General
Bill to allow Sikhs to ride without bike helmets in California
Senators in California voted in favour of a bill that exempts Sikhs from wearing a safety helmet when riding a motorcycle.
The Senate Bill 847, authored by Senator Brian Dahle cleared the state senate this week with a 21-8 vote margin, and will now move to the Assembly.
“Freedom of religion is a core foundation of this country. We, as Americans, have the right to freely express our religion and I believe that right should equally extend to everyone. Any law that limits the ability to express one’s religion, goes against what this country is all about,” Dahle said in a statement after presenting the bill on the senate floor.
“Exempting those who wear turbans or patkas from wearing helmets is a simple way to ensure that everyone’s religious freedoms are protected,” he added.
According to 2021 American Community Survey estimates, 211,000 Sikhs live in California, which is nearly half of all Sikhs living in the US.
The State Senate was told that as of now, no helmet exists in the market that will accommodate a turban or a patka, but according to members of the Sikh community, a turban is a good enough protection.
Currently, 18 states and Washington D.C. have a universal helmet law for all riders. 29 states require helmets for specified riders, generally riders under a certain age (usually 18 or 21).
Only Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire have no motorcycle helmet laws.
“Although other countries and our own military make accommodations for Sikhs’ deep beliefs, out of the US states that require helmets, none has exemptions for Sikhs or any other group based on religious practice,” a statement from Dahle’s office read.
This question of helmets for Sikhs has also been debated and considered in other countries, like Canada and the UK.
In Canada, Sikhs are exempt from motorcycle helmet laws in several provinces including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario.
Among the supporters of the bill were the Legendary Sikh Riders, the Sikh Legends of America and the Sikh Saints Motorcycle Club.
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 5,500 motorcyclists died in 2020, and more than 180,000 were treated in emergency departments for crash injuries.
Maharashtra
Bike theft gang busted in Mumbai, four theft cases solved, five bikes seized

Mumbai: Police has exposed a gang of motorcycle thieves in Mumbai and claimed to have seized the stolen motorcycles. On December 20, the police had registered a complaint about the theft of an active motorcycle from the New Link Road area in the Malad area of Mumbai. In the investigation of this crime, the police inspected the scene and examined 40 to 50 CCTV cameras installed around the place from where the motorcycle was stolen. The images of the thief who stole the motorcycle were captured in the camera. The accused was going towards Maloni with this motorcycle. The police investigated the matter day and night for two days and solved the case. In this case, the motorcycle thief Pratham Surendra, 18, was arrested. Two theft cases were registered against him in the Malad police station, one in VB Nagar, and one in Jogeshwari. This case has been solved on the initiative of Additional Commissioner North Shashi Kumar Meena, DCP Zone 11 Sandeep Jadhav. Five motorcycles have been seized as a result of this case and the police have claimed to have solved the mystery of the theft of four motorcycles in total. The police are investigating this matter further.
Maharashtra
Mumbai BMC Elections Samajwadi Party’s first list released but no decision on ward number 211

Mumbai: In the Mumbai municipal elections, Mahayoti and Maha Vikas Aghadi have not yet reached an electoral agreement, while the Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and AIMIM have released their first list of candidates for the municipal corporation. The Samajwadi Party has released the first list of 21 candidates, in which Zeb-un-Nisa Malik has been appointed as the candidate from 213, along with Shahzad Abrahani from 212. There is a tug of war going on in the Samajwadi Party over ward number 211, so the party has not announced its candidate for this ward. SP leader Raees Sheikh has also introduced his brother Salim Sheikh as a candidate for this ward. The Samajwadi Party has not yet taken any decision regarding the ticket in this ward, while the candidature of Raees Sheikh’s brother is also being opposed. Local women have opened a front against Raees Sheikh and have also submitted a claim for the SP candidacy. In such a situation, who will be given a candidate from 211 in the Samajwadi Party is still pending. Samajwadi Party had announced to separate from Maha Vikas Aghadi and contest the elections alone, while Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have also reached an electoral understanding. Along with this, Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar’s NCP is also in talks regarding an electoral understanding. If there is an electoral understanding between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, then the Congress party is ready to contest the elections alone, this has been claimed by Congress leader Jaya Witward. In the Mumbai BMC elections, every political party is trying to outdo each other, while the two brothers have formed an alliance on the issue of Marathi Manas and banners of Marathi Manas being united are also being displayed in Mumbai city.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Municipal Corporation general elections: Attendance at election training mandatory for officers and employees, criminal action will be taken against absenteeism

Mumbai: Municipal Corporation All officers and employees involved in the election process will be provided with necessary training to conduct the general elections in a transparent, fair and smooth manner. Training sessions have been organized from Monday 29th December 2025 to Monday 5th January 2026. The date, time and venue of the training have been intimated separately to all the concerned officers and employees. It is mandatory for the officers and employees to attend this training. The Municipal Corporation Administration has issued a strict warning that as per the instructions of the Hon’ble State Election Commission Maharashtra, criminal action will be taken against the officers and employees who are absent from the training or do not follow the orders. The State Election Commission, Maharashtra has announced the election schedule for the Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025-26. The voting process for the Municipal Corporation General Elections will be on Thursday 15th January 2026 from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. Also, the counting process and results will be declared on Friday 16th January 2026 from 10 am.
All the stages related to the election process have been strictly planned to conduct the Municipal Corporation General Elections in a completely transparent, fair and smooth manner. Since it is necessary to provide necessary training to the Polling Station President (PRO), Assistant Polling Station President (APRO), Polling Officer (PO) and the employees involved in this election process, special training sessions have been organized by the Municipal Administration. This training session has been organized from Monday, December 29, 2025 to Monday, January 5, 2026. Training will be implemented in various stages during this period. The training will provide detailed guidance on the responsibilities of the election process, code of conduct, voting and counting process, legal matters and steps to be taken in emergency situations. The main objective of the election training is to make the election process credible and transparent by avoiding any kind of error, ambiguity or malpractice.
The date, time and venue of the training have been communicated to all the concerned officers and employees through separate appointment orders. It is mandatory for all officers and employees to attend this training. Absence will not be accepted for any reason. As per the directions of the State Election Commission, the Municipal Corporation Administration is giving a strict warning that officers and employees who are absent from the training session, do not comply with the orders or fail to perform their duties in the election process, will be subject to disciplinary action including criminal proceedings under Section 28 (a) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. Please take this matter very seriously and attend the training and discharge your duties honestly.
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