Counterview

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ   The Catholic Church observed the 60th World Day of Social Communications on 17 May 2025. In his first message for this significant occasion, Pope Leo XIV focused on the need to preserve “human voices and faces.” Written on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron of communications (24 January 2026), the message is incisive and addresses some of the major challenges confronting modern communication today.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat   A few recent incidents have consumed most of the airtime of self-proclaimed national media and social media platforms. The first was the fiasco of the press conference in Oslo , which could have been handled better. Then came the Modi-Meloni "Melody moment," which only rubbed salt into the wounds of ordinary people suffering from energy price hikes and an uncertain future.

By A Representative   After years of persistent efforts by RTI activists and a citizen-led campaign, the Gujarat government has finally started connecting district and taluka-level offices of key departments to its online RTI portal . The development brings relief to thousands of citizens who previously faced significant hurdles in filing RTI applications for local bodies.

By Adnan Asrar*  In recent weeks, the issue of law students’ attendance in classrooms has received considerable public attention. Several colleges debarred students from appearing in the examination due to insufficient attendance, sparking an uproar on social media. Those criticising the college's actions relied heavily on the judgement delivered by the Delhi High Court in November last year. Challenging the Delhi HC judgement, the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) has filed a plea . In its last hearing, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the Bar Council of India (BCI) and sought its response.

By A Representative   An open letter issued on May 22, 2026, by the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), comprising 71 retired civil servants from the All India and Central Services, has strongly criticized recent remarks made by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) against environmental litigants. 

By Prof Hemantkumar Shah  Franz Kafka ’s 1915 masterpiece, The Metamorphosis , opens with one of the most jarring lines in world literature: Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. Samsa’s tragedy lies not just in his sudden physical grotesque form, but in his subsequent alienation. He becomes unemployed, a financial burden, and an object of deep disgust to his own family. He struggles to cling to his fading human memories before ultimately choosing to starve himself to death in isolation.