-The Hindu The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce “Human rights and Gender Studies” for Class XI and XII students from the coming academic year. The subject will be elective. Similarly, a handbook for teachers, “Women Safety and Empowerment through Curriculum,” will be introduced in the training courses by the National Council for Teachers Education. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has been receiving representations for promoting value education in schools...

-NDTV Allegations of fake encounters by security forces in Manipur will be investigated by a three-member commission, the Supreme Court said today. The top court said former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, former chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh and a senior police officer will be in the commission. After they give consent, the court will pass formal orders next week. A petition in the court had alleged more than 1,500 fake encounters in...

-The Indian Express The debate on the death penalty in India has gained new momentum, and the European Union (EU) is following the discussions with great interest. Under the visionary and far-sighted leadership of thinkers and politicians, Europe has come a long way from being the continent where the guillotine was invented and where death sentences were common under the dictatorships of the first half of the 20th century, to become,...

-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...

-Outlook India must adopt and enforce measures to ensure the dignified treatment and examination of sexual assault survivors and eliminate the use of 'finger tests' in rape cases, a leading rights body said today amid protests against the brutal rape of a 23-year-old Delhi girl. The New York-based Human rights Watch (HRW) said the December 16 incident should spur decisive action by the Indian government to combat sexual violence. "It is much harder,...