India’s Supreme Court has cleared late former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a coal allocation case, declaring closure of proceedings against him on Wednesday. The decision, reported on July 29, 2026, came about a year and a half after Singh’s death in 2024. The case concerned alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal mines in Odisha while the UPA government was in power.

Singh held the coal ministry portfolio at the time, while allegations were also raised against the then coal secretary. The report says the CBI questioned officials in the prime minister’s secretariat but was accused of not questioning Singh, an issue that was also raised before the court. Singh had rejected the allegations from the beginning. In 2015, the CBI submitted to the court information obtained after questioning him.

The Supreme Court said the trial court had no strong basis to reject the CBI’s closure report and take cognizance of the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohanan announced the decision after accepting Singh’s challenge to summons issued by the trial court in 2015. Congress welcomed the ruling and demanded that the prime minister apologize to the country.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi alleged in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah authorized the use of force against students protesting in Delhi. Gandhi said police action on 20 July against students demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was carried out on Home Ministry instructions. His remarks triggered an uproar in the House.

Gandhi said the home minister had ordered firing at students and that pellets had entered their bodies. He argued that only the home minister or prime minister could authorize such force. He also praised the protesting students and alleged that the RSS had taken control of India’s education system and expanded its influence in universities, limiting students’ ability to question freely.

Union parliamentary minister Kiren Rijiju strongly objected to the allegation and demanded evidence, saying such a serious charge against the home minister could not be made without proof. After the session was adjourned, Congress leader K C Venugopal said Delhi Police works under the Home Ministry and that the home minister must explain the police action against students. Gandhi said Pradhan’s resignation would be symbolic because, in his view, the Education Ministry is effectively run by the RSS.

Flood conditions have worsened in Assam, India, with the death toll rising to 75, according to a report published on July 29. Thousands of people have taken shelter in relief camps after their homes were inundated. The flooding has caused extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges and agricultural land.

Assam’s disaster management department said more than 332,000 people in 622 villages are enduring severe hardship. About 45,341 hectares of farmland remain under water. Sivasagar district has recorded the greatest damage this year and also the highest number of deaths, the report said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced financial assistance in response to the situation. One-time support for families of people killed in the floods has been raised to 900,000 rupees. More than 100,000 of the worst-affected families will also receive immediate cash assistance of 15,000 rupees each to buy food, clothing and daily necessities.

Delhi Police have sent notices to multiple X account holders and some news portals over allegedly objectionable posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and security forces during protests by the Kokroach Janata Party in Delhi and other parts of India. The report, published on July 29, 2026, said the notices sought the identities and information of those who made the posts. Police did not disclose how many accounts received notices.

Police said they were reviewing social-media posts, videos and comments published during and after the protests to examine possible legal violations and potential effects on public order. They alleged that more than 450 accounts circulated false information, rumours and artificial-intelligence-generated deepfake videos during the movement.

Two days earlier, Delhi Police directed various social-media platforms to remove posts and videos containing objectionable comments about Modi. Police said their cyber and social-media monitoring teams regularly track online activity and are taking necessary action against content deemed unlawful. Several objectionable posts and videos have already been removed, according to police.

India’s chief justice Surya Kant reportedly called unemployed young people “cockroaches” in May, prompting widespread anger and the formation that month of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP. The group has gained online popularity among young Indians while protesting exam paper leaks, weak accountability in competitive examinations, and alleged irregularities and corruption in education. The article says the movement has created significant pressure on Narendra Modi’s government.

From June 6, CJP and several nationwide student organisations held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Environmentalist and social activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike in support; police took him to hospital on the 21st day. Protesters demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation marched toward Parliament, breached police barricades and entered the Parliament complex, where violence occurred.

According to the article, pressure from CJP forced the education minister to resign, while the prime minister promised to meet several additional youth demands. It links the protest to unemployment, rising living costs, exam disruptions and frustration among educated young people. The article also says more than 800 million Indians depend on state food assistance and describes sharp concentration of income and wealth among the top 1%.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has warned it will resume protests across India unless all cases filed against NEET anti-question-leak demonstrators are withdrawn. The warning followed Tuesday hearings on petitions alleging excessive force against students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and elsewhere. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered that peaceful protesters face no coercive action and that detained people with no prior criminal record be released.

The court also said the Delhi government and other state governments could continue investigating FIRs already filed, while barring harsh action against peaceful student protesters. CJP spokesperson Saurabh Das said the government had promised on July 25 to withdraw all FIRs and prevent direct or indirect harassment of those who joined peaceful protests. He said CJP had withdrawn its nationwide movement on the basis of that assurance.

Das said CJP feared the central government and BJP-ruled states could use the court order to retain cases and harass protesters. He called for withdrawal of all FIRs and guarantees against future punitive action. CJP began continuous protests at Jantar Mantar on June 20, held a “March to Parliament” on July 20, and later withdrew its movement after assurances and Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has alleged that repression against students participating in protests over alleged examination question leaks is continuing across India. At a Tuesday press conference at the Press Club of India in Delhi, AISA leaders said police operations were under way against protesters in several states, particularly Bihar and Delhi. The organisation said arrests, detentions and police harassment persisted despite assurances that peaceful demonstrators would not face punitive action.

AISA alleged that students faced cases in Delhi, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar, with some being arbitrarily detained. National president Neha called on the government to honour its assurances, release detainees and hold dialogue on students’ concerns. She also claimed that CPI(ML) Liberation legislator Sandeep Saurav and several AISA activists remained in jail over participation in the movement, especially in Bihar. The group released a fact-finding report detailing detentions and injuries in Delhi, along with arrests and police operations in Bihar and other states.

Kakroach Janata Party also alleged that cases and arrests continued after an understanding with the government, saying at least 100 people had been arrested. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant called for an independent investigation into allegations of police abuse in Delhi. Maharashtra, Bihar and Assam announced withdrawal of cases and releases, though notices and summons were still alleged. Maharashtra cyber police said it had identified more than 500 profiles over allegedly misleading online content.

India’s Generation Z is rapidly becoming a significant political force ahead of the 2029 general election, analysts say. People aged 18 to 32 are expected to form the country’s largest adult population by then, creating a new electoral equation for political parties. The generation will include the largest student group, first-time voters, young people entering work and those forming new families.

Analysis cited in the report projects India’s Gen Z population at about 380 million in 2029, including roughly 199 million men and 181 million women. That would exceed the estimated 357 million millennials. Student protests over the NEET-UG question paper leak, followed by nationwide demonstrations demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, highlighted young people’s growing political influence.

The UN medium projection says voters aged 18 to 29 may account for 27.8 percent of the electorate in 2029, down from 30.1 percent in 2024. Analysts nevertheless say Gen Z’s digital connectivity, educational aspirations and ability to organize quickly on social media can amplify its influence. Employment, education, living costs, housing, climate change and governance are expected to gain greater political importance.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sharply criticized the decision to assign Prahlad Joshi additional charge of the education ministry. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament on July 28, Gandhi alleged that the BJP had given the education portfolio to a person who had previously supported rapists. He said the appointment came while many young people and students were protesting over the education system.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made education minister a person who supported the decision to release convicts in the rape of a pregnant woman. According to Priyanka Gandhi, the appointment sends a clear message to millions of women in the country.

Joshi supported in 2018 the premature release of 11 people serving life sentences in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the killing of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots. He said they had spent a long time in prison and were eligible for release under the law, citing good conduct. India’s Supreme Court cancelled the remission order in 2024, saying the authority lacked legal jurisdiction.

West Bengal’s BJP government may move to withdraw cases filed against protesters demonstrating over an examination question-paper leak, according to senior state secretariat sources cited on July 28. The possible move follows separate announcements by the Assam and Bihar governments that they would withdraw all cases against participants in Friday’s protest. West Bengal had not formally announced a decision, though sources said a notification could be issued on Monday.

Violence occurred during a protest at Esplanade in Kolkata last Friday, held with support from the Cockroach Janata Party after a call by a left-wing student organization. Protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged paper leak. At a Delhi press conference, CJP said it would resume protests unless arrested students were released and FIRs withdrawn.

Seven cases were filed at Kolkata’s Hare Street and Entally police stations under the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026. Police said 16 people were arrested over alleged vandalism and 70 were identified over alleged attacks on police and media workers.

China has deployed at least 11 fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighters at two air bases near India’s northern border, according to an NDTV report based on satellite-image analysis. The aircraft were seen between June and mid-July this year at Hotan air base in Xinjiang and Damshung air base in Tibet. The report also said Beijing had increased the number of advanced aircraft and military exercises along areas adjoining India.

Vantor imagery dated July 9 showed seven J-20s lined up on the runway at Hotan, a dual-use civilian and military facility 245 kilometres from India’s Daulat Beg Oldi air base north of Ladakh. A second image showed four J-20s at Damshung, 344 kilometres from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The report described this as the first time such a large number of stealth aircraft had been seen simultaneously at Chinese bases near the border.

New Space co-founder and former fighter pilot Sameer Joshi called the deployment a permanent threat to the Indian Air Force. India has no indigenous stealth fighter, while its AMCA project may not enter final service before 2035, the report said. India operates 36 Rafales at Ambala and Hasimara. The Indian Air Force did not comment when asked by NDTV.

Mohammad Junaid and members of his family were released after allegations that they were detained and harassed for distributing food and water as volunteers at the Kakaroch Janata Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The report, published on July 28, said their release followed complaints that they had gone missing, public criticism and efforts by lawyers. Junaid’s lawyer announced on social media that the entire family had been freed, and a family member confirmed it.

Junaid alleged that men in plain clothes, identifying themselves as Delhi Police personnel, detained him last Friday night while he was returning from Delhi’s RML Hospital after treatment for a dog bite. He said he was blindfolded, taken to an unknown place, deprived of his phone and held overnight. He was questioned the following morning about the funding for food and water distributed to protesters.

Junaid said the supplies came from public donations and food sent by well-wishers. He also alleged that his father, brother-in-law and sister’s father-in-law were detained and documents were seized. Meerut Police denied detaining any family member. APCR offered legal support and said it would go to court if unlawful action continued.

A new social-media organization, the E20 Janata Party (EJP), has gained rapid attention in India amid controversy over ethanol-blended E20 petrol. Using a crab as its symbol, the group is campaigning for greater transparency in ethanol policy, consumer choice and availability of 100 percent pure petrol. In posts on X on July 26, it also called for the resignation of Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

EJP says it does not oppose ethanol blending entirely and is not seeking subsidies. It wants mandatory disclosure of ethanol and other components in each fuel, government publication of costs, benefits and possible impacts, and independent research into effects on mileage, engine performance, pollution and maintenance costs. After its public launch early Sunday, it surpassed 200,000 Instagram followers within hours and reached about 35,000 followers on X. Its leadership and founders remain unidentified.

The petroleum ministry acknowledged two weeks earlier that E20 could reduce mileage by 3 to 5 percent and said ethanol blending would not lower fuel prices. The government cites foreign-exchange savings, higher farmer incomes and lower carbon-dioxide emissions. A citizens’ group has called a Delhi march for July 31, while taxi and tourism transport groups announced a Parliament march on August 4.

An Amar Desh report said youth-led protests over a medical examination paper leak spread from Delhi across India, reportedly forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to remove Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement, led in Delhi by the Cockroach Janata Party, began after about 2 million students were required to retake examinations. The report said several students died by suicide, while protesters demanded Pradhan’s resignation and accountability in the examination system.

According to the report, Modi initially did not directly respond to protesters’ demands. In an Instagram video on Friday night, he thanked young people for their “constructive suggestions,” but protesters mocked the message online. Demonstrations intensified the following day, including at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and spread to BJP-governed states. Youth-produced memes, videos and social-media campaigns challenged the government’s established online messaging, the report said.

Brown University professor Ashutosh Varshney said the government had no other option but to remove Pradhan. Congress and other opposition parties backed the movement, with Rahul Gandhi joining a student protest. The report linked youth anger to unemployment, limited jobs, stagnant wages and wider education-system problems, while organizers said the movement was only beginning.

India’s Supreme Court said baton charges cannot be used merely because a protest is taking place, during hearings on several petitions seeking an investigation into a police action at a demonstration over alleged question-paper leaks. The court made the remarks on July 27, according to the report.

The petitions concerned a July 20 protest in Delhi by Kakoroch Janata Party, which demanded the education minister’s resignation over the allegations. The report also said tear gas and baton charges were used during a march by protesting students toward India’s parliament over the same demand.

The top court said the constitution fully guarantees the right to peaceful and lawful protest. It stated that as long as a demonstration remains peaceful, baton charges cannot be carried out solely on the ground that people are protesting.