Afghanistan's government employees are reportedly banned from using smartphones following an order from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The ban, effective June 17, aims to restrict communication channels, with violations potentially leading to job termination or imprisonment.
A letter bearing the Supreme Court's emblem, announcing a ban on smartphones for all government employees effective June 17, circulated on social media. The Supreme Court has not commented, and government departments continue to use WhatsApp.
India's Supreme Court questioned the continued reservation benefits for children of economically advanced families within backward classes, stating social mobility comes with empowerment and reservation shouldn't be indefinite. The court issued notice on a plea challenging the exclusion of a petitioner whose parents were state government employees.
Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay announces 2% DA hike for state government employees and teachers, from 58% to 60%, effective January 1, impacting 16 lakh beneficiaries and adding ₹1,230 crore to state expenditure
Hong Kong's Civil Service Secretary Ingrid Yeung announced a proposed accountability framework that will hold department heads personally liable for systemic loopholes they fail to report, potentially impacting their pay and facing consequences for governance failures.
The Supreme Court dismissed a TMC petition challenging the Election Commission's counting personnel policy, accepting the EC's assurance that counting tables will feature a mix of central and state government employees to ensure neutrality.
Trinamool Congress approached the Supreme Court challenging the Additional Chief Electoral Officer's mandate requiring at least one counting supervisor or assistant to be a central government or central PSU employee for West Bengal assembly election vote counting. The party argues the decision is arbitrary, discriminatory, and creates reasonable apprehension of bias since BJP, their political opponent, controls the central government. The petition claims the timing of the communication and its applicability only to Bengal (not other states with simultaneous elections) undermines free and fair election principles. The Supreme Court agreed to list the matter on Saturday, with a special bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi constituted.
Trinamool Congress has moved the Supreme Court, challenging a directive mandating central government employees as counting supervisors or assistants for Bengal's assembly election vote count. The party argues this is arbitrary, discriminatory, and creates bias, especially with the BJP at the Centre. They claim it unfairly alters the counting table composition, undermining a level playing field and free elections.
The states banned government employees from trading on insider information—a growing concern as prediction markets related to politics surge in popularity.
