Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Law Over Intimidation

The Calcutta High Court has done what constitutional institutions must in moments of political heat—stand firm, remain restrained, and uphold the larger democratic purpose. By refusing to interfere with the Election Commission of India’s decision to deploy 2,500 companies of central forces for the second phase of the West Bengal elections, the court has reinforced…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Kaleshwaram Collapse

If there is one constant in India’s political theatre, it is this: corruption scandals erupt with thunder, dominate headlines with moral outrage, and then quietly dissolve into procedural fog. The Kaleshwaram project—once showcased as an engineering triumph and later exposed as a multi-crore controversy—now risks becoming another case study in how India’s political class and…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

One Constitution, Equal Law

The latest hearings before the Constitution bench on the Sabarimala Temple entry case have once again exposed a fault line India has long refused to confront honestly: can a modern republic afford multiple, competing religious codes operating under the same Constitution? What began as a legal debate over women’s entry into the Sabarimala Temple has…

Read More
Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Quota Politics, Numbers Betrayed

The defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday was not merely a legislative setback—it was a revealing moment of political priorities, contradictions, and calculated posturing. When a Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at ensuring greater representation for nearly half of India’s population fails to secure the mandated two-thirds majority, it exposes…

Read More