
Rush Hour: SC limits SIT probe to Ashoka professor's posts, stay on ‘Udaipur Files' upheld and more
The Supreme Court told the Haryana Police's Special Investigation Team that its probe should be limited to the two social media posts made by Ashoka University Associate Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad about the press briefings on Operation Sindoor. The investigation team only 'requires a dictionary' and not further custody of Mahmudabad, said the bench.
This came after Mahmudabad's counsel told the bench that the SIT had gone against the court's previous order and seized his electronic devices, in addition to questioning him about trips he had made abroad in the last 10 years.
The court directed the police to complete their probe within four weeks. It also clarified that the bail conditions on Mahmudabad only restrain him from commenting publicly about the matter, not other topics. Read on.
The Supreme Court refused to lift the stay on the release of the film Udaipur Files, which is reportedly based on the 2022 killing of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal. On June 10, the Delhi High Court stayed the film's release and directed the Union government to examine its contents.
On Wednesday, the court said that it expects the Union government to take its decision 'immediately, without loss of time' and listed the matter for further hearing on July 21.
In June 2022, Lal was killed for purportedly sharing a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. She had made disparaging remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a television debate in May 2022. The High Court's stay on the release came on a batch of petitions that had alleged the film was communally provocative and vilified the Muslim community. Read on.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief Mark Rutte has warned that countries such as India, China and Brazil could face secondary sanctions if they continue to trade with Russia amid its war on Ukraine. 'So please make the phone call to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way,' Rutte added.
NATO is a military alliance of 32 countries, including the United States and several members of the European Union.
India and China are among the countries whose imports of cheaper fuel from Russia have increased since 2022. This has raised concerns in Washington that high volume purchases are undermining the attempts to squeeze the Russian economy and thus, indirectly, helping finance its military operations in Ukraine. Read on.
Two suspected Maoists have been killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Bokaro district. Central Reserve Police Force member Parneswar Koch was also killed in the exchange of fire.
The gunfight between the suspected Maoists and the security forces took place at about 5.30 am in the Birhordera forest in the Gomia police station area.
This year, 21 suspected Maoists have been killed across Jharkhand in 14 gunfights with security forces. The Union government has repeatedly vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026. Read on.
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Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Terror and sports cannot go together': Congress on Asia Cup matches against Pakistan
The Chandigarh Congress has opposed the proposed India-Pakistan cricket matches scheduled to be held during the Asia Cup in September, urging the Union Government to withhold clearance for the fixtures. The party has argued that 'terror and sports cannot go together,' questioning the moral and strategic logic behind resuming cricket ties with Pakistan. Rajiv Sharma, chief spokesperson of the Chandigarh Congress, said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to play against Pakistan at a neutral venue. He said the people of Chandigarh and other places in the country are upset with what he termed an 'unwarranted agreement,' particularly at a time when Operation Sindoor, launched in response to cross-border terrorism, is still ongoing. 'It is extremely disappointing that while not a single perpetrator of the Pahalgam attack has been brought to justice, the cricket boards of both nations are moving towards friendly sporting ties,' Sharma said. He warned that Indian sponsors' funds could inadvertently benefit the Pakistan Cricket Board, which, he claimed, may use the money to further terror activities against India. The Congress leader also questioned the BCCI's rationale behind opting for a neutral venue to accommodate Pakistan's interests, stating that India holds the right to host the tournament and should not compromise its position. Calling the decision an 'insult to the self-respect of the people of Chandigarh and the nation,' Sharma urged Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari to raise the issue in Parliament. He also slammed the office-bearers of the Union Territory Cricket Association for their silence on the matter, accusing them of compromising national pride for personal or political gains.

The Wire
12 minutes ago
- The Wire
Bihar SIR ‘Exercise in Exclusion', Says Opposition INDIA Bloc
Politics Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the opposition said that the EC must abandon its 'institutional arrogance' and roll back the SIR. New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday (July 27) called the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar an 'exercise in exclusion', demanding that the poll body give up its 'institutional arrogance' and stop the exercise. 'This is an exercise in exclusion. In the whole month, you could not find a single person who had to be included? There are different categories of exclusion, but it is highly surprising that they did not come across a single person who is eligible for inclusion,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. 'Between the summary revision which was conducted in January 2025 and July 2025 SIR, are we to believe that 22 lakh people have died in the last six months?' According to the EC's figures released on Sunday, a total of 65 lakh people have been found to be deceased, permanently shifted or not found, and another seven lakh were found to have registered in multiple places. The commission said that 7.24 crore enumeration forms have been collected at the end of its month-long exercise, which amounts to 91.69% of the total electors in the state. The press conference was addressed by Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Nilotpal Basu. Singhvi questioned the 'institutional arrogance' of the EC and asked why the exercise could not be de-linked from the assembly elections due to be held in November. 'Please rethink your institutional arrogance. Everyone across the country is urging you to roll this back. What was the hurry to conduct this exercise just three months before the elections and link it to the elections? Why could this not be done after the elections? Many mistakes are being made because of this time limit,' he said. Singhvi said that amid questions being raised that the exercise was not one for the purification of electoral rolls but a citizenship verification drive, the EC has now made its stated objective clear. 'Earlier it was not clear, but now it is absolutely clear that this is a citizenship verification exercise by the EC. The Supreme Court's suggestion is as good as an order. If one is to accept the EC's argument that Aadhaar, ration card and EPIC card cannot be accepted, then that only means you want a proof of citizenship. That means your stated objective is to determine citizenship,' he said. Earlier this week, the EC in its affidavit in the Supreme Court said it has the authority to seek proof of citizenship and also turned down the court's suggestion that Aadhaar, voter identity and ration cards be considered as valid documents in its controversial exercise, which has been criticised for its risk of mass disenfranchisement and exclusion. 'Because you have said citizenship cannot be determined by ration card, voter ID card or Aadhaar card. So the question arises, has this right been given to the EC?' said Singhvi. Jha said that the exercise was started without consulting political parties, while 'opacity had become a hallmark' of the EC's functioning. 'When the chief election commissioner [Gyanesh Kumar] took over, he had said emphatically that none of his decisions would be taken without consulting political parties. I think in the last 22 years, there has been no bigger decision than this, but no political party was consulted. On June 24 the exercise was announced and on June 25 it was started," he said. Jha said that reports had shown booth-level officers filling out forms or sitting at a party office and signing forms, as well as instances of forms not being filled duly. 'This is a form of constitutional fraud. If my form can be filled without my sign or fingerprint and submitted, and on the basis of this you call it a cleaning exercise, then sorry to say, opacity has become a hallmark of the functioning of the EC,' he said. The opposition parties demanded that the exercise be stopped, with time still in hand. The Supreme Court meanwhile is slated to continue hearing the petitions challenging the exercise on Monday (July 28). The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.


Hans India
12 minutes ago
- Hans India
Chhattisgarh: 4 Maoists killed in Bijapur encounter; security forces recover arms and ammunition
In a significant counter-insurgency operation success, four reward-carrying Maoists were killed during a prolonged encounter with security forces in the dense forest region of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, the police said on Sunday. The operation, launched by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) on July 26, was based on specific intelligence inputs regarding Maoist activity near the Basaguda and Gangaloor police station limits in the district's south-western corridor. The gunfight began in the evening and continued intermittently through the night. Among the deceased were two women cadres, all affiliated with the South Sub Zonal Bureau of the banned CPI (Maoist), said the official. The slain insurgents were identified as Hunga (ACM, Platoon 10), Lakkhe (ACM, Platoon 30), Bhime (ACM), and Nihal alias Rahul, a party member and bodyguard to the Bureau Communication Head. Collectively, they carried a bounty of Rs 17 lakh. Security personnel recovered a substantial cache of arms and ammunition from the site, including one SLR rifle, one INSAS rifle, one .303 rifle, a 12 bore gun, a BGL launcher, a single-shot 315 bore rifle, and an AK-47. In addition, multiple magazines, live rounds, grenades, BGL cells, Maoist literature, and daily-use items were seized. Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. confirmed that the operation was part of an intensified anti-LWE campaign in the region. He noted that 425 hardcore Maoists have been neutralised between January 2024 and July 2025, attributing the success to strategic planning, operational courage, and community support. Despite challenging monsoon conditions -- marked by rugged terrain, dense foliage, and persistent rainfall -- security forces maintained high morale and operational readiness. The encounter underscores the state's continued efforts to dismantle Maoist strongholds and restore civil order in insurgency-hit zones. The operation remains on-going, with forces maintaining heightened alert across the Bastar division, which has historically been a hotbed of left-wing extremism.