-The Hindu   The United Progressive Alliance government has not delivered on its promise of bringing in legislation against communal violence. After initial talks, the Centre has fallen silent on the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill which needs speedy tabling, a panel comprising drafters of the legislation said at a meeting here on Friday. “Not just the leadership, but the executive too have failed to give...

-The Hindu   National convention brings to light cases of police atrocity unknown to many   On July 6 this year a large number of men and a few minor boys were arrested and put behind bars in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh after their protest against alleged disrespect to the Holy Quran by the local police turned violent. However, Subhashini Ali, vice-president of the All India Democratic Women's Association, said on Wednesday that...

The special court judge hearing the Gulberg Society massacre trial has reserved his order till November 18 on the plea of the advocate of the riot victims to stay the proceedings till the Supreme Court–appointed Special Investigation Team submitted its final report. Advocate S.M. Vora had moved the court to stay the trial after the SIT refused to submit its report before the special court and informed last month that as...

-The Hindu   In a historic first, a special court in Gujarat has convicted and awarded life sentences to as many as 31 mostly high caste, landed Patels for burning alive 33 Muslims — the majority of them women and children — of Sardarpura village in Mehsana district. The village was among numerous Muslim habitations targeted across the State by irate Hindu mobs as part of a pogrom ruthlessly executed in the...

-The Times of India Given the impunity generally enjoyed by perpetrators of communal violence, the imposition of life sentence on 31 rioters for burning alive 33 Muslim victims in Sardarpura in the 2002 Gujaratriots is a milestone in India's history. If the signal goes out that those responsible for heinous communal massacres do not enjoy immunity from prosecution, that in itself will have a salutary effect in curbing their incidence. It's...