There is nothing wrong with questioning the outcomes of foreign policy. In fact, a healthy democracy must encourage such scrutiny. But when a senior Congress leader like P. Chidambaram, a former Finance and Home Minister, publicly asks what tangible benefits Bharat has derived from BRICS, the timing and tone of the criticism deserve to be…
There is a disturbing new trend in Bharat’s television journalism: when facts do not fit a preferred narrative, facts are simply shouted down. The Matthew Aaron VanDyke case is the latest example of how television journalism can become dangerously irresponsible when sensationalism overtakes verification. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made its position clear. It…
The judiciary is supposed to be the last refuge of the common citizen when the legislature fails to make the right laws and the executive fails to enforce them fairly. That is precisely why the latest signs of institutional friction within the higher judiciary should concern every citizen—not merely the legal fraternity. The question is…
There is a point when legitimate concern becomes political habit, and when genuine grievances are repeatedly invoked, they risk becoming little more than a convenient narrative. In Bharat, minorities certainly have the right to complain if they face discrimination. But they also have a corresponding responsibility to acknowledge the enormous political, constitutional and social space…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have mastered a political craft that few of his contemporaries can match: turning an adverse situation into an advantage, converting criticism into a counter-narrative and, often, putting the Opposition on the defensive with a phrase that becomes the talking point of the day. His recent address at Delhi University’s…
The Supreme Court is undoubtedly one of the most important institutions in a democracy. Its responsibility extends beyond interpreting laws; it also has to strike a delicate balance between individual rights, institutional accountability and the larger requirement of maintaining public order. In my view, that balance becomes particularly important when legitimate grievances spill over into…
The reopening of the Disha Salian death case may not, by itself, spell the “end of the road” for Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. But politically and legally, it certainly opens a new and potentially uncomfortable chapter for the Thackeray family. The Bombay High Court’s decision to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)…
The controversy over a burqa-wearing woman being stopped at Mumbai’s Dr R.N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital is unfortunate, but the attempt to turn an apparent lapse in security procedure into a sweeping constitutional battle over the burqa is equally unwarranted. The first point must be made unambiguously: the security guard was wrong to demand that…
The Supreme Court’s decision to quash FIRs against students who participated in protests over the NEET examination controversy is, on the face of it, a compassionate and welcome intervention. No young person who merely exercised the democratic right to protest peacefully should have his or her academic future permanently damaged by a criminal case arising…
For years, one familiar refrain dominated discussions on Bharat’s defence manufacturing: Bharat cannot even make a decent assault rifle on its own. The critics had a point once. Bharat’s small-arms story was hardly inspiring. The INSAS, despite being an indigenous effort, acquired a reputation for reliability problems, while the armed forces remained dependent on imports…
