News for 'Election Commission and Supreme Court'

Want a J-K where violence is history, stand by statehood promise: PM

Want a J-K where violence is history, stand by statehood promise: PM

Rediff.com20 May 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has made a "solemn promise" for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions.

Azam Khan gets 2-year jail in another hate speech case

Azam Khan gets 2-year jail in another hate speech case

Rediff.com15 Jul 2023

The case was registered against Khan for allegedly making a provocative speech targeting the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the then Rampur district election officer and the Election Commission at a rally in the Dhamora area on April 8, 2019 during the Lok Sabha polls.

HC asks Parliament, EC to take steps for removing criminals from politics

HC asks Parliament, EC to take steps for removing criminals from politics

Rediff.com4 Jul 2022

The court said it is the responsibility of Parliament to show its collective will to restrain criminals from entering politics or legislature to save democracy and the country governed on democratic principles and the rule of law.

BJP makes inroads in Dalit, Jat strongholds of Haryana

BJP makes inroads in Dalit, Jat strongholds of Haryana

Rediff.com9 Oct 2024

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana by bucking anti-incumbency, managed to make significant inroads into the Dalit seats and Jat strongholds.

Will Soldiers Vote in Coming Elections?

Will Soldiers Vote in Coming Elections?

Rediff.com13 Jan 2022

No Service Chief to date has had the guts to streamline the procedure in conjunction with the Election Commission and ensure every soldier votes in his/her place of posting, observes Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).

SC to hear NCP-SP plea against speaker's call after Uddhav camp's

SC to hear NCP-SP plea against speaker's call after Uddhav camp's

Rediff.com29 Jul 2024

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the responses of Ajit Pawar and his 40 MLAs on a plea moved by the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party challenging Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision declaring the group led by the deputy chief minister as the real NCP.

You can design another system without flaws: CJI on election bonds

You can design another system without flaws: CJI on election bonds

Rediff.com2 Nov 2023

The electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties should not become a tool for "legitimisation of quid pro quo" between power centres and people who are benefactors of that power, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it underscored the need for reducing the cash component in the electoral process.

Stop misusing Sharad Pawar's name, photo: SC to Team Ajit

Stop misusing Sharad Pawar's name, photo: SC to Team Ajit

Rediff.com14 Mar 2024

Observing that the name and photographs of Sharad Pawar cannot be used by the Ajit Pawar faction for political gains, the Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister on a plea of the veteran Maratha leader alleging misuse of his popularity by the rival camp.

EC makes it mandatory for parties to explain selection of criminals

EC makes it mandatory for parties to explain selection of criminals

Rediff.com8 Jan 2022

Political parties fielding candidates with criminal cases will have to mandatorily upload on their website details of such persons as also reasons for selecting them to contest the polls, the Election Commission said on Saturday.

Sakshi Maharaj stirs the pot again, blames Muslims for population boom

Sakshi Maharaj stirs the pot again, blames Muslims for population boom

Rediff.com7 Jan 2017

Controversial MP and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sakshi Maharaj stirred a fresh controversy by holding Muslims responsible for population boom at a public event in Meerut on Friday.

Delhi HC junks Uddhav plea on party name, symbol, asks EC to decide quickly

Delhi HC junks Uddhav plea on party name, symbol, asks EC to decide quickly

Rediff.com15 Nov 2022

Justice Sanjeev Narula said it would be in the interest of both -- the two Shiv Sena factions and the general public -- that the Election Commission's proceedings on the use of Shiv Sena's bow and arrow election symbol and name are concluded soon. It asked the poll panel to decide the issue as expeditiously as possible.

Citizens don't have right to know source of political funds: Centre

Citizens don't have right to know source of political funds: Centre

Rediff.com30 Oct 2023

The top court law officer said the power of judicial review is not about scanning state policies for the purposes of suggesting better or different prescriptions.

Uddhav vs Shinde: EC takes note of fight over Shiv Sena

Uddhav vs Shinde: EC takes note of fight over Shiv Sena

Rediff.com23 Jul 2022

The Shiv Sena split last month when more than two-thirds of the party's MLAs withdrew their support from the Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray, throwing their lot with Shinde.

'US Will Never Let Pakistan Down'

'US Will Never Let Pakistan Down'

Rediff.com22 Jul 2024

'Pakistan is a nuclear country.' 'With the kind of situation that is there in Pakistan today, America will help Pakistan stay afloat.'

It Won't Be An Easy Term For The BJP

It Won't Be An Easy Term For The BJP

Rediff.com8 Feb 2025

Delhi faces a severe financial crunch and the deficit is largely due to numerous welfare schemes without adequate revenue flowing in. The success of welfare schemes and electoral promises will need careful financial planning and out of the box thinking to whip up additional revenue, notes Ramesh Menon.

Everything cannot be suspected, SC tells petitioners in plea against EVM

Everything cannot be suspected, SC tells petitioners in plea against EVM

Rediff.com18 Apr 2024

Underscoring the importance of voter satisfaction and trust in the electoral system, the Supreme Court on Thursday told petitioners who sought its direction to go back to using ballot papers not to suspect the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and appreciate if the Election Commission does good work.

NDA will scrap 'undemocratic' collegium system: BJP ally

NDA will scrap 'undemocratic' collegium system: BJP ally

Rediff.com26 May 2024

The collegium system has shut the doors of judgeship in the higher judiciary on Dalits, OBCs and even the poor among the upper castes

Who Killed The Man Putin Feared Most?

Who Killed The Man Putin Feared Most?

Rediff.com17 Feb 2024

On February 16, 2024, the death of the jailed Russian-Opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, 47, was reported by State media which further cited the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence.

SC refuses to stay appointments of ECs under new law

SC refuses to stay appointments of ECs under new law

Rediff.com15 Mar 2024

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih told the petitioners, who pointed out that a meeting for the selection of ECs was pre-poned, to file a separate application pointing out the fact.

EC had red flagged electoral bonds in 2019

EC had red flagged electoral bonds in 2019

Rediff.com15 Feb 2024

The Election Commission (EC) had, in 2019, flagged its concerns in the Supreme Court on the changes made in several laws relating to political funding to facilitate the electoral bonds scheme, saying it will have 'serious repercussions' on transparency.

Shinde faction claims to be real Shiv Sena before EC

Shinde faction claims to be real Shiv Sena before EC

Rediff.com10 Jan 2023

Arguing before the entire EC, Mahesh Jethmalani, the counsel for the Shinde faction, also said the 'surreptitious and unconstitutional' change to the Shiv Sena's constitution by Uddhav Thackeray in 2018 and the ideological shift in the party, which aligned with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party to form the government in Maharashtra in 2019, led to a split in the outfit.

Bypolls: Voting picks up amid stone pelting in UP

Bypolls: Voting picks up amid stone pelting in UP

Rediff.com20 Nov 2024

An average voter turnout of 20 per cent was recorded in the first four hours of voting in the bypolls to 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand on Wednesday amid an incident of stone pelting in a village in UP's Meerapur and allegations of police personnel deterring voters from casting their ballot.

EC moves SC against Madras HC observations on surge in COVID cases

EC moves SC against Madras HC observations on surge in COVID cases

Rediff.com1 May 2021

The Madras high court had observed that the responsible EC officials should probably be tried on murder charges for their failure to ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols during the election process in four states and a Union Territory.

SC on Constitution's structure: Federal, but also unitary

SC on Constitution's structure: Federal, but also unitary

Rediff.com11 Dec 2023

Highlights of the judgment pronounced by a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that on Monday unanimously upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution bestowing special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Clock symbol: SC asks Ajit Pawar to give ad details

Clock symbol: SC asks Ajit Pawar to give ad details

Rediff.com3 Apr 2024

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Sharad Pawar, said that on March 19, this court passed a reasoned order in which they (Ajit Pawar group) were asked to issue advertisements that the allocation of 'clock' symbol is sub judice before this court and they were permitted to use the same subject to final outcome of these proceedings.

Will ask EC to decide on 'bow and arrow' soon, HC tells Shiv Sena factions

Will ask EC to decide on 'bow and arrow' soon, HC tells Shiv Sena factions

Rediff.com14 Nov 2022

Hearing a petition by former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray against the Election Commission's interim order freezing Shiv Sena's name and election symbol, the Delhi high court on Monday asked why it should not wait for the final decision of the poll panel on the dispute between the party factions.

Can Kejriwal Reconnect With Delhi Voters?

Can Kejriwal Reconnect With Delhi Voters?

Rediff.com24 Sep 2024

As leaders in both the BJP and Congress concede, neither has within their parties a leader to match Arvind Kejriwal's charisma in Delhi.

'No one knows who funds the BJP'

'No one knows who funds the BJP'

Rediff.com16 Feb 2024

'Who has given how much money to which party, the people of India must know this fact.'

WB Panchayat elections: Repolling in 568 booths begins amid tight security

WB Panchayat elections: Repolling in 568 booths begins amid tight security

Rediff.com16 May 2018

Aggrieved by the violence that marked the panchayat poll in West Bengal which claimed at least 12 lives and left 43 injured, several candidates who were in the fray had met the SEC officials and demanded the repolling.

Where did we lose? NDA was there yesterday, is there today: Modi

Where did we lose? NDA was there yesterday, is there today: Modi

Rediff.com7 Jun 2024

"If you see in the context of alliances and statistics, then this is the strongest alliance government," Modi said while addressing newly-elected MPs and leaders of the NDA from across the country following his election as leader of the ruling bloc ahead of his government's swearing-in on Sunday.

Maharashtra passes bills on local body polls after SC's OBC quota ruling

Maharashtra passes bills on local body polls after SC's OBC quota ruling

Rediff.com7 Mar 2022

The Maharashtra cabinet had approved the two bills on Friday and they were introduced in the assembly and later in the Council for passage.

Ashok Chavan found guilty of fudging election expenses: EC

Ashok Chavan found guilty of fudging election expenses: EC

Rediff.com13 Jul 2014

In fresh trouble for former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, the Election Commission on Sunday slapped a showcause notice on him for failing to lodge his election expenses as per law in a paid news case and asked him why he should not be disqualified.

CEC takes 30 pc cut salary cut to fund COVID-19 fight

CEC takes 30 pc cut salary cut to fund COVID-19 fight

Rediff.com13 Apr 2020

The three commissioners, including the Chief Election Commissioner, are entitled to a salary which is "equal to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court", according to the provisions of a law governing their conditions of service.

Uddhav to move SC, says clear sign Mumbai civic polls are coming soon

Uddhav to move SC, says clear sign Mumbai civic polls are coming soon

Rediff.com17 Feb 2023

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said the Election Commission's order recognising Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena was "dangerous for democracy", and he would challenge it in the Supreme Court.

Stalin's Latest Headache

Stalin's Latest Headache

Rediff.com22 Dec 2023

CM Stalin has a procedural problem. Nominating new ministers would entail his having to seek formal permission from governor R N Ravi. Stalin does not want to interact with the person of this governor, as far as possible, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.

'We've had no democratic government in J&K since 2018'

'We've had no democratic government in J&K since 2018'

Rediff.com7 Mar 2024

'If democracy does not exist, if there are no political spaces, there is no media, there is no civil society, what do we rejoice?'

Electoral bonds: Sibal seeks SIT probe into 'quid pro quo'

Electoral bonds: Sibal seeks SIT probe into 'quid pro quo'

Rediff.com15 Mar 2024

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday described the electoral bonds scheme as a 'very big scam' and demanded that a special investigation team (SIT) be set up with court-appointed officials to probe the alleged quid pro quo and wrongdoings under it.

Ex-BSF jawan loses SC case challenging PM's election

Ex-BSF jawan loses SC case challenging PM's election

Rediff.com24 Nov 2020

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that had reserved its verdict in the case on November 18, upheld the Allahabad high court judgment dismissing Bahadur's election petition against the poll panel's decision to reject his nomination papers.

UP, Maharashtra have maximum debt, says petitioner in freebies PIL

UP, Maharashtra have maximum debt, says petitioner in freebies PIL

Rediff.com11 Aug 2022

The states have outstanding liabilities of a whopping Rs 59,89,360 crore as on March 31, 2021, and the new sources of risk have emerged in the form of rising expenditure on non-merit freebies, the Supreme Court was told on Thursday by a PIL petitioner opposing irrational handouts.

Electoral bonds: Can India be democracy if..., asks SC

Electoral bonds: Can India be democracy if..., asks SC

Rediff.com15 Feb 2024

Democracy does not begin and end with elections and the integrity of election process is pivotal for sustaining the democratic form of government, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while striking down as unconstitutional the electoral bonds scheme for political funding.