Free speech advocates and Internet users are protesting new Indian regulations restricting Web content that, among other things, can be considered "disparaging," "harassing," "blasphemous" or "hateful." The new rules, quietly issued by the country's Department of Information Technology earlier this month and only now attracting attention, allow officials and private citizens to demand that Internet sites and service providers remove content they consider objectionable on the basis of a long list...

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a directive to the Centre to impose all-India ban on Endosulfan. The petitioner, Democratic Youth Federation of India, in its petition said it was constrained to approach the Supreme Court in compelling circumstances wherein the valuable life of a large section of people was directly affected because of the use of Endosulfan, a pesticide which was already banned in 81...

As Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan led a fast in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, demanding a nationwide ban on Endosulfan, the Union government on Monday said it would take a view on the issue “in the best interest of the country” after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) submitted its report. Consensus needed “The use of Endosulfan has been banned in Kerala. However, imposing a nationwide ban would require national consensus backed...

Ban request only from Kerala and Karnataka, says Manmohan Singh He will go to Kasaragod during next Kerala visit CPI(M), DYFI members stage protests in Delhi As Kerala observed “Anti-Endosulfan Day” on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly told the State's Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala that the Centre would consolidate opinions from various States before deciding on the requests for a nationwide ban...

Who is a civil society member? This question, which has intrigued me for more than 20 years, came up again with the organization of the demonstrations in support of the lok pal bill in Delhi and other metropolitan cities. When I asked a friend who had been with the demonstrators at Jantar Mantar about the social composition of the gathering, he said that they were common people from every walk...