The sub-committee constituted by the Press Council of India to examine the phenomenon of “paid news” during the recent Lok Sabha elections has expressed concern that some media organisations which are expected to set standards have themselves taken the lead in accepting money for the publication of news. “The paid news phenomenon is not only eroding the confidence of the people in the media, but is hurting and harming democracy itself,”...

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh was today gheraoed here by people opposing the introduction of Bt Brinjal in the country. The protesters from Left-affiliated farmers' outfits and Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) raised slogans like "Bt Go Back" and mobbed the minister on the dais at an event organised at the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) here. The event was organised as part of...

A survey of the Supreme Court’s docket finds a court overwhelmed by petitions from those with money and resources.  THE Indian Supreme Court has a reputation for being a “people’s court” or, as one judge put it, a “last resort for the oppressed and bewildered”. The Constitution gives all Indians the right to petition directly the Supreme Court if their fundamental rights are violated and the right to appeal to...

Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha and PUCL talks to Jyoti Punwani about Chhattisgarh, where the Centre has announced the start of its offensive against the Maoists: What news of the offensive? When Operation Green Hunt began in September, notice under Section 95 of the CrPC (which includes sedition) was served on newspapers for publishing the Maoists' press releases, which said that the only persons to have been...

Missing job cards, fudged muster rolls and diversion of NREGS funds through fake bills. What the Rajasthan social audit has revealed is the tip of the iceberg.  Bhilwara-2009 invited a swift and strong backlash — the government backed off realising it had stepped into a quagmire of corruption The battle being fought in the panchayats, streets, offices, and courts of Rajasthan is not just about social audit To understand why civil society...