Category: India

Gyanesh Kumar has been named the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), according to the Union law ministry. He will take over from Rajiv Kumar, who is leaving the job when he turns 65 on Tuesday. CECs serve for six years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first. Gyanesh Kumar is the first person to be appointed CEC under a new law about how election commissioners are chosen.

His name was chosen by a committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi also on the panel. This meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Earlier that day, Congress suggested that the selection meeting should be postponed until after the Supreme Court hears a related case on February 19. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the government is trying to control the Election Commission instead of keeping it trustworthy by not including the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee.

Singhvi said, “We believe the government should wait until the hearing is done before making any decisions.” He also criticized the new law for creating a system that favors the government when choosing Election Commissioners.

According to Singhvi, this new committee goes against a Supreme Court ruling from March 2nd, 2023, which stated that the CEC and other Election Commissioners should be chosen by a team that includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India.

In his farewell speech on Monday, Rajiv Kumar, the outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has often been unfairly blamed by people who do not want to accept the results of elections. He pointed out that blaming election officials after an election is becoming a common problem.

Rajiv Kumar emphasized that candidates and their parties are involved in every part of the election process and that they should voice any issues during the process, not after the results are announced. He called for an end to this blame game.

“Talking things out should always be the first choice. Even though the Commission stays calm and collected, it is upsetting to see this trend of blaming after losing,” he added.

His comments come as some opposition parties claim that the ECI favors the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ECI has firmly denied these claims.

For example, on February 7, Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Congress party, stated that the number of voters in Maharashtra jumped by 39 lakh between Lok Sabha elections in April-June 2024 and the assembly elections in November. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. However, the BJP-led party won 230 out of the 288 assembly seats in the state.

The opposition has also raised concerns about using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), asking to switch back to paper ballots. In October 2024, after losing to the BJP in Haryana despite the BJP’s ten-year rule, Congress shocked everyone by refusing to accept the election results, claiming that there was a big mismatch between votes counted and actual votes cast.

On Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized Sam Pitroda, a leader from the Overseas Congress, because he said that the threat from China is often over-exaggerated. He claimed that this worrying about China is a “serious blow” to India’s identity and diplomacy. Pitroda, who is the head of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), said during a chat with a news agency that he doesn’t fully understand why China is seen as a big threat. He mentioned that the United States sometimes labels countries as enemies and suggested that it’s time for countries to work together instead of fighting against each other.

Pitroda’s comments came when U.S. President Trump offered to help solve border issues between India and China, but India said it would manage these issues on its own.

He also expressed that a confrontational attitude creates enemies and might gain some political support at home, but it’s not helpful overall. Sudhanshu Trivedi, a BJP MP, criticized Pitroda for his statements and connected them to similar comments made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, questioning if these remarks disrespect the soldiers who lost their lives in the Galwan Valley clash.

The Congress party quickly distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments. Jairam Ramesh, a Congress leader, made it clear that Pitroda’s views do not reflect the party’s stand on China, emphasizing that China is a major challenge for India’s foreign policy and security.

Earlier, Pitroda faced backlash for saying that different regions in India look like people from other countries, which led to him resigning from his position as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, although he was later reappointed.

Bhubaneswar: A former worker at Raj Bhavan has accused the son of former Odisha governor Raghubar Das of attacking him. This incident allegedly happened on July 7 last year. Baikuntha Pradhan, who was working as an assistant section officer, claims that Lalit Das and his five friends slapped, punched, and kicked him at Raj Bhavan in Puri. Pradhan was there to prepare for President Droupadi Murmu’s visit.

In response to a question from a BJD legislator, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that no written complaint was filed at the Sea Beach police station in Puri. However, an online complaint was submitted on July 12, which is still being investigated.

After the incident, the state government ordered an investigation, but it has been unclear what has happened since then. In his account, Pradhan mentioned that on the night of July 7, around 11:45 PM, he was called to meet Lalit Das. When he arrived, Lalit Das allegedly started hitting him and using foul language. Pradhan said he tried to escape but was caught and dragged back, where further violence occurred.

The attack is believed to have started because Lalit Das was angry about not getting a fancy car in Puri. After Raghubar Das was replaced as governor in December, Pradhan’s wife has attempted to meet the new governor to seek action on this case.

Abdul Hamid is a well-known hero from the 1965 India-Pakistan war. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military honor, for his bravery. Sadly, his name has been taken off the main gate of a primary school in Dhamupur village, Ghazipur, where he studied.

Recently, the school changed its name to “PM Shri Composite School” after repainting. Jameel Ahmed, Abdul Hamid’s grandson, noticed that the name “Shaheed Hamid Vidyalaya” was removed. He talked to the headmaster, Ajay Kushwaha, about this issue. The headmaster told them to contact Basic Education Officer Hemant Rao for help.

Rao mentioned that Hamid’s name would still be on an outside wall of the school. However, Jameel’s family believes that the entrance should also show his name. So, they filed another complaint asking for the name to be returned. They were told it would be done pretty soon, but as of Monday, Hamid’s name was still missing from the entrance, which upset the family.

Rao assured them, saying, “Shaheed Abdul Hamid’s name will be put back at the entrance shortly.” Everyone hopes that the school will honor this brave soldier soon, as it means a lot to his family and the community.

A fire started at an empty private camp in the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. This happened just two days after another fire damaged seven tents in an ashram in a nearby area. The new fire broke out in Sector 8 of the Kumbh Mela site, according to the news. We’re still waiting for more information about this incident. Stay tuned for updates!

On Monday, the Supreme Court decided to postpone discussions about a law that protects places of worship until the first week of April. A group of judges, including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, said a larger group of three judges would hear the case.

Earlier that day, the court was unhappy with the increase of new cases related to this law, called the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This law ensures that the religious character of a site remains the same as it was on August 15, 1947. The Chief Justice expressed concern that they might not have enough time to address all the new cases being brought up, mentioning that they might set a later date in March.

In December, the court had paused several lawsuits from Hindu groups wanting to assess the original religious character of certain mosques like the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and others. These petitions were supposed to be heard on February 17, but new petitions continue to be filed. For example, leaders from different political parties, like AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress’s Iqra Choudhary, have requested that this law be enforced fairly to keep peace and harmony among various communities.

Choudhary highlighted that many legal actions against mosques are starting to create tensions. Meanwhile, the court had already agreed to look into a separate case brought by Owaisi, asking for similar protection.

On the other side, a Hindu organization, the Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti, wants to participate in these cases to ensure the law stays valid. Currently, around six main petitions, including one from lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, are challenging parts of the 1991 law, arguing that it limits people’s rights to seek legal action over places of worship.

The law aims to keep the current religious status of worship sites like they were in 1947, not affecting the well-known Ayodhya dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid. Muslim groups like the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind wish for strict enforcement of this law to maintain peace. They argue some petitioners are trying to exploit the law and file claims about mosques that are currently protected.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted strongly to a claim made by a US government department, led by Elon Musk’s DOGE, that they canceled a $21 million grant meant to help increase voter turnout in India.

Sanjeev Sanyal, a top adviser to Prime Minister Modi, questioned the trustworthiness of the USAID, the organization responsible for foreign aid, calling it “the biggest scam in human history.” He expressed a desire to know who got the $21 million for improving voter turnout in India, along with other similar funds allocated to Bangladesh and Nepal.

The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claimed in a post that taxpayer dollars planned for several international projects, including the one for India, have been canceled. BJP leader Nalin Kohli raised concerns about foreign agencies interfering in India’s elections, stating that India is a strong democracy and can hold its own fair elections. He pointed out past instances where other political parties like Congress had worked with foreign organizations to influence elections.

BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani insisted that Indian authorities should investigate the money and identify anyone involved in influencing the country’s democracy, suggesting that they should face the law for undermining India.

SY Quraishi, a former Chief Election Commissioner, commented that while there was a past agreement for training, there were no funds involved. Amit Malviya from the BJP reiterated that the $21 million grant was unwanted interference in India’s electoral system