India News Highlights, 19 August 2026: Petitions filed before Jharkhand High Court challenging cancellations of exams

Assam's Congress unit on Wednesday suspended 14 party leaders from Barak Valley for six years for alleged anti-party activities during the 2026 Assembly elections.

The action was taken on the directions of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi, according to an order issued by general secretary (Organisation) Ramanna Baruah.

The suspended leaders include three vice-presidents of Silchar District Congress Committee -- Samsur Rahman Choudhury (John), Aktar Hussain Barbhuiya and Mojibur Rahman Choudhury, APCC said in a statement.

Also suspended are general secretaries of Silchar DCC -- Ajmol Hussain Laskar, Shaine Ahmed Laskar, Mehboob Hussain (Ripon), Hanif Alam Mazumder, Altaf Hussain Laskar (Titu) and Najib Ahmed Laskar. PTI

Death toll due to consumption of spurious liquor rises to four in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district; 18 hospitalised: Officials. PTI

The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has questioned before the Supreme Court the adequacy of measures enumerated by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to curb examination paper leaks.

FAIMA, which filed its response to an affidavit filed by NTA, contended that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026 must specifically address an eventuality where persons including paper setters, paper vetters and other authorised personnel misuse that access by copying, sharing, transmitting or disclosing the material to an unauthorised person.

"Since such a person has been entrusted with extremely confidential material and has abused a position of trust, the law may treat such conduct as an aggravated offence carrying stricter punishment and penalties which are not included in The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026," FAIMA said.

FAIMA added, "While (the) UOI (Union of India) has constituted a High-Powered Task Force on examination reforms under the chairmanship of Shri Nandan Nilekani, it has not provided sufficient or any reasoning at all on the fact as to why the recommendations of the earlier constituted High-Level Committee of Experts headed by Dr K Radhakrishnan were not followed in letter and spirit." PTI

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a plea seeking steps to ensure that homeless persons and those displaced by demolition drives are not left out of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the national capital.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said that "everything cannot be thrust upon courts" and observed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should consider how best to address the issue.

The PIL, filed by Indu Prakash Singh, seeks a mechanism to ensure the enrolment and retention of eligible homeless and displaced persons in the electoral rolls despite the absence of a fixed address.

Senior advocate Satyakam, appearing for the petitioner, said the house-to-house SIR exercise could create difficulties for people who had lost their homes or been displaced due to demolition drives. ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council on August 20 at Mamallapuram near here, and the chief ministers of southern states and UTs will take part, the government said on Wednesday.

The Southern Zonal Council comprises the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

The council serves as an excellent forum for resolving issues and disputes between the Centre and the member States/Union Territories, the union government said.

River water sharing disputes between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and Keralam are among the ongoing disputes.

In an official release, the Centre said that the council meetings also discuss broad issues of national importance.

Amit Shah is expected to arrive here by 7.45 PM on Wednesday and proceed to Kovalam near Mamallapuram on the city's outskirts where the meeting is scheduled to take place. PTI

The CBI has arrested a deputy controller of accounts posted in the information and broadcasting ministry as internal financial advisor (IFA) for allegedly accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe through his wife for clearing a renewal file of a private company handled by him, officials said Wednesday.

It is alleged that Sandeep, an officer of the 2020 batch of Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), demanded a bribe of Rs 15 lakh from a businessman for processing the renewal file, they said.

"After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from the complainant to expeditiously process the renewal file for the private company's contract, which was pending before him," the CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The agency laid a trap on Tuesday and caught the accused officer for accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh through his wife, the spokesperson said. PTI

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his 26-year-old sister-in-law in 2020, when he was just 16 years and two months old, with the court directing that the sentence be governed by provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The special court in Bahraich convicted the accused of murder, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence in the 2020 killing of Hasreen, whose headless body was found near a canal in the district.

Special Public Prosecutor Sant Pratap Singh said the court of Juvenile Court/Additional Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Gautam convicted the accused under IPC sections 302/34 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201/34 (causing disappearance of evidence).

He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 1.20 lakh. PTI