Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) The direction from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to West Bengal Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, on Tuesday ordering suspension of four election officers, should be considered as the commission’s first note of caution for all involved in the electoral process in the state.The ECI action against the four election officers posted with two Assembly constituencies in two districts of West Bengal, was in connection with their alleged involvement in wrongful addition of na…

Chennai, Aug 6 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Wednesday quashed the detention of 17 individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Tamil Nadu Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president K. Armstrong, who was hacked to death in a brutal attack in July 2024, in Chennai.A division bench comprising Justice M.S. Ramesh and Justice V. Lakshminarayanan delivered the verdict while hearing a batch of petitions filed by the relatives of the accused, challenging their detention under the Goondas Act.The co…

Guwahati, Aug 6 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday kick-started the second phase of the ambitious Nijut Moina scheme to help the education of girl children across the state.Under the second phase, at least 4 lakh girls in Assam are set to receive financial support to carry out their education.The Chief Minister argued that this initiative was launched to eradicate child marriage from the state.He said, “We have renewed our fight against child marriage with the launch of…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Congress leader Udit Raj on Wednesday questioned the sanctity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar and termed the voter verification process an eyewash, intended to benefit a certain party.Udit Raj levelled startling allegations at the poll panel and alleged that fake voters were added while genuine and eligible voters were dropped from the newly prepared draft rolls. He said that this was being done to hurt and harm the prospects of the Opposition parti…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Following weeks of public outcry and political interventions over the 36-year-old elephant Mahadevi, also known as Madhuri, the Vantara wildlife rehabilitation facility on Wednesday stated that it will ensure her safe and dignified return following legal approval.Mahadevi, a female elephant, was a resident of Swastishree Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Sansthan Math, a Jain mutt, at Nandani village in Karvir in Kolhapur district for over three decades.But following…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Backing the Election Commission’s decision to begin a Special Summary Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in West Bengal, senior BJP leader Jagdambika Pal said that only Indian citizens have the constitutional right to vote, and those living illegally must not be included in the voter list.Speaking to IANS, Pal said the Election Commission is fulfilling its constitutional duty to ensure free and fair elections through a transparent electoral roll, similar to the proces…

Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced on Wednesday that it has decided to standardise and simplify the procedure for settlement of claims in respect of deposit accounts of deceased customers of banks so that bereaved families do not face any hardship in getting the money or valuables due to them. Currently, the procedure for settling claims in respect of deceased customers varies across banks. The RBI has decided to streamline and standardise these across all banks to fa…

Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Aug 6 (IANS) Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the MP-MLA Special Court in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, on Wednesday in connection with a criminal defamation case filed over his remarks against the then BJP national president, Amit Shah.The court granted him bail on the condition that he would cooperate with the trial proceedings.Rahul Gandhi appeared in person before Judicial Magistrate Supriya Rani Tigga. The court granted him re…

Chennai, Aug 6 (IANS) Chennai is set to expand its electric bus fleet with the launch of 135 new electric buses from the Perumbakkam depot on August 11, nearly a month after rolling out 120 e-buses from the Vyasarpadi depot.The new fleet includes 55 air-conditioned buses and will operate across 13 routes, significantly improving connectivity along the IT corridor, including the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).Key routes include Siruseri to Chennai Airport (MAA 2), CMBT to Kilambakkam (570), Broadwa…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha witnessed fresh turbulence on Wednesday as Deputy Chairman Harivansh declined to admit 35 notices submitted under Rule 267, triggering protests from Opposition members.The notices, which sought suspension of regular business to discuss urgent public issues — including electoral roll revisions and exam irregularities — were deemed non-compliant with procedural norms.“None of these notices adhere to the requirements of Rule 267 as enunciated in the past,…