Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, from Ajit Pawar’s faction of the party, announced on Friday that he will not be contesting the Nashik Lok Sabha seat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that India’s previous United Progressive Alliance governments had cheated India’s Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the name of social justice. The Tripura chief electoral officer issued a notice to Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma for violating the Model Code of Conduct. Communist Party of India (Marxist) member Brinda Karat suggested that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi withdraw his statement about the lack of action against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by central agencies.

Here’s a look at today’s top developments:

• Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal announced on Friday that he will not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Nashik, reported PTI. Bhujbal said his decision would end the tussle over the seat between his party, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and its ally Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Bhujbal told reporters that Pawar had claimed the seat on grounds that their party had more MLAs from the area, but Shinde sought to keep the seat as the sitting Nashik MP, Hemant Godse, is from the Shiv Sena.

• Speaking at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was working to “achieve the social justice dream of Jyotiba Phule, BR Ambedkar and Chaudhary Charan Singh” whereas previous governments had only cheated Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, reported PTI. He also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, calling them “shehzade ki jodi”, or a pair of princes. “Every time these people go out to seek votes from the people of Uttar Pradesh, they carry a basket of dynasty, corruption and appeasement,” he said.

• The Tripura chief electoral officer on Friday issued a notice to Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma for his statements on social media hours before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. In a live video session, Debbarma reportedly said that there is only “one party” that could form a government at the Centre and encouraged viewers to vote for it, according to The Indian Express. In its notice, the poll body said: “It is clear from your said message that your appeal is to a particular community to vote in favour of a particular party.” It asked Debbarma to take down the social media post and explain why action should not be taken against him.

• Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Brinda Karat has advised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his statement allegedly “inciting” the Enforcement Directorate to take action against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Gandhi on Thursday asked why the BJP-led Centre was not “attacking” Vijayan, according to The Indian Express. “He [Vijayan] says that he is ideologically fighting the BJP, but I know that when you fight the BJP ideologically, they attack you with everything they have,” said Gandhi. Karat called the statements “uncharitable and shocking” and said that it was “unbecoming of a Congress leader” to make such statements against the leader of Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai has suspended Dalit student and PhD scholar Ramadas Prini Sivanadan for two years for participating in protests against the Bharatiya Janata Party government, the Progressive Students’ Forum alleged in a statement on Friday.

Ramadas, who is also a student leader, had received a show cause notice from the institution’s registrar on March 7 objecting to his activism, specifically his participation in the Parliament March in Delhi in January and his post on social media encouraging students to watch the documentary Ram Ke Naam as an “‘anti-national’ act”, the forum claimed in a statement.

Ram Ke Naam is a National Film Award-winning 1992 documentary by filmmaker Anand Patwardhan about the campaign by Hindutva groups to build a Ram temple at the site of the erstwhile Babri mosque in Ayodhya.

The students’ association said that the documentary has been officially screened at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in the past, that it is publicly available for viewing and has also been screened by state broadcaster Doordarshan. “The current TISS administration, however, wants to censure voices even in the online space in what students want to share and talk about,” the forum alleged.

The Parliament March was organised by student groups to protest the 2020 National Education Policy. “However, by suspending and debarring entry into campus for two years, the TISS administration is indirectly trying to curb all dissent against the BJP government,” the student body alleged.

The forum also said that the institute had accused Ramadas of organising the annual Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture with “controversial speakers” on campus. The speakers have included academics and human rights activists including two Ramon Magsaysay awardees, P Sainath and Bezwada Wilson, the organisation highlighted.

“The administration has never officially objected to the lecture on account of having ‘controversial speakers’,” the students’ group said. “That the administration thinks this way is a blot on the academic credentials of the institute.”

The forum alleged that a crackdown on student voices resisting the policies of the BJP government “is very much evident in these actions”.

“These actions of the administration clearly highlight a trend of active support of the ruling BJP government at the cost of the future of students coming from marginalised backgrounds,” the student organisation said. “The administration has been taking rampant actions against any form of student dissent, especially following its takeover by the Central government last year and the appointment of new leadership in all high-ranking administrative positions.”

On March 13, the students’ union at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences had expressed concerns about freedom of expression after restrictions were placed on student activities. It also criticised the “unprofessional, insensitive communication” issued by the administration in the matter.

Also read: Restrictions on activities infringing on academic freedom: TISS students’ union

Polling stations for the Lok Sabha elections in six districts of eastern Nagaland recorded a very low voter turnout on Friday amid a shutdown call by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation, a pressure group representing the state’s backward hilly regions, to push its statehood demand, PTI reported.

The group had imposed an indefinite total shutdown in the region from 6 pm on Thursday.

Nagaland was among the 17 states and four Union Territories that headed to the polls in the first phase of the general election on Friday. The state has one Lok Sabha seat.

Of the 13.2 lakh voters in Nagaland, just over 4 lakh live in these six eastern districts, PTI reported. The six districts comprise 20 of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state.

The exact voter turnout in these six districts was unclear. NDTV and India Today reported that there had been almost 0% voting in these six districts.

As of 5 pm, data released by the Election Commission showed that the voter turnout in the Assembly segments that comprise the six districts as “–”. However, the poll panel had published the voter turnout percentage for other Assembly segments in the state.

The overall turnout in Nagaland was 56.6% by 5 pm. The numbers will be updated when made available by the Election Commission.

Eastern Nagaland comprises six districts – Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator – which are inhabited by seven Naga tribes: Konyak, Khiamniungan, Chang, Sangtam, Tikhir, Phom and Yimkhiung.

Much of the long-standing demand for a separate state arises because this region is significantly more backward than the rest of Nagaland.

On Sunday, R Tsapikiu Sangtam, the chief of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation, had told local news website Nagaland Post that the people of the region were not “boycotting” the election but “abstaining” from the process.

Nagaland’s chief electoral officer issued a notice to the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation for disrupting the electoral process, NDTV reported. The apex body of the area’s seven tribal organisations was asked to explain why action under sub-section of Indian Penal Code Section 171C (undue influence in elections) should not be initiated against it.

NDTV quoted the organisation as saying that the decision of not voting was a “voluntary initiative” by the people and that the legal action against it “is not applicable...as no offence related to undue influence at any election is committed”.

The organisation had given a similar call to abstain from voting during the Assembly polls in Nagaland last year. However, it was withdrawn after an assurance from Union home minister Amit Shah, NDTV reported.

The lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland is held by Tokheho Yepthomi of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Both parties are part of the state’s coalition government.

Also read: Why some Nagas want to partition their state to create a ‘Frontier Nagaland’

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election began on Friday, with 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 states and four Union Territories going to polls. Voting is also underway for the 92 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The states that will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Elections will also be held in the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

By 5 pm, West Bengal had recorded a voter turnout of 77.57% while the turnout in Uttar Pradesh was 57.54%. Maharashtra had registered a 54.85% voter turnout by 5 pm, while the figure in Bihar was the lowest at 46.32%, according to the Election Commission.

Mizoram had registered a 52.91% voter turnout and Lakshadweep had recorded 59.02% voting by 5 pm.

Voting began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm in most seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to exercise their franchise in record numbers and particularly called upon young and first-time voters to cast their ballot in large numbers.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged people to carefully cast their votes and said that a “new era of economic empowerment and equal opportunities” beckons them. “The fight to protect our Constitution and Democracy begins today,” he said.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections commence today! As 102 seats across 21 States and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers. I particularly call upon the young and first time voters to vote in large numbers. After all,…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 19, 2024

The fight to protect our Constitution and Democracy begins today.

My dear citizens, from 21 States and UTs who are voting in the First Phase of the Lok Sabha elections, I request you to carefully cast your vote.

A future where NYAY (JUSTICE) awaits you. A new era of Economic…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 19, 2024

Clashes in West Bengal

Clashes between workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal were reported as soon as polling began in the state, according to Hindustan Times.

A functionary of the Trinamool Congress, Anant Barman, was also hospitalised after he was injured allegedly in a crude bomb attack in Bhetaguri.

The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that members of the Trinamool Congress pelted stones in Chandamari to stop people from voting, reported The Indian Express. On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress accused the BJP of threatening voters in Begarkata.

Hours before polling began, a Central Reserve Police Force soldier was found dead inside the washroom of a polling booth in Mathabhanga, according to India Today. The soldier had sustained head injuries.

CPI(M) alleges electoral malpractice in Tripura

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in a letter to the chief electoral officer in Tripura alleged “large-scale manipulation” in several booths of the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency.

The party alleged that polling agents of the INDIA bloc were prevented from entering several booths and were driven away from some. “In some places, they were beaten up,” read the letter to the poll officer.

The letter also claimed that voters living along the India-Bangladesh border, especially Muslims, were threatened on Thursday evening not to approach the polling booths. It alleged that BJP workers forcibly took away the polling slips distributed from many houses. “In 7-Ramnagar Assembly constituency, till 12 noon, the polling booth number 1, 3, booth 4 to 15, booth 17 to 32, were captured and totally rigged,” said the letter.

Election Malpractices in Tripura
Letter to Chief Electoral Officer pic.twitter.com/hk53bziORI

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) April 19, 2024

Over 16 crore voters across 1.87 lakh polling stations

The first phase is the largest of the seven phases in the elections that will end on June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Over 18 lakh polling personnel have been deployed across 1.87 lakh polling stations in the first phase, PTI reported. There are a total of 16.63 crore registered voters in the first phase, of whom around 35.67 lakh are first-time voters.

Key candidates

Among the prominent candidates in the fray are eight Union ministers – Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal West, Sarbananda Sonowal from Dibrugarh, Jitendra Singh from Udhampur, Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Bhupendra Yadav from Alwar and Sanjeev Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar.

Among the prominent Opposition leaders in the fray in the first phase are Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat, Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga, Kanimozhi from Thoothukudi and Nakul Nath from Chhindwara.

Also read: Is the 2024 Lok Sabha election India’s last chance before the point of no return?

Incidents of violence were reported in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency during the first phase of polling in the general elections on Friday, amid tight security measures in the northeastern state, according to The Hindu.

Miscreants fired at a polling station at Thamanpokpi, which is located in the Moirang Assembly segment, The Hindu reported. At least three persons were injured.

An incident of vandalism was reported at a polling station in the Thongju Assembly segment located in the Imphal East district, according to the newspaper.

Moirang and Imphal East district are in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency.

Both Lok Sabha constituencies in Manipur are polling on Friday. Voting in the Inner Manipur constituency is happening entirely on Friday. However, some Assembly segments in the Outer Manipur constituency will head for polls in the second phase on April 26.

As of 4 pm, the voter turnout in Manipur was 63%, according to the Election Commission.

In the 2019 general election, the final turnout in the state was 82.69%. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had won the Inner Manipur seat and the Naga People’s Front had bagged the other.

Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the tribal Kuki and the dominant Meitei communities since May. The violence has left 219 persons dead and displaced 60,000 people from their homes since May 3, according to figures released by the state government in February.

The members of the Meitei community account for 60% of the state’s population and are largely concentrated in the Imphal Valley.

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election began on Friday, with 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 states and four Union Territories going to polls. Voting is also underway for the 92 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Besides Manipur, the states that are voting in the first phase are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

The Indian embassy in the United Arab Emirates on Friday advised Indian passengers travelling to or through the Dubai airport to reschedule non-essential travel until operations normalise after unprecedented rainfall and floods in the city.

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates experienced its heaviest rainfall in the 75 years that records have been kept. The rains flooded Dubai, causing widespread damage to property and infrastructure, bringing much of the emirate to a standstill.

In its advisory, the Indian embassy said that airport authorities have advised that passengers may travel to the airport “only after final confirmation from their respective airlines regarding the departure date and time of their flights”.

The Indian diplomatic mission in Dubai said that while the authorities are trying to normalise operations at the airport “the situation is unprecedented”.

Watch: Unbelievable scenes of flooding in Dubai airport, streets, and malls after heavy rain in UAE

Flight operations at the Dubai International Airport, which is the busiest in the world by volume of international passenger traffic, has remained disrupted even as public transportation services have gradually resumed.

The airport started limiting the number of incoming flights from 12 pm on Friday. Emirates, one of the country’s flag carrier airlines, said it was suspending check-in for all passengers on its network travelling with onward connections through Dubai for the entirety of Friday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, India’s largest airlines IndiGo and Air India had cancelled several flights to Dubai.

A record 254 mm of rainfall was recorded in Al Ain, a town close to the country’s border with Oman. This was the highest rainfall ever in a 24-hour period since record-keeping began in 1949.

The country lacks drainage systems to cope with torrential rainfall.

Government schools across the country will remain closed till Friday as a precautionary measure.

Since 2002, the United Arab Emirates government has been cloud seeding to ensure water security. However, the country’s National Center of Meteorology said there had been no such cloud-seeding operations before or during the storm on Tuesday.

The New York Times quoted experts as saying that the deluge had likely been caused by a regular rainy weather system that may have been exacerbated by climate change.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed district authorities to decide within three days on applications seeking permissions for public gatherings ahead of Lok Sabha or Assembly elections, reported Live Law.

The direction came on a public interest litigation filed by activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey.

Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Prashant Bhushan told a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta that blanket prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure have been issued in the past six months for the whole duration of the Lok Sabha elections.

Bhushan told the court there has to be some “well-founded apprehension of breach of peace”.

When asked by the court to present any such orders by the district authorities, the advocate referred to one passed on March 16 by the district magistrate of Barmer.

“Lok Sabha elections have been announced by the Election Commission,” read the order. “As per the instructions of the Election Commission, the Lok Sabha elections should be conducted in a peaceful, free, fair, well-organised manner.”

It added: “No person will be able to organise a procession or public meeting without the prior written permission of the concerned returning officer but this restriction will not apply to marriage ceremonies and funeral processions.”

Bhushan said that the petitioners had asked for permission to conduct a “democracy yatra” to educate voters about exercising their democratic rights. “We asked for permission but nothing was given,” he was quoted as saying by India Today. “Within 48 hours, they should decide the application for permission.”

In an interim order that is applicable nationwide, the bench said: “We direct that if anyone submits an application to the competent authority, the same shall be decided within a period of three days from making of such application.”

The matter will be heard again in two weeks.

Iran on Friday shot down three drones allegedly launched by Israel at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan, reported Al Jazeera citing local media reports.

The action came hours after an unidentified official from the United States told CNN that Israel had carried out a military attack inside Iran. Another US official told the news channel that Washington did not endorse the strike.

Unidentified Israeli officials also confirmed to The New York Times that the country’s military had attacked Iran. This marks Israel’s first military response to Iran’s drone strike against it on Sunday.

Iran on Sunday had launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel in its first-ever direct military attack on the country. The attack was ostensibly a response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria earlier this month that killed 16 people, including seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are part of the Iranian armed forces.

On Friday, Iran activated its air defence system after an explosion was heard near a major air base near the city of Isfahan, the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Iranian officials as saying.

As a result, flights were suspended in several areas including the capital Tehran. The country’s airspace was reopened after nearly four-and-a-half hours, according to Al Jazeera. No casualties were reported.

Iranian Second Brigadier General Siavash Mihandoost also confirmed to the state news agency that no damage was reported due to the attack.

The facility at Isfahan is considered strategically important as it houses Iran’s fleet of F-14 Tomcats, an American-made fighter aircraft, according to AP. Three small Chinese-supplied research reactors are also operated from the facility, which handles fuel production and other activities for Iran’s civilian nuclear programme.

The nearby city of Natanz is one of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, said in a social media post later in the day that there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear site.

“Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts,” said the watchdog. “IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely.”

The strikes come amid increasing tensions in West Asia as Israel pushes ahead with its war on Gaza, which began over six months ago.

The Israeli military’s relentless air and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory have killed nearly 34,000 people so far. The war began after Palestinian militant group Hamas led an incursion into southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority to investigate claims that baby cereal products sold by Swiss food-processing conglomerate Nestlé in India contain added sugar, PTI reported on Friday.

The development comes after an investigation by the Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network found that Nestlé was selling products with added sugar to low-income countries. Experts maintain that sugar should not be added to foods fed to babies and young children because it is unnecessary and addictive.

However, infant cereals and formulas sold in the European market, including Switzerland, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, did not have any added sugar, the investigation found.

Public Eye is a Swiss non-governmental organisation campaigning for fair globalisation and the International Baby Food Action Network is a network of public interest groups working to reduce morbidity and mortality among infants and young children globally.

In response to the report, Consumer Affairs Secretary and Central Consumer Protection Authority chief Nidhi Khare told PTI that she had written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority “to take cognisance of the report on Nestlé’s baby product”.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also issued a notice to the Food Safety and Standards Authority about the report.

What the report said

According to the Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network report, all 15 Cerelac baby cereal products sold by Nestlé in India contain on average nearly three grams of added sugar per serving.

In South Africa too, all Cerelac baby cereals contain four grams or more of added sugar per serving and in Brazil, six out of eight such products sold by Nestlé contain an average of three grams of sugar per serving, they found.

On the other hand, infant cereals and formulas sold in the European market did not contain added sugar.

In a statement shared with Scroll on Thursday, a Nestlé India spokesperson said that the company’s “products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards [a commission established by the World Heath Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization] and local specifications [as required] pertaining to the requirements all nutrients including added sugars”.

The company added: “Over the past 5 years, we have already reduced added sugars by up to 30%, depending on the variant. We regularly review our portfolio and continue to innovate and reformulate our products to further reduce the level of added sugars, without compromising on nutrition, quality, safety, and taste.”

The report by the two organisations also showed that Cerelac wheat-based cereals, meant for consumption by six-month-old babies, contained over two grams of added sugar per serving in India, six grams in Brazil and over five grams in Ethiopia. The same product being sold in Germany and the United Kingdom did not contain any added sugar.

A video of Madhavi Latha, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, miming at shooting an arrow at a mosque during a procession drew criticism from the Opposition on Thursday. It said that such acts pose a threat to peace in the city.

The video appeared to have been shot on Wednesday during a Ram Navami procession, according to PTI.

Unacceptable provocation… BJP candidate from Hyderabad Madhavi Latha seen here pretending to shoot an arrow at a mosque during the Ram Navami procession in Hyderabad 👇🏼👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/CK1UWpJ8b3

— Akshita Nandagopal (@Akshita_N) April 18, 2024

Commenting on the video, Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the BJP was trying to destroy peace in the city, ANI reported.

“The people of Hyderabad and Telangana have seen the BJP's intentions,” he said. “I appeal to people to see what they are trying to do, and to use their votes wisely.”

Owaisi said that voters would not accept the BJP candidate’s “vulgar and provocative” action.

Latha, on her part, claimed that an “incomplete video” was being circulated in the media to spread negativity. However, she said: “…Even because of such video if any one’s sentiments are hurt then I would like to apologise as I respect all individuals.”

It has come to my notice that one video of mine is being circulated in media to create negativity.

I would like to clarify that it’s an incomplete video and even because of such video if any one’s sentiments are hurt then I would like to apologise as I respect all individuals.

— Kompella Madhavi Latha (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Kompella_MLatha) April 18, 2024

Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, responding to a query about the BJP candidate’s action, said that such a video had not come to his notice, according to PTI.

The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Office on Thursday directed authorities in Pune to investigate Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s statement that he would give funds for development projects as long as voters chose the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the Lok Sabha elections, The Times of India reported.

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) had complained to the State Election Commission against Pawar.

“We have just received the complaint,” The Times of India quoted an unidentified official from the chief electoral office as saying. “We have asked the district officer to take cognisance of it and send a report.”

The Mahayuti alliance has fielded Sunetra Pawar, the deputy chief minister’s wife, from Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections against Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule. Sule has represented the parliamentary constituency since 2009.

On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar told a gathering in the Indapur town, which falls within the Baramati constituency, that his alliance would sanction as much funds as needed for development projects. “But if we are giving funds, we expect you to press the button next to our candidate’s symbol [on the Electronic Voting Machine] in the elections so that I will feel good about giving funds,” he said. “Otherwise, my hand will be restricted.”

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar said that the deputy chief minister was using funds to threaten voters who were not supporting him, adding that this was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning.

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan for over 12 hours in connection with alleged irregularities in appointments to the Delhi Waqf Board, reported The Hindu.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in appointments and misappropriation of funds in the Delhi Waqf Board during Khan’s chairmanship between 2018 and 2022.

Late on Thursday, the MLA from Delhi’s Okhla constituency told media persons that he was called in for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate at 11 am following a direction from the Supreme Court. “I was questioned and my statement was recorded and now I am leaving,” he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: Amanatullah Khan, AAP MLA says, " I was called (by ED) for questioning, Supreme Court had directed me to appear so I had come at 11:00 am. I was questioned and my statement was recorded and now I am leaving..." pic.twitter.com/rkxs9v1xpi

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2024

Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that Khan had been arrested by the central agency. Party leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Sanjay Singh also visited his residence after he had been taken in for questioning, reported News 18.

Atishi said the alleged arrest was an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “This is a conspiracy to break the Aam Aadmi Party by scaring its MLAs,” she told reporters outside Khan’s residence. “But we will not be scared.”

The Delhi unit of the Aam Aadmi Party criticised Khan’s alleged arrest in a social media post and said that “democracy is in danger”.

“Today, another page has been added to the list of BJP’s [ruling Bharatiya Janata Party] failed attempts to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party,” the party said.

लोकतंत्र ख़तरे में है,
तानाशाही बेलगाम है ‼️

आम आदमी पार्टी को खत्म करने की भाजपा की नाकाम कोशिशों में आज एक और पन्ना जुड़ चुका है।

फर्जी मामला बना कर AAP विधायक @KhanAmanatullah को भाजपा की ED ने किया गिरफ़्तार। pic.twitter.com/GwmMFgE4fx

— Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) April 18, 2024

Khan had also posted on social media a pre-recorded message on Thursday ahead of leaving the Enforcement Directorate’s office. The MLA alleged in the video that he had been arrested as he had not testified against Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. He also said the central agencies had been troubling him for over a year.

“Their attempt has been to get me to resign,” he can be heard saying in the video. “They want me to leave [Delhi chief minister] Arvind Kejriwal and testify against him.”

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case on March 21 and is currently in Tihar Jail.

Delhi Waqf Board case

On September 16, 2022, the Anti-Corruption Branch, which reports to Delhi’s lieutenant governor, arrested Khan hours after the police conducted raids at multiple locations related to the MLA.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Shrivastava had claimed that officials found money trails in Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttarakhand.

Khan was eventually granted bail on September 28, 2022.

In October, the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at three premises linked to Khan in the national capital and alleged that he had received Rs 4 crore in cash for appointments to the Delhi Waqf Board and invested the “proceeds of crime” for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates.

In January, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a chargesheet in the case. However, Khan was not named as an accused person.

On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed Khan’s anticipatory bail petition in the case after the Enforcement Directorate had on April 11 moved a Delhi court seeking an arrest warrant against the legislator under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Supreme Court directed Khan to heed the summons from the central agency and cooperate in the investigation. He had been summoned on April 18.

However, it also said that the non-bailable warrant sought by the Enforcement Directorate against Khan would not be granted. It said the Enforcement Directorate should not arrest Khan unless there is sufficient material against him.

Khan moved the top court after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case on March 11.

News television channel DD News, the flagship channel of state-run broadcaster Doordarshan, on Tuesday launched a new saffron-coloured logo that replaces its red one.

The state-run news channel unveiled the new logo in a social media post and said that while its values remained the same, it is “now available in a new avatar”.

While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar. Get ready for a news journey like never before.. Experience the all-new DD News!

We have the courage to put:

Accuracy over speed
Facts over claims
Truth over sensationalism

Because if it is on DD News, it… pic.twitter.com/YH230pGBKs

— DD News (@DDNewslive) April 16, 2024

Several social media users criticised the change and said it amounted to the “saffronisation” of the state-run broadcaster. The colour saffron is often associated with Hindutva, an ideology espoused by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Former Prasar Bharti Chief Executive Officer Jawhar Sircar said that he has been watching Doordarshan’s saffronisation with alarm. “It’s not Prasar Bharati any more – it’s Prachar [propaganda] Bharti,” he remarked.

Doordarshan is one of the divisions of public broadcaster Prasar Bharti, the other being All India Radio.

National broadcaster Doordarshan colours its historic flagship logo in saffron!

As its ex-CEO, I have been watching its saffronisation with alarm and feel —
it’s not Prasar Bharati any more
— it’s Prachar Bharati! https://t.co/a2r6zBLc3C

— Jawhar Sircar (@jawharsircar) April 18, 2024

Saffronisation of Doordarshan

National Broadcaster DD News unveils its new logo on Ramanavami.

This will be used as logo for the DD henceforth pic.twitter.com/HTc33fsA9c

— Sridhar Ramaswamy శ్రీధర్ రామస్వామి ✋🇮🇳 (@sridharramswamy) April 17, 2024

They keep hammering nails in the coffin: https://t.co/BeCAfCnEZ7

— Saib Bilaval (@SaibBilaval) April 18, 2024

In March, Doordarshan National had said that it would telecast live the aarti ceremony held at the Ram temple in Ayodhya at 6.30 am every day.

The Ram temple was inaugurated in a ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22.

The temple, which is still under construction, is being built on the site of the Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindutva extremists on December 6, 1992, because they believed that it stood on the spot where the Hindu deity Ram was born.

Earlier this month, the state-run broadcaster telecast the film The Kerala Story.

The film, directed by Sudipto Sen, was released on May 5. It claims to depict how women from Kerala were converted to Islam and recruited by the Islamic State terrorist group.

A day before the film was broadcast, Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state-run broadcaster should withdraw its decision to air it, on grounds that the broadcast could “exacerbate communal tensions” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Vijayan said that the film incited polarisation.

All 15 Cerelac baby cereal products sold by Swiss food-processing conglomerate Nestlé in India contain on average nearly three grams of added sugar per serving, an investigation by Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network has found.

Public Eye is a Swiss non-governmental organisation campaigning for fair globalisation and the International Baby Food Action Network is a network of public interest groups working to reduce morbidity and mortality among infants and young children globally.

In South Africa too, all Cerelac baby cereals contain four grams or more of added sugar per serving and in Brazil, six out of eight such products sold by Nestlé contain an average of three grams of sugar per serving, they found.

However, the investigation also found that all infant cereals and formulas sold in the European market, including Switzerland, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, did not have any added sugar.

In a statement shared with Scroll, a Nestlé India spokesperson said that the company’s “products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards [a commission established by the World Heath Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization] and local specifications (as required) pertaining to the requirements all nutrients including added sugars”.

“Over the past 5 years, we have already reduced added sugars by up to 30%, depending on the variant,” the statement read. “We regularly review our portfolio and continue to innovate and reformulate our products to further reduce the level of added sugars, without compromising on nutrition, quality, safety, and taste.”

The report by the two organisations also showed that Cerelac wheat-based cereals, meant for consumption by six-month-old babies, contained over two grams of added sugar per serving in India, six grams in Brazil and over five grams in Ethiopia. The same product being sold in Germany and the United Kingdom did not contain any added sugar.

The sales of Cerelac baby cereals in India surpassed over Rs 20,000 crore in 2022. In Brazil, Nestlé sold baby cereal worth over Rs 12,500 crore in the same year.

According to Rodrigo Vianna, epidemiologist and professor at the Department of Nutrition of the Federal University of Paraíba in Brazil, the company adding sugar to baby food is “a big concern”.

“Sugar should not be added to foods offered to babies and young children because it is unnecessary and highly addictive,” Vianna told Public Eye. “Children get used to the sweet taste and start looking for more sugary foods, starting a negative cycle that increases the risk of nutrition-based disorders in adult life.” These include obesity and other chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Nigel Rollins, a scientist at the World Health Organization, said that Nestlé was showing a “double standard that cannot be justified” by adding high quantities of sugar to products sold in low-income countries, an act he described as “problematic both from a public health and ethical perspective”. Rollins said this could be a way “to get children accustomed to a certain level of sugar at a very early age so that they prefer products high in sugar”.

Also read: Only 23% of Indian toddlers and infants get a balanced diet. Educating women can help change that

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday named Union minister Narayan Rane as its candidate for Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency, wresting the seat from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s Kiran Samant. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will have to contest elections from “someplace across the oceans” in the future. Congress’ Jairam Ramesh, meanwhile, announced that Puducherry will be given full statehood if the INDIA bloc comes to power after the polls.

Here’s a look at today’s top developments:

• In its thirteenth list of candidates for the general elections, the BJP named Narayan Rane as its pick for the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in Maharashtra. After the announcement, Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said that his party’s candidate for the seat, Kiran Samant, would withdraw from the contest would work to ensure the victory of its Mahayuti alliance partner, reported The Indian Express. The alliance includes the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. Rane will contest the seat against Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate Vinayak Raut, the sitting MP.

• West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday called off his visit to Cooch Behar on the Election Commission’s advice, reported The Indian Express. Bose had intended to oversee the election process during his now-cancelled tour. Bose alleged an attempt to “politicise the governor’s office” and said that “no one can restrict the movement of a Governor”.

• Speaking to the press on Wednesday, BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that Rahul Gandhi “ran away” to Kerala after losing his seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, reported PTI. “In future he may have to cross the oceans and contest election from somewhere else,” said Yadav, adding that Gandhi would be hard pressed to find a “safe seat” to contest from in future elections. He also said that the BJP would win all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, including Chhindwara, which is known to be a Congress stronghold.

• Ahead of polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat from Puducherry, in Tamil Nadu, the Congress on Thursday reiterated its promise that the Union territory will be granted full statehood if the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre. “Last year was the 14th time that the Puducherry Assembly passed a resolution demanding statehood,” said party leader Jairam Ramesh in a social media post. “In 2024, the INDIA Coalition’s Government will hear the voice of the people of Puducherry.”

Why Puducherry cannot trust the Bharatiya Jumla Party:

• March 2023: BJP MLAs support assembly resolution demanding full statehood
• July 2023: Amit Shah declares UT status will continue “for now”
• April 2024: Puducherry missing from the BJP manifesto

In 2021, the… pic.twitter.com/bw5bEnZ0rF

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 18, 2024

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in jail in the liquor policy case, is deliberately eating sweets and mangoes to raise his blood sugar, the Enforcement Directorate alleged in a Delhi court on Thursday, Bar and Bench reported.

The Aam Aadmi Party, on the other hand, alleged a conspiracy to kill the Kejriwal in jail by denying him insulin and other medicines for his diabetes.

Zoheb Hossain, the counsel representing the central law enforcement agency, alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party chief, who is diabetic, plans to apply for bail on medical grounds citing fluctuations in his blood sugar levels.

The court was hearing an application moved by Kejriwal seeking permission to monitor his sugar levels continuously and to consult his doctor.

Advocate Vivek Jain, representing Kejriwal, objected to the Enforcement Directorate’s claims and said that the agency was making allegations “only for the media”. However, he withdrew the plea and said that that he would file a better application.

The court sought a report from Tihar Jail officials about Kejriwal’s dietary chart, Bar and Bench reported. The hearing in the matter will resume on Friday.

“The Enforcement Directorate has repeatedly lied in the court,” Delhi minister Atishi said in a press conference later. “ED told the court that Arvind Kejriwal is drinking sweet tea and eating sweets…[He] is allowed tea and sweets with a sweetener prescribed by his doctor.”

Here is what Arvind Kejriwal has consumed as food items between 2nd April and 17th April

The ED has alleged that Kejriwal has been intentionally consuming foods that spike up sugar levels, in order to create a basis for bail by citing fluctuations in his blood sugar level. pic.twitter.com/m8RHacncb1

— IANS (@ians_india) April 18, 2024

Atishi said that Kejriwal has had diabetes for the past 30 years and has been advised to keep bananas, toffees or chocolates in case of a medical emergency. “Because when someone has serious diabetes, his sugar level can fall suddenly,” she said. “Sudden fall in sugar level can also be life-threatening.”

अरविंद केजरीवाल जी की जान लेने का षड्यंत्र रचा जा रहा

▪️ दिल्ली के लोकप्रिय मुख्यमंत्री @ArvindKejriwal जी को BJP हरा नहीं सकती है। जिसके बाद इन लोगों ने केजरीवाल जी की जान लेने की साजिश करना शुरू कर दिया है।

▪️ ED अरविंद केजरीवाल जी को जेल में मिलने वाला घर का बना हुआ खाना… pic.twitter.com/3dt8Kpnsak

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 18, 2024

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 and is currently in Tihar Jail. On Monday, the court extended his judicial custody until April 23.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader has challenged his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the Supreme Court. The court has sought the agency’s response in the matter by April 24.

While rejecting the chief minister’s plea, the High Court had said on April 9 that the statements of Hyderabad-based businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and Telugu Desam Party leader Raghav Magunta, two persons accused in the case who later turned approvers – or government witnesses – could not be doubted.

Hours before Kejriwal’s arrest, electoral bond data released by the Election Commission showed a company linked to Reddy had donated Rs 5 crore to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2022, just five days after Reddy was taken into custody.

Another Rs 25 crore was donated to the BJP after Reddy turned approver in the case.

Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, the father of Raghav Magunta, got a Lok Sabha election ticket from the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of the BJP, on March 29.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating allegations of money laundering in the liquor policy case based on the first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The two central agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor excise policy by increasing the commission of wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers who had a substantial market share and turnover.

The additional chief electoral officer in Goa has referred to the Election Commission a complaint alleging that the state government signed a mining lease with Vedanta Limited in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, reported The Indian Express on Thursday.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties, candidates and governments have to follow while campaigning. The guidelines came into effect on March 16 when the poll body announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections.

On April 5, the non-governmental organisation Goa Foundation filed a complaint with the chief electoral officer in Goa, alleging that the lease deed between the state government and Vedanta Limited for resuming mining in Bicholim Mining Block 1 was signed on March 22.

The organisation alleged that the agreement was “now being used by the government to win votes by informing voters that mining has resumed in Goa”, reported The Indian Express.

Claude Alvares, the director of the Goa Foundation, claimed the purpose of the lease was to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state, according to Hindustan Times.

The office of the state’s chief electoral officer subsequently sought a response to the complaint from the Directorate of Mines and Geology. In its reply, the state government said signing the lease deed was a “contractual obligation” and did not violate the Model Code of Conduct.

“The MCC prohibits the signing of new agreements or MoUs [memorandum of understanding] where the government is a party without prior clearance from the Election Commission,” said the department. “However, it is essential to recognise that the execution of the mining lease in Vedanta’s case was not a new agreement. It was a continuation of an existing contractual commitment and statutory requirement predating the MCC.”

The state government also said that the process of auctioning the mine had started on September 30, 2022, and was required to be concluded by April 12, 2024.

The additional chief electoral officer, however, said the government’s response was “not satisfactory”, according to The Indian Express.

In a letter to the Election Commission, the officer said: “It is observed that the mining lease deed executed by the department though may amount to be part of the same contractual commitment, however, it is an independent agreement and since it was executed during the Model Code of Conduct period, it was binding on the part of the department to obtain prior permission of Election Commission of India.”

A Hindutva mob vandalised a school run by a Christian congregation in Telangana’s Mancherial district on Tuesday after the principal told some Hindu students not to wear saffron-coloured clothes to class without permission, reported The Indian Express.

The incident occurred in St Mother Teresa English Medium School in Kannepalli village. The principal had reportedly asked the Hindu students, who were wearing saffron clothes in observance of the religious custom of Hanuman Deeksha, to bring their parents to school.

On Tuesday, a discussion between the parents and the school administration turned violent.

“The principal told the students to come in uniform and that if they wanted to wear saffron clothes, they had to get permission,” Mancherial Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Kumar told the newspaper. “That triggered the parents.”

He added: “It was a Tuesday and there was a temple nearby and all this escalated and led to vandalism.” Tuesday is a popular day in Hinduism for praying to the deity Hanuman.

Videos of the incident that were shared on social media showed a mob in saffron clothes vandalising the school amid cries of “Jai Sri Ram”. The mob assaulted school principal, smeared vermillion on his face and forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram” as well.

“It was a miscommunication and false news was spread on social media leading to over 500 people reaching the school on Tuesday morning,” Father Jaimon Joseph, a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament that runs the school told The Indian Express. He said that the vandalism continued for nearly four hours and alleged that the attack was pre-planned.

“Had their [students’] parents even telephoned us, we would have granted the permission,” Joseph said. “On Tuesday morning, one of the students still came in saffron clothes and we did not stop the student. By then, a huge mob came to school and attacked us.”

The police have registered two first information reports based on complaints by the parents and the school administration. A student’s parents said in their complaint that his son and two of his classmates studying in Class 4 were not allowed to enter the school as they were wearing a “Hanuman Mala deeksha” dress.

The parents alleged that the school’s principal intentionally insulted their religious sentiments and promoted enmity between religions. The school administration in their complaint named four suspects for trespassing, wrongfully restraining the school principal and physically assaulting him. They said that a statue of Mother Teresa, along with the school’s gates, had been damaged by the mob and claimed a loss of worth Rs 30,000.

The incident was condemned by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) as “abhorrent and unjustifiable”.

“We urge the authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of minority communities,” the party said in a post on social media.

We are appalled by the recent attack on St. Mother Teresa English Medium School in Telangana's Mancherial district. The vandalism and assault on Father Jaimon Joseph, over baseless accusations, are abhorrent and unjustifiable. We urge the authorities to swiftly bring the… pic.twitter.com/BxFgGaP5cn

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) April 18, 2024

The Election Commission on Thursday rejected claims that Electronic Voting Machines had registered extra votes in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party during a mock poll in Kerala, reported The Indian Express.

This was during a hearing in the Supreme Court on a batch of petitions seeking the tallying of all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips to verify votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines.

The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved its verdict in the case, Live Law reported. The first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections begins on Friday.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms, told the court that a report published by Manorama Online had cited complaints raised in connection with the mock polls conducted using Electronic Voting Machines in Kerala’s Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency.

The report said that the ruling Left Democratic Front in the state and the United Democratic Front had submitted complaints to the district collector stating that at least four of the Electronic Voting Machines had erroneously recorded extra votes in favour of the BJP.

In response, the court told Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, to look into the claim. Later in the day, the poll panel told the court that it had received a report from the polling authorities and that the claim was “false”, The Indian Express reported.

The Election Commission also informed the court that the manufacturer of the Electronic Voting Machines did not know which button would be allocated to which candidate, or the constituency to which the machine would be sent, the newspaper reported.

The poll body told the court that it is impossible to tamper with the Electronic Voting Machines “at any stage”, reported The Hindu. Election officers press the “close” button on a control unit attached to the machine at the end of polling, after which the machines cannot accept any more votes. The presiding officers also record when the machine begins to accept votes and when it stops, the newspaper reported.

“After the close of polling…the ballot unit is disconnected from the control unit and kept separately in their carrying cases and sealed with paper slips on which the polling agents sign,” the Election Commission told the court. At the time of counting votes, the total number of votes recorded by the control unit is tallied with that of the ballot unit, the poll body said.

“If there is any discrepancy, the counting agents of the candidates can request the counting of VVPAT paper slips,” the Election Commission said.

The poll panel also told the court that there was no inconsistency between the votes polled and the declared results of the 2019 general elections, Live Law reported. The discrepancy was with the live voter turnout data uploaded on its website and not with the Electronic Voting Machines, the panel said.

Watch: Indian elections: How secure is the EVM-VVPAT process?

The case

Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is a machine that prints a paper slip of the candidate’s name, serial number and the party’s symbol after a voter has cast their vote. To avoid election fraud, it displays the paper slip for seven seconds for the voters to check if their vote has been cast correctly, for their chosen candidate.

The paper slip then drops down to a locked compartment that only the polling agent can access. The slips are not handed over to the voters. The collected slips can be used to audit voting data stored electronically.

After a 2019 Supreme Court order, Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips from only five randomly selected polling stations in each Assembly segment are verified.

The court has been hearing petitions seeking 100% verification of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail slips.

On Tuesday, Bhushan told the court that most European countries had gone back to ballot papers.

In response, Datta said that conducting elections in India was a humongous task that would not be possible for any European country to conduct. “We have to repose some trust and confidence in somebody,” he said. “Of course, they are accountable… But don’t try to bring down the system like this.”

Bhushan said that the petitioners were not claiming that the Electronic Voting Machines were being manipulated. “What we are saying is that EVMs [Electronic Voting Machines] can be manipulated because both EVM as well as the VVPAT [Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips] have a programmable chip.”

He also told the bench that the Election Commission had said that it could not share the source code of the Electronic Voting Machines chips as it was the intellectual property of the manufacturer.

The advocate claimed that the machines were assembled by two Public Sector Undertakings – the Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited – that had several members of the BJP as its directors.

Bhushan suggested allowing voters to physically take Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips and deposit it in the ballot box that would assure them that their vote had been recorded correctly.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing another petitioner, submitted a news report citing Election Commission data from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls that highlighted a mismatch in the number of votes cast on the Electronic Voting Machines and the number of votes counted in some constituencies.

Sankaranarayanan said that “serious discrepancies” were seen in several constituencies which went to polls in the first phase of the election.

The bench, in response, said that such discrepancies might arise occasionally because the button would not have been pressed immediately. “Each candidate will be given that data,” Khanna said. “The candidates would have immediately challenged it.”

The Congress is not interested in opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party ideologically or politically because it has “degenerated itself into a B-team of the BJP”, said Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday, reported The Hindu.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress are partners in the Opposition INDIA bloc that is taking on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections. However, they are contesting the polls alone in Kerala.

Tensions emerged within the bloc after the state-level Congress-led United Democratic Front renominated Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi from the seat against the Left Democratic Front candidate Annie Raja.

The Left Democratic Front of left-wing political parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is the ruling alliance in Kerala.

Speaking with media persons on Thursday, the Kerala chief minister said the Congress’ rivalry with the BJP is “primarily confined to electoral politics and power struggles, rather than rooted in substantive ideological differences”, reported The Times of India.

“Consequently, the Congress has evolved into a party primarily focused on gaining traction within the realm of power politics,” Vijayan said.

The chief minister said that he was criticising the Congress as the party was not genuine in its attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the BJP, and its Hindutva ideology. According to him, the Congress had started to accept the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

“Why does the Congress manifesto have no mention of the Citizenship Amendment Act?” Vijayan was quoted as saying by The Hindu. “Why does it ignore the abrogation of Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir?”

The chief minister also criticised the Congress for fielding Chaudhary Lal Singh from the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, reported PTI.

Singh was one of the ministers who had resigned from the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet in April 2018 after attending a rally in support of the accused in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.

On Thursday, Vijayan alleged that Gandhi had welcomed Singh into the Congress during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which showed that the party was “not taking a strong stand against the Sangh Parivar”.

Singh, who had switched to the BJP in 2014, rejoined the Congress in March.

Vijayan had criticised Gandhi for not speaking about the Citizenship Amendment Act on Wednesday as well.

“Rahul Gandhi has a major complaint that in Kerala, we keep speaking about him alone,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by India Today. “You took out a yatra [rally], right? During that yatra, you spoke about all national and international issues. Did you speak about CAA? Did you have any opinion about this?”

The chief minister added: “People thought you would speak on it [CAA] during the closing ceremony of that program. It did not happen. The last hope was that he would speak about it in Wayanad when he came to file his nomination. Did he say anything? What is stopping you?”

On Monday, during a rally in Kozhikode, Gandhi had questioned why Vijayan was not criticising the BJP or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in his speeches instead of attacking him constantly, reported The News Minute.

He also said, in response to Vijayan’s criticism, that the Congress would never back citizenship on the basis of caste or religion, according to The Hindu.

On April 2, Vijayan said that Gandhi had come to Kerala to fight against the Left Democratic Alliance.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked the Kerala chief minister. “Rahul Gandhi is the main leader of the INDIA bloc and is fighting against the Left Democratic Front, which is also a part of the same alliance.”

Ahead of Starlink promoter Elon Musk’s visit to India, the Union finance ministry on Tuesday notified amended rules under the Foreign Exchange Management Act to allow up to 100% foreign direct investment in some space sector activities.

Musk, who is also the chief executive officer of United States-based electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, will visit India on Monday. He is expected to announce an investment of $2 billion (over Rs 16,000 crore) to $3 billion (over Rs 25,000 crore) in India, Reuters reported, quoting unidentified persons aware of the matter.

Starlink provides internet access through a constellation of satellites placed in low-earth orbit. The company has applied for a licence to start satellite communication services in India, according to The Economic Times. The application is pending before the government.

The gazette notification issued by the finance ministry on Tuesday allowed 100% foreign direct investment into the space sector category of manufacturing and operation of satellites, satellite data products and ground segment and user segment. Up to 74% investment in these categories would be through the automatic route, meaning that it would not require the Centre’s approval. However, investment beyond 74% would require the government’s nod.

Earlier, foreign investment in the manufacturing and operation of satellites was allowed only with the government’s permission.

The government also allowed automatic foreign direct investment up to 49% in the categories of launch vehicles and associated systems or subsystems, and the creation of spaceports for launching and receiving spacecraft. Investment beyond 49% would require the government’s approval.

Additionally, 100% foreign direct investment through the automatic route was also allowed for manufacturing components and systems or sub-systems for satellites, ground segment and user segment.

The notification issued by the government on Tuesday brings into effect the Union Cabinet’s decision in February to allow 100% foreign direct investment in certain categories of the space sector.

Also read: Elon Musk’s Starlink and Reliance Jio are set for an epic battle over broadband internet in India

A migrant worker was shot dead by suspected militants at Bijbehara town in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.

He has been identified as Raju Shah from Bihar. Shah was taken to a hospital after he was critically injured in the attack that took place at around 9 pm, The Indian Express reported. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police said that the area where the firing took place was cordoned off and a search operation was underway.

The injured person, who was shot at by #terrorists, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Search #operation underway in the area. Further details to follow.@JmuKmrPolice https://t.co/uWSJI2cgeO

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) April 17, 2024

Shah’s mother told PTI that she got a call about her son’s death on Wednesday evening. “He used to sell pakodas,” she said. “He left behind his wife and son. He was the earning member of the family.”

Following the attack, National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah expressed “shock and sadness” at the news of the worker’s death, the party said on social media.

“They vehemently condemn the attack, emphasising that such acts of terror hinder peace in J&K,” it added.

JKNC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and VP @OmarAbdullah express shock and sadness at the news of Rajshah Ji's death, who succumbed to grievous injuries after being shot at in Bijbehara today. They vehemently condemn the attack, emphasizing that such acts of terror hinder peace in…

— JKNC (@JKNC_) April 17, 2024

Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti extended her condolences to Shah’s family and condemned the “senseless act of violence”.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur urged the authorities “to track down the killers of this innocent man and punish them sternly”, the Hindustan Times reported.

The attack took place on the eve of filing of nominations for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Polling in the constituency will take place on May 7.

Earlier this month, a man from Uttarakhand’s Dehradun was injured after being shot by suspected militants in the Shopian district, PTI reported.

In February, two migrant workers from Punjab were shot dead by suspected militants in Srinagar.

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday filed a first information report against an unidentified person in connection with a deepfake video of actor Aamir Khan that purportedly shows him promoting a political party, PTI reported.

A 27-second clip shared on social media, which appeared to have been edited using artificial intelligence technology, purportedly showed Khan urging voters to be careful of “jumlas”, or empty promises. A spokesperson for the actor, however, said that the video was fake.

The BJP’s opponents have frequently taken digs at it using the word “jumla” since former party chief Amit Shah used the term soon after the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Shah had then said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a “jumla” when he commented that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited to each Indian’s bank account if black money stashed in foreign banks could be brought back.

A spokesperson for Khan said on Tuesday that after the deepfake video came to light, the actor reported the matter to several authorities and filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police’s cyber crime cell.

“We want to clarify that Mr Aamir Khan has never endorsed any political party throughout his 35-year career,” the spokesperson said, according to PTI. “He has dedicated his efforts to raising awareness through Election Commission public awareness campaigns for many past elections."

Deepfakes are techniques to manipulate audio and video content with the help of artificial intelligence software to show people saying or doing things that they never said or did. The content is made to appear as realistic as possible and is often used with malicious intent.

On Wednesday, the police registered a case at the Khar police station under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to impersonation and cheating and provisions of the Information Technology Act.

The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.

Also read:

AI and elections: Like Pakistan, India too may see an increasing use of the tech this crucial summer

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said that he will give funds for development projects as long as voters choose the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.

The state-level alliance comprises Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena group.

He made the comments during an event at Indapur town in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency.

The Mahayuti alliance has fielded Sunetra Pawar, the deputy chief minister’s wife, from Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections against Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule. Sule has represented the parliamentary constituency since 2009.

On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar told a gathering that his alliance would sanction as much funds as needed for development projects, The Times of India reported. “But if we are giving funds, we expect you to press the button next to our candidate’s symbol [on the Electronic Voting Machine] in the elections so that I will feel good about giving funds,” he said. “Otherwise, my hand will be restricted.”

" I will give you as much funds as you want but you also need to press the button (party symbol) as hard as you can. So that I feel better while giving you funds. Otherwise, my hand will also be tied while giving funds": #Maharashtra DCM #AjitPawar in #Baramati's Indapur. pic.twitter.com/N8l1gLNbf3

— Tejas Joshi (@tej_as_f) April 17, 2024

The deputy chief minister also claimed that the sex ratio, or the ratio between the number of males and the number of females, in certain districts in the state had reduced to 850 females against 1,000 males, The Times of India reported.

In some cases, he alleged that it had gone down to 790 females against 1,000 males.

“If it remains like this, it will be critical in the future,” Ajit Pawar said, adding that it may turn out to be a “Draupadi-like situation”.

Draupadi is a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata who had five husbands.

The deputy chief minister, however, clarified that he did not mean to hurt sentiments with his reference to Draupadi.

Responding to Ajit Pawar’s comments, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sushma Andhare on Wednesday said: “If the deputy chief minister makes such an irresponsible statement about women, then it is clear that women are being used as a political tool.”

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar said that the deputy chief minister was threatening voters with funds if they were not supporting him, adding that this was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning.

“The Election Commission should take serious note of this,” he said in a social media post.

अजितदादांनी सभेत भाषण करताना निधीबाबत वक्तव्य केल्याचं समोर आलं. दादा नेमके कोणत्या निधीबाबत बोलत आहेत? #मलिदा_गँगचे सदस्य असलेल्या त्यांच्या मित्रांकडे असलेल्या निधीबाबत की सरकारी विकास निधीबाबत? जनता साथ देत नाही म्हणून आता निधीची धमकी देणे हा आचार संहितेचा भंगच म्हणावा लागेल!… pic.twitter.com/q2y6WA583z

— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) April 17, 2024

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday told reporters that Ajit Pawar was a “trader” and, hence, “it is expected of him to do that [make the comment]”.

“The country is being run by traders and they have appointed agents all over,” Raut said. “He [Ajit Pawar] is one of them.”

Later on Wednesday, the deputy chief minister said that his statement on funds had been taken out of context. “Governments make promises to carry out works after they come to power,” he said. “I also said that once the Mahayuti MP is elected from Baramati, we will take up what we promised.”

Also read: In Pawar stronghold Baramati, an election battle that reflects why Maharashtra is a challenge

The Congress on Wednesday questioned the Election Commission’s decision to order the removal of posts on electoral bonds from social media platform X, alleging that the poll panel did so because discussing the now-scrapped scheme makes the government “extremely uncomfortable”, The Hindu reported.

On Tuesday, X said that it had taken down four posts by political parties and leaders – including one by a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader – for the remainder of the Lok Sabha elections period in compliance with the Election Commission’s orders.

On Wednesday, Supriya Shrinate, the head of the Congress’ social media department, said that the Election Commission should regulate hate speech, religious references, and crass and vulgar statements.

“So, that is why it is very surprising that the EC chose to get a tweet deleted which raised the issue of electoral bonds,” Shrinate told reporters. “Why would they do that? One does not understand but obviously electoral bonds is an issue which makes the government extremely uncomfortable.”

The Congress leader said that in the past, the social media accounts of farmer leaders, associations and independent journalists were all “restricted” during the farmers’ movement, even when the Information Technology rules were sub judice. “I do want to raise that there is a pattern as far as social media platforms are concerned,” the newspaper quoted Shrinate as saying.

Shrinate said that the government is “very uncomfortable” with social media platforms, digital platforms and YouTube channels because it has been able to “convert large sections of mainstream media into [its] cheerleaders” that do not question about unemployment, price rise and “justice for the girl in Hathras or our athletes”.

She said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s explanation of electoral bonds has stopped “making sense”.

Shrinate claimed that the companies donating to the BJP were winning big contracts and persons facing raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department were donating to the ruling party to ensure that the action by central agencies against them stopped.

“As my leader [Rahul Gandhi] earlier today said, the prime minister is a champion of corruption as he was breeding graft through the electoral bonds scheme,” she alleged.

In February, the Supreme Court verdict struck down the electoral bond scheme as unconstitutional saying it could foster quid pro quo relationships between donors and political parties. The court also directed the State Bank of India to reveal data on donations made to political parties through the scheme.

Analysis of the data shared by the State Bank of India revealed that the BJP received the lion’s share of electoral bond donations. Some of the buyers of the electoral bonds were companies that had faced raids by central agencies.

X was asked by the poll panel to take down posts by the Aam Aadmi Party, the YSR Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning.

The microblogging platform, formerly known as Twitter, published the takedown orders and said it had notified the users about its actions.

Read more analysis on this topic by Project Electoral Bond, a collaborative project involving Scroll, The News Minute, Newslaundry and freelance journalists.

At least 20 persons were injured after violence broke out during a procession organised to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ram Navami in the Rejinagar area of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.

A woman was seriously injured and admitted to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, the newspaper said quoting an unidentified police officer. “The rest have been admitted at the local hospital.”

Stones were allegedly hurled at the procession from the roof of a house, which led to the violence, The Indian Express reported citing unidentified sources. Security was later tightened in the area.

Following the violence, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari on social media criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and alleged that the police had fired teargas shells so that the procession would end abruptly.

“Mamata [Banerjee’s] Police joined the miscreants in this ghastly attack and fired teargas shells on Ram devotees to disperse them to ensure that the procession ends abruptly,” Adhikari said.

Just like last year, when the Shree Ram Navami Processions came under attack at Dalkhola, Rishra & Serampore due to the lack of intent of Mamata Police, this year as well Mamata Police failed to protect the Ram Bhakts.

A peaceful Ram Navami Procession, which had all the due… pic.twitter.com/1MaG5pfa4n

— Suvendu Adhikari (Modi Ka Parivar) (@SuvenduWB) April 17, 2024

“This is the result of Mamata Banerjee’s provocation and incitation,” he said. “For peaceful and incident-free celebration of religious festivals in West Bengal, this state government must be replaced.”

Adhikari also urged the Election Commission to take note of the “failure on the part of the police” in controlling the violence.

3 assaulted for shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’

In Bengaluru, three men were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday for shouting “Jai Shri Ram”, the Karnataka Police said, according to The Indian Express.

Four persons, including two minors, were arrested in connection with the assault, the police added.

According to the police, the attack took place as D Pavan Kumar, Binayaka and Rahul were in their car and shouting slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” near Vidyaranyapura in the city at 3.20 pm. They were stopped by two men – Farman and Sameer – on a motorbike who allegedly abused them and asked them not to chant the slogan.

A video of the incident was also circulated on social media where a person outside the car can allegedly be heard saying, “Jai Shri Ram, no. Only Allahu Akbar,” The Indian Express reported.

It also showed Kumar, Binayaka and Rahul getting out of the car and trying to chase the two men. While the three men were returning to their car, Sameer and Farman came with a few others and assaulted them before fleeing the spot.

The police said that it had registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Why is the Enforcement Directorate not using the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to investigate cases pertaining to the electoral bonds, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury asked in an interview with The Hindu on Tuesday.

“You have clear cut cases of money laundering in the electoral bonds,” Yechury told the newspaper. “There were many firms that bought electoral bonds many times over the profits they made. There were many firms that bought electoral bonds despite making losses. Where did they get this money from? Isn’t this an open and shut case of money laundering?”

The Supreme Court had on February 15 struck down the scheme as unconstitutional and said that it could lead to quid pro quo arrangements between donors and political parties.

The court had on February 15 directed the State Bank of India to issue details of the political parties that received electoral bonds from April 12, 2019, and submit them to the Election Commission.

Analysis of data shared by the bank showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party received the lion’s share of electoral bond donations. Some of the buyers of the electoral bonds were companies that had faced raids by central agencies.

Thirty-three companies that recorded losses or no profit over seven years donated a total of Rs 581.7 crore through electoral bonds, of which Rs 434.2 crore was encashed by the BJP, an analysis by The Hindu and an independent research team revealed.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was also one of the petitioners in the case. It was among the political parties that did not accept funding through electoral bonds.

Yechury told The Hindu on Tuesday that electoral bonds have become a major poll issue, even if it seems otherwise.

“In fact, wherever we have gone for campaigning, the people said they never knew that Modi or this government could loot the country in such a way,” Yechury said. “And they have used all the tools available in the dictionary – extortion, quid pro quo, sweetheart deals, money laundering, threats of actions, and thereby collecting and amassing thousands of crores of rupees.”

In an interview with ANI on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the removal of the electoral bonds scheme has completely pushed the country towards black money. He claimed it was because of electoral bonds that a money trail could be found in political funding.

However, it was only after petitioners in the case approached the court that the State Bank of India shared the alphanumeric and serial numbers of electoral bonds that were used to match donations with the parties that received them.

Modi also claimed that 3,000 companies had purchased electoral bonds, out of which 26 donors were being investigated by central agencies. “Of these, 16 companies bought electoral bonds around the time that they were raided,” the prime minister said. “From these electoral bonds, 37% of the money went to the Bharatiya Janata Party, while 63% went to the BJP’s opponents.”

Also read:

• Why the electoral bond expose might not hurt the BJP
• Reports from Project Electoral Bond, which a collaborative project involving three news organisations – Newslaundry, Scroll, The News Minute – and independent journalists.

Raids by the Enforcement Directorate increased by 86 times between 2014 and 2024 – under the Modi government –as compared to the preceding decade when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power, an analysis of official data by PTI found.

Arrests and the attachment of assets by the central agency rose by 25 times in the past decade compared to the period between 2004 and 2014, according to the analysis.

The central agency conducted 7,264 raids in money-laundering cases since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014. Under the United Progressive Alliance governments that were in power from 2004 to 2014, the agency conducted only 84 raids, PTI reported.

Under the BJP-led Union government, the Enforcement Directorate arrested 755 persons and attached assets worth Rs 1,21,618 crore, PTI reported. Under the earlier Congress-led governments, it had arrested 29 people and attached assets worth Rs 5,086.4 crore, according to the analysis by the news agency.

The central agency registered as many as 5,155 cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the last ten years as compared to the 1,797 cases filed in the previous decade. It secured its first conviction in 2014 and has since secured conviction orders in 36 cases, leading to the prosecution of 63 persons, PTI reported.

Out of the 1,281 charge sheets filed in courts during the last decade, only 73 have been disposed of.

The PTI report comes amid allegations by Opposition parties that the BJP government has weaponised the Enforcement Directorate to intimidate them and coerce them into join the saffron party.

In September 2022, The Indian Express reported that Opposition leaders comprised 95% of all politicians that the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate had taken action against since 2014. This was up from 60% between 2004 and 2014.

Also read:

• From arrests to defections, it’s not easy being the Opposition in India today
• How the Modi government has weaponised the ED to go after India’s Opposition

India is not reaping the benefits of its democratic dividend and needs to focus on improving human capital and enhancing skill sets, former Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Tuesday, reported PTI.

“I think we are in the midst of it [demographic dividend], but the problem is we are not reaping the benefits,” PTI quoted Rajan as saying at a conference at The George Washington University in the United States.

The demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential that stems from a country’s working-age population being larger than its non-working population.

“That’s why I said 6% growth – if you think that’s about what we are right now, take away the fluff in the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] numbers,” the former reserve bank governor said. “That 6% is in the midst of a demographic dividend. It is much below where China and [South] Korea were when they reaped their demographic dividend.”

Rajan added that India is being “overly complicit” in claiming that its current economic growth “is great”, despite high levels of unemployment among its working-age population. He said that this leads to the question of how India can create the required employment opportunities.

“The answer to my mind is partly enhancing the capabilities of the people we have, partly changing the nature of the jobs that are available and we need to work on both fronts,” PTI quoted Rajan as saying. “This idea of apprenticeship, which the Congress has in its manifesto is worth working on. I think there’s a lot that needs to be done to make it effective, but we need many more students to at least be capable of doing a good job.”

In its Lok Sabha polls manifesto released on April 5, the Congress promised to introduce the Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one-year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to diploma holders or college graduates below the age of 25.

Rajan said on Tuesday that there also needs to be a focus on creating jobs. He criticised the government for spending billions of dollars on subsidising chip manufacturing while several job-intensive areas, such as the leather industry, were not doing well.

“We are going down in those areas,” he said. “No wonder we have more of a job problem. The job problem was not created in the last 10 years. It’s been growing over the last few decades. But if you neglect the areas which are more intensive, I’m not saying we need to now offer … subsidies to leather examples, but figure out what’s going wrong there and try and rectify that.”

Rajan also said that Indian innovators were moving to Singapore and the United States’ Silicon Valley because they can access final markets – where the final sale of a product or service takes place – more easily there.

“We need to ask what is it that forces them to go outside of India to set up rather than stay inside India,” Rajan said. “But what is really heartwarming is talking to some of these entrepreneurs and seeing their desire to change the world and increasingly many of them are not happy staying in India.”

Rajan said that Indian innovators want to expand globally. “I think there is a young India that has a Virat Kohli mentality – I’m second to none in the world,” he added.

Challenges to India’s demographic dividend

A report by the International Labour Organization and the Institute for Human Development published in March said that in 2022, India’s youth accounted for almost 83% of the country’s unemployed workforce. The share of youngsters with secondary or higher education among the band of total unemployed youth jumped from 54.2% in 2000 to 65.7% in 2022.

The report found that the country’s educated youth have higher rates of unemployment, reflecting a mismatch with their aspirations and available jobs.

In September, the United Nations said that the proportion of elderly citizens in India is projected to rise to 20% of the total population by 2050. This indicated that India has a limited time to reap the demographic dividend.

To this end, demographic experts had told Scroll in January 2023 that India can reap its demographic dividend provided timely measures are taken to solve challenges such as unemployment, and shortcomings in skilling and healthcare to harness the young population.

Also read:

• India can reap the demographic dividend – but there’s a deadline
• A decade under Modi: Rising unemployment, declining wages, poor quality jobs

The Centre does not maintain records of applications received under the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has said in response to a Right to Information application, reported The Hindu on Tuesday.

The Citizenship Amendment Act provides a fast-track to Indian citizenship for refugees from six minority religious communities, except Muslims, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the condition that they have lived in India for six years and have entered the country by December 31, 2014.

The Act was passed by Parliament in December 2019. Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah had said then that “lakhs and crores” of people would benefit from the provision, according to The Hindu. Shah, however, did not explained how he had arrived at the numbers.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien at the time had cited an Intelligence Bureau report stating that nearly 31,000 people would be the immediate beneficiaries of the Act.

Ajay Bose, a resident of Maharashtra’s Amravati, recently filed a Right to Information application seeking information about the total number of persons who have applied for citizenship under the Act after its rules were notified in March.

Responding to the query, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on April 15: “The records are not being maintained as desired by you because the Citizenship Act, 1955 and Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the rules made there under does (sic) not have the provision to maintain the records of citizenship application received.”

The Centre notified the rules under the Act on March 11. Following this, Shah said that the Narendra Modi-led government had “realised the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in those countries”.

The notification of the law’s rules came despite the Act being widely criticised for disciminating against Muslims. The law had sparked massive protests across the country in 2019 and 2020.

Indian Muslims fear that the law could be used, along with the nationwide National Register of Citizens, to harass and disenfranchise them. The National Register of Citizens is a proposed exercise to identify undocumented immigrants.

While protests against the Act in the rest of India revolved around the law’s alleged anti-Muslim bias, ethnic groups in the northeastern states feared they would be physically and culturally swamped by migrants from Bangladesh as a result of the law.

Also read: View from the margins: How a Mumbai realtor is helping NRC-scared Muslims rectify their documents

Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad backed out from contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, a day after his nomination. The Trinamool Congress released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, promising to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act and the Uniform Civil Code if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of the National Democratic Alliance winning 400 seats or more, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be restricted to just 150 Lok Sabha seats after the polls.

Here’s a look at today’s top developments:

• Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad withdrew his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, reported PTI. Azad was to contest against People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti. Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will take place in the first five phases between April 19 and May 20. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

• The Trinamool Congress has included the repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and Uniform Civil Code in its poll manifesto. The ruling party in West Bengal has also promised to provide ration directly to people’s homes and 10 free cooking cylinders for families under the poverty line. It said that the prices of petrol and diesel will be controlled through the formulation of a price stabilisation fund. Party leader Derek O’Brien said that these promises would be fulfilled once the INDIA bloc forms the government at the Centre.

• Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP will be restricted to 150 seats in the Lok Sabha elections while addressing a press conference alongside Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the general elections. “This is an election of ideology,” said Gandhi. “On one side are the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent body of the BJP] and BJP who are trying to finish the Constitution and the democratic set-up. On the other side is the INDIA alliance and Congress which are trying to defend and protect the Constitution and democracy.”

• “The Narendra Modi government will eliminate Naxals from the country in a very short period of time,” Union home minister Amit Shah said a day after twenty-nine alleged Maoists were killed and three security personnel injured in a gunfight in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district.“I can say with conviction that operations against Naxals will continue in the times to come, and under the leadership of Modi, we will uproot Naxalism from our nation.” Shah also said that since the formation of a BJP government in Chhattisgarh three months ago, over “80 Naxals have been eliminated, more than 125 arrested and more than 150 have surrendered”.

मोदी सरकार देश को नक्सलवाद से मुक्त करने के अपने लक्ष्य के लिए संकल्पित है और छत्तीसगढ़ के कांकेर में सुरक्षा बलों को मिली यह बड़ी सफलता नक्सलवाद के पूर्णतः उन्मूलन की दिशा में अहम कदम है। pic.twitter.com/JeO1CgikF0

— Amit Shah (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AmitShah) April 17, 2024

A decision on the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate will be taken only after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared, said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, PTI reported on Wednesday.

“First we need to win the elections and then depending on what the alliance partners say there [will be] discussions,” Kharge told the news agency in an interview. “Congress party has never been shy about [it], first, we need to win elections.”

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is a coalition of Opposition parties that is taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the elections.

Kharge told PTI that with the Congress winning the Assembly elections in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, “things are looking positive and good”.

“Our guarantee schemes have proved that people want programmes and schemes that have benefits like reduction in prices,” he said. “These have caught the eye of the voter.”

The Congress president also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claims that the National Democratic Alliance will win more than 400 seats in the general elections. He said this kind of “overconfidence and arrogance is not good for the country and democracy”.

“Luckily, he has not said ‘ab ki baar 600 par’ [this time, it will be above 600 seats],” said Kharge. “This egoistic propaganda, undermining the Opposition and portraying that everything is [about] me is unfortunate. Even leaders who have confidence about coming to power will not speak like this. He is already charting programmes for the next five years calling all secretaries.”

He cited the results of the 2004 general elections to say that the BJP at the time had touted Atal Bihari Vajpayee to be the most suitable prime minister.

“What happened then?” asked Kharge. “Congress-led government was formed under Manmohan Singh. He [Singh] emerged as a better prime minister. We saw the economy booming. Lot of policies and programmes were formed at the time and he was a better administrator.”

Kharge also claimed that the voters in the country “are clear” that Modi was “trying to suppress everyone”.

“If a level playing field is given, you will see the repeat of 2004 results,” said Kharge.

When asked about the Congress’ candidates for Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, where the party enjoyed dominance for several decades, Kharge said the announcement would be made at an appropriate time.

“It is not good to open my cards,” he said. “In politics, it is important to have some surprises. We will discuss, we will deliberate and we will take feedback. There is a democratic process in the Congress party and in the due course we will take a call. It is not like BJP where Modi has the final say for everything.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represented the Amethi constituency between 2004 and 2019, said on Wednesday that the decision on the candidate for the seat will be taken by the party’s Central Election Committee.

Addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Gandhi said: “Whatever the CEC and Congress president will ask me to do, I will do it.”

On April 5, Gandhi had also said that the INDIA bloc will decide about its prime ministerial candidate only after the general elections, reported Hindustan Times.

Also read:

• Beyond the hype: Why the BJP is eyeing Tamil Nadu’s most prosperous region
• Harsh Mander: Congress manifesto is not perfect – but kindles some hope

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing his government of creating a “chimera of free water” and failing to address a water shortage in the national capital, reported ANI.

Saxena’s letter to the jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader came two days after Delhi water minister Atishi wrote to the lieutenant governor asking him to suspend the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board for failure to ensure adequate water supply across the capital.

Atishi alleged that the water crisis in Delhi is being artificially created by senior officers appointed to the Delhi government by the Centre under provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Amendment Act, 2023, which received the president’s assent in August.

The Act created an authority to administer the transfer and posting of bureaucrats serving in the Delhi government and diminished the powers of the elected government of Delhi over services.

Atishi’s letter to Saxena on April 14 mentioned that a woman had been stabbed to death after a quarrel with her neighbour over the fetching of water from a common tap in the Farsh Bazar area of northeastern Delhi. She alleged that the incident was a result of “criminal negligence” by the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board.

However, Saxena on Tuesday described Atishi’s letter as “insensitive communication” and accused her of using “the unfortunate death of a woman in East Delhi for narrow and partisan political goals”.

The lieutenant governor said that by linking the inadequate supply of water to the incident, Atishi had indicted her own government. “Her note indeed is a prima facie admission of guilt, inaction and inefficiency over the past almost 10 years,” Saxena said in his letter to Kejriwal.

“[Atishi] has yet again targeted the Chief Secretary, Chief Executive Officer of DJB, officers of Finance and Urban Development Department,” Saxena said. “It has almost now become habitual on part of your ministers to blame officers for their own failures, be it in the field of health, hospitals, sanitation, education or water supply.”

Delhi LG VK Saxena writes an open letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, raising questions on water supply-related issues. pic.twitter.com/AO9dzRrXWi

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2024

Atishi’s letter to Saxena, however, clarified that the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board had refused to share any information with her on the water supply situation in the national capital, citing the Model Code of Conduct ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of rules issued by the Election Commission that political parties, candidates and governments have to follow during the election campaign period.

Atishi’s letter also alleged a conspiracy to impede funding for the Delhi Jal Board in the financial year 2023-’24.

“Non release of funds by Finance Department brought Delhi Jal Board to a standstill for the last 8-10 months,” she said. “Installation of borewells had been requisitioned in many parts of Delhi; however to shortage of funds almost none of these borewells was installed.”

Atishi also alleged that she has written to the chief secretary of Delhi several times seeking action against government officers in various cases, but was told in response that the workings of the services department is outside the purview of the Aam Aadmi Party government.

“So it is clear that whatever action has to be taken [against errant officers], needs to be taken by the Hon’ble LG,” Atishi said.

A total of 250, or 21%, of the 1,192 candidates contesting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections have criminal cases against them, non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms said in a report on Tuesday.

The organisation analysed the self-sworn affidavits filed by 1,192 out of the 1,198 candidates who are contesting in the second phase of the polls on April 26, in 13 states.

A report based on the analysis showed that Bharatiya Janata Party candidates K Surendran and ​​Dr KS Radhakrishnan have the most number of criminal cases against them.

Surendran, who will contest the elections from Kerala’s Wayanad against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has 243 cases against him, of which 139 are serious offences. Radhakrishnan, the BJP’s candidate from the state’s Ernakulam constituency, has 211 criminal cases and five of them are serious.

The organisation categorises “serious offences” as those carrying a punishment of five years or more.

The third name on the list is Congress’ Idukki candidate Dean Kuriakose, who has 88 cases against him, of which 23 are serious.

Of the total 1,192 candidates whose affidavits were analysed, 167, or 14%, have serious offences registered against them.

Of the 250 candidates with criminal cases, 32 have declared cases where they have been convicted. Three candidates have declared cases related to murder, whereas 24 have declared attempt to murder cases.

A total of 28 candidates have been accused in cases related to crimes against women and one of them has also declared a case related to rape. Of the total, 21 candidates have declared cases related to hate speech.

Among the major parties, 31, or 45%, of the 69 candidates from the BJP and 35, or 51%, of Congress’ 68 candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.

All five candidates of the Communist Party of India and all four candidates of the Samajwadi Party contesting in the second phase also have criminal cases against them. The Janata Dal (United) has fielded two candidates, out of its total five, who have been accused in criminal cases.

The number stands at 14 out of 18 candidates for the Communist Party of India (Marxist), two out of three for Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and two out of four for Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

The Association For Democratic Reforms also said that 45, or 52%, out of 87 constituencies going to polls in the second phase are “red alert” constituencies. A constituency is classified as “red alert” if three or more candidates contesting there have declared criminal cases against themselves.

Assets analysis

The election watchdog’s report also included analyses of the share of wealth among the candidates and showed that 390, or 33% of the 1,192 candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Of them, 140, or 12% of the candidates have assets worth over Rs 5 crore, whereas 112, or 9%, have assets worth between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore.

All five candidates from the Janata Dal (United), all four Trinamool Congress candidates and all four of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidates contesting in the second phase of polling have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Additionally, all four candidates from the Samajwadi Party and all three candidates from Shinde’s Shiv Sena group are also crorepatis.

A total of 64, or 93% of 69 candidates from the BJP and 62, or 91%, of Congress candidates have also declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Of all the candidates contesting in the second phase, 353, or 30%, have said that they have assets worth less than Rs 10 lakh. There are six candidates who have declared that they have no assets.

The candidate with the most assets, worth over Rs 622 crore, is Congress’ Venkataramane Gowda who is contesting from Karnataka’s Mandya. He is followed by DK Suresh from Bangalore Rural, also a Congress candidate, with assets worth over Rs 593 crore.

Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini, who has been fielded once again from Mathura by the BJP, is third on the list with assets worth over Rs 278 crore.

Also read:

• Beyond the hype: Why the BJP is eyeing Tamil Nadu’s most prosperous region

• ‘Will Modi visit us if we vote?’: Why this election means little for Manipur’s displaced

Former Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen was released from jail on Wednesday, days after she was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the Bhima Koregaon case. She had been in jail since June 6, 2018.

Sen’s lawyer, Indira Jaising, confirmed her release on X.

Sen is among 16 academicians, activists and lawyers who were charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for their alleged role in instigating caste violence at Bhima Koregaon near Pune in January 2018.

While granting bail to Sen on April 5, the top court observed that the allegations of terrorism against her are prima facie untrue.

She is finally out , Shoma Sen wit her daughter outside Byculla jail pic.twitter.com/8k2J9B9ymF

— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) April 17, 2024

“If we examine the acts attributed to [Sen] by the various witnesses or as inferred from the evidence relied on by the prosecution, we do not find prima facie commission or attempt to commit any terrorist act,” the bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih observed.

The top court also said that the National Investigation Agency had failed to prove the allegation that Sen funded terrorist acts or received any money for that purpose. “What we can infer on the basis of the materials produced before us are mere third-party allegations that money has been directed to be sent to her,” the court said. “None of the materials reveal receipt of any funds by her or her direct role in raising or collecting funds.”

The Supreme Court held that Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act – which requires a court to deny bail to persons accused of terrorism if there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations against them – would not apply in Sen’s case.

The court also cast doubt on the allegations of conspiracy against the former professor. Sen’s “participation in some meetings” and attempts “to encourage women to join the struggle for new democratic revolution” did not reveal the commission of an offence under the anti-terrorism law, it said.

The National Investigation Agency has alleged that Sen “is an active member of CPI (Maoist) and conspired with other accused persons to violently overthrow democracy and the State”.

However, the court said that its observations were only prima facie views and that the future course of the trial would depend on the framing of the charges against Sen by the National Investigation Agency. “If charges are framed, the nature of evidence the prosecution can adduce against her in trial, as also her own defence,” the bench said.

On March 15, the National Investigation Agency told the court that it did not need Sen in its custody any longer. The court granted Sen bail on account of her old age, poor health and the delay in the trial. She has been prohibited from leaving Maharashtra and has been directed to surrender her passport, if she has one.

Sen is also required to keep the Global Positioning System, or GPS, feature active on her mobile phone and keep it paired with the device of the investigating officer so that her location is known.

Sen is the sixth person accused in the Bhima Koregaon case to have been granted bail.

Trade union activist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj was granted default bail in 2021 after the National Investigation Agency failed to complete its investigation and file a chargesheet as per the anti-terrorism law’s stipulated time frame. Writer and caste scholar Anand Teltumbe received bail in 2022. Poet Varavara Rao was granted bail on medical grounds in 2022. Trade union activist Vernon Gonsalves and political cartoonist Arun Ferreira got bail in 2023.

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a notice to Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekar Rao over an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct, days after he made allegedly derogatory remarks against Congress leaders on April 5.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning.

The poll panel ordered Rao to give an explanation for his alleged derogatory remarks by 11 am on Thursday. Failing this, it “will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and the Election Commission will take appropriate action or decision in the matter without making any further reference to you,” the panel said.

The notice was issued after Telangana’s chief electoral officer submitted a report on a complaint filed by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee leader G Niranjan alleging that the former chief minister had made vulgar, derogatory and objectionable remarks against leaders of the Congress at the press conference in Sircilla on April 5.

Rao had allegedly referred to some Congress leaders as “sons of dogs”.

He also allegedly threatened Congress leaders with violence, saying that if they failed to give a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal of paddy to farmers, “we will bit (sic) your throats and kill”.

Congress is currently in power in Telangana.

The Election Commission cautioned Rao to be more careful, reminding him of previous instances of him having violated the poll code. This included an incident in Karimnagar in May 2019 and a speech he gave in Banswada during the Assembly polls campaign in November.

The electoral bonds were the “biggest extortion scheme in the world”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim in a recent interview that the now-scrapped mechanism was introduced by his government to improve transparency in political funding.

“A few days ago, the prime minister gave a very long interview to [news agency] ANI,” Gandhi said at a press conference. “It was scripted, but it was a flop show.”

The Congress leader said that Modi tried to explain the electoral bonds scheme in the interview. “The prime minister says that the system of electoral bonds was brought for transparency, to clean politics,” he said. “If this is true then why was that system cancelled by the Supreme Court?”

Gandhi questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party had “hidden” the names of those who had donated money to the party through the electoral bonds if the aim of the scheme was to increase transparency. “And why did you hide the dates on which they gave you the money?” he added.

नरेंद्र मोदी भ्रष्टाचार के चैंपियन हैं!

जिन्होंने ‘Electoral Bonds’ के नाम पर दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा वसूली रैकेट चलाया है। pic.twitter.com/uUF82hXMWr

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 17, 2024

Electoral bonds were paper instruments that anyone could buy from the State Bank of India and give to a political party, which could redeem them for money. The scheme was introduced by the BJP-led Union government in 2018.

The entire process was anonymous to the public since buyers were not required to declare their purchase of these interest-free bonds and political parties did not need to show the source of the money, before the scheme was struck down. However, the Centre could access information about these donors as it controls the State Bank of India.

In February, the Supreme Court verdict struck down the electoral bond scheme as unconstitutional saying it could foster quid pro quo relationships between donors and political parties. The court also directed the State Bank of India to reveal data on donations made to political parties through the scheme.

“Contract worth thousands of crores is given to a company and immediately after that the company gives money to the BJP,” Gandhi said on Wednesday. “CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] and ED [Enforcement Directorate] inquiry starts against a company. In 10-15 days, the company gives crores of rupees to the BJP and the CBI and ED inquiry [against the company] stops. On the streets, it’s called extortion.”

Gandhi added that “all the businessmen of India understand and know this and no matter how much clarification the prime minister wants to give, it will not make any difference”. “Because the entire country knows that the prime minister is the champion of corruption,” he added.

During the interview with ANI telecast on Monday, Modi had claimed that there would have been no mechanism to find out the money trail of who paid which political party without the electoral bonds scheme. “This is the success story of the electoral bonds,” he claimed.

Conceding that the scheme was imperfect, Modi claimed that “we have pushed the country towards black money completely” as a result of the scheme having been scrapped.

“And that is why I say everyone will regret it,” the prime minister had said. “When they think honestly, everyone will regret it.”

Modi had made similar comments late last month.

The prime minister also claimed on Monday that 3,000 companies had purchased electoral bonds, out of which 26 donors were being investigated by central agencies. “Of these, 16 companies bought electoral bonds around the time that they were raided,” the prime minister claimed. “From these electoral bonds, 37% of the money went to the Bharatiya Janata Party, while 63% went to the BJP’s opponents.”

Analysis of the data shared by the State Bank of India revealed that the BJP received the lion’s share of electoral bond donations. Some of the buyers of the electoral bonds were companies that had faced raids by central agencies.

The Congress on Monday said the prime minister’s statement that the public had access to a “money trail” when the electoral bonds were in use was a “bold-faced lie”.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the electoral bonds scheme was designed to be anonymous. “In other words, Modi wanted to hide the details of ‘where funds have come from [to political parties], and how they are being used,’” he said in a social media post.

Read more analysis on this topic by Project Electoral Bond, a collaborative project involving Scroll, The News Minute, Newslaundry and freelance journalists.

The Election Commission on Tuesday banned Congress MP Randeep Surjewala from election campaigning for 48 hours, saying that his remarks on March 31 about actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini were “sexist, vulgar and unethical”.

The Congress MP is the first political leader to be suspended from campaigning in the current Lok Sabha election cycle.

Surjewala allegedly made the remarks at a rally at the Faral village in Haryana’s Kaithal district. Haryana will go to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25.

On April 9, the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Surjewala in response to a video that showed him making derogatory remarks about Malini. The Congress leader had, however, accused the BJP’s social media cell of distorting his statement.

The poll panel, however, stated that the district election officer sent it a video of the speech and said it was convinced that the Congress leader made the statement in question.

The Election Commission said it “strongly condemns the impugned statement made by him during election campaign held in Haryana and reprimands Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala for the above said misconduct”. The panel barred him from campaigning till 6 pm on April 18.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed criticism of voting through the Electronic Voting Machines and said that attempts should not be made to “bring down the system”, PTI reported.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta also said that the electoral process in India was a “humongous task” and rejected suggestions by petitioners to order a return to ballot papers in polling.

The bench recalled how polling booths were allegedly captured when ballot papers were in use to manipulate the election results. “We have seen what used to happen earlier,” Khanna said.

The court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking tallying of all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips to verify votes cast through the Electronic Voting Machines.

Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is a machine that prints a paper slip of the candidate’s name, serial number and the party’s symbol after a voter has cast their vote. To avoid election fraud, it displays the paper slip for seven seconds for the voters to check if their vote has been correctly cast for their chosen candidate.

The paper slip then drops down to a locked compartment that only the polling agent can access. The slips are not handed over to the voters. The collected slips can be used to audit voting data stored electronically.

After a 2019 Supreme Court order, Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips from only five randomly selected polling stations in each Assembly segment are verified.

Watch: Indian elections: How secure is the EVM-VVPAT process?

On Tuesday, advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the nongovernmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms, said that most European countries had gone back to ballot papers, The Indian Express reported.

In response, Datta said that conducting elections in India was a humongous task that would not be possible for any European country to conduct. “We have to repose some trust and confidence in somebody,” he said. “Of course, they are accountable… But don’t try to bring down the system like this.”

Bhushan said that the petitioners were not claiming that the Electronic Voting Machines were being manipulated. “What we are saying is that EVMs [Electronic Voting Machines] can be manipulated because both EVM as well as the VVPAT [Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips] have a programmable chip.”

He also told the bench that the Election Commission had said that it could not share the source code of the Electronic Voting Machines chips as it was the intellectual property of the manufacturer.

The advocate claimed that the machines were assembled by two Public Sector Undertakings – the Electronics Corporation of India Limited and the Bharat Electronics Limited – that had several members of the Bharatiya Janata Party as its directors.

Bhushan suggested allowing voters to physically take Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips and deposit it in the ballot box that would assure them that their vote had been recorded correctly.

He also sought reversal of the Commission’s decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque glass through which a voter can see the slip only when the light is on for seven seconds, PTI reported.

The petitioners also noted that the poll panel had earlier said it would take 12 days to declare the election results if all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips had to be counted.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing another petitioner, submitted a news report citing Election Commission’s data from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls that highlighted a mismatch in the number of votes cast on the Electronic Voting Machines and the number of votes counted in some constituencies.

Sankaranarayanan said that “serious discrepancies” were seen in several constituencies which went to polls in the first phase of the election.

The bench, in response, said that such discrepancies might arise occasionally because the button would not have been pressed immediately. “Each candidate will be given that data,” Khanna said. “The candidates would have immediately challenged it.”

Sankaranarayanan also cited a report of the Committee on Government Assurances from July. He noted that the parliamentary panel has said that “the Union government is yet to provide a reply for the last four years after it promised Parliament that it would obtain information from the Election Commission about possible discrepancies between the EVMs and VVPAT rally during the 2019 elections”.

The bench, in response, said it would ask the Election Commission about it.

The hearing of the matter will resume on Thursday.

The general elections will be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Demand for tallying all VVPAT slips

In January, the Congress alleged that the Election Commission had failed to provide any substantive response to the INDIA bloc’s “genuine concerns” about the Electronic Voting Machines.

A month earlier, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi said that 100% of the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips should be verified as part of the vote counting process.

“[Counting all VVPAT slips] won’t take more than a day,” Quraishi had said in a social media post. “But [this will] restore people’s confidence. That’s essential for credible elections.”

The former election commissioner was responding to a question by a social media user who asked if it would be viable for voters to deposit their Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail slips into ballot boxes at the time of voting, and for these slips to be counted later to corroborate the data from the Electronic Voting Machines.

On December 3, Quraishi had written in The Telegraph that there is a “need for serious affirmative action” by the polling body to assuage doubts that have been raised about India’s electronic voting system.

The United States said on Tuesday that it encourages India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and resolve their conflicts through dialogue.

US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked at a press briefing on Tuesday whether the Joe Biden-led administration was concerned about the recent statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that India would not hesitate to cross borders and kill terrorists.

In response, Miller said: “As I have said before, the United States is not going to get into the middle of this, but we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue.”

On April 4, Modi, while addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Jamui, said that in the past, terrorists from small countries would attack India, but the Congress government would only complain about it to other countries. The prime minister said that in contrast, today’s India “goes inside enemy territory to strike”, according to The Indian Express.

Later that day, The Guardian reported that the Indian government had allegedly assassinated at least 20 persons in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a new strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.

The British daily had claimed in its report that it had seen documentation allegedly tying India’s Research and Analysis Wing to the killings of Indian dissidents in Pakistan, which are said to have been orchestrated by sleeper cells based in the United Arab Emirates. Pakistani officials have accused these cells of paying millions of rupees to local criminals or poor Pakistanis to carry out the assassinations.

The next day, Rajnath Singh said in an interview with News18 that the Indian government would not hesitate to carry out extra-territorial killings of terrorists “who flee to Pakistan”.

Singh asserted: “If any terrorist tries to disturb the peace in Bharat or tries to carry out terror activities in Bharat, we will respond fittingly. If any terrorist flees to Pakistan, we will enter their house and kill them.”

The Ministry of External Affairs, however, denied the allegations to The Guardian, reiterating an earlier statement against Pakistan’s allegations and terming them as “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.

On Tuesday, the US state department spokesperson also responded to a question on why the United States had not imposed sanctions on Indian citizens in the wake of alleged assassination attempts, and said: “I am never going to preview any sanctions actions, which is not to say that there are any coming, but when you ask me to talk about sanctions, it’s something that we don’t discuss openly.”

The journalist’s question appeared to refer to an alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year.

In November, the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, announced that it had filed “murder-for-hire charges” against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in connection with his alleged participation in a thwarted plot to assassinate Pannun. It also alleged that Gupta had been recruited by an Indian government employee who “directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York city”.

The United States’ Justice Department alleged that the alleged plot to kill Pannun was part of a larger conspiracy to kill one person in California and at least three in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his Parliament in September that his country’s intelligence agencies were pursuing “credible allegations” linking agents of the Indian government to the killing of Nijjar.

Social media platform X on Tuesday said that it took down four posts by political parties and leaders – including one by a senior Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearer – for the rest of the Lok Sabha election period in compliance with orders from the Election Commission.

The social media platform, however, said that it disagreed with the action and that freedom of expression should extend to the posts.

X, formerly known as Twitter, was asked to take down posts by the Aam Aadmi Party, the YSR Congress party, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and state Bharatiya Janata Party president Samrat Choudhary.

The microblogging platform published the takedown orders and said it had notified the users about its actions.

https://t.co/iYKxeXeE7o

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) April 16, 2024

The social media platform also called on the Election Commission “to publish all of its takedown orders going forward”.

The post by the Aam Aadmi Party featured a headline from the news website The Quint that read: “ED Arrested Aurobindo Pharma’s Director. 5 Days Later, It Bought Electoral Bonds”. The party had added a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the post, editing the image to redden his eyes, The Hindu reported.

Naidu had posted what appeared to be a document from the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Telugu Desam Party chief had said that the agency “seized a staggering 25,000 kilos of drugs at Vizag Port, today,” and alleged that the refusal of the Andhra Pradesh Police and port authorities to cooperate indicated the complicity and possible involvement of the ruling party.

Choudhary, in his post, had called Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav a “seasoned player” in selling election tickets, according to The Hindu. He remarked that Yadav “did not even spare his daughter” and made an apparent reference to the RJD chief’s daughter Rohini Acharya donating her kidney to him for a transplant in February 2023.

The post by the YSR Congress Party was not available on Tuesday evening, indicating that the party may have deleted it.

In a takedown request from April 2 posted by X on Tuesday, the Election Commission had directed it to remove the posts by the YSR Congress and Naidu for violating a provision of the Model Code of Conduct against criticism of the private life of political leaders and criticism based on unverified allegations.

On the same day, the social media platform was asked to remove the post by the Aam Aadmi Party. A day later, the poll body had requested Choudhary’s post to be withheld. The Election Commission alleged that both posts violated the Model Code of Conduct provision and an advisory issued by the poll body on March 1 asking parties to maintain decorum during campaigning.

India’s democracy is “strong, vibrant and robust”, Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra said in a letter to the editor of The Irish Times on Monday. The envoy also criticised the “deeply entrenched ecosystem of corruption” allegedly created by the Congress, albeit without naming it.

The letter was in response to the newspaper’s editorial on April 11 that described the Bharatiya Janata Party government as having “severely tarnished” India’s democratic credentials.

The editorial – “The Irish Times view on the Indian election: Modi tightens his grip” – said that “an intolerant Hindu-first majoritarianism is the order of the day” under the Modi government.

However, in his response to the newspaper, Mishra praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi while defending his governance and party.

Mishra claimed that the Modi government has had to fight against a “deeply entrenched ecosystem of corruption” that had been created during “the 55-year rule, including the first 30 years, by a single dynastic party”. The diplomat was referring to the Congress.

The ambassador also defended India’s central agencies and claimed that the Modi government had given them a “free hand” to facilitate the detection of the “nefarious, multilayered web of corruption and tax evasion by politicians, NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and media”.

The Irish Times’ editorial had also said that the BJP under Modi has embraced “Hindu nationalism in this 80% Hindu nation” and stoked “anti-Muslim tensions and violence”.

Mishra said that this claim was misleading because “Hinduism is inherently inclusive and fundamentally pluralistic”. The fact that the BJP is in power in only 12 out of 28 states “can happen only in ‘Hindu majority’ India”, he pointed out.

Mishra cited the proposed 33% reservation for women in Parliament as an achievement of the BJP government, among others. He also claimed that the BJP government had uplifted 250 million people out of poverty during its tenure.

The editorial had said that while Modi may win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on account of his personal popularity and economic success, his government has cracked down on free speech and the Opposition. It also mentioned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Income Tax Department’s freezing of the Congress’ bank accounts before the polls.

“The BJP denies any role, with Modi insisting the federal agency conducting most of the investigations, the Enforcement Directorate, is independent,” said The Irish Times. “Yet 95 per cent of its political cases have been filed against the opposition.”

Diplomat acting like BJP apparatchik: Congress

The Congress responded to Mishra’s letter claiming that he had breached his rules of service.

“Defending the Government of India is one thing and is to be expected,” said party leader Jairam Ramesh in a social media post. “But to attack Opposition parties openly in thus manner like a party apparatchik [an obedient party functionary] is not expected from an Ambassador even if he be a political appointment.”

Ramesh added: “This Ambassador is actually a career diplomat which makes his comments even more shameful, disgraceful and completely unacceptable. He has actually breached service rules and should be sacked right away.”

Defending the Government of India is one thing and is to be expected. But to attack Opposition parties openly in thus manner like a party apparatchik is not expected from an Ambassador even if he be a political appointment. This is unprofessional and disgraceful behaviour on his… https://t.co/t0YQSKZSLQ

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 16, 2024

Also read:

• Elections are India's greatest festival – so why is this one so dull?

• ‘Modi wants to be king forever’: Why ordinary voters flocked to the Save Democracy rally in Delhi

Twenty-nine alleged Maoists were killed and three security personnel injured in a gunfight in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Tuesday, The Indian Express reported.

The gunfight took place in an area under the jurisdiction of Chhotebethiya Police Station.

“Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation by teams of BSF [Border Security Force and DRG [district reserve guards] was launched on April 16,” the newspaper quoted an unidentified spokesperson of the Border Security Force as saying. “While the operation was under progress, the BSF operations party came under fire from CPI [Communist Party of India] Maoist cadres, and BSF troops effectively retaliated against them.”

The area was searched and 29 bodies of Maoists along with arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot, Inspector General Sundarraj told The Indian Express.

This development comes days ahead of Lok Sabha polls in the state. Elections in the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency will take place on April 26. The adjoining Bastar seat will go to the polls on Friday.

Since December, 68 alleged Maoists have been killed in separate gunfights with security forces in the Bastar region, the Hindustan Times reported citing police records. The violence has also claimed 17 civilians and six security personnel since January.

Communist Party of India (Maoist) alleges aerial bombing

On Sunday, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) alleged that the Adivasis in the nearby Sukma district had been aerially bombed on Friday. They alleged that Adivasis residing in the area were being injured in such attacks after a police camp was set up in Sukma’s Puvarti village. The attacks allegedly destroyed the surrounding forests killed animals.

The party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government of waging a war against the state’s Adivasis and handing over their land to corporations for the exploitation of natural resources.

Several reports of aerial bombings against Adivasis have been reported from the region. A member of the European Parliament had last year posed questions in the House about alleged aerial bombings in Bastar.

Also read:

Bastar villagers allege aerial bombing by security forces. What is the truth?

Farmers’ protest isn’t the only target of drones deployed by Indian security forces

A trial court judge on Monday apologised before the Allahabad High Court after he was summoned for religious discrimination against a Muslim lawyer and making observations about the Muslim community in his orders, reported Bar and Bench.

The bench of Justice Shamim Ahmed had last month stayed the orders passed by Additional District and Sessions Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi in a case pertaining to alleged forced religious conversions by Muslim clerics. This was after one of the persons accused in the case moved the High Court.

The case in the trial court was filed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad against two Muslim clerics, Mohammad Umar Gautam and Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi, and other persons.

On January 19, Tripathi had acted against the men’s wishes in appointing an amicus curiae to represent them in the trial. Tripathi did so citing that the counsel for the accused men, a Muslim, often left the court to offer prayers.

On April 3, the High Court said that this move shows “clear discrimination on the part of the trial court on the basis of religion, which is a clear violation of fundamental right enshrined in Article 15 of the Constitution of India”.

Article 15 guarantees that the state will not discriminate against any person on the basis of their religion, caste or sex. The High Court held that Tripathi had “clearly discriminated” against one community solely on the basis of religion.

The High Court also observed that the trial court had failed to provide the accused men with electronic copies of the evidence being relied on to prosecute them.

“It is a cardinal principal that a person tried of serious offence should be furnished with all the material and evidences in advance,” the High Court said. “Any other view would not only impinge upon the statutory mandate contained in CrPC [Code of Criminal Procedure] but also the right of the applicant to a fair trial.”

Following the court’s orders, Tripathi appeared before the single-judge bench and offered an unconditional apology for his conduct, reported Bar and Bench. Tripathi said that he had passed the orders “under misconception” and would remain cautious in future.

The High Court in its order on April 3 remarked that judges must be held accountable to legal and ethical standards. “In holding them accountable for their behavior, judicial conduct review must be performed without invading the independence of judicial decision-making,” the court said.

The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab on Tuesday announced the names of four more candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party released its twelfth list with the names of seven candidates, three of whom will contest from Punjab. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in Bihar, the Congress questioned why Bihar has not been accorded special status despite the BJP being in power at the Centre for 10 years. The Opposition party also asked for an update on the Centre’s plans to construct more airports in the state.

Here’s a look at today’s top developments:

• The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab has announced the names of four more Lok Sabha candidates, including three sitting MPs, for the general elections. The incumbents who have been given a ticket again are Jagdeep Singh Brar from Ferozepur, Amansher Singh Kalsi from Gurdaspur and Ashok Parashar Pappi from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency. Former MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu, who recently joined the Aam Aadmi Party after leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal, has been fielded from Jalandhar.

#LokSabha ਚੋਣਾਂ ਲਈ AAP Punjab ਦੇ ਉਮੀਦਵਾਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਮ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ#Punjab pic.twitter.com/uCxTSu9WXh

— AAP Punjab (@AAPPunjab) April 16, 2024

• The BJP has released its twelfth list with the names of seven Lok Sabha candidates. Three names are from Punjab. Union minister Som Parkash has been replaced by his wife Anita Som Parkash as the BJP candidate from Hoshiarpur. Parampal Kaur Sidhu, a 2011 batch Indian Administrative Service officer who recently resigned and joined the BJP, will contest from Bathinda. Sidhu is the daughter-in-law of senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sikandar Singh Maluka. Manjeet Singh Manna has been fielded from Khadoor Sahib.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी की केन्द्रीय चुनाव समिति ने आगामी लोकसभा चुनाव-2024 के लिए 12वीं सूची में निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की। pic.twitter.com/VdGHChERQa

— BJP (@BJP4India) April 16, 2024

• The Congress on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why Bihar had not been granted special status as promised by his party a decade ago. “In 2014, when campaigning for his current position, Modi effectively promised special state status for Bihar,” said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a social media post ahead of Modi’s rally in Bihar. “Ten years later, what is the Modi Sarkar waiting for? Why has the PM forgotten the people of Bihar?” Ramesh also asked the prime minister when the BJP-led Central government will address the issue of the annual flooding of the Kosi river.

आज प्रधानमंत्री बिहार में हैं। उनसे आज के हमारे सवाल:

1. प्रधानमंत्री ने अपने वादे के अनुसार बिहार को विशेष राज्य का दर्ज़ा क्यों नहीं दिया?
2. कोसी नदी से बाढ़ के रूप में हर साल आने वाली तबाही पर मोदी सरकार कब ध्यान देगी?
3. पीएम ने जिन हवाईअड्डों का वादा किया था उनका… pic.twitter.com/6HCQQQCHmS

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 16, 2024

• During a rally in Bihar’s Gaya, Modi criticised the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal, saying that the party had ruled in the state for “several years but they do not have the guts to discuss the work done by their government”, reported ANI. “RJD has given only two things to Bihar – jungle raj aur bhrashtachar [and corruption],” said the prime minister.

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during a rally in Kerala, criticised Modi for his statements on electoral bonds, reported The Indian Express. Referring to the prime minister’s interview with ANI, Gandhi said: “I do not know if you have noticed his face and eyes. He was trying to defend the biggest corruption scandal on earth – electoral bonds, through which the BJP extorted thousands of crores of rupees from businesspeople.” In the interview aired on Monday, Modi said that the scrapping of the electoral bonds scheme by the Supreme Court is a development that everyone would regret if they reflected on it.

• Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra once again expressed his interest in contesting the Lok Sabha elections. “As far as my role in active politics is concerned, people have always strengthened me when I have worked for them,” Vadra was quoted as saying by ANI. “The country wants me to be in active politics. If the Congress party feels that I can bring a change, I will come into active politics.” On April 4, he told the news agency that the people of Amethi expected him to represent their constituency.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday moved a bail petition before a special court in Ranchi alleging that his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate was politically motivated and part of a conspiracy to coerce him to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, reported PTI.

On January 31, Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case. This was shortly after he resigned as the state’s chief minister after being questioned by the central agency.

The special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court will hear Soren’s plea on April 23. The court also asked the Enforcement Directorate to file a reply to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader’s plea.

Soren’s petition contends that his prosecution and arrest is politically motivated by “extraneous considerations and is part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy by the Central government to browbeat, intimidate and humiliate the prominent opposition leaders”.

He also alleged that the Centre was using his arrest to coerce him into joining the saffron party or align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The central agency on Tuesday took custody of Afshar Ali, another accused in the case, PTI reported. Ali is already in jail in connection with another money laundering case.

What does the chargesheet say?

The chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate on March 30 named Soren, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Raj Kumar Pahan, Hilariyas Kachhap and Binod Singh as accused persons in an alleged land scam. The agency has also attached 8.86 acres of land allegedly owned by Soren.

The prime accused in the case is Prasad, a former Jharkhand revenue department official and custodian of government records, reported PTI.

The agency has accused Prasad of misusing his position to assist several persons, including Soren, in their activities linked to illegal occupation, acquisition and possession of proceeds of crime in the form of landed properties.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, Soren acquired 8.86 acres of land located at Baragain Anchal at Bariyatu Road in Ranchi through such means. The agency also accused Soren of misusing his power and influence false evidence in the case after he was issued the first summons for questioning on August 7, reported PTI.

The Opposition leader has denied the allegations in his statement to the central agency, saying that he has no link to the land in question and no relation with Prasad, reported PTI.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave one week’s time to Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Balkrishna and co-founder, yoga guru Ramdev, to issue a public apology in the contempt proceedings initiated against the company for its misleading advertisements, reported Live Law.

Ramdev and Balkrishna also apologised to the division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali Ayurved Limited accusing the company of carrying out a “smear campaign” against modern medicine and the Covid-19 vaccination drive.

“What we did at that point of time, it should not have been done,” Ramdev said, addressing the company’s decision to continue publishing misleading advertisements. “We will remember this in future. We released the advertisements on an impulse.”

In its previous hearings, the court reprimanded Balkrishna and Ramdev for an advertisement issued by their company on December 4 after it had said in an undertaking on November 21 that it would not make any “casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine”.

“You are doing good work but you can’t degrade allopathy,” the court said on Monday, reported The Indian Express. “Why are you asking for other methods to be stopped in favour of your methods?”

To this, Ramdev said that Patanjali wanted to bring out Ayurvedic products that are backed by research-based evidence.

The court posted the matter for April 23 and asked both Ramdev and Balkrishna to be present for the hearing.

Previous hearings

On April 12, the Supreme Court said that it was concerned about companies deceiving customers and creating risks to their health. The bench said that public health suffers because of such products despite the large sums of money they cost. “This is absolutely unacceptable,” the court said.

On April 10, the Supreme Court rejected Patanjali’s second apology and said that Balkrishna and Ramdev only expressed remorse when they were “caught on the wrong foot”.

The court remarked that Ramdev and Balkrishna tried to evade appearing before it personally by making false claims about foreign travel. It noted that though an application seeking exemption from personal appearance was filed on March 30, their flight tickets were dated March 31.

The bench also castigated the Uttarakhand State Licencing Authority for failing to act against Patanjali and its subsidiary Divya Pharmacy.

The court ordered the current and previous officers of the Uttarakhand Licensing Authority to file detailed affidavits explaining why they did not take any action against Patanjali under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, reported The Hindu.

During a hearing on April 2, the bench also questioned why the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) had chosen “to keep its eyes shut when Patanjali was going to town saying there [was] no remedy for Covid in allopathy”.

Also read: A brief history of Patanjali’s dangerous claims

The Supreme Court on Monday extended its stay on the Allahabad High Court’s order allowing for a court-monitored “scientific survey” of the Shahi Idgah mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, reported PTI.

“All interim orders will continue,” a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said, listing the matter for hearing in the week starting August 5.

On December 14, the High Court had allowed a petition demanding that a court commissioner be appointed to inspect the mosque adjoining the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura.

The mosque management committee approached the Supreme Court seeking that the Hindu petitioner’s plea for a survey of the mosque be rejected, on grounds that it is barred by the Places of Worship Special Provisions Act, 1991, which prohibits any change in the character of religious places after Independence.

The committee also told the Supreme Court that the High Court should have first considered its petition for rejection of the plaint by the Hindu parties before deciding on any miscellaneous applications filed in relation to the suit.

The Hindu petitioners in the case have demanded full ownership of the 13.37 acres of land around the mosque, claiming that it is the birthplace of the Hindu deity Krishna.

The top court on January 16 stayed the survey after the Committee of Management, Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah, filed a batch of petitions challenging the High Court’s May 26 order.

The High Court on May 26 had transferred to itself all the petitions pending before a Mathura court seeking various reliefs in the case, including removal of the mosque.

Also read: How SC’s evasion on Places of Worship Act challenge is powering new Hindutva claims on mosques

The Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Bihar has told the Supreme Court that it supports the caste survey conducted in the state, reported Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

“The caste survey was carried out under the constitutional mandates and aimed to achieve equality enshrined under the Constitution,” the state government told the court in an affidavit on Monday. “The state had declared its aim and object for the survey and has now taken steps to achieve the same on the basis of facts appearing in the survey report.”

The caste survey in Bihar was initiated in January 2022 when the Mahagathbandhan coalition, comprising Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress were in power in the state.

Kumar has since quit the Mahagathbandhan coalition. On January 28, he took oath as Bihar’s chief minister once again, for the ninth time, with the support of the BJP.

After Kumar’s defection to the Hindutva party, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Bihar chief minister was feeling “trapped” after the completion of the caste survey, which was done under pressure from his Mahagathbandhan partners, and that the BJP had “provided him with a way out” of his predicament.

In its affidavit to the top court, Kumar’s government said it that is making plans for the welfare of Bihar’s residents based on data from the caste survey.

“The copy of the report on data released under the caste-based survey has already been sent to all the departments of the state government for framing plans and making schemes,” the affidavit said. “Different departments are working to provide the required welfare benefits to the people of Bihar.”

Caste census data

On October 2 last year, the Bihar government released the findings of its caste survey, revealing that the Other Backward Classes and the Extremely Backward Classes constituted more than 63% of the state’s population.

The survey also found that Bihar’s population was about 13.07 crore. Of this, the Extremely Backward Classes, at 36%, were the largest social segment followed by the Other Backward Classes at 27.13%.

The population of Scheduled Castes in Bihar stood at 19.7% and Scheduled Tribes at 1.7%. Bihar’s general population accounted for the remaining 15.5%.

Based on the findings of this survey, the Bihar Assembly in November unanimously passed a bill to increase caste-based reservations in education and government jobs from 50% to 65%, crossing the ceiling set by the Supreme Court.

Petition against caste census

Several petitions have been filed challenging Bihar’s caste census. Non-governmental organisations Youth For Equality and Ek Soch Ek Prayas have approached the Supreme Court against the Patna High Court’s decision to uphold the caste survey. They have argued that the survey is equivalent to a census exercise that only the Centre can carry out, according to the Constitution.

Besides them, a Nalanda resident named Akhilesh Kumar has contended that the notification issued by the state government for the census exercise is against its constitutional mandate.

The Supreme Court in February had set April 16 as the date for a final hearing on the batch of pleas challenging the Patna High Court’s order, reported PTI.

In January, the top court asked the Bihar government to release the caste survey’s findings to allow the public to challenge any inferences drawn from the data.

The Supreme Court in October last year refused to stop the Bihar government from acting on the findings of its caste survey.

Also read: How findings of the Bihar caste census push the BJP into a corner

Foreign entities are making concerted efforts to stall public projects and “affect the economic interests of India” by funding Indian non-governmental organisations and trusts, the Modi government told the Supreme Court on Monday, reported The Indian Express.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was hearing an appeal by the Environics Trust, a non-governmental organisation, against a November 8 Delhi High Court order.

The Environics Trust had moved the High Court against the Income Tax Department’s notice to open tax reassessment proceedings against it. The court rejected the plea, observing that the scope of judicial review in such cases was restricted.

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Income Tax Department to initiate tax reassessment proceedings against Environics Trust but said that no final orders can be passed without prior permission, reported PTI.

Opposing the organisation’s appeal in the Supreme Court, the Income Tax Department said that it had begun investigating Environics Trust on September 7, 2022. The department alleged that the organisation’s “activities are neither genuine nor being carried out as per the objects of the Trust”.

“It is found that the petitioner trust is being funded by foreign entities and is being used to stall public projects, which are in the interest of India,” read the Income Tax Department’s affidavit before the Supreme Court. “It is also found that the petitioner trust is hiring paid protestors to protest against public projects in India. More than 90% of the income of the petitioner Trust is from foreign donations.”

The Environics Trust was registered in March 2003 to conduct research on environmental issues, implement programmes for community development and provide assistance to communities to redress injustices and uphold their rights.

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the organisation had received a total of Rs 14.27 crore in donations between 2016 and 2021. Of this, Rs 13.66 crore was obtained through foreign contributions.

The Income Tax Department alleged that Environics Trust “has funded protests against development projects in a village in Odisha under the guise of distribution of relief packages to households”.

“It is found that Environics Trust has transferred an amount of Rs 1,250 per individual from its ICICI bank account…to those who were involved in the said protests and named in the FIR [first information report] registered in this regard,” read the affidavit. “Thus, the Environics Trust is misusing the foreign contribution for stalling development projects instead of using them for the stated purpose.”

The affidavit said that the tax reassessment proceedings against Environics Trust were initiated based on specific facts. However, broader concerns about foreign entities funding and influencing Indian organisations and trusts were pertinent to the case, said the affidavit, according to Hindustan Times.

Several non-governmental organisations have recently had their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences revoked for alleged violations of the Act, which was first enacted in 1976 to regulate the acceptance and usage of foreign funds by individuals and associations.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences of more than 6,600 non-governmental organisations were scrapped between the financial years 2016-’17 and 2021-’22, the Centre told Parliament in December 2022. Nearly 20,700 non-governmental organisations have lost their licences in the past 10 years.

Last year, the Union government told Parliament that 13,520 non-governmental organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act had received Rs 55,741.51 crore in foreign contributions between 2019-’20 and 2021-’22.

Also read:

• Home ministry dodges query on cancelling foreign contribution licences of nonprofits

• Everything you need to know about FCRA, the law that regulates foreign donations to NGOs