Major Voter List Updates in Uttar Pradesh and Other Key Developments
Significant Changes to Voter Lists in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, approximately 2.8 crore voters have been removed from the draft electoral rolls during a special intensive revision process. According to the State Election Commission, 2.1 crore of these deletions were due to voters relocating, 46.2 lakh were deceased individuals, and 25.4 lakh were duplicate entries.
Out of a total of 15.4 crore voters, 12.5 crore names have been retained. This represents the highest number of deletions reported among the 12 states and Union Territories undergoing voter roll revisions. Citizens whose names have been removed will have the opportunity to submit claims and objections until February 6.
Reliance Industries Denies Receiving Russian Oil
Reliance Industries has announced that it has not received any shipments of Russian oil at its Jamnagar refinery over the past three weeks. The company, led by Mukesh Ambani, stated that it does not anticipate any deliveries in January.
This clarification follows a report from a news outlet that claimed three vessels carrying Russian oil were en route to the refinery in Gujarat. Reliance described the report as 'blatantly untrue.' Previously, on November 20, the company had declared it would cease importing Russian oil in compliance with Western sanctions amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Madras High Court Upholds Lamp Lighting Tradition
The Madras High Court has upheld a ruling by Justice GR Swaminathan that permits the lighting of a lamp at a stone pillar on Thiruparankundram hill, located near Madurai in Tamil Nadu. This hill is home to the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temple and the Sikkandar Badhusha dargah.
Justice Swaminathan determined that the stone pillar serves as a deepathoon, a structure meant for holding lamps, and mandated the temple to revive the tradition of lighting a lamp at this location. He also asserted that this practice would not violate the religious rights of the nearby Muslim shrine. The Tamil Nadu government, along with temple and dargah authorities, had contested this order, citing concerns over law and order, site ownership, and the nature of the ritual.
Supreme Court Considers Case Against Ashoka University Professor
The Supreme Court has inquired whether Haryana could show leniency by denying the sanction to prosecute Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an Associate Professor at Ashoka University, regarding his comments on Operation Sindoor press briefings. The bench suggested that if the state is willing to be lenient, Mahmudabad should also act responsibly in the future.
Mahmudabad was charged in May for a social media post that highlighted the irony of Hindutva commentators praising Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who represented the Indian Army during the press briefings.
Former Union Minister Suresh Kalmadi Passes Away
Suresh Kalmadi, a former Union minister, has died in a Pune hospital after a prolonged illness. Kalmadi served as the Union Minister of State for Railways and was the president of the Indian Olympic Association, representing Pune in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
He was suspended from the Congress party in 2011 following corruption allegations related to contracts for the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi in 2010, where he was the chairman of the organizing committee. Kalmadi was arrested in April 2011 and was granted bail approximately nine months later.