Browsing: India

India has undertaken several historic electoral reforms over the decades — from Electronic Voting Machines and VVPAT systems to tighter expenditure monitoring and recent initiatives such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Yet, one of the gravest threats to Indian democracy continues almost openly: the distribution of money to voters during elections.This is not merely an electoral irregularity. It is corruption in its crudest and most dangerous form.Under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, bribery in elections is explicitly classified as a “corrupt practice.” The law clearly states that offering or accepting gratification…

Chennai: DMK youth wing upped its offence against Congress for severing ties after election, calling it a betrayal. This is the second attack from DMK after its first attack in the DMK district secretaries meeting held recently. However, TNCC retaliated by condemning the usage of words such as “betrayal” and “backstabbing”.The DMK youth wing held its first meeting after the recent poll defeat in DMK headquarters in Chennai, in which former chief minister M K Stalin and deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin participated. In the meeting, a resolution was passed saying that Congress“betrayed” DMK“Congress won several MLAs and MPs over the…

Accused in bank fraud case on May 24, 2026 Ahmedabad: Kalupur police on Friday arrested Harsiddh Kadiyar, a joint custodian at Bank of Baroda’s Kalupur branch, for allegedly stealing Rs 8.7 crore from the bank’s currency chest. He has been remanded in police custody until May 27. The bank’s chief manager had filed a complaint with Kalupur police on Friday.Kadiyar, a resident of Chandkheda, went on leave on April 13, citing health issues and never returned. He ignored repeated calls and emails from the bank, according to the complaint. When a new custodian took charge and conducted an internal audit,…

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has granted protection from arrest to a Bhim Army functionary in connection with an FIR lodged against him over a derogatory post on chief minister Yogi Adityanath.Hearing a writ petition filed by Sudhir Aryan, a Bhim Army functionary, a bench of Justice Rajeev Misra and Justice Padam Naraingranted six weeks to the state govt and the informant in the case to file their counter-affidavits.According to the FIR filed on April 8 at the Kareli police station of Pilibhit, the accused — who is the divisional vice-president of the Bhim Army Bharat Ekta Mission (Bareilly division)…

Bhubaneswar: Cuttack administration on Saturday invoked the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, against two brothers with a criminal past. They are currently in judicial custody, official sources said.Collector (Cuttack) Dattatreya Shinde said the Act was invoked considering their antecedents and alleged involvement in multiple heinous crimes in the Cuttack rural belt, particularly in Salepur area, over the past decade. The move aims to prevent them from indulging in further criminal activities, he added. The accused were identified as Jyoti Prakash Praharaj alias Jepi and Jyoti Samrat Praharaj alias Bapi of Jhadeswarpur village.According to the order, the superintendent of police, Cuttack…

Vigilance and anti-corruption team recovers cash as it arrests Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer Lachit Kumar Das for allegedly accepting a bribe, in Guwahati on Friday Guwahati: The total amount seized from Assam Civil Service officer Lachit Kumar Das, who was earlier arrested on graft charges, has gone up to Rs 1.66 crore in cash and Rs 86 lakh in FDs, police investigating the case said on Saturday.Police investigating the case of arrested Assam Civil Service officer Lachit Kumar Das said on Saturday that more cash has been recovered from arrested Assam additional director, Land Records, taking the total amount…

Kanpur: A fine all-round performance by Manindar Singh helped Patel Properties register a thrilling one-run victory over Metador Foam in the CCL T20 League match played at Sapru Ground on Saturday.Batting first, Patel Properties posted a competitive total of 185 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Metador Foam fought hard but fell agonisingly short, finishing at 184 for 9 in 20 oversBrief scorePatel Properties – 6 for 185 ( Ripul Anand 39, Vikas Bhartiya 25, MnindarSingh 65no, Mission Gupta 3 for 17, Prashant 1 for 16) Metador Foam – 9for 184 ( Rizwan Ansari 76, Aviral Rawat…

Ludhiana: Local authorities are deploying emergency water tankers to desperate neighbourhoods as an uncoordinated mix of unscheduled blackouts and administrative gridlock over automated prepaid electricity meters cripples municipal pumping stations.It’s a summer of punishing heat in this industrial hubs of Punjab. Ludhiana’s municipal grid relies on 1,400-odd deep-well tube pumps to extract more than 600 million litres of groundwater daily. However, civic officials say the state electricity provider’s unscheduled power cuts frequently hit during scheduled water distribution hours.Even when power returns, the system lacks the pressure required to pump water into elevated residential storage tanks or to households located on…

Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to skirt overseas travel for a year can be a boost to domestic tourism, provided govt pushes it.Tour operators highlighted two roadblocks in the Indian tourism industry. First, exorbitant domestic airfares. Second, high hotel tariffs during holidays. They sought some sort of cap on either to boost inland travel.Nilesh Bhansali, the president of the Travel Agents’ Association of Pune, said domestic tourism should be made more affordable if people are expected to avoid foreign travel. “At times, flying from Mumbai to Leh costs more than travelling to Dubai. Hotel tariffs in destinations like Goa…

Margao: Curchorem-Cacora residents have raised concerns over a growing stray buffalo menace that, apart from destroying crops and banana plantations, poses a grave threat to road safety.According to locals, stray buffaloes herds have been roaming the town over several nights, moving from Ambedkar Chowk towards Baagwada and Shirfod, damaging plantations. Tushar Suresh Kudchadkar, a resident whose plantation in Baag was affected, reportedly suffered significant losses .Residents have flagged road safety risks, especially at Ambedkar Circle, where the animals have been spotted wandering onto the road at night, with cow dung and water strewn across the road. “Buffaloes suddenly jump onto…