Nilamalai Kumar: 'We Straight Away Accuse The Previous Government'

This news broadcast covers key national and international developments, beginning with the widening POCSO investigation involving granite industrialist R. Veeramani in Chennai. Following the recovery of pen drive evidence regarding the alleged sexual assault of minors in Teynampet, the Special POCSO Court rejected a closure report and directed a reinvestigation, leading to the arrest of Veeramani, Shanthi, and Mahendra Simon. The development triggered political debates between TVK and DMK representatives alongside demands for a CBI probe into earlier police handling of the case. In Karnataka, tensions escalated in the Assembly over the rendition of Vande Mataram, leading to confrontations between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered a fresh Special Investigation Team probe into the 2012 Dharmasthala Soujanya case. Internationally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed restrictions on burqas, niqabs, and classroom quotas for foreign students, while India's medal tally reached six at the Asian Games in Japan.

On this episode of News Today, anchor Preeti Choudhry leads a heated debate on the Election Commission of India's Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise, voter roll deletions, and pending tribunal appeals across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. BJP National Spokesperson Sanju Varma defends the constitutionality and legality of the revision process under Articles 324, 325, and 326, noting that the Supreme Court upheld the exclusion of individuals lacking required Form 6 documentation. Ghanshyam Tiwari, National Spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, criticizes the deletion of millions of voters, alleging that disenfranchising eligible citizens undermines democracy. Congress spokesperson Harishankar Gupta highlights discrepancies and mapping challenges faced by vulnerable slum populations in Delhi. The panel discusses pending voter appeals, tribunal capacities, and procedural transparency across state electorates.

In an interview with India Today, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi addressed concerns surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, voter deletions, and the setting up of tribunals to handle millions of pending voter claims across states like Delhi and West Bengal. Dr. Quraishi highlighted that disenfranchising citizens for procedural issues violates fundamental constitutional guarantees, remarking, "They have put the country into chaos, and somebody should be answerable for it." He argued against burdening the judiciary with routine executive responsibilities such as maintaining electoral rolls. Dr. Quraishi urged the Election Commission of India to submit an affidavit to the Supreme Court guaranteeing that eligible citizens are not excluded from voter lists.

A massive backlog in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has surfaced in West Bengal, with over 37 lakh appeals pending before tribunals. Calculations based on the Election Commission's affidavit in the Supreme Court indicate clearing this backlog could take nearly 12 years at the current pace, prompting the poll panel to propose increasing appellate tribunals from 19 to 42. In Bengal, around 27 lakh voters were deleted from rolls, while 38.3 lakh total appeals were filed against exclusions and inclusions. Meanwhile, the SIR controversy has expanded to Delhi, where nearly 33% of voters were excluded from the draft list and 33.3 lakh notices have been issued due to mismatches, age discrepancies, and mapping issues from the 2002 voter list. High-profile figures, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and CBI Director Praveen Sood, have also received notices. The Election Commission clarified that receiving a notice does not mean immediate deletion, assuring that corrections and hearings will follow proper procedures.