Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh:

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi on Sunday said the Prime Minister’s Office is monitoring the ongoing situation in Israel adding “we are on the job” to bring back stranded Indian students.

Israel has been at “war” with Hamas terrorists since Saturday morning.

“Indian government is striving to bring back stranded students of India from Israel. Prime Minister and his office are monitoring the situation and huge efforts are underway to get back our students who are stuck in that country,” Ms Lekhi told reporters.

“Even in the past, many students including people from Andhra Pradesh were stuck across. So whether it was Operation Ganga or Vande Bharat, we brought everyone back and I am sure the government of India and the Prime Minister’s Office is directly in touch with those people and is working and monitoring the situation,” added the union minister Meenakshi Lekhi.

Following the rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip by Hamas, the Indian Embassy in Israel on Saturday issued an advisory for its nationals, requesting them to remain vigilant and observe safety protocols.

“In view of the current situation in Israel, all Indian nationals in Israel are requested to remain vigilant and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities. Please exercise caution, avoid unnecessary movement and stay close to safety shelters,” read the advisory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said he was “deeply shocked” by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” he wrote on X.

So far, more than 300 people have been killed on the Israeli side, with the number of injured victims in the Hamas terror attacks reaching 1,864, the Times of Israel reported, citing the country’s health ministry.

Israel on Saturday declared a state of war in the country after infiltration by Hamas and missile attacks from Gaza. Hamas terrorists are still being sought by Israeli security authorities.

Israel launched ‘Operation Swords of Iron’, striking a number of suspected Hamas hideouts in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s response to the Hamas incursion will “exact a huge price” on the terrorist group.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging the election of Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi from the New Delhi constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

The plea was moved by Ramesh, who contested the 2019 election as an Independent candidate.

The bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula, while passing the judgment, said that the present election petition fundamentally lacks “material facts”, which are essential to confer it with a cause of action. “Sans any underpinning material, the petitioner’s broad averments are insufficient to sustain the allegations of electoral corrupt practices,” it said.

The court said the petition is replete with allegations of corrupt electoral practices and lacks the requisite material facts and specific details.

The petitioner argued that respondent/Meenakshi Lekhi exceeded the permissible election expenditure limit of Rs 70 lakhs, but the basis for this claim remains vague. Throughout the petition, the central contention seems to be that the respondent understated the expenses related to election activities in the official register, the court said.

However, there was a conspicuous absence of specific details highlighting the discrepancies between the declared amounts and the alleged actual expenditures, it added.

The petitioner’s claims appear to be predicated on conjectures and assumptions rather than on solid evidence, the court said further. 

Appearing for Meenakshi Lekhi, advocates Harish Pandey and Anshuman Tiwari submitted that the petitioner’s accusations are broad, imprecise, and lack substantial evidence or documentation supporting the claims of corrupt election practices.

Petitioner Ramesh, who appeared in person and claimed in his petition that Ms Lekhi allegedly resorted to unlawful methods to secure a win, including the casting of fraudulent votes by election staff, who impersonated legitimate voters.

The affidavit presented by the minister, detailing her assets, did not conform to the governing rules.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)