STATE’S

Oct262025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

‘Defending RSS, Ignoring Gandhi’s Killers?’ — Congress MLC Ramesh Babu Targets Justice Hegde

Bengaluru: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Santosh Hegde’s recent remarks on a possible ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have triggered a fresh political row in Karnataka. Reacting sharply, Congress MLC and KPCC media cell president Ramesh Babu accused Justice Hegde of displaying “double standards” by suggesting that while the RSS cannot be banned, the Congress could face such action. Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday, Ramesh Babu — who is also a practicing lawyer — alleged that Justice Hegde appeared to be “acting as an unofficial spokesperson for the Sangh Parivar,” which, he pointed out, “was banned twice before Independence and thrice after Independence.” He further remarked that it was “ironic” for Hegde to defend the RSS on television while rem...

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Delhi court dismisses petition challenging SC’s historic Ayodhya verdict

INDIA, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) The Patiala House Court of Delhi has dismissed a petition challenging the Supreme Court's historic Ayodhya verdict.Lawyer Mahmood Pracha had filed a petition seeking to declare the 2019 decision of a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court null and void.In his petition, the lawyer also challenged the lower court's order refusing to hear his civil suit.Pracha claimed in his petition that former Chief Justice of India, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, was part of the five-judge bench that decided the Ayodhya dispute, but Justice Chandrachud, in a speech last year, acknowledged that the Ayodhya verdict was in accordance with the solution provided to him by Bhagwan Shri Ram Lalla Virajman. It is also true that Shri Ram Lalla was one of the litigants in the Ayodhya dispute.Dis...

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Vande Bharat Express halt at Reasi sparks joy among J&K locals

INDIA, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

Reasi, Oct 25 (IANS) In a boost to regional connectivity and tourism, the Northern Railway has announced an additional two-minute stoppage for the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express at Reasi station, starting 29 October.The decision, introduced on a five-month trial basis, has been met with widespread celebration by residents, who see it as a game-changer for the area's economy and youth employment.The semi-high-speed train, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 June 2025, currently makes just one stop—at Banihal—between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar.Train numbers 26401 (Katra-Srinagar) and 26402 (Srinagar-Katra) will now halt at Reasi to-and-fro, departing Katra at 08:10 AM and arriving in Srinagar by 11:08 AM, shaving travel times while enhancing accessibility....

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Rs 10 crore ransom demand on Bettiah BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal

INDIA, SPECIAL, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

Bettiah, Oct 25 (IANS) Sanjay Jaiswal, the BJP MP from Bettiah, Bihar, has received death threats for his son and a demand for Rs 10 crore in ransom. The incident has shocked the town and put the police on high alert. On 23 October, two unknown callers rang the MP from different mobile numbers.They warned: “Pay Rs 10 crore, or your son Shivam will be killed.”Dr. Jaiswal immediately went to the Bettiah city police station and filed an FIR the next day. Sadar SDPO Vivek Deep confirmed the case. “We have registered the FIR. The MP got calls on Friday. The criminals demanded Rs 10 crore and threatened to kill his son if the money was not paid. We are investigating. Raids are on, and we will arrest the culprits very soon.”Dr. Shivam Jaiswal, the MP’s son, is a doctor. He has been given extra po...

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Rights groups hold protest rally in Kolkata against SIR

INDIA, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

Kolkata, Oct 25 (IANS) Rights groups including Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) on Saturday held a protest rally against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls planned in West Bengal by the Election Commission of India (ECI).As the poll panel is gearing up to conduct SIR of Bengal's voter list, the rights body claimed that National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be carried out in the name of SIR.To mark their protest, members of the rights group took out the rally from College Street in north Kolkata to Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata.APDR alleged that a conspiracy is going on to take away the voting rights and citizenship of many people through this process.General Secretary of APDR, Ranjit Sur said, "In the name of creating the voter list und...

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

TMC leader’s son held in Bengal’s Rs 350 crore chit fund scam

INDIA, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

Kolkata, Oct 25 (IANS) Tahsin Ahmed, son of Shakil Ahmed aka Master Shakil, co-president of Trinamool Congress’s minority wing in West Burdwan district of West Bengal, who had gone absconding earlier this week after his involvement in a Rs 350 crore chit fund scam in the state surfaced, had been finally arrested by the state police on Saturday evening.State police sources said that he was arrested from a Jharkhand-bound bus run by an inter-state bus service operator near Chandrachud intersection on National Highway 19. He had plans to escape to Jharkhand. Gold worth Rs 31 lakh was seized from his possession.The main allegation against Tahsin Ahmed was that he collected deposits worth around Rs 350 crore from around 3,000 individuals in Asansol through an unlicensed corporate entity operati...

Oct252025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

CM Nitish showcases achievements of his govt, seeks support for NDA at Dumraon rally

INDIA, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

Patna, Oct 25 (IANS) With the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 just days away, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar intensified his campaign on Saturday, addressing a massive public meeting at the Raj High School ground in Dumraon in Buxar district.Highlighting his government's achievements over the past two decades, Nitish Kumar urged voters to ensure a sweeping victory for NDA-backed candidates in all four assembly constituencies of the district.The Chief Minister reminded the gathering of the chaotic and lawless situation that existed in Bihar before 2005, contrasting it with what he described as an era of development, stability, and good governance under his leadership."Before 2005, Bihar was known for mismanagement and anarchy. We have changed that image of the state completely. Our focus has bee...

Oct152025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Three new faces in Karnataka Information Commission; Retired IAS officer Dr. Richard D’Souza to take charge

INDIA, STATE'S

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has filled three vacant posts in the State Information Commission, appointing retired IAS officer Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza, Dr Mahesh Walvekar, and Venkat Singh as commissioners.According to the official order issued on Tuesday, Dr D’Souza and Dr Walvekar will serve in the Bengaluru bench, while Venkat Singh will assume charge at the Kalaburagi bench.Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza, a retired IAS officer known for his extensive administrative and technical experience, has held several key positions, including Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu, CEO of Raichur Zilla Panchayat, Joint Commissioner at BBMP, and Managing Director of Hatti Gold Mines Company Ltd. He has also served as Director of the National Health Mission and Secretary of the Karnataka Publi...

Oct142025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

File contempt case against those defending shoe attack on CJI, urges lawyer Manoraj Rajeev

INDIA, SPECIAL, STATE'S

Mangaluru: The legal fraternity in Karnataka has expressed outrage after a section of people appeared to justify the recent incident in which advocate Rakesh Kishore hurled a shoe at Chief Justice Gavai in the Supreme Court. Lawyers have now urged the state government to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against those supporting the act on social media. Senior advocate and former government prosecutor Manoraj Rajeev, who heads the Dakshina Kannada District Congress legal cell, said defending such an act amounts to contempt of court. “The incident is an insult to the judiciary, an attack on the Constitution, and an act bordering on terrorism. Anyone glorifying it must be held accountable,” he said. Rajeev highlighted that posts justifying Kishore’s actions have surfaced on platforms ...

Oct52025 by TheStateLineNo Comments

One nation, one tax simplified — Modi govt’s GST reform aims at transparency, inclusion & growth

INDIA, SPECIAL, STATE'S, TOP STORIES

New Delhi: In a landmark move, the Narendra Modi government has overhauled the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, replacing the existing multi-slab regime with just two simplified rates — 5% and 18%. The reform, hailed as one of the biggest tax simplifications since GST’s launch, is aimed at enhancing transparency, easing compliance, and providing direct relief to businesses and consumers.“The earlier complex structure had become a burden for small traders and industrialists. The new two-slab system simplifies taxation, supports entrepreneurship, and makes the tax regime more citizen-friendly,” a senior finance ministry official said. Relief for small industries and traditional sectors Small-scale industries across India are among the biggest beneficiaries of the new GST structu...