The Supreme Court objected to the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s new Class 8 social science textbook that includes a section on “corruption in the judiciary”. Stating that he would “not allow anybody to defame the institution”, Chief Justice Surya Kant said that he had taken suo moto cognisance of the matter.

A chapter on “The role of the judiciary in our society” in the new Class 8 social science book listed “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” among the challenges that the judicial system faces. However, on Wednesday there were reports that the new textbook has been withdrawn from sale. Read on.

The Supreme Court stayed criminal proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate against Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader is accused of wilfully refusing to appear before the agency despite several summonses in an alleged land scam case.

A bench was hearing a petition filed by Soren challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s January 15 order refusing to quash the proceedings. The bench also issued notice to the probe agency, asking it to respond within four weeks. Read on.

With 129 killings, 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists since 1992, when the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting the data, the global media watchdog said. Israel was responsible for two-thirds, or 89, of all killings of journalists, it added.

Journalists were also killed in countries not at war, including India, because of the “continued failure of government leaders to protect the press”, the organisation said. The Committee to Protect Journalists pointed to the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who ran the YouTube channel Bastar Junction, on January 1, 2025.

Chandrakar was murdered allegedly for reporting on alleged irregularities in a road construction project in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. His body was found in a septic tank on the property of the road contractor. Read on.

The Supreme Court clarified that Class 10 admit cards issued by the West Bengal education board can serve as verification documents during the special intensive revision of voter rolls, but only if submitted along with the pass certificate. A day earlier, a bench had said that Aadhaar cards, Class 10 admit cards and pass certificates would be considered as proof of eligibility during the voter roll revision.

The clarification came after an advocate raised concerns about whether admit cards could be accepted as standalone identity documents. Read on.

India was among 51 countries that abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly that called for an “immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. It supported Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

The resolution also called for the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of civilians forcibly transferred or deported, including children. Read on.

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