Anand Teltumbde files anticipatory bail application in Bombay HC

Agencies

February 5, 2019

Pune, Feb 5: Activist Anand Teltumbde, an accused in Bhima Koregaon case, has filed an anticipatory bail application in the Bombay High Court on Monday.

Teltumbde, whose anticipatory bail plea was earlier rejected by a Pune sessions court, was later granted interim protection by the Supreme Court for four weeks, which ends on February 11.

On Saturday, Pune Police had arrested Teltumbde from Mumbai after the sessions court on Friday rejected an anticipatory bail of the activist and professor. He was kept at Ville Parle police station in Mumbai.

Labelling the arrest as illegal, the sessions court, on Saturday, ordered the release of Teltumbde. “As per the Supreme Court order, activist Teltumbde has interim protection till February 11.

Meanwhile, he can approach the competent authority which includes the sessions court, the high court and the Supreme Court for bail/pre-arrest bail,” the sessions court observed.Teltumbde said that his arrest by Pune Police in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon was "objectionable", hence, the sessions court has termed it illegal.Talking to the media, Teltumbde said: “I welcome the decision. But what the police has done, the arrest and all the drama is objectionable.

”Last month, the Supreme Court dismissed Teltumbde's plea seeking quashing of an FIR registered against him by Pune Police in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence.On January 1 last year, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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