Is it the case that lack of Central financial assistance is restricting the growth of Gram Nyayalayas? Available Government documents and reports corroborate this doubt.   Shri Kapil Sibal who was the Law and Justice Minister during the UPA rule while answering a question on 18 December, 2013 said that since the commencement of the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, an amount of Rs. 3425.8 lakh was provided to the states as...

-The Hindu The supporting props offered for the striking down of Section 66A diminish the arrogance of government and reinstate the ‘genuine' rule of law. Reading the judgment, one is tempted to ask this question: Is it a landmark judgment or just a great one? To appreciate the difference between "great" and "landmark", it is necessary to begin with some very fine distinctions. A great judgment is one that restores the constitutional...

-Economic and Political Weekly While the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act 2001 is a progressive piece of legislation that recognises farmers' rights to seed, it demands payment of an annual maintenance fee by the farmers to protect the varieties which they have been cultivating and conserving for years, only because these varieties have been brought under legal protection through national legislation. Parameswaran Prajeesh (prajeesh@mssrf.res.in) is a researcher with the...

-BBC A controversial bill on land acquisition has caused uproar in India, with opponents saying it will hurt the interests of farmers. The bill eases rules for acquiring land for specific projects. The government says it is aimed at kick-starting stalled projects across the country worth billions of dollars. Sanjoy Chakravorty, author of a book on conflicts over land in India, explains the issues. Why is land so important in India? Land is...

-PTI NEW DELHI: Cracking down on erring NGOs, government has cancelled licences of 1,142 NGOs belonging to undivided Andhra Pradesh, under which they get foreign funds, for not filing their annual returns for three consecutive years. The foreigners division of the home ministry has served notices to NGOs on October 16, 2014 for not filing their returns for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and given time to...