Politics

“Inside the SIR”: Booklet flags ‘mechanical disenfranchisement’ in electoral roll revision

CJP–VFD publication combines training manual and ground documentation to question ongoing voter verification exercise

10 Suggestions to government for achieving Viksit Bharat from “Delight Days” (CUDD) to an “Intimacy Bureau” to Ministry of Mandatory Hobbies (MoMH)

Have you ever wondered- “How much is too much?” Because those who drafted Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code that has been passed by the state assembly did not. Legislations are either drafted from an intellectual viewpoint or from a place where there is lack of such intellect. However, some provisions of Uttarakhand look like they have been introduced on the basis of ‘vibes’- a word that has been used by young people to indicate that they have done something because they could.

Electoral Bonds Scheme ‘Unconstitutional’: How do countries across the world deal with Campaign Finance?

How can the damage caused by the unconstitutional Electoral Bonds Scheme be undone and a level playing field be assured? Will answers become more clear after March 13 when the Election Commission of India (ECI) always opposed to the non-transparent scheme prone to an unhealthy non-transparency and possibility of unethical quid pro quos makes public the List of Donors that have contributed substantively to the coffers of the ruling Party? This explainer explores such schemes world-over.

Uttarakhand is being promoted as a hub for investors, as critics report its anti-encroachment policy is targeting Muslim properties

The chief minister has hailed the state for investment and vows to build it as a world class tourist hub. However, as the Uttarakhand government tries to achieve global status, several news reports suggest that the anti-encroachment drive the government is taking out is targeting Muslims.

Police Case Filed Against Woman Editor Of Magazine In Kerala

A case has been filed against the woman editor...

Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023: a dangerous tool in government’s anti-free speech kit

Self-censorship of broadcasting networks due to persistent government oversight have dire potential for restriction of online free speech of individuals and independent media

Goa CM meets Hindu priest who reportedly called for genocide of Muslims

Acharya Paramhans reportedly met the Chief Minister of Goa, BJP’s Pramod Sawant in the state on February 18

Logical, Legal Compulsion for West Bengal, other states to un-sign MoUs with UIDAI: Expert to Mamata Banerjee

In a brief yet succinct communication, with references to detailed articles and backgrounders, Dr Gopalkrishna has, while welcoming chief minister (CM), West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s concerns on the “mass de-activation of Aadhaar cards in Burdwan and other districts of Bengal,” urged her to un-sign WB’s MoU with UIDAI

As BJP’s electoral politics begins influencing Muslim elite, discrimination ‘intensifies’

As the 2024 General Elections are looming on the horizon, some elite Muslims are appealing to their community to give a relook at BJP. They claim that Indian Muslims are not being discriminated against. Such intellectuals also argue that BJP is giving special attention to Pasmanda Muslims and Sufi Muslims. 

Mamata Banerjee attacks Union Govt, says Aadhaar cards being rejected en masse in Bengal

Also raising serious concern about thousands of Aadhaar cards being de-activated or “rejected” without following any procedure in [arts of Bengal, CM Banerjee criticised the Union Govt for flagging issues like CAA –selective citizenship—only before the elections.

Chandigarh Mayor Poll: Presiding Officer admits putting marks on 8 Ballots; ‘He Must Be Prosecuted’, Says Supreme Court

CJI DY Chandrachud said a Supreme Court bench will examine the ballots on Tuesday (February 20). The bench was hearing the matter today and expressed its concern about the horse-trading that was taking place This is "….interfering with the electoral democracy by a Returning Officer is the gravest possible thing," SC said.

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When History substitutes Governance: Hindutva’s Politics of Manufacturing Pasts

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Fractured Fault lines: Violence, governance gaps, and rising tensions across Odisha

From church vandalism and communal flashpoints to tribal resistance, welfare exclusions, and political impunity—recent developments point to deepening fault lines in Odisha’s social and administrative landscape

“Inside the SIR”: Booklet flags ‘mechanical disenfranchisement’ in electoral roll revision

CJP–VFD publication combines training manual and ground documentation to question ongoing voter verification exercise

Censorship and the Drumbeats of Hate: Mapping the state of free speech ahead of the 2026 polls

A new report by Free Speech Collective traces five years of censorship, criminalisation of dissent, and the rise of hate-driven political discourse across Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry—raising urgent questions about the conditions for free and fair elections

AERO dies by suicide in Kolkata, family alleges extreme election duty pressure and humiliation

A 48-year-old Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) died by suicide in South Kolkata’s Bansdroni area after consuming pesticide, the tragic death of Malabika Roy Bhattacharyya has sparked serious concerns regarding the immense pressure placed on government officials tasked with SIR/Election duties, with her family explicitly blaming the ECI for the extreme workload

UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

No Hearing, No Notice, Just Deletion: How Bengal’s SIR Erased a Decorated IAF Officer

The removal of Wing Commander Md Shamim Akhtar, who served the nation for 17 years, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) highlights a systemic lack of due process that threatens the voting rights of even the most distinguished citizens

An Adivasi woman once in bonded labour now serves her village as a Sarpanch

As India marks 50 years of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, cases of bonded labour still surface in states like Telangana where many workers in sectors such as agriculture, brick kilns, fishing and construction remain trapped in debt and coercion; here the author reflects on a transformative journey of an Adivasi woman who serves as a Sarpanch.