In Focus by The Hindu

The Supreme Court, in a judgement this week refused to give legal recognition to same sex marriages. The court had heard a series of petitions asking for same-sex marriage to be allowed under the Special Marriage Act of 1954 which provides a civil form of marriage for couples who cannot marry under their personal, religious laws.The question before the Court was this: is there a right to marry under the Indian Constitution and is preventing same sex/queer couples from marrying, discriminatory?A five-judge Bench of the Court held that that the SMA was not unconstitutional and could not be read down.The petitioners had also questioned the Central Adoption Regulatory Authority, or CARA’s regulations that prevented persons in live-in relationships from adopting a child. Here again, the majority three judges, refused to strike down these regulations.The Central government, had stiffly opposed any judicial recognition of same sex marriages and had said that this was an issue that needed to be resolved by the legislature and not the judiciary.The Court has now shifted the burden to the government, and has directed that a committee be set up to examine the concerns of same sex/queer couples and to see whether the existing legal framework can be amended.In effect, the Court has accepted that the issue needs to be dealt with by the government.What are the key takeaways from the judgement? How did the Court rule on marriages of transgender persons? Given this setback, what are the next steps that can be taken? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dussehra festivities are here, and so are Dussehra processions. In Mysore, like every year, this time too, the elephant Abhimanyu will carry the 750-kg Golden Howdah and lead the procession. Abhimanyu is 59 years old and this could be one of the last times he performs his annual duty.While people love temple elephants and pachyderms like Abhimanyu are an integral part of religious rituals, it is, nonetheless, a fact that elephants are wild animals, and their transition to life in captivity is rarely without distress.In this episode of InFocus, we look at the life trajectory of Abhimanyu, and the larger issues around human-elephant conflict in the context of captive elephants.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast explores the importance of women's reservation in Indian politics, the history and impact of the Women's Reservation Bill, support for the bill and the debate about sub-quarters, the increase in OBC presence in the legislature, and the need for a social revolution to empower women politically.

Earlier this month, the Bihar government published the ‘Bihar Caste-based Survey 2022’. The survey data showed that extremely backward classes (EBCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) together made up nearly 63% of the 13-crore population, making them the largest caste group in the State.The Congress has made a demand for a caste survey a core element of its poll campaign in the forthcoming assembly elections, and the INDIA alliance is likely to do the same in the 2024 general elections as well.So, what does the data of the Bihar caste survey reveal? Is the caste survey only about removing the existing caps on reservations? Is it likely that a Mandal 2.0 moment will emerge in opposition to ‘Kamandal’ politics?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the reasons behind Hamas' attack, implications for Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mossad's failure. Analyzing the current situation in Gaza, tactics employed by Hamas, and devastating effects of Israeli bombings. Highlighting Hamas' weaponry and support from Iran. Discussing the fallout of the Israel-Hamas attack and the reactions from different countries and regional powers.

Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have never been this strained. The current spat between the two countries began when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Parliament that there were credible allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Now India, in the latest salvo, has asked Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats from the country.India has long wanted Canada to crack down on the activities of Khalistani separatists on its soil – something Canada has not been keen to do. What are the factors driving the Canadian government on this issue, given that Khalistani separatism has been an irritant in bilateral relations for a long time now? And how does a diplomatic confrontation with India gel with Canada’s foreign policy that seeks an Indo-Pacific pivot with an objective of ‘containing’ China? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita or BNS, may soon replace the Indian Penal Code or IPC, a piece of legislation that has dealt with crimes and their punishments since 1860. One of the clauses under the BNS, clause 69, has recently sparked off a debate. Clause 69 says that if a man promises to marry a woman, but does not actually intend to marry her, and still has consensual sex with her, this will amount to a criminal offence. Sex under deceitful means or false promises to marry, may be punished with a prison term that can extend up to 10 years. With this a separate section has been carved out, differentiating these cases from rape cases.Criminalising sex based on a false promise to marry is not new: the courts in India have interpreted such cases as rape for years, relying on sections 375 and 90 of the existing IPC. With the proposed clause 69 though, consensual sex can be framed as rape, if a man does not carry out his promise to marry the woman. There’s another element to this: Indian courts so far have distinguished between cases where the promise to marry was false from the beginning, and a breach of promise where the man intended to marry the woman, but could not do so for “legitimate reasons”. These reasons, as per judgements can be parental opposition, or, if the parties are from different castes, the courts have indicated that the woman should have known marriage would not have been possible.But how can the intent to marry be established? What happens when the first instance of sex was forced, and subsequently, a promise is made to marry, but is then not carried out? Should criminal law play a part at all in intimate relationships? And do such provisions undermine the sexual autonomy of women or are they the only way women can claim for damages when they have been harmed in a relationship? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast explores the potential legalization of cannabis cultivation in certain states in India, discussing its economic benefits, the history of cannabis in India, and the impact on drug abuse. It also discusses the current laws on cannabis use in India, the confusion and ambiguity in regulation, the potential of regulating medicinal cannabis, and the experiences of other countries that have legalized recreational use of cannabis.

The net financial savings of households in India has fallen to a five-decade low of just 5.1% of the GDP in FY 2023. It was 7.2% in FY 2022. This is a worrying development, because a high savings rate has traditionally correlated with a healthy growth rate.Data released by the RBI also shows that at the same time that household savings have fallen, financial liabilities of households have risen sharply – from 3.8% of GDP in FY 2022 to 5.8% in FY 2023. This is not good news, when viewed alongside the high inflation and high interest rates that we have right now.So, what are the reasons for the historic decline in savings rate? What does this mean for India’s growth and investment targets? And what does the government need to do to reverse this trend of falling savings rate?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

International cricket’s biggest event is starting tomorrow in Ahmedabad. The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will go on till November 19, featuring 48 matches spread across ten cities. Ten teams will vie for the coveted trophy. While defending champions England will be strong contenders, India, as the host nation, will be under tremendous pressure to bring home the Cup.How do the teams stack up? How easy has it been for fans to get tickets? And what does recent form say about who the favourites are? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices