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Supreme Court agrees to hear plea seeking to ban illegal betting apps
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea seeking to ban 'illegal' betting and online real-money gaming apps in India. The court has notified the Union government and all states, stating that it would prioritise the matter.
The PIL calls for a comprehensive central law to regulate and prohibit betting platforms, claiming that such apps are currently operating in violation of the Public Gambling Act.
The plea highlights that the lives of over 300 million Indian youth are at risk due to the unchecked spread of online betting. It also criticises government inaction, arguing that only four out of 29 states have taken any steps to curb these platforms.
During the hearing on Friday, the apex court requested the Attorney General and Solicitor General to be present at the next hearing on August 18.
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India Today
25 minutes ago
- India Today
Six years after Article 370: What would statehood change for J&K?
Six years after the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh—there is now a strong political push to restore July 20, J&K's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for restoring statehood. 'We're not asking for something that is not our due. Statehood is a right; it was promised to the people,' he Central government had also assured the Supreme Court during the hearing on petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that restoration of statehood will be done expeditiously. Under the Constitution, India is a 'Union of States', and the powers of a State and a Union territory under the federal system are clearly DID THE SUPREME COURT SAY?In 2023, while passing its verdict, the Supreme Court noted that the Parliament under the Constitution has admitted and established new States in article 3 of the Constitution would legally allow the Parliament to 'extinguish' the status of a State in the manner that was done by reorganising J&K into two Union territories was left open by the five-judge bench, however, noted that 'states under the Indian Constitution have their own independent constitutional existence.'The Supreme Court had agreed not to go into the issue of legal validity of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, after the Solicitor General for the Union of India told the court that 'statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir and that its status as a Union territory is temporary.'The Court in its verdict noted that the Solicitor General had clarified that 'the status of the Union Territory of Ladakh will not be affected by the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.'The Court in its verdict had directed that 'Restoration of statehood shall take place at the earliest and as soon as possible.' It has, however, been nearly 2 years since the Sc is also a petition pending before the Supreme Court of India, likely to be heard on August 8, seeking restoration of statehood to J&K. The petition has argued that delay in restoration of statehood is 'gravely affecting the rights of the inhabitants of Jammu andKashmir and also violating the basic structure of federalism.'WHAT DOES STATEHOOD MEAN UNDER THE CONSTITUTION?States are the foundational units of India's federal structure. According to a paper by former Law Commission member P.M. Bakshi, 'The essence of federalism lies in the sharing of legal sovereignty by the Union and the federating units.'advertisementDemarcation of legislative power between the Center and the states also helps in defining the boundaries of the executive power shared by the two, as usually the legislative power controls the powers of the Executive legislatures have exclusive powers over subjects enumerated in List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and concurrent powers over those enumerated in List powers of the legislature include authorisation of all expenditure, taxation and borrowing by the state legislatures, apart from exercising the usual power of financial control, use all normal parliamentary devices like questions, discussions, debates, adjournments and no-confidence motions and resolutions to keep a watch over day-to-day work of the executive. They also have their committees on estimates and public accounts to ensure that grants sanctioned by legislature are properly a state, the Governor also has limited powers to interfere with governance and ordinarily acts only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. In a UT, the situation is different, as the LG has expanded powers of discretion and there are restrictions on the subjects which are under control of the legislature and executive IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR?Under Article 239 of the Constitution, Union Territories are administrated by the President acting to such extent, as he thinks fit, through an Administrator appointed by him. Currently, the role of the Administrator of J&K and Ladakh is held by the Lieutenant Governor (LG).At present, following the J&K Reorganisation, the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have limited powers to legislate and the Reorganisation Act, the UT of J&K has been included under Article 239A of the Constitution, which means that the UT has a legislative Assembly with 107 seats that are filled by direct UT of Ladakh is directly administered by the President, which means that it does not have an elected Assembly, and the Parliament of India passes any laws and monitors the administration of the the parliament under these provisions can introduce changes to the powers of the UT legislature, the J&K Reorganisation Act has granted extensive powers to the LG. Which means that, effectively, the Home Minister of India has control over the Police and bureaucratic apparatus in both union to Section 36 relating to Financial Bills in the Reorganisation Act 2019, no Bill or amendment shall be introduced in the Legislative Assembly without the recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor, if such a Bill deals with amendment of the law of any financial obligation taken or to be incurred by the legislature of the Union Territory, among other provision has had wide significance as virtually every policy decision may give rise to a financial obligation for the Union Territory. This has also raised points of conflict between the elected government and the amending the rules framed under the Reorganisation Act, the Center in 2024 had also vested more powers to the for taking decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and giving sanction for prosecution in various MHA further said that all decisions regarding the appointment of advocate general and other law officers, besides matters related to the anti-corruption bureau, will also be taken by the Act also provides that the decision taken by the Lieutenant Governor in his discretion will be final and the validity of any action taken by the Lieutenant Governor will not be questioned on the grounds of whether he should have acted in his discretion or WILL CHANGE ONCE STATEHOOD IS RESTORED?All limitations on the power and authority of the elected government and legislature will be removed once statehood is the Reorganisation Act, the J&K Legislature has the power to pass laws on the subjects mentioned in the Concurrent list of the Constitution as well as on any subject in the State List 'except the subjects mentioned at entries 1 and 2, namely 'Public Order' and 'Police' respectively'Once statehood is restored to J&K, the power to control the police forces in the state and regulate 'public order'- would go back to the elected Assembly and the elected Government of the extensive discretion and powers granted to the LG, as the administrator representing the President, will also be removed, with the powers to control the police, law and order, transfer postings of bureaucrats and anti-corruption branches going back to the elected both the Solicitor General (in the Supreme Court) and the Union Home Minister (in Parliament) have clarified that Ladakh will remain a separate Union Territory even after J&K regains statehood.- Ends
India Today
25 minutes ago
- India Today
Modi misread Trump: Now India pays the price
A war of words has erupted between New Delhi and Washington, exposing the fragility of what was once hailed as a geopolitical success story. India has hit back hard at US President Donald Trump's threat to hike tariffs on Indian goods over continued imports of Russian oil, calling the targeting "unjustified and unreasonable" whilst slamming what it perceives as Washington's double The so-called Modi-Trump bromance, once paraded as diplomatic triumph, is now cracking under the weight of harsh reality. What began with mutual praise and public spectacle, from the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston to the grand "Namaste Trump" reception in Ahmedabad, has devolved into accusations, tariffs, and transactional Fatal MiscalculationOne of New Delhi's fundamental missteps was assuming that warm handshakes and mega-rallies could override hard economic interests. Modi's outreach to Trump was personal, public, and passionate, but Trump doesn't separate business from bromance. The "great friend" narrative gave India false confidence that proved Modi threw his weight behind Trump, literally sharing the stage with him in Houston and Ahmedabad, it was a bet on personal chemistry over policy complexity. India saw Trump not as a volatile businessman-president, but as a dealmaker who'd favour "friends." The reality? Trump doesn't do friendships, he does leverage. And India misread that playbook temples in Varanasi to villages in Gujarat, people performed pujas praying for Trump's victory. Modi had pulled off spectacular diplomatic theatre, and India felt it had America in its corner. Yet Trump's loyalty lies only with the US balance sheet, viewing India as a trade surplus machine rather than a strategic Russian Oil WedgeIndia's dependence on Russian oil has become the new wedge in this deteriorating relationship. With crude prices volatile and energy security paramount, India turned to Moscow for discounted supply, with Russia now accounting for up to 40% of India's oil imports. Trump, who views foreign policy through a profit-loss lens, sees this as lashed out, accusing India of undermining the West's Ukraine strategy and "helping Putin," with tariffs becoming punishment. Worse still, he's framed it as India profiting from global chaos. Modi's government finds itself caught in a trilemma: oil security, global optics, and Trump's offensive 4th August 2025, India's Ministry of External Affairs dropped a diplomatic bombshell in response. Calling Trump's tariff threats "unjustified and unreasonable," the MEA emphasised that India's oil purchases are driven by survival, not sympathy for Moscow. With Middle Eastern oil redirected to Europe after the Ukraine war, India had little choice but to buy discounted Russian crude to shield its economy. India's anger wasn't merely economic, it was moral. The statement highlighted US and EU hypocrisy, pointing out how the West continues trading heavily with Russia in everything from uranium to fertilisers, yet singles out India for 25% Tariff HammerTrump's imposition of a 25% tariff on all Indian goods wasn't just economic muscle-flexing, it was a warning shot. The US goods trade deficit with India stood at $45.7 billion in 2024, which Trump views as theft, plain and simple. His administration has revived old complaints about high tariffs, restricted market access, regulatory red tape, and "unfair" practices in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and most jarring for India was Trump's renewed outreach to Pakistan, military meetings, energy cooperation discussions, and vague proposals of "regional balance." For a country that expected Trump to be firmly in its anti-Pakistan corner, this felt like betrayal, exposing another blind spot in India's strategic Path ForwardIndia must now abandon illusions of personal diplomacy. Trump is a negotiator, not a friend, he respects leverage, not loyalty. New Delhi must shift from sentimentality to strategy, from ceremonial displays to pragmatic biggest lesson? Don't tie national strategy to individual leaders. American policy is shifting toward hard realism, and India must do the same. This means engaging not as a junior partner seeking approval, but as a sovereign power navigating a multipolar obsession with optics, handshakes, stagecraft, mega-events, must give way to tough negotiations, quiet diplomacy, and pragmatic positioning. Because Trump isn't here to dance at "Namaste Trump" events, he's here to deal. And if Modi wants to succeed, it's time to stop praying and start playing hardball politics.- Ends
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Maharashtra local body elections to be held in phases, after Diwali, says SEC
The much awaited local body elections in Maharashtra will be held in phases after Diwali, said State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Nashik after taking a review of the poll preparedness in north Maharashtra, Waghmare also said VVPAT machines will not be used in the polls, a decision over which the Opposition has already raised questions. Waghmare said, 'The election process for the local bodies will begin post-Diwali. I am not announcing the dates but the process will begin by October end. There is a major human resource constraint on holding all elections together. Therefore, the elections will be in a phased manner.' Recalling that the Supreme Court has directed to hold the elections within four months, he said, 'The elections will be conducted based on voters' list finalised on July 1, 2025.' In Maharashtra, the local body polls will be nothing less than mini-assembly polls. In urban areas, out of 29 municipal corporations (Jalna and Ichalkaranji newly formed), all are now run by administrators, without an elected body. The state has a 248 municipal councils — all with administrators. Out of 147 nagar panchayats, newly formed ones are 42, where elections will be held. In rural Maharashtra, out of 34 zilla parishads, 32 have administrators, except for Bhandara and Gondia whose term will end in May 2027. In case of 351 panchayat samitis, 336 have administrators where elections will be held. Without announcing the sequence, Waghmare said, 'The entire process will be over by December end or mid-January 2026.' The SEC also mentioned that around 8,705 control units and more than 17,000 voting machines will be required. 'The VVPATs will not be used in the upcoming polls,' he said. While the Opposition questioned the move, sources within the State Election Commission said that VVPATs are never used in local body polls. 'The only time when VVPATs were used on an experimental basis was in two wards in the last election for Nanded Municipal Corporation,' said an official from the Commission. Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare said that the decision raises questions over the transparency of the electoral process. A day before, the Supreme Court cleared the path for local body polls by upholding 27 per cent reservation for OBCs. Waghmare said that while the reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled tribe is fixed, a lottery method like the previous elections will be followed for the OBC reservation.
