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Supreme Court rules Delhi Lieutenant Governor can nominate MCD aldermen without AAP government’s advice

The bench had, last year, reserved its verdict in the matter and the verdict was pronounced by Justice PS Narasimha.

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In a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party Government in Delhi, the Supreme Court has held that the Lieutenant Governor can nominate aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi without the aid and advice of the Delhi Government.

The three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud, said the power vested in the LG to nominate members to the civic body is a statutory power, not an executive power. The bench had, last year, reserved its verdict in the matter and the verdict was pronounced by Justice PS Narasimha.

Justice Narasimha held that a larger background encompasses these provisions; Section 3(3)(b) says that the LG can appoint 10 persons “having special knowledge or experience in municipal administration.”. To further repudiate the idea that the LG’s power is merely an issue of semantics, he said that this is the parliamentary law, and parliamentary law mandates the LG’s discretion—and also further added that this squares perfectly with the exceptions contained in Article 239. He also pointed out that the 1993 DMC Act actually vested this nominating power in the LG, thus defeating arguments that this is an obsolete practice.

Justice Narasimha referred to a judgment by a five-judge bench of the apex court that clearly laid down Parliament’s supremacy to enact laws for the state and the concurrent lists pertaining to Delhi and which snuffed out the AAP government’s argument against LG’s powers of nomination.

The 250-member-strong MCD has 250 elected members besides ten nominated members. The MCD is presently being ruled by the AAP, holding 134 seats taken during the 2022 elections; the rest, 104, were held by the BJP. Only a year earlier, the Supreme Court had expressed fears that such empowerment of the LG would make the functioning of an elected civic body unstable.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, for the Delhi government, contended that nominating members of the MCD was traditionally not a separate power of the state government; the state cited that for three decades, the practice was that the LG would nominate the aldermen on the recommendations of the city government. Adding to that, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, for the office of the LG, said a long-standing practice does not necessarily sanctify its correctness.

The AAP described the Supreme Court verdict as a “jolt to democracy.”. Party MP Sanjay Singh said bypassing an elected government does not fit into any rulebook of democracy and informed the party that it would now take a decision on what it would do next after going through the judgment. Singh said the observations made by the bench earlier proved to the contrary after the judgment.

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DMK leader’s son arrested after car rams family in Krishnagiri, one dead

A 20-year-old son of a DMK leader has been arrested for allegedly driving a car into four members of a family in Krishnagiri, killing assistant labour inspector Sivamoorthy.

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DMK leader

A 20-year-old son of a leader from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has been arrested for allegedly mowing down four members of a family following a heated argument in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district. One person died in the incident, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Sivamoorthy, an assistant labour inspector and a resident of Krishnagiri. According to the police, the incident occurred outside his residence after the accused, identified as Adithya, objected to a two-wheeler parked on the road.

Police said Adithya was driving the car and began honking as the two-wheeler was blocking the road. Sivamoorthy and his family members reportedly stepped out to move the vehicle. During the exchange that followed, an altercation broke out.

Investigators allege that Adithya then rammed his car into Sivamoorthy, his son Kirubakaran, daughter-in-law Amsavalli and granddaughter Nilani. Sivamoorthy sustained severe injuries and later succumbed. The others were injured in the incident.

Besides Adithya, two of his friends — Rithik Kumar and Harish — who were present in the car at the time, have also been arrested. A case of murder has been registered against the trio and further investigation is underway.

Kirubakaran, recounting the incident, said the family had attempted to move the parked two-wheeler when the accused damaged it. He alleged that the men appeared intoxicated and tried to assault them with a stick before the vehicle was driven into the family.

Amsavalli said they had tried to defuse the situation peacefully but the confrontation turned violent, resulting in her father-in-law’s death and injuries to her child.

A police officer stated that Adithya’s father is a local functionary of the DMK in Krishnagiri district. The victim’s family has demanded strict action in the case.

Reacting to the incident, state BJP chief Nainar Nagendran criticised the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, questioning the state government over the episode and alleging that party functionaries were misusing their influence.

Police said the probe is ongoing.

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Security tightened across Delhi metro stations after bomb threat emails

Delhi is on high alert after bomb threat emails targeted metro stations, the Red Fort and the Assembly. Authorities confirmed the threats were hoaxes but tightened security as a precaution.

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Delhi Metro

Security has been intensified across all metro stations and major installations in the national capital after a series of bomb threat emails were received on Monday. Authorities later confirmed that the threats were hoaxes following detailed inspections by security agencies.

According to officials, several key institutions — including the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Assembly, the Red Fort and two schools — received threatening emails earlier in the day. Extensive searches were carried out at all the locations mentioned in the messages, but nothing suspicious was found.

A senior police officer said cyber teams are working to trace the origin of the emails. Preliminary findings suggest that the senders may have used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal their identities and mislead investigators. Officials expressed confidence that those responsible would be identified.

Metro stations under heightened surveillance

Following specific references to metro services in the emails, security arrangements were strengthened across the entire network of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Additional personnel have been deployed at stations, and anti-sabotage checks are being conducted.

Police said random frisking of passengers and intensified CCTV surveillance are being carried out as part of precautionary measures. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads were stationed at sensitive sites, including the Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat and the Assembly complex.

The threatening emails reportedly included the slogan “Delhi banega Khalistan” and warned of explosions at an Army school, the Assembly and the Red Fort at specific times during the day. Officials stated that all mentioned locations were thoroughly checked and declared safe.

Authorities also coordinated with counterparts in neighbouring states to enhance security at metro stations falling under their jurisdictions.

While no explosives were found, officials said the tightened security arrangements will remain in place as a precaution. Cyber teams continue efforts to trace the IP addresses and identify those behind the threat emails.

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JNU protest turns violent as Left and Right student groups trade charges

A late-night protest at JNU turned violent as Left and ABVP student groups accused each other of stone-throwing and attacks near the East Gate.

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JNU Protest

Tension gripped the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Monday after a protest march allegedly spiralled into violence, with rival student groups accusing each other of triggering the unrest.

Students claimed that the incident occurred around 1.30 am when a confrontation broke out during a march called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. The protest, named “Samta Juloos”, was headed towards the East Gate and was organised to demand the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the withdrawal of a rustication order.

According to protesters, several students were injured after alleged stone-throwing during the clash. They alleged that the university administration did not intervene during the march and instead permitted members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to confront demonstrators.

However, the ABVP denied the allegations and countered that Left-affiliated organisations instigated the confrontation and were spreading misinformation about the events.

Left-backed groups, including the All India Students’ Association, claimed that ABVP activists targeted the JNUSU encampment and hurled stones at “unarmed students”, leading to multiple injuries.

Videos shared by students on social media reportedly showed chaotic scenes near the protest site, with members of rival groups engaged in heated exchanges and physical scuffles.

University authorities did not immediately respond to queries regarding the incident. Students said the situation on campus remained tense following the overnight clashes.

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