-The Indian Express   After a Delhi trial court summoned the executives of 21 companies, including Google and Facebook, the Delhi high court responded to their petitions by warning them to take down “objectionable” material, or risk being “blocked” altogether. In Justice Suresh Kait’s words: “You must have a stringent check. Otherwise, like China, we may pass orders banning all such websites.” The government, which was asked to indicate if it agreed...

US-based companies Google Inc., Facebook Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others were issued summons by a Delhi court on Friday in connection with criminal charges for “objectionable” material hosted online.   Simultaneously, the Union government sanctioned the prosecution of the companies on its behalf.   Metropolitan magistrate Sudesh Kumar directed representatives of the global companies to be present in his court on 13 March. The summons will be served at their registered...

-The Hoot The brutally fatal silencing of three journalists along with the sharp rise in censorship of content in online media and the increasing cases of defamation marked the deterioration of the climate for free speech across India in 2011. Attacks on journalists continued to be high, with 24 recorded instances even as writers, journalists and lawyers bore the brunt of the intolerance of vigilante groups to dissenting opinion. The Free Speech...

-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,...

C & D staff will also come under watchdog Refusing to be cowed down by pressure exerted by Team Anna, the government stood its ground on maintaining the investigative independence of the Central Bureau of Investigation, as the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cleared the draft of the controversial Lokpal Bill late on Tuesday evening. It is now likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The...