Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to give legal backing to live-in relationships, making it mandatory for residents to register such unions with the authorities. The proposed guidelines, part of the state’s draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC), also suggest fines and imprisonment for live-in couples who fail to register their relationships. Vikram Chandra breaks down the contentious live-in provision of the bill with Senior Supreme Court Advocate Karuna Nundy and gender rights activist Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj.
Also on the show, early general election results in neighbouring Pakistan show key contenders- PML-N's Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan People's Party's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Imran Khan's PTI backed independent candidates in a close battle. How should India view the Pakistan elections, and what impact would the results have on India-Pakistan ties? Foreign policy commentator and CEO Ananta Aspen Centre, Indrani Bagchi decodes this on The India Story.
And, Indian cricket’s Yorker King, Jasprit Bumrah scripted history this week by becoming the first Indian pacer to climb to the top of the ICC Test bowling rankings. Vikram Chandra talks to cricket writer and veteran sports journalist Pradeep Magazine on whether Bumrah is on the road to becoming one of the all-time greatest Indian bowlers.