Category: Politics

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant drew heavy flak over an alleged crackdown on dissent in India following his lecture at Birkbeck, University of London. 

The incident comes when CJI was addressing an audience on the topic “ArtificialIntelligence and International Law,” at Birkbeck, University of London.  The video of the incident which went viral on Instagram shows a student questioning Kant about his controversial “cockroach” comment associated with unemployed youth. 

However, the moderator did not permit the question to be raised, “With all due respect, I would not be able to take up that question since the topic concerns artificial intelligence and international law,”  the moderator said. 

“We now hear from a number of legal observers within the country as well as internationally that there is a great deal of concern about growing hostility to dissent within India. And it does seem that this hostility is somewhat reflected in His Lordship’s speech, and it is very well publicised,” one of the attendees said.

Following this the High Commission of India in London issued a statement which condemned the act. 

Addressing a lecture on “Artificial Intelligence and International Law” at Birkbeck, University of London, on Thursday, Kant discussed the implications of emerging AI technologies for legal frameworks and global governance. The lecture concluded with an audience interaction.

The event examined how AI is reshaping legal institutions and international regulatory structures, while raising questions about accountability, ethics, and the future of justice.

“Technology itself is neither inherently benevolent nor inherently harmful. Its impact depends upon the legal, political, and ethical frameworks within which societies choose to deploy it,” Justice Kant said during his address.

“The responsibility of law, therefore, is neither to resist technological progress nor to surrender unquestioningly before it. Its responsibility is to ensure that technological power remains accountable to constitutional values, democratic legitimacy, and human dignity,” he said.

“A lively discussion followed his address. Thereafter a certain individual tried to disrupt the event,” reads the Indian High Commission statement, released on social media.

“Such indecorous audience behaviour is unacceptable and inconsistent with respectful engagement that should govern public discourse.

“Differences of opinion are a natural part of a democratic society. However, they must be expressed in a manner that is civil and respectful,” it adds.

Kant on Friday, delivered the inaugural address at the Indian Council of Arbitration’s (ICA) international conference on the topic ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a Catalyst for Strengthening India-UK Economic Partnership.

West Bengal’s assembly election has changed the political dynamics; the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory has not only security but has also emerged victorious in the Muslim-dominated districts. 

Out of 43 assembly seats encompassing three districts, the BJP has risen from only eight seats in 2021 to now winning 19 seats. At the same time, the unexpected reduction has been seen with TMC, previously winning 35 seats now coming down to 22. 

Murshidabad, which has around 66% of the Muslims, has also seen a drastic cut down. In 2021, the party backed 20 out of 22 seats here, and this time it has come down to only nine. It is imperative to note that the SIR exercise in this area has approximately witnessed 7.8 lakh names deleted. 

“While the TMC has argued that the deletions disproportionately affected its support base, the electoral data suggests that the fragmentation of votes among Congress, CPI(M), and AJUP amplified the damage,” political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said as reported by Siasat.com. 

In Raninagar, the Congress moved ahead of the TMC by a narrow margin, and the CPI (M) had a significant vote share, dividing the share of votes that was once a consolidated TMC-backed minority vote. 

The similar picture unfolded in Malda, with improvements in the BJP’s result. However, the TMC here emerged weak with a splitting in Muslim votes. In the meantime, the Congress, which has historic reinforcement in it, managed only limited success in this. In South 24 Parganas and Birbhum, the BJP won the throne. 

The results this time show a significant shift in the winning pattern, where TMC earlier had managed to emerge victorious against the BJP. 

“That strategic voting behavior appears to have weakened, with sections of Muslim voters returning to the Congress and Left, while others gravitated towards emerging regional alternatives like AJUP and the Indian Secular Front,” a senior TMC leader said.

Early counting trends in the Kerala Assembly elections suggest a clear advantage for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which is ahead in a substantial majority of seats. Data released by the Election Commission of India indicates the alliance leading in over 90 constituencies, comfortably crossing the halfway mark in the 140-member House.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), spearheaded by the CPI(M), is trailing behind with leads in fewer than 50 seats. Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has made limited inroads, leading in only a small number of constituencies.

Chief Minister Trails in Key Electoral Battle

One of the biggest early developments comes from Dharmadom, where Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is currently behind his Congress challenger V. P. Abdul Rasheed. The margin has crossed 2,500 votes in the initial rounds, making this a closely watched contest. Vijayan is aiming for a third straight victory from the constituency.

The counting exercise began in the morning with postal ballots, followed by successive rounds of EVM tallying. Officials have set up counting centres across multiple locations in the state, with security tightened to ensure smooth proceedings.

Setbacks for LDF Ministers

Early trends indicate that several prominent members of the outgoing government are struggling in their respective seats. A number of ministers, including senior cabinet figures, are trailing—pointing to a broader electoral challenge for the LDF beyond isolated constituencies.

The UDF’s advantage is not confined to a single region. In the high-range district of Idukki, the alliance is ahead in all constituencies, underlining a strong rural and hill-area performance.

In Thiruvananthapuram, senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan has moved ahead in Vattiyurkavu. In Palakkad, UDF candidate Ramesh Pisharody is leading against BJP’s Sobha Surendran.

At the party level, the Indian National Congress is emerging as the single largest contributor to the UDF tally, with leads in around 50 seats. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) follows with significantly fewer leads, while allies like the Indian Union Muslim League are also adding to the UDF’s momentum.

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has struck down the preventive detention of Mehraj Malik, delivering a significant legal victory to the Aam Aadmi Party leader who had been held under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) since September 2025.

In its ruling on Monday, the court set aside the detention order after finding that the grounds cited by authorities did not meet the threshold required for such stringent action. The judgment came in response to a habeas corpus petition filed shortly after Malik’s arrest, with hearings spanning several months before the bench reserved its verdict in February this year.

With the order now quashed, Malik is likely to be released once procedural formalities are completed, unless he is wanted in any other case.

Malik’s detention had drawn widespread attention, marking a rare instance of a sitting legislator being booked under the PSA, a law that permits detention without formal charges for up to two years. The order had been issued by the Doda District Magistrate, who accused the MLA of posing a threat to public order, citing multiple cases and complaints registered against him over the past decade.

The episode followed a public confrontation between Malik and Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh in early September, which circulated widely on social media. The dispute reportedly involved concerns over flood relief distribution, wage delays, and the relocation of a health facility in Kencha village. In the aftermath, government employees protested in support of the district administration, alleging interference by the legislator.

Malik was subsequently detained while traveling to flood-affected areas and was initially lodged in Bhaderwah before being shifted to Kathua.

The arrest triggered criticism from across political lines. Leaders from parties including the National Conference, Congress, PDP, and AAP questioned the use of the PSA in this case. Arvind Kejriwal and Omar Abdullah were among those who described the detention as politically motivated.

Responding to the court’s decision, Omar Abdullah reiterated his stance, calling the detention “a gross misuse of law” and asserting that it should never have happened. He expressed hope that the ruling would prompt greater accountability and reflection on the use of preventive detention laws in the region.

Throughout his incarceration, Malik maintained that the allegations against him were exaggerated and driven by political considerations. His legal counsel argued that the detention lacked sufficient basis and violated constitutional safeguards—arguments that ultimately found favor with the court.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has triggered fresh political debate with remarks drawing a sharp religious distinction among migrants from Bangladesh, made during campaigning for the West Bengal Assembly elections.

Addressing a public gathering on Saturday, Sarma argued that Hindus and Muslims migrating from Bangladesh should not be treated as a single category. He said Hindus fleeing Bangladesh should be recognised as refugees due to religious persecution, while Muslims entering India without legal documentation should be classified as illegal migrants liable for deportation.

He criticised the Trinamool Congress for what he described as a deliberate conflation of the two groups, stating that such an approach obscures what he sees as clear legal and humanitarian differences. Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, Sarma said the law provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.

Reiterating the Bharatiya Janata Party’s position, Sarma said the term infiltrator applies specifically to undocumented Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, while Hindu migrants should be considered refugees.

The Chief Minister also raised concerns about demographic changes in Assam, claiming that unchecked migration has contributed to a rise in the state’s Muslim population. He described the issue as linked to national security and regional stability, adding that authorities have intensified border enforcement measures. According to him, 20 individuals were recently pushed back across the border within 24 hours, and more than 400 people have been deported in recent months.

Describing the BJP’s approach as decisive, Sarma said the party aims to balance what it views as humanitarian responsibility towards persecuted minorities with strict action against illegal immigration, particularly in border states such as Assam and West Bengal.

The remarks come at a time when migration, citizenship and identity remain central to the West Bengal election campaign. While the BJP has defended the Citizenship Amendment Act as a measure to protect vulnerable minorities, critics argue that framing migration along religious lines raises constitutional and secular concerns and adds to an already polarised political climate.

Donations to national political parties rose sharply by 161% in the financial year 2024–25, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) receiving the largest share of contributions.

The report, based on disclosures submitted to the Election Commission, shows that the BJP alone received nearly ten times the total funds secured by all other national parties combined during the period. The BJP’s total collections were more than ten times the combined donations received by the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), and the National People’s Party (NPP), highlighting a widening gap in political funding among national parties.

As per ADR data, total donations above ₹20,000 stood at ₹6,648.563 crore, contributed by 11,343 donors. Of this, the BJP received ₹6,074.015 crore from 5,522 donors. The Indian National Congress was a distant second, reporting ₹517.394 crore in donations from 2,501 donors.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), meanwhile, stated that it did not receive any donations above ₹20,000 during the year, maintaining a position it has held for the past 19 years.

Among other parties, the AAP reported donations of ₹27.044 crore, marking a 244% increase, while the NPP received ₹1.943 crore, reflecting a 1,313% rise, though from a much smaller base.

Corporate contributions continued to dominate political funding. Of the total donations, ₹6,128.787 crore, or 92.18%, came from corporate donors, while individual donors contributed ₹505.66 crore, or 7.61%.

Overall contributions increased by ₹4,104.285 crore compared to the previous financial year. The BJP’s donations rose by 171%, from ₹2,243.947 crore in 2023–24 to ₹6,074.015 crore in 2024–25. Donations to the Congress also grew by 84%, from ₹281.48 crore to ₹517.394 crore.

The BJP received ₹5,717.167 crore from corporate donors, about 13 times more than the combined corporate contributions of ₹411.62 crore received by all other national parties. The party also reported ₹345.94 crore in donations from individual contributors. The Congress received ₹383.86 crore from companies and ₹132.39 crore from individual donors.

Controversy sweeps over West Bengal’s Basirhat North Assembly constituency as 340 voters, all Muslims, belonging to a single booth were removed from the electoral roll in the supplementary list.

These people, all belonging to the Muslim community, had previously been labeled as “under adjudication” in the draft roll, and eventually their names were deleted on the first supplementary list.

Alleging disproportionate impact on Muslim voters, protesters raised questions over possible bias in the deletions. Many residents said the process was opaque and appeared to be driven by political considerations.

Anger has mounted amid the lack of clarity from authorities, with protesters calling for reinstatement of names and a transparent reassessment.

The situation snowballed as it was learned that the Booth Level Officer (BLO), Md. Shafiul Alam, was among those whose names have been deleted, leading to protests, alleging that it is a move taken based on their community. 

Alam said his attempts to seek redress from the Block Development Officer of Basirhat Block II yielded no result, with officials stating that no further action could be taken while the Electoral Registration Officer remained unreachable.

The dispute arises from Booth No. 5 under Begumpur Bibipur Gram Panchayat in Basirhat Block 2. The booth had 992 registered cases, and 38 were removed due to death or relocation. 358 voters were called for hearings over eligibility concerns. Out of these, 18 cases were resolved, and another 340, all Muslims, were placed under adjudication and then eventually deleted. 

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the BJP and Election Commission are undermining democracy through the SIP and said that the next step could be to remove people through the NRC. 

“The EC, BJP, and the center are not following the Constitution. They are trying to snatch voting rights,” she said. 

“We got Independence at midnight, and we feel proud of it. But today, they have forgotten independence. They are not following the Constitution or democracy. They are snatching away people’s voting rights,” she said.

As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are ready to take a start in 2027, political parties have started gearing up for the contest. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited Gorakhpur on Wednesday, appeared in full swing of the campaign, launching sharp digs at the opposition. 

The chief minister was speaking at a workers’ interaction program held at the Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium, organized to mark nine years of the state government’s tenure under the theme ‘Nine Years of Unprecedented Development and Continuous Prosperity in Uttar Pradesh.’

Referring to the construction of the Ram Temple, he said that what could not be achieved for generations has now become a reality. He said that places like Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Maa Vindhyavasini Dham have witnessed a significant change. “Visit any temple and you will notice the change. We have allocated funds for the beautification of around 1,500 temples. Earlier, this was not the case. Temples did not receive such facilities. The money used to go to कब्रिस्तान (graveyards),” he said.

“They claim we diverted funds meant for graveyards. We did not divert anything. It was government and public money. You preferred spending it on graveyards; we prefer spending it on temples. People act according to what they value,” he said, referring to the remarks by a Samajwadi Party leader. 

Furthermore, the chief minister said that this is the first government in Uttar Pradesh that has completed a full five-year term and returned to power with a two-thirds majority. “This was possible because party workers worked at the grassroots level,” he said.

He also spoke about Ayodhya and said that earlier people visited the city, which faced police actions and poor conditions, and today the same city has emerged as a beautiful city with a grand Ram Temple included in it. 

Moving further, he said, “Booklets have been distributed at the division, ward, and booth levels. These achievements must be discussed at the grassroots. If we do not talk about them, people will forget.

Targeting dynastic politics, the chief minister said the state had once faced an identity crisis marked by mafia influence and poor governance, which he attributed to caste-based and family-driven politics. “Such politics prevented capable workers from rising, with power concentrated within a single family,” he said.

“If you mentioned where you were from, people would step back,” he remarked.

Posing a set of questions, the chief minister asked who was behind the state’s identity crisis, who denied development to generations, and who failed to respond to children suffering from encephalitis. He said the state has moved from power shortages to a more stable electricity supply.

“People once struggled for an AIIMS; today it has been established. Under the double-engine government led by Prime Minister Modi, encephalitis has been effectively controlled,” he said.

The chief minister, highlighting the changes over the past nine years, said that Uttar Pradesh has transformed from unrest to celebrations. “Those who once pushed the state into riots and instability should not be allowed to find new issues. Do not become a tool in the hands of the opposition. Stay alert against those who try to use you,” he added.

Tensions flared in Bihar’s Patna district on Wednesday after a student leader publicly burned a copy of the Manusmriti during a protest against the UGC Equity Regulations 2026, an act that was followed by a controversial video by a Hindutva leader threatening retaliation.

The incident occurred at Patna College, where Left-leaning and Dalit student groups had gathered to protest the proposed regulations. During the demonstration, Manish Kumar, a former president of the Patna University Students’ Union, set fire to the Manusmriti while addressing the crowd. In videos that later circulated on social media, he is heard asserting that the country would be governed by the Constitution rather than the ancient text.

Soon after clips of the protest spread online, Madhavlal Kashyap, associated with the group Hindu Swabhiman Bihar, posted a video issuing threats and making derogatory remarks targeting a religious community. In the video, he warned of burning copies of the Quran across Bihar if action was not taken against the student leader within 24 hours. He also made objectionable references to key Islamic figures.

The remarks triggered concern and prompted police action. An FIR was registered at a cybercrime police station against Kashyap for allegedly sharing inflammatory content on social media. According to officials, the posts were examined and found to potentially incite communal tension and disturb public order.

In a statement, Nalanda police said they received information about the video on Wednesday and, after reviewing it, invoked relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A special team has been constituted to investigate the matter, and authorities are also identifying individuals involved in circulating the content online.

Police sources added that multiple cases have previously been registered against Kashyap. The situation remains under watch as the investigation continues.