South Asia

Jharkhand brings together many of the communities most vulnerable to bureaucratic exclusion—migrants, Adivasis, displaced families and informal workers. The Special Intensive Revision will therefore be far more than a routine electoral exercise. The question is not only who gets verified, but whether those already on the margins are asked once again to prove their place in India's democracy

Cyrus Behramji Puranafurniturewala writes a satirical letter to the acclaimed historian, Ramachandra Guha, complimenting him on his critique of the Gandhi siblings. He adds his own sharp observations, cultivated in the by lanes of tony Colaba, to the discourse that has captured the imagination of society.

The Supreme Court’s May 27, 2026 verdict upholding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) settles the legal question of constitutional authority but leaves unresolved concerns on absence of due process and independent functioning by the ECI, the arbitrary abuse of process and access: questions of unreasonable and unchecked mass deletions etc.

Ruling underscores how Foreigners Tribunal cases in Assam continue to operate under a reverse burden framework that places the entire obligation of proving citizenship upon the proceedee

With police deployments, cattle regulations, housing society disputes and political mobilisation surrounding Eid-ul-Adha, the festival reflected the tensions of contemporary India

The SC has upheld the ECI’s power to conduct SIR expressly stating that the contested process does not violate either election law nor rules; Court however directs that cases of voter exclusion should be provided routes and methods of adjudication

Farmers in the thousands blocked the Mumbai–Agra Highway in Maharashtra’s onion belt, demanding fair procurement prices, compensation for distress sales and relief from export restrictions; the protests were supported by the Opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders who were also detained

Outside fringe mobilisation attempted to turn a long-standing local practice into a communal flashpoint