Open Magazine - Top Stories

‘Ground Them’: What the Supreme Court’s Warning to Airlines Actually Means for Flyers
‘Ground Them’: What the Supreme Court’s Warning to Airlines Actually Means for Flyers
4 min read
The Supreme Court has warned airlines that they could face grounding if they fail to comply with regulatory directions, as the Centre races to finalise new aviation rules. But what does the warning ac ...
Default bail vs regular bail: What’s the difference in Jasir Wani’s Red Fort blast case?
4 min read
The Delhi High Court has rejected Jasir Bilal Wani’s default bail plea in the Red Fort blast case. But what exactly is default bail, how is it different from regular bail, and why did the 90-day clock ...
India was an ancient nation centuries before its 80th birthday
11 min read
India’s civilisational journey long predates its birth as a Republic on January 26, 1950, and is a confluence of cultural and religious influences that shaped its identity over several millennia
Supreme Court Rejects Plea to Replace Hanging as Death Penalty Method
2 min read
The court refuses to order a shift to lethal injection, shooting or electrocution, but allows the Centre to examine whether scientific advances can offer a less painful and more dignified method of ex ...
No Cricketers, But Plenty of Champions: Who’s on India’s National Sports Awards 2025 List?
3 min read
A 24-member Arjuna list for the National Sports Awards 2025 features decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, chess stars Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi, and badminton pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. ...
BJP Looks to Refresh Narrative With Major Party Recast
3 min read
BJP has rebuilt its team. The party is looking to refresh its conversation with younger voters, and the sweeping organisational churn sets out its roadmap to the 2029 Lok Sabha election. A revitalised ...
JNU Deprivation Points Row Explained: Why Delhi High Court Put 2026 Admissions on Hold
6 min read
A candidate can receive up to 12 deprivation points, effectively adding as many as 36 marks to a CUET score. JNU calls it a bridge across geography and disadvantage. The court fears it could rewrite a ...
From Engineering to Edge of the Universe: Meet Rohan Naidu, the Astronomer Behind ‘Black Hole Star’ Discovery
4 min read
He left engineering at 18, boarded his first flight and switched paths. Years later, Hyderabad-born astronomer Rohan Naidu is helping scientists understand one of the strangest objects spotted by the ...
Shah Rukh Khan’s home gets an unexpected visitor: 2 snakes crash Mannat a day after Nag Panchami
2 min read
Two snakes were spotted at Shah Rukh Khan’s Mumbai home on Monday night. A snake rescuer safely caught an eight-foot non-venomous Dhaman, while the second snake escaped before it could be found.
open magazine cover
14 Aug 2026 - Vol 05 | Issue 33

Freedom Issue 2026

Shashi Tharoor on being radical liberal | Ram Madhav on how Gandhi used his Hinduism | TCA Raghavan on a diplomat's travels in history | Sumana Roy on the novel beyond the Booker | Carlo Pizzati on the dissolution of Borders
Behold Gandhi the Hindu: How Sanatana Dharma Shaped India’s Independence Movement and Nationalism
Testament of a Radical Liberal
Freedom Issue 2026: Editor's Note
The Capital of Mobilisation: Delhi and the unfinished argument of the Republic