Best of BS Opinion: Tracking shifts in judiciary, trade, and policy

On some winter mornings, the fog hangs low, heavy, and indifferent, so thick it swallows outlines and makes familiar paths feel eerily new. You know the road is there, the gate, the turn, the waiting tea vendor, but they disappear into the blur. So, what do you do? You light a lantern. Not to banish the fog, but to move through it. Slowly. Deliberately. That's what today's stories feel like, each one a small but stubborn light in the haze of complexity, delay, or transition. Let's dive in.
Take the elevation of Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. He becomes only the second Dalit to reach this post, a milestone of representation in a system often criticised for its opacity and imbalance, notes our first editorial. His six-month term probably won't clear the backlog of over 80,000 cases or instantly fix the judiciary's trust deficit but his vow to steer clear of post-retirement rewards is a moral lantern, lighting up a path where judges stand apart, not beholden.
In climate policy too, the fog is thick. The government's plan to add a 'sustainable transport' mission to its climate change agenda sounds promising, highlights our second editorial. But scratch the surface, and you're lost in contradictions, charging stations powered by coal, EV adoption stalling, and road freight refusing to yield. Still, setting stricter norms like Bharat VII and planning millions of clean-energy charging stations signal direction. Not a revolution, but something nonetheless.
Meanwhile, M S Sahoo's column dissects the Bhushan Power case, where a long-settled resolution was undone six years later, without consequence to those responsible. It's not just a legal curiosity, it exposes a system where decisions are made in fog and reversed with no warning. His call for finality, speed, and economic coherence in the insolvency process is not a cry into the void, but a call for justice to be visible and reliable.
In a shifting world economy, Amrit Amirapu and Arvind Subramanian argue that even as old models of industrial growth fade, manufacturing still offers the clearest light for the world's poorest. It's not a floodlight, but a torch — scalable, inclusive, imperfect that shows enough of the road ahead to keep moving.
And in his review of India-Africa: Building Synergies In Peace, Security And Development by Ruchita Beri, Dammu Ravi reflects on India's evolving partnership with Africa. The continent is no longer just a recipient of help, it's a force finding its own way. India's role? Not to lead with certainty, but to walk alongside, lighting lanterns of health, education, energy, and trade across a vast and often invisible terrain.

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Time of India

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• Time of India

Telangana HC pulls up govt over delay in opening Alampur govt hospital

Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Friday came down heavily on the state govt for the 18-month delay in operationalising a 100-bed govt hospital in Alampur, Jogulamba Gadwal district , despite the facility being fully constructed and equipped. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing a PIL filed by Ramchandra Reddy, a social activist and politician from the district. The court expressed concern over the prolonged inaction and directed the govt and relevant departments to file a detailed counter-affidavit within two weeks, explaining the reasons for the delay. The petitioner informed the court that the hospital was built with ₹21 crore sanctioned in 2021, and construction was completed by Oct 2023. However, despite being fully equipped, the hospital has not been made operational. He added that the unused building is now lying vacant and vulnerable to misuse by anti-social elements. Highlighting the demographic and social context, the petitioner noted that Alampur is an SC reserved constituency, home to a large population from Dalit and Backward Classes communities. The absence of a functioning public hospital, he argued, violates residents' fundamental right to health , as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. Due to the non-functional hospital, locals are reportedly forced to travel long distances-to Kurnool, Gadwal, or even Hyderabad-for basic medical care. Taking note of these submissions, Justice Sujoy Paul observed that despite constructing a 100-bed hospital, the state had neither appointed staff nor operationalised services, leaving costly equipment idle and unutilised. The case will be taken up for further hearing after the state submits its explanation.

Hans India

36 minutes ago

• Hans India

Modi slams RJD for 'insulting' Ambedkar

Siwan (Bihar): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the RJD for allegedly insulting Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and asserted that the people of Bihar would not tolerate any disrespect to the Dalit icon. At a rally in Siwan district, which marked his fifth visit this year to the state and second in less than a month, Modi hailed the "big role" played by Bihar in India's emergence as the "third largest economy" of the world. In a nearly 45-minute-long speech that followed the launch of projects worth more than Rs 5,900 crore and the flagging off of a Vande Bharat train, the Prime Minister cautioned the people against "attempts to recapture economic resources of Bihar" by the RJD-led opposition in the assembly polls due later this year. "Ambedkar was against dynasty rule. But they (RJD and its allies) do not like it. So, they have his portrait placed at their feet. On my way, I saw posters demanding an apology for this insult to Babasaheb," said Modi. "But there has been no apology. This is because they hold Dalits in contempt. In contrast, Modi has Babasaheb in his heart and would like to keep his portrait close to his chest," he added. Modi, who did not mention RJD chief Lalu Prasad by name, referred to the instance of a portrait of Ambedkar being placed close to the feet of the ailing septuagenarian, for which he (Prasad) has been drawing flak from the BJP-led NDA. "The reason is that the RJD-Congress people have little respect for people belonging to the deprived castes, the Dalits, the OBCs and the EBCs. They consider themselves above Babasaheb Ambedkar. But they must remember that the disrespect to Babasaheb Ambedkar will not be forgiven by the people of Bihar," the PM said. Modi also asserted that the world was greatly impressed with India's progress and underscored Bihar's big role in the country's emergence as the world's "third largest economy". "You all know I have returned from abroad only yesterday. During my tour, I met many leaders of the developed world. They all were greatly impressed with the rate of progress in India. They are watching India becoming the third-largest economy in the world.

The Print

an hour ago

• The Print

Carney is repairing what Trudeau left damaged. India and Canada are now on a path to reset ties

In his first few weeks at the helm of affairs, Prime Minister Mark Carney has seemingly been able to reset ties with New Delhi, which had been downgraded with the expulsion and withdrawal of respective High Commissioners around eight months ago. And that is why the reset of India-Canada ties is ThePrint Newsmaker of the Week. After the high of 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was feted by his then-Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, the relationship completely unravelled under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who sought his 15 seconds of fame by cratering ties with India to protect his own government in September 2023, undoing over two decades of careful diplomacy. New Delhi: The Carney-Modi meet earlier this week signalled a rapprochement between India and Canada, two countries inextricably linked due to the large Indian community in Canada. Also read: India-Canada diplomatic detente, and probe into Air India crash focuses on emergency power generator Snapping of India-Canada relationship Carney's victory in the April federal elections led to the view in New Delhi that a rapprochement is on the cards, with the appointment of High Commissioners, the logical first step. During election season, Carney referred to Canada's relationship with India as 'incredibly important' while deflecting any questions regarding the major irritant in ties — the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, an India-designated terrorist, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June 2023. Trudeau, three months after the killing, informed the House of Commons that Ottawa was investigating 'credible allegations' that linked Indian officials to the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi called these allegations 'absurd and motivated'. There was no off-ramp for either New Delhi or Ottawa to de-escalate the diplomatic tension, especially as Trudeau's domestic struggles by then were an instrument of foreign policy. By October 2024, ties had effectively been snapped, with India expelling six Canadian diplomats, while withdrawing its High Commissioner and five other diplomats from Canada. Trudeau's minority government, being propped up by the New Democratic Party (NDP), supported Sikh separatists to wield large influence on Ottawa's foreign policy vis-a-vis its ties with India. The NDP at the time was led by Jagmeet Singh, who had in the past indicated support for Sikh separatism. In 2017, he had refused to link Sikh extremists to the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, which left 329 people dead. For New Delhi, these separatists being given space in Canada to promote and fundraise their anti-India plank had real security ramifications – concerns that Ottawa ignored. Carney's approach to this has been to leave the matter of Nijjar's killing and associated irritants to the law enforcement agencies of the two countries, a measure welcomed by New Delhi. Modi's dash to Alberta further indicated the interest in both India and Canada to reset ties in an increasingly unstable world. With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and the collapse of the NDP, ties between India and Canada were finally given the space for a reset. Also read: Collapse of Jagmeet Singh-led NDP & the waning political clout of Sikh separatists in Canada Trump and the waning star of Sikh separatists Trump's return upended the politics of Canada. For Canadians, the rupture in ties with the US, which accounts for over 70 per cent of Canada's trade, became an existential crisis. If elections were to be held in January 2025, the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre was set to win a large majority, while the Liberal Party led by Trudeau would have potentially collapsed to its lows of 2011. However, Trudeau's resignation and Carney's rise gave the Liberals, which has governed Canada for large parts of the 20th century, a chance to rise in the polls. The question at the time was no longer just the domestic situation in Canada — the affordability crisis or immigration — but rather who would be the better candidate to handle Trump. Poilievre, who ran a Trump-esque campaign, saw his favourability drop in the polls. The Liberals rose, while the NDP support collapsed. With the Liberals winning a large number of seats, a few short of the majority, it meant they no longer had to rely on the NDP to govern the country. From 24 seats in the House of Commons, the NDP fell to 7, which helped stem the power of Sikh separatist groups in the Canadian parliament. The Conservative Party, looking to build a big tent, had sought votes from the Sikh separatists as well. But it seems all that was for nought. In this scenario, Carney, who was elevated to a saviour-like status, has been able to make a break from having domestic vote banks influence foreign policy. For Canada, the need of the hour is to diversify itself from the US. Carney, earlier this month, announced his intention to boost Canada's defence spending, while promising to reduce Ottawa's strategic dependence on the US. The two factors – the collapse of the Sikh separatist leaning parties and the return of Trump – has led to a retooling in Ottawa's approach to New Delhi. The current Liberal cabinet has a number of faces from Trudeau's government. Melanie Joly, who as foreign minister under Trudeau led the charge against India, retains her government role under Carney. Chrystia Freeland, the former deputy prime minister in the previous government, has returned with an important role in Carney's cabinet. However, despite continuity in members, Carney has been able to stamp his authority on foreign policy, with Anita Anand appointed as the new foreign minister, who spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar within days of her appointment. The challenges Ottawa faces has allowed it to approach New Delhi more effectively, and return a sense of maturity to India-Canada ties. However, as politics is never static, the Sikh separatists may rise again in Canadian politics, but maybe at least this time, the irritants would be dealt with at the appropriate levels, without the need for political brinkmanship from either administration. Views are personal. (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)