The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response on a plea seeking the implementation of the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Act, which reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
The Supreme Court of India has appealed to women, particularly Hindu women without sons, daughters, or husbands, to make wills to avoid potential property disputes, highlighting the increasing number of women with self-acquired property.
Speculation is growing that former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin may be inducted into the Telangana Cabinet. The Telangana PCC President neither confirmed nor denied the possibility. If inducted, Azharuddin would be the first minority minister in the current cabinet.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
Lord Meghnad Desai, renowned British Indian economist and House of Lords peer, has died at the age of 85. Tributes pour in from political figures and colleagues.
The exemption of individual life and health insurance premiums from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) enables the insurance industry to make products affordable and attractive, said Ajay Seth, chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025.
'They are saying that there is a pilot shortage which is not correct, but if it was true, did they suddenly come to know this on December 5?' 'If they didn't have crew, why did they seek approval for a winter schedule? To get the approval, the operator has to show crew strength and also a buffer of crew available.' 'If they had a crew crunch, why did they ask for extra flights? Or was it something else that made them so sure that they would get away with this exemption and bans?'
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an integrated audit across 32 states and Union Territories to assess the ease of doing business for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
Pakistan is considering creating a new position of 'Commander of Defence Forces' (CDF) to improve coordination and unified command among its military services, according to media reports. The move is part of broader defence reforms and is reportedly influenced by recent conflicts and the evolving nature of modern warfare.
The Congress party has distanced itself from Shashi Tharoor's remarks praising BJP leader L.K. Advani, stating that Tharoor speaks for himself and that his continued membership in the CWC reflects the party's democratic spirit.
Pakistan has deployed army and paramilitary forces to protect Sri Lanka's cricket team after a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad raised security concerns during their ongoing tour, the interior minister said on Thursday.
In a measured but scathing attack, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of committing a 'big sin' by creating a controversy over Vande Mataram and claimed that the government pushed for a debate on the national song as the West Bengal assembly polls were approaching.
The Bombay High Court ruled that possessing documents like Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID does not automatically grant Indian citizenship, emphasizing the importance of the Citizenship Act of 1955.
'I don't think it is right to remove him over one lapse. The focus should be on restoring operations, not on removing a key management personnel.'
Eminent jurist Ram Jethmalani on Sunday asserted that Indian Parliament "is not sovereign" for its decisions can be challenged in court, as he hit out at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for criticising the Supreme Court verdict to scrap NJAC Act on appointment of higher judiciary.
Fourth-term Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, one of the more vocal party members in the Lok Sabha, launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be closed down if the apex court has to make the laws.
A new documentary claims British spy call intercepts helped Canadian authorities link India to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
"It is high time India traded dynasty for meritocracy. This would require fundamental reforms, from imposing legally mandated term limits to requiring meaningful internal party elections, together with a concerted effort to educate and empower the electorate to choose leaders based on merit," Tharoor said.
An Indian-origin nurse in Ireland is devastated after her daughter was racially abused and attacked. This incident, along with other recent attacks on Indian citizens, has raised concerns about safety and racism in Ireland.
Pakistan on Saturday brought in a Constitutional amendment to create a new post of chief of defence forces to ensure greater coordination and unified command among the three services.
'Instead of the government and telecom operators solving the mess of their own creation, they're telling us we need to give access to our phones perpetually.'
'If she hadn't left Bangladesh, the militants had planned on killing her'
The Calcutta High Court has cancelled the membership of senior leader Mukul Roy in the West Bengal assembly under the anti-defection law, marking a significant moment in Indian jurisprudence.
India has strongly rejected a UN expert's report claiming that Myanmar refugees in India faced pressure after the Pahalgam terror attack, calling the analysis biased and unfounded.
The Congress party has criticized former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for his silence following his resignation, questioning the circumstances and demanding a farewell.
Democracy in India is too important to be left to a leader with a limited appeal. If Rahul Gandhi cares for India, he should step aside for a new crop of leaders, suggests Harishchandra.
Sri Lanka stays with you not just in memory, but gently reminds you what a society can achieve when heart and heritage guide the way.
A parliamentary panel on external affairs has expressed concern over China's growing presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region, citing risks to India's national security and strategic interests. The panel also highlighted the strengthening China-Pakistan naval nexus as a cause for concern.
The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'You are Leader of Opposition. Say things in Parliament, why do you have say it on social media?'
On November 18, 1962, 114 soldiers of the 13th Kumaon fought till the last man, and last bullet, in sub-zero temperatures, to beat back the huge Chinese army. We salute the Heroes of Rezang La.
'I realised why the farmers and the rural folks are going for Trump. They are so insecure and vulnerable that anybody who is throwing a line of hope to them, they seize it.'
'She was brave. She didn't care a hoot. And India was not the strongest of nations as it is now.'
'She was brave. She didn't care a hoot. And India was not the strongest of nations as it is now.'
'I disagree with much of Modi's politics, but it cannot be denied that in these years in office, he has carved more than a niche for himself in history,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author, Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
As US President Donald Trump claimed that India will significantly reduce Russian oil imports by year-end, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday hit back by criticising him for making announcements on behalf of New Delhi.
The GST will subsume excise, service tax, value added tax, octroi etc.
A Delhi court has granted Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid, currently jailed on terror funding charges, permission to vote in the upcoming Vice Presidential election.
'The government is putting insurance in the same category as food, which is essential for life.' 'Now this is an opportunity for the sector to focus on the consumer.'
