New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has recommended the government to institutionalise a system of maintaining a reserve panel or waitlist to fill the vacancies in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), noting that the federal agency was facing around 15% shortage of personnel and was not receiving sufficient nominations from the state police, which have traditionally been a major source of recruitment.. Keep waitlist or reserve system for CBI vacancies: Parl committee. The parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice, in its 160th report, tabledin the Lok Sabha on Monday, also recommended undertaking a detailed root-cause analysis to examine the reasons for attrition in the sub-inspector cadre in the federal anti-corruption agency.. The committee, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Brij Lal, noted that in 2025, CBI had in-position strength of 6,212 personnel, 1,088 posts (or 14.90%) lower than the sanctioned 7,300 positions. To be sure, CBI had 20.57% vacant posts in 2024.. Asserting that a vacancy level of nearly 15% in a premier probe agency is a matter of serious concern, the committee in its report said: “The committee notes that one of the major reasons for vacancies under the Direct Recruitment quota is that certain candidates recommended by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) and SSC (Staff Selection Commission) do not ultimately join the organisation, resulting in persistent shortfalls.”. Stating that such avoidable vacancies should not be allowed to spill over and affect operational efficiency, the committee report recommended that “a system of maintaining a reserve panel or waitlist, in consultation with the recruiting agencies, may be institutionalised so that vacancies arising due to this phenomenon can be filled in a time-bound manner without initiating a fresh recruitment cycle.”. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) informed the committee that CBI was not receiving sufficient and suitable nominations of officers from state police, particularly in the ranks of inspectors and superintendents of police (SPs).. The report pointed out 77 vacancies out of 500 posts in the sub-inspector grade in CBI as on December 31, 2025, adding that a “high attrition rate has also been indicated in this cadre”.. “Considering that Sub-Inspector is the feeder grade for supervisory positions and forms the backbone of investigation work, the Committee views this as a matter of serious concern,” the report said.. It recommended that “a detailed root cause analysis be undertaken to examine the reasons for attrition in the SI cadre, including issues relating to workload, career progression, working conditions, transfers, training, and inter-organisational mobility. Based on such analysis, appropriate corrective measures may be introduced to enhance retention and morale.” 

 A second repatriation flight carrying Indian students stranded in war-torn Iran arrived in New Delhi late on Monday. The flight with dozens of stranded Indians on board flew from Armenia capital Yerevan to New Delhi after a layover in Dubai.. A second repatriation flight with stranded Indians nationals in Iran reaches Delhi airport on Monday. (Hindustan Times). “Till the time I don’t see my family in Kashmir, I won’t feel like I have returned home,” said 23-year-old Labeeb Qadri who arrived at the Indira Gandhi International airport along with dozens of other students.. The flight was delayed by nearly 12 hours after completing its first leg between Yerevan and Dubai due to a temporary suspension of flight operations by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.. The group travelled by bus from universities across Iran to the Iran–Armenia border, crossed into Armenia, and then flew from Yerevan to Dubai before boarding a connecting flight to Delhi, as Iranian airspace remains closed following the war that began on February 28.. Also Read: First batch of nearly 70 Indians stuck in Iran returns; students recount ‘panic’ amid war. Qadri, who spent past five days travelling and is pursuing MBBS from Iran’s Urmia University, said after spending nearly two weeks in constant fear of losing life, he still can’t process that he has returned back safely.. “When we were in Iran there was constant bombing, then once we crossed the border we thought we are safe. Just when we were on the last leg of our journey in Dubai, multiple drone attack happened at the airport. We were stranded first in Iran then in Dubai. So, I am still unable to process that we have reached India,” said Qadri. “We were in complete lockdown and constantly lived in the fear that the next bomb could be dropped on our hostel,” Qadri added.. All other students from my university those who belonged to the land border countries of Iran or nearby nations had already returned and it was just us the Indian students who were there.. “Students from Iraq, Turkey, and Pakistan had all left. It was just us around 45 Indian students who were left. We stayed in the basement for nearly two weeks, and barely moved out. In case, we needed to do some really necessary shopping, we would go out in groups,” the 23-year-old told HT while recalling what he described as his most traumatic experience.. Another student, who is in the 5th year of her MBBS degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and hails from Kashmir’s Srinagar, said the relocation provided temporary relief. However, the sense of deep relief can now be felt since she has finally arrived in India, she added while constantly holding hands of mother who stood next to her wiping her tears as her daughter narrated the horrific scenes from the ongoing war.. Also Read: Indians in Iran cross into Armenia, Azerbaijan amid West Asia tensions, MEA shares update. “It was just horrible. The Indian Embassy shifted us from Teh 

 The opposition’s move in the Lok Sabha to remove Speaker Om Birla from the post undermined the parliamentary traditions, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Monday.. Gupta urged that the members respect constitutional institutions. (HT Photo). In a letter written to Birla, he asserted that the neutrality of the Chair of the House is central to the parliamentary democracy of the country, and urged that the members respect constitutional institutions.. The resolution brought by the opposition parties, seeking the removal of Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker, was defeated by a voice vote last Wednesday.. Gupta, in his letter to Birla, said, “It is deeply saddening that certain opposition parties, driven by narrow political considerations, chose to bring a motion against the incumbent Speaker – an office that stands above partisan politics and is entrusted with safeguarding the rules, traditions and dignity of Parliament.”. Defeat of the motion reaffirmed the confidence of the members in the authority and impartial functioning of the Chair, the Delhi Assembly speaker asserted.. The authority of the Chair ensures that parliamentary proceedings are conducted in an orderly and impartial manner while safeguarding the rights and privileges of Members across the political spectrum, he said.. The attempt to bring a motion against the Speaker risks undermining the spirit of parliamentary functioning if driven by “narrow political motivations”, Gupta said and appreciated those Lok Sabha MPs who were against the “ill-conceived” effort.. Under the stewardship of Birla, the Lok Sabha has continued to function with balance and dignity, enabling meaningful democratic debate while maintaining the discipline and decorum that define parliamentary institutions, he added. 

 MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin legislator has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in connection with a bitter feud with her caucus over being excluded from resolutions honoring Hispanics and breaking with her party on state budget and legislative district boundary votes.. Wisconsin legislator pleads no contest to disorderly conduct in feud over Hispanic resolutions. Prosecutors in Milwaukee County charged state Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez in February. The Milwaukee Democrat pleaded no contest during a hearing Friday, and Judge Paul Malloy ordered her to pay a $300 fine and submit a DNA sample. She could have faced up to 90 days in jail.. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the accused will offer no defense. The plea is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system.. Ortiz-Velez said in a statement after the sentencing that she will pay the fine and remains focused on her constituents, not caucus infighting.. “My voting choices caused a rift that has been ugly and bitter,” she said. “My constituents did not send me to Madison to litigate internal caucus disputes or be distracted by the personal feuds — they sent me there to deliver results.”. A spokesperson from Assembly Democratic Minority Leader Greta Neubauer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.. The feud began in August as Democratic members of the state Assembly were planning resolutions honoring Hispanic heritage and Hispanic veterans in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month in September, according to the criminal complaint.. Ortiz-Velez grew angry because she believed an unnamed lawmaker drafting the heritage resolution had intentionally excluded her from working on it.. The complaint states that she had been invited to work on the resolution in June and chose not to participate but still wanted to help draft the language. She contacted media outlets saying she had been intentionally left out of the resolution work. She also told the resolution’s author that she felt excluded from working on another resolution that same legislator was crafting honoring Hispanic veterans, saying her late husband was a Hispanic veteran.. Two more unnamed lawmakers told investigators that Ortiz-Velez told them in separate phone conversations that she was going to spread “negative personal information” about the resolutions’ author to the media and that “they are going to do what I want them to do, or I’m going to x, y and z,” according to the complaint.. When one of the lawmakers asked her what that meant, she made comments about the resolutions’ author’s personal life and other legislators. The complaint characterized those remarks as “indecent and tended to disrupt the good public order” but does not elaborate or offer any more specificity.. Democratic leaders issued a statement in September saying Ortiz-Velez had made a comment about shooting three caucus members. That statement came a day after another state 

 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday warned of ‘legal action’ against individuals posting “misleading and factually incorrect information” about its examination and evaluation processes on social media platforms. The board also cautioned teachers involved in the evaluation process that ‘disciplinary action’ may be taken if they share comments, opinions or experiences related to the evaluation on social media as the evaluation process is confidential and governed by strict protocols.. The CBSE board examinations 2026 for Classes 10 and 12 began on February 18 this year. (File photo). The board issued two circulars on Monday – one for individuals who are not directly involved in the evaluation process and another for teachers involved in the evaluation process including digital On Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation for Class 12 board examinations 2026.. In the first circular, the board said that it noted that certain individuals, including those not directly involved in the evaluation process or those engaged in digital evaluation, are posting misleading and factually incorrect information on social media platforms. “Such actions are creating unnecessary confusion among stakeholders and adversely affecting the credibility of the examination system,” said Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE’s controller of examinations in one of the circulars.. Also Read: CBSE cancels Class 12 board exams in the West Asia amid US-Iran war. He said sharing false or misleading information about CBSE examinations or evaluation processes on social media is strictly prohibited. Individuals are also barred from using the name, logo, or images of CBSE buildings to create confusion or mislead the public.. “Individuals found indulging in such activities will be liable for legal action under relevant provisions. Stakeholders are advised not to believe and pay importance to such posts which are not posted by CBSE,” he added.. In the second circulars, the board said that it noted that certain individuals engaged in the evaluation process of Class 10 and Class 12 examinations are posting comments, opinions, and experiences on social media platforms. “Many of these posts are misleading, factually incorrect, and have the potential to create confusion and spread rumours among stakeholders,” the circular signed by Bhardwaj reads.. Through a second circular, the board reminded teachers that the evaluation process is confidential and governed by strict protocols, and that sharing any information, experiences, or opinions related to it on public platforms is strictly prohibited.. “Any attempt to spread rumours or misrepresent facts on social media is a violation of professional conduct and may invite disciplinary action,” Bhardwaj said while advising teachers to exercise restraint and uphold the integrity of the examination system.. “The board expects all evaluators to maintain confidentiality, dignity, and professionalism in the discharge of th