What Exactly Would an Astrologer-Advisor Do in Tamil Nadu CM’s Office?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has rolled back his decision to appoint astrologer Radhan Pandit Vetrivel as an Officer on Special Duty, as reported by The Hindu, after the appointment drew criticism. The rollback did not come with any acknowledgement that it risked mixing constitutional governance with an unscientific basis for decision-making.
CJI’s ‘Cockroach’ Remarks and the Need for Judicial Restraint
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recently made remarks reportedly comparing social media critics and people who “attack the system” to “parasites of society,” and unemployed young people to “cockroaches” who become activists, media figures, or online critics and “attack everyone.” Though he later said he was misquoted, the language used by holders of the country’s highest constitutional office carries obligations different from ordinary political speech.
The Problem With West Bengal’s Election Officer Becoming the Chief Secretary
The new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has appointed Manoj Agarwal, the state’s former Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), as the next Chief Secretary, the highest-ranking bureaucrat in the state administration. The decision draws attention because Agarwal was the official responsible for overseeing the electoral process in the state, including the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, before being elevated into the executive structure of the government that later won the election.
Killing of Pastors in Manipur Was a ‘Proxy’ Attack, Kuki-Zo Groups Claim
Three Kuki-Zo Christian pastors were shot dead on May 13 after armed gunmen ambushed two vehicles travelling through Kangpokpi district in Manipur. The killings led Kuki-Zo organisations to suspect that a Naga militant faction may have carried out the attack in coordination with valley-based Meitei insurgent groups.
Muslim Gig Workers: His Name Was Bad for Business, So He Buried It
There is a specific kind of humiliation that disguises itself as practicality. Gig workers, especially Muslims, have been changing their names on professional apps, not for amusement, but because their real names cost them customers. The decision has become larger than a personal adjustment, pointing to a larger social reality hidden behind these choices. I have come across this issue at least three times in recent months.
Why Kerala Rejected Communist Rule After a Decade
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has won 102 seats in Kerala’s 140-member Assembly, ending 10 years of Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. The defeat of the LDF also means that no communist party now leads a state government anywhere in India. In Kerala itself, the scale of the result suggests that something more than a usual swing between two evenly matched alliances was underway.
Tamil Nadu Didn’t Vote for Vijay Simply Because He’s a Celebrity
Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, ending nearly six decades of alternating rule between two dominant parties. Film celebrities winning elections is not a new phenomenon in the state, but a first-time political party winning a legislative majority on its debut is. That is what was surprising, and it had nothing to do with any tendency for celebrity worship. The answer lies in how Tamil audiences have long viewed cinema.
Why West Bengal and Assam Election Results Are Being Viewed With Suspicion
In the 2026 state assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance returned to power comfortably in Assam and swept the West Bengal election, ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress. Some of this can certainly be explained through familiar electoral trends, voters rewarding an incumbent government in Assam and turning against one in Bengal. However, the debates surrounding constituency delimitation in Assam and voter roll revisions in Bengal have also led many people to ask whether state institutions and electoral procedures themselves may have tilted the playing field in favour of the ruling party at the Centre.
How Journalists Can Protect Themselves Against a Global Surveillance Industry
Governments worldwide are deploying sophisticated spyware against journalists through methods that are growing cheaper, more powerful, and harder to detect, according to a recent report by the International Federation of Journalists (IJF). For journalists who want to understand what they are up against and what they can do about it, the report also offered a set of recommendations, based on interviews with digital security specialists.
Press Freedom Situation in India ‘Very Serious’: Reporters Without Borders
India has ranked 157th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, which rated the country’s press freedom situation as “Very Serious,” the highest level of threat in the annual index.
‘We Push Them in the Dark’: Assam CM’s Statements and Their Implications
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s appearance on ABP News on April 15 may have triggered a minor diplomatic row, with Bangladesh formally objecting to offensive remarks and summoning India’s acting High Commissioner, but his answers in the interview point to a much more troubling set of issues.
Commercial Spyware, Once a Military Tool, Is Now Routinely Deployed Against Journalists
Governments worldwide are systematically deploying commercial spyware against journalists, and the business of building and selling such tools has grown into a global industry operating with little regulation or accountability, according to a study by the International Federation of Journalists, or IFJ, a Brussels-based organisation representing journalists globally.
Why Citizens Participate in the Erosion of Democracy Election After Election
As West Bengal and Tamil Nadu prepare for polling, much of the public discussion has turned, as it routinely does in election seasons, to parties, candidates, alliances and campaign arithmetic. Allegations of cash for votes, political intimidation, partisan use of institutions, extraordinary security deployment, and the blurring of state power with party power appeared well before voting day. Isn’t it surprising that amid such blatant undermining of democracy, we, as citizens, continue participating in systems we know are compromised? In fact, sometimes we help reproduce the very practices we criticise.
Menstrual Discrimination Alarming Among Dalit Sanitation Workers, a Report Suggests
Dalit women working as manual scavengers or housemaids in Delhi face severe menstrual discrimination from their employers and within their own families, with some workers seeing their wages cut and others hiding their periods to avoid punishment at work, according to a report by the Kathmandu-based advocacy organisation Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation (GSCDM).
Is Heavy Central Forces Deployment in West Bengal Election Justified?
The Election Commission has deployed more than 240,000 Central Armed Police Forces personnel for Phase 1 of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, covering 152 of the state’s 294 constituencies, with a further 500 companies to remain after counting and 200 guarding voting machines and counting centres. The scale of this deployment, relative to what the state of security in West Bengal actually warrants, is a question worth putting to the Commission directly.
‘Apology’ Accepted for Not Implementing Women’s Reservation
After the Lok Sabha rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to activate the 33 percent reservation for women by raising the House’s strength to 850 seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued an apology, placed responsibility on the opposition, and vowed to remove every obstacle to women’s reservation. However, the most consequential barrier arises from within his own party.
Lok Sabha Expansion Will Weaken Effect of Women’s Reservation
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposes to raise the sanctioned strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 and also expand state legislatures to accommodate the 33 percent reservation of seats for women. The trouble with enlarging the House, rather than reallocating seats within it, is that existing arrangements of power would be left intact, which in turn would mean male-dominated networks carry on with only limited change.
Opposition Alleges Politics Behind Women’s Reservation Law
Opposition parties have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to all political party leaders seeking their support to pass amendments during an extended sitting of Parliament, saying he framed the issue as a collective responsibility to mask what they call a political calculation.
Three Issues Ladakhi Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s Release Reveals
The Union government revoked Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act, or NSA, on March 14, just before the Supreme Court was due to resume hearing a case filed by his wife challenging the legality of his detention and seeking his release. From a legal and political perspective, the timing reveals at least three issues.
What’s Wrong When Parties Win an Election Before Voting Even Begins in Maharashtra
The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra has reportedly secured 68 of 69 municipal corporation seats without a vote being cast, as rival candidates withdrew en masse before polling. The development warrants serious concern, as one is left to ask whether intimidation, coercion, or inducement may have effectively replaced voter choice in these constituencies. It also raises the possibility of behind-the-scenes arrangements between contesting parties to prevent electoral competition. Either scenario undermines the central democratic principle of competitive elections.