Renowned lawyer Prashant Bhushan says Election Commission favors BJP over opposition

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of favouring India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by overlooking violations of the election code by its leaders.

While BJP leaders get away with such violations, opposition politicians face swift consequences for similar actions, Bhushan said in a TV interview. He also alleged that the ECI takes the availability of BJP politicians into consideration in deciding election schedules.

Bhushan also said the independence of India’s judiciary was under threat, and those who voiced their disapproval for the government faced serious charges and were unable to receive bail for years.

The judiciary was formed to protect the fundamental rights of people and keep the legislature and executive within limits, but it was failing to discharge its assigned duty effectively, he said.

The actions of the ECI reflected a lack of independence for all regulatory institutions, he added.

Women of South Asian origin unite against ‘senseless violence’ in Leicester

A group of South Asian women leaders from different religious backgrounds joined forces to fight back against the “senseless violence” on the streets of Leicester, a city in the United Kingdom, after chaos erupted there between Hindus and Muslims earlier this month.

Councillor Rita Patel read a joint statement outside of the Town Hall in the center of Leicester calling for the city’s people to rally together and oppose the violence, which they said had torn apart the community.

The group condemned the perpetrators of hate and violence, and emphasized that the recent events would not divide them.

They called for the people of the city to rally together to oppose and find solutions for the violence, which they say has torn apart the community.

Tamil Nadu state to appeal Madras HC decision allowing RSS parade

The Tamil Nadu government will appeal against a decision of the Madras High Court allowing the Hindu extremist organization, the  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to organize 51 processions across the state.

Earlier, Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan of the High Court had granted the RSS such permission and ordered the State government to facilitate the processions even while imposing conditions to maintain peace.

The RSS has announced its intention to hold public meetings after the parades.

Hasan Mohammed Jinnah, a state public prosecutor, said the state believed the rallies must not be allowed as they could trigger communal violence as the parade routes included places of worship of other religious groups.

Several political leaders in the state have expressed unhappiness over the Madras High Court order, as they believed that the RSS’ aim was to disrupt the peace and harmony in Tamil Nadu.

M.H. Jawahirullah, a state legislator from Ramanathapuram said, “Tamil Nadu is serving as an example of social harmony and peace in India. The RSS procession will disturb it.”  He emphasized that the State government was responsible for maintaining peace. The RSS was responsible for religious polarization and violence across India and therefore the parade must not be allowed, he said.

Minor Dalit boy dies after upper-caste teacher assaults him in Uttar Pradesh 

A class 10 Dalit boy died in Uttar Pradesh after his upper cast teacher brutally assaulted him for reportedly writing the wrong answers on a test.

After being beaten, the student, Nikhith, was taken to the hospital where his condition worsened, leading to his death.

The teacher, Ashwini Kumar, initially cooperated by paying Nikhith’s medical expenses, leading to his parents not filing a First Information Report (FIR) with the police.

Once the teacher became unreachable, an FIR was registered against Kumar, who is absconding.