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.
Kolkata, Mar 31 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL challenging the transfer of administrative and police officers by the poll panel in West Bengal, saying the petitioner could not establish that the actions were arbitrary and had hurt public interest. The Election Commission has transferred several officers, including the state's chief secretary, the home secretary and the DGP, after announcing the schedule of the assembly polls in the state. The petitioner claimed that these large-scale transfers would affect the functioning of the state's administration, and sought that the poll panel's orders be set aside. Dismissing the petition, a division bench presided by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul held that the petitioner could not establish that the Election Commission of India used its power to transfer officers in an arbitrary manner, which resulted in any injury to public interest. "In the absence of establishing this elementary ingredient to maintain a PIL, the petition cannot be entertained," said the division bench, also comprising Justice Partha Sarathi Sen. "In our view, the legality, validity and propriety of transfer orders which have not caused any public injury cannot be gone into in a public interest litigation," the court observed. It noted that the petitioner, Arka Kumar Nag, made an effort to establish a nexus between certain senior politicians and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, the ECI's counsel, D S Naidu, submitted that no such persons against whom allegations of connivance or pressure tactics, as alleged, were impleaded by name. Holding that no allegation of malice can be entertained against the poll panel, the high court observed that "apart from bald pleadings, no material could be placed to establish any such nexus". It said that merely because the ECI had transferred a sizable number of officers, it cannot be said that action is arbitrary, capricious or mala fide, "more so, when a similar or larger number of transfers/postings of officers had taken place nationwide". "Thus, we find no reason to hold that while shifting or transferring officers of West Bengal, the ECI did any step-motherly treatment," the court observed. It said the petitioner could not make out any such case, which establishes with accuracy and precision that the transfer order of officers will lead to any administrative collapse and deprivation of the public from development schemes. Holding that a transfer is an incident of service, the division bench said that if a transfer order runs contrary to any statutory provision, the aggrieved employee or officer can assail it in appropriate proceedings. The court, however, said that this judgment will not come in the way of the individual aggrieved officers to challenge their transfer order in appropriate proceedings in accordance with the law. Noting that the petitioner is a practising lawyer, the bench said that he cannot have a grievance over the transfer of officers unless such moves result in injury to public interest. On the petitioner's submission seeking initiation of impeachment proceedings against the CEC, the court said it does not see any reason to deal with this aspect at all in the present matter. The bench said that it does not find "much substance" in the contentions of the petitioner's counsel, Kalyan Banerjee, and Advocate General Kishore Dutta representing the West Bengal government that, because of the transfer of a sizable number of officers and staff, a vacuum has been created in the state. The court said that in the present case, it is seen that when one officer is transferred, another has occupied his position. "Thus, there is no vacuum created in the system or in the administrative arena," the bench said. The bench further said the state of West Bengal, which supported the petitioner, is a respondent in the matter and "cannot enter into the shoes of the petitioner." Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases -- on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4. PTI AMR NSD
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 >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Karnataka government and the Centre should resolve the issue in connection with the release of financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state for drought management. The matter came up before a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, requested the bench that he needed some time to file an affidavit in the matter. "You should resolve it," the bench said. During the hearing, the bench queried, how much amount has been released so far? ...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 >
New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the stand of comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) on a PIL seeking its 14 reports on city administration to be made public. A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar asked CAG to explain why its report could not be made public, and posted the hearing on January 24. Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Woman Throws 4 Children Into Canal in Vijayapura Allegedly Due to Financial Distress, 2 Bodies Recovered. Brij Mohan, a retired civil servant, who filed the PIL said the voters in Delhi must be aware of ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jan 21 (VOICE) The West Bengal government on Tuesday approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the special court's verdict sentencing Sanjay Roy, convicted in the rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, to life imprisonment. State Advocate General Kishor Datta has approached the division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi seeking a "death penalty" for the convict. The division bench has admitted the petition from the state government. After the court pronounced the quantum of sentence, Chief Minister Mama ...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 >
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 >
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, Feb 3 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to hear a plea against the nomination of AAP candidate and Delhi minister Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat in the February 5 assembly elections. Justice Subramonium Prasad observed the petition was not maintainable. "How is this petition even maintainable in law? Either you challenge (his previous) election on whatever grounds ... this is not maintainable," said the court. The plea was then withdrawn by the petitioner. The petitioner, who lives in Sultan Puri, said Ahlawat contested previous elections by concealing and withholding certain f ...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 >
KOLKATA: 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 Bhavan, the state' ...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 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 >
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 6 (PTI) A teacher who asked other students to slap a Muslim boy in a school here surrendered at a POCSO court and was released on bail, an official said on Friday. Tripta Tyagi was caught last year in a video asking children to slap a boy in a school where she taught. Additional District Judge (POCSO) Alka Bharti on Thursday granted her bail and ordered her to furnish two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. She posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. Kapil Ahlawat, Tyagi's lawyer, told PTI that Tyagi had surrendered in the Special POCSO court on Thursday and sought ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Jan 22 (PTI) The police have intensified security to thwart the possible efforts of the Maoists to enter Odisha following an operation that left 14 red rebels dead in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, an official said on Wednesday. The police remained alert in the districts bordering Chhattisgarh as combing operations were underway in Chhattisgarh. "We have put the police and central forces deployed in different districts to remain alert and prevent possible infiltration of Maoists from the neighbouring state," Odisha DGP Y B Khurania said after holding a review meeting. Khurania along ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jan 22 (VOICE) West Bengal government's hyperactive approach in seeking the death penalty for the RG Kar case convict is surely politically motivated, the father of the victim woman doctor said on Wednesday. The state government had moved to Calcutta High Court challenging the verdict of a special court in Kolkata on January 22 sentencing Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment and also seeking the death penalty for the sole convict. On Wednesday, the victim's father said that although they also want the death penalty for Roy, they feel that the state government's hurried approach to seekin ...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 >
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 >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved bills to implement 'One Nation, One Election', and the draft legislations are likely to be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing Winter session, sources said. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government is keen on holding wider consultations on bills which are likely to be referred to a parliamentary committee. Sources said the government was also keen to consult the Speakers of various state legislative assemblies through the committee. Moving ahead with it ...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 >
New Delhi, January 13 (VOICE) Acting swiftly on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium, the Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of Patna High Court's Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran to the apex court. In a post on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), was pleased to appoint Justice Chandran as a Supreme Court judge. "In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Kri ...Read More >
New Delhi, January 27: The Supreme Court has upheld an order passed by the apex court registry in August 2024 refusing to admit a lawyer's application seeking direction to SEBI to submit its conclusive probe report into the Adani-Hindenburg controversy. Advocate Vishal Tiwari had moved an appeal against the order passed by the Registrar on August 5 last year. Earlier on July 15, 2024, the top court had dismissed a review petition filed against its earlier verdict refusing to form any SIT or group of experts to conduct an investigation. After perusing the review petition, a bench, headed by th ...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, Dec 4 (PTI) With funds under the flagship MGNREGS stalled for West Bengal for more than two years now, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the Centre is not discriminating against the state, which he blamed for not complying with the Union government's directives. The funds for West Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have been stopped since March 2022 due to non-compliance of directives of the Central government, according to the Ministry of Rural Development. Asked what is the way forward, Chouhan sa ...Read More >
The West Bengal Health Department on Monday (January 13, 2024) admitted to a lapse and said that they will take strict action against anyone found guilty in the administration of expired saline at Medinipur Medical College and Hospital. The government has roped in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the "lapse" which led to one woman's death and three others remained critical. Five women were administered Ringer's Lactate (RL) on the Intravenous (IV) fluid which had allegedly expired. All of them fell critically ill and one of them died after delivering a baby. Three of the ...Read More >