By Vickram Kilpady The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to possess entry-level proficiency in Marathi before being granted commercial driving licences. Announcing the decision, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the measure was aimed at improving communication between drivers and commuters. The rule has come into force from May 1—Maharashtra…
By Kenneth Tiven The United States enters the summer under a cloud of political division, economic frustration and growing international instability—a season in which certainty itself feels increasingly scarce. The latest flashpoint came with a sharply divided 6-3 ruling from the US Supreme Court that the Donald Trump administration and conservatives hailed as a major…
By Dr Swati Jindal Garg The Supreme Court has, in its recent ruling in Aman Singh and Another vs State of Bihar, has delivered more than a stay on a death sentence—it has issued a blueprint for a more humane, rigorous, and constitutionally grounded sentencing process in capital cases. A bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath,…
General Manoj Mukund Naravane (now retired) was having a relaxed day at home that morning in February when frantic calls from friends shook him out of oblivion. Little did he know that a political storm was brewing over what he had said and written in his yet-to-be published book: Four Stars of Destiny. He had,…
By Sanjay Raman Sinha In a move widely seen as a positive signal for the higher judiciary, the Union cabinet has approved an increase in the number of judges in the Supreme Court by four. The proposed amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to raise the sanctioned strength of…
By Dr JP Singh We stand at a threshold where history is no longer patient. Wars flare across regions, distrust hardens into identity, and power increasingly outruns wisdom. From the wounds of Vietnam to the ashes of Hiroshima, from the silent grief of indigenous peoples in the Americas to present conflicts in West Asia, humanity…
Two cases decided in the same week have sent a disquieting signal: that the judiciary may be growing uncertain—if not hesitant—when it comes to dealing with hate speech. On April 29, the Supreme Court refused to order the registration of FIRs against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma over speeches made during the 2020…
A wounded man lies on a road in northeast Delhi. His face is bruised, his voice trembling. Around him stand uniformed policemen—not as protectors, but as enforcers of humiliation. He is forced to sing the national anthem. Each word falters. A blow follows. The camera does not turn away. The video—later verified and widely circulated—became…
A Nashik court on Friday remanded Tata Consultancy Services employee Nida Ejaz Khan to police custody till May 11 in connection with the alleged sexual harassment and religious coercion case registered at the company’s Nashik unit, after rejecting her anticipatory bail plea earlier this month in TCS employee harassment proceedings. Khan was arrested from Chhatrapati…
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any order for the arrest of industrialist Anil Ambani in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged bank fraud and diversion of funds involving Reliance Communications and its group entities. The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, while hearing…