A dedicated bench will be required for West Bengal SIR cases, CJI said. india news
The bench said that it cannot entertain Guruswami’s oral request and if the client has a complaint against such alleged nomination, he can file a fresh petition stating the cause of action and the grounds of complaint. “We cannot consider a verbal request without any documentation.”Guruswamy said he did not have any documents, but media reports suggest that five to six lakh new voters have been included in the voter list. During an earlier hearing, the SC had said that it is not unusual that a large number of Form 6 applications are submitted by those who have attained the age of 18 years to get their names included in the electoral roll before the elections.The Election Commission had said that all eligible people are allowed to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll till the deadline for filing nominations by the candidates. It said that all the newly added voters will not be able to cast their vote in the upcoming elections.
This is the first official visit of an Indian CDS to the UK and the fifth senior UK-India military partnership this year, following the visit of UK Air Force Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Harvey Smith to India in March.“Chief of Defense Staff CDS General Anil Chauhan, on an official visit to the UK, was given a ceremonial step line and welcomed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, UK CDS, underscoring a strong, future-ready India-UK defense partnership. He also interacted with Shri Vikram K Doraiswamy, High Commissioner of India to the UK,” the Integrated Defense Staff (IDS) headquarters posted on .IDS further said, “This visit will deepen defense cooperation and advance defense industrial and intelligence cooperation, cyber cooperation, strategic communications and joint exercises. The visit strengthens the shared commitment to global security, stability and resilience.”Representatives of the British defense industry are to meet General Chauhan to take forward talks on greater defense co-production between the two countries.Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said, “General Chauhan’s historic visit reflects the confidence and ambition that drives the UK-India defense partnership. We are enhancing our collaboration to strengthen interoperability, foster innovation and support a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.” “From joint training and defense industry collaboration to strategic dialogue, we are growing ever closer as India is a major defense partner for the UK. We will continue this momentum in the coming months,” she said.In February, the UK and India signed an agreement for the Indian Air Force to deploy three qualified flying instructors to Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in the UK, the training base for British fast-jet pilots. Indian officers serve as instructors in all three service academies of the UK.The visit comes after India and the UK launched a 10-year defense industrial roadmap under the Vision 2035 agreement to support development, strengthen security and contribute to international stability.
Initial investigations point to mechanical failure, driver error, road conditions or a combination of factors as possible causes of the accident, which occurred at 10 am in the hilly Khagote area of the Ghat’s winding roads.The bus rolled into a ditch and overturned on the road below, crushing an auto-rickshaw, injuring its occupants, officials said. The bus was going from Ramnagar to Udhampur city. DIG (Reasi Range) Shiv Kumar Sharma said, “It lost control while moving on the hilly road.”After seeing the accident, a passing army convoy stopped, whose personnel started rescue operations before Jammu and Kashmir Police and local people took the injured passengers to nearby hospitals. Many people were later taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Udhampur city. Some were sent to Jammu.According to officials, 19 passengers died on the spot. DIG Sharma said, “Two seriously injured people died in Udhampur District Hospital.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu expressed grief. The PM announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured passengers. “Saddened to hear about the loss of lives due to the bus accident in Udhampur. I express my heartfelt condolences. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Mosi posted on Twitter.Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expressed condolences over the deaths and extended support. Omar’s office posted, “Though no amount of assistance can compensate for the irreparable loss of life, but as an immediate relief, the CM has announced an immediate relief of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased, Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries.”Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha described the accident as “heartbreaking” and assured all possible assistance. “My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them strength,” Sinha posted on Instagram. Union minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh vowed to provide all possible help and said he had spoken to local officials. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” Singh posted on X.The hilly forested areas of Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu region have witnessed many fatal road accidents over the years due to a dangerous combination of steep slopes, narrow carriageways, blind turns, seasonal road deterioration and heavy traffic.On January 22 this year, 10 soldiers were killed when a bulletproof army vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 200 feet deep gorge in Khanni Top area of Doda.On May 31, 2024, 22 pilgrims from UP died when their bus fell into a ditch in Akhnoor, Jammu. On November 15, 2023, 38 passengers died when a bus fell off a steep slope in Doda. On July 1, 2019, an overloaded bus fell into a ditch in Kishtwar, killing 35 people, while on May 12, 2015, a similar accident in Udhampur resulted in a bus crash, killing 24 people.
A year later, the line remains dangerously thin.There has been a little change in Pahalgam Civil Hospital. Medical care is still conducted within five cramped rooms. Doctors consult outpatients while paramedics confine themselves to X-rays and ECGs. Outside, three ambulances – an increase of exactly one vehicle since the massacre – are parked on a strewn lawn. When it rains, the ground turns into mud, blocking the entrance.The tragedy forced serious reforms. As reinforcements arrived from across South Kashmir, staff pulled the beds into a hollow, unfinished three-storey building next door. They used a hall shell to pile the dead. Today, that building remains a concrete structure, held up by bureaucratic gridlock, while the primary clinic struggles to breathe.The limitations of the facility belie the scale of its responsibility. Pahalgam is not a sleepy village. It is a global destination and spiritual gateway. In 2024, Pahalgam hosted 11.9 lakh tourists and more than 5 lakh Amarnath pilgrims – many of whom required treatment for high-altitude illnesses. The hospital also serves 2 lakh residents of the area.A 2021 plan to upgrade the site to a 50-bed sub-district hospital exists only on paper. Sanctioned staff posts are lying vacant. The skeleton team – a surgeon, an anesthetist, a gynecologist, and seven paramedics – regularly referred critically ill people to the Government Medical College in Anantnag, miles away.Delay is a game of finger pointing. Health officials blame the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department for the slow pace of construction. R&B officials claim that they are facing a loss of approximately Rs 4.3 crore. “We’ve added another floor,” said an R&B executive. “Construction of the lift and internal work is pending. If the health department releases funds, we can commission the building within six months.”As another tourist season approaches and the Amarnath Yatra approaches, Pahalgam’s primary protection against tragedy remains five rooms and a promise. The hall that once held 26 bodies is still empty, waiting for paint and electricity that never came. For now, the urgency of that April evening has been replaced by the slow rot of neglect.
