Author: Rasmita Jena

The day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost power in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the party leader, met with 22 new MLAs at his home. He told them to focus on helping the people. Atishi, the outgoing chief minister and one of the MLAs, said that AAP will be a strong voice against the new ruling party, BJP, and make sure they keep their promises. These promises include giving women Rs 2,500 each month by March 8, providing 300 units of free electricity, and continuing the good services offered by AAP over the past ten years. Atishi mentioned that the AAP will work hard to ensure the BJP doesn’t take away the benefits that people enjoyed before. A meeting will soon be held to choose the new leader of the opposition for AAP. The BJP won 48 out of 70 assembly seats and came back to power in Delhi after 26 years, pushing AAP out after a decade.

The Supreme Court has now been asked to speed up the trial process for nearly 5,000 criminal cases against current and former lawmakers. Senior lawyer Vijay Hansaria, who is helping the court, pointed out that these lawmakers can influence legal investigations, making it hard to close cases. Because of this, many cases have been stuck for a long time, which is not good for our democracy.

As of January 1, 2025, there are 4,732 cases waiting against lawmakers, including 892 new cases from just 2024. A group called the Association of Democratic Reforms reported that out of 543 members of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), 251 have criminal charges. Out of these, 170 cases are serious, meaning they could lead to five years or more in jail.

Hansaria explained that a special court for lawmakers has many responsibilities, so cases against lawmakers often get delayed. Sometimes, the accused do not show up, and there are issues with getting witnesses to attend court on time. Also, the courts sometimes allow too many delays, even when the Supreme Court instructed them not to.

He added that it’s important for citizens to know how these cases are progressing since this is part of their right to information. He suggested that there should be better access on the high court’s website to see the status of these cases. He requested that special courts only handle lawmakers’ cases until they are finished, and then take up other cases.

Hansaria wants the courts to speed up trials for any cases that have been waiting longer than three years and to issue arrest orders if someone misses two court dates in a row. He also suggested dropping some cases against lawmakers that have been pending for over a year.

In a previous update, it was mentioned that in 2023, special courts solved more than 2,000 cases related to lawmakers. Recently, the Supreme Court decided to set up special benches in high courts to ensure these cases are handled more quickly and should not be postponed unless absolutely necessary.

Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of the Dalai Lama, has passed away at the age of 97. He died at his home in Kalimpong, India. Thondup was a key figure in the fight for Tibetan rights and worked hard to get support from other countries, especially the United States.

In a ceremony honoring Thondup, the Dalai Lama led a prayer session at a monastery in Karnataka, where he is living for the winter. The Dalai Lama expressed gratitude for Thondup’s significant efforts for the Tibetan people.

Gyalo Thondup had a special role during important talks with the Chinese government about Tibet. He helped build strong connections with the Indian government, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, after the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959.

In the late 1970s, Thondup began to change his approach from conflict to a peaceful dialogue with China, believing that real progress could only come through talks directly with the Chinese leaders. He served as the chairman of the Tibetan government-in-exile from 1991 to 1993.

On Sunday, BJP president JP Nadda had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This meeting was about picking a new chief minister for Delhi, right after the party won the assembly elections and returned to power after over 26 years.

Before this, senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gathered at the BJP headquarters on Saturday, where Modi addressed happy party workers celebrating their victory. The BJP made strong gains in many areas and among different communities in the elections, leading to a big pool of possible candidates for chief minister.

Political experts believe that the choice for Delhi will be influenced by bigger political messages, just like in other states. Some well-known faces, like Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, and experienced leaders like Satish Upadhyay, Vijender Gupta, Ashish Sood, and Pawan Sharma, are being talked about.

The BJP has a history of choosing leaders who are not very famous, so they might also pick someone who is less known. A party leader mentioned they could select an MLA from the Purvanchal region, a Sikh, or even a woman, based on what the party thinks is best.

Recent experiences in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha show that the BJP can surprise everyone with their choices. They picked Mohan Yadav in Madhya Pradesh, Bhajanlal Sharma in Rajasthan, and Mohan Charan Majhi in Odisha, which caught political watchers off guard.

The leader said the national team might choose a brand new face who is ready to take on the responsibilities of being Delhi’s chief minister, especially since people have high expectations.

Virendra Sachdeva, the head of the BJP in Delhi, stated that the final decision will be made by the party’s central leadership. He added that all the newly-elected MLAs are capable of handling their duties.