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Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC asks ECI to ‘proceed' with Aadhaar, EPIC in Bihar SIR
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to halt the publication of the draft electoral rolls for the state of Bihar, scheduled for August 1, reminded the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) must aim for 'en masse inclusion, not exclusion' and told the poll body to consider accepting Aadhaar and Voter ID (Election Photo Identity ) cards as valid documents. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the poll body must proceed with the understanding that both documents carry a 'presumption of genuineness'. (HT File) A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the poll body must proceed with the understanding that both documents carry a 'presumption of genuineness'. The bench issued the directions orally while hearing the petitions filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and others, who have challenged ECI's June 24 notification initiating SIR under Section 21(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1950. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for ADR, urged the court to stay the publication of the draft rolls, arguing that nearly 4.5 million voters may be adversely affected. 'Once the draft is out, the burden shifts to voters to file objections and seek inclusion,' Sankaranarayanan argued. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, who appeared for ECI, however, told the court the August 1 list was only a draft and that the process will remain open for 'additions and corrections.' The bench agreed and said that the court could always intervene later if it found illegality in the process. When Sankaranarayanan requested a formal observation that the exercise would be subject to the outcome of the petitions, the court said the same was 'understood' and that it did not need to be recorded. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the court that ECI officials on the ground were refusing to accept Aadhaar and Voter ID despite the court's July 10 oral directions to consider them. Dwivedi said that ECI had flagged concerns about the reliability of certain documents, especially Aadhaar and ration cards. Appearing for Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, 'The impression on the ground is that EC officials are not accepting Aadhaar and EPIC cards despite the court's previous directions.' The court then orally instructed ECI to consider including Aadhaar and EPIC as valid documents for verifying voter eligibility. It also reminded ECI to be cautious while excluding names. 'There is a presumption of correctness with official documents. You proceed with Aadhaar and EPIC. Where forgery is found, you can act on a case to case basis. Any document on this earth can be forged. Instead of en masse exclusion, you should be going for en masse inclusion,' the court said. In its June 24 notification, ECI listed 11 acceptable documents for proving citizenship during the SIR. The accepted documents include birth certificates, matriculation certificates, passport, permanent residence or domicile certificates, among others but exclude Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and ration cards on the ground that the latter documents are prone to forgery. The petitioners before the Supreme Court have argued that ECI's insistence on just the 11 documents lacks legal backing and can result in mass disenfranchisement. The petitioners, who also include Opposition leaders led by Congress MP KC Venugopal, RJD MP Manoj Jha among others, have also questioned whether ECI has the authority to conduct such a revision and seek proof of citizenship, a function reserved for the Union government. ECI in its affidavit filed last week said that while the exclusive powers of the Central government is confined to reviewing the acquisition of foreign citizenship, ECi is fully competent to require a person claiming citizenship by birth to produce relevant documents for inclusion in the electoral roll. The court had earlier noted that the matter 'goes to the root of the functioning of the democratic republic' and involves the fundamental right to vote. On a previous hearing on July 10, another bench of the court had said the top court will examine three questions, ECI's powers to conduct the SIR, the manner in which it was being carried out, and the timing of the exercise, given the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The court is likely to continue with the hearing of the matter on Tuesday.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Is Geely Automobile (GELYY) Stock Outpacing Its Auto-Tires-Trucks Peers This Year?
Investors interested in Auto-Tires-Trucks stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (GELYY) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. is one of 96 individual stocks in the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GELYY's full-year earnings has moved 11.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger. Our latest available data shows that GELYY has returned about 31.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Auto-Tires-Trucks companies have returned an average of -11.4%. This means that Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR (XPEV) is another Auto-Tires-Trucks stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 60.5%. Over the past three months, XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. belongs to the Automotive - Foreign industry, which includes 22 individual stocks and currently sits at #227 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1% so far this year, meaning that GELYY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR is also part of the same industry. Investors with an interest in Auto-Tires-Trucks stocks should continue to track Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. and XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (GELYY) : Free Stock Analysis Report XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR (XPEV) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New Indian Express
20 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SC refuses to stay publication of draft voters list in Bihar on Aug 1
The ECI said the SIR Survey was being done after concerns raised by political parties across the spectrum. "For the first time that all the political parties have been so involved at this scale in intensive revision exercises, with all political parties appointing more than 1.5 lakh BLAs to work in tandem with BLOs, in reaching out to each eligible elector," added the affidavit of the ECI. The ECI highlited that most of the figures quoted by the petitioners were out dated and not contemporary. Quite apart from the fact that full reports have not been annexed, the petitioners have deliberately suppressed the fact that these reports do not present contemporary facts and figures, and thus cannot be relied upon. "Some of the Petitioners are MPs and MLAs from recognized political parties in the State of Bihar and all these political parties are assisting in the SIR exercise by providing Booth Level Agents (BLAs). While, some of the Petitioners are participating in the SIR and, at the same time, objecting here to the transparent exercise conducted by the ECI. These facts were within the knowledge of Petitioners but not disclosed before this court, and have been deliberately suppressed," the ECI said. The Commission further submitted that all the political parties had appreciated the necessity and correctness of the exercise undertaken by the ECI and have been co-operating and participating towards the timely completion of the said exercise. The ECI justified the SIR exercise and said Aadhaar wasn't a "proof of citizenship". The court had earlier questioned the ECI action, as to why it started the SIR exercise of electoral rolls in Bihar so late, although, it made clear that there is nothing wrong in SIR exercise but it should have been done months before the ensuing election. The top court was hearing the pleas filed by the NGO Association For Democratic Reforms, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Yogendra Yadav, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) from Trinamool Congress Party, Mahua Moitra, Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, Congress Party leader K C Venugopal and Mujahid Alam. The petitioners sought a direction from the top court to set aside the ECI's SIR order of June, 24, 2025. "Issue a writ, order or direction setting aside Order and Communication dated 24.06.2025 and accompanying guidelines issued by ECI to conduct SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar as being in violation of Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, 326 of the Constitution of India and provisions of Representation of People (RP) Act, 1950 and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960," said the NGO ADR, in its plea filed in the top court. "The SIR order if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of basic structure of the Constitution," said, ADR's plea, filed in the top court.
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi hospitality soars as UAE bucks trend with strong Q1 growth
27 July 2025 23:14 MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)The UAE's hospitality market kicked off 2025 with strong growth across key performance indicators (KPIs), defying traditional seasonal patterns, according to JLL's UAE Hospitality Market Dynamics for Q1 2025. Abu Dhabi led the upswing, posting exceptional gains despite the Ramadan season being a traditionally slow UAE capital recorded a substantial 28.1% year-on-year increase in Average Daily Rate (ADR) for the year to date through March upward trend in rates propelled a 26.7% increase in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), even as occupancy slightly decreased by 1.0 percentage point during the same on this momentum, JLL anticipates a potential surge in new project launches across the emirate.'The substantial increase in KPIs has enhanced the emirate's commercial appeal to a broader spectrum of developers,' the report stated. 'These improved rates now justify and support new hotel developments, effectively transforming Abu Dhabi into a more attractive market for hospitality investments.'Hotel stock in Abu Dhabi remained stable at 33,100 keys in Q1, with no new completions. However, around 600 new keys are set to be delivered by year-end, and a total of 1,500 keys are expected to be added over the next three travel is expected to be a key revenue driver for the hospitality sector, with luxury operators likely to command an advantage over others through high-end food and beverage offerings. Other properties will continue to lean on their banqueting facilities and in-house guest spending to maintain profitability. Dubai also recorded solid gains in the opening quarter of 2025. The emirate welcomed 5.31 million overnight visitors, marking a 2.5% increase from the same period last year. ADR improved by 2.2%, while the average occupancy rate increased by 1.3 percentage points, pushing RevPAR up by 3.6%. Dubai's hospitality stock expanded to approximately 158,000 keys, with the delivery of approximately 1,800 keys in the first quarter. A further 4,700 keys, comprising of four- and five-star properties, are expected by the end of the year and an additional 4,600 keys are slated for delivery in the following two years.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Grave fraud on voters
New Delhi: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in its reply to the Election Commission's counter in the Supreme Court, has argued that the poll body's claim of having the constitutional authority to verify voters' citizenship during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls flies in the face of past judgments. ADR also called the exclusion of Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents 'patently absurd,' noting that Aadhaar is widely accepted when applying for passports, caste certificates, and permanent residence documents. The petitioner further said the EC had failed to justify why the revision exercise must be rushed ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, describing the way it is being conducted as a 'grave fraud' on the state's voters. Announced on June 24, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls has sparked controversy over both its timing and the requirement that voters enrolled after 2003 produce multiple documents to stay on the rolls, raising concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of many electors and, eventually, prompting legal challenges in the SC. Acting on the Court's directions, ADR — a non-profit that works on electoral reforms — filed its rejoinder on Saturday to the Commission's counter-affidavit submitted on July 21. In that filing, the Commission had argued that under Article 326 of the Constitution it is within its rights to verify the citizenship of electors and clarified that removal from the electoral rolls does not amount to termination of an individual's citizenship. The matter is next listed for hearing on July 28. Responding to the EC's argument that it has the authority to verify voters' citizenship, the petitioner said this contradicted previous Supreme Court rulings, including Lal Babu Hussain vs Union of India (1995), which held that the burden of proving citizenship lies with new applicants, not those already on the rolls. ADR also cited Inderjit Barua vs ECI (1985), where the Court held that being listed on the electoral roll was prima facie proof of citizenship, and the burden of disproving it rested with the objector.
