South Asia

Of this significant if not staggering number, 68 accused persons were sentenced to death, 8,172 received life imprisonment, 1,453 were sentenced to over 20 yrs., and 87,465 were sentenced up to 20 years’ states a report in The Hindustan Times.

In Budaun, Times of India reported how a temple priest has offered to bail out a Muslim caretaker arrested for offering namaz on temple grounds. Paramanand Das condemned the video recording and emphasised Ali Mohammad's decades of faithful service. Despite the arrest and charges of defiling a place of worship, Das affirmed Ali's respect for all faiths and the temple's inclusive nature.

In an incident reported on June 30, the motley group of BJP supporters then allegedly started assaulting him without any provocation and demanded that he apologise to Pradhan, reports the Indian Express.

Urging that independent experts must be part of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) advising the SC on the impacts, adverse of otherwise of the Forest Conservation Amendment Act (FCAA), 2023 –currently under challenge-- sixty former civil servants have in an open letter warned against the possibly “comprised stand and conflict of interest of the present CEC advising the Court

The refusal to deliver a letter with posters to Gulshifa was not a surprise. Many who write to political prisoners have faced similar outcomes.

Amidst ongoing protest, opposition and debate surrounding the hastily announced revision process in Bihar, the Election Commission of India has now taken a step back; it has uploaded the 2003 Bihar electoral rolls, exempting 4.96 crore electors, and their children born after 1987, from submitting parental birth documents; individuals not on the 2003 list can still use its extracts for parental details, directly by the voters themselves

While court orders FIR for defamation and public mischief, CJP had earlier filed complaint with broadcaster highlighting defamatory, Islamophobic coverage