Polity & Governance
Constitutional bodies, Parliament, judiciary and governance reforms
I-T dept releases draft rules, forms for new Income Tax Act; seeks public inputs
The Income Tax Department released draft rules and forms for the new Income Tax Act 2025, along with two navigators that map old rules and forms to their new...
IT department seeks feedback on rules that make filing easier under Income Tax Act, 2025
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) released draft Income Tax Rules and Forms under the new Income Tax Act, 2025, seeking public feedback until February...
Kuki protests test fragile peace in Manipur as new govt takes over, but why Centre isn’t unduly worried
Fresh protests erupted within the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur following the swearing-in of a new state government, with community members angered by the app...
No Kuki-Zo MLAs physically in House, Manipur govt passes floor test; Churachandpur sees violent protests
On February 6, 2026, the newly formed Manipur government led by Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh successfully passed a floor test in the state Legislative A...
3 year after it was notified to offset Panna deforestation, NBWL panel approves irrigation project on 272 ha in Durgavati tiger reserve
The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) approved an irrigation project covering 272 hectares of forest land inside the Veerangana Du...
Inside Meghalaya’s rat-hole mines: 25 dead, a race against time, and a disaster long foretold
A dynamite explosion in an illegal coal mine at Mynsyngat in the Thangkso area of East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, killed at least 25 labourers in early Februa...
Should the Governor’s address be scrapped?
An opinion piece in The Hindu examines whether the Governor's address to state legislatures — mandated under Articles 175 and 176 of the Constitution — shoul...
Allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak
An editorial argued for stronger protection of the Leader of the Opposition's right to speak in Parliament, highlighting recent instances of the LoP being de...
Moral obligation can become a legal one: Delhi HC on granddaughter’s property rights
The Delhi High Court ruled on a petition filed by a granddaughter seeking maintenance from her grandfather, holding that a moral obligation can become a lega...
In a first since 2004, Lok Sabha passes Motion of Thanks on President's address without PM's response
The Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address without a single vote cast against it — the first time this has happened since 2004, mak...
Did IndiGo abuse its market dominance? CCI orders probe into December’s mass flight cancellations
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an in-depth antitrust investigation into IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd), India's largest airline, fol...
Supreme Court ruling on menstrual hygiene invites a broader reckoning with gender and dignity
The Supreme Court's January 30, 2026 ruling in *Dr. Jaya Thakur v. Government of India & Ors.* (2026 INSC 97) invites a broader reckoning with structural gen...
President’s rule revoked in Manipur after a year, new CM to be sworn in today
President's Rule imposed in Manipur on 13 February 2025 — following the resignation of N. Biren Singh as Chief Minister amid widespread criticism of his gove...
There is no case for scrapping MPLADS funds
A commentary in The Hindu argues that there is no persuasive case for scrapping the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), pushing bac...
President's rule revoked in Manipur, Khemchand to be sworn in as new CM at 6 pm today
President Droupadi Murmu revoked President's Rule in Manipur on February 4, 2026, with immediate effect under Article 356(2) of the Constitution. The revocat...
Cash transfers now take 20% of state subsidies — 16th finance panel sounds alarm, seeks exit clauses
The 16th Finance Commission's report flagged that large-group unconditional cash transfers now constitute 20.2% of total state subsidy expenditure (2025-26 B...
FC bats for discom privatisation, debt clean-up via SPVs
The 16th Finance Commission, chaired by Arvind Panagariya, has recommended that states actively pursue privatisation of electricity distribution companies (D...
Decode Politics: RTI journey — From ‘dawn of a new era’ to fears of ‘tool for idle curiosity’
A long-form political analysis examined the trajectory of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 — two decades after its enactment — charting its evolution...
Decode Politics: How and why Manipur finally moved back towards an elected govt
On February 4, 2026, Manipur ended nearly a year under President's Rule with the swearing-in of BJP leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh as Chief Minister, accompan...
Finance Commission strikes a balance – addresses southern states’ concerns, and equity
The 16th Finance Commission released its report (covering 2026-31), introducing a revised horizontal devolution formula that addresses the long-standing grie...