Breaking Here’s a thinking process:

By Bharat Rathore · 18 Aug 2026

1. Analyze User Request:
– User wants a news article based on a specific story title/summary about MPs facing criminal cases.
– Source: India Today, dated 2026-08-17 (but note the rule: “Make sure none of the articles pulled via RSS or other sources are dated anything other than 2026.” The source URL has 2026 in it, so that’s fine.)
– Rules are very specific: evidence-first, factual, attributed, no invention, AP-style, no source-process narration, specific output format (title first line, blank line, body, then “Sources” section).
– Must distinguish facts from analysis using “Analysis:” headings if needed, but since it’s a news article, I should keep it factual and attributed.
– Must not include internal metadata, placeholders, debug text.
– Must produce a natural, publication-ready headline with correct spacing.

2. Identify Core Facts from the Prompt/Source:
– Title: “251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, affidavit tells Supreme Court”
– Summary: 251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, affidavit tells Supreme Court
– Source: India Today – India
– URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/law-news/story/251-lok-sabha-75-rajya-sabha-mps-face-criminal-cases-4192-cases-pending-affidavit-tells-supreme-court-2973262-2026-08-17?utm_source=rss
– Category: Politics
– Key numbers: 251 Lok Sabha MPs, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs facing criminal cases; 4,192 cases pending (from the URL path “4192-cases-pending”)
– This is about an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.

I need to be careful: I don’t have the actual full article content, only the title/summary/URL. But the rules say “Base all factual claims on the event information provided.” I should only use what’s reliably indicated in the prompt. The prompt gives: “251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, affidavit tells Supreme Court” and the URL suggests 4,192 cases pending. I should not invent details beyond what’s reasonably attributable to the source, but I can structure it as a news report based on the affidavit.

However, the rules also say: “Never invent facts, quotes, statistics, or unnamed sources.” and “Source facts always take precedence over editorial guidance.” I need to be very restrained. I can report the core fact: an affidavit told the Supreme Court that 251 Lok Sabha and 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, with 4,192 pending cases. I should attribute this to the affidavit/India Today report.

Let me think about how to structure the article without inventing. I’ll write a straight news report based on the headline and summary provided. I’ll attribute the numbers to the affidavit as reported by India Today. I won’t add unsourced details.

Output format requirements:
– First line: article title only (no “Title:” prefix)
– Blank line after title
– Article body
– “Sources” section at the end
– AP-style news writing
– No markdown, no raw HTML, no debug text
– Natural headline with correct spacing

I need to craft a headline that matches the style but is “original analysis and summary, not a rewrite”. Wait, the prompt says “Write a news article based on the provided information” and “Original analysis only. Never invent facts.” The title given is “251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, affidavit tells Supreme Court”. I should use that as the first line, or create a natural variant? The rules: “First line is the article title (without “Title:” prefix), then blank line, then body”. And “Use a natural, publication-ready headline with correct spacing between all words and named entities. Never concatenate separate words, organizations, verbs, or proper nouns.” I think I should use the exact title provided, or a very close paraphrase that’s factual. But the prompt says “based on this story” and gives the title. I’ll use the provided title as the first line, ensuring proper spacing.

Let me re-read carefully: “Write a news article based on the provided information” and “Original analysis only. Never invent facts.” The story info is the title/summary. I’ll write a news article reporting the affidavit, the numbers, the context, attributing to the Supreme Court and India Today report. I’ll keep it factual.

Structure:
– Line 1: 251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs Face Criminal Cases, Affidavit Tells Supreme Court
– Blank line
– Body: reporting the event, attributing the affidavit, mentioning the pending cases count, maybe context about such disclosures, but only if verifiable from the prompt. I’ll be conservative.
– Sources section: list the India Today URL.

But wait: rules say “Do not copy full source articles verbatim” and “Write original analysis and summary, not a rewrite”. I need to write original summary, not just repeat the title. I’ll summarize the news: An affidavit filed in the Supreme Court indicates that 251 Lok Sabha members and 75 Rajya Sabha members face pending criminal cases, with a total of 4,192 cases pending. I’ll attribute this to the affidavit as reported by India Today.

Let me draft:

Headline line: 251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs Face Criminal Cases, Affidavit Tells Supreme Court

Body:
An affidavit filed in the Supreme Court reveals that 251 members of the Lok Sabha and 75 members of the Rajya Sabha are facing pending criminal cases, according to reporting by India Today. The disclosure states that a total of 4,192 criminal cases are currently pending against sitting MPs, the report said. The affidavit was submitted as part of ongoing litigation regarding the criminalisation of politics, the news agency reported. The Supreme Court has been hearing matters related to candidate transparency and the disclosure of criminal records by elected representatives.

Wait, I need to be careful not to invent the “litigation context” if it’s not in the prompt. The prompt only gives the title/summary. I should stick to what’s directly attributable: the affidavit, the numbers, the source. I can say “according to an affidavit told to the Supreme Court” and “as reported by India Today”. I’ll avoid adding contextual details not provided.

Let me re-draft more minimally, strictly based on the prompt:

Body:
An affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court states that 251 Lok Sabha members and 75 Rajya Sabha members face pending criminal cases, according to India Today. The affidavit puts the total number of pending criminal cases at 4,192, the report said. The disclosure was made in the context of a Supreme Court hearing on political candidates’ criminal backgrounds, India Today reported.

Hmm, I’m adding “in the context of a Supreme Court hearing on political candidates’ criminal backgrounds” – is that in the prompt? The title says “affidavit tells Supreme Court”, so it’s implied. But I should be safe and just say “before the Supreme Court” or “told the Supreme Court”. I’ll keep it strictly to what’s evident.

Let me check the prompt again: “Summary: 251 Lok Sabha, 75 Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases, affidavit tells Supreme Court”. That’s it. I’ll write:

An affidavit told the Supreme Court that 251 Lok Sabha members and 75 Rajya Sabha members face pending criminal cases, India Today reported. The affidavit indicates a total of 4,192 criminal cases are pending against sitting MPs, the report said.

That’s factual and directly from the prompt/source.

Now, “Sources” section: I need to list the provided source. The format isn’t strictly defined beyond “End with a ‘Sources’ section listing the provided source.” I’ll do something like “Sources: India Today – India” or include the URL. The rules say “Attribute sources properly with hyperlinks” and “End with a ‘Sources’ section listing the provided source.” I’ll include the title and URL.

But rules also: “No raw HTML, JSON, markdown fences, or debug text in the output.” So I can’t use markdown for the sources section. I’ll just write it plainly: “Sources: India Today – India, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/law-news/story/251-lok-sabha-75-rajya-sabha-mps-face-criminal-cases-4192-cases-pending-affidavit-tells-supreme-court-2973262-2026-08-17?utm_source=rss”

Wait, the URL has “utm_source=rss” – I should probably strip query

Story synopsis gathered from: India Today – India — source