Rush Hour: SC says Bihar electoral revision is voter-friendly, Army soldier killed along LoC, & more
The Supreme Court has verbally observed that the ongoing electoral roll revision process in Bihar appeared to be voter-friendly, and not exclusionary. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymala Bagchi said that the Election Commission has listed 11 acceptable documents for the ongoing exercise, compared to only seven in 2003.
A group of petitioners have challenged the voter roll revision in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections, expected in October or November. They have raised concerns about the exclusion of Aadhaar cards as standalone valid proof for the revision process, contending that Aadhaar is the most widely held identity document.
Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the petitioners, argued on Wednesday that while the number of permissible documents had increased, most had low coverage in Bihar. He added that only 1% to 2% voters held passports in the state. Read more.
A soldier, Havildar Ankit Kumar, was killed in a gunfight as the Army foiled an infiltration attempt by suspected militants along the Line of Control in Uri, in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The Army had killed two suspected militants in the same area a few days ago, unidentified officials said.
Search operations after the gunfight are underway.
This was the fourth Army casualty in the line of duty in Jammu and Kashmir over the past week. Two soldiers were killed on August 9 during a gunfight with suspected militants in Kulgam, while one was killed along the Line of Control in Baramulla. Read on.
The mother of a 19-year-old who was killed in police firing in July in Assam's Goalpara has urged the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court to order a judicial investigation into the death. Shaukar Ali was killed during a clash between protesters and authorities days after authorities cleared 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest.
In a letter to the High Court's registrar general, Ali's mother, Nachiran Bibi, described the police firing as 'unprovoked, excessive and disproportionate'.
She said that her sons Shakaur Ali and Noser Ali had gone to the spot to watch the unfolding developments 'out of curiosity' but came under police fire.
Bibi said that she had lost trust that the police would conduct an impartial investigation. Read on.
The Supreme Court has cancelled the bail granted to wrestler Sushil Kumar in an alleged murder case. It ordered the two-time Olympic medallist to surrender within a week.
Kumar, along with 17 others, has been accused of fatally assaulting Sagar Dhankar, a former junior national wrestling champion, and his friends in May 2021 because of an alleged property dispute. The incident took place at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021 and was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in March.
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