The proposal made by a Supreme Court Bench to have guidelines for legal reporting is seen as a serious threat to the freedom of the media. Paradoxes are not new to India. But the current challenges to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media are sure to confound a future historian looking for explanations. The country is fortunate to have the best of historical circumstances that are conducive...
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Land and caste-Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta
Jatav residents of Ramgarh in U.P. resist attempts by members of a powerful community to grab their land by violent means. IN what could be considered one of the worst incidents of vendetta against Dalits in the National Capital Region (NCR), members of the Dalit Jatav community were beaten up brutally by some members of the dominant Gujjar community in Ramgarh village in the Greater Noida area of Uttar Pradesh...
More »Of mines, minerals and tribal rights-Brinda Karat
The proposed liberalisation of the mining and minerals sector is an assault on the rightful owners of the land and its resources. Tribal and indigenous communities across the world have been asserting their rights to the mineral Wealth often found under the land they own or possess or have traditional rights to. They have been historically denied even a share of that huge Wealth, leave alone legal rights of ownership. Under...
More »Moratorium on Bt Brinjal-D Bandyopadhyay
On February 9, 2010, the then Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Jairam Ramesh, imposed an indefinite moratorium on the introduction of Bt Brinjal in India. It is necessary and desirable to quote the order verbatim. It reads as follows: It is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary based approach and impose a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjals till such time independent scientific studies establish, to...
More »SC asks government to inquire into allegations against NHRC chief K G Balakrishnan-Dhananjay Mahapatra
In an unprecedented action, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government to inquire into allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled against former CJI and present NHRC chief K G Balakrishnan. A bench of Justice B S Chauhan and Justice J S Khehar said "the competent" authority in the government would conduct a detailed inquiry into the complaint against him by Committee for Judicial Accountability. The committee had alleged that Justice Balakrishnan's...
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