1 week Ago By Firstpost
It was a newsy week for India. The Centre has taken a step closer to making ‘One Nation, One Election’ a reality, which will see the country holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections in the future. India could boost its defence power soon as it eyes Russia’s advanced Voronezh long-range radar system.
This would give a fillip to the nation’s missile detection and air defence capabilities. The suicide of a Bengaluru-based techie due to alleged harassment from his wife and her family has gripped India. The tragic incident has brought the country’s marital laws to the limelight.
Here’s all this and more in our weekly wrap from India. 1 . At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet has approved two bills to implement the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.
While one bill proposes synchronising the tenures of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, the other calls for similar amendments for Delhi and other Union Territory Assemblies. The BJP has long supported the idea of one nation, one poll, but the opposition has raised questions about its feasibility. Now, the Parliament needs to pass the two bills for simultaneous elections to become a reality.
Read our explainer on what will happen next. 2 . New Delhi is reportedly in talks with Moscow to finalise a $4 billion defence deal for the advanced Voronezh long-range early warning radar system, which is part of the Voronezh series manufactured by Russia’s Almaz-Antey Corporation.
The Voronezh radar system is capable of tracking ballistic missiles and even stealth aircraft. The system will help India ward off air threats in the region, including from China. As New Delhi looks to boost its arsenal, we take a look at Voronezh in this report .
3 . In a significant decision, the Supreme Court has barred all civil courts from registering fresh suits disputing the existing place of worship. It has also stopped courts from directing surveys of contested religious places until further orders.
A special three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna asserted in an interim order that “in pending suits, the courts would not pass any effective interim orders or final orders including orders of survey till the next date of hearing”. From Sambhal’s Shahi Jama Masjid to the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, the interim order is likely to impact several mosque-temple disputes. Read our story to know more.
4 . Amid the ongoing stormy Winter Session of Parliament, the opposition moved a no-confidence against Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of engaging in “partisan” conduct. Despite knowing it did not have the requisite number to get the motion passed, the opposition brought it more of as a symbolic gesture.
We explain in this report why the opposition moved the no-confidence motion against Dhankhar. 5 . Atul Subhash, a 34-year-old Bengaluru-based techie died by suicide, blaming his estranged wife, Nikita Singhania , her family and a family court judge for taking the extreme step.
Subhash, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, tied the knot with Singhania in April 2019 and the duo had a son the following year. After a rift in the marriage, the wife left their Bengaluru house in 2021, along with the son. Singhania had levelled her own serious allegations against her husband, claiming she was harassed and assaulted for dowry when she filed a case against Subhash, his brother, and their parents in UP’s Jaunpur in April 2022.
Subhash’s brother has filed a case against his sister-in-law and her family for abetment to suicide. He has alleged relentless harassment and demands from his brother’s in-laws that pushed him over the edge. The Bengaluru-based techie has left behind a 24-page note narrating his “ordeal” and criticising the justice system.
Read our story on the case. 6 . Telugu actor Allu Arjun was arrested by the Telangana Police in connection with a stampede at the premiere of his film Pushpa 2 in Hyderabad earlier this month.
The incident at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre on December 4 left a 39-year-old woman dead and her son critical. The police had registered a case against the Sandhya Theatre management, Allu Arjun and his security team. Officers said the police were not informed in advance that Pushpa 2’s team would turn up for the movie screening.
Here’s our story on the case. 7 . The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has suspended an Indian-origin PhD student from its campus until January 2026.
The action was taken against Prahlad Iyengar, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, after he wrote an article for a college magazine, which the institute “interpreted as a call for violent protests”. But what did he write about? Read our report to find out. 8 .
Dubai’s stricter rules for tourist visa applications are hampering the plans of Indians. Due to the new rules, visa rejection rates have increased from one-two per cent to a concerning five-six per cent. Here’s our explainer on how this is making Indians suffer.
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