Granite Baron Veeramani POCSO Probe: Minor Abuse Clip Emerges, Political Row Erupts

Enforcement Directorate officials are conducting raids at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority office in Mohali as part of a probe into allegations of money laundering, change of land use, and waiver of dues. In response, Aam Aadmi Party workers staged demonstrations outside the GMADA premises, waving black flags and shouting slogans against the central agency. Protesters alleged the central agency is being weaponised against the state government ahead of elections in Punjab. The agency's ongoing operation in the state also included searches at a government house in Sector 39 in Chandigarh and at the residence of a relative of Punjab Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, escalating political friction across the state.

Goa Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goyal was confronted over the omission of at least 97 verified voters from the final electoral rolls. Despite local electoral registration officers clearing the affected electors following scrutiny, their names were reportedly missing from the published list due to technical issues within the Election Commission of India's centralised platform, ECINet. When questioned regarding the discrepancy and follow-up communication with authorities in Delhi, the official deflected queries, stating that he would check his records, before threatening to call security. The issue has drawn attention as opposition parties raise concerns over Special Intensive Revision procedures, Form 6 applications, and database management ahead of the upcoming Goa Assembly elections. While authorities previously cited software glitches preventing field revisions from reflecting centrally, the exclusion of cleared voters has sparked debate regarding franchise rights and administrative accountability.

Delhi Police have uncovered attempts to destroy forensic evidence in the Kalkaji gang-rape case involving a seventeen-year-old minor. Investigators revealed that the accused washed clothes worn during the incident, including track pants, to erase DNA and semen traces before sleeping at their residence. The accused also deleted browsing histories and phone chats. Delhi Police have seized the clothes of all three accused, including Hemant and Mukesh, and forwarded them to forensic teams for examination. Authorities are probing whether Hemant's legal education was utilised to evade arrest and obstruct forensic procedures. The trio had allegedly impersonated police personnel by using formal address terms such as 'Janab' to intimidate the minor victim and her friend inside the park before executing the sexual assault. The third accused, Asif, was apprehended following a police encounter. Investigators confirmed that sufficient electronic and physical evidence links all three accused to the crime.

A political debate erupted in the Karnataka legislature after Congress MLC Tippannappa Kamaknoor proposed a one-year pause on the Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme to divert funds towards stalled irrigation projects. Under the scheme, women heads of households receive a monthly stipend of 2,000 rupees. The MLC claimed that nearly half the funds are being wasted, pointing out that payments have continued even to deceased beneficiaries while farmers in the state face distress and urgently require assistance. When questioned by the Speaker on suggesting the suspension of a key election guarantee, the MLC defended his stance, asking what alternative remained to fund essential irrigation. While the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party raised questions over the administration of guarantee schemes amid cash crunch concerns, the Karnataka government reiterated that there is no proposal to discontinue or withdraw its flagship welfare initiative.