Evening news wrap: EC responds to Rahul Gandhi's 'vote theft' remarks; Prajwal Revanna convicted in rape case and more
The
Election Commission of India
on Friday dismissed allegations made by Rahul Gandhi who claimed that the constitutional body was involved in large-scale electoral manipulation. A special court for elected representatives convicted Prajwal Revanna, ex-Hassan MP and grandson of former prime minister HD Devegowda for raping a 47-year-old domestic help.
Meanwhile, the government is exploring options to respond to US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
Here are the top five news stories for the evening:
Election commission dismisses Rahul Gandhi's 'vote theft' allegations:
The Election Commission of India has rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of vote theft during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, calling them baseless. In an internal note, the EC instructed election officials to ignore such unfounded claims and continue working with neutrality and transparency. It also pointed out that no formal complaints or legal action were taken by the
Congress party
during or after the elections.
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Prajwal Revanna convicted in rape case involving domestic help:
A special court in Bengaluru has convicted Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP and grandson of ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda for raping a 47-year-old domestic worker. The judgment was delivered by a court handling cases related to elected representatives. The incident adds to the ongoing legal troubles for Revanna, who is already facing multiple allegations of sexual assault.
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India mulls next steps after 25% US tariff; F‑35 jet deal in jeopardy:
India is reassessing its defense and trade strategy following a 25% tariff imposed by the US on certain Indian exports.
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The development has cast uncertainty over the proposed acquisition of F-35 fighter jets from the US, with the Indian government now considering whether to proceed with the deal. Officials are evaluating next steps while weighing the impact of the tariff move on broader trade and defense ties between the two countries.
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Bihar draft electoral rolls released; EC opens window for claims till September 1:
The Election Commission has published the draft electoral rolls for all 243 Bihar assembly constituencies following a Special Summary Revision.
Citizens can file claims and objections regarding the voter list until September 1. The rolls will be available both digitally and physically at designated locations. The exercise aims to ensure transparency and correct inclusion or removal of names ahead of the assembly elections.
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World's longest lightning megaflash spans 829 km across three US States:
The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed a new world record for the longest single lightning flash measuring 829 kilometers recorded across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This 'megaflash' broke the previous 768 km record from Brazil. The flash occurred horizontally and didn't last long but traveled an exceptional distance. WMO used advanced satellite technology to detect and verify it.
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The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Condemn Israel's actions in Gaza, civil society members urge govt.
The India Palestine Solidarity Forum (IPSF), a coalition of civil society leaders and people's movements, submitted a detailed memorandum to MPs on July 27, urging the government to condemn Israel's actions in Gaza for what it calls 'the ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and ethnic cleansing of the people of Palestine by Israel.' Signed by over two dozen eminent figures including Medha Patkar, Tushar Gandhi, Prashant Bhushan, Anand Patwardhan, and retired judge Justice Kolse Patil, and several advocates, journalists, authors, activists, social workers and political parties, the memorandum demands 'decisive' Indian leadership in global calls for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian relief, and accountability for alleged Israeli war crimes. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (August 5, 2025), Dr. Sunilam, president of IPSF, stressed the urgency of the moment. 'The memorandum urges the Government of India to unequivocally and categorically condemn the ongoing genocide, forced starvation, and ethnic cleansing of the people of Palestine by Israel.' Feroze Mithiborwala, general secretary of IPSF, called the silence of the Indian government on this 'historic moral issue' alarming. 'This statement bears the endorsement of some of India's most prominent civil society leaders,' he added. Addressed to both houses of Parliament, the memorandum outlines four broad demands: make and lead calls for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza; restore India's moral authority in foreign policy by reaffirming support for Palestinian statehood and ending all agreements, military, security, agricultural, technological, with the Israeli government and related entities; reject Western propaganda, support independent and fact-based journalism, and uphold international justice mechanisms; and, ensure parliamentary oversight, transparency and public dialogue on India's Gaza policy. Tushar Gandhi, president of Hum Bharat Ke Log, said, 'The Modi government must condemn Israel for the genocide and war crimes being committed in Gaza. India must play a proactive role in ensuring Israel ends the policy of starvation and allows humanitarian essentials, food, water, medicines, to be provided to the Gazan population.' The memorandum presents statistics to highlight the humanitarian crisis. Since October 2023, over 58,000 deaths have been officially reported in Gaza, the majority of them women and children. Independent assessments, including those by The Lancet and The Economist, place the figure between 77,000 and 1,09,000. Over 1.9 million have been displaced, with infrastructure—including hospitals, bakeries, and water systems—systematically destroyed. Aid convoys and humanitarian workers have come under fire, and the UN Special Rapporteur has described Gaza's condition as a 'man-made famine' the memorandum said.
Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Precision and skill: Expert team retrieves tanker dangling on Vadodara bridge 27 days after collapse
A team of around 60 experts from the Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) of Vishwakarma company, Porbandar, successfully retrieved the precariously hanging tanker on the Anand-district end of the broken Mujpur-Gambhira bridge in Vadodara, in a remarkable feat of precision and skill. The operation, which took four days to complete, brought closure to the tragic incident that claimed 21 lives, 27 days ago when a part of the bridge collapsed. From the makeshift control room set up in a prefabricated cabin in Gambira to specialised pneumatic marine airbags, horizontal cantilevers and strand jacks on standby even as multiple drone cameras kept promptly ready to monitor the operations — the task to retrieve the chemical tanker hanging on the broken bridge since July 9, was all about meticulous calculations and probabilities. On Tuesday evening, almost four weeks after the bridge collapsed, killing 21 and leaving the chemical tanker hanging with a drop of about 50 meters on the separated span, MERC Vishwakarma retrieved the tanker, flawlessly executing the operation from 900 meters away without any human presence around the tanker. Not only was it a first for the district administration where usual rescue services involving heavy cranes could not be pressed into action but even the marine emergency team was working on retrieving a road transport vehicle stranded on a collapsed river bridge for the first time instead of the usual salvage operations carried out in waters along the Indian coastline. With the structure of the bridge compromised and the movement of heavy machinery restricted, MERC experts deployed marine technology to retrieve the vehicle. On Tuesday, the fourth day since the experts arrived in Anand district — the truck could now only be accessed from the Gambira end — a team of experts began the deployment of the pneumatic roller bags (marine airbags) in the undercarriage of the truck. After several hours of preparation, including inflating the roller bags, personnel wearing safety harnesses, the physical deployment of the roller bags started. Once fitted to the necessary height aligned with the existing bridge span, the team of workers returned to the end of the bridge, leaving the rest to the remotely operated cantilevers and strand jacks. MERC Director Ketan Gajjar told The Indian Express that the task of raising the tanker to align it to the road surface was the first step in the challenge, especially as the bridge had no strength and was surrounded by water. Gajjar said, 'The process is simple but the deployment of roller bags requires proper methodology and equipment to make the system work effectively and safely. It is a task for an expert as things can go wrong immediately if the placement is not right and the vessel (vehicle) does not lift in the right manner… Once the pneumatic bags were successfully deployed and the vehicle was in an upright position to be safely pulled out, the next step was carried out… The execution was done with a combination of lifting with the marine bags as well as pulling with the strand jacks. We had brought in a payload of 200 tonnes from Mumbai to complete the task of extracting the truck.' The director said that with human safety as the first priority, the deployment of the bags was done manually. 'We could not use any hydraulic machines as the bridge is compromised and human safety is priority. So, the team manually placed the bags. The personnel who worked on the task were from the rigging team, hydraulic jack pulling team as well as engineers… Not damaging the bridge further was also a big challenge.' Gajjar elaborated that meticulous calculations were crucial in determining the sizes of the components to be pushed under the tanker, given its unique bottom structure, which differs significantly from that of a typical sea vessel. To facilitate the operation, a smaller roller was strategically positioned under the bulkhead, where the tanker was most inclined, while a larger roller was pushed under the centre floor frame. 'Given the fact that unlike at sea, this deployment is on a bridge that has a fractured segment precariously holding position, we also needed to fasten the pneumatic bags to the bridge rails while inflating it to ensure that they do not roll away during the process or it could cause a major accident with the vehicle… Our experience of years means that we immediately calculate the necessary combinations to execute the task in a fast, effective and safe manner,' Gajjar added. As per the protocol, the MERC team initially assessed the situation, the position of the truck as well as the strength load required to lift and align the truck to the centreline of the bridge. Gajjar said. 'The first day was spent inspecting the truck's position, the height at which it needs to be lifted to align the wheels to the road surface of the existing portion of the bridge in order to successfully be able to pull it out… The process requires detailed calculation as it is a rare case of a road transport vehicle needing marine emergency response. Since the local authorities had assessed that bringing heavy cranes or equipment close to the tanker is impractical, it can remotely be pulled out only using the marine salvage technique… We had placed all equipment outside the bridge, 900 meters away,' Gajjar said. The company then began setting up its other equipment, in aligned positions, including the strand jack and the horizontal cantilever that will allow the team to complete the process of pulling out the vehicle without human intervention at the spot. An engineered horizontal cantilever was used to steer the vehicle in alignment to the bridge and a horizontal driven strand jack, which utilises a hydraulic grip and pull force, was used for the calibrated pulling of the truck from the spot. 'The horizontal movement is precisely controlled and helps move the vehicle upright as is the need in the present situation as we have to be careful that pulling out of the truck does not damage the existing bridge rails,' Gajjar said. Anand District Collector Praveen Chaudhary told The Indian Express, 'The tanker was successfully retrieved and it has been now placed standing on the existing span of the bridge. The MERC team paid their obeisance to the Mahisagar river after completing the task. They did not charge anything for this service, dedicating their work towards the society… we are grateful for the same.'
Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
No proposal to stop ₹500 notes, ATMs to dispense more lower denominations: MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary
The government has no plans to discontinue the supply of ₹ 500 denomination banknotes and ATMs will continue to disburse ₹ 500 alongside ₹ 100 or ₹ 200 notes, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed Parliament on Tuesday. Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in a circular titled 'Dispensation of ₹ 100 and ₹ 200 denomination banknotes through ATMs' issued on April 28, 2025, directed banks and ATM operators to ensure their machines are regularly disbursing ₹ 100 and ₹ 200 notes. In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that the RBI has directed the disbursal of more lower denomination notes to enhance public access to frequently used denominations of banknotes. He also mentioned the timeline set by the RBI for this initiative: By September 30, 2025, 75 per cent of all ATMs would dispense either ₹ 100 or ₹ 200 denomination banknotes from at least one cassette. 100 or 200 denomination banknotes from at least one cassette. By March 31, 2026, this number will increase by 90 per cent as all ATMs will continue to dispense either ₹ 100 or ₹ 200 denomination banknotes from at least one cassette. Replying to another question, Chaudhary said the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has been actively pursuing around 76 cases during the period from April 2020 to March 2025. During the last financial year, Sebi received ₹ 949.43 crore from disgorgement, which refers to the act of legally binding a person or entity to surrender any illegal gains obtained through unethical practices in the securities market. "Fraud and cheating are punishable offences as per Indian laws. Several central government, enforcement, and regulatory agencies have been taking action to prevent, detect, and act against investment related frauds," he said. Other government agencies are also involved in combating financial crimes, including: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has identified nine cases of multi-level marketing (MLM) scams in the last five years. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has investigated around 220 cases of money-laundering , related to investment frauds under PMLA between January 2020 and July 2025. Crypto assets are currently not regulated in India, he said, adding that the RBI-SACHET portal receives multiple complaints about unauthorized deposit taking activities from unregistered entities. He also mentioned some figures around the number of complaints received so far. From April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025, the portal received around 3,454 complaints related to the "non-repayment of money collected from various kinds of investment schemes.' Another 1,531 complaints were received related to collection of money through MLM, direct selling, and Ponzi schemes, he said.
