In the backdrop of the continuing embargo on non-forest activities in notified ridge areas and the requirement of judicial clearance under the forest and environmental protection framework, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking prior approval for the diversion and regulated use of forest land situated in the…
By JP Singh Temples can be destroyed, repaired, and rebuilt. Mountains, however—like the Aravallis, now at the centre of a grave controversy—once destroyed, can never be rebuilt. Temples may rise again through human devotion and wealth; mountains cannot—for they are not human artefacts, but the very architecture of life. Mountain ranges protect forests, flora, and…
By Annunthra Rangan Since its violent birth in 1971, Bangladesh has struggled to secure enduring institutional stability. From the trauma of Partition to cycles of military rule and dynastic political rivalry, Dhaka has rarely enjoyed the continuity needed to consolidate democracy. Today, once again, the country stands at a volatile crossroads—torn between competing street movements,…
By Binny Yadav The story of India over the last 11 years is, in many ways, the story that began the night Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched. In September 2015, in Bisada village near Dadri, a rumour—amplified through a temple loudspeaker—claimed that Akhlaq had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator. Within hours, suspicion…
By Kumkum Chadha “What’s in a name?” Would William Shakespeare be turning in his grave? Quite likely because when he wrote the famous and kind of immortal line, he had not imagined that centuries later, politicians would spar over a name. For the uninitiated, it is in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet that the “what’s…
By Sanjay Raman Sinha On December 29, 2025, a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih, stayed the Delhi High Court order granting bail to expelled BJP MLA and Unnao rape convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar. The Delhi High Court had suspended his sentence…
By Kenneth Tiven The potential for a new era in American political life now rests on Zohran Mamdani—who is far more than just the youngest mayor in New York City’s history. Born in Kampala, 34 years ago to Indian parents, the Ugandan-American brings a distinctive blend of populist thinking, social-media fluency, intellectual grounding, and emotional…
By Inderjit Badhwar This is not just another legal review. This is a story about the institution that ultimately decides the meaning of justice in India. As the Supreme Court completed 75 years, it found itself under unprecedented scrutiny. Three chief justices in a single year symbolised both dynamism and instability. The Court presided over…
The Madras High Court has reiterated that in the absence of a specific statutory mandate, the State could not compel a private landowner to obtain prior permission for erecting a memorial structure on patta land, adding that notwithstanding public perception portraying the late Stan Swamy as a tribal rights activist, his undisputed legal status was…
The Union government has approved the elevation of Justice MS Sonak, presently a judge of the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. As per a statement issued by Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in exercise of powers under Articles 217 and 222 of the Constitution…