A large number of voter ID, Aadhaar, and ration cards were allegedly recovered from a TMC office in Kolkata's Tangra area. BJP workers claim the cards were deliberately kept to prevent people from voting.
When the government chooses to either ignore or use identity documents only when it suits them, it shakes people's sense of stability, notes Shyam G Menon.
'The protection of secrecy and anonymity gets lost with this linking.'
When the government chooses to either ignore or use identity documents only when it suits them, it shakes people's sense of stability, notes Shyam G Menon.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to steal votes in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls. He also alleged that the poll panel was helping BJP leaders secure two voter cards.
Underscoring the 'presumption of genuineness' of Aadhaar and voter ID, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the publication of draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and said it would once and for all decide pleas against Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission has asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to hand over a voter ID card for investigation after he claimed to possess it despite it not being officially issued. The controversy arose after Yadav alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls and claimed his voter ID number was changed.
The Bombay High Court ruled that possessing documents like Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID does not automatically grant Indian citizenship, emphasizing the importance of the Citizenship Act of 1955.
The RJD leader on Wednesday had accused senior BJP leader and Muzaffarpur Mayor, Nirmala Devi and her two relatives of "having dual voter ID cards".
"While Sinha's age is 57 years in one list and 60 years in another. Is this not fraud and an age scam? He must have filled two different forms in two different assembly constituencies. He deliberately got two votes registered in two different places. If he did not personally sign both forms, then did the Election Commission create two different votes for him in two different assembly constituencies based on forged signatures? Will he receive two different notices, or are these rules only for the opposition leaders?" he alleged.
BJP leader K Surendran has alleged that organised networks are helping Bangladeshi nationals obtain fake identity documents in Kerala, including Aadhaar and ration cards. He warned of a serious challenge if unchecked and called for urgent measures to distinguish genuine migrant workers from illegal infiltrators.
The empty cartridges found at Pahalgam and those after test firing by the recovered guns were matched by the forensic lab, Shah said. The ballistic report is with him, he added.
A clarification by the ministry of external affairs that the passport is not a proof of citizenship has once again brought to the fore the need for a legal framework to provide citizens with a single document to establish they are Indians.
Police in Meerut have arrested two individuals for allegedly running a fake Common Service Centre (CSC) to open fraudulent bank accounts using forged documents of unsuspecting, needy people. The accused used these accounts for online financial frauds, leading to the recovery of numerous fake IDs, bank cards, and other incriminating evidence.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and States regarding a plea alleging the misuse of Aadhaar cards as proof of citizenship, domicile, and residential address. The petition argues that despite legal provisions, Aadhaar is being used for purposes beyond identity verification, potentially aiding illegal immigrants, and calls for a comprehensive overhaul of electoral verification processes.
The Election Commission of India defends its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, stating it enhances election purity by removing ineligible voters. The commission addresses concerns about Aadhaar usage, emphasizing its limited role in identity verification during the SIR-2025 exercise.
Government sources have clarified that a passport has never been considered proof of citizenship in India, a stance consistent for the past 12 years and rooted in the Passport Act 1967. This clarification, reiterated by the Ministry of External Affairs, has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and public figures.
Electors in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls will be required to present either a voter photo ID card or any one of the 12 alternative identity documents approved by the State Election Commission to cast their vote, officials said.
It claimed that candidates are buying the ID cards from poor voters who they fear may vote against them.
A 72-year-old man was arrested in Sangli after evading authorities for 45 years in connection with an attempted murder case registered in Mumbai in 1981.
Downplaying the AAP's allegations, Gambhir had earlier termed it as "negative politics".
The PM appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is releasing the NEET MDS 2026 admit card today, April 29, on its official websites -- National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences portals natboard.edu.in and nbe.edu.in.
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.
Police in Kedarnath have arrested two men believed to be part of an organised gang that steals from pilgrims. Purses, ATM cards, and other belongings were recovered from the suspects, who are residents of Ludhiana, Punjab.
Two persons were arrested in Surat in Gujarat for allegedly forging documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards as well as voter IDs using a website, in the process posing a serious threat to national security, a police official said on Monday.
The Supreme Court has directed the establishment of independent appellate tribunals, led by former high court judges, to address appeals related to voter list exclusions in West Bengal, while also cautioning against undermining judicial officers involved in the process.
Delhi Police have arrested a sharpshooter linked to the Rohit Godara-Jitender Gogi gang, wanted in connection with a grenade attack on nightclubs in Gurugram and on the run since 2024.
'I don't want to be called a new Indian voter when I am an old Indian voter.'
Election Commission officials clarified that three lakh voters were added to Bihar's electoral roll after the final list was published, following a special intensive revision and applications received until 10 days before the nomination deadline.
The Supreme Court has stated it will intervene if there is mass exclusion in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, emphasizing the Election Commission's role as a constitutional authority.
The Election Commission has ordered an investigation into allegations that foreign nationals fraudulently voted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The probe was initiated after police arrested ten foreign nationals with indelible ink on their fingers at Chennai and Madurai airports.
The government had earlier stipulated documents such as PAN card, matriculation certificate, passport, CGHS card and driving licence as proof of age for old pensioners.
Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with central intelligence agencies, have detained several people from Haryana and Rajasthan for allegedly facilitating the acquisition of fraudulent identities, including passports, by terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The investigation uncovered an interstate module providing logistical support to terrorists by creating fake documents.
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.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi has two voter identity cards having separate addresses and the Election Commission is examining how she was issued two documents from different localities.
'Today, the State looks at everyone with suspicion.'
BJP Delhi president Manoj Tiwari said the 'AAP is loosing elections' that is why it is raising such issues.
While the BJP demanded that the polls in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency are countermanded, the Congress alleged that the apartment belonged to a BJP leader.
'Look at the way SIR that was implemented in Bengal. They wanted to entirely curate the voter list in order to suit their purposes and victory.' 'Look at the targeted deletions and the targeted voting list.' 'The difference between the TMC and the BJP was only about 4% but that 4% vote was done so selectively that the difference ultimately showed up as 100 seats!'
