1. The Delhi High Court bail order for Asif Tanha, Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, in which the court said crimes that could be dealt with ordinary criminal laws cannot be brought under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is a welcome effort to prevent civil liberties from being swallowed up by the black hole of state power, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta in Indian Express.
  2. Given the march of law — both international and domestic — in the direction of expanding human rights, jurisprudence necessarily means that the provision of marriage rights to same-sex and queer couples is only a matter of time. Any further delay in doing so would fall foul of our constitutional guarantees, says Manuraj Shunmugasundaram in The Hindu.
  3. On the face of it, the two Union territories of Kashmir and Lakshadweep face different issues. But beneath the surface they may have more in common than the people of the two regions realise. What is happening in Lakshadweep with new draft laws introduced by its administrator  appears to resemble what has been happening in Jammu and Kashmir at least since 2019, argues Tarushi Aswani in The Wire.
  4. Significant sections of voters do not see the removal of Narendra Modi or the defeat of Hindutva to “save the Republic” as the primary political fault line in the country. Thus, the second Covid-19 wave may not hurt Modi politically, writes Roshan Kishore in Hindustan Times.
  5. The trust building the Ram temple in Ayodhya has over the last week faced controversies over shady land deals. In this investigation, Ayush Tiwari and Basant Kumar of Newslaundry reveal that Ayodhya BJP Mayor’s nephew bought a piece of land for Rs 20 lakh and sold it to the trust for Rs 2.5 crore.
  6. Along with an acute shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, with only 3.3% of its population fully vaccinated, India is also witnessing vaccine hesitancy. Anecdotal evidence suggests people, particularly in the rural and tribal areas, are not coming forward to take the vaccines. While it is imperative to address vaccine hesitancy, superficial attempts that fail to understand its structural causes could lead to more damage, says Sarojini Nadimpally in Scroll.
  7. Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi is a hardliner and staunch critic of the West, but he’s not expected to fundamentally change Iran’s policy toward the US. He’s loyal to the supreme leader, but he may soon replace him. And he’s just been imbued with substantial power, but he’ll mostly use it to do his boss’s bidding, writes Alex Ward in Vox.
  8. After winning in Paris, Novak Djokovic is just one major singles title behind Federer and Nadal’s 20. But the chase that will generate bigger buzz is Djokovic’s attempt at age 34 to win all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic singles gold medal in the same calendar year, something that will not be easy, says Christopher Clarey in New York Times.
  9. The word “shall”, when in used in legal documents, usually lends a definitive and mandatory obligation for enforcement of the provision. But contrary to lawyers’ belief, “shall” does not have a single firm meaning, writes Jyoti Sagar in Bar and Bench.
  10. The Juneteenth holiday in the United States, which marks the end of slavery in the country, is becoming corporatised. But the attack on critical race theory shows why commemorating this history is more important than ever, says Jimmie Briggs in Vanity Fair.