-Outlook In a significant development, a Delhi court today took cognisance of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary's criminal defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL). "The cognisance of offence under section 499 (defamation) read with 34 (common intention) of the IPC is taken... Keeping in view the law laid down in the provisions of CrPC and the judgement of the...

-The Indian Express Our reactions to the current protests triggered by the gangrape in the capital reveal a paradoxical state of mind. We welcome the spontaneous nature of these protests, underline the fact that most of the ordinary women and men who joined these protests were not mobilised by any organisation and caution against the entry of “political elements”. At the SAMe time, we criticise the protesters for the lack of...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Self-help groups might have resulted in significant upward movement in the status and role of women in society, but a recent study reveals existence of casteism in the SHGs. Conducted across eight States covering a SAMple of over 1,942 groups, the study indicated that caste played a dominant role in the formation and functions of the SHGs. At least 29 per cent of the groups surveyed reported different etiquette...

-Economic and Political Weekly The recent debate on the acceptability of foreign direct investment in the retail sector in India has been mostly political. It is necessary to look into the pros and cons of FDI in retail from a purely economic point of view. This article identifi es the safeguards that should be undertaken before allowing giant multinationals to function in the country. Abhirup Sarkar (abhirup@isical.ac.in) is with the Indian Statistical...

-Outlook CPI (M) today said standing SAMba crops over 14.5 lakh acres in the Cauvery delta region in Tamil Nadu had been affected due to shortage of water and demanded that Centre announce a Rs 2,500 crore relief package for farmers. The party's three-day State Committee meeting, which concluded in Tirupur yesterday, attended by party General Secretary Prakash Karat, state unit secretary G Ramakrishnan and others, slammed the Centre stating that it...