New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its order on Congress leader Pawan Kheda’s anticipatory bail plea, with Kheda telling the court that “it is not necessary to humiliate Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma by arresting him” in the passport controversy case involving his wife.During the hearing, Kheda told the court that the allegations against him are a matter of hearing. He further said, “Some of the sections imposed against me are bailable, others do not require arrest.”Khera also said that if he does not get anticipatory bail in the case registered against him in Assam, “then the purpose of pre-arrest bail is defeated.”The bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar reserved its decision after hearing the arguments of both the sides.Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kheda, said there was no need for custodial interrogation in the case and reiterated that the arrest was unnecessary.Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Assam government, told the court that Khera had shown “fake” and “tampered with” copies of the passport of the chief minister’s wife. He also alleged that Kheda was absconding and spreading the video, while adding that the claims of multiple citizenship were false.The case stems from allegations made by Kheda in relation to Riniki Bhuiyan Sharma, following which criminal complaints were filed against him at the Guwahati Crime Branch under the provisions of the Indian Justice Code.Khera has challenged the April 24 order of the Gauhati High Court, which had refused to grant him anticipatory bail.Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted him seven days transit anticipatory bail. However, Assam Police moved the top court against Rahat, following which the Supreme Court stayed the transit bail and directed Khera to approach the Gauhati High Court.It is expected that the apex court will now pronounce its order on Khera’s anticipatory bail plea at an appropriate time.

New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge On Thursday, while not paying much attention to the tussle between Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar over the post of Chief Minister, he said that the party will resolve this confusion as soon as possible.“A day before this, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara had said that if Kharge becomes the Chief Minister, everyone will welcome him in the ruling Congress party.Talking to reporters, Kharge rejected the speculations and said that decisions regarding him are taken by Sonia Gandhi.“You (media), he (Parmeshwar) and people at the top say it would be better if I become (Chief Minister). But, more than luck, according to my ideology and my service to the party so far, Sonia Gandhi takes decisions about me,” he said.He said, “But now this question does not arise. There is already a Chief Minister here. If Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and I together have to take any decision towards change, it will take some time. Let’s wait and see.”Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have been pushing for his elevation amid rumors of a power-sharing deal with CM Siddaramaiah if the party wins the 2023 assembly elections.Amid speculation about change of leadership in Karnataka, Parameshwara said on Wednesday that everyone in the ruling Congress party would welcome Kharge, a senior leader with immense experience, if he becomes the Chief Minister.As soon as the Congress government in Karnataka completed half its term in November last year, the power struggle between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar intensified. Several DKS MLAs and MLCs camped in Delhi to put pressure on the party high command to make him the next Chief Minister.DK Shivakumar further fueled speculation after claiming that “a confidential understanding on leadership change between five-six leaders” had been reached soon after the Congress’s massive victory in the 2023 elections.The Deputy Chief Minister made the first reference to the power agreement, but failed to provide further details. “It’s confidential. I don’t want to speak on it publicly,” he said.The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completes half of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fueled by an alleged “power-sharing” arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar when government formation in 2023.After the victory of Congress in Karnataka Assembly in 2023, the party high command was confused about the CM face. After several days of deliberations, the party went ahead with Siddaramaiah’s name given his seniority and popularity. However, an agreement was reportedly reached that DK Shivakumar would take over the reins in the second half of the government.

Permanent Mission of Iran united nations The United States has accused Tehran of misrepresenting its nuclear program and using the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to divert attention from Washington’s own violations, as tensions between the two countries escalated at the United Nations.In a statement shared on its officialThe statement also criticized international bodies, saying that the UN Security Council, the IAEA Director-General and the Board of Governors not only “failed to condemn these illegal attacks, but most regrettably, they took actions that reversed the roles of victim and attacker.”Iran said the US is portraying its nuclear activities as a threat while ignoring broader disarmament obligations, using the NPT forum to push what it describes as a political narrative.To the United Nations in New York, Iran’s envoy Amir Saeed Erwani warned that lasting stability in the Gulf region requires an end to Iran’s ongoing aggression, as well as guarantees that such actions will not be repeated and that Iran’s sovereignty will be respected.Speaking at the conference, he said Iran supports freedom of navigation in key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, but warned that continued military escalation could undermine regional and global security. He urged the United Nations Security Council to resolve the situation.Ervani alleged that since February 28, the United States and Israel had engaged in a “comprehensive and unjustified aggressive war” against Iran in violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, particularly Article 2(4), adding that these actions had disrupted maritime security.The development comes amid a heated exchange between Washington and Tehran at the NPT review conference in New York, where Iran was chosen as one of the vice-chairs for the month-long meeting.US official Christopher Yeoh criticized Iran’s selection, calling it an “insult” to the treaty. He said it was “undeniable that Iran has long demonstrated its contempt for the NPT’s non-proliferation commitments” and described the move as “shameful and beyond embarrassing for the credibility of this convention.”Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, dismissed the comments as “baseless and politically motivated.”He said, “It is inexcusable that the United States, as the only state that uses nuclear weapons, and which continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal… wants to position itself as the arbiter of compliance.”The dispute comes as the nuclear issue remains central to the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Iran cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, while Tehran says its program is for peaceful purposes.

New Delhi: After the exodus of 7 Rajya Sabha MPs of Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab Chief Minister… Bhagwant Maan He is scheduled to meet President Draupadi Murmu on May 5 to “protect the people’s mandate”.Main has sought an appointment with the President along with party MLAs to press for the recall of seven Rajya Sabha MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party who merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party.In a social media post on Twitter, Mann said that though he had sought an appointment with President Draupadi Murmu along with the state AAP MLAs on the issue of defection of 7 Rajya Sabha MPs, the President has agreed to meet him alone on May 5 at 12 noon.He said that he will reach Rashtrapati Bhavan with the state party MLAs and they will wait outside.Mann said, “It is our duty to protect the mandate and democratic values ​​of the people of Punjab. I am happy to inform you that Honorable President Draupadi Murmu ji has given an appointment on May 5 at 12 noon. Although we had sought an appointment for all the MLAs, I alone have received an invitation to meet.”He said, “I will reach Rashtrapati Bhavan with my fellow MLAs. My fellow MLAs will remain outside and I, on behalf of everyone, will go inside to present the case of Punjab and the people with full strength before the Honorable President. After the meeting, the next strategy will be shared. Heartfelt thanks to the Honorable President for giving me this precious time.”However, there is no provision in the law for recall of an MLA.On April 24, the Aam Aadmi Party suffered a blow when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs — Raghav ChaddhaAshok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahni and Swati Maliwal – left and merged with the BJP alleging that the party had deviated from its principles, values ​​and core ethics. Of the seven MPs who left AAP, six were from Punjab.“We have decided that we, two-thirds of the AAP members in the Rajya Sabha, will exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge with the BJP,” Raghav Chadha said at a press conference.The outcome came after weeks of rising tension between Chadha and the party leadership. Earlier this month, he was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and senior leaders accused him of engaging in “soft PR” instead of aggressively attacking the Center and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.His growing distance from the party became evident last year as Chadha was abroad when Kejriwal was arrested in the excise policy case in March 2024 and remained away during his nearly six-month imprisonment.Senior party leaders also alleged that Chadha was reluctant to raise issues related to AAP’s political stance. They pointed to his refusal to sign the notice demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his failure to join the opposition’s walkout in Parliament.However, Chadha rejected these allegations as “blatant lies” and challenged the party to provide evidence.Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger of MPs with the BJP, reducing the strength of Arvind Kejriwal’s party in the Upper House to three.As per the updated list, Congress has 29 members, while Trinamool Congress has 13 seats. DMK has 8 members, followed by YSR Congress Party with 7 members. Biju Janata Dal has 6 members, and AIADMK has 5. Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party and Nationalist Congress Party have 4 members each.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said if an individual’s fundamental right to religious freedom is considered superior to the similar right of any group or sect, it can have dangerous consequences and the court is not going to be part of the process of destruction of any religion.Bindu Ammini, a lawyer and social activist who was ill-treated when she tried to enter Sabarimala after 2018 scheduled caste The verdict lifted the ban on entry of women in the age group of 10-50, emphasizing their fundamental right to enter the temple. Indira Jaising, appearing for Bindu and another woman Kanakadurga, said there was no religious restriction on women’s entry into any public temple.The matter of religion is a matter of conscience, not for debate: Supreme CourtAppearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices BV Nagarathna, MM Sundaresh, A Amanullah, Arvind Kumar, AG Masih, PB Varale, R Mahadevan and J Bagchi, lawyer Indira Jaising said Bindu did not dispute the ‘gnostic celibate’ qualities of Ayyappa at Sabarimala, but the practice could not be a ground for violating his fundamental right to enter the temple.Jaisingh said that the Indian Constitution is considered unique across the world because it gives prominence to the fundamental rights of individuals. Jaising said, “If a woman wants to go to a temple, what legal injury is she causing to anyone? If the court wants to rule the other way, let it go ahead and do so and the world will see how the Supreme Court of India is developing its jurisprudence related to women’s rights.”Justice Sundaresh disagreed with his argument and asked that if an individual’s right to religious freedom under Article 25(1) conflicts with the right of a group of devotees or followers of a sect, whose right should prevail?“How do we enforce individual rights when it violates the fundamental rights of others? One’s right cannot be pitted against another under Article 25(1). If we agree with what you say, it will have dangerous consequences. If each devotee approaches a common deity and exercises his freedom to worship differently, the consequences will be disastrous for the religion or sect,” he said.Justice Nagarathna agreed with him and said, “This will lead to the destruction of religion and we do not want to be a part of it. Matters of religion are not a subject on which a court or legislature can adjudicate. It cannot be a subject of debate as it is a matter of conscience.”Justice Amanullah asked whether a custom or practice, which has been in place for centuries, should be struck down by the court to ensure that a person must visit a temple despite knowing that it would hurt the religious sentiments of the majority of followers of the sect. The debate will continue on Thursday also.