Delhi has ended the practice of segregating sex workers and brothel-keepers from other female prisoners, following recommendations made during an ongoing Supreme Court-led review of discriminatory prison rules. The move aligns with a recent Supreme Court judgment that emphasized rehabilitation over stigma for sex workers, many of whom are victims of trafficking and exploitation. Delhi joins Himachal Pradesh in removing such provisions from prison administration, marking a significant step in prison reform and the protection of inmates' rights.

Delhi ends separate jail cells for sex workers after supreme court push

The Bar Council of India has withdrawn its controversial order barring the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law’s 2026 graduating batch with State Bar Councils.

The initial order came amid a controversy over a campaign by some students opposing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s participation in the university’s convocation. Following widespread criticism, the BCI reconsidered the matter and said the vast majority of the students were innocent and should not suffer for the actions of others.

The revised order allows all NALSAR 2026 graduates to enrol with the State Bar Council of their choice. The BCI had initially sought an inquiry into those allegedly involved in the campaign, while the latest developments have also drawn the attention of the Supreme Court.

Nalsar Rolls Back Order, Barring Nalsar Graduates

Russia-Ukraine tensions escalate as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warns of a harsh response to Kyiv, saying Moscow is intensifying its actions.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to travel to New Delhi for the upcoming BRICS Summit, as India prepares to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in September 2026.

In India, fugitive drug kingpin Virendra Singh Basoya has been brought back from the UAE and taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The Supreme Court has also quashed FIRs against comedian Samay Raina and four others over alleged insensitive remarks concerning persons with disabilities on India’s Got Latent.

President Droupadi Murmu has opened Amrit Udyan at Rashtrapati Bhavan, while a Tiranga rally in Jammu and Kashmir showcased patriotism and communal harmony ahead of Independence Day.

Internationally, around 1,800 people have been evacuated in western Germany after a wildfire spread, while Zambia has suspended nationwide vote counting following reports of violence. Gold prices have also declined as investors book profits after bullion recently climbed to its highest level in more than two months.

Russia Warns Ukraine | Iran Prez To Visit India | US-Iran Tensions | Germany Wildfire | Zambia News

As the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-verdict-on-whether-right-to-privacy-a-fundamental-right-today-19404"> Supreme Court gave its verdict on right to privacy</a>, young lawyers turned to social media to spread the word and express their opinion&nbsp;on the topic.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/government-welcomes-supreme-court-verdict-on-right-to-privacy-19448">They claim that the &quot;fundamental right&quot;</a> of privacy has to become&ldquo;non-negotiable&rdquo;.

Apar Gupta, Kritika Bhardwaj and Prasanna S are assisting senior counsel Shyam Divan, who is representing four privacy petitioners, including Shanta Sinha, the former head of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, and Bezwada Wilson.&nbsp;

Gautam Bhatia is assisting senior lawyer, Arvind Datar, who is arguing for the Election Commission and for privacy as a fundamental right.

These youngsters are determined to revolutionalize how the common man views&nbsp;privacy.

 
Prasanna S

34-year-old&nbsp;Prasanna, as he describes on his Twitter profile, is a coder turned lawyer. He hails from the industrial town of Hosur in Tamil Nadu. He studied technology and software before he became a full-time lawyer. A trained Carnatic singer who is now based out of Delhi, Prasanna believes that his technological background gives him the sense to understand the challenges of civil liberty.

He believes that the public is stuck on the notion&nbsp;that machines make correct choices. This may be the core reason for there being no opposition to Aadhar from the masses.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This inanity of &quot;privacy not required for the poor&quot; bogey argument has been dealt with very well in paras 154 to 157 of DYC judgment.
&mdash; Prasanna S (@prasanna_s) <a href="https://twitter.com/prasanna_s/status/900627823320195072">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Gautam Bhatia

Gautam&#39;s qualifications as a lawyer are praiseworthy. The graduate from the prestigious National Law School, Bengaluru and Rhodes scholar is also a sci-fi geek. The 28-year-old edits the UK-based science-fiction magazine, Strange Horizons. 
 
Gautam actively posts about the issue. He is also the author of Offend, Shock or Disturb: Free Speech Under the Indian Constitution.

He believes that any law on privacy has to be founded on principles of informed consent and specific consent. According to Bhatia, informed consent means the person is aware of what use it&rsquo;s being put to and specific consent means that the authorities must seek consent for each specific act.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
There cannot be a victory for constitutional values as long as islands of personal law are held to be exempt from the Constitution. (13/n)
&mdash; Gautam Bhatia (@gautambhatia88) <a href="https://twitter.com/gautambhatia88/status/899901618765742081">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

He pens down his thoughts about literature and poetry of &quot;any and all kinds&quot; on his <a href="https://anenduringromantic.wordpress.com/about/">blog</a>. You can read more about his work <a href="http://www.porterfolio.net/gautambhatia1988">here</a>.

Apar Gupta

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Request: 
1. Focus on the obvious impact in the order 
2. Individual judgements require closer reading 
3. Celebrate but don&#39;t claim victory
&mdash; Apar (@aparatbar) <a href="https://twitter.com/aparatbar/status/900638438252199936">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Delhi-based Apar has graduated from Columbia Law School and is an active voice in the right to privacy and data debate in India.&nbsp; 
According to media reports, the 33-year-old claims that government has spent roughly Rs. 11,000 crore on generating Aadhar and are creating an illusion of&nbsp; 
administering efficiently.

 
Kritika Bharadwaj

 
Delhi-based Kritika studied Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and did her LLB from the same university&#39;s Faculty of Law. The now 26-year-old went on to Cambridge for her masters in international law.&nbsp; 
But even before her Masters, she had cut her teeth on Aadhaar-related matters and done meticulous research on international laws, biometrics, international practices, protocols and databases in the world. 
Kritika has possessed leadership qualities from the very beginning--she was the president of students&#39; union in LSR and student representative to the faculty of law board in Cambridge.&nbsp;

Meet the lawyers: One Rhodes scholar, another Cambridge alumni, a Columbia graduate and a coder turned geek

As the Supreme Court gave its verdict on right to privacy, young lawyers turned to social media to spread the word and express their opinion on the topic. They claim that the "fundamental right" of privacy has to become“non-negotiable”. Apar Gupta, Kritika Bhardwaj and Prasanna S are assisting senior counsel Shyam Divan, who is representing four privacy petitioners, including Shanta Sinha, the former head of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, and Bezwada Wilson. Gautam Bhatia is assisting senior lawyer, Arvind Datar, who is arguing for the Election Commission and for privacy as a fundamental right. These youngsters are determined to revolutionalize how the common man views privacy. Prasanna S 34-year-old Prasanna, as he describes on his Twitter profile, is a coder turned lawyer. He hails from the industrial town of Hosur in Tamil Nadu. He studied technology and software before he became a full-time lawyer. A trained Carnatic singer who is now based out of Delhi, Prasanna believes that his technological background gives him the sense to understand the challenges of civil liberty. He believes that the public is stuck on the notion that machines make correct choices. This may be the core reason for there being no opposition to Aadhar from the masses. This inanity of "privacy not required for the poor" bogey argument has been dealt with very well in paras 154 to 157 of DYC judgment. — Prasanna S (@prasanna_s) August 24, 2017 × Gautam Bhatia Gautam's qualifications as a lawyer are praiseworthy. The graduate from the prestigious National Law School, Bengaluru and Rhodes scholar is also a sci-fi geek. The 28-year-old edits the UK-based science-fiction magazine, Strange Horizons. Gautam actively posts about the issue. He is also the author of Offend, Shock or Disturb: Free Speech Under the Indian Constitution. He believes that any law on privacy has to be founded on principles of informed consent and specific consent. According to Bhatia, informed consent means the person is aware of what use it’s being put to and specific consent means that the authorities must seek consent for each specific act. There cannot be a victory for constitutional values as long as islands of personal law are held to be exempt from the Constitution. (13/n) — Gautam Bhatia (@gautambhatia88) August 22, 2017 × He pens down his thoughts about literature and poetry of "any and all kinds" on his blog. You can read more about his work here. Apar Gupta Request: 1. Focus on the obvious impact in the order 2. Individual judgements require closer reading 3. Celebrate but don't claim victory — Apar (@aparatbar) August 24, 2017 × Delhi-based Apar has graduated from Columbia Law School and is an active voice in the right to privacy and data debate in India. According to media reports, the 33-year-old claims that government has spent roughly Rs. 11,000 crore on generating Aadhar and are creating an illusion of administering efficiently. Kritika Bharadwaj Delhi-based Kritika studied Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and did her LLB from the same university's Faculty of Law. The now 26-year-old went on to Cambridge for her masters in international law. But even before her Masters, she had cut her teeth on Aadhaar-related matters and done meticulous research on international laws, biometrics, international practices, protocols and databases in the world. Kritika has possessed leadership qualities from the very beginning--she was the president of students' union in LSR and student representative to the faculty of law board in Cambridge.

Right to privacy: Young petitioners fight to make a difference

A case has been registered in India&#39;s poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh against BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj for his comments indirectly blaming Muslims for the population growth in India.

The remarks, made in Uttar Pradesh, come days after India&#39;s top court made it illegal to seek votes in the name of religion or caste.

&quot;Those with four wives and 40 children are responsible for the population increase in the country. Hindus are not responsible for the increase in population,&quot; Sakshi Maharaj said at what he called a &quot;sant sammelan,&quot; or gathering of sages yesterday.

&quot;Strict laws are required in this country if we really want to curb population. Parties need to rise above politics and take decision for the sake of the country,&quot; the legislator from UP&#39;s Unnao added.&nbsp;

The Meerut Police registered a First Information Report under Indian Penal Code sections 298 (Uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 153b (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration).

While the BJP distanced itself from the outburst, the Election Commission has sought a report from Meerut district administration.

Opposition parties condemned the incident. The Congress said it would file a complaint against the legislator before the Election Commission.

Congress leader KC Mittal called Sakshi Maharaj&#39;s speech &quot;offensive&quot; and said it violated the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission during elections.

&quot;It is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Congress is officially filing a complaint against him in the Election Commission,&quot; he said.

Condemning the comments, JD-U leader KC Tyagi termed them as the first major violation of the Supreme Court guidelines on use of religion in politics outlined on Monday.

&quot;Recently the Supreme Court and the Chief Election Commission laid down some guidelines for model code of conduct, including not to use religion, caste and language. This is the first major violation by a major political party that is BJP, by its MP. Now action must be taken by the party as well as the Election Commission against Sakshi Maharaj.

&quot;They are making derogatory comments against one section of the society. This is violation of Model Code of Conduct to incite one section against another. And this is a criminal act,&quot; he said.

The BJP distanced itself from the comments.&nbsp;

&quot;I haven&#39;t seen his statement, but we believe in taking everyone along...Country runs on law, on Constitution, it does not run with stick,&quot; said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. &quot;Such statements or views...Are not of either BJP or government. We have nothing to do with such statements.&quot;

An unfazed Maharaj made it clear that he was not speaking at a BJP event.

&quot;I had said that the population of India is approximately 132 crore. India&#39;s landmass is not increasing but our population keeps on increasing. We need to control this menace.

&quot;We should respect women and I had said that she is not a machine, that is why 4 wives, 40 kids and triple talaq are no longer 
tolerable. We need to take a decision whether we should have one, two, three or four kids. But we need to take a decision on 
this,&quot; he said.

The Meerut district administration said ADM, Meerut and city magistrate are also investigating the matter.

&quot;We have got information about few comments during the &#39;sant sammelan&#39; held at Augharnath Temple here through various newspapers. We have sought reports on it from Election Commission. ADM city and city magistrate are investigating the matter from all aspects. We will take prompt action according to law if we find anything,&quot; District Magistrate B Chandrakala said.

(WION with inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

The BJP says it has 'nothing to do' with Sakshi Maharaj's controversial statements

A case has been registered in India's poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh against BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj for his comments indirectly blaming Muslims for the population growth in India. The remarks, made in Uttar Pradesh, come days after India's top court made it illegal to seek votes in the name of religion or caste. "Those with four wives and 40 children are responsible for the population increase in the country. Hindus are not responsible for the increase in population," Sakshi Maharaj said at what he called a "sant sammelan," or gathering of sages yesterday. "Strict laws are required in this country if we really want to curb population. Parties need to rise above politics and take decision for the sake of the country," the legislator from UP's Unnao added. The Meerut Police registered a First Information Report under Indian Penal Code sections 298 (Uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 153b (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration). While the BJP distanced itself from the outburst, the Election Commission has sought a report from Meerut district administration. Opposition parties condemned the incident. The Congress said it would file a complaint against the legislator before the Election Commission. Congress leader KC Mittal called Sakshi Maharaj's speech "offensive" and said it violated the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission during elections. "It is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Congress is officially filing a complaint against him in the Election Commission," he said. Condemning the comments, JD-U leader KC Tyagi termed them as the first major violation of the Supreme Court guidelines on use of religion in politics outlined on Monday. "Recently the Supreme Court and the Chief Election Commission laid down some guidelines for model code of conduct, including not to use religion, caste and language. This is the first major violation by a major political party that is BJP, by its MP. Now action must be taken by the party as well as the Election Commission against Sakshi Maharaj. "They are making derogatory comments against one section of the society. This is violation of Model Code of Conduct to incite one section against another. And this is a criminal act," he said. The BJP distanced itself from the comments. "I haven't seen his statement, but we believe in taking everyone along...Country runs on law, on Constitution, it does not run with stick," said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. "Such statements or views...Are not of either BJP or government. We have nothing to do with such statements." An unfazed Maharaj made it clear that he was not speaking at a BJP event. "I had said that the population of India is approximately 132 crore. India's landmass is not increasing but our population keeps on increasing. We need to control this menace. "We should respect women and I had said that she is not a machine, that is why 4 wives, 40 kids and triple talaq are no longer tolerable. We need to take a decision whether we should have one, two, three or four kids. But we need to take a decision on this," he said. The Meerut district administration said ADM, Meerut and city magistrate are also investigating the matter. "We have got information about few comments during the 'sant sammelan' held at Augharnath Temple here through various newspapers. We have sought reports on it from Election Commission. ADM city and city magistrate are investigating the matter from all aspects. We will take prompt action according to law if we find anything," District Magistrate B Chandrakala said. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Police complaint against BJP leader after controversial comments blaming Muslims for population growth