Left, Right & Centre

Lok Sabha MP and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is slapped with the Public Security Act - a law that allows the state to detain a person without trial for upto two years without a trial. Dr Abdullah has been detained for three months at the moment. Is 83-year-old Dr Abdullah, a man with multiple health issues really a threat? Does he need to be slapped with the same Act that is used against separatists and stone-throwers?

Is language going to be the next big political battle? A few days after Amit Shah spoke about the need to have Hindi as a unifier in the country, there have been fierce protests from several leaders from southern states. Our language is our own, they say, and we value it and will not allow it to be dominated by Hindi. On the show tonight, the battle for language: Can Hindi be a true unifier as the Home Minister suggests or is this linguistic imperialism as has been alleged?

A couple, from Andhra Pradesh who made international headlines this week for becoming the world's oldest parents went home with their twin girls on Sunday. 80-year old Raja Rao and 74-year old Mangayamma used IVF to finally have children, after not being able to conceive for 57 years. But the very fact of an 80-year old and a 74-year old becoming parents has led to a growing controversy, with some doctors' groups even issuing a statement, saying this is a deplorable omission of ethics, morality and misuse of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies. They have demanded that IVF procedures should have an outer age limit of 45 years. On Left, Right & Centre we discuss why is this still a grey area in our laws? And is IVF for the elderly a triumph of medical science or just plain unethical?

As a part of a third installment of steps within three weeks to boost the slowing economy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a slew of measures to boost exports and affordable and middle-income housing. A special discussion on whether these measures will actually change the reality on the ground for India's economic slowdown.

A medico-legal document signed by five heads of department of MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur confirmed that Tabrez Ansari, the 24-year-old fatally thrashed by a mob in Jharkhand, died of a cardiac arrest caused by the combined effect of the severe trauma that he received. Despite this, the Jharkhand Police have removed the murder charge against 11 individuals who were booked for his death. Is this a clear attempt at protecting the accused?

The centre has introduced steep fines to discourage traffic violations. But several states now say the fines are unreasonable and have begun scaling them down. Is there no value for the lives of people? No knowledge of the fact that India has perhaps the most fatalities of any country in roads accidents?

A special interview with the lead researcher on the team that discovered water for the first time on an exoplanet - a planet beyond our solar system. Can this be like a new Earth and what are the implications of this?

On the show tonight, clear video emerges of BJP leader Chinmayanand, a former minister, being massaged by the young law sudent who has accused him of sexually assaulting her for more than a year. The video, shot on a spy cam, adds to the accusation of the young woman who says that she was raped and that Chinmayanand was being protected. This is a case that gained prominence only after the intervention of the Supreme Court which ordered a Special Investigation Team to look into the allegations. She is now being protected by the court.

A new controversy has erupted over the death of a 23-year-old man Tabrez Ansari, victim of a fatal mob attack in Jharkhand in June, as authorities say he died of a heart attack.

The Modi government has completed 100 days and several leaders are traveling across the country to point out what the government has done. Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha speaks to NDTV on whether India is staring at the prospect of a deep recession and is the dream of a trillion dollar economy realistic?

A pitched battle between India and Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council: Pakistan raises Kashmir, India's Ambassador responds and says "One delegation has given a running commentary with offensive rhetoric of false allegations and concocted charges against my country. The world is aware that this fabricated narrative comes from the epicentre of global terrorism, where ring leaders were sheltered for years. This nation conducts cross-border terrorism as a form of 'alternate diplomacy'." Earlier, Pakistan had called India's position in Kashmir untenable, though in a bizarre statement to the media earlier, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi actually referred to Jammu and Kashmir as Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and not Pakistan's usual stand "Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir". On the show tonight, more than a month since the Kashmir lockdown, does India continue to have broad international support on Kashmir and in our position against Pakistan?

As we reach 100 days of the Modi government, several leaders travel across the country to point out what the government has done. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed a press conference at a time when GDP rate has dropped, unemployment is rising, with the Congress saying India stared at the possibility of a recession. So, does India stare at the prospect of a deep recession or is the dream of a trillion dollar economy realistic?

India's lunar lander Vikram may be intact but it's still not communicating. It is likely tilted after a hard landing on the lunar surface. Scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who launched the Chandrayaan 2 mission, are hoping the lander Vikram would be able to establish contact with the ground station.

An important announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday on the need to ban single-use plastic was made at a global convention to combat climate change and desertification. The stark reality of sudden, unpredictable climactic events is upon the world, and it's time to work to save the planet. This is no exaggeration, says environment researcher Sunita Narayan as she discusses the threats the world faces due to climate change, intense rain, heat events, dust storms and depletion of groundwater.

On Left, Right and Centre, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai talks about his new book "Rethinking Good Governance: Holding to Account India's Public Institutions". He also talks about his share of controversies ranging from the CAG's report on the 2G spectrum auction, to reports of disagreement among the administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).