Hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were underway in West Bengal, focusing on 'unmapped' voters who are unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll. Many people are being asked to prove their citizenship.
This new year will bring, once again, a repetition of both intent and apathy, expects Aakar Patel.
The Supreme Court denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, citing prosecution material suggesting their involvement in planning and strategic direction. The court granted bail to other activists but emphasized the seriousness of the allegations against Khalid and Imam.
India has raised concerns with the United States regarding the cancellation of scheduled H1B visa interviews for Indian applicants due to enhanced vetting measures. Both countries are engaged in discussions to address the disruptions caused by the delays.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission's voters' list cleanup exercise, will commence in nine states and three Union territories from Tuesday.
The Election Commission has defended its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court, refuting allegations of mass deletion of genuine voters as exaggerated and politically motivated.
A Delhi court has sought responses from Sonia Gandhi and the police on a plea challenging a magistrate's order refusing a probe into allegations that she was included in electoral rolls before acquiring Indian citizenship.
The US has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US embassy in India said on December 10.
'...including my baby sisters, age three and one.' 'My dad was humiliated, and he started screaming at them.'
In its instructions issued to the chief electoral officer of Assam, the poll authority said that "software-based" reports should be generated for 'black and white images', 'not to specification images', 'non-human images' and 'no image' entries.
Yogi He stated that law and order, national security, and social harmony are top priorities, and that any form of illegal activity will not be tolerated, it added.
President Donald Trump has said that birthright citizenship was primarily intended for the children of slaves and not for the whole world to "come in and pile" into the US. Trump issued an executive order against birthright citizenship on his first day in office, which was struck down by a federal court in Seattle the next day. Trump has said that he would appeal against it and is confident that the Supreme Court will rule in his favor. A group of Republican Senators introduced a bill in the US Senate to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and non-immigrants on temporary visas. They argue that birthright citizenship is a major pull factor for illegal immigration and a weakness for national security.
An American lawmaker will be introducing a bill to "completely eliminate" the H-1B visa programme and take away the pathway to citizenship that it offers, "forcing" individuals to "return home" when their visa expires.
Trump described the Gold Card as a "Green Card, but much better, much more powerful, a much stronger path and a path is a big deal. Have to be great people, but much stronger path", which also helps companies.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has requested Sonia Gandhi to return Jawaharlal Nehru's documents to the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library, emphasizing their national significance. He also addressed the Aravalli Hills controversy and the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission.
The Trump administration has expanded its travel ban and restrictions to 20 additional nations as well as the Palestinian Authority, citing national security concerns.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha, stating he has 'hacked the hearts of the people' and criticized the opposition for disruptions and EVM tampering allegations.
A family dispute between a Pakistani Hindu husband and wife, living in different countries after their marriage in 2020, has reached the Madhya Pradesh High Court after reconciliation attempts failed. The wife accuses the husband of planning a second marriage and seeks his deportation.
The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires.
The US has postponed thousands of H-1B visa interviews in India, citing enhanced vetting measures including scrutiny of social media profiles. The delays are impacting applicants who were scheduled for interviews from December 15 onwards, with new dates being pushed back by several months.
Meanwhile, Trump said Cambodia and Thailand have started fighting again and "tomorrow", he will make a phone call to those countries.
The Supreme Court has directed lawyers for the accused in the February 2020 Delhi riots to restrict their oral arguments to 15 minutes, emphasizing the need for a time schedule. The court also addressed bail pleas from activists like Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, while the Delhi Police maintained the riots were a pre-planned attack.
The Election Commission will conduct phase two of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union territories between November and February, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday.
Williams, Bharti join camp, signalling new chapter for Indian football
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has approached the Supreme Court, contesting the legality of the Election Commission's order for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, alleging it is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
A federal judge in Seattle has temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to terminate birthright citizenship in the United States, calling the policy 'blatantly unconstitutional', CNN reported.
The Election Commission released the names of deleted voters in West Bengal ahead of the publication of the draft electoral rolls for the upcoming assembly elections.
Delhi Police strongly opposes bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others in the February 2020 riots case, claiming it was a pre-planned attack on the nation's sovereignty and an attempt to divide society on communal lines.
Shane Sabastian Pereira, born in Karachi, Pakistan, was granted Indian citizenship after 43 years of living in his ancestral village in Goa. He is the second person from the coastal state to receive the certificate under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Pereira's journey to citizenship highlights the impact of the CAA on individuals seeking to become Indian citizens.
The US government will fight lawsuits aimed at blocking the USD 100,000 fee imposed on new H-1B visa petitions, asserting that the system was spammed with fraud and must be overhauled to prioritise American workers.
'It was very clear in the Parliament election that there was an erosion of Hindu votes in southern Kerala from the CPI-M to the BJP.'
Sex workers in Sonagachi, Asia's largest red-light district, are pleading for relief from stringent voter ID rules that they say are impossible to meet, potentially leading to exclusion from the voters' list.
He will hold the office till February 9, 2027.
'What governments have been doing -- in civil service, journalism, business, everywhere -- is making it difficult to do the right thing.' 'Media now ask themselves: "Is it feasible for us to do this story? Will this make our life difficult?"' 'The government should make it easier for people to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing. Right now, it's the opposite.'
'I'm looking at it as a chance to play international football, to represent India, and to hopefully inspire other players with a similar background to me, to show them that they can come to India and do the same thing.'
Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list commenced in nine states and three Union territories on Tuesday, amid objections from several parties with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leading the anti-SIR offensive in West Bengal with a rally in Kolkata and alleging 'silent, invisible rigging' through the exercise.
"Pakistani officials told us you are Hindu, you cannot go with a Sikh jatha," said Amar Chand, who was sent back along with six of his family members after they crossed over to the neighbouring nation to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
The Allahabad high court has directed the Centre to place before it on December 19 the decision taken on a representation moved against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that claimed he concealed his British citizenship in contesting the parliamentary election from Raebareli seat this year.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan questioned the attempts being made to implement the SIR in poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal while the Constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR process is under consideration by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act related to the grant of Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants in Assam by a majority verdict of 4:1.
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