The political temperature in Parliament rose sharply after the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, with the BJP demanding an apology from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for her sharp criticism of the legislation. Mrs Gandhi called the Bill a brazen assault on the Constitution and accused the ruling BJP of pushing India toward permanent polarisation.

Her comments, made during a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting at Samvidhan Sadan, drew a swift backlash from the BJP, with MPs led by Nishikant Dubey demanding a formal apology. They accused her of undermining constitutional values and the Parliament’s authority. The protests led to the adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings on Friday morning, as BJP members chanted slogans calling for her apology.

Sonia Gandhi alleges ‘bulldozing’ of legislation

Sonia Gandhi strongly criticized the passage of the Waqf Bill, claiming it was bulldozed through the Lok Sabha. She also targeted the Modi govt’s push for the One Nation, One Election initiative, calling it a direct subversion of India’s constitutional framework. “Whether it is education, civil rights and liberties, our federal structure, or the conduct of elections, the Modi government is dragging the country into an abyss,” she said.

She accused the government of promoting a surveillance state and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was rebranding initiatives started during the UPA era as his own. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were present during the meeting, where Mrs Gandhi urged Congress MPs to aggressively counter BJP narratives.

Waqf Bill passed after intense debate in both Houses

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha after a 12-hour debate. Amendments proposed by opposition members were rejected via voice vote. The final vote count stood at 288 in favour and 232 against. The Bill later cleared the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes supporting it and 95 opposing, amid claims from opposition parties that it is anti-Muslim and unconstitutional.

The government defended the Bill as a historic reform for the benefit of the minority community. The Congress has since announced that it will challenge the law in the Supreme Court, with Jairam Ramesh stating that the party would very soon contest the Bill’s constitutional validity.

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, fondly known as Bharat Kumar for his patriotic films, passed away at the age of 87. The Indian film fraternity is grieving the loss of one of its most iconic figures, Manoj Kumar, who passed away at 87. Known for his memorable contributions to patriotic cinema, Manoj Kumar carved a unique space in Bollywood with his storytelling and powerful screen presence. His death has led to an outpouring of tributes from the Indian film industry.

Akshay Kumar, recalling Manoj Kumar’s influence on his career, said, “I grew up learning from him that there’s no emotion like love and pride for our country. Such a fine person, and one of the biggest assets of our fraternity. RIP Manoj Sir.”

Aamir Khan, also mourning the loss, noted how Manoj Kumar was more than just an actor. In his words, “He was an institution. His films were often based on important social themes which brought him really close to the common man.”

Remembered for his patriotic soul and cinematic vision

Tributes flooded social media, including from political figure and actor Khushbu Sundar, who wrote, “He will eternally be remembered as Mr. Bharat for reminding us about roti, kapada aur kisaan… our culture and our roots.”

Filmmaker Vivek described Kumar as “India’s first truly original and committed Indic filmmaker,” appreciating how he infused nationalism into cinema with grace and depth.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar, reminiscing their interactions, praised the legendary artist’s storytelling and song picturisation that “inspired national pride and will resonate for generations.”

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra highlighted Kumar’s unmatched skill in song visualization, sharing a tribute link to the classic “Ek Pyar Ka Naghma Hai” and stating, “Very few people knew the art of song picturisation better than him.”

A life steeped in cinema and nationhood

Born in 1937 as Harikrishnan Giri Goswami in Abbottabad (now in Pakistan), Manoj Kumar’s family moved to Delhi during the Partition. He made his film debut with Fashion in 1957, but it was Kanchi Ki Gudiya that marked his breakthrough.

His patriotic filmography, including titles like Purab Aur Paschim, Kranti, and Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan, earned him the nickname ‘Bharat Kumar’. His works reflected deep nationalistic spirit, often portraying common man’s struggles with dignity and pride.

Manoj Kumar was the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, a National Film Award, and seven Filmfare Awards — all testaments to his significant contributions to Indian cinema.

Supreme Court judge JK Maheshwari said on Thursday that the level of faculty in the national law universities should be improved to uplift the state of legal education in the country along with their standards.

Speaking at the Bharat Shiksha Summit 2025’s session on Legal Education and Training: Bridging Theory and Practice, Justice Maheshwari said practical legal training should also be improved upon and revitalised. In this context, he noted that moot court competitions are held regularly and should focus on real-world cases that land up in India’s courts instead of a corporate law case as is often the case with moot courts.

Referring to the ongoing debate on Artificial Intelligence, Justice Maheshwari said artificial intelligence is just that: artificial intelligence. Intelligence is natural and AI is man-made, he underlined. Speaking on the necessity of inculcating ethics, he said ethical training in legal education is its soul. While people cannot be trained in ethics since it comes with birth and basic nurturing, a sound moral base is required to be ethical, he said. Brushing away the abstract nature of the word ethics, he said it is a very real lived experience and needs to be built into legal professionals if they do not have it.

Ahead of Justice Maheshwari, Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani handled the questions put forward by National Law Institute University, Bhopal Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) S. Surya Prakash on the standardization of legal education by the Bar Council of India with disarming grace. The AG said law students should first of all understand where they intend to go in the social order that prevails in the country.

Venkataramani said law is a part of the social order and its students, throughout their lives, have to keep in mind the many divisions that exist in society including the economic ones. The Supreme Court of India is a mirror to Indian society and solves many of its problems that find their way to the courtroom.

He exhorted law students to ask themselves every minute if they and their work will make any difference to the world and of what kind, and continue to practice the self-questioning well into their careers.

Earlier, Prof. (Dr.) S. Surya Prakash had said legal education in India was coming up in three streams of law colleges, state law universities and national law universities. All three differ in terms of standards, quality, facilities and cost, he said. Thus, education has itself become a divisive force, he noted.

With such varying standards, Prof Surya Prakash appealed to the Bar Council of India to be strict and set standards since it equates the LLB degree given by all three streams at par.

National Law University Delhi Vice-Chancellor Prof GS Bajpai said the ball is in the BCI’s court to fix quality issues plaguing legal education. He made an earnest appeal to all universities to be liberal spaces that would allow students to exchange ideas, however frivolous they are, so that the campus is free from the rigor mortis of academic drudgery.

He said NLU Delhi has introduced a no-detention policy as an example of free-flow of ideas, and it is being examined for implementing in other NLUs. Prof Bajpai asked students to be active as citizens, especially in legal education.

Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai said English has played the role of a connecting language in India over time and said Hindi has not achieved that status because it has not made room for words from other languages. He said people over the last many decades have not used Hindi as an assimilatory language. On legal education, he said efforts should be made consciously to evolve and improve legal education despite the many roadblocks.