Nearly 34% of India’s population lives on less than 100 rupees ($1.2) a day, according to the latest household consumption expenditure survey. Further, 47.3% of Indians manage with less than 200 rupees ($2.4) daily. Combined, these figures account for 81.1% of the population living under this threshold.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on July 10 revoked the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of the parent entity of the non-profit Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA), a group known for its rigorous analysis of financial institutions’ impacts on development, human rights and the environment. The cancellation was ostensibly due to improper financial filings from 2018 and 2019, but Joe Athialy, CFA’s Executive Director, suspects the timing and rationale are politically motivated, aimed at stifling criticism of government policies.

Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math in Uttarakhand, has publicly supported Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who has faced criticism from leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his comments on Hindus and Hinduism in the Lok Sabha. In a media interview, the Shankaracharya affirmed that Gandhi’s speech resonated with the non-violent teachings of Hinduism. He also noted that distorting someone’s remarks constitutes a crime and calls for accountability.

A video clip of the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, circulated widely by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and supporters, has stirred controversy by suggesting he labelled the entire Hindu community as violent. However, a complete review of the Parliamentary footage by the fact-checking site Alt News reveals the claims are misleading.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma has communicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the northeastern state will not engage in the forced deportation of Zo ethnic individuals from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts. Since 2022, about 2,000 civilian refugees have sought asylum in Mizoram in response to military operations against a local militia by the Bangladeshi Army. Lalduhoma’s refusal to deport the asylum seekers aligns with the spirit of India’s Constitution.

A petition filed before the Supreme Court is calling for the confiscation of all funds collected through the controversial electoral bonds scheme, initially introduced in 2018 and recently struck down. The petitioner is also urging the formation of a committee led by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate potential quid pro quo benefits granted to donors by public authorities under political influence.

In a judgment regarding a bail appeal filed by a man charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Supreme Court of India has pointed out that bail should not be used as a punishment and clearly articulated the constitutional right to a speedy trial. The Court has reasserted a foundational principle of criminal jurisprudence: the presumption of innocence, as enshrined in the Constitution of India.

A new study examining the effects of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on daily death rates across 10 Indian cities has indicated that even modest increases in PM2.5 levels can elevate the daily death rate. The study also revealed that locally sourced pollution significantly intensifies the impact on mortality rates.

Over the past three years, a staggering 31,801 women and girls have been reported missing — that’s an average of 28 women and three girls each day, in Madhya Pradesh. This statistic, disclosed during a state assembly session in response to questions, reflects a possible human trafficking crisis in the state.

Emerging details from media reports suggest several failings by local authorities and the police in preventing the tragedy of the stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, where at least 121 people, mostly women and children, had died as of July 3.

The provision for preventive arrest under Section 172 of the new criminal code, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), raises significant jurisprudential concerns, especially when compared to existing legal standards and principles of justice and fairness as established in landmark cases and constitutional doctrines.

In India, the wedding industry is a behemoth, tipping the scales at a staggering 10 trillion rupees, or $130 billion, according to a report by investment banking and capital markets firms. The average Indian family, the report suggests, spends twice as much on tying the knot as they do on educating the future knot tiers. This confirms our knowledge and experience that Indian weddings are mega-events, rivalling the GDP of some small countries. But should we be content with and continue this trend?