Operation Sindoor - a doubtful deterrent

The "new normal" in India's fight against terrorism, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to establish after the horrific terror attack at Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, is neither based on complete information nor a rigorous security review of Operation Sindoor. Unlike Pakistan, India is a constitutional democracy, where major policies related to national security which impact the lives of millions of citizens need to be debated and discussed in Parliament. The political consensus vis-à-vis combating terrorism within India cannot be misused to truncate democratic processes or muzzle discussions on the fitness and the efficacy of antiterror policies.

ISRO needs more resources to support India's military needs

In contemporary spaceflight, cost, reliability and time form a tense triangle. Whether more money can ensure more reliability is tricky to answer, more so following the failure of ISRO'S PSLV-C61 mission to launch the EOS-09 earth-observation satellite into a sun-synchronous polar orbit. EOS-09 was designed to produce high-quality radar images for civilian applications such as land-use mapping and hydrology studies and for defence surveillance, even if in-clement weather prevailed over the areas of interest thanks to a synthetic aperture radar and a C-band datalink. Against the backdrop of tensions with Pakistan, such all-weather data would also have informed tactical decisions. The Department of Space had also invited several Members of Parliament to the launch event, which would have been unusual for a strictly civilian earth-observation satellite. ISRO chairman V. Narayanan later said that his team noted a glitch in the vehicle's third stage minutes after liftoff that prevented the satellite from reaching its intended altitude. While the cause is yet to be ascertained, the failure is a reminder that a "textbook" launch of a rocket even as well-understood as the PSLV is not a given. 

A caste census is not a silver bullet for social justice

Census data have long been the backbone of public policymaking in India, offering critical insights into sectors such as health, education, employment and housing. In this context, the Narendra Modi government's recent announcement to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census has drawn considerable attention. For many, it represents a long-overdue move toward collecting substantive statistical data that are necessary to better address the needs of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). However, the disproportionate emphasis placed on the caste census raises concerns about the intent and the commitment of the ruling dispensation. It suggests that the formulation of welfare policies for marginalised communities has been unjustifiably deferred under the pretext of awaiting more precise data. 

Copyright's tryst with generative Al

Copyright law has always been a product of technology. It was created in 1710 to deal with the outcome of the invention of the printing press, to protect publishers against any unauthorised publication while encouraging learning, and to further their economic interests.

Since inception, copyright law has adapted itself to various technologies from the time of the printing press to the photocopying machine, to the recording device, and to the Internet. In each stage, the law has worked its way around technology. However, today there is a belief that generative Al has the potential to upset the copyright law. Such a debate is not new: it surfaces roughly every 20 years with each technological advent. So far, copyright law has been successful in forbidding commercial reproduction of works protected by copyright; currently, the law faces the task of prohibiting Al platforms from training on the works of the creators. There is a shift in the approach of using copyright law.

In the past, the law dealt with copies of the original works; now, it has to deal with training of copyrighted material by Al platforms and not with the reproduction of copies itself. 

Madras HC judge picks: 88% not from general category

Of the 17 appointees to the Madras High Court ap-proved by the Supreme Court Collegium during the tenures of former Chief Justices of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjiv Khanna, 15 (88.2%) belonged to the Backward Classes (BC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), or Scheduled Tribes (ST). This is the highest share among 24 High Courts in that period. Data was not available for the Sikkim High Court. 

What is a Presidential reference?

What does Article 143 of the Constitution state? Do other nations also have provisions wherein the government can raise legal questions with their respective Judiciaries? What has President Droupadi Murmu raised with the Supreme Court? Should the top court answer these questions compulsorily? 

Can New Caledonia gain independence from France?

Why was the 1998 Nouméa Accord significant? Why did recent high-stakes talks break down? 

From pyramids to hourglasses: how Al can change Indian workplaces

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has outgrown its role as a mere task automator - it's now reshaping how Indian companies are built and run. The old pyramid model, with its top tier of bosses, a thick layer of middle managers, and broad base of workers, is giving way to something new - an hourglass. In this setup, AI shrinks the middle by taking over coordination and decision-making, letting leaders at the top focus on strategy while the bottom diversifies into a mix of people and smart tools.

For India, this shift is a double-edged sword, brimming with potential yet fraught with hurdles. Getting it right could propel Indian businesses onto the global stage while getting it wrong could leave them trailing.