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Tit-for-tat: India is navigating China's backyard using its adversarial neighbors
The case: Earlier this week the SC bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud has used the term "pregnant persons" instead of "pregnant women" in a recent order, recognizing that pregnancy can also be experienced by "non-binary people and transgender men."
The details:
The 22-page judgment used "pregnant person/persons" 42 times while adjudicating a case involving the termination of a 14-year-old rape survivor's pregnancy.
In a footnote, the bench explained their use of the gender-neutral term.
The bigger picture: The CJI had earlier used "founding parents" instead of "founding fathers" in another judgment, signaling a shift toward gender-neutral vocabulary despite criticism.
Why should the Supreme Court go into defining or outlining who (or which gender) can experience pregnancy? Chromosomes define gender not courts.
This business of gender self-identification was taken too far in the US where many children were given irreversible medical treatment for gender change.
The situation: Tensions are escalating in the South China Sea as China ramps up aggressive maneuvers against neighboring nations like the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The latest:
On May 4, a Chinese J-10C fighter jet dangerously released flares in the path of an Australian Seahawk helicopter.
On April 30, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed and damaged two Philippine supply ships headed to Scarborough Shoal, spraying water cannons that damaged their radar and communication equipment.
Chinese jets like the H-6K bomber regularly violate Taiwan's air defense identification zone.
The claims: China claims most of the South China Sea under its "nine-dash line," encroaching on the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague has deemed these claims illegal.
The buildup: China is constructing large aircraft carriers like the recently launched 80,000-ton Fujian to dominate the South China Sea and Indian Ocean regions.
India's moves: As a principal rival, India is pushing back against China's aggression in the region.
Last month, it delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles to the Philippine Marine Corps.
Indian ports operator Adani is considering building a 25-meter deep port in Bataan, Philippines for large cargo ships.
Indian Navy ships like INS Delhi, INS Kiltan and INS Shakti are currently exercising with the Singapore Navy in the South China Sea.
The Taiwan factor: India is strengthening economic and people-to-people ties with Taiwan, which China aims to unify with the mainland.
Taiwanese firms like Foxconn have invested in manufacturing plants in India for exports.
In February, India and Taiwan signed an MOU to allow recruitment of Indian workers, approved just last week.
The bottom line: India is shifting to a more proactive stance to counter China, warning it can play the same game in Beijing's backyard.
Some weeks ago my colleague Banuchander Nagarajan proposed that he travel from Delhi - through the poorest regions of UP, Bihar, Bengal, Assam and into the North East.
We called it Hridayapath - a journey through and into the Indian heartland.
Banu spent over 14 days on the road.
Recording meticulously the progress (or the lack of it in many places), how benefits reach the poorest and what our fellow Indians think about 2024 elections.
The Hridyapath Travelogue Special Issues: The series of dispatches Banu sent made for an excellent compilation as a special print issue.
For print subscribers, the travelogue print issue is already out of the press and ready to be dispatched.
This one's a limited-issue, so get yours here - it is just
₹2999₹1999 today for a 1-year print + digital subscription. Or you can go digital for ₹1000 a discount.
