The Hindu Morning Digest: August 13, 2025
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) said 'mistakes' might have happened while preparing the draft Bihar electoral roll and pointed to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) willingness to correct those even as petitioners reminded the court of its promise to 'step in' if the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) led to 'mass exclusion'. Appearing before a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi on the first day of the hearing in the challenge to the SIR, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranaryanan said, 'My Lords promised you would step in if there was a mass exclusion. This has happened. Sixty-five lakh people have been excluded from the draft electoral roll published on August 1.'
Aadhaar, voter ID not proof of citizenship, says Bombay High Court rejecting bail plea of alleged Bangladeshi man
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) rejected the bail plea of Babu Abdul Ruf Sardar, accused of illegally entering India from Bangladesh and obtaining forged Indian identity documents, citing national security concerns, ongoing investigation, and the risk of absconding.
AI startup Perplexity makes $34.5-billion bid for Google's Chrome browser
Perplexity AI said it has made a $34.5 billion unsolicited all-cash offer for Alphabet's Chrome browser, a low but bold bid that would need financing well above the startup's own valuation. Run by Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity is no stranger to headline-grabbing offers — it made a similar one for TikTok U.S. in January, offering to merge with the popular short-video app to resolve U.S. concerns about TikTok's Chinese ownership.
Petroleum Ministry says E20 fuel helps better ride quality, refutes impact on insurance
Addressing contestations about the impact of blending ethanol with petrol for vehicular fuel, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) in a detailed statement Tuesday (August 12, 2025) underlined it would provide better ride quality alongside ensuring greater income for farmers and bearing a positive impact on foreign exchange reserves. The statement also refuted prevailing assertions about insurers refusing claims for damage to vehicles from the blended fuel.
Rajya Sabha passes two Sports Bills, Opposition walks out demanding debate on SIR
The Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday (August 12, 2025), passed two Bills for the sports sector, which the Union government said will improve the sports infrastructure and facilities in the country. The National Sports Governance Billand the National Anti-Doping Bill, both passed by Lok Sabha, were passed without any Opposition members participating in the discussion. The Opposition members walked out of the House demanding a discussion on Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Parliament passes new Income Tax Bill to replace six-decade-old law
Parliament on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) passed a new Income Tax Bill to replace the six-decade-old Income Tax Act, 1961, that will come into force from April 1, 2026. Piloting the Income Tax Bill, 2025 in the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it did not impose any new tax rate and only simplified the language, which was required for understanding the complex Income Tax laws. The new Bill removes redundant provisions and archaic language and reduces the number of Sections from 819 in the Income Tax Act of 1961 to 536 and the number of chapters from 47 to 23.
Trump's Washington D.C. takeover begins as National Guard troops arrive
Some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trump began arriving in the nation's capital on Tuesday (August 12, 2025), ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city's police department and reduce crime in what the president called — without substantiation — a lawless city.
ED summons to lawyers: Supreme Court reserves verdict in suo motu case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) reserved for judgment a suo motu case concerning the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to two senior advocates merely for giving professional advice to their client. Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed that no lawyer could be summoned for giving an opinion on a legal issue. However, Mr. Mehta said if a lawyer had participated in any act beyond his professional duty, amounting to an offence, the 'same law which applies to others would apply to lawyers also'
Iran says it detained 21,000 suspects during the June war with Israel
Iran's police detained 21,000 suspects during the 12-day air war between Israel and Iran in June, state media reported on Tuesday. A report by state TV quoted a police spokesperson, Gen. Saeed Montazeralmahdi, as saying people reported the suspects to the authorities. 'The arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war indicated high awareness and participation of people in providing security,' he said. Gen. Montazeralmahdi did not elaborate on what charges the suspects might face. However, he said more than 260 were suspected of spying and another 172 were arrested because of illegal filming.
Patna tops the chart of convictions for life imprisonment: Bihar DGP
In order to speed up the trial process in the state, the Bihar police have pulled up their socks to not only arrest criminals but also to ensure the production of witnesses before the courts to achieve their convictions in different criminal cases. In Bihar, a total of 64,098 accused persons were convicted in different criminal cases between January & June this year. The highest 56,897 people were convicted and sent to jail in liquor-related cases, whereas 611 people were convicted in murder cases, and three were awarded capital punishment. Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar shared this information on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) with the press.
IAF prioritises induction of long-range missiles after Operation Sindoor success
In the aftermath of the successful use of long-range stand-off weapons during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now prioritising the induction of air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles with strike ranges exceeding 200 km. This shift is aimed at enhancing India's ability to engage targets from safer distances, beyond the reach of enemy air defences.
BJP reaches out to Chirag Paswan, asks him to tone down criticism of Nitish government
In an effort to prevent history from repeating itself, the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been at pains to ensure that Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan refrains from making critical remarks against the Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar. However, it has so far seen mixed results.
Stadium stampede: Opposition demands CBI probe and resignations of CM, DCM and Home Minister
Accusing the government of being responsible for the stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory celebrations in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives on June 4, the Opposition BJP on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) demanded the resignations of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, besides seeking a CBI probe into the incident. 'If you have a heart and sensibility to feel the pain of the grieving parents who lost their children in the stampede, all three of you should tender a public apology to them and own up to responsibility for the tragedy,' said Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, who initiated a debate on the incident in the Assembly.
Rahul Gandhi accuses the Election Commission of not enforcing 'one man, one vote' principle
Asserting that the Election Commission was not performing its duty of enforcing the principle of 'one man, one vote', the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday (August 12, 2025), hinted at exposing more alleged irregularities in the voters' list. Speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, Mr. Gandhi said the Congress was engaged in protecting the Constitution and would continue to do so.
Police did not assault R.G. Kar victim's mother, says Kolkata Police official
Joint Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Meeraj Khalid, said on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) that the police did not assault the mother of the R.G. Kar rape victim during protests on August 9, as she alleged after the 'Nabanna Abhijaan' rally. 'It is very unfortunate that she was injured. However, we have reviewed all the video footage we have from that day. In no footage can we see that the police slammed her to the ground and assaulted her. We haven't found any such footage so far, but if anyone has any visuals of the same, they are free to share them with us,' Mr. Khalid said.
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