New Delhi Railway Station Stampede: Probe Reveals Chaos, Headloads, And Systemic Lapses, Says Govt
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
4 of total 16 elections held for vice-president posts won uncontested
NEW DELHI: Four of the total 16 elections held so far to the office of Vice-President of India were won uncontested, three due to rejection of nomination papers of the rival candidates and one due to lack of any opponent. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While S Radhakrishnan was elected unopposed as Vice-President twice, first in 1952 after the only other nomination paper filed was rejected and then in 1957 as he was the only validly nominated candidate; Mohammad Hidayatullah was elected unopposed in 1979. In 1987, Shankar Dayal Sharma was also elected unopposed, but only after the nomination papers filed by 26 other candidates were found to be invalid. There were two contestants in 10 of the Vice-Presidential elections held so far, and three and six contestants in one each. Five Vice-Presidents exited the office before the end of their term - Krishna Kant due to his untimely demise in 2002; V V Giri, R Venkataraman and Shankar Dayal Sharma resigned from the post of Vice-President to become President in 1969 (Giri filled up the vacancy created by the death of his predecssor Zakir Hussain),1987 and 1992 respectively. Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned due to "medical reasons" last week. These interesting details on 16 Vice-Presidential elections held so far can be found in a booklet put together by EC ahead of the 17th Vice-Presidential election, summarising the Constitutional provisions relating to the election, system of voting, and details of past elections in simple language, to enhance public awareness. Though the electoral college for the Vice-Presidential election is small, comprising only members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated ones, invalid votes were reported in almost all the elections that witnessed a contest. While 14 votes were declared invalid in the 1962 Vice-Presidential poll, the number was 3 in 1967, 10 in 1974, 30 in 1984, 10 in 1992, 46 in 1997, 7 in 2002, 10 in 2007, 8 in 2012, 11 in 2017 and 15 in 2022.

The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Chief Minister Stalin wanted to challenge the Waqf (Amendments) Act in SC: MP Wilson
DMK Rajya Sabha Member P. Wilson on Saturday said amendments to the Waqf Act brought about in 1995 were sufficient, and the BJP's decision to form a committee and its actions were 'oppressive'. Speaking at the 'Save Waqf, Save Constitution' panel discussion organised by the All India Muslims Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), he said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin passed a resolution in the Assembly when the Waqf (Amendments) Act, 2025, was introduced in Parliament. 'Only the BJP opposed the resolution and staged a walkout from the Assembly. The BJP has betrayed the Muslim community and the AIADMK has formed an alliance with them. When the Bill was sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, the DMK appointed two of its MPs, A. Raja and M.M. Abdullah, who travelled across India for over nine months and participated in consultative meetings and opposed the amendments. The committee's objections were given in writing, and we caused a ruckus in Parliament. We debated it for 15 hours, and it was passed early in the morning. We voted against it,' he said. He added that the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had said that the Waqf Act should be challenged in Supreme Court. 'After it was passed in the Rajya Sabha on April 4 and became an Act on April 5, we filed a case against it on April 7.' Former Madras High Court judge Justice D. Hariparanthaman said the latest Waqf Act amendments should be compared to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act and compared to the rights available to the majority community. 'Section 104 of the Waqf Act which says that anyone can donate to Waqf... has been removed. Now, not even a Muslim can donate but he/she should have been a Muslim for five years. Does HR and CE Act have such a section? A Muslim, Christian, Jain is not prevented from donating to the Mylapore temple. This is the first act that prevents donation. All powers of the Waqf Act are being taken over by the Central government,' he said. R. Vijayasankar, former Editor, Frontline, highlighted the role of the media in spreading hate against Muslims and underlined the lack of representation of Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Communities within mainstream media. Advocate A. Arulmozhi, retired IAS officer G. Balachandran, and Rahmathunissa, member, AIMPLB, also participated.


New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Petrol, diesel sale in unauthorised containers to attract prosecution under Petroleum and Explosives Act in Odisha
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on August 2 asked district collectors to strictly enforce the ban on sale, supply and storage of petroleum products, including petrol and diesel, in plastic bottles or unauthorised containers. It also warned that the violators will be prosecuted as per the provisions of law, including the Petroleum and Explosives Acts. The Government asked the petrol bunks to display the message prominently in both Odia and English. Issuing a directive to this effect, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, told collectors that unfair practice of selling and transporting petroleum products, both Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel (MS and HSD) in unapproved containers, poses serious threats to public safety and the environment. Notably, these highly inflammable substances, petrol and diesel in particular, are being widely sold and transported in plastic bottles and unapproved containers in different parts of the state, which is a violation of the statutory provisions of multiple acts. "The government, under the Petroleum Act, 1934, Petroleum Rules, 2002, Explosives Act, 1884, Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and other allied legal frameworks, has decided to carry out strict enforcement against such practices in all districts", Singh said.