Kannada actor Darshan, 10 others arrested in youth’s murder case

New Delhi: The Ministry of Law and Justice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has made an amendment to the Conduct of Election Rules, restricting public access to certain electoral documents that were previously available.

The original Rule 93(2)(a) of the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules stated, “all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.” However, following the amendment on Friday, the rule now reads, “all other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.”

Activists have raised concerns, claiming that the insertion of the phrase “as specified in these rules” limits access to various official documents created during elections to Parliament and Assemblies, which are not explicitly mentioned in the rules.

RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak pointed out that there are numerous documents, though not listed in the rules, that are generated by election officials such as Presiding Officers, Sector Officers (responsible for constituency vulnerability mapping), and those in charge of EVM movement and replacement of defective machines on polling day. These include reports from general, police, and expenditure observers, as well as Returning Officers and Chief Electoral Officers.

Nayak emphasized, “Access to these documents is crucial for ensuring the fairness of elections and the accuracy of results.”

The amendment comes shortly after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Election Commission to provide video footage and documents related to votes cast at a polling station in the recent Haryana Assembly elections to lawyer Mehmood Pracha. Pracha has criticized the amendment, asserting that it will withhold essential information. “This is a reconfirmation of the Election Commission’s bias,” he said.

Nayak further stated, “This amendment undermines the principle of full transparency established by the Supreme Court in the Electoral Bonds case. The notification of this amendment on the very day Parliament was adjourned sine die has deprived MPs of the opportunity to challenge its necessity in real time.”

In a significant milestone, the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School in Newpadpu, Harekala, has introduced a bilingual Kannada-English medium this academic year, a move spearheaded by Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba. The school has so far received 13 admissions for its Class 1 bilingual program.

This initiative is part of a broader effort by the state government, which approved 38 schools across the district to launch bilingual mediums. Expressing his delight, Hajabba shared that he had been advocating for a bilingual school for years. "The bilingual medium will greatly benefit students in this region who otherwise rely on private schools. However, we currently face a shortage of classrooms. Construction of two additional classrooms is underway, and once completed, we expect higher admissions," he said.

The school had previously been permitted to introduce LKG and UKG classes in the last academic year. According to the school’s headmistress, Rajeshwari, while the pre-primary sections have seen good enrolment, the bilingual Class 1 faced challenges, securing only 13 students. She attributed this to the late notification of permission, which arrived a month after the academic year began, leading many children to enroll elsewhere.

Rajeshwari remains optimistic about the future. "We expect better admissions next academic year as awareness about bilingual education at this government school grows," she said, adding that the classroom shortage will soon be addressed.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Venkatesha Subraya Patagara noted that bilingual schools across Dakshina Kannada have generally received a positive response, with some schools enrolling more than 100 students. The effort to offer bilingual education in government schools marks a step forward in providing affordable, quality education to underserved regions.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says the northern part of the Gaza Strip has been going through “the hell of the hell" amid Israel's bombing campaign on civilian facilities and blockade of aid for almost three months.

In an interview with Irish state media RTE on Wednesday, UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma said northern Gaza has witnessed “heavy, heavy bombardment," as well as loss of life among civilians and attacks on hospitals and shelters.

She was also asked about the situation in the Kamal Adwan hospital, which is still barely functioning in northern Gaza despite an Israeli order to shut down and evacuate.

Touma said the evacuation orders of medical centers and raids on them "have become commonplace in Gaza" since last October, when Israel unleashed its genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

“We shouldn’t become numb, though, to the fact that this happens all the time. Because, at the end of the day, this is a violation of international law," she added.

"This is crossing a very thick red line and way too many times the rules of war have been broken in Gaza, and those responsible must be held accountable."

Over the past few months, Israel has used tanks, snipers and quadcopters to attack the Kamal Adwan hospital, where over 400 civilians have sought medical care and shelter.

On Wednesday, Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHRI), an Israeli NGO that advocates for medical rights, filed an urgent petition with the regime's top court to end the ongoing attacks on the Kamal Adwan hospital.

The petition calls for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to deliver medical supplies, fuel, and for the safe evacuation of patients and staff.

“The relentless attacks on Kamal Adwan hospital have caused catastrophic harm to medical infrastructure, claimed the lives of patients and staff, and denied access to essential healthcare services," it said.

"Under international law, Israel is obligated to protect the safety and security of patients, medical personnel, and healthcare facilities—even in times of conflict.”

Israel launched its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

So far, the occupying regime has killed at least 45,361 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,803 others, in Gaza. 

Since early October, Israel has intensified its attacks in the northern Gaza Strip, cut the area off from the rest of the territory, and blocked nearly all food aid from entering the region.