India’s New Counter-Terror Policy Expands Powers but Success Will Depend on Safeguards
The central government has launched a new counter terrorism policy called Prahaar. The framework appears ambitious and technology driven, and it resembles Western models of prevention, intelligence coordination and disruption of extremist networks. Western systems generally operate with multiple layers of legal safeguards that have evolved alongside state enforcement powers. Implementation in India also requires careful attention to several cautions to guard against potential misuse.
Should Private Companies Be Allowed to Run Public Services?
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched the National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0, a plan that aims to raise about 16.72 trillion (16.72 lakh crore) rupees by allowing private companies to operate public assets such as highways, railways, airports and energy networks for fixed periods. The government presents the move as a way to fund new infrastructure without increasing taxes or borrowing, but for ordinary citizens, the policy carries a set of risks that deserve careful scrutiny.
New Study Shows How AI Could Help Curb Trafficking in South Asia
A survivor-informed policy paper suggests that artificial intelligence can help disrupt trafficking networks linked to cyber scam compounds in South Asia and nearby regions, by spotting digital signals early enough to guide human intervention. The findings deserve the attention of authorities in India and across South and Southeast Asia, because earlier detection buys time, and time gives people, embassies and investigators space to act before coercion hardens into captivity.
‘No One’ Killed This Manipur MLA, and That Defines the State’s Accountability Crisis
Vungzagin Valte, a Manipur MLA from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), died on February 21 after nearly three years of medical complications caused by a mob attack during the 2023 violence. His case remains pending and no arrests have been reported so far. The continuing absence of visible justice may further deepen the political disillusionment of the Kuki-Zo community in its relationship with the state government.
India’s Dalits, Muslims Live in Isolated Housing With Poor Services: Study
Dalits and Muslims across India live in sharply segregated neighbourhoods that receive weaker access to essential public services. Evidence drawn from nationwide administrative and census data shows that inequality is most severe at the smallest geographic scale of settlement.
Detention Without Accurate Evidence Threatens Constitutional Liberty in Wangchuk’s Case
India’s Supreme Court is scrutinising the preventive detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk after noticing a prima facie discrepancy between the Ladakhi speech he delivered and the translated transcript relied upon by government authorities to justify his confinement, along with a possible failure to supply the complete evidentiary record to him. The main constitutional concern arising from this development is whether the extraordinary executive power to detain without trial has been exercised on the basis of material that is accurate, genuine and procedurally fair.
New IT Rule Orders 3-Hour Content Removal, Threatening Free Speech, Privacy
The central government has notified amendments to the Information Technology Rules, requiring online platforms to remove content within three hours of receiving an official government order, and introducing new legal requirements for detecting, labelling and tracing AI generated or altered media. The design risks rapid removal of lawful speech and deeper intrusion into user privacy because platforms that fail to follow government orders can lose their legal protection from being held responsible for what users post.
A New Treatment for Diabetes Brings Hope for India
A new class of medicines is quietly changing the way doctors treat type 2 diabetes. These drugs, called SGLT-2 inhibitors, are taken once a day as tablets. In the U.K., researchers have found that they lower the risk of early death by nearly a quarter compared to older diabetes drugs. For India, where diabetes affects over 100 million people and is often diagnosed late, this could make a serious difference, if doctors and policy makers move fast.
Opposition Threatens Speaker with No-Confidence Motion, Citing Partisan Conduct
Opposition parties in Lok Sabha have warned they may file a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of obstructing the parliamentary rights of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The standoff, now entering a second week, centres on Gandhi being denied permission to speak about a controversial unpublished book by former army chief Manoj Naravane, while members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were permitted to make attacks against the Nehru-Gandhi family without censure.
On Manipur’s New ‘Phantom’ Government
Manipur now has a new government, which on paper, signals the return of democratic rule after a one-year spell of President’s Rule. But in reality, the state remains deeply divided and only partially governed, with large sections of the population still excluded from its reach since a deadly and prolonged wave of violence began on May 3, 2023. The situation calls to mind the idea of a “phantom government,” a structure that holds office but cannot carry out the basic functions of governance.
A Political Science View of Assam CM’s Threat Against Activist Harsh Mander
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has threatened to file “at least 100 cases” against activist Harsh Mander after Mander lodged a legal complaint accusing him of hate speech against Bengali Muslims. The threat suggests that Sarma sees legal action as a means to settle political scores rather than address genuine legal concerns.
Supreme Court Affirms Menstrual Health as Part of Right to Life
Adolescent girls in many parts of India miss several days of school each month during their periods due to lack of sanitary products, inadequate toilets and fear of public embarrassment. In response to this widespread exclusion, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that access to menstrual health is part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The ruling affirms that denying girls the means to manage their periods in school violates their right to live with dignity, safety and equal opportunity.
What We Can Do to Resist Gig Worker Exploitation
Hundreds of thousands of gig workers across India logged out of the apps they work for, staging a coordinated strike to demand better wages, safety and dignity from their employers. But the focus now shifts to us, the customers. These platforms, like Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit and Amazon, operate because we use them. So what could we do, as consumers, to support the workers who bring us our food, groceries and parcels?
Algorithms Now Decide Wages, Work, Punishment in India’s App Economy
A new study on gig workers employed through digital platforms has found that app-based companies are using algorithms to make decisions about pay, work assignments and punishment without offering any explanation or way to appeal. The system deprives workers of basic rights, treats them as disposable and creates conditions that must be called out as unjust and dangerous.
Cobrapost: Public-Funded Loan Firm Routed ₹100 Billion to Insiders Without Disclosure
An investigation by the journalism organisation Cobrapost has alleged that a large, publicly listed finance company, which gives out loans using money borrowed from banks, financial institutions and everyday investors, carried out transactions worth over 100 billion rupees (₹10,000 crore) that appear to benefit family members and senior executives, with many of these deals not properly disclosed as related-party transactions.
Should the Government Be Allowed to Track Our Location Without Consent?
The central government is weighing a proposal to require smartphone manufacturers to keep satellite-based location tracking permanently active on all devices sold in the country. This would allow law enforcement and investigative agencies to access our precise, real-time location data, a step no other country has taken so far.