Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking abolition of execution by hanging

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) dismissed a petition seeking the abolition of the present practice of executing a death row convict by hanging and replacing it with less painful methods such as intravenous lethal injection.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said its verdict would not preclude the Centre from undertaking a comprehensive review of the existing method of execution through an expert body with a view to examining whether any alternative method of execution better serves the constitutional objective of minimising unnecessary pain while preserving the dignity of the condemned prisoner.

PM CARES fund saw 592% jump in donations in 2024-25 to ₹480 crore, spent 0.1% of that

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund saw the donations it received grow by 592% in 2024-25 to nearly ₹480 crore, as per the audited financial statements for 2023-24 and 2024-25, which it made available on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) after having failed to upload the annual disclosure documents since 2022-23. The Hindu had highlighted the lapse on August 8.

The PM CARES Fund, a public charitable trust established in March 2020 to support relief efforts during public health emergencies and other disasters, is chaired by the Prime Minister and funded entirely through voluntary contributions, as per information released by the Central government.

Supreme Court directs Govt response on plea for special, time-bound probe into paper leak cases

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) asked the Centre to respond to a plea for “standard questionnaire and special investigation procedure” to ensure time-bound investigation and speedy trial of paper leak cases.

A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha issued notice to the Union and State governments filed by petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who has also sought a direction for assessment of entire property of perpetrators and their family members.

Jharkhand protest: Will launch Phase 2 stir for corruption-free job exams, Devendra Mahto says; three protesters continue hunger strike

Three of the six protesters — Rahul Kranti, Sabita Kumari and Rupesh Pal — continue their hunger strike as the agitation against the alleged job exam irregularities in Jharkhand entered its 25th day on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), even after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation of all recruitment tests, including the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination, conducted by an outsourced agency since 2014.

Jharkhand Loktantrik Kranti Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Mahto ended his 16-day hunger strike around Monday midnight (August 17, 2026), soon after the State government’s announcement. Two protesters, Prem Nayak and Umme Habiba, also ended the fast.

Chamoli tunnel accident: Another worker’s body found, death toll reaches nine

The body of a worker trapped when water flooded into a tunnel five days ago was found on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), taking to nine the death toll from the accident at the hydropower project.

Another worker remains missing, officials said. Twenty-two people were caught in the three-kilometre tunnel, part of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project, when a landslide led to debris and water flooding in on August 13.

NEET-UG protests: Delhi Police tells SC that facial recognition tech was used in ‘legitimate state interest’

A Delhi Police affidavit in the Supreme Court has acknowledged the use of facial recognition system during the NEET-UG paper leak protests in the national capital, but said the technology was deployed in “legitimate State interest”.

The affidavit does not specifically address the issue of use of pellet guns by the Rapid Action Force on protestors. The police said force employed was proportionate, reasonable, graded and strictly in accordance with law to control the surging crowds. The police said it would deal with the allegations against police officers before the committee proposed by the Supreme Court to examine “all issues related to the use of force by the police”.

BJP announces leaders in-charge for Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) announced the polls in-charge leaders for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat for the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections.

BJP MP and national general secretary Vinod Tawde has been appointed as the poll in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, while party’s national general secretary and MP Satish Poonia, and MP Tarun Chug will lead the election in Punjab and Gujarat respectively. In addition, BJP national secretary Satish was selected as the co-incharge for the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.

‘False claim’, ‘minor injury’: West Bengal Police denies brutal assault led to death of CJP activist’s father

Two days after the death of Janab Malik, the father of a young Cockroach Janta Party activist, following an alleged attack by some local Bharatiya Janata Party workers, the West Bengal Police on Monday (August 17, 2026) night denied that he was brutally assaulted. They said that the claim is “baseless and false” as Malik sustained only “minor injury”.

This statement coincides with a visit by a delegation of CJP leaders, including its co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, to the residence of the deceased’s son Sheikh Abdul Hafiz, in Bankura district’s Indus area on Monday (August 17) afternoon. They demanded that the police arrest all the 10 unidentified accused in the FIR within the next 10 days.

By Sunday (August 16), the police also arrested eight persons in connection with the incident. All of them have been remanded to police custody for eight days.

Dabholkar murder: Bombay HC grants bail to convict Sachin Andure, suspends his life sentence

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) granted bail to Sachin Andure, convicted in the 2013 murder case of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

A Bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale also suspended the life sentence handed to Andure by a sessions court in 2024. A copy of the detailed order was not yet available. Andure, who is also facing trial in connection with the killing of activist Govind Pansare, can walk out of jail now as he has secured bail in both the cases.

Dabholkar, 67, the founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an anti-superstition organisation, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants while on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay shifting office to accommodate secretaries, visiting dignitaries: Minister Aadhav Arjuna

Tamil Nadu Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna, on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was shifting his office to the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai to accommodate visiting foreign dignitaries, his secretaries and over 200 officials with whom he was working “to create a new vision for the State and restructure the administration.”

Replying in the Assembly to DMK MLA and former Minister E.V. Velu, who cited media reports and complained that work on the Chief Minister’s office had begun before the completion of the tender process, he said there was no truth in the reports.

Published - August 18, 2026 06:33 pm IST