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Election Commission To Act Against Two Bengal Officers Over Inclusion Of Fictious Voters

Election Commission To Act Against Two Bengal Officers Over Inclusion Of Fictious Voters

News186 days ago
Election Commission To Act Against Two Bengal Officers Over Inclusion Of Fictious Voters | News18
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| Amid Debate, EC Sources Reveal, 'Dog Babu' And 'Sonalika' Tractor Certificate Spark OutrageState Needs To AnswerMeanwhile- EC May Act Against Two Bengal Officers Over Inclusion Of Fictious Voters n18oc_india News18 Mobile App - https://onelink.to/desc-youtube
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Centre blocks debate on Bihar electoral roll revision, cites EC autonomy; Opposition cries foul
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Centre blocks debate on Bihar electoral roll revision, cites EC autonomy; Opposition cries foul

NEW DELHI: The Union government has signaled its unwillingness to allow a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh invoking a 1988 ruling by former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar to reject the Opposition's demand. On Tuesday, Harivansh cited Jakhar's December 1988 decision, which barred parliamentary discussion on the functioning or decisions of the Election Commission (EC), stating that the autonomous body's actions cannot be scrutinized in the House. 'You know that I cannot comment upon the actions and decisions of the EC, which is an autonomous body. Never before have I done it, nor will I do it now. Unless you amend the Constitution and bring the EC under parliamentary purview, we cannot discuss its decisions,' Harivansh said, quoting Jakhar's ruling. The Deputy Chairman's remarks came as he dismissed 34 notices submitted by Opposition MPs, most seeking the suspension of business under Rule 267 to urgently debate the SIR in Bihar and other states. Harivansh cited procedural flaws, including incorrect formatting, the sub judice nature of some matters, and the absence of precedent for such discussions. He expressed concern over the frequent misuse of Rule 267, meant for 'rarest of rare' cases, noting that most notices lacked proper citations or pertained to issues outside Parliament's jurisdiction. 'Despite clear rules, some members are using Rule 267 casually, disrupting proceedings when their notices are disallowed,' he said. Highlighting historical data, Harivansh pointed out that very few such notices had been accepted—none between 2000–2004, only four from 2004–2009, one out of 491 during 2009–2014, and just six out of 3,152 between 2014 and the 2025 Budget Session.

Supreme Court Upholds Environment Ministry Notification, Junks Exemption Clause For Big Projects
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Supreme Court Upholds Environment Ministry Notification, Junks Exemption Clause For Big Projects

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the January 29 notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, but struck down the contentious clause exempting certain large building and construction projects from prior environmental clearance. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran held projects with a built-up area above 20,000 square meter, whether industrial, educational, or otherwise, cannot be exempted from the environment impact assessment (EIA) 2006 regime. The court clarified that the notification would also apply to Kerala. Dictating the order, the CJI said, "It has been consistently held that natural resources are to be held in trust for the next generation. At the same time, courts have always taken note of development activities and the country cannot progress without it." Observing the supreme court had always focused on sustainable development, the CJI said, "The court while ensuring that development is permitted has also required precaution to be taken so that least damage is caused to the environment and has even ordered costs to be paid for such development activities." The order said it would not be possible for the union ministry to consider projects across the country and therefore the issue could be considered on a state-to-state basis. "If any construction activity in any area more than 20,000 sq km is carried out it will have environmental impact even if it's for industrial or educational purposes and discrimination cannot be made with similar such institutes," it said. It also said that no exemption can be granted to the education sector in this regard. "Nowadays education has also become a flourishing industry and thus no reason to exempt such projects from the 2006 notification," the CJI said. The bench upheld the notification except clause 8 of the January 29 notification which grants exemptions to industrial sheds, schools, colleges, and hostels with built-up areas up to 150,000 square meter. The bench said it was impractical for the MoEFCC to appraise every project nationwide, noting the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (CEA) could handle state-wise evaluations. On February 25, the top court stayed the notification on a PIL filed by Mumbai-based NGO Vanashakti, which argued that the exemption diluted the EIA's safeguards and threatened eco-sensitive zones. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the NGO, said similar attempts in 2014, 2016, and 2018 had been struck down or stayed by courts, including the Kerala High Court, the National Green Tribunal, and the Delhi High Court. The petition claimed that bypassing EC for projects of such magnitude, exceeding 1.6 million square feet, would cause irreversible damage to land, water, and air quality, violating the precautionary principle entrenched in Indian environmental law. Before the January 29 amendment, EIA 2006 required EC for all construction projects above 20,000 sq m The impugned notification raised the threshold to 150,000 sq m for certain categories and also removed "general conditions" applicable in eco-sensitive and polluted areas. A follow-up office memorandum on January 30 expanded the scope of exemptions to include private universities, warehouses, and industrial sheds housing machinery or raw material.

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Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday declared that the next general election will be held in February 2026. Yunus announced the election timeframe during his address to the nation via state television, BTV and radio to mark the first anniversary of the uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.(REUTERS) He announced the election timeframe during his address to the nation via state television, BTV and radio to mark the first anniversary of the uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "On behalf of the interim government, I will write to the Chief Election Commissioner, requesting that the Election Commission organise a national election in February 2026, before the next Ramadan," Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said. 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The interim government held discussions with political parties that participated in the movement against Sheikh Hasina before finalising the "July Declaration". Top leaders of the parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders, were present when this declaration, which was adopted with the consent of the political parties, was announced at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament Complex during the uprising anniversary ceremony. The July declaration criticised the constitution adopted in 1972 after the independence war against Pakistan in 1971 and pledged to reform it. "Whereas, the post-independence Awami League government failed to materialise the people's aspirations because of the weaknesses in the procedures of drafting and in the structure of the constitution, along with its inappropriate application," the July Declaration said. "Whereas, during the rule of Sheikh Hasina, under her very leadership, an extreme force that was anti-people, autocratic and against human rights turned Bangladesh into a fascist, mafia and failed state and thereby tarnished Bangladesh's international image," it added. "Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition and that the July Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election," the July Declaration said. Thousands of people gathered at Manik Mia Avenue, a major street in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, on Tuesday, forming the south boundary of the National Parliament House Complex, to celebrate the first uprising day and the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of the previous Sheikh Hasina government, amid high security. The interim government of the South Asian country of 170 million people has organised the mega-event after declaring the day a national holiday. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised the interim Bangladesh government of Mohammad Yunus for falling short in implementing its challenging human rights agenda, a year since tens of thousands of people took to the streets to depose Sheikh Hasina's government. "The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Sheikh Hasina's abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at HRW. "The interim government appears stuck, juggling an unreformed security sector, sometimes violent religious hardliners, and political groups that seem more focused on extracting vengeance on Hasina's supporters than protecting Bangladeshis' rights," she added. Bangladesh is on high alert at the anniversary of the uprising. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, have set up checkpoints on the streets and are conducting searches. Bangladesh's Independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975. Despite the ban on the activities of the Bangladesh Awami League, the party is observing August as a month of mourning. Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a Student-led uprising, known as the July uprising or July revolution, in August last year. She fled to India, and an interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Laureate. (ANI)

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