-The Economic Times blog Finance minister Arun Jaitley was correct when he stated in April that Constitutional constraints do not empower his government to tax agricultural income, implying that he is not constrained from amending the Income-Tax Act. B R Ambedkar, in framing the Constitution, was vehemently critical of British land revenue system, the foundation for which was laid during the Mughal period, and strengthened by the East India Company, which...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI/ ONGOLE: Two senior Union ministers on Thursday sought to allay apprehensions over the new government order on cattle trade, emphasising that the Centre will not interfere with the food habits of people in the different regions of the country. While finance minister Arun Jaitley emphasised in Delhi that the Centre's order will not impact state laws on slaughter, information and broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu said in...

-The Indian Express The proposed total ban on cattle slaughter goes against Supreme Court decisions on the matter since 1959 Less than a week ago, the Central government notified rules, many of which are as unConstitutional as they are senseless: A person is prohibited from bringing any type of cattle to an animal market for sale for slaughter. First, why is it unConstitutional? The ban on slaughter of cattle was a politically...

-The Indian Express A survey shows that it is numerically insignificant. The unusual attention that is being devoted to the practice is politically motivated and a waste of resources Since May 11, the Supreme Court of India has been discussing the Constitutional validity of the “triple talaq system” on a priority and on a daily basis, yet without the benefit of empirical data. The SC could have directed the government to launch...

-The Hindu Liberalisation has eroded the institutional capacity to train young people who might pursue liberal values The other day, a student asked me what exactly the word ‘liberal’ mean. She wanted to know whether ‘liberalisation’ promotes ‘liberal’ values. She had noticed that institutions of higher education, which are supposed to promote liberal values, were finding it difficult to resist ideological and commercial pressures triggered by the process of economic liberalisation. So,...