Top news of the day: Rahul Gandhi and Rajnath Singh spar over Chinese aggression allegations; Supreme Court issues notice over anti conversion law, and more

top news of the day February 2, 2026 Rahul Gandhi and Rajnath Singh spar over Chinese aggression allegations; Supreme Court issues notice over anti conversion law, and more

A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday (February 2, 2025) after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought to quote from the unpublished “memoir” of former Army Chief Gen (retd) M.M. Naravane but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, strongly opposed it and accused the Congress leader of “misleading” the House. As Mr. Gandhi rose to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, he said he would first like to respond to the charges made by the previous speaker, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, against the Congress on nationalism and began quoting from what he stated was the “memoir” of Gen. Naravane.

The Supreme Court on Monday (February 2, 2026) sought responses from the Centre and 12 States, including Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh, on a fresh PIL filed by the National Council of Churches in India challenging the validity of their respective anti-conversion laws. The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), represented by senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, also sought a stay on the operation of these State laws. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of the NCCI and sought responses from the Centre and 12 State Governments within four weeks.

The Supreme Court on Monday (February 2, 2026) refused to entertain a PIL questioning the procedure to be adopted to record, classify, and verify the caste data of citizens in the 2027 general census. The top court, however, asked the Centre and the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, to consider the suggestions made by PIL petitioner Aakash Goel, an academician, on the issue. Mr. Goel, represented by senior advocate Mukta Gupta, said a transparent questionnaire, to be used for recording, classifying, and verifying the caste details of the citizens, has to be placed in the public domain. The senior advocate alleged that the Directorate of Census Operations has not disclosed the criteria for recording the caste identity of citizens “notwithstanding the acknowledgement that caste enumeration has extended beyond the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes this time”.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (February 2, 2026) confronted police personnel deployed outside the Banga Bhawan in Delhi and alleged harassment of the families affected by the SIR exercise in her State. Police said security arrangements in the area have been stepped up after the incident. Addressing reporters, she claimed that people from West Bengal who were staying at Banga Bhawan were being “threatened” and questioned the heavy police deployment. She added, however, that she doesn’t blame police, but “those who are on the top”. Ms. Banerjee, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday (February 1), reached the West Bengal government’s guest house, ahead of her scheduled meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the eastern State.

A Bangladesh court on Monday (February 2, 2026) sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project. Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Ms. Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported. The court sentenced 78-year-old Ms. Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol. The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 p.m..

Pakistan Cricket Board was on Monday (February 2, 2026) tight-lipped about its government’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup game against India, but a well-placed source conceded that it has no choice but to follow instructions coming from the top. Amid the drama, the national team left for Colombo to play its other games in the showpiece starting February 7. The side is expected to reach the Sri Lankan capital later this evening. A top source in the PCB said the Board will follow government instructions in case another game against the arch-foes gets lined up during the knockout stage of the tournament.