Author: Abhinav Mehrotra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel marks a significant moment in India’s evolving foreign policy and carries far-reaching geopolitical implications. More than a routine diplomatic exchange, the visit demonstrates the transformation of India-Israel relations from a defence partnership into a broad-based strategic alliance. Coming at a time of heightened tensions in West Asia, the trip reflects New Delhi’s willingness to assert its interests even in complex and sensitive geopolitical circumstances. Historically, India maintained a distance from Israel due to its support for the Palestinian cause and its dependence on energy supplies from Arab states. However, since the establishment of…
By Abhinav Mehrotra and Amit Upadhyay On January 29, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stayed the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2026. Notified barely two weeks earlier, on January 13, the regulations had already become contentious, particularly among students from the general category, who argued that the framework treated them unfairly. The University Grants Commission’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2026, were introduced with the stated aim of addressing discrimination and exclusion faced by historically marginalised communities in Indian higher education. However, the debate…
By Abhinav Mehrotra and Amit Upadhyay The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar has brought renewed attention to the rights-based framework of governance in India, sparking debate about documentation requirements and procedural fairness. The rights-based governance framework is a model of public administration that places the protection, promotion and fulfilment of human rights at the heart of policy-making and governance. Unlike traditional welfare or developmental approaches, which focus on delivering services or economic goods, a rights-based framework treats citizens as rights-holders and the state as a duty-bearer, making it accountable for ensuring these rights. In this context, the SIR…
Abhinav Mehrotra and Biswanath Gupta Democracy is often hailed as the most legitimate form of governance, based on the principles of sovereignty, accountability and individual freedoms and this is largely true. However, history shows us the other side as well, where democracies do not only collapse through coups or violent upheavals; sometimes, their undoing begins slowly from within. Elected leaders may gradually interfere with the functioning of the institutions that keep them in check. It unfolds slowly through the politicisation of oversight bodies or subtle curtailments of dissent. It is a global concern, one that international law increasingly recognises through…
Abhinav Mehrotra and Amit Upadhyay The historical tensions between Israel and Iran have once again ignited global concerns, pushing the United States deeper into a regional war that has destabilized West Asia. As Israel and Iran trade threats and retaliatory strikes, the USA’s recent direct military action against Iranian assets has turned an already dangerous conflict into a confrontation. Despite claims of a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, hostilities between Israel and Iran persist. Following the US precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, using bunker-busting bombs and cruise missiles, Iran retaliated with a symbolic…
