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: A group of former bureaucrats and environmentalists has sent a letter to the Assam Government and Chief Election Officer opposing the deployment of over 1,600 forest personnel for election duty in Assam. They argue that this decision contravenes a clear directive from the Supreme Court and established administrative rules of Election Commission of Inida(ECI). The letter criticizes a March 19, 2026 order issued by MK Yadava, the Special Chief Secretary of Assam's Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change directing the commandants of the Jakhalbandha and Basistha forest administrative units to deploy approximately 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for election duty scheduled for April 9, 2026. These officials were instructed to mobilize and report to the Additional Director General of Police by April 3, 2026. The retired IAS and IFS officers, along with conservationists, expressed grave concern over this order, stating that utilizing the AFPF in this manner violates the legal and administrative norms set forth by the ECI and the Supreme Court. They said the reference Annexure B of the ECI guidelines, which stipulates that territorial forest forces and serving forest officials, including senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, should not be requisitioned for election-related duties.
Hyderabad: Principal Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department M Dana Kishore has been given full additional charge (FAC) for the post of principal secretary to the Governor. With Kishore taking charge, B Venkatesham, who was serving the post earlier, has been relieved, said a statement from chief secretary A Santhi Kumari. On December 2, Dana Kishore, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1996 batch, was appointed as the nodal officer tasked with coordinating efforts across various departments for projects related to the Osm ...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 >
Berhampur (Odisha), Jun 6 (PTI) Environmental activist Medha Patkar on Saturday appealed to the people of Odisha for protection of Rushikulya river. The government planned to construct a dam in the river Pipalapnaka under Sorada block in the district. While participating in the Save Rushikulya river movement in Ganjam district, she said, "Rivers may be small or big, but they are our mother. We have to protect the rivers from attacks." She attended a meeting were organised by the Rushikulya Banchao Kriyaanusthan Committee (RBKC) and the Centre for Climate Justice, spearheading the agitation a ...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 >
Lucknow: UP is set to celebrate Van Mahotsav from July 1 to 7 under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wherein the forest and wildlife department plans to plant a record 35 crore saplings across Uttar Pradesh, the highest in country.The department, working in close coordination with various other departments, has gathered 52.33 crore saplings and completed advance soil work on 72,912 hectares of land.A review meeting led by forest and environment minister Arun Kumar Saxena was held fo ...Read More >
Chandigarh: The cybercrime division of Punjab Police has arrested two individuals and identified 33 suspects involved in viewing, transmitting, and distributing child pornography and expoitive content of minors, said a top official on Friday.Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the content, which is described as child sexual exploitative and abusive material (CSEAM), was being distributed through online platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The operation, codenamed CSEAM-4, was conducted on Thursday and spanned 40 locations across 18 districts. The ac ...Read More >
Srinagar: Following the melancholic atmosphere after the Pahalgam terror attack, Kashmir Valley has opened up its arms and hearts to welcome the pilgrims who have decided to visit Baba Barfani at Shree Amarnath Cave in the upper reaches of Pahalgam hills. As the Yatra begins tomorrow, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today chaired a high-level meeting with the senior officers and reviewed the final preparations for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti Department Shaleen Kabra; DGP Nalin Prabhat; Special Directo ...Read More >
New Delhi: Observing that "criminalisation of politics is a very major issue", the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to a PIL challenging election of convicted persons as MPs/MLAs. The development took place during the resumed hearing of a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, seeking lifelong disqualification of MPs and MLAs convicted of criminal offences. The PIL has challenged provisions of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) that bar convicted politicians from contesting polls for six years after serving jail terms. A be ...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 >
Meghalaya government introduced the Draft Meghalaya Film Tourism & Creative Media Policy 2025. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma disbursed Hello Meghalaya Grants to local filmmakers. The government aims to empower youth through creative platforms. The film policy offers financial incentives and skill development projects. Public feedback is welcome until June 20, 2025. Guwahati: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma unveiled the Draft Meghalaya Film Tourism & Creative Media Policy 2025 and dis ...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 >
Ludhiana, Jun 8 (PTI) Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday asserted that his party will win the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll, scheduled to be held on june 19, with a "record margin". "Congress practically has no competition here", he claimed. Warring, who is also the Ludhiana MP, said that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was badly mistaken that the Congress would allow it to abuse power and misuse the official machinery for the elections. "First of all, we will not let any misuse of the official machinery and second, in case any official is found to be misusing ...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 >
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 >
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. Also Read | World Environment Day 2025: Italian Deputy PM Antonio Tajani Lauds PM Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' Initiative (See Pics and Video). "Large-s ...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 >
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand State Election Commission (SEC), on June 21, issued a notification for the three-tier panchayat elections in 12 districts except Haridwar. Polls would be held in two phases, and the district election officers will issue notifications on June 30. The first phase will be conducted on July 24, followed by the second phase on July 28. The counting for all phases will be conducted by July 31. Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court had stayed the panchayat elections in the state on June 23, at a time when it had already been notified by the SEC. Elections will be held in 89 ...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 >
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 >
Gandhinagar, Feb 4 (PTI) The BJP government in Gujarat on Tuesday formed a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to assess the need for the Uniform Civil Code in the state, and also draft a bill for the same. While the Opposition said the decision was aimed at diverting attention from pressing issues ahead of the upcoming local body polls, the government claimed rights of the tribal communities will be protected if the UCC is implemented. The five-member committee, to be headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai, will submit its report within 45 days, following which a decision abou ...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 >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...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 >
New Delhi: Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, has moved the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to hear the plea on January 15. Khedkar has challenged the December 23 2024 Delhi High Court order which refused to grant her anticipatory bail. The high court said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and an investigation was required to unearth the "larger conspiracy" to manipulate the system ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. The matter was heard by a bench consisting of justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma. "What is the grave crime she has committed? She is not a drug lord or a terrorist. She has not committed 302 (murder). She is not an NDPS offender", said the bench. "You should have a system or software. You complete the investigation. She has lost everything and will not ge ...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 >
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 >
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): A multi-agency mega mock exercise was conducted at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station in Delhi during the intervening night of June 27 and 28, from 01:05 AM to 04:25 AM, to assess the preparedness and coordinated response of various agencies in the event of a major contingency. The drill imitated multiple high-risk scenarios, including a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) attack, a terrorist strike, a hostage situation, and an IED blast. The primary objective of the drill was to evaluate the real-time coordination, crisis response, and operational r ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >