The Evening Wrap: Bombay High Court nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit

The Bombay High Court on Friday held as unconstitutional and struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules which sought to identify fake and false content on social media against the government. The matter was assigned to Justice A.S. Chandurkar as ‘tie-breaker judge’, after a division bench in January delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging the amended IT rules. Justice Chandurkar on Friday held that the rules violated constitutional provisions. “I have considered the matter extensively. The impugned rules are violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” the judge said. The expression “fake, false and misleading” in the Rules was “vague and hence wrong” in the absence of any definition, he added. With this ruling, the High Court allowed the petitions filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and others challenging the new rules, including the provision to set up a Fact Checking Unit (FCU) to identify fake or false content about the government. The petitions against the IT Rules were referred to Justice Chandurkar after a division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale delivered a split verdict in January. While Justice Patel struck down the Rules, Justice Gokhale upheld them. Justice Patel had said the Rules amounted to censorship, but Justice Gokhale had opined they did not have any `chilling effect’ on free speech as argued. Justice Chandurkar on Friday said he agreed with the opinion given by Justice Patel (now retired). On April 6, 2023, the Union government promulgated amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including a provision for an FCU to flag fake, false or misleading online content related to the government. Under the IT Rules, if the FCU comes across any posts that are fake, false, and contain misleading facts about the business of the government, it would flag the same to social media intermediaries. Once such a post is flagged, the intermediary has the option of either taking down the post or putting a disclaimer on the same. In taking the second option, the intermediary loses its safe harbour/immunity and stands liable for legal action. CJI-lead five-judge Bench takes suo motu notice of a video showing Karnataka HC judge’s sexist remarks in court A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising four senior most judges on Friday took suo motu cognisance of a video clip on social media showing a Karnataka High Court judge’s “scandalous” remarks in open court to a woman lawyer during proceeding. The High Court judge, Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda, was seen on video making a sexist and disparaging remark to the woman lawyer, creating a furore online. The other four judges on the Bench were Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy. The Bench has sought the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, both of whom were present in the courtroom. The Bench directed the Registrar General, Karnataka High Court, to consult with the Chief Justice of the High Court and submit a report on the incident in the next two days. The Bench listed the case for hearing on September 25. Senior advocate Indira Jaising had posted the video on ‘X’ with a comment “we call upon the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action against this judge and send him for gender sensitisation training”. The same judge had, on a previous occasion, been in the eye of public storm for reportedly referring to a Muslim dominated sub-locality in West Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’. The video showed that the judge’s comment was triggered by the initiative taken by the women lawyer to respond to a question directed at the male lawyer representing the opposite side in the case. The judge said, in a jocular tone, that she seemed to know everything about him and may even reveal the colour of his undergarments if asked tomorrow. Govt to take steps against policemen involved in ‘torture’ of Army officer, fiancee: Odisha CM Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Friday that his government will take stringent action against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station in Bhubaneswar. Majhi, who is on a tour of his home district, Keonjhar, said: “The State Government has already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident, suspended the accused police personnel, and also registered a case against them.” The CM, who is also in charge of the Home Department, said his government would not hesitate to take action against the culprits involved in the case. “The Government has been taking all steps required in the case. There should be no worries over it. The Government is fully aware about the incident and will take strong action in the case,” Majhi said. The Chief Minister’s statement in this regard came hours after Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik demanded a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident where an army officer and his fiancee were allegedly tortured and sexually assaulted by the personnel of the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar. Supreme Court directs govt to produce chart on each name reiterated by Collegium for judicial appointment The Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to explain its reasons for sitting on names reiterated by the apex court Collegium for months or even years together, reminding the Centre that it cannot treat the Collegium like a mere “search committee” whose recommendations can be ignored or accepted at the Union’s discretion. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the government, to place on record, within a week, a tabulated chart of every pending name reiterated by the Collegium, why they were still pending and at what level they were stuck in the government machinery. The CJI said the intention of the court behind this exercise was not to “unearth skeletons in the cupboard but to move forward so that the business of governance proceeds”. “Give us a tabulated chart showing the status of each one of the recommendations reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium and what is the difficulty in making such appointments… The Supreme Court Collegium is not a search committee. It has a certain status in terms of the constitutional fabric… On the other hand, in the case of a search committee, there is an absolute discretion on whether to accept or not its recommendation,” Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed Venkataramani. The Second Judges case mandates that Supreme Court Collegium reiterations must be cleared by the government for judicial appointment as a healthy convention. In a December 2022 order, the Supreme Court had observed that ignoring or returning names reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium would amount to acting in breach of the Second Judges case, which had evolved the Collegium system of judicial appointments in 1993. The brief hearing began with Venkataramani pressing for a week’s adjournment, saying he would need more time to get “some responses” on some of the pending High Court appointments. The Chief Justice agreed, saying some appointments in the pipeline were “expected to be cleared” soon. But senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Amit Pai, for petitioners, raised the issue of several High Courts functioning with Acting Chief Justices for “months together”. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said reiterated names must be appointed by the government immediately. “There are a very large number of reiterations, including that of senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal… We have in our petitions pointed out 12 of them,” he submitted. Kirpal, who if appointed would be India’s first openly gay High Court judge, was recommended by the Delhi High Court Collegium in October 2017. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended him for appointment as Delhi High Court judge in November 2021 and had reiterated his name in January 2023. The government had objected to his strong advocacy of gay rights. Similarly, advocate John Sathyan was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for the Madras High Court Bench in February 2022. The Collegium had reiterated his name in January 2023. Bhushan sought a direction that Collegium recommendations should be deemed to have been accepted if the government chooses not to respond within six weeks. Sibal referred to the case of Justice B.R. Sarangi, whose tenure as Jharkhand Chief Justice was cut short to 15 days. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended his name as Jharkhand Chief Justice in December 2023. The government kept the recommendation pending for six months till July 3, 2024. Justice Sarangi retired on July 19, 2024. The hearing witnessed a brief verbal skirmish between the Attorney General and Sibal, with the former at one point saying “if Mr. Kapil Sibal can take charge of all the appointments, I have no difficulty”. Sibal urged the top law officer not to “make it personal” and the discussion was on institutions. “Talking about institutions is not anybody’s personal prerogative,” Venkataramani shot back. Tirupati laddu row: Health Ministry seeks report The Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said on Friday that he has sought a full report on the issue of animal fat — beef tallow and fish oil in ghee — being used in preparation of laddoos (prasad) that are served at Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati temple. He added that the Government will further examine the matter and take suitable action. The Minister said that he has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the issue. “I got to know about the issue through social media. I spoke to Mr. Chandrababu Naidu today and asked to send the entire report,” said the Minister while addressing a press conference on the first 100 days of the Modi government’s third term. The Minister noted that action will be taken as per the food safety standards. The Central Government maintained that they are in touch with the state regulators on the matter with Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday, stating that he has called for an investigation into the allegations made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. “Whatever the Andhra Chief Minister has said is a matter of serious concern. A detailed enquiry is required, and the culprit should be punished,” he said on the sidelines of a global food regulators summit. Earlier, Naidu claimed that animal fat was used for making Tirupati laddoos during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government, triggering a political row with the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), which accused the Chief Minister of indulging in “heinous allegations” for political gains. Naidu alleged that the former government compromised the sanctity of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati by using substandard ingredients and animal fat in the preparation of laddoos. Speaking on the issue, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao told reporters that Andhra Pradesh CM has made a revelation that there has been adulteration in the Prasadam of Tirupati temple. “This is not an issue of accusation but has been revealed from a test report. The faith of all the devotees has been hurt. We want action to be taken against those responsible for this,” he added. Key recommendations in simultaneous elections report ‘flawed’, says former CEC Quraishi With the government setting the ball rolling for simultaneous polls, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has flagged concerns over the practicality and implications of the proposed move, saying some key recommendations are “flawed” as he emphasised the need for a debate in Parliament on these issues. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise. The move has sparked a national debate with Opposition parties calling it impractical and a “cheap stunt” by the ruling BJP. The report on simultaneous elections claimed that more than 80% of the 21,558 responses received supported the proposal. Quraishi termed several key recommendations in the report “flawed”. He pointed out that the simultaneous elections would exclude Panchayat elections, which represent a substantial number of local elected officials. “The entire country is being shaken up for simultaneous elections while ignoring over 30 lakh elected representatives at the local level,” he told PTI Videos. The report suggested that Panchayat elections will take place separately within a 100-day timeframe, a move that the former CEC said contradicts the very essence of simultaneous elections. “Conducting separate elections just months apart will create significant logistical challenges and voter fatigue,” he warned. The Election Commission has indicated that it would require three times the current number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) to facilitate simultaneous elections. This translates to a need for approximately 40 lakh additional machines, posing significant financial and logistical hurdles, Quraishi said. “And one thing which is in favour of simultaneous elections is that for all three tiers, the voter is the same, the polling booth is the same, the people who conduct the election are same... Now the Election Commission has flagged a logistical problem that they will require three times the number of EVMs and the VVPATs. So just calculate, thousands of crores of rupees will be required,” he highlighted. In light of these challenges, Quraishi emphasised the importance of a debate in Parliament, urging lawmakers to address these practical issues. “The villagers care more about local governance than national policies. If they cannot vote due to logistical issues, their voices will be silenced.” The former CEC also highlighted constitutional requirements for implementing the proposal. Any amendment would require a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament, alongside ratification from at least half of the states, a process that could prove complex and contentious. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday asserted that parties across the political spectrum have actually supported the simultaneous elections initiative. “This is a subject, a topic that will strengthen democracy, Centre-state relations, make sure that the nation will grow at a faster pace, and will remove impediments which come in the way of the growth of our country,” he added. Israel strikes Beirut after Hezbollah rocket attack An Israeli strike on Beirut on Friday killed at least three people and wounded more than a dozen others, Lebanese health officials said, the first Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital in months that came after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with rockets. Israel announced the strike, but didn’t immediately specify the target in Beirut’s crowded southern suburbs, where Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group holds sway. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that at least three people were killed and 17 others wounded as local networks broadcast footage of wounded people being pulled from the ruins of a flattened building and ambulances rushing to the scene of the strike. The strike in Dahiyeh, just kilometers from downtown Beirut, hit during rush hour, as people were leaving work and students headed home from school. The escalation came as the region awaited the revenge promised by the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for this week’s mass bombing attack on pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members. Israel’s rare strike on the Beirut suburbs came after Hezbollah pounded Israel with 140 rockets, which the Israeli military said came in three waves targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon. Following the attacks, the Israeli military said that it had struck areas across southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but didn’t provide details of damage. Hezbollah said that its attacks had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defense bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade they said they’d struck for the first time. The Israeli military said that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas, the military said. The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties. Another 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, and most fell in open areas, the military said, adding that no injuries were reported. Hezbollah said that the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon, not two days of attacks widely blamed on Israel that set off explosives in thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. In Brief: Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a family member of BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds with the fintech company, police officials said on Friday, September 20, 2024. “Deepak Gupta, who is a brother-in-law of Mr. Grover, was arrested on Friday,” they said. “Mr. Gupta was named in the FIR which was registered against Mr. Grover, his wife Madhuri Jain and their family member in May 2023 in the ₹81-crore fraud case,” an officer said, adding that Gupta is being interrogated. “Gupta’s arrest is the second arrest in this case so far,” officials said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 20 September 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Bombay High Court nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit The Bombay High Court on Friday held as unconstitutional and [struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules which sought to identify fake and false content]( on social media against the government. The matter was assigned to Justice A.S. Chandurkar as ‘tie-breaker judge’, after a division bench in January delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging the amended IT rules. Justice Chandurkar on Friday held that the rules violated constitutional provisions. “I have considered the matter extensively. The impugned rules are violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” the judge said. The expression “fake, false and misleading” in the Rules was “vague and hence wrong” in the absence of any definition, he added. With this ruling, the High Court allowed the petitions filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and others challenging the new rules, including the provision to set up a Fact Checking Unit (FCU) to identify fake or false content about the government. The petitions against the IT Rules were referred to Justice Chandurkar after a division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale delivered a split verdict in January. While Justice Patel struck down the Rules, Justice Gokhale upheld them. Justice Patel had said the Rules amounted to censorship, but Justice Gokhale had opined they did not have any `chilling effect’ on free speech as argued. Justice Chandurkar on Friday said he agreed with the opinion given by Justice Patel (now retired). On April 6, 2023, the Union government promulgated amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including a provision for an FCU to flag fake, false or misleading online content related to the government. Under the IT Rules, if the FCU comes across any posts that are fake, false, and contain misleading facts about the business of the government, it would flag the same to social media intermediaries. Once such a post is flagged, the intermediary has the option of either taking down the post or putting a disclaimer on the same. In taking the second option, the intermediary loses its safe harbour/immunity and stands liable for legal action. CJI-lead five-judge Bench takes suo motu notice of a video showing Karnataka HC judge’s sexist remarks in court A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising four senior most judges on Friday [took suo motu cognisance]( of a video clip on social media showing a Karnataka High Court judge’s “scandalous” remarks in open court to a woman lawyer during proceeding. The High Court judge, Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda, was seen on video making a sexist and disparaging remark to the woman lawyer, creating a furore online. The other four judges on the Bench were Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy. The Bench has sought the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, both of whom were present in the courtroom. The Bench directed the Registrar General, Karnataka High Court, to consult with the Chief Justice of the High Court and submit a report on the incident in the next two days. The Bench listed the case for hearing on September 25. Senior advocate Indira Jaising had posted the video on ‘X’ with a comment “we call upon the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action against this judge and send him for gender sensitisation training”. The same judge had, on a previous occasion, been in the eye of public storm for reportedly referring to a Muslim dominated sub-locality in West Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’. The video showed that the judge’s comment was triggered by the initiative taken by the women lawyer to respond to a question directed at the male lawyer representing the opposite side in the case. The judge said, in a jocular tone, that she seemed to know everything about him and may even reveal the colour of his undergarments if asked tomorrow. Govt to take steps against policemen involved in ‘torture’ of Army officer, fiancee: Odisha CM Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Friday that his [government will take stringent action]( against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station in Bhubaneswar. Majhi, who is on a tour of his home district, Keonjhar, said: “The State Government has already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident, suspended the accused police personnel, and also registered a case against them.” The CM, who is also in charge of the Home Department, said his government would not hesitate to take action against the culprits involved in the case. “The Government has been taking all steps required in the case. There should be no worries over it. The Government is fully aware about the incident and will take strong action in the case,” Majhi said. The Chief Minister’s statement in this regard came hours after Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik demanded a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident where an army officer and his fiancee were allegedly tortured and sexually assaulted by the personnel of the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar. Supreme Court directs govt to produce chart on each name reiterated by Collegium for judicial appointment The Supreme Court on Friday [asked the government to explain its reasons]( for sitting on names reiterated by the apex court Collegium for months or even years together, reminding the Centre that it cannot treat the Collegium like a mere “search committee” whose recommendations can be ignored or accepted at the Union’s discretion. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the government, to place on record, within a week, a tabulated chart of every pending name reiterated by the Collegium, why they were still pending and at what level they were stuck in the government machinery. The CJI said the intention of the court behind this exercise was not to “unearth skeletons in the cupboard but to move forward so that the business of governance proceeds”. “Give us a tabulated chart showing the status of each one of the recommendations reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium and what is the difficulty in making such appointments… The Supreme Court Collegium is not a search committee. It has a certain status in terms of the constitutional fabric… On the other hand, in the case of a search committee, there is an absolute discretion on whether to accept or not its recommendation,” Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed Venkataramani. The Second Judges case mandates that Supreme Court Collegium reiterations must be cleared by the government for judicial appointment as a healthy convention. In a December 2022 order, the Supreme Court had observed that ignoring or returning names reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium would amount to acting in breach of the Second Judges case, which had evolved the Collegium system of judicial appointments in 1993. The brief hearing began with Venkataramani pressing for a week’s adjournment, saying he would need more time to get “some responses” on some of the pending High Court appointments. The Chief Justice agreed, saying some appointments in the pipeline were “expected to be cleared” soon. But senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Amit Pai, for petitioners, raised the issue of several High Courts functioning with Acting Chief Justices for “months together”. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said reiterated names must be appointed by the government immediately. “There are a very large number of reiterations, including that of senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal… We have in our petitions pointed out 12 of them,” he submitted. Kirpal, who if appointed would be India’s first openly gay High Court judge, was recommended by the Delhi High Court Collegium in October 2017. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended him for appointment as Delhi High Court judge in November 2021 and had reiterated his name in January 2023. The government had objected to his strong advocacy of gay rights. Similarly, advocate John Sathyan was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for the Madras High Court Bench in February 2022. The Collegium had reiterated his name in January 2023. Bhushan sought a direction that Collegium recommendations should be deemed to have been accepted if the government chooses not to respond within six weeks. Sibal referred to the case of Justice B.R. Sarangi, whose tenure as Jharkhand Chief Justice was cut short to 15 days. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended his name as Jharkhand Chief Justice in December 2023. The government kept the recommendation pending for six months till July 3, 2024. Justice Sarangi retired on July 19, 2024. The hearing witnessed a brief verbal skirmish between the Attorney General and Sibal, with the former at one point saying “if Mr. Kapil Sibal can take charge of all the appointments, I have no difficulty”. Sibal urged the top law officer not to “make it personal” and the discussion was on institutions. “Talking about institutions is not anybody’s personal prerogative,” Venkataramani shot back. Tirupati laddu row: Health Ministry seeks report The Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said on Friday that [he has sought a full report]( on the issue of animal fat — beef tallow and fish oil in ghee — being used in preparation of laddoos (prasad) that are served at Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati temple. He added that the Government will further examine the matter and take suitable action. The Minister said that he has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the issue. “I got to know about the issue through social media. I spoke to Mr. Chandrababu Naidu today and asked to send the entire report,” said the Minister while addressing a press conference on the first 100 days of the Modi government’s third term. The Minister noted that action will be taken as per the food safety standards. The Central Government maintained that they are in touch with the state regulators on the matter with Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday, stating that he has called for an investigation into the allegations made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. “Whatever the Andhra Chief Minister has said is a matter of serious concern. A detailed enquiry is required, and the culprit should be punished,” he said on the sidelines of a global food regulators summit. Earlier, Naidu claimed that animal fat was used for making Tirupati laddoos during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government, triggering a political row with the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), which accused the Chief Minister of indulging in “heinous allegations” for political gains. Naidu alleged that the former government compromised the sanctity of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati by using substandard ingredients and animal fat in the preparation of laddoos. Speaking on the issue, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao told reporters that Andhra Pradesh CM has made a revelation that there has been adulteration in the Prasadam of Tirupati temple. “This is not an issue of accusation but has been revealed from a test report. The faith of all the devotees has been hurt. We want action to be taken against those responsible for this,” he added. Key recommendations in simultaneous elections report ‘flawed’, says former CEC Quraishi With the government setting the ball rolling for simultaneous polls, [former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has flagged concerns]( over the practicality and implications of the proposed move, saying some key recommendations are “flawed” as he emphasised the need for a debate in Parliament on these issues. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise. The move has sparked a national debate with Opposition parties calling it impractical and a “cheap stunt” by the ruling BJP. The report on simultaneous elections claimed that more than 80% of the 21,558 responses received supported the proposal. Quraishi termed several key recommendations in the report “flawed”. He pointed out that the simultaneous elections would exclude Panchayat elections, which represent a substantial number of local elected officials. “The entire country is being shaken up for simultaneous elections while ignoring over 30 lakh elected representatives at the local level,” he told PTI Videos. The report suggested that Panchayat elections will take place separately within a 100-day timeframe, a move that the former CEC said contradicts the very essence of simultaneous elections. “Conducting separate elections just months apart will create significant logistical challenges and voter fatigue,” he warned. The Election Commission has indicated that it would require three times the current number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) to facilitate simultaneous elections. This translates to a need for approximately 40 lakh additional machines, posing significant financial and logistical hurdles, Quraishi said. “And one thing which is in favour of simultaneous elections is that for all three tiers, the voter is the same, the polling booth is the same, the people who conduct the election are same... Now the Election Commission has flagged a logistical problem that they will require three times the number of EVMs and the VVPATs. So just calculate, thousands of crores of rupees will be required,” he highlighted. In light of these challenges, Quraishi emphasised the importance of a debate in Parliament, urging lawmakers to address these practical issues. “The villagers care more about local governance than national policies. If they cannot vote due to logistical issues, their voices will be silenced.” The former CEC also highlighted constitutional requirements for implementing the proposal. Any amendment would require a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament, alongside ratification from at least half of the states, a process that could prove complex and contentious. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday asserted that parties across the political spectrum have actually supported the simultaneous elections initiative. “This is a subject, a topic that will strengthen democracy, Centre-state relations, make sure that the nation will grow at a faster pace, and will remove impediments which come in the way of the growth of our country,” he added. Israel strikes Beirut after Hezbollah rocket attack [An Israeli strike on Beirut]( on Friday killed at least three people and wounded more than a dozen others, Lebanese health officials said, the first Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital in months that came after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with rockets. Israel announced the strike, but didn’t immediately specify the target in Beirut’s crowded southern suburbs, where Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group holds sway. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that at least three people were killed and 17 others wounded as local networks broadcast footage of wounded people being pulled from the ruins of a flattened building and ambulances rushing to the scene of the strike. The strike in Dahiyeh, just kilometers from downtown Beirut, hit during rush hour, as people were leaving work and students headed home from school. The escalation came as the region awaited the revenge promised by the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for this week’s mass bombing attack on pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members. Israel’s rare strike on the Beirut suburbs came after Hezbollah pounded Israel with 140 rockets, which the Israeli military said came in three waves targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon. Following the attacks, the Israeli military said that it had struck areas across southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but didn’t provide details of damage. Hezbollah said that its attacks had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defense bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade they said they’d struck for the first time. The Israeli military said that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas, the military said. The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties. Another 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, and most fell in open areas, the military said, adding that no injuries were reported. Hezbollah said that the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon, not two days of attacks widely blamed on Israel that set off explosives in thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. In Brief: Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has [arrested a family member of BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover]( in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds with the fintech company, police officials said on Friday, September 20, 2024. “Deepak Gupta, who is a brother-in-law of Mr. Grover, was arrested on Friday,” they said. “Mr. Gupta was named in the FIR which was registered against Mr. Grover, his wife Madhuri Jain and their family member in May 2023 in the ₹81-crore fraud case,” an officer said, adding that Gupta is being interrogated. “Gupta’s arrest is the second arrest in this case so far,” officials said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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