Rajiv Kumar, the 25th chief election commissioner of India, has demitted office after a nearly three-year tenure marked by both electoral successes and allegations of bias from opposition parties. Kumar oversaw the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, among other major elections. During his tenure, he implemented reforms across various aspects of the Election Commission's functioning, including structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation, and administration. However, he faced criticism from opposition parties and activists on several issues, including the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines, alleged fudging of voter data, and being "lenient" on the ruling BJP. While the Commission responded to the allegations, Kumar often defended himself and the poll authority through poetry. In his farewell address, Kumar expressed concerns about the timing of petitions raising doubts over poll processes and the impact of freebie promises on the fiscal health of the state. He also criticized the practice of showing early trends on counting day by news channels, calling it "nonsense". Kumar's tenure was marked by numerous controversies, with opposition parties and activists alleging bias and irregularities. While the Election Commission defended its actions, the allegations cast a shadow over his time in office.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has written an open letter to BookMyShow requesting the online ticketing platform to either not delist him or to hand over the contact information of audience members he has earned through his solo shows over the years. The letter comes days after Shiv Sena claimed BookMyShow had taken Kamra off the sale and artists list from its platform amid ongoing controversy around his 'traitor' jibe against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A section of the Madras high court Bar Association has opposed the Supreme Court collegium's recommendation to elevate advocate Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri for judgeship at the Madras HC and demanded her recall.
The Madras High Court has ruled that senior citizens can cancel gift or settlement deeds executed in favor of their children or close relatives if they fail to take care of them, even if it was not explicitly mentioned in the conditions imposed in the deeds. The court said the love and affection being the consideration, which can be traced out in the Settlement Deed, would be sufficient to hold that such love and affection was an implied condition that the senior citizen will be taken care of by the beneficiary of the Settlement Deed or gift deed.
The Madras High Court has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Anna University sexual assault case not to harass journalists over the leak of the FIR in the matter. The court also directed the journalists to cooperate with the investigation.
Reconstruction of the terminal is expected to be completed by September 2028.
The Supreme Court on Monday reconsidered a plea for urgent hearing of a petition challenging the appointment of lawyer Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri as an additional judge of the Madras high court, and advanced the date of hearing to February 7 from February 10.
The Maha Kumbh 2025 at Prayagraj will feature a "Yuva Maha Kumbh", a gathering of youth and students celebrating Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary and his vision for India. The event, organized by the Vivekananda Kendra, will include workshops and discussions on Swami Vivekananda's teachings and their relevance to modern India. The gathering will take place from January 20th, coinciding with the Maha Kumbh, and is expected to draw a large number of young people.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta admitted the appeal filed by Ravindhranath against the high court order for hearing and issued notice to P Milany, who filed the petition challenging his election from the Theni constituency.
Kumar's parents failed to deposit Rs 17,500 as the acceptance fee by June 24, the deadline for depositing the requisite fees for blocking the seat.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Madras high court chief justice that the habeas corpus petition of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji shall be decided by new bench expeditiously, and asked him to place the plea before three judges "at the earliest".
'If delimitation is not handled well by the Centre, the southern states are certainly going to challenge it.'
The Madras High Court has stopped the Music Academy from giving a prestigious award named after legendary vocalist MS Subbulakshmi to Carnatic music singer T M Krishna. The decision came after a lawsuit filed by Subbulakshmi's grandson, who accused Krishna of making negative comments about the late singer on social media.
Justice N Seshasayee said in his order on September 15 that the court is conscious of 'the very vociferous, and at time noisy debates on pro and anti Sanatan Dharma' and the court could not help pondering over with genuine concern for what is going around.
Padmakar Shivalkar was distinctly unlucky that his best days in the 1970s coincided with that of Bishan Singh Bedi's prime.
Mohammed Shami's much-awaited return to top-flight cricket did not receive too many supporting signals during the seasoned pacer's nearly hour-long stint of varying intensity at the India nets here on Friday. Despite working hard on finding his bowling rhythm, Shami never really hit his flowing peak. While he was expected to feature in the playing 11 during India's first T20I against England at Kolkata on Wednesday, the management decided to delay his comeback. Shami's rhythm and sharpness gradually hit a higher gear but the whole picture was one of rustiness, raising questions about his current form and the decision to select him for the series against England and the Champions Trophy.
The Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of a Dalit youth, who had lost his seat in IIT Dhanbad after missing the deadline to deposit a fee, by asking the institute to admit him to the BTech course.
The ED, which is probing 'illegal' sand mining under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act apprised the court that it is in possession of credible scientific evidence.
This yogurt channa dish requires no elaborate preparations.
'It was great to have the Indian roots reflected in full force.'
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches against Chennai-based 'lottery king' Santiago Martin, the single biggest donor to political parties with over Rs 1,300 crore in electoral bonds, as part of a money laundering investigation. The action comes after the Madras High Court allowed the ED to proceed against Martin following a police decision to close the initial FIR against him.
Named "HomoSEP", ten units are planned to be deployed across Tamil Nadu and the researchers are in touch with sanitation workers to identify the locations, officials said.
'Trump's desire to withdraw the US from some arenas on the global stage will result in ceding space to China.'
'The southern states will have no voice.' 'Political parties in future need to focus only on one region, the northern region, to win the general election.'
'I need to work to find some joy in this life.'
India should convert the Trump threat to an India opportunity, re-embracing a more liberal trade regime as a way of reviving manufacturing output and exports.
The Madras High Court has asserted that press freedom and privacy are intertwined and that surveillance constitutes an attack on the press, which is considered the fourth pillar of democracy. The court made this observation while addressing petitions filed by the Chennai Press Club and three reporters seeking protection from harassment by a police Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the leak of an FIR concerning a sexual assault case at Anna University. The court highlighted the importance of protecting journalists' sources and criticized the SIT for seizing reporters' mobile phones without justification and for failing to adequately investigate the source of the leaked FIR.
The Supreme Court on Friday termed as "unwarranted and extraneous" the Madras high court directive to YouTuber Felix Jerald to close down his channel as one of the bail conditions.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the transfer of Justice Banerjee to the Meghalaya high court. This decision snowballed into a controversy with voices for and against the shifting of the senior judge.
'He asserted in his usual jovial style that he was not an MBA like his audience at IIM-Ahmedabad but perhaps had an even better business degree: MBB'. 'He went on to explain to his perplexed, blue chip B-School audience that MBB stood for "Marwadi by birth"!' Shivanand Kanavi salutes Shashi Ruia, co-founder of the Essar group who passed into the ages on November 25, 2024 in Mumbai.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has directed the secretary, environment and forest department, to ensure that there are no more acquisitions of elephants by private individuals or religious institutions in Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has rejected a request made by Justice V M Velumani to retain her as a Madras high court judge.
'Mrs shows a dark side to the son and the father.' 'I had to do things that I wouldn't dare to do in real life.'
In the months immediately following the 2024 tragedy, reporting on the landslide per se had been a straightforward affair. On one side was death and destruction. On the other side, survivors and the business of survival. It was black and white. What direction to take was clear. Rehabilitation in comparison, felt like a complex situation. One that is fraught with shades of grey. As grey as human life, explains Shyam G Menon.
Narayanan has a long and distinguished career at ISRO, having played a key role in several important missions, including Chandrayaan-2 and 3, and the Gaganyaan programme.
If the DMK is able to sustain the momentum until the assembly polls, the AIADMK especially and the PMK and possibly the infant TVK too would find it hard to sign up with the BJP, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Earlier, the comedy track used to run parallel to the main story with songs et al.' 'Nowadays, it's just once one scene here and there.'
The bench said the report submitted by the special judge indicates that he has 29 cases with him. In many cases, the trial has begun while in many others the trial is yet to begin.
This is the magic of Sircar's filmmaking -- National Award winners, many of them -- that makes every new work of his an eagerly-awaited affair.
The Madras high court on Friday upheld the arrest of Minister V Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case and his subsequent remand in judicial custody by a sessions court.
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