Environment

Pune’s DJ Controversy, Ganeshotsav and Assault: The politics of who gets to make noise

The assault on Pune activist Vidyanand Bapat reveals how a demand for lawful, quieter festivals became entangled with political power, religious identity and intolerance of dissent

K’taka: fisher-folk take to the sea in defiance of Honnavar port project

Amid heavy police crackdown and government indifference, fishermen in Kasarkod stage protests, risking their lives to halt the controversial port survey

Noise Pollution Ban: Unequal standards for diverse practices?

The recent Bombay High Court judgment (23rd January 2025) addresses the contentious issue of the use of loudspeakers at places of worship and their legal standing under Article 25 of the Constitution. The case was initiated following complaints by residents about persistent noise pollution caused by loudspeakers from religious institutions (masjids), particularly during early morning and late-night hours. The court examined whether such practices constituted an essential religious function or merely a cultural practice subject to regulation under existing noise pollution laws. The court ruled that loudspeakers are not an essential part of religious practice and directed the Maharashtra government and police to take strict action against violations of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. This ruling aligns with past judicial pronouncements while also raising questions about unequal enforcement of noise regulations across different religious communities.

Can the Swaraj path be India’s answer to climate change?

As climate change intensifies and the inadequacy of the...

From Madrid to Baku: A chronicle of inadequate climate action at UN Conferences

Why are international measures to mitigate Climate Change so slow and ineffective?

River Ganga, communities, cultures & livelihood: will Indians preserve its life-sustaining legacy?

The author’s simple point, addressed to the power elite is to stop destroying the identity of indigenous communities; a destruction of the Himalayas will bring unprecedented crisis to Gangetic plains in India and so, we must not do anything that escalates the crisis we already facing.

250+ activists from across India call for immediate release of Jammu and Kashmir’s environmental defenders

Support democratic and peaceful movements for safeguarding ecology in J&K and the entire Himalayan region says the detailed statement issued today

Detentions and intimidation of social and environmental activists in J&K arbitrary: NAPM

Expressing solidarity with recently detained Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) environmental activists,...

Faith v/s Environment: 17,600 trees felled in U.P. to pave way for proposed Kanwar Yatra route, fact-finding panel tells NGT 

The UP govt. plans to cut 33,776 trees in total for the controversial project, says joint committee; green tribunal directs govt. to clarify if number of trees to be axed has been calculated strictly in accordance with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Protection of Trees Act reports The Hindu

Indian Coal Giants Pushed for Lax Pollution Rules While Ramping Up Operations

Senior Journalist Akshay Deshmane exposes how giant Indian coal companies influenced the Narendra Modi led Indian government to weaken pollution regulations and expand the sector

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

‘Subjective Satisfaction’ Cannot Be Built On Conjecture: Allahabad HC quashes NSA detention of Akriti Chaudhary

The Court finds no material linking Chaudhary to the violence that erupted after her arrest, finds the Section 130 BNSS notice prima facie prepared retrospectively, warns that unchecked bureaucratic power could turn Uttar Pradesh into an “Orwellian Dystopia”

Penguin’s Shenanigans

Penguin has repeatedly crossed the line between due diligence and outright censorship. Small publishers, who have a lot more to lose, seem to have more of a spine.

Four decade-long misogyny of a law academic? Tahir Mahmood’s defence of Manusmriti echoes in his criticism of the 1985 Shah Bano verdict

The author argues that the positions of the legal scholar, Prof. Tahir Mahmood over forty years --defending the Manusmriti in 2026 and his opposition to maintenance for Muslim women at the time of the Shah Bano verdict in 1985 –reveal a cohesive, conservative worldview that normalises gender hierarchy under the guise of legal protectionism.

Press bodies condemn alleged assault on women journalists at Saket Police Station, seek inquiry and action

Press Club of India, NWMI, Editors Guild of India and other journalists' organisations demand an independent and impartial investigation after Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan alleged assault during and after their detention by Delhi Police

Jauhar & the Politics of Distraction: How the Right and so-called liberals often complement each other

The selectiveness of medieval Muslim or medieval Rajput history in contestation is not just deliberate effort to alienate these two communities but is also a Brahmanical viewpoint that refuses to subject Peshwa or Maratha history to a similar brand of selectivity