Top news of the day: Supreme Court says ‘very few complaints’ received on police brutality during July 20 protests; at least two bodies recovered after Old Delhi building collapse, and more

‘Very few complaints’ received so far on police brutality during July 20 protests, says Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court, on Thursday (November 5, 2026), observed that the High Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) looking into police brutality during the July 20 protests reported that “very few complaints” were received. The Action Taken Report issued on October 31 noted that none were received physically or online. The Court allowed petitioners the liberty to forward whatever material they have, including video clips, to the HPEC for its consideration.The apex court said the HPEC has started a new portal through which complaints could be filed anonymously. Petitioners ask why the Delhi Police has not placed on record before HPEC information on the kind of ammunition used on the day. The Court says HPEC may be waiting to collate all details and material before commencing an enquiry. However, the Court said HPEC has to examine material already received and start furnishing fact-finding reports without delay .The court directed the HPEC to submit its first fact-finding report within a month, saying it cannot wait indefinitely for complaints.At least two bodies recovered, several feared trapped after building collapses in Old DelhiAt least two bodies have been identified and several others are feared trapped after a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Gali Sattara, Sheesh Mahal, near Chawri Bazaar Metro station in Old Delhi on Thursday (November 5, 2026) morning. According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the building collapse was received at 9.50 a.m.. Four persons were already rescued by locals and shifted to hospital before fire personnel arrived, they said.At least six fire units, including water tenders and rescue vehicles, were rushed to the spot. According to DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh, around 15 construction workers were present at the site when the building collapsed. Six to seven workers have been accounted for so far, of whom four escaped unhurt. Three workers were pulled out of the debris; two were declared dead, while the third is out of danger.24-hour to produce before Magistrate starts from detention, not ‘formal arrest’: Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court in a judgment on Thursday (November 5, 2026) held that the 24-hour period for production of an individual before a Magistrate commences from the moment of detention, and not formal arrest. A judgment authored by a Bench headed by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan blurred the difference between detention and arrest, saying both lead to the restriction of the fundamental right to liberty of the individual.The Court said fundamental rights trumped even over special laws like UAPA, PMLA, in which the right to bail was heavily restricted. If the period of detention extended beyond 24 hours without production before a Magistrate, the individual concerned must be released. At the time of production, a Magistrate must record the exact date and time of detention to ensure whether 24-hour timeline was complied with.ECI announces Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in four States, two UTsThe Election Commission on Thursday (November 5, 2026) announced a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim.The poll roll revision exercise seeks to enrol eligible voters, particularly young and first-time electors, and facilitate advance applications from those who will become eligible on April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027. The draft electoral rolls will be published on November 30. Final publication of electoral rolls will take place on January 21, 2027. The Commission has directed Chief Secretaries of the respective States and UTs to ensure adequate manpower and resources for the exercise.Cheranalloor luxury car crash: court upholds teen’s bail, raps police and prosecutionThe Additional District and Sessions Court designated to try cases involving atrocities against women and children in Ernakulam, Keralam, on Thursday (November 5, 2026) dismissed the appeals seeking suspension of the bail granted to the 17-year-old involved in the Cheranalloor crash case that claimed a life, while coming down heavily on the police and prosecution.Judge Kavitha Gangadharan questioned the very basis for the registration of the FIR against the teenager in conflict with law, pointing out that such registration is warranted only in offences carrying a punishment of seven years’ imprisonment or more. The multiple alterations made to the FIR also came in for criticism. The police were accused of showing scant regard for the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, with the court questioning the absence of the social background report mandated in cases involving juveniles. The court even read out the relevant provisions of the Act to the investigation officer, an Assistant Commissioner with the Crime Branch.Christian representatives meet West Bengal RSS leader over mob attacks on congregations and churchesA delegation of Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), an interfaith forum representing Christians, on Wednesday (November 4, 2026) met senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader of West Bengal Dr. Jishnu Basu and raised the issue of recent mob attacks on congregations and churches. The delegation led by the organisation, State secretary Herod Mullick sought Mr. Basu’s intervention to put an end to the ongoing hostilities.“The delegation highlighted serious concerns regarding the recent wave of attacks, vandalism, and inhumane persecution targeting mainline churches, house churches, pastors, and believers across several districts of West Bengal over the past 4–5 months, often fuelled by false allegations of forced conversions through inducement,” a press statement by the BCP said.Delhi Police registers FIR over alleged circulation of child sexual abuse material on Meta platformsThe Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered an FIR over the circulation of suspected child sexual abuse material through Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. The FIR was registered on October 8 under Sections 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) and 67B (publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts or conduct in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.Approximately 10 links were flagged in a complaint alleging the circulation of such material, following which the police initiated an investigation to verify the allegations, said Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Additional CP Sanjay Bhatia. “Acting on our directions, Delhi Police has registered an FIR regarding the availability of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on platforms operated by @MetaIndia,” NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said in a post on X.Democrats vow to rein in Donald Trump as he shows off White House ballroomDemocrats vowed to use their resounding midterm victory to rein in President Donald Trump, setting ​up two years of possible deadlock in Washington, as Mr. Trump spent his first post-election appearance showing off his under-construction White House ballroom.A wave of anger over Mr. Trump’s policies, particularly the U.S.-Iran war’s ‌role in pushing the cost of living higher, helped Democrats take the Senate, where they flipped seats in deeply Republican states for ​a majority of at least 54-44. Democrats also gained at least 30 seats in the House of Representatives.Some northeast districts have their own migration corridors for jobs in southern India, reveals surveyA survey across 14 administrative blocks in eight districts of three northeastern States shows that each district studied has its own migration corridor for jobs in southern India. For instance, Tripura’s Dhalai district sends more than two in three migrants to Karnataka, Assam’s Nagaon district has a distinct Hyderabad route and Meghalaya’s North Garo Hills sends many to Tamil Nadu. Within the northeast, Assam’s Guwahati and Meghalaya’s Shillong draw the most migrant workers.Guwahati-headquartered Seven Sisters Development Assistance, a non-profit organisation, conducted the survey covering 693 households across five districts in Assam, two in Meghalaya and one in Tripura. About 62% of these households belong to Scheduled Tribe communities and 95% own land but not enough to farm.CERT-In calls for testing AI agents for unauthorised tool use, privilege abuseThe Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has set out specific security and auditing requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can independently plan and carry out tasks, use external tools, and delegate work to other AI systems. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Security Auditing Guidelines: Framework for Secure, Ethical, and Auditable Artificial Intelligence Systems identify features such as autonomous task execution, persistent memory, and the ability to delegate work as factors that can increase the risks associated with these systems.Unlike conventional AI tools that primarily respond to user instructions, agentic AI systems can take multiple steps to complete a task. They may access information, use software tools, execute code, or communicate with external systems. The guidelines identify such capabilities—particularly when exercised without human intervention—as factors requiring closer security scrutiny.U.S. midterm elections witness historic firsts: First Black woman governor to first Muslim senator The U.S. midterm elections 2026 will be remembered not just for the stunning number of losses Democrats handed to President Donald Trump and Republicans, but also for a wave of historic firsts across the country.The closely watched polls, held on November 3, 2026, saw voters electing the first Native American female governor, the first Black female governor, the first Muslim US senator and first openly gay male US senator. The astonishing blue wave also means the United States will likely have its first-ever Black speaker of the House.Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portuguese national teamCristiano Ronaldo ‌announced his intention ​to ⁠retire from the Portuguese ‌national team ‌on Thursday ‌(November 5, 2026) in ⁠a ⁠social media post. The 41-year-old ​said ‌that he would ‘hand back the number ‌7 shirt’ ​after the November ⁠international break.Ronaldo has ‌made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored ‌146 goals. He captained ⁠the team to their ⁠first major trophy at Euro 2016 and helped them win the 2019 and 2025 ​Nations Leagues. He ​holds the all-time ⁠record for international ⁠appearances and ‌for international goals. It was a sad ending to a lauded career that began more than two decades ago before Euro 2004 and finished with him walking out on the national team after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus.