The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) to examine allegations that candidates of the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP were prevented from filing nominations for Urban Local Body elections and decide by Thursday whether the deadline should be extended in affected municipalities.

A Bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana ordered the state poll panel to keep the final list of contesting candidates on hold until October 25, pending its decision on the representations and evidence submitted by the YSRCP and other candidates.

The Justice Bagchi-led Bench said that wherever an extension is granted, candidates must be given at least 48 hours from the publication of the SEC’s decision to submit their nomination papers.

The election notification will have to be amended accordingly, the apex court ordered. It also directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure adequate security at nomination centres, including police deployment and CCTV coverage, and file a compliance report.

The Supreme Court further asked the respective Superintendents of Police to provide protection to YSRCP candidates and directed that nomination papers be received by Collectors at district headquarters wherever necessary.

Observing that free and fair elections are part of the basic structure of the Constitution, the Justice Bagchi-led Bench said the right to participate in elections by filing nominations is an integral facet of the electoral process.

It said that constitutional courts could not remain entirely silent when allegations of obstruction in filing nomination papers were brought before them by a principal Opposition party, particularly when the party had submitted representations and supporting material even before the election process commenced.

“Instilling confidence in the election process is vital for the maintenance of constitutional democracy,” the Supreme Court said, stressing the need for the state authorities to ensure a level playing field.

The SEC has been asked to assess the representations on their merits, along with documentary and electronic evidence, and take appropriate measures to ensure that eligible candidates are not denied an opportunity to contest.

The matter will be heard again on October 27, when the state poll panel and the state government are required to submit compliance affidavits.

The directions came on a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the YSRCP challenging an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which refused to extend the deadline for filing nominations amid allegations of violence and obstruction during the local body election process.

The party had alleged that its candidates were prevented from filing nomination papers in several areas, including Punganur, Rayachoti, Kadapa and Tirupati, after the nomination process opened on October 16.

According to the petition, nomination papers of a candidate in Kadapa were allegedly seized and torn, while several candidates in Tirupati were prevented from entering the rooms of the Returning Officers concerned.

It also alleged that party workers and MP P.V. Midhun Reddy were attacked while travelling to file nomination papers.

The YSRCP had initially approached the High Court seeking alternative nomination centres with adequate security.

A single judge, on October 15, declined to grant the blanket relief sought but allowed individual candidates facing threats to approach the Election Officers concerned, for permission to file nominations at alternative locations.

The party subsequently sought a one-day extension of the nomination deadline, contending that the alleged disruptions had deprived its candidates of an opportunity to contest the elections.

Dismissing the application on October 18, a Division Bench of the High Court held that the nomination period had expired and that extending it at that stage would amount to interference with the election process.

The High Court also observed that the relief sought went beyond the scope of the original writ petition.

In its SLP before the Supreme Court, the YSRCP contended that restrictions on judicial intervention in election matters should not prevent constitutional courts from issuing directions to safeguard the conduct of free and fair polls.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met with students of the Vision IAS coaching institute on Wednesday and heard their problems about the tuition centre.

According to Congress, during the meeting, the students voiced concerns over the declining quality of teaching and study materials at the coaching institute and mentioned that they have not been able to get their fee refunds.

In a post on X, Congress said, “LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji met students of the Vision IAS coaching institute.”

“The students raised serious concerns about a sharp decline in the quality of teaching, mentorship and study materials at the institute. They also said the management had been unresponsive to their demands for fee refunds,” the party added.

Vision IAS is a coaching institute for the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE). It claims to offer General Studies foundation courses, test series, current affairs magazines, and personalised mentoring.

Its classroom centres are located in Delhi (Karol Bagh and Mukherjee Nagar), Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow.

Students at the institute have been raising concerns over suspended and repeatedly cancelled classes, a sharp decline in teaching and mentorship quality, and unresponsive management refusing fee refunds for months now.

Earlier in July this year, students and faculty staged a protest outside the main branch of the coaching institute in Delhi’s Karol Bagh over the disruption of academic activities and non-payment of salaries to teachers.

The faculty members raised issues of delayed or withheld payments for several months, while the students demanded fee refunds.

The coaching institute was also in the headlines last year in December when the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a penalty of Rs 11 lakh on it for publishing misleading advertisements on its official website concerning the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 and 2023, in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai on Tuesday, with discussions focusing on further advancing bilateral ties.

During the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on regional developments. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and other officials were also present at the meeting.

“Pleased to meet US Marco Rubio in Mumbai today. We shared views on further advancement of our ties, focusing on trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people ties. Also exchanged views on regional developments,” EAM Jaishankar stated on X after the meting.

Rubio said that he and EAM Jaishankar discussed energy security and defence cooperation.

“In Mumbai, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and I discussed energy security and defense cooperation while reaffirming the importance of advancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership,” the US Secretary of State posted on X.

Earlier, EAM Jaishankar, Marco Rubio and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a meeting in Mumbai, with discussions held on regional energy security and advancing shared economic priorities.

“It was great to meet with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss regional energy security and advance our shared economic priorities,” Rubio stated on X after the meeting.

Following the meeting, Ambassador Gor also took to X and wrote: “The US, India, and UAE have real opportunities to advance cooperation on energy, trade, technology, and regional connectivity. Marco Rubio, S Jaishankar, and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Mumbai for a discussion on turning our close ties into concrete results!”

Earlier in the day, Marco Rubio arrived in Mumbai for an official visit to India. For his visit to Mumbai, Rubio is accompanied by his wife, Jeanette Rubio and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) extended a warm welcome to Rubio as he arrived in Mumbai for his second visit to India, noting that it provides an opportunity to further advance cooperation across various pillars of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

“Welcome to Mumbai, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on your second visit to India! He was received by Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister of Culture, Electronics, IT and AI, Government of Maharashtra at the airport. The visit provides an opportunity to further advance cooperation across the various pillars of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the MEA posted on X.

After concluding his engagements in Mumbai, Rubio will travel to Gujarat’s Jamnagar for talks that will include “enhanced energy cooperation”, the US State Department said.