi on October 13 and made available on Saturday, observed that there was insufficient evidence to frame charges against the legislator. Awhad, MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar/SP), 61, from Thane, had filed a criminal revision application challenging an earlier order of the judicial magistrate (first class), Pune, which rejected his plea for discharge on August 22, 2025. The additional sessions court held that the magistrate's order was "not legal, proper and correct", warranting interference. Consequently, the additional sessions court allowed Awhad's revision plea, set aside the earlier order, and discharged him from the case. The case stems from an incident on March 23, 2016, following the death of Rohith Vemula, when violence broke out at Fergusson College. Awhad was accused of offences under sections 143, 147, 149 (unlawful assembly); 323 (causing hurt); 336 (endangering life or safety); and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with section 135 of the Bombay Police Act. Whereas the additional sessions court in its findings observed that the chargesheet and evidence indicated Awhad was more a victim than an assailant. It concluded that there were no grounds to frame charges under any of the alleged sections. Defence counsel Harshad Nimbalkar argued that Awhad was present at the Kimya building near the college and was not part of the mob. Nimbalkar submitted that the opposing group turned aggressive, trying to corner and manhandle the MLA, while pelting stones, chappals, and water bottles at him and his vehicle. The court also noted that Awhad's bodyguard allegedly raised his firearm in the air during the chaos. On the charge of unlawful assembly, the court pointed out that such an offence requires at least five persons sharing a common object. While witnesses confirmed the presence of two large groups -- supporters of Prakash Ambedkar and ABVP activists -- the prosecution failed to establish that Awhad himself formed or joined any unlawful assembly. The chargesheet was silent on how many persons accompanied Awhad, who arrived with NSUI's Shri Chaudhary and some supporters. Owing to the lack of evidence, the court ruled that Awhad could not be held liable under the cited provisions. The judgment further noted that there was no evidence of Awhad causing hurt under section 323 of the IPC or committing any act endangering life or safety under section 336 of the IPC.
Mr. Rana's daughter-in-law, Sumbul Rana, had contested the Meerapur Assembly by-election as a Samajwadi Party candidate but was defeated by BJP's Mithlesh Pal Former Member of Parliament Kadir Rana was granted bail in two separate cases of alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during the Meerapur Assembly by-election, his lawyer said. Mr. Rana appeared before the Special MP/MLA Court in Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) where the presiding officer, Devender Singh Fauzdar, approved his bail plea after he furnished a surety bond of ₹25,000 for each case. Mr. Rana, along ...Read More >
BJP member Manas Dutta blamed the previous BJD government and held it responsible for not extending their service agreement which ended in April, 2024. As hundreds of women working as support staff under the Mission Shakti department staged a demonstration outside the Assembly over different issues, the opposition BJD on Monday demanded immediate release of their salaries. While the agitating women were shouting slogans at the Mahatma Gandhi Road leading to the Assembly, the issue was raised in ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): The National President of Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) on Thursday criticised the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over the violence in Parbhani city, alleging that the unrest was a result of the state government's negligence and an insult to the Constitution. Speaking to ANI, Azad announced plans to launch a protest against the violence. "The negligence of the state government and the way the Constitution of India was insulted have caused this outrage. On the instructions of the government, the police lathi-charged supporters of Baba Saheb Am ...Read More >
A temple locked since 1978 communal riots in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has been reopened by authorities during an anti-encroachment drive. The Bhasma Shankar temple, containing idols of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling, was rediscovered during an electricity theft inspection. This follows recent violence and heightened tensions in the area, including a mosque survey dispute and loudspeaker fine.The Sambhal administration here on Saturday uncovered and reopened a temple, which is said to have been closed ...Read More >
In this edition of Frontline Conversations, former Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare discusses how the Ladki Bahin scheme, which provided direct cash transfers to 2.35 crore women, transformed both the economic landscape and political dynamics of the State. The programme, which distributed Rs.7,500 across five instalments to women earning less than Rs. 2.5 lakh annually, not only empowered women with financial independence but also proved to be a decisive factor in Mahayuti's electoral victory, marking a shift in Maharashtra's traditionally male-dominated political ...Read More >
The Congress leadership was aware it was losing ground to the ruling Mahayuti following the gains made during the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, several party leaders privy to an internal survey less than a month ahead of the November 20 elections have said, adding that the outcome shouldn't exactly come as a shock. As per a report in The Indian Express, several party leaders it spoke to admitted that a survey conducted in 103 "strong MVA seats" showed the Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead in only 44 seats out of 54 it was ahead in during the Lok Sabha elections. On the contrary, the Mahayuti, wh ...Read More >
Assam Beef Ban: A political row has erupted over the Assam government's decision to ban the public consumption of beef in the state with the Opposition labelling it "against the right to freedom" while the ruling BJP lauding the state Cabinet's call. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced on Wednesday that his government has decided to ban the consumption of beef in restaurants, hotels and public places, drawing sharp reactions from the Opposition. Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan ...Read More >
The Supreme Court of India has said that mere harassment is not sufficient to hold someone guilty of the offence of abetting suicide, and there must be clear evidence of direct or indirect incitement. Photograph: ANI Photo The observations came from a bench of justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale which delivered its verdict on an appeal challenging a Gujarat high court order which refused to discharge a woman's husband and her two in-laws for allegedly harassing her and driving her to suicide. ...Read More >
Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has drawn sharp criticism from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders and Vanchit president Prakash Ambedkar over his recent statements in Parliament on Dr BR Ambedkar. "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai (It has become a fashion now) - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken God's name as many times, then they would have got a place in heaven," Shah had said in Parliament. The MVA leaders hit out at Amit Shah for such remarks. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that Amit Shah became the Home Minister only because of the Constitution. Shiv Sena ( ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jan 13 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut met with Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Monday amid doubts over the opposition MVA coalition's future after the former announced going solo in the local body elections in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Raut slammed Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah for his critical remarks on Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray made during his visit to Maharashtra on Sunday. Sources revealed that the meeting at Pawar's Silver Oak residence, which lasted for 20 to 25 minutes, ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has directed that no new lawsuits related to places of worship (temples, mosques, or shrines) can be filed until further notice. This decision was made during the ongoing hearing of petitions challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The ruling prohibits the lower courts from issuing any survey orders or interim orders that might alter the status or nature of any religious site. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice K.V. Vishwanathan, issued this order while hearing sev ...Read More >
Also Read | Sambhal sparks rift: INDIA bloc allies face leadership turmoil? "Multiple encroachments are being seen around the area," Sambhal DM Rajendra Pensia told ANI. Pensia said, "There was encroachment on roads, sewers, water bodies, and that too for a long time. We are undertaking an 'abhiyan' (drive) to fix it. We launched a campaign in Chandausi and we had decided we would start the campaign here in November. But we could not start." The DM stated the anti-encroachment drive will conti ...Read More >
The Sena UBT chief spokesperson was reacting to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's comment that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc. Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that his party was open to discuss if someone outside of the Congress party should lead the Opposition INDIA bloc. Speaking in New Delhi Delhi, Raut said that all the constituents of the INDIA bloc are willing to have a discuss ...Read More >
Parbhani Violence: Violent protests took place in the city of Parbhani in central Maharashtra on Wednesday for the second day in protest against the damage to a replica of the Indian Constitution. Prohibitory orders were imposed there after the violence and internet was shut down. Meanwhile, Parbhani District Magistrate Raghunath Khandu has given information about the situation there. He also said that 50 people have been arrested so far in this case. Parbhani DM Raghunath Khandu Gavde said, "The SP and I went there and explained to the workers there and paid homage to the statue of Babasaheb ...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: Former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday rubbished Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that the BJP's victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls ended the politics of betrayal and treachery started by him in 1978. "I was the chief minister in 1978. I am not aware about his whereabouts then," Pawar told reporters in Mumbai. "When I was the chief minister, there were people like Uttamrao Patil from Jan Sangh in my ministry," Pawar added. The decorum of the post of home minister should be maintained, the NCP (SP) chief said, bemoaning the lack of communication between present pol ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: A political slugfest erupted after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped from visiting violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of attempting to incite communal tensions. BJP leaders criticised Gandhi's visit as a desperate political move, driven by competition with the Samajwadi Party (SP) to reclaim vote banks. Meanwhile, Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, slammed the government's actions as undemocratic and an assault on constitutional rights. BJP spokesperson Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi described the visit as a "sign of h ...Read More >
Kuldeep Singh Sengar is also serving a 10-year jail term in connection with the custodial death of the Unnao rape victim's father. Kuldeep Singh Sengar sought interim bail on the grounds that he was suffering from various ailments The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted a two-week interim bail on medical grounds to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar who is serving life term for raping a minor in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017. A bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh suspended the sent ...Read More >
Mumbai BEST accident: Amid ongoing investigations into the Kurla accident case, the Mumbai police on Tuesday, sought custody of the driver of the electric bus - operated by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which led to the death of seven persons, and injured 42 others on December 10. Reportedly, the Mumbai police suspect that the driver, Sanjay More, might have 'deliberately' attacked the people, using the bus as a 'weapon'. A magistrate court has now ruled that More would be under the custody of Mumbai Police until December 21. The Mumbai Police presented San ...Read More >
A bench of Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Rohit Joshi at Aurangabad noted in its order of December 11 that the woman's daughter, only four years old, is being kept away from her despite a lower court's order. Such behaviour amounts to 'cruelty' as defined under section 498-A of the IPC. (Representational) Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has held that not letting a child meet her mother amounts to 'cruelty' under the Indian Penal Code, and refused to quash a First Information Report registered aga ...Read More >
Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 13 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader ST Hasan on Friday said that the 'One Nation, One Election' rule was not possible in the country with the various cultures and laws present. "The One Nation, One Election rule is not possible in our country. Our country has a lot of different cultures and religious laws. There is a huge conspiracy behind it... Indirectly, only the centre will rule. They are trying to change the Constitution. They are talking about a common civil court, saying One Nation One Constitution... tomorrow you'll say One Nation One Cult ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Azad Maidan police have registered a case of murder in connection with the mysterious death of a 70-year-old man, Amrutlal Krantilal Patel, in 2021. The FIR has come after directives from the sessions court. The case was filed after Patel's sister, Jyotsnaben Patel, alleged foul play and sought legal intervention. About The Case Patel, a resident of Navsari in Gujarat, had been brought to Bombay Hospital on April 16, 2021, due to deteriorating health but passed away before admission. At the time, the police had classified the case as an accidental death, with an autopsy confirmin ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The phone tapping case in Telangana took a dramatic turn on Tuesday with the police booking former minister T. Harish Rao and others. A case against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and others was registered at Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad on a complaint by G. Chakradhar Goud, a real estate businessman. The complainant, who is also the founder of Farmers First Foundation, alleged harassment, threats, and unlawful phone surveillance. Panjagutta Police registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 120(B) (Criminal conspiracy), 386 (Extortion), 409 (Crimin ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 3 (PTI) Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday visited a private hospital in Thane for a "check-up," two days before a new CM is sworn in at an open ground ceremony in south Mumbai. Even as it is not known yet who would take oath as chief minister at Azad Maidan on the evening of December 5, preparations are in full swing for the ceremony, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, about 2,000 VVIPs and some 40,000 supporters. Shinde, who had been staying at his private residence in Thane for the last few days, visited the hospital in the morning. "I ...Read More >
Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 3 (ANI): Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya on Tuesday wrote to the officers of neighbouring districts--Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar--requesting them to stop Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at their district borders. The Sambhal DM addressed the letter to the Police Commissioners of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad, along with the Superintendents of Police (SP) of Amroha and Bulandshahr. "On November 24, a remaining survey was conducted, following which members of the Muslim community staged massive p ...Read More >
Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren got big relief from the Jharkhand High Court, which on Wednesday exempted him from personally appearing before the MP-MLA Special Court in Ranchi in a case related to alleged disobedience of Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses. The Bench of Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary issued a notice to the ED and directed it to file a response. The next hearing has been scheduled for December 16. Earlier, the MP-MLA Special Court had dismissed Soren's plea for exemption from personal appearance on November 25, ordering him to appear on December 4. Aggrieved ...Read More >
INDIA bloc MPs, donning black jackets with slogans like "Modi Adani Ek Hai", protested at Parliament demanding a joint probe into the Adani issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused PM Modi of evading discussion on the "Adani mega scam" while defending Adani's alleged corruption. Rahul Gandhi asserted that Modi won't investigate Adani as it would be like investigating himself.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said the country's people want the "Adani mega scam" to be discussed in Parliame ...Read More >
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule is consulting experts on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) following Maharashtra's assembly poll results. The opposition questions EVM credibility after the Mahayuti coalition's significant win. Sule advocates for ballot papers, citing other countries' adoption, and will announce a final decision soon.NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said the opinion of experts is being sought over the "EVM issue" in the wake of the Maharashtra assembly polls' mandate as she b ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Terming the handcuffing of Lagacharla farmer Hirya Nayak, currently lodged in Sangareddy jail, while taking him to hospital for treatment "inhuman", BRS working president KT Rama Rao has urged the Chief Justice of Telangana high court to take the case suo motu and urged governor Jishnu Dev Varma to order a probe into the incident. Addressing a press meet on Thursday, the BRS leader said the farmer, who is suspected to have suffered a heart attack while in jail, was treated inhumanly. ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad police have issued a notice to BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, directing him to appear at 10 am on December 27 at the Masab Tank police station for questioning. The MLA is accused of abusing Banjara Hills Station House Officer (SHO) KM Raghavendra and obstructing him from carrying out his official duties. A police officer told TNIE that at the time of granting the MLA bail in the case, the Nampally court had directed him to cooperate with the police. "Based on the court directions, we have asked him to appear for further questioning. The case is being investigated by Masa ...Read More >