Associate Editor, News @TheQuint covering politics, current affairs, and Maharashtra | Ex-CNN-News18 | Tweets and RTs are personal views
Joined August 2015
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Eshwar retweeted
Can a law meant to protect your privacy end up protecting the secrets of the powerful?
From Mukesh Ambani-owned Network18 to Gautam Adani-owned NDTV, some of India's biggest media houses have taken the Modi government's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act to the Supreme Court.
But this legal battle isn't new. Independent journalists, The Reporters' Collective, Newslaundry, DIGIPUB and RTI activists had already challenged the law.
So, what's worrying India's newsrooms?
The DPDP Act was introduced to protect citizens' personal data. But without a specific exemption for journalism, news publishers fear it could be weaponised to challenge investigative reports, pressure journalists to remove information and potentially compromise confidential sources.
And the concerns aren't limited to big media houses. Independent journalists and news creators on Instagram and YouTube could also be affected.
@hey_eshwar explains.
Eshwar retweeted
🚨 New Revelation on Election Commission Rift🚨
Weeks after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had written to the Cabinet Secretary raising concerns over the unilateral functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a Right to Information (RTI) response has revealed the Cabinet Secretary’s position on the matter.
The RTI response, obtained by transparency activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd), shows that the Cabinet Secretary acknowledged the Commissioners’ complaints but decided against direct intervention, citing that the letters written by the two commissioners were written in their "individual capacity" and not as the Commission, and that it would be inappropriate for the "executive to interfere in an independent Constitutional body."
According to the response, the two Commissioners wrote to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan in July 2026, alleging that senior Election Commission official Maneesh Garg had bypassed established procedures and issued orders reallocating responsibilities among senior officers without consulting the Commission.
The RTI response also included copies of the letters written by the two Commissioners and the Cabinet Secretary’s acknowledgement of them.
The RTI application was filed a day after The Indian Express published a report on 23 September stating that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions concerning the addition and deletion of voters.
The report also mentioned that the Commissioners had approached the Cabinet Secretary.
Read the full report by @hey_eshwar here:
thequint.com/news/politics/e…
Eshwar retweeted
Repeatedly labelled a "symbol of filth" by Mishra and other speakers on stage, the cockroach effigy had already sparked controversy in the run-up to the event. @hey_eshwar reports.
Read: thequint.com/news/politics/b…
Eshwar retweeted
The judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das was extended by two more days on Monday, 19 October, by a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) in Delhi.
The two leaders, who were detained on 13 October for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar after it was de-notified as a designated protest site, were initially sent to five days of judicial custody on 14 October.
During Monday's proceedings, Delhi Police sought a five-day extension of their custody, citing concerns that the leaders could mobilise further protests and disturb public order. Ranka and Das denied calling for fresh protests and argued that there were no grounds to keep them in custody.
The SEM granted a two-day extension instead. Both leaders were sent back to Tihar Jail.
The CJP has also accused the authorities of deliberately delaying their release despite the submission of surety documents. Delhi Police has denied the allegations, citing deficiencies in the sureties submitted.
Counsel Pushp Sharma explains the reasons.
@hey_eshwar @whattalawyer @Cockroachisback
Thank you so much, Sir! 🙏
Follow @hey_eshwar and @TheQuint for ground reports. I have been following them from july agitation. Hats off!
Eshwar retweeted
Ground Report | No Police action on group of people heckling protestors.
Follow @thequint for more updates.
#Delhi #CentralPark #Protest #CockroachJantaParty #India
Eshwar retweeted
Ground Report | #DelhiPolice fortified Central Park ahead of the CJP 'Lehra Do Tiranga' march. The authorities also issued a notice which says that the Central Park will be closed on 16th and 17th October due to administrative reasons.
Follow @thequint for more updates.
#CockroachJantaParty #CentralPark #Delhi #Protest #India
Eshwar retweeted
The Quint speaks to Sahil Wakode's father as he continues the protest seeking answers from IIT Bombay authorities.
Follow @thequint for more updates.
#Mumbai #SahilWakode #IITBombay #Education #Students
Eshwar retweeted
Journalist Rosy has accused Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat of sexual assault during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi. While Rosy has been seeking an FIR against the police officer, a counter-FIR alleging caste-based discrimination and other offences has been registered against her and others following a complaint by ACP Vivek Bhagat. The case has since reached the Supreme Court, which has granted Rosy interim protection against coercive action in the counter-case.
In this interview with The Quint, independent journalists Rosy and Gajendra Singh speak about the alleged sexual assault, their arrests and detention, the counter-cases, their fight for justice and the challenges of reporting on protests in the national capital.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel — youtu.be/LEaAtCdGtjc?si=2khB…
#Rosy #ACPVivekBhagat #GajendraSingh #DelhiPolice #WomenJournalists
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"Cockroach ka ilaaj", "300 Rs mein bik gayi"
Amid the huge crowd of right-wing goons were men who brandished lathis and heckled protestors. We also identified some of them who openly spread hate on CP. Here's how.
Watch the full video to find out: thequint.com/news/politics/r…