Morning Digest: In Delhi, BJP booth agents file deletion forms against Muslim voters living at their addresses; Supreme Court says order on fireworks breached, and more

A complete ban may have a ‘spiralling effect’, the court says, asks the Centre and the Delhi government to ensure enforcement against sellers of spurious and banned crackers. File | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam In Delhi, BJP booth agents file deletion forms against Muslim voters living at their addressesBJP BLAs submit nearly 68% of Form 7s seeking deletions as ‘objector’ in Mustafabad, all against Muslim electors, citing ‘absent/permanently shifted’ or ‘death’. The Mustafabad constituency has seen the highest number of Form 7 applications, with 843 objections since August 31. Of the 597 forms filed by third parties, 96% name BLAs from the BJP as ‘objectors’; 572 Form 7s filed by these BLAs are against Muslim electors across 24 parts of the constituency.Our orders breached ‘left and right’, Deepavali was a festival of lights before gunpowder, Supreme Court says in firecrackers caseThe Supreme Court on Thursday (October 29, 2026) said its orders, year after year, to curb and even ban firecrackers during Deepavali had been violated “left and right”. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale said the right to religious freedom was also subject to public health and the protection of fundamental rights.Supreme Court calls for financial institutions to compensate digital arrest victimsThe Supreme Court on Thursday (October 29, 2026) called on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to mandate financial institutions to fully indemnify digital arrest victims if the crime happened due to a lack of institutional diligence. Expressing “frustration” at digital arrest scamsters siphoning off crores from the national economy annually, the court also questioned how educated people remained gullible enough to believe they can be detained over mobile phone calls.Stir ends at Jamia as administration issues time frame to hold student union electionsThe Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) administration on Thursday agreed to the protesting students’ demands to set dates for drafting and approving the students’ union constitution and holding elections for the same, following which the protesters called off their 18-day agitation.Foreign Secretary to visit Kathmandu as plans get underway for Nepal PM’s India visitIn a visit to fine-tune the details of Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s planned trip to India, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to reach Kathmandu on November 4, along with newly designated Indian ambassador Sudhakar Dalela, a Nepali diplomatic source has told The Hindu.Census trainers flag queries on Aadhaar, caste, age and birthplace of parents as key challengesAt an enumerator training session attended by The Hindu, a trainer explains how to coax respondents to share Aadhaar data, including that it could be used as citizenship proof, though Census officials denied giving any instructions in this regard.U.P. MLC poll results mark a defeat of BJP’s anti-education policies: Opposition leadersWith the Samajwadi party winning five of the 11 Legislative Council seats that went to the polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Opposition INDIA bloc said on Thursday that the outcome was a defeat of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s anti-teacher and anti-education policies. Despite massive administrative support for the BJP candidates, the results signify growing public discontent with the BJP government, Opposition leaders said.Former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen sent to 13 days police custodyFormer West Bengal minister Indranil Sen was sent to 13 days of police custody on Thursday (October 29). The Trinamool Congress-era minister was arrested on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) in relation to a Durga Puja ticket scam. ‘Show me one Muslim minister at Centre, BJP-ruled States’: J&K Deputy CMAs the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a meme war at the ruling National Conference (NC) over recent Cabinet expansion and protests within the party, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Thursday (October 29, 2026) said the BJP, “which has no Muslim minister in the Centre or BJP-ruled States, has no right to criticise the NC”. Patrick Stewart, Shakespearean actor turned ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ star, dies at 86Patrick Stewart, who rose from poverty in England to become an accomplished Shakespearean stage actor and then achieved global stardom as the erudite Captain Jean-Luc Picard in TV’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” movies, has died at ​the age of 86. Published - October 30, 2026 06:42 am IST