Top news of the day: January 6, 2026

Tamil Nadu Minister for Natural Resources S. Regupathy, on Tuesday (January 6, 2026), said the Tamil Nadu government will prefer an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the orders passed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on lighting of a lamp at a stone pillar near a dargah on the Thirupparankundram hill.

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench), on Tuesday (January 6, 2026), upheld the order of Justice G.R. Swaminathan, who had directed the Subramaniya Swamy Temple management in Thirupparankundram to light the Karthigai Deepam at the ‘deepathoon’ (stone pillar for lighting lamp) besides the usual places.

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) released the draft voter list for Uttar Pradesh after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls there. Over 2.8 crore names, of the total 15.44 crore voters, have not been included in the draft due to deaths, permanent migration or multiple registrations, Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said. The CEO also said that 12.55 crore names were retained in draft rolls.

A Delhi court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) granted time till February 7 to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to file her reply on a plea challenging a Magistrate’s order refusing to probe the allegation that she was included in the electoral rolls three years before acquiring Indian citizenship in 1983. On December 9, Judge Gogne had issued notice to Ms. Gandhi and the Delhi Police seeking their response on the plea.

Hearing petitions over the deaths and illness caused by contaminated water supply in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) directed the State chief secretary to appear before it through video conference on January 15. The HC termed the response of the State government and local administration to the crisis as “insensitive”, said High Court Bar Association president Ritesh Inani, one of the petitioners.

Observing that the CAQM is failing in its duty, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) rapped the central pollution watchdog for seeking a two-month adjournment on the issue of temporary closure or relocation of toll plazas at Delhi borders to ease traffic congestion. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on major causes of the worsening pollution.

The Committee of Privileges of the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) submitted a report recommending the House to take “proper action” against AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in relation to inauguration of a “fake” phansi ghar (execution room) in the Assembly premises.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is using mobile applications developed by the BJP’s IT cell to conduct the ongoing SIR exercise in the State. Speaking to reporters before concluding her two-day visit to Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district to oversee preparations for the upcoming Gangasagar Mela, Ms. Banerjee accused the ECI of “resorting to all kinds of wrong moves” while conducting the electoral roll revision.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) suggested that the Haryana government show Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, facing criminal investigation for two contentious social media posts on Operation Sindoor, a “one-time magnanimity” by not giving sanction for his criminal prosecution.