-Economic and Political Weekly The Saradha group's collapse has possibly bankrupted lakhs of small investors robbing them of their life svaings, and has rendered thousands of its agents jobless. The scam highlights the failure of the government and its regulatory agencies to reign in the mushrooming chit fund companies in West Bengal. It also brings under the scanner the Trinamool Congress' proximity with the tainted group. In the wake of the...

-The Indian Express On Monday, the Bengali new year's day, viewers who tuned into Bengali music channel Tara Muzik witnessed a spectacle never seen before on Indian TV. Anchors of the channel and independent artistes called in to present Barsha Baran, a programme to celebrate the new year 1420, wept copiously on camera while announcing that the channel, facing an unprecedented "crisis of survival", was shutting down. Hundreds of viewers commiserated with...

-PTI "Discrimination" against Muslims is giving rise to a feeling of injustice among them, Press Council Chairman Markanedya Katju on Sunday claimed and rebuked the media for what he described as "demonising" Muslim community through "irresponsible" journalism. "Whenever a bomb blast occurs or such incident takes place, within an hour or so many TV channels start showing that an email or sms has come from the Indian Mujahideen, JeM or Harkatuljihad-e-Islam, or...

-Tehelka A public issue is not truly public unless Markandey Katju has passed judgement. Rahul Kotiyal and Ajachi Chakrabarti stand downwind "Journalists" writes Markandey Katju, with little sense of irony, "comment on everything under the sun." He goes on to say that when the shoe is on the other foot, when someone comments on journalism, it is misconstrued as an attack on press freedom. That when he announces he is appointing a...

-Outlook The UPA government seems too keen on giving the press council what Katju seeks Powerful Enough? Among the powers the PCI now wields are the following: Power to censure, warn and admonish on receipt of a complaint, after giving the publication a chance to be heard The same powers as a civil court to summon and enforce attendance, examine persons under oath ...