Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain and five others have been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) over alleged irregularities in Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plant (STP) tenders. The case concerns alleged manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in contracts for the augmentation and upgradation of DJB-operated STPs. The other accused are former DJB CEO Udit Prakash Rai, former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, A.N. Enterprises proprietor Nagendra Yadav, Euroteck Environment Pvt Ltd owner Raja Kumar Kurra and Srijanhar proprietor Pankaj Verma. The case was registered following a Directorate of Vigilance complaint. The accused face charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and several IPC sections, including cheating, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy. (PC: Times Now)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday agreed to urgently hear a habeas corpus plea concerning AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar, after the party alleged that police picked him up from his home early in the morning. AAP leaders claimed around 20 men in plain clothes took the East Delhi Kondli MLA at about 4:30 am while he was protesting the death of a sanitation worker. Arvind Kejriwal alleged that police damaged CCTV cameras and took away the DVR. Former Delhi chief minister Atishi also questioned Kumar’s whereabouts. AAP said it approached the High Court after claiming that police officials had not provided information about the MLA. (PC: HT)

The BJP has announced a new 64-member team of national office bearers, combining political experience with organisational strength and social diversity as the party prepares for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The team includes 3 former chief ministers—Vasundhara Raje, Tirath Singh Rawat and Biplab Kumar Deb—and 18 sitting MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Ten women leaders have also been appointed. More than 40% of the members come from deprived communities, while leaders from 23 states and Union Territories are represented. The team also includes tribal, SC and minority representatives, along with doctors, professors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals.  

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has ordered a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) following recent issues linked to UGC NET. More than 50 NTA staff members have been removed as part of the restructuring. The ministry said 10 specialised leadership posts are also being filled, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer and General Manager for Test Security. Private-sector experts in cybersecurity, psychometrics and question-paper design will join the reforms. Joshi has also ordered tighter confidential operations, including air-gapped systems and stricter device rules. The NTA must audit all examination processes and submit a corrective-action report. (PC: India Today)

Former Union minister Smriti Irani and RSS leader Ram Madhav have returned to key organisational roles as BJP president Nitin Nabin announced his new national team on Monday. Irani has been appointed national general secretary, while Madhav is a national vice president. Union minister Piyush Goyal has been named national treasurer. The reshuffle also gives women a prominent role, with 6 appointed national vice presidents. Several leaders, including Vasundhara Raje and Baijayant Jay Panda, retained their positions. Amit Malviya has exited as the BJP’s social media head and was replaced by Deepak Mhaskey. The new team comes ahead of major Assembly elections in 2027. (PC: India Today)

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has denied BJP involvement in an alleged attack that led to the death of the father of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) volunteer Shaik Abdul Hafeez in Bankura. Hafeez and his family were allegedly attacked on August 13 after he visited a government school under the CJP’s “School Thik Karo” campaign. His father, Janab Mafik, died on August 15 from severe head injuries. Adhikari said 3 of 5 people named in the FIR have been arrested and denied any BJP connection. The CJP, however, has alleged that local BJP workers carried out the attack. (PC: The Hindu)

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has asked Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to personally meet students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. In a letter dated August 14, Gandhi said the protests had remained peaceful and described the students’ demands as legitimate. Job aspirants have been protesting in Ranchi since July 29, seeking a probe into alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, JSSC-CGL and other tests. They want the JPSC exam cancelled and an independent probe by the CBI or retired High Court judges. Protesters have also demanded Soren’s resignation and plan to demonstrate outside his residence on August 20. (PC: NDTV)

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) after three UGC-NET June 2026 papers were cancelled and rescheduled for September. The English, Commerce and Sociology papers, conducted between June 22 and 30, will be held again after the NTA identified multiple errors, including factual, typographical and translation mistakes, along with questions repeated from previous examinations. Gandhi said students were being made to pay for mistakes committed by the examination body. In a post on X, he questioned why thousands of candidates who had spent months preparing should have to appear again because of NTA errors. He also directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. (PC: India Today)  

A political row has erupted over Vande Mataram after a Congress event in Delhi. BJP leaders accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full national song being sung. Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanded an apology from her. BJP workers held protests in several states. Complaints were also filed against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi over the alleged incident. Congress denied the allegations. The party said Sonia was only asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit back at Shah and accused him of diverting attention from other issues. The dispute has triggered a wider political clash.

A purported handwritten suicide note was recovered after former West Bengal deputy speaker and 5-time TMC MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office in Birbhum. In the note, Banerjee allegedly wrote, “Today, I feel that entering politics was a mistake.” He also said he had never been involved in corruption and claimed he had no role in tender decisions, cheque issuance, plan approvals or no-objection certificates at the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority. Banerjee further urged young members of his family not to join politics and to focus on their professions. Police are investigating, while NDTV could not independently verify the note’s authenticity. (PC: NDTV)