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SC to hear today plea for verification of EVMs used in Haryana

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New Delhi, Jan 24: The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Friday a plea filed by Congress leaders seeking verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used during the Haryana Assembly polls.

As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan will take up the matter for hearing on January 24.

Earlier on December 20, for the second time in a row, a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar opined that the plea seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to lay down a memorandum for the checking and verification of the original burnt memory/microcontroller of the four components of the EVM should be taken up for hearing by a bench headed by Justice Datta in January 2025.

Before this, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale opined that the fresh plea should be placed before the same Bench which had passed directions on EVMs in April 2024.

The Justice Nath-led Bench said that the fresh petition related to the interpretation and implementation of the previous judgment of the apex court and therefore, the registry should place the papers before the CJI, who is the master of the roster, for passing appropriate orders as to whether the petition should be listed before the previous Bench.

In order to strengthen the integrity of the election process in the country, a Bench of Justices Khanna (now CJI) and Datta, in April 2024, passed a direction for checking and verification of the burnt memory/microcontroller in 5 per cent of EVMs for any tampering or modification on a written request made by candidates securing second and third highest votes in an election.

The checking and verification exercise was directed to be undertaken by a team of engineers from the manufacturers of the EVMs, with the candidates and their representatives having the option to remain present at the time of such an exercise, it said.

The latest petition filed by Karan Singh Dalal, a former 5-time Congress MLA, said that the ECI has not issued any procedure for checking and verification of the original burnt memory/microcontroller of the four components of the EVM (Control Unit, Ballot Unit, VVPAT and Symbol Loading Unit) in terms of the SC judgment.

The plea sought directions to the poll body to lay down a memorandum for checking and verification of the original burnt memory/microcontroller of the four components of the EVM (Control Unit, Ballot Unit, VVPAT and Symbol Loading Unit). It further sought that the above exercise be undertaken within eight weeks and be made applicable to the EVM checking and verification forms dated October 14, 2024, submitted to the ECI. The petition, filed through advocate Neha Rathi, said the issue raised in the petition requires to be authoritatively decided by the apex court owing to significant public importance and ramifications across the country.

“The matter affects the functioning of the democracy in the country and elections being held across the country in various states, and therefore needs to be urgently and authoritatively decided,” it said. The absence of any procedure for verification of burnt memory for tampering shows reluctance on the part of the ECI to subject the original burnt memory microcontroller from any scrutiny whatsoever, the petition contended.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: 32-Year-Old Woman Dies By Suicide In Santacruz; Partner Takes Body To Parents’ Home

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Mumbai: A 32-year-old woman, identified as Farhana Khan, allegedly died by suicide after hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in the Davri Nagar locality of Vakola, Santacruz East, on Monday afternoon, police said.

According to officials, following the incident, Khan’s live-in partner did not inform the police or seek medical help. Instead, he transported her body to her parents’ home, as reported by news agency PTI. The Vakola police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further details are awaited.

In another tragic incident of suicide in the city, a 34-year-old man was found hanging at his residence in Andheri West on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Manish Thombare, who worked with a private company and lived in Sai Baba Society, Gaondevi Dongari.

According to DN Nagar police, the incident occurred between 11:30 pm. on Sunday and 11:30 am on Monday. Thombare lived with his brother and sister-in-law. He had gone to sleep in an upstairs room, and when he failed to come downstairs the next morning, his brother went to check on him and found him hanging from the ceiling fan with a saree.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was later sent to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle (West) for a post-mortem examination. Preliminary investigations suggest that Thombare was suffering from depression due to family issues. He was married in 2022 but got divorced four months ago. He had no children. An Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

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National News

Supreme Court Cancels Bail Of Chhota Rajan In 2001 Mumbai Hotelier Murder Case

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail of mafia don Rajendra S. Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, in the 2001 sensational murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) challenging a Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to Chhota Rajan and suspended his life sentence.

The Justice Nath-led Bench noted the submission of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, who appeared on CBI’s behalf, that Chhota Rajan stood convicted in four other cases and remained absconding for around 27 years.

After a Special MCOCA Court convicted Rajan and others in the sensational murder case and handed him his second life sentence in nearly nine years, Rajan filed an appeal before the Bombay High Court.

In October last year, a Bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K. Chavan suspended the sentence pending disposal of the criminal appeal and ordered his release on bail. However, Rajan could not avail the benefit of bail as he is already serving a life sentence in New Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail for the 2011 daylight murder of crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey at Powai.

The Shetty murder case was among the dossier of 71 major offences that were handed over by the CBI to the Indonesian government after Rajan was nabbed in the tourist haven of Bali and subsequently deported to India in November 2015.

Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in south Mumbai, was shot dead by two gunmen on May 4, 2001, with the hit ordered by Rajan, a bitter rival of the absconder terrorist don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, triggering a huge sensation in the hospitality and political circles.

After the long trial, the Special MCOCA Court Special Judge A. M. Patil found Rajan guilty and sentenced him to life in jail, along with the other accused, Rahul Pansare, Ajay Mohite, and Pramod Dhonde.

Shetty had become a victim in an alleged extortion case and had been provided with police security, which was withdrawn a couple of months before he was targeted and killed.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Red Paint Thrown At Meenatai Thackeray’s Statue At Shivaji Park; Raj Thackeray Visits Site, Uddhav Expected Soon

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Mumbai: Political tensions emerged at Dadar’s Shivaji Park on Wednesday after miscreants threw red paint on bust of Meenatai Thackeray’s- Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s wife. The bust is located at the entrance of the park. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) workers reached the spot and removed the paint. The incident took place early morning. By afternoon, Sena UBT workers put garlands on the Meenatai’s bust after cleaning it.

As per locals, there is a security guard always deployed 24/7 at the park and expressed surprise at the incident. MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, who resides in Dadar’s Shivaji Park, went to the site of the desecration after being made aware of the incident and took stock of the situation. As per locals, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will also visit Shivaji Park later in the afternoon.

As per reports, CCTV footage from the area shows a person near the statue around the time of the incident. Investigations are underway to establish the identity of the individual. No formal complaint with the police has been registered so far.

The iconic Shivaji Park ground holds historic importance, socially as well as politically. The park also houses late Balasaheb Thackeray’s memorial next to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue inside the ground.

As per the tradition, the ground will hold Shiv Sena UBT’s Dussehra melave next month.

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