South Asia Citizens Web

President Trump’s address to the nation on August 21, 2017, in which he underscored his government’s stance vis-a-vis South Asia, gave me a sense of déjà vu.

547 page ruling on the Right to Privacy by the Supreme Court of India on 24 August 2017 The Supreme Court pronounced that individual privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. The ruling was delivered by a rare nine-member bench and is based on an array of petitions that challenge the mandatory use of Aadhaar cards which assign a unique 12-digit ID to every citizen.

Middle India is clearly chuffed. The prolonged confrontation with China on the Doklam plateau, which is into its third month, has provided the comforting illusion that India can stand up to its large neighbour unlike in 1962 when the Chinese inflicted a humiliating defeat on the country. . . Facts are almost irrelevant in this elevation of the national mood over the current stand-off.

The Supreme Court’s divided judgement on instant divorce is a tiny step in the right direction

It is important to recognise that the manipulation of language, the deployment of silence, the disparagement of individuals, the erasure of historical memories, the marginalisation of minorities and women, the crushing of institutions — these are all strategies on a continuum, designed to effect the tectonic shift of a plural and diverse India into a Hindu Rashtra.