The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 21st May 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

Delhi Police seek Supreme Court review of UAPA bail conditions

• The Delhi Police on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the question of whether long jail time and delay in trial can override the strict bail rules under anti-terror laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967 may need to be decided by a larger Bench because of two supposedly “conflicting” judgments given by coordinate Benches.
• The statement was made orally before a Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P.B. Varale while hearing the bail pleas of 2020 Delhi riots accused Abdul Khalid Saifi and Tasleem Ahmad.
• The two accused had challenged the September 2, 2025 order of the Delhi High Court, which had rejected their bail applications.
• Referring to a judgment delivered a day earlier by a Bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, which said that “bail is the rule and jail is an exception” even in UAPA cases, Additional Solicitor-General S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, argued that the ruling may not have correctly explained the legal position.
• Raju argued that when there is a legal presumption under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA, and the law uses the word “shall”, then the usual presumption that an accused person is innocent becomes weaker, and according to him, this point had been ignored.
• During the hearing, Justice Kumar asked Mr. Raju whether he was saying that the coordinate Bench had made a mistake.
• Raju replied that this would be his argument after fully reading the judgment, adding that he had not yet got enough time to read it properly.
• He also said that although he was not opposing interim bail for the two accused, the bigger legal issue created by the two “conflicting” judgments should be examined by a larger Bench.
• Raju told the court that the Bench could think about granting interim bail, but the wider question about how bail provisions under the UAPA should be interpreted needed to be referred to a larger Bench.
• The judgment delivered by the Bench headed by Justice Nagarathna on May 18 had granted bail to Jammu and Kashmir resident Syed Iftikhar Andrabi in a narco-terror case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• In that judgment, the Bench expressed “serious reservations” about the January 5 verdict which had denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots.
• The Bench also criticised the blocking of their right to seek bail for one year.
• It observed that the January 5 judgment had failed to correctly apply the binding principles laid down by the larger three-judge Bench in Union of India v. K.A. Najeeb (2021).
• The K.A. Najeeb judgment had held that long imprisonment and delay in trial could override the strict bail restrictions mentioned in Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.
• After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court fixed the matter for hearing on May 20 to consider the request for interim bail.
• Justice Bhuyan, who wrote the May 18 judgment, said that the phrase “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” was not just an empty slogan but a constitutional principle connected to the fundamental rights to life, speedy trial, and protection from arbitrary arrest and detention.
• Justice Bhuyan also expressed concern that some judgments were weakening larger Bench rulings like A. Najeeb, which strongly protected personal liberty against excessive action by the State.
• Earlier, on September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court had rejected Mr. Ahmad’s bail plea, saying that “delay in trial” alone could not be accepted as a sufficient reason for granting bail.
• The High Court had also said that except in cases involving a clear violation of fundamental or constitutional rights, bail could not be granted only because of long imprisonment or delay in trial.

Government companies raise petrol and diesel prices by 90 paise; second increase within a week

• Government-owned oil marketing companies increased the prices of petrol and diesel across the country and for all variants by around 90 paise per litre on Tuesday.
• This was the second increase within five days, after the ₹3 per litre hike announced on May 15 following a gap of four years.
• From Tuesday, the price of petrol in Delhi increased by 87 paise to ₹98.64 per litre, while diesel prices rose by 91 paise to ₹91.58 per litre.
• On Monday, the government said that the combined losses suffered by oil marketing companies on LPG, petrol and diesel had come down by ₹250 crore to ₹750 crore after the ₹3 increase in fuel prices.
• The government also clarified that it was not planning any bailout package for oil marketing companies.
• The latest increase was the second sign of growing pressure on retail fuel prices as benchmark Brent crude oil futures continued to rise because of tensions in West Asia.
• Government data showed that India’s crude oil basket had averaged $106.69 per barrel from the start of the month till May 15.
• On Tuesday morning, Brent crude futures for July delivery were trading 0.15% higher at $109.34 per barrel.
• Sourav Mitra, partner for oil and gas at Grant Thornton Bharat, said that although the latest hike gave “incremental relief” to oil marketing companies, it might still not be enough to fully reduce the financial pressure they are facing.
• He explained that crude oil prices staying above $100 per barrel and the weakening Indian rupee were increasing the cost of imports, because of which oil marketing companies were still facing major cost pressure.
• Mitra further said that the fall in the value of the rupee alone could cancel out a large part of the benefits gained through the recent fuel price increases.
• According to government data, India’s crude oil basket averaged $107.3 per barrel from the beginning of the month till May 18.
• During Tuesday evening, Brent crude futures for July delivery were trading 1.06% lower than the previous close at $110.9 per barrel.
• Speaking to The Hindu, Prashant Vashisht, Senior Vice-President and Co-Group Head of Corporate Ratings at ICRA Ltd., said that if benchmark Brent crude futures remained between $105 and $110 per barrel, then based on the 10-year average relationship between crude oil prices and refined petroleum products, the latest fuel price hike could reduce the losses of oil marketing companies from domestic LPG, petrol and diesel to around ₹450 crore per day.
• Replying to concerns about balancing oil company losses and inflation fears, Mr. Vashisht said that the present losses suffered by oil marketing companies were not sustainable.
• He said that the companies were choosing gradual or step-by-step increases in fuel prices to avoid giving consumers a sudden shock.
• He also accepted that inflation could increase because of the fuel price hikes, but said that the current level of losses faced by oil marketing companies could not continue.
• The ₹3 per litre increase in petrol and diesel prices on Friday was the first major increase of more than ₹1 per litre since April 2022.
• In 2022, a total increase of ₹9 per litre had been carried out in phases between March 28 and April 6.
• That increase had happened during the peak of the Russian actions in Ukraine.
• Government data showed that India’s crude oil basket had averaged $112.87 per barrel in March 2022 and $102.97 per barrel in April 2022.

Supreme Court Permits Euthanasia of “Rabid and Dangerous” Dogs

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to change its November 7, 2025 order directing all States and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from crowded public institutions such as schools, hospitals, bus depots and railway stations.
• The court also made it clear that such dogs cannot be released back into these institutional areas even after vaccination and sterilisation.
• A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria observed that a balanced reading of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 did not support the argument that stray dogs have an absolute right to stay in every type of public place, regardless of the nature or use of those places.
• The Bench said that the right to live with dignity under Article 21 also includes the right of every citizen to move freely and use public spaces without constant fear of physical harm, attacks or life-threatening incidents such as dog bites.
• The court observed that the State cannot remain a silent spectator when avoidable dangers to human life continue to rise.
• The court noted that there was a clear lack of regular, organised and continuous efforts by States and Union Territories to expand and strengthen the infrastructure needed to control the steadily increasing stray dog population.
• The Bench directed every State and Union Territory to set up at least one fully functional Animal Birth Control Centre in every district with proper veterinary infrastructure, trained staff and surgical facilities.
• The court further directed that the number of such ABC centres should be increased wherever required.
• The States and Union Territories were also directed to ensure enough supply of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin in government hospitals and medical facilities.
• The Bench also ordered the creation of effective public health systems to deal with dog-bite incidents.
• The court stressed that when the safety and lives of human beings are compared with the interests and welfare of animals, the constitutional balance must favour the protection of human life.
• The Bench allowed municipal authorities to take legally permitted actions, including euthanasia, in cases involving rabid, incurably ill, clearly dangerous or aggressive dogs.
• The court said that in areas where the stray dog population had become alarmingly high and dog-bite cases or aggressive attacks were happening frequently and posing a continuous danger to public safety, authorities could, after proper examination by qualified veterinary experts, take legally allowed measures, including euthanasia in cases involving rabid, incurably ill or clearly dangerous/aggressive dogs.
• The Supreme Court also directed all High Courts to start suo motu proceedings to monitor and supervise compliance with its August and November 2025 directions.

Important Questions

1. Why did the Delhi Police demand examination by a larger Bench regarding prolonged incarceration and delay in trial under the UAPA?
2. What constitutional principles regarding “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” were explained by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in the May 18 judgment?
3. Why did government-owned oil marketing companies increase petrol and diesel prices for the second time within five days?
4. How did rising Brent crude futures and weakening Indian rupee increase financial pressure on oil marketing companies?
5. Why did the Supreme Court refuse modification of the November 7, 2025 order regarding stray dogs in public institutions?
6. Under what conditions did the Supreme Court permit municipal authorities to adopt euthanasia for rabid and dangerous stray dogs?

Important Vocabulary

1. Incarceration — imprisonment in jail.
2. Statutory — fixed or required by law.
3. Foreclosure — blocking or stopping something.
4. Arbitrary — done without proper reason or fairness.
5. Benchmark — a standard used for comparison.
6. Incremental — happening in small increases.
7. Depreciation — decrease in value.
8. Sustainable — able to continue for a long time.
9. Harmonious — balanced and properly connected.
10. Indefeasible — cannot be taken away.
11. Discernible — clearly noticeable.
12. Euthanasia — painless killing to end suffering.

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