Counterview.in

A new academic study has drawn fresh attention to Sankalp Bhoomi, a modest memorial site in Vadodara's Sayaji Baug, arguing that the spot where B.R. Ambedkar spent five difficult hours in 1917 has quietly grown into one of Gujarat's most significant sites of Dalit political and cultural assertion.

  A scathing independent citizens' inquiry has concluded that the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada river, one of India's most ambitious multipurpose dams, has systematically violated the legal and human rights of tens of thousands of displaced families while overstating its economic benefits and understating its ecological costs.

 In a detailed interview published by The Examination on September 10, 2026, food policy expert Marion Nestle discusses her new book Sugar Coated (co-authored with Lisa Sutherland, a former Kellogg vice president of nutrition). The book traces how cereal makers transformed a niche product into a breakfast staple through marketing, industry-funded research, lobbying, and regulatory outmaneuvering.

  By Rajiv Shah  The recent decision of the Supreme Court of India to initiate contempt proceedings against 15 states and Union Territories for failing to eradicate manual scavenging and for non-compliance with its 2023 directions on eliminating hazardous sewer cleaning and paying ₹30 lakh compensation to the families of victims could have significant implications for Gujarat .

A new study, " Exploring the interlinkages between child marriage and family laws in South Asia ," has shed light on the profound legal ambiguities and systemic challenges that perpetuate child marriage in India , despite the country's significant progress in reducing its prevalence. 

One and a half years ago, I wrote a blog wondering whether merely hiding the promise of a bribe in India — not actually paying it — is a crime in the US. Citing a CNN report on the Adani case in the US, I quoted it to say that the US justice department had sought to indict Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and others for "promising" more than $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts.

A new legal research paper argues that Indian courts have become a central arena for what its author calls the "Hindu majoritarian project" to convert historic Muslim places of worship into temples, through a pattern of civil litigation that departs from established legal principles.

The death of Rajesh Awasthi , a long-serving employee of Dainik Jagran , has left the journalistic fraternity shaken. His suicide, reportedly by consuming sulphas tablets, was not just an isolated tragedy but a reflection of the silent struggles faced by countless journalists across India .  

  In a significant setback for transparency advocates, the Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled on May 18, 2026, that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not a "public authority" under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, reversing its own 2018 decision. The order has sparked sharp criticism from transparency activist Venkatesh Nayak, who has released a detailed critique accusing both the CIC and Union government ministries of acting as "night watchmen" to insulate the BCCI from public scrutiny.

  The U.S. Justice Department is planning to drop criminal fraud charges against  Gautam Adani , India's richest man, following an unusual private meeting in Washington in which his lawyers offered to invest $10 billion in the American economy if prosecutors closed the case, the  New York Times reported  on May 14.

When 65-year-old  Jitu Munda  walked into the  Odisha Gramin Bank ’s Malliposhi branch on the afternoon of April 27, carrying a jute sack on his shoulder, no one expected what lay inside. The sack contained the skeletal remains of his sister, Kalra Munda, whom he had buried on January 26.

Marking  International Workers’ Memorial Day , fresh data from  Gujarat  has highlighted a troubling pattern of fatalities and injuries in the construction sector, with activists pointing to weak enforcement of safety norms and rising  climate-related risks .

A new report published in March 2026 by the  Centre for Financial Accountability  and the Tax The Top campaign paints a stark picture of deepening economic disparity in India, documenting a concentration of wealth that it argues is “comparable to colonial times.” Titled  Wealth Tracker India | Tax the Top. Close the Gap , the compilation presents data from the  World Inequality Database  and the  Hurun Rich List  to illustrate the meteoric rise of the ultra-wealthy alongside the stagnation and debt burdens of the majority.

  In a candid and wide-ranging conversation, three generations of feminist activists from Maharashtra have taken stock of the women's movement in India, tracing its evolution from the labour struggles of the 1970s to the complex, identity-driven challenges of the present day. Hosted by  Gagan Sethi  and  Minar Pimple , the discussion, featured on the podcast  Unmute , brought together veteran activists to reflect on 50 years of mobilization, legal battles, internal debates, and the daunting political landscape that lies ahead.

  In a new episode of the  Unmute Podcast , activist  Deepa Pawar , founder of  Anubhuti Trust  and a voice from India's Nomadic and Denotified Tribes (NT-DNT), laid bare the deep-seated wounds inflicted by colonial-era laws that branded her community as criminals. Speaking with hosts Gagan Sethi, a veteran development practitioner with over 40 years in policy advocacy and minority rights, and Minar Pimple, founder of YUVA and former Amnesty International director, Pawar dismantled the myths of progress that sideline these marginalized groups, urging a reckoning with dignity, citizenship, and mental health in the fight for justice.

The  2026 World Inequality Report  reveals stark and persistent inequalities across income, wealth, gender, and global financial systems, with India positioned at the centre of several critical trends. The report, drawing on the work of over 200 researchers coordinated by the World Inequality Lab, provides a comprehensive assessment of global disparities up to 2025.

  By Rajiv Shah   In what might be interpreted as a move to globalise the contentious issue of India's judicial independence, a new academic study published in a  research journal  associated with the  Heidelberg University, Germany , "Indian Politics & Policy", delivers a devastating verdict on the  Supreme Court of India ’s performance during  Narendra Modi ’s tenure from 2014 to 2025. 

 In a significant development, the Supreme Court’s Centre for Research and Planning (CRP) has released a comprehensive  report  examining 75 years of  judicial discourse on caste , analysing  Constitution Bench judgments  from 1950 to 2025. The report, authored by  Dr Anurag Bhaskar ,  Dr Farrah Ahmed ,  Bhimraj Muthu  and  Shubham Kumar , highlights how the court’s language has evolved—and at times faltered—in addressing  caste , discrimination and  affirmative action .

  In a landmark judgment on November 3, 2025, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Central Zone Bench in Bhopal upheld the “Right to Life” of villagers from Jodhpura in North Rajasthan, directing wide-ranging remedial measures against environmental and health damages caused by the mining and stone crushing activities of UltraTech Cement Ltd. The order was delivered by Judicial Member Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi in the case Jodhpura Sangharsh Samiti vs Union of India & Ors (O.A. Nos. 143/2024 and 144/2024 CZ), marking a victory for the villagers after more than 1,060 days of struggle.

I have been forwarded a report titled “Profit and Genocide: Indian Investments in Israel”. It has been prepared by the advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) and authored by Hajira Puthige. The report was released following the Government of India’s signing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with Israel.