-Outlook The sorts of corruption that matter are a purview of privileged     “An intellectual man can be a good man but he may easily be a rogue. Similarly an intellectual class may be a band of high-souled persons, ready to help, ready to emancipate erring humanity, or it may easily be a gang of crooks or a body of advocates of narrow clique from which it draws its support.”     —B.R....

-First Post The Jaipur literary festival is almost notorious for creating storms in a teacup. To its credit though, if offers a different flavor of literary tea every year. Last year, it was a variant of the Rushdie phenomenon, where a group of aspiring litterateurs read out passages from the Satanic Verses and then succumbed to political correctness. This year, the controversy came in a session chaired by Urvashi Butalia, publisher Zubaan, where...

-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Friday disapproved of social scientist Ashish Nandy's controversial remarks on corruption among backward sections at the Jaipur Literature Festival but gave him protection from arrest following a spate of FIRs in several states. Though the court entertained Nandy's petition and issued notices to the Union home ministry and states where police have registered FIRs — Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — it...

-First Post Here’s the real reason why sociologist Ashis Nandy should be in the dock of public criticism. There is almost no evidence whatsoever to substantiate his observation that the backward classes and Dalits are seen as more corrupt because they are less good at hiding it than their upper class compatriots. Nandy is facing police investigations for saying at the Jaipur Literary Festival (JLF) last week that “most of the corrupt...

-The Indian Express The Supreme Court on Friday protected sociologist Ashis Nandy from arrest over his allegedly casteist remark, but also censured him for irresponsibly expressing “ideas” that could hurt people. A bench led by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir stayed Nandy’s arrest in all criminal proceedings arising out of the statement he made at the Jaipur Literature Festival on January 26. The court, however, described the remarks as “unacceptable”, and told the...