12 contested national stories, each read across outlets and scored for ideology and stance toward the government. Editions come out at 07:00 and 19:00 IST; stories keep updating in between.
New since the last edition: 11 stories have updates, marked “New”.
LivePolitics & Elections· Updated 18 Oct, 00:13 ISTBefore the courtsRunning story
The Supreme Court has issued notice to Congress, Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders on a petition by four lawyers seeking regulation of processions and protests near the court, a day-after-march development reported by one outlet citing Bar and Bench. This follows the opposition's "March for Democracy" toward the court over the voter-roll revision, after Chief Justice Surya Kant declined to meet them citing pending cases, and Delhi Police's earlier de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site.
Latest: Supreme Court issues notice to Rahul Gandhi, INDIA bloc leaders on lawyers' plea to regulate protests
Nineteen people died and about 25 were injured in a crowd surge at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saptami, amid rain; on Sunday an official said 14 of the injured were at a private hospital, three in the ICU. Police arrested seven people including committee office-bearers, registered a culpable homicide case and are examining video of a mic announcement warning the pandal could collapse; the CM said the pandal had a single gate, ordered scrutiny of temporary home guards, organisers, police and fire services, and proposed a judge-led SIT (excluding Kolkata Police, KMC and fire personnel) subject to the Chief Justice's approval, with Rs 25 lakh and a job per victim's family and a pandal-safety panel, while the TMC and Congress allege poor policing and BJP links to the committee, all under investigation.
Latest: CM orders scrutiny of home guards, cites single gate; 14 injured at private hospital, three in ICU
What's missing: The mic announcer is yet to be identified, and police have not directly answered claims that personnel were concentrated at the VIP gate.
Kerala's Assembly passed a resolution moved by Chief Minister V D Satheesan seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal, with UDF and LDF support and three BJP MLAs opposed. On 17 October the DMK, at a Chennai meeting chaired by MK Stalin, also demanded his removal and an inquiry, and called for the Special Intensive Revision to be scrapped and the pre-revision rolls used.
Latest: DMK demands Kumar's removal, scrapping of SIR and use of pre-revision rolls
Delhi Police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA president Neha Bora on 16 October on their way to the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' march at Connaught Place, citing Section 163 BNSS orders. Bora was released early Saturday and Dipke, arrested under BNSS Sections 126 and 170 for an alleged breach of an earlier peace bond, was freed on a one-year peace bond, with at least three FIRs reported. On Sunday 18 October the bail hearing of co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka was delayed after the magistrate reported a threat and an FIR was registered; CJP alleged deliberate delay and four rejected sureties, while police called the sureties faulty and denied delay. A Supreme Court plea on Section 163 orders is listed for 19 November, and the political row has widened, with Congress leaders Chidambaram and Sibal rejecting Rajnath Singh's 'regime change' charge.
What's missing: No outlet reports an independent check of the allegations about lawyer access, custody locations, or what happened at the Das and Ranka hearing.
Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead on 13 October inside a Mansa chemist's shop while confronting its owner over the alleged sale of addictive drugs, and the owner and others have been arrested. The killing led to a statewide bandh on 16 October, and his family and a justice committee demand the CM's resignation and a CBI probe, with protests continuing in Mansa and the body still in the mortuary. The Union Home Ministry has sought reports from Punjab on this and two other drug-linked cases, Amit Shah and CM Bhagwant Mann have traded charges, and SAD leaders Sukhbir and Harsimrat Badal have blamed Mann and sought the government's dismissal.
Latest: Sukhbir Badal blames Mann for Jhota's murder; protests continue in Mansa, body still unclaimed
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 16 October waiving sanctions and tariffs of up to 100% under the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a day before they were due to take effect, certifying to Congress that this serves US national interest. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 18 October that the pause gives the administration up to 60 days to study the economic impact, that India has diversified its energy sources but cannot pivot overnight, and that it is an important partner; he left for Uzbekistan and India, with a Jaishankar meeting reported for 20 October. The order suspends rather than repeals the measures, so tariffs can be restored, and existing sanctions remain. Republican senators Tillis, Cornyn and Cruz and Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Schumer criticised the waiver, Zelensky objected, Russia's envoy called it historic, and Indian business bodies and experts saw relief with limits, with Kanwal Sibal saying it is not India-specific.
Latest: Rubio defends 60-day pause, calls India key partner; Cruz criticises; experts flag reversal risk
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to PM Modi on Friday, his fourth request, seeking an all-party meeting before any new delimitation proposal goes to Parliament. He also noted that Parliament has not been prorogued 64 days after the monsoon session ended, while one report says the Centre may call a special session this month.
The Election Commission has directed 17 states and Union Territories to carry out a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls with 1 January 2027 as the qualifying date, and will give recognised parties readable versions of the rolls at draft and final stages. Congress's Jairam Ramesh has demanded the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the SIR, while an EC functionary called the revision an annual exercise under election law. Problems with the SIR lists continue to surface: a civil society audit in two Okhla booths in Delhi found at least 100 voters wrongly marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer has asked for Form 6 to be amended for deleted voters, and Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai has alleged wrongful additions and transfers. Uttar Pradesh began its drive on 17 October, and one supportive outlet says the SIR has not been abandoned.
Latest: Delhi public audit finds 100+ voters wrongly marked absent, shifted or dead in two Okhla booths
Actor Imran Khan, a US citizen and OCI cardholder, moved the Bombay High Court on October 17 against an FRRO notice dated October 14 directing him to leave India by October 28, after he attended an October 10 protest at August Kranti Maidan demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation. His petition says the notice gave no reasons, named no violation and allowed no hearing, and cites Articles 14 and 21; his lawyer is likely to mention it for urgent hearing on October 19. The FRRO has separately asked why his OCI card should not be cancelled, with 15 days to reply. Union Minister Chirag Paswan has backed the action, while film figures are split.
Latest: Khan's petition likely to be mentioned October 19; FRRO's OCI cancellation reply due within 15 days
The Enforcement Directorate pasted a summons outside former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Thiruvananthapuram home, asking him to appear at its Kochi office on October 23 at 11 am in the CMRL-Exalogic money laundering case. CPI(M)'s V Sivankutty called it unjust and anti-democratic, and LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan later alleged a political motive and a publicity stunt, while Congress MLA Chandy Oommen said Vijayan should not be hounded and due process must be followed. The Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on Vijayan's plea against the Kerala High Court's FIR direction but indicated it may set up a special bench during the Dussehra break, otherwise it reopens on October 26. Vigilance FIRs were registered on October 12, and the allegations remain under investigation.
Latest: LDF convener calls ED notice a publicity stunt; Congress MLA Chandy Oommen urges due process for Vijayan
Mumbai Police said three men on a motorcycle fired at actor Tiger Shroff's car in Juhu around 7 pm on Sunday; he had no bullet injury, while his driver and an autorickshaw driver were hurt. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said Shroff had gunpowder burns on his right hand and that five rounds were fired. Police detained one person in Santacruz and formed 12 to 15 teams, and have not confirmed a social media post and voice note claiming the attack in the Lawrence Bishnoi gang's name. Police sources say Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu, named in the claim, are under scrutiny, while opposition leaders and the film body AICWA have faulted the state's law and order and security.
Latest: AICWA demands strictest action; police sources say Pandit and Sandhu under scanner; second video emerges
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mumbai on October 20 and visit Reliance facilities in Jamnagar, with energy cooperation on the agenda; he travels after Uzbekistan, and the State Department put his India stay at October 18 to 22. Congress leaders criticised the arrangement after the US ambassador announced it, while the MEA said hosting visitors outside Delhi has been the practice for about a decade. Reports also link the trip to the Russian oil tariff question, with Rubio saying Trump wants 60 days to assess the impact of sanctions and tariffs.
Latest: Rubio heads to India after Uzbekistan; Russian oil tariff pause and Reliance ties frame the trip
What's missing: No official Indian position is given on the possible Russian oil tariffs, and the State Department has not explained why Jamnagar was chosen.
Secular-pluralist framing, minority protection, caste justice and voter access, civil liberties, an active state.
Centre (−2 to +2)
Several positions represented fairly, neutral language, reporting kept apart from opinion.
Right-leaning (+3 to +10)
Cultural nationalism, national strength and security, scepticism of group-based policy, voter-roll integrity, market-led growth.
Stance toward the government
Critical, Neutral or Supportive, scored separately. It refers to the Union government unless the story is about a state. On the spectrum strip, each dot is an article: its position is the ideology score and its colour is the stance.
The swap test
If an article would score differently with the parties' roles reversed, that signal is partisanship. It goes into the stance tag, not the ideology score.
Confidence
High, Medium or Low, based on how much of the article was read, how many clear signals it has, and whether they agree.
Limited coverage and blindspots
Stories with fewer than five articles are marked. A blindspot is a contested story where we found coverage from only one side.
Not ideological
Articles that touch none of the three dimensions, such as a car launch or a match report, carry no ideology score.
How often the feed refreshes
This prototype is refreshed by hand (last on 17 Oct, 03:00 IST). At launch:
Wires and the top 20 outlets
checked every 5 minutes
All other outlets
checked every 15 minutes
New story
goes up at 3 articles from 2 or more outlets, marked Limited coverage
Live stories
new articles added every 15 minutes; summary rewritten at most hourly
Home page order
every 15 minutes
Updates are added, never rewritten
New facts go into a dated update log at the top of the story. New articles carry an “Added” tag. If a note or list changes, the earlier version stays viewable.
Live, winding down, archived
A story is Live while coverage arrives, Winding down after about 2 days without new coverage, and Archived after about 7. Nothing is deleted: links never change, archived scores are frozen, and stories stay on their issue pages and in search.
Large outlets missing
NDTV, India Today, Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Indian Express, News18, ABP, Times Now and Mint block the reader used for this prototype, so their articles are missing. Each story shows how many of India’s 15 largest outlets we read. The launch pipeline will read outlets’ public feeds, TV transcripts and Hindi articles.
Who is accountable
Editor and grievance officer
Editor-in-charge: [name to be added before launch]. Grievance officer under the IT Rules, 2021: [name and contact to be added before launch]. Complaints are acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days.
Funding and ownership
[Who owns and funds Nazariya, to be published before launch]. Nazariya will list every funder and will not accept money from any political party.
Appeals
Anyone, including the outlet that published an article, can appeal a score: tap any score on a story page, then "Appeal this score" to write to the editor. Outlets can also dispute a summary. The editor reviews every appeal, and any change is recorded below. Appeals: [appeals email to be added before launch].
Rules we follow
No detail that could identify a child or a survivor of sexual violence (Juvenile Justice Act, POCSO, BNS section 72). Court cases are reported as what was said and alleged. No analysis of a poll in the 48 hours before voting there (Representation of the People Act, section 126). Press Council and NBDSA norms on communal incidents.
Corrections log
16 Oct · Goregaon toddler death: removed the building's name and an unverified claim about the 10-year-old's health, to protect the child's identity.
16 Oct · India–US trade deal: merged two duplicate story pages into one.
16 Oct · INS Mangrol: one report names the commissioning officer differently from three others; flagged in the story, not resolved.