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Four IB men caught outside residence of CBI Director Alok Verma’s residence

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7 years ago

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Four IB men caught outside residence of CBI Director Alok Verma’s residence

Four men, identified as Intelligence Bureau (IB) operatives, were rounded up today (Thursday, October 25) morning from outside the residence of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma, a day after the government sent him on ‘compulsory leave’.

Verma has described as “patently illegal” in a petition before the Supreme Court which would hear the case tomorrow.

The men were observed loitering in two motor cars outside the perimeter and were confronted by Verma’s official security detail, said media reports. They were handed over to Delhi Police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma, however, denied that the police had detained the four men and were questioning them.

Media reports quoting sources said the four men, who were stationed outside Verma’s 2, Janpath residence from Wednesday night, were questioned and then taken away by the police.

There was speculation in some circles that the men could be looking for ways to plant listening devices or were keeping an eye on visitors to the residence.

This follows a search and raid of the CBI headquarters on Wednesday that was carried out by unidentified intelligence and police officials. While some explained that the search was to secure sensitive documents, others said that, on the contrary, the search was to find and remove documents that could prove troublesome or embarrassing for the Narendra Modi government.

While there was no word from Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Thursday affair, Intelligence Bureau sources claimed that the presence of personnel at a “high security zone” like the area surrounding Verma’s residence is part of routine practice.

According to IB sources, the agency is responsible for collecting “intelligence on situations” that could affect “public order” and “internal security.” IB units are deployed on a regular basis in sensitive areas and while in some cases “this is done in association with local law enforcement agencies”, other times an element of surprise “is also built in.”

“Among other things, its units are routinely deployed on a regular basis in sensitive areas. At times, this is done in association with local law enforcement agencies and at other times, a surprise element is also built in. This also enables LEAs to respond immediately to developing situations,” the sources said, according to a report in The Hindustan Times (HT).

They added that since such officials are on routine duties, they carry their identity cards. This is unlike surveillance which is done covertly, without any visible appurtenances, they said.

“One such unit, in early hours of today, halted on Janpath, where there was an unusual collection of people. This was with a view to check the reason why people had collected at the location. This is a high-security zone where several protectees reside. Unfortunately, their presence was projected otherwise,” the sources said.

The episode fuelled the opposition campaign that the Modi government acted against Verma because of its fears over what steps the CBI may take on crucial investigations.

Main opposition party the Congress has attacked the government alleging that the men were “snooping” on Alok Verma, who was stripped of powers as CBI chief on Wednesday.

“After making CBI as ‘Central Burial of Investigation’, the (Narendra) Modi government now stoops to a ‘new low’ – Snooping on ‘forcibly removed’ CBI Director through IB,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said. “Let everyone be forewarned – IB is heading the CBI way!” Congress Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

In the wee hours of Wednesday, the government in a late night move, sent the two top officials of CBI, Director Alok Verma and his deputy special director Rakesh Asthana on compulsory leave and appointed joint director M Nageshwar Rao as acting CBI chief. There has been a running feud between Verma and Asthana, with Verma questioning the decision to appoint Asthana to CBI, citing corruption cases two years ago.

The CBI then filed a FIR against Asthana and some others, one of whom was arrested. The government finally woke up on Tuesday when Verma relieved Asthana of his responsibilities and acted overnight, a move that has invited speculation as well as criticism.

Verma has moved the Supreme Court against the government decision, calling it patently illegal. The case would be heard tomorrow.

According to the Indian Express, Verma was dealing with seven sensitive cases when the Narendra Modi government minister decided to pull the plug on him:

* A complaint against alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter deal with France: The verification process of the complaint was on in the agency and, sources said, “a decision was to be taken”. The 132-page complaint was received by Verma on October 4, and had been filed by former Union Ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

* The CBI has been probing the role of highly-placed individuals in the Medical Council of India (MCI) bribery case, which implicated retired High Court judge I M Quddusi. The chargesheet against Quddusi, sources said, had been prepared and was ready for Verma’s signature.

* The case of Justice SN Shukla of Allahabad High Court, who was sent on leave following allegations of corruption in medical admissions, had been identified as fit for investigation. Sources said a PE had been prepared and was awaiting Verma’s signature.

* Another case being looked at by the CBI was BJP MP Subramanian Swamy’s letters to the CBI, complaining against Finance and Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia.

* The alleged role of IAS officer Bhaskar Khulbe, Secretary to the Prime Minister, is being investigated by the CBI in a case of allocation of coal mines.

* In another case, a Delhi-based middleman was raided in the first week of October. An alleged pay-off list and Rs 3 crore in cash were found and the CBI was told he had a role in bribing politicians and officials for “senior Public Sector Unit appointments”.

* The CBI probe into Sandesara and the Sterling Biotech case was nearing completion, and the alleged role of Asthana was being investigated.

Question over govt action against CBI director – Supreme Court to hear it tomorrow

There are questions about the legality of government action against the CBI Director – whether it has the authority to divest him of his powers and send him on compulsory leave. The Supreme Court, while hearing Verma’s plea, is expected to deal with the question. At a press conference on Wednesday, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley argued that the decision to send the two top officials on leave was due to a recommendation by the Central Vigilance Commission – a recommendation that is not in the public domain. “It was absolutely essential to restore the agency’s institutional integrity and credibility,” Jaitley said.

However, under the law, the chief of the CBI enjoys a fixed two-year term. It is argued that the government cannot even transfer him, much less divest him of his powers and send him on leave. In the 1998 Vineet Narain & Others vs Union of India Supreme Court case, the Supreme Court defines the powers of a selection committee to choose the CBI chief. The judgment is clear: “The transfer of an incumbent director, CBI, in an extraordinary situation, including the need for him to take up a more important assignment, should have the approval of the selection committee.”

Since 2013, as per the terms of the Lokpal Act, this selection committee is to consist of the prime minister, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him. No selection committee recommended Verma’s forced leave. It was done on the orders of the Union government alone.

Moreover, the role of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in the CBI only comes in to play when there is a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. No such case exists against Verma. Hence, the Union government’s argument that it was acting on the advice of the CVC does not hold water either.

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Over 24 lakh voters dropped from Kerala draft electoral roll after special revision

The Election Commission has removed over 24 lakh names from Kerala’s draft voter lists after verification during the Special Intensive Revision process.

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4 hours ago

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December 24, 2025

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kerala voters delete

Over 24.08 lakh electors have been removed from the draft voter lists in Kerala following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with the Election Commission publishing the updated draft electoral roll on Tuesday.

As per official data, Kerala has a total of 2,78,50,855 registered electors. Of these, 2,54,42,352 electors submitted their Enumeration Forms during the revision process, which concluded on December 18.

The poll body said the deletions were carried out after verification and were linked to multiple factors, including electors shifting to other states or Union Territories, voters found to be non-existent, individuals who did not submit enumeration forms within the stipulated time, and those who chose not to continue their registration.

Break-up of deleted names

According to the Election Commission, the deleted entries include 6,49,885 names of deceased voters, accounting for 2.33 per cent of the electorate. Another 14,61,769 voters, or 5.25 per cent, were removed after being found shifted or absent, while 1,36,029 voters, around 0.49 per cent, were deleted for being enrolled at multiple locations.

Claims and objections window open

Although the enumeration phase has ended, eligible citizens can still seek corrections. The Commission has opened a claims and objections period from December 23 to January 22, 2026, allowing applications for inclusion of eligible voters or removal of ineligible names from the rolls.

The final electoral roll for Kerala is scheduled to be published on February 21, 2026.

Awareness drives and field-level efforts

The Election Commission said extensive awareness campaigns were conducted across the state to ensure maximum participation. Senior election officials held regular meetings with political parties at the state, district and assembly constituency levels to explain the revision process and share progress updates.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) carried out house-to-house visits to all electors listed as of October 27, distributing Enumeration Forms and making at least three follow-up visits for collection. Booth Level Agents were permitted to submit up to 50 forms per day to strengthen coordination at the grassroots level.

To support field staff, BLOs were assisted by Anganwadi workers, students from NCC, NSS and election literacy clubs, volunteers, revenue officials and social work students. The poll body said more than 93 per cent mapping of collected forms was achieved through repeated training sessions, video tutorials and doubt-clearing programmes.

Special initiatives during SIR

During the exercise, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala launched motivational and outreach initiatives aimed at supporting election staff managing the heavy workload of digitising voter data. District-level programmes were also rolled out to recognise and motivate BLOs and supervisors completing digitisation targets.

In areas with weak network connectivity, a community-based digitisation model was adopted, where BLOs collectively digitised forms from locations with better internet access. Special urban camps were organised across all wards of urban local bodies to ensure comprehensive coverage of city voters.

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India’s LVM3 Baahubali rocket launches heaviest satellite ever from Indian soil

India’s LVM3 ‘Baahubali’ rocket has successfully launched the heaviest satellite ever from Indian soil, placing the BlueBird 6 communication satellite into low Earth orbit.

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4 hours ago

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December 24, 2025

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Bahubali Rocket

India has marked a major milestone in its space programme as the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), popularly known as the ‘Baahubali’ rocket, successfully placed the heaviest-ever satellite launched from Indian soil into orbit on Wednesday.

The mission, LVM3-M6, lifted off from the second launch pad at the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, carrying BlueBird 6, a next-generation communication satellite developed by US-based company AST SpaceMobile.

Mission lifts off from Sriharikota

The 43.5-metre-tall LVM3 rocket, powered by two S200 solid strap-on boosters, took off at 8:55 am after the completion of a 24-hour countdown. The spaceport is located around 135 km east of Chennai.

After a flight lasting nearly 15 minutes, the BlueBird Block-2 satellite separated from the launch vehicle and was injected into its intended low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 520 km.

Confirming the success of the mission, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, Dr V Narayanan said the satellite had been placed “successfully and precisely” into the designated orbit.

Heaviest payload carried by an Indian launcher

According to ISRO, this mission marks the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil using an Indian rocket. Dr Narayanan said the flight was also the third fully commercial mission of the LVM3.

He added that the mission demonstrated the strong performance record of the heavy-lift vehicle and highlighted its reliability in the global launch market.

Focus on space-based mobile broadband

BlueBird 6 is part of the BlueBird Block-2 series of communication satellites. These satellites are designed to provide space-based cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile smartphones, without the need for any special hardware or equipment.

The aim of the technology is to enable broadband services straight from space, expanding connectivity to regions with limited or no terrestrial network coverage.

PM Modi calls launch a proud milestone

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the teams involved and described the launch as a significant achievement for India’s space sector.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said the successful placement of the US satellite into orbit strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces the country’s growing role in the global commercial launch market.

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BJP raises seat offer to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena to nearly 90 ahead of Mumbai civic polls, talks continue

The BJP has raised its seat offer to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena to nearly 90 for the upcoming BMC elections, but fresh talks are needed as differences persist within the Mahayuti.

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19 hours ago

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December 23, 2025

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With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections drawing closer, the seat-sharing tussle within the Mahayuti alliance continues, with the BJP increasing its offer to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena but failing to reach the party’s expectations.

According to sources, the BJP has now proposed close to 90 seats for the Shinde faction in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. This is a significant jump from its earlier offer of 52 seats but still falls short of what Shinde is seeking. The Shiv Sena leader has reportedly reduced his demand from an initial 125 seats to 112, yet remains dissatisfied with the latest formula.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to hold another round of discussions with Shinde to break the deadlock. Sources indicate that the BJP is unlikely to stretch its offer much further, especially after its strong showing in recent statewide local body elections.

BJP firm after strong local poll performance

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the recent local polls, securing 117 municipal president posts. In comparison, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 53 posts, while Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP secured 37. These results have strengthened the BJP’s negotiating position ahead of the BMC elections.

However, the current seat-sharing calculations could change if Ajit Pawar decides to contest the Mumbai civic polls as part of the alliance. Senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare confirmed that no final decision has been taken yet, noting that discussions with alliance partners are ongoing.

Nawab Malik factor complicates alliance talks

A major point of contention within the Mahayuti is the issue of senior NCP leader Nawab Malik, who is facing multiple corruption cases, including a money laundering case linked to underworld activities. While the alliance has made it clear that Malik is unacceptable as part of its Mumbai setup, Ajit Pawar is reportedly firm on backing him.

Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam has publicly stated that the party would not align with any group that includes Malik. Sources added that if the NCP joins the alliance in Mumbai, it may be asked to project a different leader and contest a limited number of seats.

BMC elections timeline

The countdown to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections has already begun, with less than a month left for polling. Voting is scheduled for January 15, with counting set to take place the following day. A total of 2,869 municipal seats will be contested, including 227 seats in the BMC.

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