Polity

Speaker sets 6 p.m. Tuesday deadline for vote after debates go on till close to midnight Five days after the motion of confidence was moved by Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a vote in the Assembly was yet again deferred by a day after a heated debate continued till close …

Congress, JD(S) Ministers block trust vote citing SC hearing on petitions Five days after the motion of confidence was moved in the Karnataka Assembly by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a heated debate continued till late on Monday with the ruling coalition partners — the Congress and the JD(S) — locked …

Electoral bonds worth Rs. 5,851.41 crore were bought by donors to fund political parties between March 2018 and May 2019, of which 80.6% were redeemed in New Delhi, where the headquarters of major parties are located, reply to an RTI query has revealed. Chandrashekhar Goud, an RTI activist based in …

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday asked militants to stop killing innocent people, including security personnel, and rather target “those who have looted the wealth of Kashmir for years”. The statement evoked severe criticism from mainstream politicians. “These boys who have picked up guns are killing their …

Voting sees a jump from 4% in 2014 Having sent postal ballots to service voters electronically for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India on Sunday said the one-way electronic transmission had enabled 60.14% turnout of such voters. In comparison, an EC statement …

New Delhi wants to move away from past set pieces, break political hegemonies and put different actors on the political chessboard The ongoing Parliament session saw the extension of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir by another six months. At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke of …

No power on world can stop it, says Defence Minister on the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the Kashmir problem was “bound to be solved”. The Minister is in Jammu and Kashmir on the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War. “ Kashmir …

M.A. Khader alleges bid to centralise education sector The proposal in the draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 of the Narendra Modi government to develop “national textbooks” may take away the freedom and autonomy of States, M.A. Khader, former head, Curriculum group, National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), …

Anandiben Patel moved from Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh In a major reshuffle, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday transferred two Governors and made four new appointments across six States. New Governors will take charge of the Raj Bhavans in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Nagaland and Tripura. …

“Mr. Hajela’s report says while disposing of claims, 80 lakh names have been reverified. That means at least 27% of names have been reverified, and you are asking for 20%… So, is there need for a sample reverification? If we are satisfied that verification has been done properly, then there …

The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by voice vote. The Bill expedites the process of appointment of Chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and provides for, among others, including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, …

It plans to introduce 13 Bills and take up talaq ordinance The last five working days of the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha is going to be jam-packed with pending legislation as government plans to introduce 13 Bills and take up the triple talaq ordinance amid speculation about …

Governor’s second direction also ignored, Speaker adjourns Assembly Despite two directions from Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to hold the trust vote on Friday, the process got put off to Monday, with Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar adjourning the Assembly. All eyes are now on the Governor’s …

Lok Sabha members discussed the General Budget for 17 hours, while the Lower House also discussed demands for grants for various Ministries, including Railways for 13 hours, Road and Transport for over 7 hours and Rural Development and Agriculture for 10 hours 36 minutes, Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday. …

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill. Trinamool MPs walked out, with Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of the party terming the Bills “draconian”. He said the Bills were passed in haste on World Bank diktats. Union Law Minister …

The Governor said he had not intervened in the matter earlier “having regard to the fact that the House was called and trust vote was moved.” He pointed out that “proceedings of the House on July 18 were stalled and consequently adjourned without reaching any finality” and this “cannot go …

Case pertains to the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to reconstitute a Bench to continue monitoring a CBI probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, the Assam Rifles and the police in Manipur when insurgency was at its peak. The case has been on …

‘Government introducing amendments to laws unrelated to finance in Bill’ Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that the ‘sanctity of Budget numbers have been called into question’ and strongly objected to the manner in which Finance 2019 Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala …

Mediation panel told to submit report by August 1 A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, on Thursday fixed the Ayodhya title dispute cases for hearing from August 2. It asked the Registry to keep the case records ready and the mediation …

Govt.’s fall appears imminent as Governor sets deadline; rebels to skip session In a shock to the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in Karnataka, Governor Vajubhai Vala has directed Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to prove his majority by 1.30 p.m. on the floor of the Assembly on Friday.With the rebel MLAs …