Rush Hour: HC says PAN, voter IDs alone aren’t citizenship proof, UP CM defends fireworks & more

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The Gauhati High Court has held that Permanent Account Number cards and voter ID cards alone cannot establish citizenship unless supported by the records used to issue them. The court made the observation on November 5, while dismissing a petition filed by a woman challenging a tribunal order that had declared her a foreigner.

A bench noted that PAN cards and Electoral Photo Identity Cards are issued on the basis of self-declarations, without formal verification by the Income Tax Department or the Election Commission. “Therefore, unless the records supplementing the PAN Card and EPIC are proved, the said exhibited documents cannot be accepted as a proof of citizenship of India,” the bench said. Read on.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath said that pollution caused by firecrackers during Diwali was “not a problem” as it would eventually “subside”. Adityanath’s statement came as Noida and Ghaziabad in the national capital region have recorded worsening pollution levels over the past few weeks.

In an apparent reference to the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, Adityanath said that nobody speaks out against those who have “polluted the entire system with corruption”. “If the public lights firecrackers and celebrates with fireworks for one day, suddenly pollution becomes an issue”, he added.

The Uttar Pradesh government had imposed no restrictions on the celebrations. Read on.

The Central Pollution Control Board clarified that its air quality monitoring system does not include particulate matter concentrations above 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre in hourly air-quality calculations. The monitoring equipment was originally calibrated to measure concentrations only up to that level, the pollution regulator said.

The statement came amid reports that more than 20 of Delhi’s 59 air quality monitoring stations had not reported readings on Diwali night. Air quality deteriorates sharply in Delhi in the winter months. Peak air pollution levels are historically observed during and immediately after Diwali. Read on.

The Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India alleged that several of its activists in Delhi were put under house arrest to prevent them from protesting against rising pollution levels. The party alleged that the Delhi Police tried to “forcibly enter” its office in Karawal Nagar, “without showing any official documents or authorisation”.

It alleged that the police, “acting at the behest of” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, were intimidating and threatening people by attempting to enter their homes. Read on.

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