Welcome to South Central, a podcast from The News Minute dedicated to bringing the south of India to the forefront. Each episode dives into the stories, challenges, and perspectives that shape the region and often go unheard in national conversations. South Central is led by TNM's Editor-in-Chief Dhanya Rajendran and co-hosted by TNM's Reporting Head, Pooja Prasanna. Together, they bring sharp insights, on-the-ground expertise, and a commitment to exploring the issues that truly matter in the south.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Does Gyanesh Kumar have immunity from the law? | South Central 96
In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth are joined by activist Shivasundar to discuss the nationwide protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal.
In the second part of the discussion, they are joined by lawyer and legal scholar Alok Prasanna, co-founder of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, who talks about the legal immunity enjoyed by the CEC.
Audio time codes:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:42 - Headlines
00:08:12 - SIR protests
00:27:19 - Can Election Commissioners be prosecuted?
00:56:55 - Recommendations
Support our legal fund. Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscription?utm_source=legal&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=legal)
Check out the recommendations and references from this episode (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SuGm5-JwvRc4SCazAtW9956IKfsy3RrTJOFMsvbhmGE/edit?usp=sharing).
Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11BPHhiC_h0I1sZtDmg7XWjnNWsglLB73cQAEpUGqjDk/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0)
Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central (https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central)
Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.
Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here (https://pages.razorpay.com/reporting-fund)
To check out our other shows, Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/videos)
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form (https://forms.gle/fotHnLrY7uEVbzSB8). Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Sreerag T K, Social Media - Anakha C J
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
2 Oct 2026
Parakala Prabhakar on the ECI, SIR and the deletion of voters | South Central 95
In this week’s South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Anisha Sheth are joined by political economist and author Dr Parakala Prabhakar for an extended conversation on the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the deletion of voters and the larger questions these developments raise about India’s electoral democracy.
Audio timecodes:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:35 - Headlines
00:09:35 - ECI, SIR and the deletion of voters
Support our legal fund. Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscription?utm_source=legal&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=legal)
Check out the recommendations and references from this episode (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SuGm5-JwvRc4SCazAtW9956IKfsy3RrTJOFMsvbhmGE/edit?usp=sharing).
Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11BPHhiC_h0I1sZtDmg7XWjnNWsglLB73cQAEpUGqjDk/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0)
Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central (https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central)
Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.
Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here (https://pages.razorpay.com/reporting-fund)
To check out our other shows, Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/videos)
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form (https://forms.gle/fotHnLrY7uEVbzSB8). Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Anakha C J
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Sept 2026
Veeramani case, Reporter TV raid and ECI dissent | South Central 94
This week’s South Central examines the questions surrounding the Veeramani case in Tamil Nadu, allegations of police inaction and a culture of silence. Hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by TNM’s Chennai Bureau Chief Shabbir Ahmed.
The episode also discusses the police raid on the Reporter TV newsroom and the wider debate over press freedom and media ownership, with senior journalist MG Radhakrishnan joining the conversation.
The episode also looks at reported dissent within the Election Commission of India, questions over electoral roll verification and the centralisation of voter data, and what the rift means for transparency and voter trust. The hosts are joined by independent investigative journalist Poonam Agarwal.
Audio timecodes:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:08 - Headlines
00:08:12 - Veeramani POCSO case
00:27:19 - Reporter TV raid
00:47:08 - The Election Commission and internal dissent
1:09:35 - Recommendations
Support our legal fund. Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscription?utm_source=legal&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=legal)
Check out the recommendations and references from this episode (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SuGm5-JwvRc4SCazAtW9956IKfsy3RrTJOFMsvbhmGE/edit?usp=sharing).
Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11BPHhiC_h0I1sZtDmg7XWjnNWsglLB73cQAEpUGqjDk/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0)
Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central (https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central)
Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.
Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here (https://pages.razorpay.com/reporting-fund)
To check out our other shows, Click here (https://www.thenewsminute.com/videos)
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form (https://forms.gle/fotHnLrY7uEVbzSB8). Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.
To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here (https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAPDLKCxoB4y7QzMZ20)
Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Anakha C J
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on South Central
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Shaikh Salahuddin
Maitreyi Krishnan
Dr RK Radhakrishnan
Rathin Roy
Nandini Chandrasekhar
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,273,964
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
273 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
52
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
31
Contact South Central
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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