The Centre told the Supreme Court that governors are not indefinitely sitting on bills passed by state legislatures, and that barring a few exceptions, most have acted in a way which the apex court would have perhaps desired. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that a Governor is "not a rubber stamp" and has a duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
"BJP's victory in Gujarat assembly election is spectacular. We will win in Himachal Pradesh with a bigger margin," party in-charge for Himachal Satyapal Jain said.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy secured another term as Secretary (Administration) of the Constitution Club of India, defeating Sanjeev Balyan in a closely watched election that saw participation from prominent political figures.
The Himachal Pradesh government has no plans of banning expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said. "Thousands of books hit the stands everyday. ... Why should the state government bother about those," he told reporters. Of the six BJP ruled states, including Himachal Pradesh, only Gujarat has banned the book so far.
Six individuals, including a woman who accused Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape, have been booked for extortion and criminal intimidation. The Himachal Pradesh police filed a cancellation report in a court, stating no evidence supported the rape allegations. Mittal claims the woman and her associate threatened to implicate him and Badoli in a 'honey trap' case, demanding Rs 50 lakh for a compromise. He further stated that the accused lodged a false rape case after failing to extort money.
Kharge's remarks came after Modi on Friday said the Congress stands "badly exposed" in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver.
The state's tax department had collected Rs 64 crore (Rs 640 million) from ACC, against which the company moved the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
"PWD officials had informed us that a wall of the mosque was in PWD land and we were served a notice. So we decided to demolish the wall," Iqbal Ali, a member of the mosque committee, said earlier.
Some residents have already taken this step to relocate, either temporarily or permanently, some to their native places and others to clean-air destinations like Goa and Himachal Pradesh.
A three-judge panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India has submitted its inquiry report to the Chief Justice of India on the cash discovery allegations against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The panel, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, finalized its report on May 3. The report was submitted to the CJI on May 4 for further actions. The controversy was raised following a news report about the cash discovery row after a fire at Justice Varma's residence in Delhi on March 14. The report reportedly contains the findings of the panel into the alleged cash discovery row. Justice Varma has denounced any insinuation and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.
A team of six trekkers from New Delhi and Shimla is missing in Kinnaur district, officials said. A rescue operation will be launched.
The next Census' findings will help identify the extent of India's ageing population and vulnerability levels.
Voting for the bypolls in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were held on Wednesday.
Shivakumar also said that the central observers have spoken to Sukhu, party MLAs and state unit chief Pratibha Singh and all differences have been ironed out.
The one-year-old Himachal Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was expanded on Tuesday with the induction of Rajesh Dharmani and Yadvinder Goma as cabinet ministers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 1,600-crore assistance package for flood-hit Punjab after reviewing the damage. He also announced ex gratia for the deceased and injured. The state is battling its worst deluge since 1988.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a post on X that his 18-year-long stint in public service has come to an end.
Singh said the Modi government has changed the approach adopted by previous governments that the border areas are buffer zones between the plains and the potential adversary.
"I have been given BJP ticket from Mandi and the party has informed me about this," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow in Shimla and address a rally on May 31 to mark the eighth anniversary of his government, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Himachal Pradesh said on Friday.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the ministry of environment and forests as to what they have done in the matter to control the situation.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
A US plane carrying 119 illegal Indian immigrants is expected to land at Amritsar airport on February 15, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Trump administration as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration. The plane is expected to land around 10 pm on Saturday. The 119 deportees include 67 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Another US plane carrying deportees is also expected to land on February 16. This development comes days after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport last week. Most of the deportees hailing from Punjab said they wanted to migrate to the US for a better life for their families. However, their dreams were shattered when they were caught at the US border and brought back in shackles. The Trump administration has launched a crackdown against illegal immigrants since taking office, leading to the deportation of many people who entered the US through illegal means. Several political leaders in Punjab have questioned the landing of US aircraft in Amritsar, with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleging that the BJP-led Central government wants to defame Punjab. The Punjab government has formed a special investigation team to probe the issue of illegal human trafficking following the deportation of Indian citizens domiciled in Punjab from the US. The SIT has so far registered 10 FIRs against fraudulent immigration consultants based on statements from deportees.
Seeking to ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission on Monday ordered the removal of home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, sources said.
PBKS-DC game also uncertain, say BCCI Sources
Shah made the announcement at a public meeting, putting to rest speculation over the party's choice for the top post.
'Things were not being heard. What we brought to the high command's notice. Had they taken any action at that time, then it would have not happened.'
Apparently upset over the critical comments on state Lokayukta Bill, the Himachal Pradesh government on Monday cancelled a meeting with Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, who attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party saying it appeared the saffron party and the Congress were on the same page on the legislation.
More than 1.20 lakh Himachalis have already returned home in less than a week's time. There is a list of 21,000 others approved for return, and at least two lakh more are still awaiting official nod for their return. Will this influx see a spike in coronavirus numbers? That is the administration's main worry, reports Ashwani Sharma.
The schedule for Gujarat will be announced separately.
Behind the state's success in containing coronavirus positive cases is one novel initiative -- Active Case Finding or ACF, which even Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed for the bigger states to follow. The ACF campaign began in April with 16,000 basic health personnel, ASHA, anganwadi workers and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) out on foot trekking to most mountain valleys, snow-bound districts and remote passes of the state, reports Ashwani Sharma.
The Congress has tried to inflict capital punishment on true secularism, he claimed, asserting that the Waqf law has no place in the Constitution.
'Legally clean farmland is difficult to find. It requires time, money, and legal effort to verify the title.'
Modi accused previous governments of not providing people with facilities that were available to people elsewhere in the world even in the 20th century and in Gujarat a few years back.
Reacting to the results, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that in the by-elections held on 13 seats in seven states, the people of the country have given their support to the INDIA bloc.
The much-awaited India-Pakistan World Twenty20 clash is in jeopardy after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed its inability to provide security for the match, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a bind with Board Secretary Anurag Thakur saying that the state should not 'play politics'.
Government sources on Tuesday said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has begun consultations as part of efforts to get leaders of different parties on board for the impeachment motion against Varma following his indictment by a three-member probe committee constituted by the Supreme Court.
Months after exiting the decades-long association with the Congress party, Azad said that he was not against its policy of secularism, but its weak party system.
If the bribe-for-PPE-supply controversy in Himachal escalates, the BJP could have a lot to lose.
Kharge, who was elected Congress president recently, arrived in Himachal Pradesh Tuesday evening and addressed his first public meeting in Banuti in support of party candidate from the Shimla Rural assembly constituency Vikramaditya Singh.
