Morning Brief: What S Jaishankar Said About Modi-Trump Communication During Op Sindoor; SC 'Grills' Justice Yashwant Varma; Govt Keeping An Eye On TCS Layoffs; Five Dead In New York Shooting; And More

Kick-start your morning with Swarajya’s Morning Brief – your news fix, curated for clarity and insight.

No Call Between Modi-trump During Op Sindoor Period: Jaishankar In Lok Sabha

During the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated in the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump did NOT speak between 22 April and 17 June. "There was no call between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump from April 22, when Trump called up to convey sympathy and to June 17, when he called up PM in Canada to explain why he couldn’t meet him". For context, the first phase of Operation Sindoor was executed between 7-10 May, 2025.

This statement comes amidst recurring claims from the US side and from the Indian Opposition that it was under pressure from Trump that PM Modi paused Operation Sindoor.

The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to make their interventions of the debate today.

Pahalgam Mastermind Likely Among Terrorists Eliminated In Encounter

Three terrorists were killed on 28 July in a counter-terror operation on the outskirts of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army has confirmed. Among those neutralised is believed to be Suleiman Shah, the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April, though officials have not yet confirmed his identity.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone) Vidhi Kumar Birdi said that the identification process is underway and will take time.

The joint operation, codenamed Operation Mahadev, was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of foreign terrorists. The encounter began around 11 am in the dense forested region between the Zabarwan and Mahadev ridges, which also inspired the operation's name.

Till the time of writing this brief, the operation is still in progress, with additional searches continuing in the area.

Did You Take A Chance For A Favourable Outcome: Supreme Court Asks Justice Yashwant Varma

Supreme Court on Monday, 29 July grilled Justice Yashwant Varma over his petition challenging an in-house panel’s findings linking him to sacks of charred currency found at his official residence. A bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta questioned why Varma engaged with the inquiry if he believed it unconstitutional, and criticised his petition’s procedural lapses.

Justice Varma was represented by Kapil Sibal, who argued that the probe violated constitutional safeguards and prejudged him.

Other Developments

SC Refuses To Halt Bihar Draft Roll, Says Aadhaar, Voter ID Must Be Considered

The Supreme Court declined to stay the Election Commission’s publication of the draft electoral roll for Bihar under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymala Bagchi noted that concerns raised by petitioners had already been addressed in its 10 July order, directing the EC to continue considering both Aadhaar and Voter ID for the revision. The court allowed the EC to proceed, while assuring that it retains the power to intervene and strike down the process if any illegality is detected.

Google Executives Appear Before ED In Online Betting Case, Meta Skips Summons

Senior executives from Google appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with its probe into illegal online betting platforms allegedly promoted through Google Ads. The ED had summoned both Google and Meta as part of its money laundering investigation, but only Google responded. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not send representatives. The ED is examining whether ad platforms violated regulatory norms by hosting betting advertisements.

Divya Deshmukh Becomes FIDE Women’s World Cup Champion, Secures Grandmaster Title

Nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur scripted history by clinching the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, defeating veteran and co-patriot Koneru Humpy in rapid tiebreaks after both classical games ended in draws. As the 15th seed, Divya triumphed 1.5‑0.5 in the decider to secure the prestigious title and automatically earn the Grandmaster (GM) title—a first for an Indian woman in this tournament and making her India’s 88th GM overall.

IT Ministry Keeps Close Watch as TCS Plans 12K Job Cuts

The IT Ministry is actively monitoring Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) decision to lay off over 12,000 employees—about 2 per cent of its global workforce primarily at middle and senior levels. Multiple reports claimed that the the Ministry is engaging with the company to probe the underlying causes for the job-cuts. TCS meanwhile described the move as part of its plan to become “future-ready,” with increased investments in AI, market expansion, and workforce realignment, offering support like outplacement and counselling to affected employees.

New York Shooting: 5 Dead Including Gunman, Officer

A gunman in a bulletproof vest opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper, New York, on July 28, killing four people, including an New York police officer. He later died by suicide. The FBI and NYPD secured the area. Authorities are investigating the motive behind the deadly attack.

From the states

Chirag Paswan Backs Nitish Kumar as Bihar CM Again After U-Turn

Union Minister Chirag Paswan, leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has made a sharp reversal, publicly declaring that Nitish Kumar will be re-elected Bihar Chief Minister after the impending assembly elections  Just days earlier, Paswan had lamented supporting a government he criticized for rising crime levels, calling it shameful.

Mamata Banerjee Vows to Block NRC in West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared on Monday she will not permit the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in her state—even under the guise of a special electoral roll revision (SIR)—for as long as she lives. Alleging a collusion between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the central government, she accused the ECI of acting as a “BJP agent” seeking to delete genuine voter names and harass residents

Over 6,200 Teaching Posts Vacant in Madhya Pradesh Government Colleges

The Madhya Pradesh higher education system is facing a severe faculty crisis, with 6,289 gazetted teaching posts vacant across government colleges, spanning 69 subjects including English, Commerce, and Economics. In Bhopal alone, 102 vacancies persist in 23 subjects. Districts such as Rewa (196), Sagar (193), and Chhatarpur (190) also report high numbers of unfilled positions.

Today in history

The Habsburg monarchy of Austria-Hungary begins its bombardment of Belgrade, Serbia on 29 July 1914, marking the beginning of the First World War.

What caused the First World War is still a question debated amongst academicians and enthusiasts alike. What is agreed upon by most though is that the main participants of the war all believed that the conflict would be a short-lived one and acted accordingly. Eventually, it turned out to be the biggest single catastrophe in human history up till that point.

The immediate trigger of the War was the hostility between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and it turned into military conflict on this day, 29 July.

You’re all caught up—until next time.