-PTI The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board today strongly criticised the Centre's Right to Education (RTE) Act, alleging that minority institutions including Madrasas will lose their identity on account of it. AIMPLB Secretary, Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani told PTI that on one hand, the Centre was talking of minority education under Article 30 of the Constitution which clearly says that the minorities can choose education of their choice but contrary to it,...

-The Economic Times In what could come in the way of the Congress' Muslim outreach, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has come down heavily against the Right to Education Act. The Muslim body has alleged that minority institutions, including Madrasas, will lose their identity on account of the Act. This is not the first time that AIMPLB has come out against the central elementary education law. Over the last...

The setting aside of 50% of seats in the proposed Lokpal for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, women and minorities, triggered a sharp debate within parties today around a central, normative question: should social diversity, especially inclusion of minorities, weigh in an empowered body to “fight corruption?”   While the BJP has opposed it and Team Anna, caught off-guard on a sensitive political issue, has declined to comment, legal experts...

-The Hindustan Times   With the Right to Education Act (RTE) setting aside 25% of seats in schools for students of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), heads of minority institutions in the city have expressed their displeasure at the reservation. Claiming that a substantial percentage of the seats was already being given to students of the minority EWS community, principals of several schools such as St. Columba's, Carmel Convent School and Guru...

Kandhamal was not a spontaneous outburst of mass anger. And the victims still await justice. It was a terrifying Christmas in 2007 for tribal and dalit Christians who live in the second poorest, deeply forested district of Odisha, Kandhamal. Long-smouldering violence targeting them exploded, and was to continue to rage for another full year. During this time, 600 villages were ransacked, 5,600 houses were looted and burnt, 54,000 persons rendered homeless,...