Author: Legal Parivar

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) continues to revolutionize digital payments in India by offering instant, seamless, and mostly free transactions to users. However, recent developments in 2025 have introduced nuances regarding transaction costs, primarily affecting merchants and payment intermediaries while keeping most personal transactions free of charge. Key Points on UPI Transaction Costs in 2025: Personal UPI Transactions Remain Free: All peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions conducted directly between bank accounts are completely free for users, regardless of transaction amount. Users making payments to friends, family, or merchants via bank-linked UPI face no extra charges, even for high-value transactions…

A fresh wave of Russian shelling and drone strikes killed five people in Ukraine on Sunday, while Kyiv targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region. Hostilities showed no sign of easing, even as the United States and Russia agreed to hold a summit later this week—without Ukraine’s participation. Ukraine’s national police reported that three people were killed and one injured in the Zaporizhzhia region due to Russian shelling, while two more civilians died in the embattled Donetsk region. In Odesa, three beachgoers lost their lives after triggering a mine in a prohibited swimming zone, an area fortified against potential…

The Election Commission (EC) has announced that the draft electoral roll for Bihar will remain open until September 1 for claims and objections. During this period, political parties and individuals can seek the inclusion of eligible citizens who may have been left out, as well as the removal of names they believe are ineligible. Between August 1 and 3 pm on August 10 (Sunday), no Booth-Level Agent (BLA) appointed by political parties approached election authorities for the claims and objections process. According to the EC, 1.61 lakh BLAs have been deployed by various parties ahead of the Special Intensive Revision…

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the government to implement comprehensive land reforms to position India as a global manufacturing hub. Key proposals include the formation of a GST-like Land Reform Council for coordinated, consensus-based policy decisions, and the introduction of uniform stamp duty rates between 3% and 5% across all states. Highlighting the need for investor confidence and rural development, CII recommended Integrated Land Authorities in each state to serve as one-stop agencies for allotments, conversions, dispute resolution, and zoning. The industry body also called for full digitisation of land conversion processes, including QR code-enabled verification, to…

Amid the controversy surrounding Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision exercise, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP of orchestrating bogus voting and irregularities during the Uttar Pradesh by-elections for nine assembly seats held in November 2024. In an interview with ANI, Yadav alleged that the BJP leveraged its influence and used the police to manipulate votes, urging the Election Commission to take strict action against district officials involved in the process. Demand for strict actionYadav argued that discrepancies in voter lists and cases of bogus voting could be prevented if the District Magistrates (DMs) of the by-poll constituencies…

A British Royal Air Force (RAF) F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport in southern Japan on Saturday morning after the pilot detected a possible technical fault, Japanese authorities confirmed. The aircraft, operating from the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, was taking part in large-scale joint exercises with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, the US military, and other regional partners in the Western Pacific. The drills are set to run until August 12. Airport officials stated the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time, when the pilot requested emergency…

Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has issued a notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegation that a 70-year-old woman from Mahadevapura, Shakun Rani, had cast her vote twice. The CEO has asked the Leader of Opposition to submit all “relevant documents” supporting his claims. The poll body also clarified that, upon inquiry, Shakun Rani stated she had voted only once, contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s accusation. What Rahul Gandhi allegedIn a video posted on his YouTube channel on Friday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 votes were “stolen” in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency. He claimed this included nearly 12,000 duplicate voters,…

IndusInd Bank is focusing on strengthening retail liabilities, expanding secured retail and MSME lending, and adopting a selective approach in the corporate segment for the current financial year, according to Chairman Sunil Mehta. The initiatives come as the bank works to recover from financial and reputational setbacks caused by past governance lapses. Calling FY25 a “watershed year” for the lender, Mehta acknowledged that it was also a period of internal reckoning. “We faced certain challenges that required swift, transparent, and decisive actions by the Board and management. These events, though unfortunate, have driven a major transformation rooted in ethics, accountability,…

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will on Monday digitally transfer ₹3,200 crore in crop insurance claim amounts under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to 30 lakh farmer beneficiaries. The event will be held in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, and will be attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary, and Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena. According to the official statement, the distribution will include: Chouhan stated that the Centre has introduced a simplified claim settlement system to ensure faster payouts. Claims can now be paid proportionately based on the central subsidy…

JM Financial Credit Solutions Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JM Financial, announced on Sunday that it has signed an investment agreement with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company to sell 1.36 crore equity shares of JM Financial Home Loans Ltd (JMFHLL), representing a 2.1% stake, at ₹48 per share. The transaction, valued at ₹65.5 crore, is expected to be completed by August 31, 2025. Following the sale, JM Financial Credit Solutions’ stake in JMFHLL will reduce from 8.98% to 6.88%, while JM Financial’s overall holding in the subsidiary, through its arms, will drop from 98.76% to 96.66%. For FY 2024-25, JMFHLL…