Table of Contents
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 HC Seeks Explanation from Police Over Their Actions
- The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and the Delhi Police to file their reply on a group of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petitions that claimed the police used too much force against students and other protesters during the Parliament march organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on July 20.
- A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said these allegations could not be treated as “isolated incidents”. The court also directed that all important evidence, including CCTV footage and video recordings, must be safely kept according to the Delhi Police’s standard operating procedures.
- Appearing for one of the petitioners, senior advocate N. Hariharan claimed that the protesters faced extreme brutality from the state machinery.
- He said several videos showed people in plain clothes carrying lathis, lathis fitted with nails, electric batons, and pellet guns. He also said there was not a single allegation that anyone taking part in the march had behaved violently.
- Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for another petitioner, claimed that many police personnel were deployed without nameplates and were using batons that were not approved by the Delhi Police.
- He warned that if constitutional courts did not step in, it would almost give the police complete freedom to act as they wanted because they had the backing of their political leaders.
- Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) S.V. Raju opposed the petitions and argued that the protest had turned violent, with protesters throwing stones and injuring police personnel.
- Lawyers for the petitioners, however, argued that the police response was unnecessary and extremely harsh. They said the courts must step in to ensure that the police are held accountable for their actions.
- Hariharan said that even if prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (earlier Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure) had been imposed, the police were still legally required to follow the proper procedure before using force.
- He argued that if a crowd became difficult to control or turned violent, there was already a fixed legal process to deal with such a situation. According to him, no whistle warning was given before force was used, and any force used by the police should have been proportionate to the situation.
- Hariharan further claimed that videos showed some policemen molesting women while using batons. Calling the scenes “ghastly”, he asked for FIRs to be registered against the police officers who could be identified and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.
- He also claimed that more than 90 people had suffered injuries during the incident and that the number of injured people was still increasing.
- Sankaranarayanan said that even though the Supreme Court had directed in the 2012 Ramlila Maidan case that standing orders should be prepared for police action during protests, no such Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) had been put into effect.
- He claimed that tear gas, which should only be used as a last option, was fired at students and even mothers carrying children.
- He also referred to videos that allegedly showed lathis fitted with nails and claimed that Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba was seen slapping a woman who was standing on the side of the protest.
- Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioners, said that students had been protesting for nearly 20 days over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination before deciding to march towards Parliament.
- He argued that the gathering included students, doctors, paramedical staff, and many other people who had complaints about NEET. According to him, the protest was peaceful and not unlawful. He also said that even if it had been declared unlawful, there was a proper legal procedure that the police were required to follow.
- Referring to repeated allegations of question paper leaks in public examinations, Mr. Singh said that growing public anger over the examination system had led many people to join the protest.
- Opposing these arguments, ASG S.V. Raju said that the protest had stopped being peaceful.
- He said there were videos showing injured police personnel, damaged police vehicles, and protesters throwing stones. According to him, once violence started, the police had to respond accordingly.
- The ASG also said that prohibitory orders under Section 163 had already been issued and were widely publicised, including on social media.
- He described the PIL petitions as “publicity-seeking” and argued that anyone claiming to have been assaulted should approach the jurisdictional magistrate if they believed a cognisable offence had been committed.
- The Delhi High Court has fixed the next hearing in the matter for September 11.
Stable India-China Relations Will Help Build a Multi-Polar Asia
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila that a stable relationship between India and China will help build both a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world.
- The meeting between the two leaders took place before the Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries—Australia, India, Japan and the United States—met on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila. During the Quad meeting, the four countries again supported peace, stability and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- In a separate meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, held a few days after four Indian seafarers were killed in a Russian projectile strike in the Black Sea, Mr. Jaishankar expressed serious concern about the safety and security of Indian seafarers working in that region.
- Jaishankar said India believes that a stable and cooperative relationship with China can grow only on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. He added that such a relationship would make an important contribution to building a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world.
- He also said that peace and calm in the border areas are the most important condition for maintaining normal relations between India and China.
- His remarks came at a time when India and China have increased their engagement, with both countries taking several steps to improve their relationship.
- These steps include the return of direct flights, changes in the visa system, the restart of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, and the resumption of border trade.
- Referring to these developments, Jaishankar said the normalisation measures taken over the past few months are a positive step and should be welcomed.
- He also spoke about the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October 2024. He recalled that both leaders had agreed that differences between the two countries should not be allowed to become disputes.
- Jaishankar also stressed the need to solve issues related to reliable supply chains and fair market access.
- After the India-China ministerial meeting, the Quad Foreign Ministers met and once again confirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The Ministry of External Affairs issued a joint statement on cooperation between the Quad countries and ASEAN members. It said that the U.S. Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan met in Manila as ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partners.
- The joint statement again confirmed the Quad’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and also expressed strong support for ASEAN’s unity and central role in the region.
- During his meeting with Mr. Lavrov, Jaishankar reviewed the full range of India-Russia bilateral relations and once again raised India’s concern about the safety of Indian seafarers in the region.
- He said both sides discussed many areas of the India-Russia partnership, including trade and investment, energy, connectivity, science and technology, and the movement of people.
Trump’s 200% Tariff Threat on Generic Drugs Would Hurt Americans: Indian Pharma
- S. President Donald Trump has given generic medicine companies two years to set up manufacturing units in the United States. He warned that medicines imported after August 2028 could face tariffs of up to 200%.
- The announcement was made on Wednesday through a social media post and is very important for India because more than one-third of India’s pharmaceutical exports go to the U.S.
- Indian drug companies reacted carefully, but they said that if such high tariffs are imposed, the cost of medicines will finally go up for American patients.
- Trump said the policy is meant to increase the manufacturing of generic medicines inside the U.S. and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign supply chains.
- Trump said, “Effective August 1, 2026, all generic drugs being brought into the United States will continue to have a tariff of zero per cent for a two-year period of time, after which the tariff will be raised to 100% for a one-year period of time, and 200% thereafter.”
- The announcement affected the stock market, with the Nifty Pharma index falling 1.31%, while 18 out of its 20 companies ended the day with losses.
- Reddy’s Laboratories CEO Erez Israeli said that shifting manufacturing to the U.S. in a short time is not possible. He added that if tariffs are imposed, companies will have to increase the prices of medicines.
- Erez Israeli also said that Dr. Reddy’s is not planning any immediate changes, while adding that government policies can change over time.
- According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), India is one of the countries that would be most affected if these tariffs are introduced.
- India exported pharmaceutical products worth $25.8 billion in 2025. Out of this, $9.7 billion, or 37.7%, went to the United States, making it India’s biggest foreign market for pharmaceutical exports.
- Indian pharmaceutical companies supply nearly 47% of all generic medicine prescriptions given in the U.S., making India the biggest supplier of affordable generic medicines to the American market.
- Even with this strong position, India’s share in the total value of U.S. generic medicine imports is only about 30% because generic medicines are sold at much lower prices than branded medicines.
- In 2025, the United States imported pharmaceutical products worth $213 billion, including finished medicines worth $94.1 billion that were sold in retail packs.
- GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said that many Indian generic medicines may still remain competitive even after tariffs because they are much cheaper than branded medicines.
- However, Ajay Srivastava also said that moving large-scale generic medicine manufacturing to the U.S. would be difficult because the industry depends heavily on global supply chains and imported Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).
- Granules India Executive Director Priyanka Chigurupati said that the company’s three manufacturing plants in the U.S. put it in a strong position to support more local production.
- However, she also warned that higher prices of generic medicines could affect the entire healthcare system and make treatment less affordable for patients.
- Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said that Indian pharmaceutical companies already have a strong presence in the U.S., with more than 40 facilities supporting manufacturing, research and jobs.
- He added that India continues to be a trusted partner in supplying affordable and high-quality medicines to American patients.
- GTRI also said that building a fully domestic pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S. would need huge investments and would almost certainly lead to higher medicine prices.
- Pharmexcil Chairman Namit Joshi said that the two-year zero-tariff period gives the industry enough time to prepare. He added that companies can use this period to further strengthen their presence in different markets instead of depending too much on a single market.
Important Questions
- What directions did the Delhi High Court give to the Centre and the Delhi Police regarding the PIL petitions and preservation of evidence related to the July 20 Parliament march?
- What were the main arguments made by the petitioners and the Additional Solicitor-General regarding the police action during the Parliament march?
- According to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, what conditions are necessary for a stable and cooperative relationship between India and China?
- What issues and areas of cooperation were discussed during Mr. Jaishankar’s meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov?
- Why did Indian pharmaceutical companies say that imposing tariffs of up to 200% on generic medicines would ultimately affect American patients?
- According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), why would shifting large-scale generic medicine manufacturing to the United States be difficult?
Important Vocabulary
- Brutality – Extremely cruel or violent behaviour.
- Prohibitory – Intended to prohibit or officially prevent something.
- Jurisdictional – Relating to the legal authority of a court or officer.
- Cognisable – Referring to an offence for which police can make an arrest without prior court approval.
- Multi-polar – Having several major centres of power.
- Normalisation – The process of returning to normal relations.
- Bilateral – Involving two countries or parties.
- Connectivity – The state of being linked or connected.
- Tariffs – Taxes imposed on imported goods.
- Dependence – The state of relying on someone or something.
- Competitive – Able to compete successfully with others.
- Investments – Money put into a project or business to earn future returns.
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