Here's a roundup of headlines from across India on Saturday, November 7:
X says takedown orders against free speech groups were fake
Social media platform X said that police orders it received to remove online accounts of two of India's most prominent free speech groups were fake.
Lawyers representing X told the court that someone impersonating Delhi police had sent the emails.
X received orders through its online reporting form in the name of a senior Delhi police officer seeking removal of the online accounts of free speech groups, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC.in).
The orders claimed the groups had defamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, parent organization of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After an internal investigation, the social media company's lawyers on Friday told the Delhi High Court that, "It turns out this was somebody playing an impostor, somebody impersonating Delhi police who has sent this."
The orders had sparked an uproar on social media this week and were challenged for their legality by Amnesty and India's main opposition party.
Censorship in India: Muzzled by the government
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India's top court says vehicle emissions a main cause of Delhi's low air quality
Delhi authorities have urged people to avoid or limit outdoor activitiesImage: Bhawika Chhabra/REUTERSThe Supreme Court of India on Friday said that vehicular pollution is a major contributor to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and questioned the effectiveness of the government's measures to curb it.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, opened the proceedings with a jibe saying, "I hope you all are enjoying the weather in Delhi."
This week, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) has remained above the "hazardous" 300 mark.
Air quality in the capital regularly plummets at the outset of winter, as weather conditions help trap pollutants.
"A major cause of the pollution is vehicular pollution. Look at the roads in Delhi, look at the roads connecting Delhi to the NCR (the National Capital Region)… the kind of bumper-to-bumper traffic… that's the major cause," the CJI said.
The court examined the steps taken by the government to control the rising levels of air pollution.
Expressing concerns over the failure of measures to curb air pollution in Delhi over the years, the court said, "To think we can achieve air quality of less than 100 AQI in Delhi during winters is utopian when 'very poor' and 'severe' have become the new normal."
On stubble burning, the court said farmers should be given economic incentives and practical alternatives.
The court also encouraged responsible celebrations during festivals, particularly Diwali, where firecrackers being set off adds to the air pollution.
"Why don't we revert to our original customs?" the CJI said, adding celebrations should be accompanied by a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
India's worst air pollution crisis isn't in its megacities
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Welcome to our coverage
Hi! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi Bureau, bringing you all the important updates from India.
Festive spirits are high as Diwali celebrations begin, but so are the capital's air quality levels, as Delhi's air turns more toxic with each passing day.
Meanwhile, social media platform X has told India's Supreme Court that the police orders asking X to block online accounts of two of India's most prominent free speech groups were fake.