TheFinePrint

By Rohan Manoj, Senior Assistant Editor

An NGO noticed a “trend” of companies under investigation by law enforcement agencies deciding to donate to the BJP via the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme, did its own analysis, and concluded that the evidence pointed to “extortion”. That’s at the root of the FIR registered in Bengaluru against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ED officers, and BJP office-bearers. The complainant, Aditya R. Iyer, co-president of the NGO Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath, spoke to Mayank Kumar about how they analysed the data, got the FIR filed by moving a special court when they had no luck with the police, and had more complaints lined up. Read this report for more.

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s long-rumoured elevation to the post of Tamil Nadu’s deputy chief minister has finally happened, as part of a cabinet reshuffle that also saw four MLAs inducted into the cabinet. It’s all optimised for the 2026 assembly elections—Udhayanidhi as the youth face to counter the likes of the BJP’s Annamalai and the actor Vijay, a Gounder leader with influence in western Tamil Nadu to help the DMK’s ambitions to make inroads in the region, a fourth Dalit minister to shore up support among the community and rebut accusations of being an ‘OBC’ party. Read this article by Prabhakar Tamilarasu.

There’s a lot of excitement about India’s plans to deploy small, indigenously made nuclear reactors — the ‘Bharat Small Reactors’ announced in the July Budget—which is expected to help the country in its transition towards greener energy. And for the first time, private companies will be playing a role in generating nuclear power, working with the government. Sandhya Ramesh has the details.

Also Read:

Manipur CM says working for ‘safe release’ of two Meitei men missing since 26 September

By Noren Ningombam & Karishma Hasnat - Read more

Indian High Commission in Dhaka, facing protests & threats, returns 20,000 visa applicants’ passports

By Ananya Bhardwaj - Read more

With 16 Jharkhand visits in 3 months, ‘infiltrator’ rhetoric, Himanta emerges as thorn in JMM’s side

By Niraj Sinha - Read more

Opinion

In 1983, an Indian household staple had been contaminated with what was then primarily socially illicit—beef tallow. There could be nothing more blasphemous. Jain Shudh Vanaspati Limited, one of the industry’s biggest players, was accused of selling pasty, treacly animal fat under the guise of ghee write Antara Baruah and Sampurna Panigrahi in ThePrint PastForward.

In the case of Coldplay, the crashing of BookMyShow website left genuine fans stranded in virtual queues, and ridiculously overpriced tickets turned up on the black market. This raises some questions: how much can singers and bands charge their audience, and how much are concert-goers willing to pay? Specifically, how far can both sides go, writes author and former Rolling Stone magazine editor Palash Mehrotra.

Video

“There's no rift in the Haryana Congress, and Kumari Selja will campaign for me,” Panchkula candidate and former deputy chief minister Chander Mohan tells Sagrika Kissu in ‘ThePrint Uninterrupted.’

Changing lifestyles, diet patterns, and pollution have led to a steep rise in non-communicable diseases such as strokes. Watch top neurologists Dr MV Padma Srivastava and Dr Sudhir Kumar in conversation with Sumi Sukanya in this episode of ‘Health And You.’