Is ED being weaponised by Modi government to target opposition? Experts debate
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New Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Kerala cabinet pays tribute to VS, makes note of key interventions
VS was also recognised for his interventions in key areas such as environmental protection, gender equality, and human rights. His contributions in both legislative and administrative roles were remembered, including his tenure as a legislator representing Ambalapuzha, Mararikulam, and Malampuzha, and his term as chief minister from 2006 to 2011. He later served as the Chairman of the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission from 2016 to 2021. The cabinet remarked that his death marks a significant loss to Kerala's progressive and democratic movements. Other decisions The cabinet approved the creation of a deputy collector post for Disaster Management in the districts of Wayanad and Idukki-two of the most disaster-prone regions in the state. The posts will be established by abolishing one office attendant and one typist post in the respective district revenue department. The cabinet also approved the transfer of 28 acres of land in Melthonnakkal and Andurkonam panchayats for the second phase of Digital University Kerala campus. The land, originally part of the 507 acres notified for Technopark Phase IV (Technocity), will be handed over on a freehold basis. Digital University Kerala will be responsible for all future land acquisition and resettlement (LAR) liabilities. An allocation of Rs 21.81 crore has been sanctioned to Technopark to facilitate the transfer.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Should EC let dead people be in poll rolls, asks CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, questioning whether the Election Commission should allow deceased persons, permanent migrants and duplicate voters to remain registered amid opposition allegations that the exercise would disenfranchise crores of legitimate voters. Should EC let dead people be in poll rolls, asks CEC Kumar's strident defence came as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi escalated his attack on the poll panel, claiming his party possessed definitive proof of electoral fraud in Karnataka and threatening consequences for election officials. Speaking in Parliament premises, Gandhi declared: 'Not 90 per cent, when we decide to show it to you, it is a 100 per cent proof.' He alleged the Congress had discovered thousands of unauthorised voter entries for people aged 50, 60 and 65 in a single Karnataka constituency, alongside deletions of legitimate voters above 18. 'We just looked at one constituency and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency this is the drama that is taking place,' Gandhi said, claiming similar manipulation was occurring during Bihar's SIR exercise. 'I want to send a message to the Election Commission: If you think you are going to get away with it, you are mistaken. We are going to come for you,' Gandhi warned. The CEC, in his remarks aimed generally at political criticism with respect to the exercise in Bihar, invoked constitutional principles, asking whether the Election Commission should 'get misled by some people' and 'pave the way for some to cast fake votes in the name of deceased voters, voters who have migrated permanently, voters who have got their votes registered at two places, fake voters or foreign voters, going against the Constitution, first in Bihar, then in the entire country.' 'The Constitution of India is the mother of Indian democracy,' Kumar stated, arguing that authentic voter lists prepared through transparent processes formed 'the foundation stone for fair elections and strong democracy.' 'Perhaps the most appropriate time for this essential thinking for all of you has now arrived in India,' he added, urging citizens to think beyond political ideologies. In a Thursday press note, the Commission revealed that 99% of Bihar's electors had been reached in the revision exercise, with forms from 72.1 million voters—91.32% of the total—already received and digitised. But BLOs and BLAs reported significant irregularities, the panel claimed. Nearly 2.2 million on the rolls were deceased, 3.2 million had migrated permanently, 700,000 registrations were duplicate and another 100,000 were untraceable voters. Despite door-to-door verification, roughly 700,000 electors were yet to submit their forms – the deadline for which was set for July 25. The Commission shared booth-level lists of problematic entries with all political parties on July 20, allowing claims and objections until September 1, 2025. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 1 and distributed to all 12 recognised parties in digital and printed formats. An ECI spokesperson dismissed Gandhi's Karnataka allegations as 'unwarranted' and 'baseless,' noting that Congress had filed no appeals with the District Magistrate or Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Of 10 election petitions filed in Karnataka, none came from losing Congress candidates despite available legal remedies under Section 80 of the RP Act, 1951. 'ECI is wondering as to why such baseless and threatening allegations are being made against the CEC—and that too now?' the spokesperson questioned. Kumar advised that if an election petition had been filed, Gandhi should 'wait for the verdict of Hon'ble High Court,' otherwise refrain from making 'baseless allegations.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Used it as sacred seat for decades': EOW seizes tiger hide from woman during raid in DA case against son in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: A tiger skin gifted by her father-in-law in 1977 has now landed a 70-year-old woman in Jabalpur, MP, behind bars. It resurfaced unexpectedly during an Economic Offences Wing raid at her home, a fallout of an ongoing disproportionate assets case against her son, Jagdish Prasad Sarvate, deputy commissioner in the tribal welfare department. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Savitri Sarvate was arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act by the forest department, and sent to judicial custody on Thursday. She said she was unaware of the legal implications of possessing a tiger skin and had been using it for over four decades as a 'sacred seat' during religious rituals. Forest officer Aniruddha Majumdar and a senior scientist from the State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, confirmed the skin was that of a tiger. Measuring 5ft and 5inches in length and 5ft and 3 inches in width, it was handed over to the Special Tiger Task Force. Assets worth Rs 6 cr seized from Sarvate Forest officials said possession of tiger parts, even if acquired decades ago, remains a serious criminal offence under the Indian law if not registered. The tiger skin was just one element of the larger recovery from Sarvate's properties. The EOW raid, which started on July 22, is being conducted at Bhopal, Jabalpur, Sagar and Mandla districts. Valuables and documents worth Rs 19 lakh were seized from the family's ancestral home in Adhartal. A joint locker in the name of Jagdish Prasad and his mother at SBI's Tularam branch yielded gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 18.41 lakh. So far, investigators have unearthed assets worth Rs 6.75 crore linked to Sarvate and his family, vastly disproportionate to his declared income of Rs 1.56 crore. From his govt residence in Sagar, Rs 2.80 lakh was recovered. Fifty-six bottles of liquor, seized from a property in Jabalpur, have been handed over to police.
