Over 27 lakh out: EC releases first data of deletions after adjudication

Of the 60,06,675 names under adjudication in West Bengal after they had been left out of electoral rolls, 27,16,393, or 45.22%, stand "deleted", as per the first such data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

There can't be 3-day untouchability... Art 17 can't apply for 3 days: SC judge

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed surprise over the application of the anti-untouchability clause in the Constitution to the Sabarimala temple customs by its five-judge bench in 2018 to rule against the age restrictions on entry of women into the hill shrine in Kerala.

SC: Borrowers can't seek personal hearing before account declared 'fraud'

In a significant decision, the Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that account holders/ borrowers have no legal right to a personal/oral hearing before the account is declared or classified as "fraud" by the bank as per the RBI's "Master Directions". 

Phule's life and thought, a constitutional project

As we mark the beginning of the bicentenary year of Mahatma Jotirao Phule, born on April 11, 1827, he is rightly remembered as a social reformer, educator, fierce critic of caste, and pioneer of women's education. Yet, to stop there is to miss the deeper significance of his work. Phule's life and thought can be understood as a constitutional project. Even if it did not produce a legal text, it reimagined the foundations of social order on the principles of equality, dignity, and the redistribution of power.

On extremism, let's not be selective in our outrage

Max Weber defined the state as the entity that claims a monopoly over the legitimate use of violence. However, this monopoly is not absolute; it is conditioned by legality and accountability. When non-state actors, whether insurgents or vigilante groups, resort to violence, they undermine this monopoly. But while in-surgent violence openly contests the authority of the state, vigilante violence often operates in a grey zone, implicitly drawing legitimacy from majoritarian sentiment or political patronage. This ambiguity makes it, in many ways, more insidious. When individuals or groups take it upon themselves to enforce their version of justice, whether in the name of religion, culture, or nationalism, they signal a breakdown of institutional trust. 

12 mn barrels of Venezuelan oil may reach India this month

India is likely to take delivery of around 10-12 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil this month, the highest in over six years, according to data from commodity market analytics firm Kpler. It comes as the raging war in West Asia has affected global oil and gas flows. 

Artemis II Moon crew flies farther than humans have ever gone before

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission flew deeper into space on Monday than any humans before them, as they cruised through a rare flyby of the shadowed far side of the Moon that revealed a lunar surface under cosmic bombardment.

Kalpakkam: 'Critical' step in 3-stage nuclear programme

India is among the few countries with considerable experience in developing nuclear technologies. This includes mastery over pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology-reactors that use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water (deuterium oxide) as a coolant and moderator.

These reactors now comprise the bulk of India's installed nuclear power capacity of 8,180 megawatt electric (MWe), alongside some imported light water reactor units.

Two other technologies are a work-in-progress: fast breeder reactors (FBRs) and a longstanding project aiming to fabricate thorium-based nuclear reactors. 

Why Artemis II crew went farther from Earth than anyone before

What was the Artemis II flight path?

The first crewed lunar mission since December 1972, Artemis II is not a landing mission. It is a flyby designed to test the limits of the Orion spacecraft. While earlier missions like Apollo 8 followed a circular lunar orbit-dictating that the crew fire their engines to maintain a fixed distance from the lunar surface - the Orion space-craft is flying an elliptical "free-return trajectory". This path relies on the Moon's gravity to naturally slingshot the spacecraft back toward Earth.