Culture

In a state gripped by communal rhetoric and corporate land grabs, the Assam government’s “explosive” policies are fuelling polarisation, dispossession, and repression, while the poorest bear the cost of a political project masked as governance

CCG’s Open Statement on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls in Bihar dated July 29, 2025 outlines what it states may be an exercise in illegitimate powers, forcing the district machinery to resort to unethical practices in an organised manner (Bihar SIR)

The combination of a caring politeness and approachability, on the one hand and an iron-clad firm commitment to ideals like secularism, inter-faith harmony, socialism and democracy on the other hand is rare, very rare. However, such a combination in any personality, makes the person, Sumit Chakravarty, recently deceased, a rare gem whose friendship must be cherished.

Justice Ajit Prakash Shah, former chairperson of Law Commission of India, expressed concerns over amendments in the RTI Act, 2005, saying they "destroy this delicate equilibrium".

Bihar's SIR of electoral rolls concluded on July 26, with 7.24 crore (91.69%) enumeration forms collected out of 7.89 crore electors, 65 lakh voters have been flagged for potential deletion, meanwhile, on July 28, the SC refused to halt the draft roll publication on August 1, in a July 29 hearing, the court signalled a strong stand against apprehension of "mass exclusion," with petitioners stating, ECI know who the 65 lakh people, if ECI mention the names in draft list, we have no problem

77-year-old Dr. Pyara Lal Garg's writes to CJI, exposes Bihar's "SIR" flaws, alleging ECI violations risk disenfranchising millions, stating, "The ball lies Before Your Lordships to uphold the constitution, to save the Democracy and to protect the voting rights..."

Given the possibility of the onset of a nationwide exercise to update the National Register of Citizens, the report, ‘Unmaking Citizens’ by NLSIU & Queen Mary University of London, calls for an urgent, fundamental rethinking of the legal structures governing citizenship in India