Impractical Knowledge

Thinker, Tweeter, Stalker, Sulker.

[Mahua Moitra @MahuaMoitra]

India’s Law Ministry refused to serve Adani summons without ink signature but @ECISVEEP
served Logical Discrepancy notices to 1.2 crore voters without any official notification & controlled process via whatsapp messages.

[Andrew Feinstein @andrewfeinstein]

Imagine the son-in-law of the US President presenting a ‘vision and plan’ for a shiny city with resorts on the ruins of Auschwitz or Theresienstatd where dozens of my mother’s family and tens of thousands of others were slaughtered. And from which he will personally benefit. Repulsive, inhuman & rapacious doesn’t even begin to describe what they are proposing

[Saurav Das @SauravDassss]

#StoryAlert🚨

I filed one RTI each with the Offices of the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister. The query was simple: please give copies of messages sent by them through any apps to their officers relating to public activity. Redact any national security info.

PMO rejected stating "speculative and roving inquiry", the Home Ministry said it is the Minister's "private information" hence rejected, and Finance Ministry stated it had no records.

But why this RTI? Because the new Income Tax law allows tax authorities to break into your emails, social media, messaging apps, cloud server, and anything on "virtual digital space" if they suspect you are evading taxes. So shouldn't the same kind of answerability apply to decision makers under whom crores of irregularities occur on an everyday basis?

My 22nd 'Case In Point' column for the @frontline_india: https://t.co/OnsobM4Ld5

1/4

[PrayRona @PrayRona_]

"I felt unsafe in India as a girl"
"Chup randi. Hope you get r*ped in Berlin. How dare you say women are unsafe here"

"My work opportunities might have been impacted by communal trends within the Hindi film industry"
"Chup katue, mulle, abdul, bakri chod. No islamophobia here"

[Shreedhar Manek @blueringtail]

Last week, I posted about running a letter campaign to the GBA and Bengaluru South commissioners to revert park timings to 5 am to 10 pm.

The campaign was in response to the Bengaluru South City Corporation moving parks to split hours of 5 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

This got some media attention with @DeccanHerald writing about it.

However, we are far from where we need to be.
We have not sent enough letters.

If people are in support, which I know people are based on how much frustration the closed parks cause to people, we need to speak out.

I also want to address some common questions that are coming up in conversations.

I'm not in South Bengaluru and yet my local park is not open during the afternoon times. What is happening?

Officially, for BBMP parks all across Bangalore, the timings are 5 am to 10 pm. The only exception to this are parks in the limits of South Bengaluru Corporation, which changed the official timings last month. These are parks in areas like Koramangala, HSR Layout, JP Nagar, Jayanagar.

THAT SAID, implementation of the 5 am to 10 pm timings are extremely lax. Guards are either not aware of it, or they are, but they don't care because BBMP is making it extremely difficult for citizens to complain.

Right now, the campaign that I am running is about the rules in South Bengaluru, not because everything is good with the parks in other areas, but because we need to ensure that the rules are not rogue before we can talk about implementation.

Once we get BBMP's ear and make them rollback the rules in South Bengaluru, we'll move our attention to implementation. We need to come together and speak as one voice to be able to do it.

Once the rules are changed, how will we ensure implementation?

The first thing to do after the rules are changed is to ensure that the park timings are officially updated on all the notice boards at the park entrances. In Indiranagar, most parks are fortunately following the new timings and are open all day. Yet, the board timings are not updated. Until the timings are updated there, we will be vulnerable.

We will also have to talk to the commissioners and ensure that there is *one* person in each corporation within BBMP who we can complain to for guards not adhering to the timings. Right now, you have no idea how many emails, calls and messages I've sent to extreme frustration.

What if the letters are not read? Maybe some clerk will throw them into the bin.

As funny as it may sound, the goal of the letters is not to have them read. Those who had to read it, would already have read it via the reddit post or the twitter post (both of which went semi-viral).

The goal of sending these letters is two-fold:

1) Show BBMP/GBA that there is a lot of demand for this and that we are not okay with the new timings.

2) To all come together so that we can first change the rules, and then become a citizens' group that can come together to enforce implementation. As individuals, we are nothing. As a group, we have power.

Once there are enough letters sent, I will try my best to tap into sources that I know can get us in touch with the commissioner personally, and get him to the table to talk about this.

Why letters? Why not emails? Less friction, more people sending emails.

Emails can be automated. And they can be sent from anywhere in the world. My goal with the letter campaign is to show that there are real, local people who want this. People who are willing to take the pain to get off their asses in the middle of the day, print a letter, buy envelopes, put the addresses, and go to a post office to post letters. The effort is intentional. We need to put in the effort.

(I have been sending emails since the last 365 days for BBMP to implement its own rules and it is equally depressing and frustrating.)

I like the initiative, but I think we should change point x, y, or z from the letter.

Please do it! I want to emphasise again that the contents of the letter are up to the people. Just make sure you send those letters out.

--

Okay, so for those who missed it, what needs to be done?

Here is a letter template to send to the GBA commissioner and the Bengaluru South City Commissioner: https://t.co/fwfU1oiLNY

Their addresses:

SRI MAHESHWAR RAO, CHIEF COMMISSIONER - GBA
GBA - Greater Bengaluru Authority
Hudson Circle, N.R.Square, Bengaluru,
Karnataka-560002

Shri Ramesh K.N, IAS, Bengaluru South City Corporation Commissioner
SOUTH CITY CORPORATION
9th Main Road, 9th Cross Road,
2nd Stage, Jayanagar,
Bengaluru – 560011

We need to send one letter each to both of them. It will cost ₹90 by Speed Post.

Tomorrow is a Saturday. The post office will be open from 8 am to 1 pm (or 1:30 pm) . Please do it. We're counting on you.

Once you do this, if you're okay with it, please share a pic of the letters being posted to a WA group that I've created.

We need to know how many people are participating. The pics will also help in creating more awareness as the campaign moves forward.

WA group invite link is in the replies.

[Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 @DrNimoYadav]

This PR video of Modi took two hours, during those two hours, he was with cows

He chose to meet cows instead of

- Farmers
- Jawans
- Protesting Students
- Unemployed youth
- Aspiring Scientists
- Entrepreneur
- Gig workers
- Truck Drivers
- Taxi Drivers

[Piyush Rai @Benarasiyaa]

SHO Jagdish Singh Thakur made driver Amit Kushwaha and cook Dinesh Kushwaha witness in 106 cases. This is from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

[Nalini Unagar @NalinisKitchen]

The Glory of the Indian Judicial System

- 1968: Sopan Gaikwad aged 55, buys a land with a registered deed. Later, he came to know that the land was already mortgaged to a bank.
- 1969: Bank sends him a notice for loan default by the original owner. Sopan goes to court.
- 1982: After 14 years, trial court gives judgment in Sopan’s favour. He is 69. Original owner challenges the decision.
- 1987: High Court cancels the judgment. Sopan is 74.
- 1988: Sopan files appeal in High Court. He is 75.
- 2015: After 27 years of pending appeal, High Court dismisses his case. Sopan is 102. He files another appeal.
- 2019: High Court dismisses second appeal for delay and lawyer’s non appearance. Sopan did not know his lawyer was absent. He is 106.
- 2021: Sopan approaches Supreme Court. He is 108.
- 12 July 2021: Supreme Court agrees to hear the case. On the same day, lawyer informs that Sopan has died.

Sopan bought land at 55. He fought for ownership for 53 years and died at 108.

[Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear]

Abdul Naeem spent ₹20 lakh from his own pocket to build a school to educate Dalit & tribal children in his village.
On Saturday, officials said, "All the documents are in order, but get a NOC from the panchayat." But when the NOC was obtained from the panchayat. The SDM remained adamant and insisted on demolishing the building.
When they met the Collector, accompanied by Congress leader Hemant Wagadre, and pleaded that all the documents were complete and the NOC had been obtained from the panchayat, and that there was no longer any dispute, the Collector said, "They want to do something as sacred as education through illegal means..."

While this discussion was going on, the school building was being demolished. Currently, the Collector and the SDM are not willing to speak to the media on this issue, nor are they issuing any official statement.

[Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) @internetfreedom]

IFF Statement: PIB’s "Fact Check" Denies Reality. Reuters Report and Public availability of "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements" Tell a Different Story

New Delhi, January 13, 2026 — The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) notes with concern the recent "Fact Check" issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), which labels the Reuters report on mandatory source code disclosure and smartphone security measures as "FAKE."

The PIB asserts that the Government of India has "NOT proposed any measure" to force manufacturers to share source code and that consultations are merely "routine." However, this denial stands in stark contrast to the existence of detailed technical documents available on a government website, specifically the "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements" (ITSAR).

A simple denial via social media cannot erase the existence of policy drafts that are already in the public domain or under active discussion. If the government claims these proposals do not exist, it must explain the specific documentation currently hosted on its own website and also disclose the minutes of meetings as reported by Reuters.

In light of the PIB’s denial, IFF poses the following six specific questions to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT):

1. Existence of ITSAR: Does the document titled "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements" (ITSAR) exist as a government policy draft or technical standard?

2. Status of Public Documents: Is the version of the "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements" (ITSAR) currently available on government websites (such as the NCCS or TEC portals) the current or operative draft under consideration?

3. Enforcement of Specific Provisions: If the answer to the above is yes, does the government intend to enforce the specific provisions listed within it, namely, the requirements for sharing source code for vulnerability analysis, retaining system logs for 12 months, and mechanisms for preventing jailbreaking?

4. Jurisdiction and Mandate: Has the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) been formally tasked with the finalization and enforcement of these "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements," moving the mandate beyond the Department of Telecommunications?

5. Confirmation of Meetings: Have specific meetings been held between the IT Hardware Products Wing (or Division) within MeitY and smartphone manufacturers (including Apple, Samsung, and others) where these specific clauses (source code, logs, and updates) were discussed?

6. Absence of Public Consultation: Why has no public consultation been held to date on the "Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements," given its massive impact on the privacy of hundreds of million Indian smartphone users? If the framework is still being "devised" as claimed, will a full public consultation be conducted before any standards are enforced?

IFF asserts that "stakeholder consultation" cannot be limited to closed-door meetings with big tech giants. If the PIB’s claim that "no final regulations have been framed" is true, then the government should have no hesitation in releasing the current draft of the ITSAR for public scrutiny immediately. We reassert the need for transparency and an open public consultation.

[PenPencilDraw @penpencildraw]

Polyvocal court.

[Anish Gawande @anishgawande]

Ram Rahim comes out of jail today, on the same day that Umar Khalid’s bail application is denied.

Let that sink in. A child rapist has more rights than a student who dared to question the government.

#NewIndia

[Rajdeep Sardesai @sardesairajdeep]

Important: So NO BAIL to Umar Khaled says SC.. NO personal liberty under UAPA: this despite the fact that even the trial has not begun after more than 5 years. Meanwhile, rape and murder convict Ram Rahim has been given parole once again. Prior to his latest parole, VVIP convict Rahim has come out of prison 14 times since being convicted in 2017. Yeh hai India ka criminal justice system!😡

[Impractical Knowledge @BlueBled]

@thesaurin Aim for the sugar daddy niche?

Or the next best hack I've heard is to use matrimonial sites as dating sites instead.

[Srivatsa @srivatsayb]

Nothing changed. Nothing will change - not even after people die because sewage mixes into drinking water.

₹10,000 “revdi” dropped into bank accounts three days before voting is enough: same government, same MLA, same corporator will get elected as if nothing happened.

No bureaucrat will go to jail even after ten deaths including a five-month-old baby. Familiar pattern of an inquiry, a committee, a suspension, a transfer, social media outrage will happen. Headlines will fade. Families will be told to move on.

And then it will happen again. More people will die. The cycle repeats, perfectly, endlessly.

A “dead” society that learns nothing from the death of its children. And you know what the worst part is? Everyone already knows nothing will change and it might even get worse.

[Drop Site @DropSiteNews]

🔴 BREAKING: Namecheap, a major domain registrar and web-hosting company, revoked the domain of Zionism Observer, an archive account which had uploaded more than 16,000 videos of Palestinians killed in Gaza, mostly documenting suspected Israeli war crimes.

Namecheap explained the move by saying the archive “promoted or displayed cruelty.” But, Zionism Obserer stated that the videos had been submitted to be used at The Hague in international criminal proceedings, and by human rights groups. “Nuking our domain name just broke hundreds of links in lawsuits, court cases, and human rights reports,” the account wrote on Twitter/X.

[Impractical Knowledge @BlueBled]

Er... Yes?

Have you been living under a rock?

[Arpit Sharma @iArpitSpeaks]

What is happening in UP @myogiadityanath,

Is this the Uttar Pradesh you want to create where these goons openly beat people in the name of religion & in the name of your party.

Do we now have to live under the constant fear of these Goons forever?

[Rajdeep Sardesai @sardesairajdeep]

Have been receiving a few videos of Christians being threatened ahead of Xmas. This verified video has shocked and angered me. A BJP district vice president Anju Bhargav assaulted and abused a visually impaired girl in MP's Jabalpur, claiming she was enabling ‘religious conversion’ with a cop just standing by. Targeting Indian Christians in this manner ahead of Xmas is pathetic. Is this the mindset we wish to show to the world? SHAME. 😡

[Saurav Das @SauravDassss]

The fact that the High Court concurred with the State Government’s recommendation to transfer the judge who ruled against Adani on the very same day, with lightning speed, speaks volumes about the troubling complicity between two pillars of democracy that are meant to remain institutionally distant. What message does this send to other judges? When higher courts fail to protect their own upright judges, it corrodes the very idea of fair and impartial justice. The Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court must be made answerable, if not now, then definitely in the future.