-The Hindu   The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has set up an “Advisory Group on the Media and Human Rights,” consisting of 12 senior journalists, including Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ram. Formed as part of the media and outreach policy of the NHRC, the group will have regular interaction with the media and seek their enhanced and active role in the promotion and protection of human rights. Its terms of reference include:...

An Orissa lawmaker, wheelchair bound since Maoists targeted him seven years ago, was shot dead in front of hundreds of people today as he distributed land title rights to villagers in a rebel-infested zone. The afternoon attack was the third by suspected Maoists on Umerkote MLA Jagabandhu Majhi, who was said to have been popular because of his social work. “It might be a Maoist attack. The area falls in a Maoist...

-The Times of India   In a decision, perhaps first in the region following the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005, a consumer court in MoHAli has held that a person seeking information under the RTI Act is a "consumer" and the department delaying information can be held liable for "deficiency in service" under the Consumer Protection Act. The decision was pronounced on Wednesday by the district consumer forum, MoHAli,...

The police action against Dalits in Paramakudi leaves indelible scars on the psyche of the oppressed people all over Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Police, in its modern avatar, reflects a glorious tradition of over a century and a half. It was the only force to embark on State-sponsored modernisation in the early 1990s which was pioneered by me during my first tenure as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996....

The Planning Commission’s new definition of poverty widely criticised as being unrealistic has caused disquiet in the UPA, with Congress leaders privately dubbing the benchmarks insensitive and ally NCP publicly slamming them as an “insult to the poor”. Congress leaders believe the figures, under which anyone spending more than Rs 32 a day in urban areas and Rs 26 in villages will not be considered poor and hence will not be...