Laws, regulations, government decisions, public policy
The Supreme Court declined to direct the Election Commission on counting staff for West Bengal local body elections, upholding EC's authority to choose personnel. The EC assured the court that its circular would be followed and state government employees would also be present during the May 4 count.
The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Rohit Jain as Deputy Governor, effective May 3, for a three-year term. The specific portfolio he will oversee has not yet been disclosed, making his role assignment the key detail to watch post-appointment.
India has notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, barring minor children from holding two passports and moving the entire OCI registration process online with e-OCI cards. The rules also allow biometric data to be used for faster immigration clearance at border entry points.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has accepted the merger of seven AAP MPs into BJP, raising BJP's upper house strength to 113. AAP drops to three members, likely losing formal group recognition and key parliamentary privileges.
A federal appeals court has blocked mailing of mifepristone, the abortion pill used in most U.S. medication abortions. The ruling cuts off a key delivery channel for patients in states with limited in-person abortion access, with legal challenges expected.
Senior citizens voted in large numbers in Tamil Nadu's 2026 state election despite high temperatures, reflecting strong civic engagement. Their turnout could influence results in closely contested seats where elderly voters are actively courted by political parties.
PM Modi declared at a public rally that West Bengal's mood favours a BJP win and said he will return for an oath-taking ceremony. He attacked the Trinamool Congress government over alleged syndicate networks, political violence, and economic decline in the state.
A federal appeals court ruled that mifepristone cannot be mailed to patients, targeting the telehealth prescription model that became a primary route for abortion access after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
India's Railway Board has set zone-wise targets to surrender or redistribute nearly 30,000 posts in 2026, 27, embedding the exercise as a formal KPI in each zone's annual performance agreement. The move reduces authorised headcount and future hiring capacity across one of the world's largest employers.
A federal appeals court granted Louisiana's request to reinstate a nationwide in-person requirement for dispensing abortion pills, ending mail and telehealth access. Patients across the country, including in states where abortion is legal, must now visit a provider in person to obtain the medication.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that mifepristone, the most-used abortion pill in the U.S., can no longer be mailed and must be dispensed only at clinics in person.
President Trump formally told Congress the Israel-Iran ceasefire means hostilities have "terminated," arguing he never needed and still does not need congressional authorisation for military action involving Iran.
President Trump told Congress the War Powers Resolution deadline does not apply because hostilities with Iran have "terminated." His letter simultaneously signaled the standoff with Iran is not fully resolved, raising questions about what happens if military action resumes.
India's government has allowed contractors to invoke Force Majeure clauses for up to four months, formally recognising the West Asia crisis as a qualifying event. This gives businesses with government contracts a legal shield against penalty clauses tied to supply chain and project disruptions.
The Pentagon has contracted Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS to run AI tools on classified military networks. The move follows a dispute with Anthropic over AI usage terms and reflects a deliberate DoD strategy to spread risk across multiple vendors.
Post-poll violence has been reported across several West Bengal districts, including clashes between ISF and TMC supporters in Krishnamati where crude bomb explosions were alleged. Police have launched a probe into the incidents.
The Supreme Court has ruled that an SBI-led bank consortium qualifies as financial creditors in the Reliance Infratel insolvency case, overturning orders from both the NCLT and NCLAT that had stripped them of that status. Financial creditors hold voting rights on the Committee of Creditors, giving them direct control over resolution plan approvals.
A proposed amendment to India's IT Rules, Rule 3(4), would make MeitY advisories and circulars binding on digital intermediaries by tying compliance to safe harbour protections. Legal experts say this lets the executive create enforceable obligations without Parliament or courts, and could affect every category of digital business from social media to cloud services.
West Bengal's second phase of Assembly elections is being held across 142 seats in seven south Bengal districts, including Kolkata. About 3.21 crore voters are choosing among 1,448 candidates, making this a pivotal round in the overall state election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress does not need to vote on Trump's military actions toward Iran, arguing the U.S. is 'not at war.' The stance invokes a legal threshold under the War Powers Resolution, effectively blocking mandatory congressional oversight for now. The comments came as a key deadline in the U.S.-