BCI Co-Chairperson demands Manan Mishra’s resignation, questions prolonged tenure amid NALSAR row

Pressure on reigning Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra escalated on Saturday (August 22, 2026), after a senior BCI member and its Co-Chairperson Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy demanded his resignation and called for an independent probe into a series of allegations concerning the functioning of the statutory body.

The development came hours before a press conference proposed by the BCI was scheduled to be held at its office in New Delhi. The council, however, postponed the August 22 press conference, citing the possibility of a large gathering of advocates and concerns over the availability of space and arrangements for the media. The revised date has been indicated as August 24.

Why didn’t you sing Vande Mataram in full all these years?: Mallikarjun Kharge questions Modi, BJP

Responding to the BJP’s resolution passed on Saturday (August 22, 2026) condemning the Congress Working Committee’s decision to re-adopt its 1937 resolution restricting the singing of “Vande Mataram” to its first two stanzas at Congress programmes, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders had not sung the full version of the song all these years and why the issue had suddenly become important.

Sikh protesters burn Rahul Gandhi effigy over Sajjan Kumar ‘role model’ remark

Two days after former Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riot convict Sajjan Kumar died, over 200 Sikh community representatives, including families of riot victims, gathered near Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Saturday afternoon (August 22, 2026), burning his effigy and beating it with slippers in an expression of anger over remarks allegedly describing Kumar as a “party role model”.

The protesters demanded a formal apology from Mr. Gandhi and his resignation, saying the Congress leadership had insulted the families who had spent decades seeking justice for the victims of the 1984 violence.

CJI advocates ‘Nyaya-nomics’ to drive growth

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday (August 22, 2026) highlighted that courts must speak the language of both rule of law and economics, coining the combination as “Nyaya-nomics”.

He said courts must ensure trust, predictability and stability in the justice delivery system in order to spur economic growth. Chief Justice Kant was speaking at the 11th BRICS+ Legal Forum organised by the Bar Association of India.

Special NIA court rejects bail plea of Pulwama terror attack accused Insha Jan

A special NIA court has rejected the bail plea of Insha Jan alias Insha Tariq, an accused in the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, observing that sufficient material existed on record to presume that the accusations against her were prima facie true.

In his 15-page order delivered on August 20, Special Judge Prem Sagar held that the statutory bar under Section 43-D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) also operated against the accused and prevented her release on bail at this stage.

Cross-FIRs filed after attack on CJP team in Jaipur during visit to govt. school

Amid a row over an alleged attack on members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) during a visit to a government school in Jaipur, the outfit and local villagers have lodged FIRs against each other, accusing one another of assault and creating a ruckus.

The CJP team on Friday (August 21, 2026) reached Rampura Kanwarpura village to inspect the condition of a government school when a confrontation broke out between its members and local residents, whom the CJP has accused of being “BJP goons”.

DMK revamps party organisation; sets 70 as age limit for district secretaries, 45 for local units

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced a major revamp of the party organisation at all levels with an aim infuse new blood and bring in younger faces. The changes announced on Saturday (August 22, 2026) have been incorporated based on the recommendations of the revamp committee appointed by party president M.K. Stalin.

The party has fixed the maximum age cap for district unit secretaries at 70, and also limited them to a maximum of three terms.

Under-construction seven-storey building collapses in Kondapur, neighbour injured

An under-construction seven-storey building collapsed at Anjaiah Nagar in Kondapur on Saturday (August 22, 2026) afternoon, triggering panic in the area and prompting fire and police teams to launch a search operation to check if anyone was trapped under the debris. Madhapur police are investigating the case.

The building, reportedly being constructed on a 50-square-yard plot adjacent to a drain, suddenly collapsed and tilted towards a neighbouring apartment complex in the Whitefields area, causing partial damage to the structure.

Right to practice religion subject to reasonable restrictions in interest of public order: Patna HC

The right to profess and practice religion is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order and societal norms, the Patna High Court has said.

It made the remarks while dismissing a plea seeking permission for 300 devotees to take part in an annual religious procession in Bihar’s Siwan, where attendance has been restricted to maintain law and order.

U.S. imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products; Canada says it will retaliate

The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early on Saturday (August 22, 2026), and Canada immediately said it would retaliate, after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in already tense relations between the historic allies.

President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, including products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.

Published - August 22, 2026 07:49 pm IST