In this episode of ""Editorial,"" Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation's call for the resignation of SBI Chairman Dinesh Khera. The federation is demanding Khera's resignation due to his submission to the Supreme Court requesting an extension until June 2024 to provide information on electoral bonds, citing the time-consuming nature of the process. According to the federation, Khera's actions have tarnished the reputation of the bank, especially in light of the Supreme Court's remarks on the matter, despite Khera receiving an extension just before his retire ..read more

In the latest "Editorial" episode, Mr. Sujit Nair delves into the letter penned by Adish Aggarwala, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, addressed to President Droupadi Murmu. Aggarwala urges a pause in enforcing the Supreme Court's recent ruling against the electoral bonds scheme. He calls for a presidential reference to reconsider the matter for the sake of fairness to Parliament, political parties, corporations, and the public. This request was rejected outright during a recent five-judge bench session. The court maintained that the State Bank of India possessed adequate info ..read more

In this episode of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair delves into the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Following the Union law ministry's announcement of Goel's resignation, Election Commission officials found themselves puzzled, especially considering the remaining three years of Goel's tenure and the expected elevation to the position of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in 2025. According to information obtained from five officials interviewed by HT, it became apparent that Goel and CEC Rajiv Kumar had experienced differences, ranging from routi ..read more

In this edition of "Editorial," Mr. Sujit Nair addresses the issue of the notably low conviction rates in 'Crimes against Foreigners' in India. The discussion centers on a recent gang-rape incident involving a Spanish woman in Jharkhand, shedding light on the overall decline in conviction rates for crimes against foreigners in the country. Statistical data reveals that a majority of such crimes rarely proceed to court, and convictions are even more infrequent. Over the seven-year period from 2016 to 2022, India recorded 148 rape cases involving foreign victims, but only 16 of these cases were ..read more

In this edition of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair addresses the State Bank of India's application filed in the Supreme Court, requesting an extension until June 30, 2024, to provide electoral bonds information to the Election Commission of India. According to a Constitutional Bench's ruling on February 15, the SBI is obligated to submit the information to the ECI by March 6. The application outlines that between April 12, 2019, and February 15, 2024, a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were issued for donations to various parties. Redeemed bonds were submitted to the Mumbai Main Branch by Authorize ..read more

In this Editorial episode, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses a significant ruling by a 7-judge bench of the Supreme Court, overturning the 1998 PV Narasimha Rao judgment. The previous verdict allowed Members of Parliament and legislative assemblies to claim immunity under Articles 105(2) and 194(2) of the Constitution for receiving bribes in anticipation of a vote or speech in the legislature. The latest decision, delivered by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices AS Bopanna, MM Sundresh, PS Narasimha, JB Pardiwala, Sanjay Kumar, and Manoj Misra, sets aside the earlier ruling. In the 1998 ..read more

In this edition of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair delves into the ongoing turmoil in Manipur and the prevailing unrest in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. Emphasizing the subpar quality of governance in these two Indian states—one governed by the BJP and the other by the All India Trinamool Congress—Mr. Nair concludes by asserting that the electorate in India faces a limited array of choices when it comes to political parties. He argues that the existing political entities are seemingly incapable of providing effective governance to the Indian populace. This viewpoint suggests a broader concern about t ..read more

In this edition of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the declining employment opportunities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Over the past three years since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a consistent decrease in the amount of work provided by the rural jobs guarantee program, dropping from 38.9 million person days in 2020-21 to 28 million in the current financial year, as per data from the rural development ministry. Concurrently, the number of households receiving the full 100 days of work in a financial year has plummeted by a staggerin ..read more

In this episode of ‘Editorial’, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses about the prevalent income inequality in India where Mr. Nair refers to a report by Goldman Sachs titled ‘The Rise Of Affluent India’. The report says 49.7% of India’s working population earns less than ₹ 1.25 lakhs annually while only 4.1% earns more than ₹ 8.3 lakh annually. The report further says that the working group that earns less than ₹ 1.25 lakhs annually, their income growth has been reduced to -2.5% while the age group that earns more than ₹ 8.3 lakhs, their income growth has increased by 12.6%.  ..read more

In this edition of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair draws comparisons between the 1975 Emergency imposed by former PM Indira Gandhi and the current Modi regime, pointing out the frequent summoning of political leaders by investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Mr. Nair picks recent incidences where leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, YS Sharmila, K Kavitha, Satya Pal Malik who primarily belong from the opposition parties or have been a critique of the current regime have been summoned by investigative agencies ..read more