November 7 2025, marked the 150th year of India's revered national song, Vande Mataram.
A controversy has erupted in Mysuru over the ownership of Chamundi Hill, home to the Chamundeshwari Temple, ahead of the Dasara festival. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family criticized Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's statement that the hill is not the property of Hindus alone, leading to a heated exchange and raising questions about the nature of the upcoming Dasara celebrations.
The petition also sought a direction to include a chapter on dharma and "religion" in the syllabus of primary and secondary schools "in order to educate the masses and control the religion-based hatred and hate speeches".
The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought the stand of the Centre and city government on a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the authorities to use the "proper meaning" of the term "religion' and not use it as a synonym of "dharma" in official documents.
The Indian Constitution's survival hinges on the nation's demographic profile and if it is altered, then it would cease to exist, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras high court has said.
At a time when the BJP's stars are at the top on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls, the Puri-Joshimath Sankaracharyas may have kick-started a row whose efforts might be to divide Hindus, not in the name of castes, but on what passes for greater belief, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'This setback is only transient, and this too shall pass.'
"The way the hijab imbroglio unfolded gives scope for the argument that some 'unseen hands' are at work to engineer social unrest and disharmony. Much is not necessary to specify," the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said in the order.
The plea argued that any changes such as inclusion of same sex marriage in the Customary Law are much easier, convenient and practical in marriages which are a type of contract between the partners as they are very remotely based on religion and more generic in nature.
'The Sabarimala issue is no longer in splendid isolation.'
The verdict could impact a range of life choices of Indians, including food habits and sexual orientation.
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