Amnesty International has said the life sentence handed down to rights activist Binayak Sen by the Raipur sessions court violates international standards of fair trial and has warned that it is likely to “inflame” tension in the conflict-affected area. Describing the trial itself as “politically motivated” and calling for the charges against Dr. Sen to be dropped, Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific director, said in a statement: “Dr. Sen, who is considered...

West Bengal businessman says he was illegally detained and interrogated for five days before his arrest was staged on May 6, 2007 Defence maintains that all evidence was planted by Chhattisgarh police Discrepancy in SLP is a typo, says investigating officer S.S. Rajpoot At 10.45 a.m. on May 1, 2007 Pijush Guha checked into the Mahindra Hotel here and vanished. The hotel register indicates that he checked out at 8.45 p.m. the same...

Thirty years ago, in an act I still feel guilty about, I woke up a very great Indian from his sleep. I was volunteering at a conference in New Delhi, and had been asked to fetch the Member of Parliament from Dhanbad, AK Roy, from his quarters in Vithalbhai Patel House. Roy, a labour leader legendary for his integrity and his wide range of reading, had been elected from the...

In the end, Gangula Tadangi succumbed to tuberculosis. The Kondh Adivasi’s life could have been saved if he had made it to the hospital on time. But he was in judicial custody at Koraput district jail in southern Odisha for allegedly “waging war against the Indian State”. During his last moments, Tadangi, 25, is said to have whispered something in Kondh. But nobody could make out anything because no one...

They show strategy of planting, killing stories, and blacklisting agencyThe new tapes reveal use or consideration of strong-arm lobbying techniquesVir Sanghvi defends conversation with Niira Radia as “sweet-talking” a news sourceThe contents of a fresh set of leaked phone conversations involving Niira Radia and her associates paint an alarming picture of the extent to which the influential lobbyist — whose clients include Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata — sought to...