At least seven workers died and 14 were injured after water and debris flooded a hydroelectric tunnel under construction in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand; 21 of 22 trapped workers have been recovered, with two still unaccounted for. Separately, the Supreme Court quashed a hate speech case against Rahul Gandhi over remarks about V.D. Savarkar after Uttar Pradesh declined to sanction prosecution, and it stayed a Madras High Court ruling that had struck down compassionate-ground government jobs for victims' families.
The US has accused India of allowing China to route exports through it to dodge tariffs, naming a Pune-Gujarat-Chennai corridor in a new White House report. Domestically, the Supreme Court criticized the Bar Council of India's now-withdrawn circular blocking a NALSAR law school graduating class from enrolling as advocates, and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded answers over reported Chinese military expansion near Arunachal Pradesh. India's first census since independence to record caste data broadly (beyond SC/ST) was also notified, alongside a BJP MP's apology for remarks about Subhas Chandra Bose.
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