As India gears up to enact three sweeping new criminal laws effective July 1, 2024, civil liberties advocate and Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising has sounded a significant alarm. Urging a delay in the implementation of these laws, Jaising points out not only potential constitutional infringements but also the risk of increasing the already considerable pressures on the judiciary.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has authorised the prosecution of Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy and Prof. Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in connection with a 14-year-old police complaint. This marks the first major enforcement of the controversial law under the third term of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This comes 10 days after the national election results which were widely regarded as a mandate for good governance and a verdict against the government’s alleged heavy-handedness.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG (Undergraduate) 2024 exam, an essential pathway for students aspiring to medical careers in India, is currently embroiled in controversy due to widespread allegations of paper leaks and exam malpractices. The issue has sparked national concern, and caused considerable anxiety and stress among 2.3 million students who prepared for the exam.

In a speech, Justice K.V. Viswanathan of the Supreme Court put forth a proposition that a disinformation law similar to that of Singapore might offer a partial solution to the spread of false information in India. Singapore’s law empowers the government to instruct publishers to place correct information alongside false reports, adhering to the notion that the remedy for false speech is more speech. This principle may seem straightforward, but it fails to take into account the intricacies of Indian politics and society.

Manipur is witnessing renewed violence, with the latest escalations being reported from Jiribam district, an area that borders Assam’s Cachar district, after a Meitei farmer’s death was attributed to a Kuki-Zo armed group. Recently, two individuals from the Hmar-Mizo tribal communities, which are part of the larger Zo tribe, were reportedly killed, and 48 houses and a church owned by tribals were destroyed, displacing more than 800 tribal and 220 Meitei residents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made public statements just before the national elections, hinting at a favourable outcome for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), suggesting that this would positively impact the stock market. On May 13, Shah said, “Buy shares before June 4th.” On May 19, Modi predicted the stock market would “break records” on the counting day.

Some pollsters are attempting to minimize the apparent decline of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha election results by drawing attention to the party’s vote share, which has decreased by only 0.7% compared to the 2019 election results. However, despite their expertise as psephologists, they are overlooking the fact that gauging a political party’s popularity and success solely by its overall vote share in a first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system can indeed be simplistic and misleading.

In a troubling turn of events linked to an August 2020 assault on journalists from The Caravan magazine, Delhi Police have now designated these same journalists as accused in a related criminal case. The journalists – Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh and a female reporter – were attacked by a mob in northeast Delhi, which included communal slurs and threats of murder. The female journalist was also subjected to sexual harassment during the incident.

Two Muslim men were beaten to death by cow vigilantes while transporting buffaloes in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on June 7, as reported by News18 Hindi. The attack occurred just three days after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results, which are widely being viewed as a rejection of the use of communal issues in politics.

The mood is sombre among the members and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite their “victory” in the national election. Although they won, the party did not secure enough seats to form a government without relying its coalition. The outcome fell short of their expectations and claims of overwhelming popularity. And the voters who provided a reality check on their actual popularity primarily reside in rural areas, as indicated by the election results. These individuals, who constitute the majority of the Indian populace, were anticipated by the BJP to remain mere spectators to India’s projected economic advancements.

The 2024 election results have dealt a significant blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), shattering its confidence in its ability to mobilise voters using its Hindutva ideology, which promotes Hindu nationalism and marginalises religious minorities. This shift is reflected in the overall results of the election, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, a city central to the party’s Hindutva agenda.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar told Scroll.in that it was the decision of the Election Commission to refrain from taking action against the top two leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party, despite apparent violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). This unprecedented – and unworthy-of-precedence – decision brings to light two major issues that challenge the core principles of our democratic system.

The central government frequently responded with “no data” to parliamentary questions concerning at least 10 vital issues, according to an analysis by IndiaSpend. Between 2015 and 2023, out of 35 key questions regarding health, education and public safety, the government claimed that data was not maintained in 17 instances.

Floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Remal have claimed nearly 60 lives and affected hundreds of thousands of people in the northeastern states of Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya. As many of these states have regions that are difficult to access and telecommunication can be challenging during disasters, it is likely that the death toll will rise in the coming days.