Not a single genuine vote will be allowed to be deleted under SIR: Punjab CM
Warning against any attempt to cast “fake votes” in favor of any particular political party, Mann said AAP leaders and workers would be deployed along with booth level officers (BLOs) at every polling station across Punjab to monitor the exercise and prevent any irregularities. Responding to a question, he said that SIR of voter list is going to start in Punjab from June 15 and said that the Election Commission of India should resolve the issues raised by all political parties in this regard. We do not want negativity to spread in Punjab that real votes get deleted and fake votes are created, or votes of supporters of a particular party get deleted or fake votes are created. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Mann said, “We will monitor (SIR) ourselves, our booth level agents and our volunteers will be present. No eligible citizen’s vote will be removed and we are in touch with the ECI for this.” He said that the SIR should be conducted in a transparent manner, if any political party has any complaint, the ECI should resolve it. Concerns raised in several states regarding deletion of genuine votes and inclusion of fake entries have created concern among citizens, making it imperative for the ECI to act with utmost responsibility and neutrality. Complaints have emerged from various states about deletion of lakhs of genuine votes and manipulation in the verification process, but the people of Punjab will not allow such practices in the state,” he claimed. He urged the Election Commission (EC) to conduct the entire SIR exercise with complete honesty, transparency and fairness, while also ensuring that public objections are resolved without any delay. Clarifying AAP’s stand on the amendment of the voter list, Mann said, “The names of dead persons or those who have moved abroad permanently after acquiring foreign citizenship should naturally be removed from the voter list, but no bona fide resident of Punjab should face harassment or denial of the right to vote under any circumstances.” The CM further revealed that about 83 per cent of voter mapping has already been completed in Punjab and urged citizens to actively participate in the verification process to protect their democratic rights. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra on Thursday had said that under the SIR, booth level officers across Punjab will go door-to-door from June 25 to July 24 to fill voter forms. For this exercise, the entire election machinery including 24,453 BLOs and 2,476 observers has been deployed. He further informed that the training of BLOs and other preparatory arrangements related to the SIR exercise will be done from June 15 to June 24. He said that the objective of this exercise is to ensure inclusion of name of every eligible citizen in the voter list and removal of names of ineligible persons from the voter list.
External Affairs Ministry rejects Pakistan-backed arbitration court’s decision on Indus Water Treaty
indus water treatyDeclared the decision ‘null and void’.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has never recognized the establishment of the court and will not accept any proceedings, awards or judgments issued by it.Responding to media queries, Jaiswal said, “The illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration (CoA) has issued an award on May 15, 2026, in respect of the Maximum Pond, supplementing the award on issues of common interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty.”“India categorically rejects the current so-called award, just as it has strongly rejected all prior declarations of illegally constituted CoA,” he said.Jaiswal further said that any action taken by the tribunal has no legal validity from India’s point of view.He said, “India has never recognized the establishment of this so-called CoA. Any proceedings, awards or decisions issued by it are invalid.”He also reiterated that India’s decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty on hold will remain unchanged.“India’s decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty on hold will remain in force,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.This comes after the Court of Arbitration on May 15 issued an award related to the ‘maximum pond’ issue under the Indus Waters Treaty. India has consistently said the court was created in violation of the treaty and has repeatedly rejected its jurisdiction over disputes related to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir.Last year too, India had rejected a supplementary award issued by the court, terming the arbitration mechanism as ‘a play at the behest of Pakistan’ and accusing Islamabad of misusing international forums by continuing support for cross-border terrorism.The Indus Water Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 with World Bank assistance, regulates the sharing of the waters of the Indus River system between the two countries.Under the treaty, the total waters of the eastern rivers, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, were allocated to India for unrestricted use, while the waters of the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, were largely allocated to Pakistan.However, India is allowed to use water from western rivers for domestic use, irrigation and hydro-electric power generation. But due to lack of storage capacity, India is not able to fully utilize its legal share.
As uproar over NEET paper leak intensifies, Center clears key NTA appointments
1998 batch Indian Statistical Service (ISS) officer Anuja Bapat and 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer Ruchita Vij have been appointed joint secretaries in the NTA. Meanwhile, 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer Akash Jain and 2013 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer Aditya Rajendra Bhojdhiya have been appointed as joint directors in the agency.These appointments come amid a widespread investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested another alleged mastermind in the case. The agency identified Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune, as the alleged source of the leaked biology questions in the exam. According to the CBI, Mandhare was associated with the NEET-UG 2026 process as an NTA expert and had access to the question papers of Botany and Zoology.Read this also NEET paper leak: CBI arrests Pune Botany teacher, who was appointed as expert by NTAInvestigators alleged that he conducted coaching sessions for NEET aspirants at his Pune residence and revealed several questions which later matched the actual exam paper held on May 3.The arrest comes a day after retired chemistry professor PV Kulkarni was arrested in Latur in connection with the alleged leak. The agency said it conducted searches at six locations across the country and seized documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones.Delhi court sent two accused in the case to 10-day CBI custody for further questioning.Read this also NEET paper leak controversy: Delhi court sends two accused to 10-day CBI custodyAfter the cancellation of medical examinations, this controversy has become a big national issue. Student organizations and resident doctors’ bodies have held protests demanding accountability, while some groups have moved the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the NTA in its current form. Opposition parties have intensified their attacks on the Center over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stepped up his criticism by demanding the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak, while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal urged Gen Z to take to the streets demanding accountability from the government.So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar.
Government has barred Central employees from changing CGHS parents/in-laws option later
New Delhi: Central government employees opting to have either of their parents or parents-in-law as dependents for availing medical facilities under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1944, will not be allowed to change the option later, according to a fresh order issued by the Union Health Ministry.In an office memorandum issued on May 13, the ministry said eligible employees can exercise the option only once and the decision will be final even in cases such as death of parents or change in family circumstances.This order is applicable to beneficiaries covered under both CGHS and CS (MA) Rules, 1944, subject to the existing dependency and eligibility conditions. According to the ministry, if an employee chooses to include parents as dependents to avail medical facilities, the option cannot be later transferred to parents-in-law, and vice versa.The latest directions come as the Center continues the implementation of reforms initiated in the last two years to expand flexibilities under government health schemes. In July 2023, the government for the first time extended the option to cover parents or in-laws under CGHS to male central government employees, bringing them at par with female employees who already had this provision under the earlier rules.The facility was extended to beneficiaries covered under the Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1944, in March 2024 after the ministry said it had received repeated representations and queries demanding the same benefit for CS (MA) beneficiaries as well.Officials said the fresh instructions are aimed at streamlining implementation across ministries and departments and avoiding frequent changes in dependency declarations under government-funded health schemes.CGHS provides cashless and reimbursement-based healthcare facilities to lakhs of serving and retired Central Government employees and their dependent family members through wellness centers and empaneled hospitals across the country. Dependency criteria are linked to the income limit and other eligibility conditions prescribed under the scheme.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari has warned senior TMC leader Jahangir Khan before Falta re-polling.
Suvendu Adhikari; Jahangir Khan
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday warned Trinamool Congress (TMC) “so-called Pushpa” Jahangir Khan ahead of re-polling in Falta assembly constituency on May 21.“The so-called Pushpa is now my responsibility; Falta repoll should be violence free,” PTI quoted the official as saying.Ahead of the assembly elections, Khan, a powerful Trinamool leader and the party’s Falta candidate, had described himself as “Pushpa” – a take on the smuggler-turned-strongman character played by Allu Arjun in the two “Pushpa” films.The comment was in response to UP-cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, who was appointed by the Election Commission as a police observer in West Bengal, being compared to “Singham” – the police officer character portrayed by Ajay Devgan in the “Singham” film series. In a viral video, Sharma was seen warning Khan’s family, prompting Khan’s reaction.“Tell him, if his men continue to threaten, we will deal with him appropriately…then don’t cry or repent,” Sharma said in the video.The Election Commission ordered fresh polling in Falta after the button next to the BJP symbol was found stuck with tape on electronic voting machines at several polling stations. Counting of votes will take place on May 24.In the West Bengal Assembly elections held on April 23 and 29, the BJP ousted TMC, ending the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s 15-year rule and forming its first government in the state. The election saw over 90% voting in both phases.Adhikari, a former TMC leader, won both his bastion Nandigram and Banerjee’s Bhawanipur bastion, where he defeated the now former chief minister, repeating the 2021 Nandigram contest in which he won by a slim margin. He has since vacated the Nandigram seat and retained Bhabanipur.
Did foreigners vote in Tamil Nadu elections? ECI orders probe after 10 people detained at Chennai and Madurai airports
Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered an investigation Blame Foreign nationals of Indian origin voted “fraudulently” in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23, an official said on Saturday. The ECI’s action followed a report submitted by the police after ten foreign nationals were arrested while attempting to board flights from Chennai and Madurai airports, PTI reported. According to the police report, airport officials became suspicious after noticing indelible ink marks on the passengers’ index fingers and alerted the police. “They had used fake Indian ID documents to cast their votes. When he tried to go out, indelible ink was seen on his fingers,” a police officer told PTI. The accused were arrested in nine cases for casting their votes in the assembly elections. Police interrogation revealed that they were from Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and Canada. As per ECI rules, a foreign elector must be an Indian citizen who has not acquired citizenship of any other country. People who have renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting. Non-resident Indians can register as voters under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act and are required to produce their original Indian passport at the polling station.
CBI arrests Pune’s Botany teacher who was appointed as expert by NTA
The accused, senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare from Pune, Maharashtra, was arrested in Delhi after questioning by the agency. According to the CBI, Mandhare was associated with the NEET-UG 2026 exam process and was appointed as an expert by the National Testing Agency (NTA), giving him access to the question papers of Botany and Zoology, news agency ANI reported.Investigators alleged that during April 2026, he mobilized potential NEET candidates through Pune-based Manisha Waghmare, who was already arrested on May 14. The CBI said Mandhare conducted special coaching classes for students at his Pune residence, during which he allegedly exposed several questions from Botany and Zoology and asked the students to note them down in notebooks and textbooks.The agency said most of those questions match the actual NEET-UG 2026 question paper held on May 3 (now cancelled).The arrest comes a day after the CBI said it has arrested PV Kulkarni, a retired chemistry professor in Latur, in the paper leak case. Kulkarni, who spent more than three decades in academia, had joined the NTA as part of the question paper setting panel. The investigators are probing the role of the individuals involved in framing the questions.In the last 24 hours, the CBI said it has conducted searches at six locations across the country and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones. The agency said a detailed analysis of the seized material is underway.So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. Five accused have already been sent to seven days’ police custody for questioning, while two others arrested in Pune were produced in a local court and later sent to Delhi on transit remand.
Congress protests over increase in prices of fuel, milk
Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav said the protest was aimed at drawing attention to the rising cost of essential commodities under the Centre.Yadav said, “This is our fight, and it is the people’s fight. We will fight this. This is a very serious matter and it is being repeated again and again. They came to power in 2014 and in their 12-year rule, they have doubled inflation. Be it the price of fuel, vegetables, milk, LPG or CNG, this government has continuously increased inflation and has not taken any effective steps to provide relief to the people.”Commenting on the rise in fuel prices, Yadav said, “People are being forced to travel by bullock carts.”During the protest, Congress leaders and workers raised slogans and accused the government of failing to control inflation and provide relief to consumers facing rising daily expenses.The protests came after public sector oil marketing companies announced fuel price hike by nearly Rs 3 per liter on Friday, pushing up petrol and diesel prices in major metro cities. Petrol prices in Delhi rose to around Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel stood at Rs 90.67 per litre.The increase comes amid ongoing disruptions in global energy supplies due to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Global crude oil prices have risen to around $105 from around $70 a barrel before the conflict, although fuel prices in India remained largely unchanged until the latest revision.Oil company officials said further hikes could not be ruled out, but any additional increases would depend on the government’s approval and decision regarding the timing and extent of the revision. Despite the latest increase, state-run fuel retailers are still not fully recovering costs. According to CRISIL, oil marketing companies are currently incurring a loss of around Rs 10 per liter on petrol and Rs 13 on diesel.Barring a Rs 2 per liter excise duty cut announced by the Center in March 2024, fuel prices remained largely unchanged from April 2022. Meanwhile, the prices of piped cooking gas have not been revised.
Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi’s strong warning to Pakistan
Speaking during an interactive session organized by Uniforms Unveiled at the Manekshaw Centre, General Dwivedi was asked how Indian Army Will respond if the circumstances are similar to those that caused it Operation Sindoor Re-emerge.General Dwivedi said, “I think if you have heard me before, what I have said is that Pakistan, if it continues to harbor terrorists and work against India, they will have to decide whether they want to be a part of geography or history.”General Dwivedi made the remarks at an event titled ‘Army Samvad’, which was organized a few days after the country and the Indian Army celebrated the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.The armed forces had carried out precise strikes on several terrorist infrastructure targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.Later, Pakistan also started attacks against India and all subsequent retaliatory attacks from India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.The nearly 88-hour military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors came to a halt on the evening of May 10 after an agreement was reached.
Robert Vadra gets bail in Gurugram land deal scam case
New Delhi: Delhi-based businessman and husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, robert vadraDelhi’s Rouse Avenue Court granted bail on Saturday. Enforcement DirectorateThe money laundering case is related to the controversial Shikohpur land deal of Gurugram.The court granted him relief on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety and fixed the next hearing in the case for July 10.The case pertains to alleged irregularities in a land transaction in Shikohpur village in Haryana and is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).Speaking to reporters after getting bail, Vadra expressed his faith in the judiciary and raised questions on the functioning of the agency.“I believe in the judicial system of this country. I know that the ED is being managed by the government and the ED will continue to run on the instructions of the government. So, this is not fair on the part of the ED. But I believe in the judicial system of the country. I am here, I have nothing to hide. So, I will always be here and answer all the questions. Whatever formalities there are, I will complete them. So, it is all good… If we are winning the elections, if we “Doing well and people, I still want my family, by default I have to deal with it. I have the ability to cope and I have nothing to hide.”The case pertains to a 2008 land transaction in which Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, purchased about 3.5 acres of land in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village from Omkareshwar Properties for about Rs 7.5 crore. The land was later sold to real estate giant DLF for a much higher amount after the mutation process and grant of commercial license became the subject of investigation.The Haryana government had earlier ordered a probe into the deal, focusing on possible irregularities in land licensing and financial gains arising from the transaction. Later the ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of the crime registered in the case.Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations against him are politically motivated.