TRANSCRIPT 🔗
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This is the catch-up on three things by the Indian
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Express and I'm Ichha Sharma. Today is the 6th of
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November and here are this week's headlines. Starting with major news,
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Kerala's Congress government on Tuesday directed its Vigilance and Anti-Corruption
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Bureau to conduct a preliminary investigation into bribery claims against
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Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a fresh complaint emerged
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in the matter. This comes after the state in October
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ordered the reopening of a 2006 probe against Kumar, a
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1988 batch IS officer of the Keralam cadre, who at
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the time served as Secretary of the State's Public Works Department. Meanwhile,
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three months after a work allocation order led two election
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commissioners to express concern and raise the matter with Cabinet
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Secretary T.V. Somanathan, The Election Commission of India on Wednesday
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issued a fresh order which, among other changes, brought back
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the layer of oversight over its Director General Seema Khanna
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that had been removed on July 28. Under the new order,
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Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma has been assigned
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charge of IT and ICT with Khanna required to route
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files through him. The order said that she would put
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up files of above-mentioned functional divisions through Sharma. In other
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major news, the Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court
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that it is planning to put in place a committee
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to reconsider the University Grants Commission promotion of equity in
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higher education institutions regulations of 2026, which were stayed by
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the court earlier this year after petitions questioned their neutrality.
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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a three-judge bench preceded by
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Chief Justice of India Surikant that the government is contemplating
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appointing a committee. The Solicitor General said this after the
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bench also comprising Justices Joy Malabakshi and V. Mohana told
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the government to consider taking a re-look at the provisions.
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The CGI said, quote, Why don't you revisit these regulations
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so that the next generation is taken care of? They
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should protect the interests of every student. Unquote. Meanwhile, the
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Allahabad High Court yesterday refused to order an FIR against
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Congress leader and leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi over
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his remarks on the security of Sikhs in India during
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a US visit in 2023, holding that being an elected representative,
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he had the right to voice the concerns of a community.
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The order passed by Justice Vikram D. Chauhan said, In
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the present case, the alleged offending speech of respondent 2
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is that there is an atmosphere of insecurity among Sikhs
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in India and asked whether a Sikh would be allowed
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to wear a turban or not and whether he would
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be able to go to a gurudwara, which is a
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place of worship. And in the end, in newsmaking global
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headlines this week, the Democratic Party's sweeping victory in the
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American midterm elections presents India with immediate and long-term imperatives
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in dealing with the United States, its most important and
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comprehensive partner for the foreseeable future. The immediate task is
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to set up engagement with the Trump administration, wrap up
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the long-pending bilateral trade agreement and advance cooperation in energy,
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defence and technology. The latest election is part of the
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enduring ebb and flow of American politics. The democratic triumph
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this week does not guarantee it victory in the 2028
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presidential election or continued congressional domination in the next congressional cycle.
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Instead of obsessing with mood swings in the American electorate,
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Delhi must rediscover America's extraordinary political diversity and rebuild relationships
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across its rapidly changing political landscape. And with that, this
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is all for this week. This was the catch up
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on three things by the Indian Express.