A new study has found nearly 950 hate-related incidents in India during the first year of the main ruling party’s third term. Religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, were the main targets of violence and hate speech. This rise in unchecked and largely unpunished hostility should concern all citizens, as it points to a breakdown in the rule of law and weakens the social contract – basic agreement that holds a diverse society together.

Ahead of state elections in Bihar, the Election Commission (EC) has said it will make voters submit proof of their own and their parents’ birth details, including citizenship documents, as part of a special intensive revision of the electoral roll. The move imposes a level of bureaucratic scrutiny that is not only difficult to meet for many citizens, but also raises questions about the intention and timing of such an exercise in a politically sensitive state.

Today marks 50 years since the Emergency was imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. She suspended constitutional rights, arrested political opponents, and centralised authority in a way that turned the democracy into something unrecognisable almost overnight. The anniversary reminds us that the power we give to our representatives can be used against us, and that the interests of ordinary people and those of the political elite do not always move in the same direction.

In international conflicts, we often treat entire countries as if they share a single belief or intention. It makes it seem like all of America and Israel want to bomb Iran and Palestine, or that every Iranian threatens Israel and the U.S. This “monolith” thinking distorts our responses and fuels misdirected anger. It divides ordinary people as observers and lets those in power claim to speak for entire nations, even when many disagree within their borders.

In a strongly worded advisory to its citizens, the United States government has warned against travel to several parts of India, citing the growing incidence of violent crime and the alleged threat of terrorism. The advisory places India under the “exercise increased caution” category, flagging sexual assault as one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently summoned two senior advocates over legal opinions given to a client under investigation, then withdrew the summons following widespread criticism from legal bodies across India for violating attorney-client privilege and undermining the independence of the legal profession. The move also suggests that once the ED opens an investigation, legal advice given to the accused itself becomes grounds for suspicion.

The Karnataka government's proposal to extend the daily working hours from 10 to 12 and increase overtime allowances from 50 to 144 hours over three months runs counter to both the spirit and the scientific rationale of labour law. Such an amendment disregards decades of evidence about the physical, mental and social toll of prolonged work hours.

On June 19, voters in five Assembly constituencies across Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal are casting their ballots to choose new representatives for seats that have fallen vacant. But reading the newspapers, that purpose is barely visible. As usual, most headlines have reduced the exercise to a contest between two alliances – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA and the Congress party-led INDIA bloc.

At the conclusion of the G7 summit in Canada on June 17, leaders of the seven countries issued a statement condemning transnational repression (TNR). Here’s a look at what TNR means, and whether it also hints at India.

The central government’s gazette notification for India’s upcoming 2027 census omits the word “caste.” This, despite earlier public assurances that caste data would be collected. The absence of explicit mention has triggered accusations of deliberate evasion. Is the reluctance tied to the disruptive potential of a full caste enumeration—one that could unsettle the ideological foundations of Hindu nationalist politics?

A recently released AI Index 2025 by Stanford University presents evidence that many AI systems now perform better than average human scores in several professional tasks. These systems are already influencing how decisions are made and how work gets done. Students and professionals, therefore, need to understand what this developing situation demands and how to respond to stay effective and relevant.

Israel and Iran are engaged in direct military confrontation, following an Israeli air and drone assault on June 13 targeting critical nuclear and military installations deep inside Iran. Let’s look at the roots of this confrontation and examine why public opinion on this conflict around the world, including in India, remains deeply divided.

The official inflation rate is released every month and is used by policymakers and the media as an indicator of whether life is becoming more expensive for citizens. But a paper by the World Inequality Lab shows that this average number hides big gaps in how rising prices affect people at different income levels, especially the poor.

India–Pakistan tensions remain in the news more than a month after a ceasefire or agreement was reached. Despite the end of direct hostilities, Operation Sindoor continues, and the ruling party has sent a delegation abroad to lobby foreign governments to pressure Pakistan. Interestingly, this delegation includes members of the opposition. It might seem intuitive that the government deserves full support from all sides in matters of national security—but political science suggests otherwise.

A recent independent study reveals a disconnect between official poverty estimates and the everyday reality of food access for much of the population. The researchers used government data and constructed what they call a “Thali Index,” which suggests that more than half of India’s population cannot afford to eat even one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian meal a day.