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Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken strong steps to curb self-driven vote theft in the country, and that is why the Congress is alleging “vote theft.” Speaking to the media after participating in the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Ashwaroh Shivaji Maharaj in Athani town of Belagavi district on Tuesday, Scindia said that through the SIR process, the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister are working to put an end to vote theft. He added that he would not comment on divisive forces in the country.

The High Court has set aside the government’s decision to acquire nearly seven acres of land for infrastructure development in the area housing the protected monuments of Ugra Narasimha and Badavilinga temples in Hampi. The Dharwad Bench of the High Court, headed by Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum, while hearing petitions filed in 2007 by Nidasheeshi Veeranna and others, who challenged the land acquisition in various survey numbers of Krishnapura and Kamalapura villages in Hosapete taluk, quashed the acquisition order issued on April 5, 2006. The court observed that the land acquired by the government is the lifeline of poor farmers and that there were no compelling or moral grounds for the acquisition in this case. Since the land was acquired for the beautification of national monuments, the petitioners were entitled to submit their objections and seek a hearing. Therefore, the court held that the land could not be acquired by invoking the urgency clause. The bench further noted that Section 5A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, mandatorily requires a hearing of objections. However, the state government bypassed this provision and invoked the urgency clause under Section 17 to acquire the land. The court ruled that this action was arbitrary and mala fide, and accordingly set aside the acquisition.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam police which on Friday submitted the chargesheet into the mysterious death of singer Zubeen Garg has invoked Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a provision applied in murder cases against four accused currently in judicial custody. Among the seven accused, Siddharth Sharma, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Amritprabha Mahanta, and Shekharjyoti Goswami have been charged under this section.

Thai Immigration authorities have initiated deportation proceedings against the Luthra brothers following their arrest in the country. The individuals were detained after being flagged as subjects of an INTERPOL Blue Notice, requested by Indian law enforcement agencies to gather information concerning a criminal investigation. According to Thai Immigration officials, Luthras were arrested under Section 12(7) of the Thai Immigration Act. Subsequently, officials at Phuket Immigration formally revoked their VISA permission to stay in Thailand, effectively cancelling their legal status in the kingdom. The Luthra brothers have since been transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) at Suan Phlu, Sathon, Bangkok, where they are currently being held. “The process for their deportation is now underway, though the final confirmation on the date, time, and specific flight details for sending them back remains pending approval from the Commander authority,” as per Thai officials. Indian government officials are in continuous contact with their Thai counterparts to finalise the necessary arrangements for the extradition. The owners of the ill-fated Birch Club in Arpora, Goa, Saurabh and Guarav Luthra, were held in a detention centre in Bangkok after being transferred from Phuket.

AICC president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday voiced strong opposition to the inclusion of the Beda Jangama community under the Scheduled Castes (SC) category, warning that it could undermine the rights and representation of historically oppressed SC communities Addressing a public meeting in Hosapete as part of the Congress government’s two-year anniversary celebrations in Karnataka, Kharge questioned the move, pointing to the sudden spike in the community’s population figures. “The process of internal reservation within the SC category has begun — I am not against it. Let it go ahead. But the move to include the Beda Jangama community in the SC list raises serious concerns,” Kharge said, making the remarks in the presence of Rahul Gandhi. “We are not opposed to providing benefits to economically weaker sections among the Lingayat community. Let us support them. But including Beda Jangama community in the scheduled Caste list will directly affect the rights of SCs,” he said.

Hosapete (Vijayanagara): Karnataka State Farmers’ Association has announced plans to stage a major protest near the Tungabhadra reservoir on Sept 8, citing govt inaction on critical issues concerning the dam and the surrounding agricultural region.In a release, Chamaras Malipatil, the association’s state honorary president, said the strike is being organised by farmers from four riparian districts — Vijayanagara, Ballari, Raichur, and Koppal — who have long been affected by govt’s alleged neglect of the dam.He warns that unless the state govt responds, farmers will be left with no option but to go ahead with the planned protest.