Rights group Amnesty International has criticised a tough Indian law which it says has been used to detain up to 20,000 people without trial in Indian-administered Kashmir. Amnesty urged India to scrap the Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows detention for up to two years without charge. The group also criticised the judiciary for its failure to protect human rights of the detainees. Kashmir has been gripped by a violent separatist insurgency since...

Amnesty International has urged Indian authorities to order an impartial inquiry into the police firing leading to the death of two persons against demonstrators objecting to a thermal power project in northern Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. On February 28, at least two protestors were killed, allegedly as a result of police firing, and five others sustained injuries as police tear-gassed them. The protests for cancellation of the project took place at the...

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Thursday dismissed an application of rights activist and paediatrician Dr. Binayak Sen seeking bail and suspension of life term awarded to him. But the court will continue to hear his appeal against the life sentence handed down by a Raipur Additional District and Sessions Court. The court also dismissed a similar application of co-accused Kolkata businessman Pijush Guha. On December 24 last, the Raipur court convicted Dr....

Many Indian laws do not reflect modern and enlightened concepts of justice and require major revision. The recent campaign in support of Dr. Binayak Sen has received much publicity. The mainstream media has enunciated his cause and dissected the evidence, conviction and judgment. Amnesty International argued that the case violated international standards for a fair trial. While Dr. Sen's conviction has received much attention, there is a need to foreground the...

The finance ministry has ruled out a fresh tax amnesty scheme, saying that no such proposal was on the table. Ministry officials told Parliament's Standing Committee on Thursday that the issue of a new tax amnesty has not even been discussed, scotching the speculation suggesting that one was being mulled. The officials said that they did not know how this started. Members of the Standing Committee asked the government to use India's...