Author: Rahul M

In a strong move, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (5th August) suspended four election officials in West Bengal, who reportedly allowed fake voter applications to be registered by misusing their authority. Their actions were exposed during a sample checking of voter application forms (Form 6) for routine updates to the electoral roll by the West Bengal Election Commission. Two Electoral Registration Offices (EROs), namely Debottam Dutta Choudhary and Biplab Sarkar and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), namely Tathagata Mondal and Sudipta Das, have been suspended by the ECI with immediate effect ECI has also ordered disciplinary…

In a bold bid to disrupt India’s ride-hailing market, a consortium of major cooperatives is set to launch a new nationwide taxi service under the brand name Bharat by the end of 2025. Backed by an authorised capital of ₹300 crore, the initiative aims to offer an affordable, driver-friendly alternative to private players like Ola and Uber.Also read: Government issues notices to Ola, Uber over alleged pricing disparitiesThe newly registered Multi-State Sahakari Taxi Cooperative Ltd, formed on June 6, includes eight major cooperative institutions such as the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), IFFCO, and Amul marketer GCMMF. The service is…

The Karnataka Police Monday solved the case of pesticide contamination in a school’s water tank in the Shivamogga district, identifying an 11-year-old boy, a Class 5 student from the same school, as the culprit. He has been sent to a juvenile correctional home. According to police sources, the incident occurred on July 31 when the cook at the government lower primary school at Hoovinakone, Deepa, discovered that the drinking water had turned discoloured and emitted a foul odour. She promptly informed the school teachers and the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC). The school authorities later filed a case with…

The Transport Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) has officially postponed the ongoing transport strike, following strong observations made by the Karnataka High Court earlier today. In response, the committee has directed all transport employees to resume duty with immediate effect.Also read: Karnataka HC slams transport union, warns of contempt if strike continuesBus strike postponed: Joint Action Committee President Ananth Subbarao addressed a press conference shortly after the court’s remarks. He announced the decision to suspend the strike, clarifying that the move is temporary and does not signal a withdrawal of their demands. “We have not called off the strike, only postponed it…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate Bengaluru’s Yellow Line metro and flag off the extended Vande Bharat Express to Belagavi, in a mega event led by BJP leaders.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Bengaluru on August 10 to inaugurate two major transport projects, the Yellow Line metro and the extended Vande Bharat Express to Belagavi, in a highly publicised event.Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar confirmed on Sunday that the Yellow Line, connecting RV Road and Bommasandra, will be inaugurated by PM Modi. The BJP’s Karnataka unit has intensified preparations under the leadership of MP Tejasvi Surya,…

A 22-year-old seer was compelled to leave his position at a mutt in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar on Monday after villagers objected to his appointment upon learning of his Muslim background prior to taking the basava deeksha (religious initiation).Nijalinga Swamy, who had served as the seer of the year-old mutt in Gundlupet taluka for just six weeks, took his religious vows five years ago, at age 17. Originally from Yadgir district, he had dedicated himself to spreading the teachings of Lingayat social reformer Basavanna through vachanas or devotional poems across Karnataka. The controversy erupted last week when a local resident discovered the…

Getting the ball rolling to provide internal reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) communities in Karnataka, the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission has recommended classifying the 101 castes under the SC list into five groups.The Commission, which submitted its report to the state government on Monday, has also specified the reservation quota for various SC groups. The recommendations are expected to be taken up for discussion by the state Cabinet during its next meeting. According to sources, the first of the five groups is classified as the most backward. For these communities, which have a total population of around 5 lakh in…

A study published in PaleoAnthropology by researchers Chris Stringer and Lucile Crété from the Natural History Museum in London presents a compelling case that the extinction of Neanderthals may have resulted less from conflict and more from interbreeding with Homo sapiens. The research combines fossil evidence and genetic data to trace long-term contact between the two species. As modern humans spread into Eurasia beginning as early as 200,000 years ago, encounters with Neanderthals weren’t rare—and often turned intimate. Over generations, these sexual interactions may have reduced Neanderthal genetic distinctiveness, ultimately phasing them out not through war or disease, but through…

The Karnataka High Court has strongly warned the transport employees’ joint action committee of contempt if the illegal strike continues despite court orders and ESMA being in force.In a heated hearing on the PIL questioning the ongoing transport staff strike, the Karnataka High Court pulled up the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of transport employees for defying its earlier order prohibiting the bandh. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi warned that violating the court’s directive could lead to contempt proceedings.The court reminded the JAC that ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) is in force and…

Star Australia batter Tim David has been sanctioned by International Cricket Council (ICC) for an incident during his side’s victory over the West Indies in the fifth T20I on July 28 in St Kitts. David has been fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fifth T20I.  The 29-year-old David was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.” In addition to this, one demerit point…