-Newsclick.in The farmers’ unions also rejected the government’s proposal to take the matter to the Supreme Court saying that “this is a political matter and it will be resolved politically”. New Delhi: “We will either die or win. We will return home only when you withdraw the (three) laws,” farmer leaders told the government in clear terms on Friday afternoon (January 8) during eighth round of talks held at Vigyan Bhawan for...

-TheWire.in Only a serious overhaul can remedy the fundamental shortcomings in our constitution. It is now clear that India, the world’s largest democracy, is being run by an oligarchy, a form of government where the real power lies with just a few individuals and families. This became tragically evident from the recent saga of India’s agricultural reforms. Three farm laws were enacted by a coterie in the Centre without even recognising that...

-Hindustan Times The anti-CAA protests, the defiance of migrants, and now the farmers’ stir show that the everyday practice of democracy is a powerful corrective in the face of arbitrary and unilateral State decisions Three events defined India’s political landscape in 2020. The protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the migrant labour crisis that unfolded as workers defied lockdown orders and asserted their rights, choosing to walk home in the face...

-CaravanMagazine.in The South Asia Collective, a group of human-rights activists and organisations, recently published “The South Asia State of Minorities Report 2020: Minorities and Shrinking Civic Space” by the South Asia Collective. The report examines minority rights and the narrowing of space for human-rights defenders in light of increasing majoritarianism across the region. Its chapters, on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, conclude that three basic freedoms—the constitutional...

-Frontline.in Interview with Nikhil Dey, rights activist and founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, on 15 years of the Right to Information Act. India’s Right to Information (RTI) Act, which was promulgated in 2005, is considered one of the most advanced and powerful pieces of rights legislation in the world. Although an evolved law that forces governments to become more transparent and accountable, almost every regime has shown reluctance to uphold...