Trump Admin Proposes $103,265 H-1B Visa Fee, Targets Renewals; Mass Visa Revocation Planned

The Special Intensive Revision of Delhi's electoral rolls has placed over half of the national capital's voters under scrutiny. Out of a total of 1.45 crore voters, 47.5 lakh names have been deleted from the draft roll under the absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate categories. An additional 33.13 lakh electors have been flagged for discrepancies, comprising 19.33 lakh under logical discrepancies and 13.80 lakh not mapped with the 2002 electoral roll. Prominent personalities, including Union ministers, former chief ministers, senior bureaucrats, judges, and election officials, have received notices. The Election Commission clarified that receiving a notice does not signify immediate voter deletion or ineligibility, noting that electors have an opportunity to submit supporting documents for verification before electoral registration officers. The disposal of notices is scheduled for completion by October 29, ahead of the final electoral roll publication on November 4.

A debate on Talking Point examines the tragic death by suicide of undergraduate student Sahil Wakode at IIT Bombay and the allegations of caste discrimination on campus. Panellists discuss the filing of charges under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act against Professor Suryanarayan Dula following the incident. Alumnus Sudheendra Kulkarni argues against pre-judging guilt before an inquiry and warns against the misuse of legal provisions, stating 'the normal principle of justice is that you are innocent until proven guilty.' In response, Dr Suraj Yengde highlights systemic challenges and statistical data concerning Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, alleging institutionalised caste discrimination within higher education institutions. Professor Raghu Murtugudde addresses campus pressure and emphasizes the need for an impartial fact-finding probe to restore trust between students and administration. The discussion raises critical questions regarding student mental health, academic pressure, fair investigation, and institutional accountability across Indian Institutes of Technology.

The Election Commission’s voter-roll revision in West Bengal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh has triggered a political row over mass exclusions, delays and possible disenfranchisement. Meanwhile, three people were arrested after two Class 10 students were assaulted by alleged moral vigilantes in Bihar’s Jamui.

Why did India drop the UAPA charges against US national Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals after initially arresting them in a case involving alleged drone warfare training in Myanmar? The NIA had alleged that the seven entered India, travelled through Mizoram into Myanmar and trained ethnic armed groups in drone assembly, operations and electronic jamming. The agency also alleged that drones and components were brought from Europe through India.