National News
Minister Meghwal to table ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill in Lok Sabha on Monday

New Delhi, Dec 14: Four days after approval by the Union Cabinet, the Bills to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha as well as state and Union Territory assemblies will be introduced in the Lower House on Monday. The Bills will be introduced by Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform on Thursday. Meghwal will be presenting two Bills in the Lok Sabha – the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill as well as the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill.
According to the Centre, this legislation will not only streamline the electoral process, but will also foster greater efficiency, and reduce the financial and administrative burden associated with conducting multiple elections at different times.
The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had recommended holding concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
However, critics have argued that implementing synchronised elections could pose logistical and constitutional challenges.
The AAP, the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress among others have raised concerns about the impact of simultaneous polls on regional autonomy and fairness.
“This is a controversial issue. Ours is a federal structure in which it is not possible to implement the ‘One Nation, One Election’ system. The Opposition has not been taken into confidence on the issue. All stakeholders must be taken into confidence before taking such a big decision,” a Congress leader said.
Opposition leaders highlight potential difficulties in dissolving Assemblies mid-way or addressing situations where a state or the Union government falls before completing its tenure.
Proponents of the Bill on the other hand argue that it will usher in a new era of stability and continuity in policymaking, as governments will no longer have to operate in a perpetual election mode.
NDA partners including JD-U and the LJP have voiced strong support for the Bills highlighting the potential to reduce costs and ensure policy continuity.
The government has clarified that the two proposed legislations provide for “mid-term” polls for Parliament or a state Assembly in case a government falls but it will only be for the “unexpired” portion of the five-year fixed term.
National
Five Pakistani aircraft destroyed in Operation Sindoor: BJP’s Amit Malviya

New Delhi, May 24: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and ground forces downed at least five Pakistani aircraft, including a Chinese JF-17 and two F-16 fighter jets, during Operation Sindoor, in-charge of the BJP’s National Information and Technology, Amit Malviya, said on Saturday.
The information related to the setbacks to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), shared by Malviya on his social media handle X, comes in the backdrop of intense politics over Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi seeking information about IAF’s aircraft losses and the BJP questioning him for not caring to inquiring about Pakistani losses during the conflict.
Hailing IAF’s precision strikes and air dominance during Operation Sindoor, Malviya listed the PAF aircraft casualties as: one C-130 J medium lift aircraft, a JF-17 and two F-16 fighters on the ground and in the air.
A Pakistani SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system was destroyed as far as 315 kilometres away deep in Pakistan, said Malviya.
The Saab 2000 Erieye AEWC aircraft owned by Pakistan is equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system.
Malviya quoted a media report which said that the IAF also has proof of its missiles having downed one C-130 J medium lift aircraft, a JF-17 and two F-16 fighters on the ground and in the air.
The BJP leader also commended the performance of the S-400 air defence system. “India’s S-400 air defence system in Adampur went into action no less than 11 times during Operation Sindoor,” he wrote.
Adampur Air Base is the one which Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited after the ceasefire ‘understanding’ with Pakistan.
Malviya also shared other details of the IAF strikes on May 10, pointing to Rafale-launched SCALP missiles and SU-30 MKI-launched Brahmos missiles taking out the northern air command-control network at Nur Khan airbase in Chaklala in the first strike itself.
Talking about the precision missiles that struck Pakistan four times, he wrote on X, “The last strike was carried out at Jacobabad and Bholari air bases, but by that time Pakistan had folded and was seeking US intervention for a ceasefire.”
Malviya’s claims about IAF success against the enemy also demolish claims made in fake news circulated on social media and attributed to a British newspaper. The posts carried an article with the headline “Pakistan Air Force: The Undisputed King of the Skies.”
Crime
Seer arrested for raping minor in Karnataka’s Belagavi

Belagavi, May 24: A prominent Hindu seer has been arrested on charges of raping a 17-year-old girl in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, police said on Saturday.
The police have filed a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case against the accused.
A case in this regard was registered at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station and subsequently transferred to the Mudalagi police station.
The accused is the head pontiff of a prominent mutt in a village in the Rayabagh taluk of Belagavi district.
According to police, the seer allegedly raped the girl repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident.
The accused seer had taken the girl to Raichur on May 13 and stayed there for two days.
Later, he took her to Bagalkot on May 15, staying there for another two days.
The accused seer took the girl with him, claiming to drop her back at her residence, and took advantage of the situation to commit the crime.
The seer left the victim at the Mahalingapura bus stop in Bagalkot district on May 17. Later, the girl revealed her ordeal to her parents, and a complaint was lodged against the seer at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the girl’s parents, who were devotees of the mutt and revered the accused seer, used to leave their daughter at the mutt often for weeks. The seer allegedly took advantage of this.
Police said there are allegations against the mutt and the seer of carrying out illegal activities.
It also came to light during the investigation that in 2021, the accused seer was beaten by villagers.
Local people have appealed to the police to initiate strict legal action against the accused seer.
The police have recorded the statements of the villagers and the victim.
The accused seer has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.
Crime
Murder accused shot by TN Police after attacking officers in Salem

Salem, May 24: A 26-year-old man accused of the brutal murder of a 70-year-old woman in Omalur, Salem, was shot in the leg by police early Saturday after he attacked two officers with a machete while trying to escape from his hideout near Sankari Fort.
The accused, Naresh Kumar of Kattikaranoor village in Omalur block, is a habitual offender with over 20 robbery cases registered against him across various police stations in the district.
The incident traces back to May 20, when the victim, Sarasu alias Saraswathi, a resident of Chinnerikadu in Omalur, was murdered while grazing her cattle. Her body was discovered by locals along a roadside path, bearing injuries to her ear and nose.
Initial investigation suggested that she had been attacked for her gold jewellery, with at least one sovereign of gold reported stolen. A murder and robbery case was registered by the Deevattipatti police. In response, special teams were formed to track down the suspect.
Based on intelligence inputs and surveillance, police identified Naresh Kumar as the prime suspect and located his hideout at the foothills of Sankari Fort.
During the early hours of Saturday, a special police team closed in on his location. However, as officers attempted to apprehend him, Naresh Kumar brandished a machete and violently attacked Sub-Inspector Vijayaraghavan and Constable Selvakumar, injuring both.
In an act of self-defence and to prevent his escape, one of the officers fired a service pistol, hitting the accused in the leg. Naresh Kumar collapsed on the spot and was immediately taken into custody.
He, along with the injured policemen, was admitted to the Government Hospital in Sankari for treatment.
According to police sources, Naresh Kumar has a criminal history of targeting elderly women in rural areas, primarily for jewellery snatching. Previous incidents have been reported from Sankari and Magudanchavadi.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of senior citizens in the region and the increasing audacity of repeat offenders. Police have intensified surveillance and patrolling in vulnerable rural zones to prevent further attacks.
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