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.
Guwahati: The Supreme Court on December 15 questioned the manner in which leaked audio recordings linked to the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence were handled during forensic examination, expressing concern that investigators forwarded only selected portions despite having access to the complete material. A Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe took note of an affidavit dated November 20 filed on behalf of the petitioners, which stated that only certain excerpts of the recordings were sent for forensic scrutiny. The judges said they felt disturbed by the disclosure and asked why the entire 48-minute audio clip placed before the court was not submitted to the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, for examination. The issue assumes importance as the NFSU had earlier concluded that the clips it analysed were tampered with, a finding that weakened allegations against former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh. Singh stepped down from office on February 9 amid sustained political pressure and internal dissent within the BJP following the prolonged violence in the state. During the hearing, the Bench pointed out that the affidavit -- claimed by the respondents to have not been served on them -- indicated selective submission of audio material. The court remarked that the affidavit suggested only limited clippings were examined, raising questions about the credibility of the forensic process. Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan said it was possible that the full set of recordings submitted to the court had not been forwarded to the NFSU. When the respondents' counsel sought time to respond, the Bench pressed the issue, questioning why the entire material had not been examined earlier and observing that unnecessary delay should be avoided. The court also sought clarity on the total length of the recordings. Bhushan informed the Bench that the original audio ran for about 56 minutes, of which 48 minutes were submitted to the court. He explained that the remaining portion could reveal the identity of the person who recorded the audio, disclosure of which might endanger the individual's life. The Bench, however, maintained that once the recordings were available, the complete material should have been sent for forensic testing. It reiterated that the 48-minute clip at least should have undergone full examination rather than partial scrutiny. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati requested a week's time to file a response to the affidavit. Accepting the request, the court took the affidavit on record and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 7. The case originates from a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought the formation of an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the leaked recordings. KOHUR claims the audio indicates involvement of Singh and the state machinery in violence against the Kuki-Zo community, allegations that Singh has consistently denied. Earlier, on November 3, the Supreme Court recorded that the NFSU had found the clips it examined to be edited and unsuitable for forensic voice comparison. Bhushan, however, referred to another forensic report that claimed at least one recording was unaltered. The court has repeatedly examined the forensic process. On August 19, it criticised the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for conducting what it termed a misdirected exercise by focusing on voice matching rather than authenticity. Subsequently, on August 25, the court referred the matter to the NFSU to assess whether the recordings were modified or tampered with and whether the voices matched the admitted samples. The proceedings are linked to the broader backdrop of the Manipur violence, which erupted in May 2023 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' opposing a Manipur High Court order related to the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The conflict claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands amid clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities. KOHUR has accused Singh of playing a central role in orchestrating violence in Kuki-dominated areas, allegations the former chief minister has rejected.
IMPHAL, Nov 17: The NPP on Sunday withdrew support from the BJP-led Government in Manipur, even as violence continued to rock the state as offices of the Congress and the saffron party were ransacked in the hill district of Jiribam where an unidentified body was found earlier in the day, officials said. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp A BJP MLA's ancestral house was vandalised in Imphal Valley while a building owned by Ashab Uddin, the Independent legislator of Jiribam, was ransacked, officials said. The incidents occurred a day after irate mobs set fire to the residences of ...Read More >
Imphal, Nov 26 (UNI) Laishram Kamal, a 56-year-old Meitei from Gossaipur, Udharbond constituency in Cachar, Assam, has been reported missing from Leimakhong Military headquarters in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. Kamal had reached the Army headquarters on Monday and his phone was found switched off in the afternoon. The Army headquarters is surrounded by Kuki villages and no Meitei except those working for army enter the area. All Meitei students at Kendriya Vidyalaya Leimakhong have not been entering the premises since crisis started on May three, 2023, at Churachandpur district. Fearing a ...Read More >
Story so far: India celebrated its 75th year of adoption of its Constitution on Tuesday (November 26, 2024) with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint session of parliament. While the Constitution of India hits its diamond jubilee this year, event commemorating is as 'Constitution Day' was started only in 2015. Prior to this, it was called 'National Law Day' -- first initiated by former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Laxmi Mall Singhvi in 1979. "The Indian Constitution is a live, progressive document," said Ms. Murmu adding, "I urge all citizens to imbibe the constitutio ...Read More >
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan has called for the replacement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers, citing concerns over the legitimacy of election results. Ranjan raised doubts about the EVM's accuracy, suggesting that the results may be influenced and advocating for a ballot paper system like many other countries. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also echoed similar sentiments, accusing EVMs of wasting votes from marginalized communities. This comes after the Congress' defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly election. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed a petition seeking th ...Read More >
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 >
The 10 MLAs, including seven from the BJP, held the sit-in-protest at Jantar Mantar. (Representational) Reiterating their demand for a Union Territory for tribals in Manipur, 10 MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community held a sit-in protest in New Delhi on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to stop the violence in the state, which began in May 2023. The 10 tribal MLAs, including seven from the BJP, held the sit-in-protest at Jantar Mantar and the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: BJP leader Amit Malviya on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of being "so arrogant that he did not even greet the President" during the 75th Constitution Day event held in Parliament. This comes as the grand old party has often voiced its criticism against the saffron party for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu at the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building last year and Ram Temple consecration this year. "Rahul Gandhi is so arrogant that he did not even greet the President. Just because she comes from the tribal community, is a woman and Rahul Gandhi is the prince of ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Jacobite Syrian Church to hand over the administration of six churches in Kerala to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church faction. The matter came up before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench said that the members of the Jacobite Syrian Church were in contempt for "wilfully disobeying" the 2017 judgment. The bench directed the Jacobite faction to hand over the administration of three churches each in Ernakulam and Palakkad districts to the Malankara faction. The bench also asked the Jacobite faction to file a ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar, saying that he can't "bulldoze" Ambedkar's legacy which remains a voice for the oppressed communities. "Yesterday, Amit Shah who believes in Manuwaad and who is a follower of Savarkar has expressed his anti-mindset of Ambedkar (anti-Ambedkar mindset)...We will try to say to him 'Ambedkar Jai'...because he can't just bulldoze Ambedkar's legacy. Ambedkar legacy means voice for those oppressed communities of OBCs, SCs and STs, and all othe ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has raised concern over terminally ill prisoners languishing in Maharashtra's jails and asked the state govt to consider proper implementation of an advisory on grant of medical bail or to place them in house arrest. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said they visited the Yerwada central prison in Pune on Sunday and met with prisoners, particularly women inmates, and inspected the condition there. The bench referred to a ...Read More >
New Delhi, Nov 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to introduce ballot paper in place of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines). A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale rejected the prayer to return to the ballot system due to the alleged manipulability of EVMs. "When you lose, EVMs are tampered with; when you win, EVMs are fine," remarked the apex court, when the petitioner referred to the statements made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his predecessor Jagan Mohan ...Read More >
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is now gearing up for a national protest after losing Maharashtra state elections. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which suffered a crushing defeat in last week's Maharashtra state elections, is now gearing up for a national protest against the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which it blames for its loss. The MVA, led by the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (led by Sharad Pawar), is planning to challenge the use of EVMs in court and demand a return to ballot paper voting. Fo ...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 >
New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): The Lok Sabha as part of the Winter Session of the Parliament has been adjourned until 11:00 am on December 9, as announced by the Speaker on Friday. The proceedings of the lower house were adjourned until 12 pm earlier in the day as disruptions continued for the ninth consecutive day of the winter session, with opposition members raising slogans and creating ruckus over various contentious issues. Also Read | Hashimpura Massacre Case: Supreme Court Grants Bail to 8 Convicts in Infamous 1987 Massacre Case. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a fervent appeal ...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 >
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12 (PTI) Tensions flared in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday as BJP MLAs barged into Speaker U T Khader's chamber, expressing strong objections to his handling of the proceedings. The confrontation came amidst heated debates over the recent police lathi charge on Panchamasali Lingayat protesters, with the ruling Congress and opposition BJP trading accusations. The issue arose when Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, himself a leader of the Panchamasali Lingayat community, criticized the decision of previous BJP government to scrap the 4 per cent Muslim reservati ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Monday (December 2, 2024) refused to relax emergency measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) dealing with air pollution in the national capital till it noticed a downward trend in the AQI level. A Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih further sought the presence of the chief secretaries of NCR states to appear through video-conferencing to inform it whether or not any compensation was paid to the construction workers who were without work owing to the restrictions. Delhi air pollution: Air quality in Capital plunges to 'very po ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh administration has imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders into violence-hit Sambhal until December 10, with officials urging leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his planned visit on Wednesday. Moradabad divisional commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said there is a need for calm in the region, and that "any provocation could escalate the situation" in the district. "The situation in Sambhal is normal right now, but tensions persist," Singh said. "The District Magistrate has banned the entry of people from outside until 10 December ...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 >
New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Madras High Court's November 20, 2024, order directing a CBI probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which claimed the lives of 68 people in Tamil Nadu. A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice J. Mahadevan dismissed a special leave petition filed by the ruling DMK government, stating: "Having heard the learned Advocate General appearing for the petitioners and having gone through the materials on record, we see no good reason to interfere with the very well-reasoned judgment of the High Court." The High Court, in it ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Election Commission (EC) on a PIL challenging its decision to increase the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,200 to 1,500, saying it is "concerned".A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar asked senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the poll panel, to file a short affidavit explaining the rationale behind the decision. ...Read More >
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday (December 5, 2024) expanded his Cabinet with 11 Ministers. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath in a swearing-in-ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. Six from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), four from Congress and one from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have been inducted in the Cabinet of Mr. Soren. From JMM quota, six MLAs took oath at the event organised at Ashok Udyaan includes Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua, Ghatsila MLA Ramdas Soren, Giridih MLA Sudivya Kumar , Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda, Gomia MLA Yogendra Prasad and Madhupur MLA Haf ...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 >
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to eight convicts in the infamous 1987 Hashimpura massacre case of 38 persons by the personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary. IMAGE: File photograph of Muslims in Meerut staging a protest demanding justice in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. Photograph: PTI Photo/Rediff archives A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih took note of the submissions of senior advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, appearing for four convicts, that t ...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 >
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 >
BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya, CR Kesavan, and Pradeep Bhandari, accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of arrogance after he allegedly failed to greet President Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, during her speech on Constitution Day. Malviya claimed that Gandhi's refusal to acknowledge the President stemmed from her tribal background, while Kesavan and Bhandari pointed to Gandhi's "dynastic entitlement" and anti-tribal sentiments. The President, addressing Parliament, highlighted the significance of India's Constitution and lauded the government's efforts in social justice and inclusive dev ...Read More >
Imphal, Dec 3 (VOICE) Amidst the hectic search operation by the Army and other security forces and continued agitation by various organisations, the 56-year-old man of the Meitei community remained untraced for the ninth day on Tuesday.A police official said that the Army has deployed over 2,000 soldiers including Assam Rifles personnel and is conducting hectic searches in Kangpokpi and adjoining districts to locate Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who has been missing since November 25. The Army as part of their search operation deployed tracker dogs, drones and other devices. Several Civil Societ ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 4 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan has invited the Mahayuti alliance to form the next government and the oath taking ceremony will take place tomorrow. Fadnavis said the Mahayuti leaders met the Governor and handed over letters of support. Also Read | Why Is Maharashtra Assembly Winter Session Held in Nagpur? Know History and Reason Behind Nagpur Being State's Winter Capital. Fadnavis along with Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Wednesday met ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Ex-Karnataka Chief Minister and former External Affairs Minister SM Krishna died here early on Tuesday, leaving behind a rich legacy of statesmanship and public service that saw the 92-year-old leader scale all heights of political achievements. Suave, sophisticated and a man with enviable academic credentials, Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna started off his political innings as an independent MLA from Maddur in 1962, stunning a then Congress veteran in the elections, and went on to become the state's CM and later the country's External Affairs Minister. Tributes poured in for the fo ...Read More >