-The Hindu     The practices concerned are most widespread in South Asia and in South Asian diasporas. The European Parliament's recent resolution circumvents India's contention that caste oppression does not constitute racial discrimination. On October 10, the 766 members of the European Parliament, who represent just over half-a-billion people in 28-member-states, passed a historic resolution recognising caste-based discrimination and discrimination based on work and descent as a violation of human rights and an...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Maharashtra has witnessed more women being arrested in criminal cases from 2010 to 2012 than any other Indian state. Statistics compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that 90,884 women were arrested for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) during the three-year period. This was about 58% more than the 57,406 arrests in Andhra Pradesh and 84% more than the 49,333 arrests in Madhya...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: Jails may not be meant for comfortable stay, but prisons in UP could well put a can of sardines to shame. There are 81,027 prisoners lodged in UP jails against the actual total capacity of 48,298 prisoners that these jails are meant to accommodate. What makes these overcrowded jails a case fit for human rights violation is the fact that more than half of the prisoners in...

-The Hindu Women subjected to sexual harassment - on the roads, bus-stops or workplaces - in the form lewd comments or stalking, is a well known fact but what is lesser known is that many cases go unreported Hyderabad: Women subjected to sexual harassment - on the roads, bus-stops or workplaces - in the form lewd comments or stalking, is a well known fact but what is lesser known is that many...

India's landmark Right to Information Legislation is called the biggest single step since independence to build transparency in governance. However, its remarkable success is owed only to just 0.3 per cent of Indians who file RTI applications. It's anybody's guess as to what would be the impact if even one or two per cent of Indians began to ask tough questions to hold their rulers accountable. It is noteworthy that...