New Zealand will wear the underdog badge with pride against India: Sophie Devine

A debate has emerged surrounding the Special Intensive Revision exercise after differing perspectives were voiced regarding the deletion of voters from electoral rolls. Supreme Court Judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan criticised mass disenfranchisement, terming arbitrary deletions unconstitutional and highlighting that voting rights remain central to Indian democracy under Articles 14 and 326. He warned that depriving citizens of voting rights reduces them to second-class citizens. Conversely, former Uttarakhand High Court judge Justice Lokpal Singh defended the Election Commission of India's revision process, citing concerns over fake voters and illegal infiltration in border states such as West Bengal and Bihar. The discussion comes as multiple public interest litigations and court benches monitor deletions, appeal mechanisms, and software errors impacting voter lists across several states.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered intensified police patrolling in the national capital following recent sexual assault cases, including the gang rape of a teenager. A bench noting observations by Justice Pardiwala emphasised the urgent need for crime prevention rather than merely investigating offences after they occur. The apex court directed Delhi Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to focus on vulnerable zones such as schools, colleges, bus stops, parks, and roadside eateries ahead of the upcoming festival season. Highlighting that existing safety measures and anti-eve teasing initiatives must not remain confined to paper, the court called for active CCTV monitoring, increased beat patrolling, elimination of dark spots through proper street lighting, and addressing persistent complaints from local residents. The court has sought an action-taken report within four weeks, while an amicus curiae proposed QR code tracking to monitor police patrolling across high-risk localities.

Bengali film actor and former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Koel Mallick has officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move comes a day after the BJP nominated her for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from West Bengal. Mallick, who previously had a brief tenure as a TMC parliamentarian, resigned following her former party's electoral setback. Welcomed by Bengal BJP General Secretary Shashi Agnihotri, Mallick will file her nomination for the Upper House seat. With the BJP holding a two-thirds majority in the West Bengal Assembly, her election to the Rajya Sabha is expected to proceed smoothly as the party continues its outreach towards the state's cultural community.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of petitions demanding the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and challenging unilateral decisions made by the Election Commission. The pleas call for declaring the Special Intensive Revision exercise illegal, quashing fourteen decisions taken without full commissioner approval, initiating an independent judicial probe, and conducting a forensic audit of technical portals including ECI Net and ERO Net. Petitions also seek prosecution of officials and an inquiry into alleged Form 6 modifications. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted that citizenship and voting rights are intertwined, noting that wholesale disenfranchisement of citizens violates constitutional provisions.