FORMER Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud’s recent interview with online portal Newslaundry turned out to contain some sensational and ominous revelations of his views. These have, naturally, created a stir seldom witnessed after former justices’ post-retirement thoughts. This is so because his statements not only reveal his real thinking but also add to a public discourse steadily being built up in recent times on one of the most incendiary and divisive issues that haunts India – religious conflict and its history, especially with regard to places of worship.

THE Global Ayyappa Sangamam organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) as part of its platinum jubilee celebrations was a grand success. 4,126 participants – including 2,125 from other states and 182 from foreign countries – from 15 countries and 14 states took part in the Sangamam at Pampa on September 20. It served as a vital platform that discussed developmental projects – such as the Sabarimala Master Plan, the proposed Sabarimala Airport, and other initiatives — which are aimed at improving infrastructure and the pilgrimage experience.

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi announced a drastic change in the GST rates on August 15 during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, calling it a ‘Diwali Gift’ to the people of India. In fact, the responsibility for decision-making related to GST rates constitutionally rests with the GST Council, comprising the union finance minister and the finance ministers of all states.

UNDER the present regime, when a myriad socio-economic and political challenges confront the people of India, developments in the "domestic sphere" are often put on the back burner in agendas of resistance. This allows those who are in power to hijack the concept of "nari shakti" and make claims of "women-led development" even as they keep intact an entirely regressive approach to women in the "domestic sphere".

ON September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court denied bail to former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid and eight others in a case related to the communal riots that took place in Delhi on February 23-26, 2020. This case is generally known as the ‘larger conspiracy case’ because it is concerned with an alleged conspiracy hatched by several activists to create a communal conflagration in the capital. These activists were involved in the widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) brought in by the Modi government in 2019.