Supreme Court agrees to hear plea on ‘liberating’ temples from Kerala govt

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against continued control and oversight of temples by the state government of Kerala. Unlike in other places, the control of temples in Kerala — which used to rest with the kings before independence — was directly transferred to the newly […]

Chetan Bhagat says ‘enough is enough’ on fresh MeToo allegations

Chetan Bhagat, India’s most popular pulp fiction writer, today sought to put his foot down on allegations that he sexually harassed people on WhatsApp. His response comes in the wake of yet a new allegation, four days after a woman leaked a conversation with him in which he confessed to ‘trying to woo’ her. In […]

Rahul Easwar alleges ‘deep state conspiracy’ behind Sabarimala, Jellikettu controversies

Rahul Easwar, one of the most prominent spokespersons of the Hindu right wing in Kerala, has blamed a section within the Hindu right wing for the controversies surrounding South Indian traditions likes Jallikettu and Sabarimala. Easwar, who can be found on TV on most days expounding the Hindu right wing perspective on Kerala-related issues, said […]

MCA orders inspection into Vakrangee’s accounts

Vakrangee Ltd, the Mumbai-based technology and distribution company, said the ministry of corporate affairs of India has ordered an inspection of its accounts for three years, and that PricewaterHouse will step down as the company auditor as part of the exercise. The inspection will be carried out under section 206 of the Companies Act. The […]

High Court allows Cobrapost to publish video on Dainik Bhaskar

Delhi High Court has set apart a lower court decision that imposed a stay on the publication of a video by website Cobrapost that allegedly showed political bias among employees of Dainik Bhaskar group. DB Corp, the publisher of Dainik Bhaskar daily, won the injunction after arguing that the video was malafide and based on […]

Marriage does not shackle a woman’s sexual freedom & choice – Justice Chandrachud

The sexual choices that a person makes is part of that person’s expression, and the constitution does not allow anyone to “shackle the sexual freedom” of another just because he or she entered into a marriage, Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud said today in his 77-judgment in the ‘Section 497’ case. The order also linked a person’s […]

Church withdraws action against nun who protested against Bishop Franco

The Catholic Church in Kerala withdrew action against Sister Lucy Kalappura, who came out publicly in support of the five nuns who sat on protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal in Kochi for two weeks. The withdrawal followed strong protests by parishioners belonging to Karakkamala, which comes under the Manathavady Diocese in Wayanad district of Kerala. […]

Indian engineer sentenced to 5 years for blasphemy in Saudi Arabia

An engineer from Kerala working with a petroleum company in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment and a fine of around Rs 30 lakhs for his tweets. With this, Vishnudev, a native of Alleppey in Kerala, has become the first Indian to be punished under Saudi Arabia’s stricter anti-blasphemy laws that […]

Ashok Leyland sets up electric vehicle facility at Ennore plant

Ashok Leyland, one of India’s top two commercial vehicle makers, said it has set up an electric vehicle unit at its Ennore plant, giving the company the capacity to “deal with” about 5,000-10,000 electric vehicles per year. The move comes eight months after it signed an agreement with Israel-based Phinergy to explore the possibility of […]