This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Manisha Pande are joined by The News Minute’s Sudipto Mondal and Supreme Court lawyer Talha Abdul Rahman.

On the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill, passed in Parliament this week after long fiery debates, Talha says: “Every Waqf that is now created will have to register themselves with the central depository.” He adds that the statute is “a translation of a WhatsApp forward.”

Sudipto questions the motivation behind bringing in the legislation and the manner in which it will be used. He says that the new bill will now “weaponise” bulldozer demolitions, which are increasingly becoming the norm. 

Manisha puts focus on the misinformation being spread in mainstream media about the bill. She mentions one anchor claiming that the new bill will ensure “no one can stop the Prime Minister’s plane from taking off because Waqf can no longer claim the airport.”

The panel also discusses the student protests in University of Hyderabad against tree felling on 400 acres of forest land. Commenting on the Supreme Court taking suo-moto cognizance of the case, Sudipto says, “It’s a great victory for people’s movements, students’ movements.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: Uncle behaviour, patriarchy, the right to exist

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Song: Tanha Tanha Yahan Pe Jeena

Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:04:34 – Headlines 

00:13:17 – Waqf bill 

00:58:34 – HCU protests 

01:11:06 –  Letters

01:32:40 –  Recommendations

References 

NL Sena - The impunity of India’s police

Fight to Breathe

Subscribe to NL-TNM

What’s Your Ism

Locked up without trial: The story of Delhi riots FIR #59

Imran Pratapgarhi’s Rajya Sabha speech

Amit Shah’s speech

UP forest dept makes way for Adani project awaiting green nod

Recommendations

Talha

Thinking Fast and Slow 

Manisha

Imran Pratapgarhi’s Rajya Sabha speech

Submission

Raman

Outlook’s vanishing edge: How a bold magazine lost its bite

The March Of Uniformity | Salman Khurshid 

Abhinandan 

The Last Viking: The Saga of Harald Hardrada (Part 1)

Tariffs: what are they good for?

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Saif Ali Ekram, and Anil Kumar. 

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