Politics

Defectors & Democracy: A critique of the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

The right of voters to recall representatives who defect—as seen in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh—and the requirement of intra-party democracy could form part of a broader institutional redesign. Such measures would deepen democratic values and, above all, signal a refusal by citizens to accept the corruption of their mandate. These may be among the reforms that India's Parliament and democracy most urgently need

May Day Dramatised

When Safdar Hashmi wrote a play on the centenary of May Day, 1986.

Manipur Year 4: Guns Without Justice

Three years into the worst episode of ethnic violence,...

UP: Women protest installation of prepaid smart electricity metres in several districts

At least ten districts of Uttar Pradesh have witnessed widespread women led protests against the hasty, untested installation of pre-paid smart metres that women claim have been programmed to run fast to “inflate” electricity bills

Faith recast as social justice? Revisiting Shariati’s vision of Islam as liberation

Even as Iran grapples with an existential crisis as...

Beyond 33%: The inspiring rise of women in rural decentralization

Recent proposals, including constitutional amendments to provide 33% reservation for...

Amendment to Women’s Reservation Bill: BJP’s hyperbole on women

The past conduct and ideological moorings of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as that of its parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) reflect not just extreme and exclusivist views on women’s participation but are arguably distinctly misogynistic

Bihar “Infiltrator” Hysteria: Samrat Choudhary’s claims of disenfranchising 22-lakh people corresponds to ECI’s “deceased voters” figure

Over the past weeks—even before replacing Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister of Bihar on April 15—Samrat Choudhary has, while campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party, claimed that 22-lakh people would be struck off Bihar’s electoral rolls, with their driving licences and other benefits cancelled. The irony, however, is this: the figure of 22-lakh—drawn from the recently conducted, controversial SIR exercise in the state—corresponds only to deceased voters

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Who owns Mumbai’s streets? The Bombay High Court, street vendors and a decade of regulatory failure

What began as a case about encroachments has become a searching inquiry into the State's failure to implement the Street Vendors Act, the rights of pedestrians and informal workers, and the growing role of identification and verification in urban governance

Defectors & Democracy: A critique of the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

The right of voters to recall representatives who defect—as seen in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh—and the requirement of intra-party democracy could form part of a broader institutional redesign. Such measures would deepen democratic values and, above all, signal a refusal by citizens to accept the corruption of their mandate. These may be among the reforms that India's Parliament and democracy most urgently need

A regressive 2026 amendment to rights of Trans persons is under legal challenge even as pride month is celebrated

Unable to stay the statute, High Courts have charted a middle path—protecting petitioners already undergoing hormone therapy while the broader constitutional challenge awaits adjudication by the Supreme Court

The what’s & why’s of Data Centres and how are they hijacking the India Story

While countries such as Singapore and Sweden are curbing the environmental costs of data centres through regulation and innovation, India is actively courting these resource-intensive facilities with little regard for their water and energy demands. From Stockholm's waste-heat recovery systems to zero-water cooling technologies, solutions exist. Yet India continues to trade away land, water and public resources with scant consideration for environmental sustainability or local communities.

Telegram before NEET: When governance fails, censorship takes its place

Invoking exam security to suspend access to a platform used by millions raises serious questions about proportionality, transparency and the growing tendency to restrict communications whenever governance challenges arise

Yes, Savarkar did file 10 Mercy Petitions before the British, revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh refused to Compromise: Grandnephew tells Pune Court

Savarkar’s grandnephew who had lodged a criminal defamation case against LOP Rahul Gandhi, stated and admitted during his testimony that while there were other freedom fighters who refused to file clemency petitions before the British, his uncle Vinayak Savarkar  had filed as many as ten!

Court recognises mob lynching as aggravating factor, sentences seven to life for 2022 cow-vigilantism killing

By expressly recognising mob lynching as an aggravating circumstance, the judgment strengthens accountability for vigilante violence and underscores the application of collective liability principles under Section 149 IPC