The Lok Sabha referred the 2026 Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee for detailed examination. This followed protests by Opposition parties, which said that the bill grants “sweeping and disproportionate powers” to the executive without adequate constitutional safeguards.A key provision of the amendment bill allows the Union government to take control of an organisation’s foreign funds and assets if its FCRA registration lapses or is cancelled.Introduced in Parliament in March, the bill has also drawn criticism from churches and civil society groups, who said that the legislation will adversely affect religious minorities. Read on.How India’s crackdown on NGO funds has crushed key grassroots services and ended livelihoods, reported Kunal PurohitA Lok Sabha inquiry committee has found that “unexplained bundles of Rs 500” were recovered from the Delhi residence of former High Court judge Yashwant Varma in March 2025. In a report tabled in Parliament, the panel also said that Varma had given misleading explanations about the cash.His responses were “evasive and unsatisfactory”, said the panel, constituted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on August 12, 2025. It also said that the cash was neither secured nor preserved and later disappeared, which remains “unexplained”. Read on.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of compromising India’s interests after a United States federal judge dismissed criminal charges against billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani in a securities fraud case. There was “much more to this than meets the eye”, said Gandhi, alleging that a “compromised PM was forced to sell India’s interest”.The charges, filed in 2024, accused the Adanis of agreeing to bribe Indian government officials to secure approval for a solar energy project and of making misleading statements about anti-corruption practices while raising funds from investors. Gautam Adani has denied wrongdoing. Read on.The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research in Hyderabad has invited Chief Justice Surya Kant to be the chief guest at its upcoming convocation. The invitation was extended despite students asking the university to reconsider the decision, objecting to Kant’s remarks on a petition alleging that the police had used excessive force against protesters in Delhi.The chief justice had reportedly told the petitioners: “Don’t waste our time and don’t waste your time”. The remarks were inconsistent with the university’s stated commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice and engagement with grievances, the students have said. The university is awaiting a response from Kant, said the vice-chancellor. Read on.The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution opposing the proposed delimitation exercise and urged the Centre to retain the number of Lok Sabha seats at 543. The move was backed by the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.Chief Minister Vijay said women’s reservation should be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections using the existing 543 seats. DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin supported the resolution and said delimitation “should not be carried out for the next 25 years”. Read on.If you haven’t already, sign up for our Daily Brief newsletter.