Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam, often known as the "father of India's missile program," died on Monday after a massive cardiac arrest. He was 83.
2. The Supreme Court bench looking into Mumbai blasts conspirator Yakub Memon's petition to stay his execution will take up the matter on Tuesday, with indications on Monday that there was some ambiguity.
3. Former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and union minster PK Thungon was sentenced to four-and-a-half years of prison in a 17-year-old corruption case regarding misappropriation of Rs 2 crore.

The Big Story: Terror is back
A 12-hour morning-to-evening operation saw Punjab Police manage to kill three armed gunmen in Dinanagar, Punjab, after an audacious terror attack on the town that is less than 15 km from the Pakistan border. Besides the terrorists themselves, three civilians and four policemen were also killed by the gunmen. Indian government officials have begun pointing the finger across the border at Pakistan, with the Indian Express reporting that the GPS sets show that the team was from Pakistan and that it may have been given help by a drug cartel.

One incident in particular in the sequence of events on Monday stands out. The terrorists tried to flag down a bus with more than 72 on board, but the driver noticed their weapons and instead tried to run them over. The gunmen opened fire on the bus, causing a few injuries, but it managed to pass the terrorists by, potentially saving the lives of all on board. It was only after this that the gunmen made their way to the Dinangar police station, and then the adjoining building where they were later cornered and killed.

The fallout will take some time to settle in, although questions are already starting to be asked about the involvement of Islamabad or at least terrorists from Pakistan. For its part, Pakistan has condemned the attack. Until we know more about the terrorists themselves, it would premature to take any action, but the attack also is a reminder that, even though we haven't had a major urban incident since 26/11, our cities and towns are far from secure.

The Big Scroll
Read a blow-by-blow account of how three gunmen held siege in Gurdaspur for 12 hours. From ISI to Arvind Kejriwal: Everyone already knows who to blame for the Gurdaspur terror attack

Politicking & Policying
1. In the House: Congress Member of Parliament Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been singled out for disrespecting the Lok Sabha chair after he climbed the speaker's podium and banged a placard on it. The house did however begin some business.
2. With the Samajwadi Party adamant that it wants to get rid of Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, the party could even be offering the Centre support in the Rajya Sabha in return for a more amenable appointment.
3. Pakistan has released video grabs of the drone that was shot down by its forces on June 15 reiterating the claim that it belonged to the Indian Army, which has insisted that the drone is Chinese.
4. Annoyed at the Aam Aadmi Party's use of public advertisements that criticise the prime minister, the Information & Broadcasting ministry is considering forming a committee to oversee the use of public funds for ads.

Punditry
1. When a person displays bad faith, you have legal remedies. But what happens when a stay displays bad faith, as in the Yakub Memon case, asks Maseeh Rehman in the Indian Express.
2. Kian Ganz in Mint offers a reminder of why the lack of diversity in the legal profession is a serious concern.
3. Greg Chappell writes in the Telegraph of how Don Bradman has ruined the lives of all the batsmen who followed him.

Don't Miss
Aarefa Johari writes of how, even without a law against "vexatious litigation," Indian courts are already coming in the way of public interest litigation.  
The most restrictive aspect of the proposed law, adds Sheoran, is that it precludes the possibility of any genuine litigations by the same petitioner in the future. “Meanwhile, is the government itself covered in the bill?” he said, pointing to the fact that the India’s state and central governments are collectively the largest litigant in the courts today.