Congress is going to sweep Assam polls: Jitendra Singh Alwar

Former Tamil Nadu Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Chennai Central Crime Branch following the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by the Madras High Court in an alleged ₹100 crore corruption case. The allegations centre on kickbacks collected from private schools in exchange for government recognition and approvals, with references made to party funds. The arrest has triggered a fierce political confrontation between the DMK and TVK. While the DMK dismissed the action as political vendetta and claimed Mahesh's family and legal counsel were denied access, the TVK maintained that corrupt leaders are facing accountability, with State Minister Nirmal Kumar alleging an even larger scam.

A debate on the unprecedented prison break in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where seventeen inmates escaped from custody before thirteen were nabbed. Former IPS officer Sanjay Sahay notes that correctional facilities are administered by the prison department rather than the state police, highlighting severe understaffing, missing multi-tier security barriers, and an urgent demand for technology upgrades. Sahay remarked, 'I think this political slugfest is fouling the policing atmosphere.' Meanwhile, political analyst S. Muralidharan attributes shortcomings to systemic degradation under the previous DMK government and stresses ongoing reforms under the TVK administration, citing the suspension of negligent wardens and the role of CCTV networks. In contrast, political analyst Harish Mohamed Ibrahim criticises the administration for deflecting blame, pointing to recent governance failures and lapses in intelligence. The discussion underscores critical gaps in jail protocols, operational surveillance, and the necessity of structural correctional blueprints.

Thirteen out of 17 inmates who escaped from the Theni prison in Tamil Nadu have been tracked down and taken back into custody. The Tamil Nadu Police utilised drone surveillance footage to identify and locate several of the escaped prisoners across Theni district after they broke out and fled in different directions. Local residents also assisted authorities, including an auto driver who apprehended one fugitive and turned him over to prison officials. A massive search operation is currently underway by the Tamil Nadu Police to locate the remaining four absconding prisoners.

The final electoral roll for Karnataka has been published following the Special Intensive Revision exercise, reducing the electorate to 4.55 crore names. The revision saw over 1.08 crore deletions, which include around 65 lakh permanently shifted electors, 19 lakh marked as absent, over 16 lakh deceased persons, and seven lakh duplicate registrations, while 10 lakh new electors were added during claims and objections. Addressing concerns regarding Form 7 deletion requests, the Karnataka Election Commission Chief Electoral Officer assured that no names were removed without due verification or a speaking order by the concerned District Returning Officer, urging all excluded eligible voters to apply via Form 6.