A FULL-SCALE unlocking of bilateral trade ties between two of its ‘on-and-off friends’ is set to tingle nerves in the United States when Russian President Vladimir Putin begins his two-day India visit on Thursday. In the evening of 2025, this bilateral between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being keenly watched by many powers as well as aspiring powers as the Indo-Russian trajectory is slated to define future geopolitics. Coming at a crucial period of the trade deal negotiations between ..

OF COURSE, this is a universal experience. Yet, the marvel of both -- of the book and of the friend -- never ceases to astonish everybody. What astonishes more is how a truly good book assumes greater depth with each reading. A true friend, too, grows in his/her warmth, all right. But that is understandable with a human being. The book is different -- non-human, so to say. Yet, in its depth it keeps growing -- as if it has unstated human dimensions. Every book engages the reader in a conversation. ..

THE live threat of narco-terrorism in the North-Eastern region is meeting a clampdown as India has started taking proactive steps along the porous Myanmar border. The Enforcement Directorate has conducted first-ever raids along India-Myanmar border in a drugs trafficking linked money laundering case. It is a long battle in the region and India’s risk-mitigation approach is the right response to a serious security threat. India shares a 1,624 kms border with Myanmar in the North-East. The States of ..

The Bihar dole for women is totally different from the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme in Maharashtra. Nitish Kumar’s scheme highlights economic self-reliance for women while the MahaYuti aid of Rs 1,500 per month focuses only on monetary relief to women. The difference in the two schemes is of a psychological shift. One aims at making women realise their true potential as entrepreneurs while the other sends a feeling of entitlement without accountability...

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal : Insurance service by its very nature is to secure the insured against a prospective loss on account of unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the dominant object of availing that service is not to generate profits but to s..

In this case, dangerous weapons have been found and recovered from the accused persons in both cases. There is evidence of use of these weapons by the accused persons their clothes have been found with blood stains. In view of this the HC’s considered view is that only because of settlement between the parties, it would not be proper to quash the First Information Report and the consequent chargesheet...

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal :  It is only when the effect of the undue delay in the delivery of an arbitral award is explicit and adversely reflects on the findings therein, such delay and, more so, if it remains unexplained, can be construed to resu..

The High Court’s function in writ proceedings is to test legality, fairness and procedure. It is not to conduct a trial or reweigh evidence afresh. The material before the Court shows gaps in the earlier findings, absence of separate discussion of each charge, and want of proper evaluation of defences and documentary proof. Those defects go to heart of inquiry under section 88 and Rule 72...

THROUGH the judgement of the case – VN & DG, delivered on October 9, 2025, at the Delhi High Court, Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar have very firmly stated that not only would permitting the present appeal or even upholding the maintainability of the underlying petition be an affront to our statutory scheme, but it could well become the chosen route such of the ingenious, who seek documentation in support of their nefarious intent, and thereafter, the interference of ..

WHO opines that persons addicted to prohibited liquor or drugs are mentally-ill. Due to such illness, an irresistible impulse is created in the minds of such individuals, causing them to become violent and commit crimes, generally assault, for money, resulting in serious injury or death to innocents.If such mentally-ill persons are released on bail, they continue their illegal acts. Also, it is dangerous to released such persons on bail, as they pose constant threats due to their propensity to commit ..

THROUGH the judgement in the case Rahul Gandhi v. State of UP and Another, delivered on September 26, 2025, Justice Sameer Jain, at the Allahabad High Court has ruled that if any application under section 173(4) of BNSS, 2023 is moved against an individual then before passing order to register the case, and to investigate the matter, it is necessary for the Magistrate concerned to record the finding whether any cognisable offence against the said individual is made out or not as for registration of ..

A slight chill in the morning air is all that the weather is offering to denote the change of seasons. The rest of the day is hot and humid with clouds not yet ready to depart. The Met office has predicted more rainy days. Perhaps, the Rain God, too, wants to savour the taste of ‘Navratri’. Perhaps He, too, is mesmerised by the grandeurs of the celebrations. Perhaps, He too, wants to have a look at Mother Goddess’ beautiful face carved by human devotion. He, too, wants to touch the Mother’s feet. ..

NAGPUR presents a classic example of how a city has been messed up by ‘design’ -- almost literally, so to say ! The latest example of this comes from the Ashok Circle at which the fly-over (constructed by the National Highway Authority of India -- NHAI) runs tangentially through the gallery of a private house -- which also is an illegal construction. The images of the fly-over tearing through the outer edge or gallery of the private house are really shocking. The story is told of how the house-owner ..

EVERY-day picture, this ! Yet, when memory darts back in time, emotions swirl up in the mind’s well. What follows is a train of mental pictures of the times gone by, of the scars left behind, of the marks of the momentous life ... ! True, when one is over the hill, aged with vagaries of life, wrinkles represent the road-map that one has followed. Each moment of life has a story of its own, a story most won’t want to hear -- since each has a similar tale to tell. The tale of life’s trail, of its fights ..

WORLD has never been this confusing, at least in the years that I had spent in it. Some leaders were always quirky, some situations truly messy, some disasters always waiting to happen. But never was everything this pronounced! The chaos is so into your face. I say the world is too jammed up. It looks just like the roads in my city - jammed. Everyone’s honking, wanting to pass, not letting others pass and consequently no one is going anywhere. Nothing seems to be making sense...

Psychosis' is applicable to the Opposition's mental state because it is so completely disconnected with the reality of New India. 'Neurosis' is applicable to the Opposition because it is filled with every possible negative emotion about the Government and even the country. "Narcissism' gets applicable in the case of Opposition because it thinks so highly of itself that it can do no wrong ever..

THIS is seen everywhere -- the urge to merge. This is the most common and most urgent and most ardent emotion that defines everything -- from Nature in its numerous forms to humans in their multiple roles and actions. There is always a movement -- forward and eager to be at a destination ... ! The sea-waves surge eagerly towards the shore. The rivers rush to meet the sea. The humans constantly chase a destination or a goal.... ! All these point to an inner emotion of wanting to merge or to be one ..

AT long last, the civic authority in the city has found time and inclination to think of an integrated way of handling all infrastructure tasks alongside roads. They are now talking of a plan that would fuse all utilities in single ducts along or across the roads -- so that repeated digging of roads is avoided. If the loosefooter remembers right, such a talk was doing the rounds of the civic circles a few years ago as well. At that time also, the newspapers had written big headlines on the proposed ..

Matters of gruesome crime involving misuse of public office and public money do not warrant withdrawal of prosecution merely on the ground of good public image of an accused or that he is elected Member of Legislative Assembly...

THEY think that they are very smart and intelligent and great go-getters. They also think that everybody else on the road is a bloody fool and timid. So, looking at all others with disdain, these smart go-getters just zoom past traffic signals triumphantly -- as if they have just conquered an enemy post ! On the ground of reality, all these go-getters look actually stupid, idiotic and brazen law-breakers. They don’t look smart. They don’t look intelligent. They only look plain hooligans who have no ..

VERY spiritual, this experience -- and also very universal ! The rain comes. In trillions of drops that come in torrents. But then, stopped in their flow by the roof-overhang, they fall to the soaked, water-poodled ground drip-drip-drip-drip ... ! That music, soft and as if pin-pricking, forms a rhythm in the mind that fills one’s inner being -- every nook and corner, every grain. The rain stops after whatever time, but the drip-drip-drip-drip goes on for a long while -- taking over the space within. ..

 By Vijay Phanshikar : IN THE dictionary, the difference between ‘liberty’ and ‘liberties’ may be stated that one is singular and the other is its plural expression. In social and cultural terms, the two words express alt..

 By Vijay Phanshikar : THE ruling of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the water in Nagpur’s Futala Lake is not good enough even for human bathing, should make every Nagpurian not just very upset but also very, very angry. That is als..

EVERY sensitive mind reacts thus ! When the shadows of grey clouds up in the sky douse the night’s glow on the earth and the air is uneasy, a wet fragrance of the earth -- from the rain in the distance -- suddenly fills the night, as if it is raining in the room ! Tucked under quilts, nudged by the happy invasion on the nostrils, one’s eyes just open in slits, and a crack of a smile breaks the sleepy lips’ gridlock. The vibe -- that moment’s -- is just divine. This, too, is a universal human experience ..

 By Vijay Phanshikar:  THAT the Bhopal cops arrested two foreign nationals for drug trafficking, does make a good news. It is clear that the Bhopal Police have done an excellent job during their anti-drug fortnight -- for which they deser..