Despite criticism by civil society and the free press, the state is continuing its violent campaigns against Maoists unchecked Alongside the great internet firewall of China, the vicious paranoia of Burma's ruling junta, and the lists of Murdered Journalists in Sri Lanka, India appears as a beacon of free speech and open-minded self-criticism. And yet, for all the vociferous passion of its journalists and activists in calling the powerful to account,...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Activists form RTI council to safeguard information, whistleblowers by Siddhesh Inamdar
Right to Information (RTI) activists from Pune came together on Sunday and formed an RTI council to serve as a repository of information obtained by various activists. “Once the information obtained by anyone under the RTI is available with a council, there will be less threat to an individual’s life,” said Vivek Velankar, an RTI activist, while speaking to journalists after a public meeting to demand justice for the murdered RTI...
More »UN-backed media forum calls for concrete action on murders of journalists
Broadcasters attending the United Nations-backed fourth World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF 4) have called for sustained and concrete global action to address the murder of journalists in peacetime and in war. “Most journalists are killed not in war zones but in their own countries as they try to shine the light of the truth into the darkest recesses of their societies,” they said in a declaration adopted unanimously at the...
More »Civil Society Questions Anti-Naxal Operations
A fact finding team of many civil society organizations has reported widespread occurrences of murders, tortures and cases of police atrocities in Chhattisgarh in the name of combating Naxalism. It is also being alleged that in the name of their own security, journalists are being stopped from going to so called “combat zones” where security forces have launched an Operation Greenhunt to flush out armed Maoists. Fifteen members of the...
More »Access to Justice
KEY TRENDS • In 2021 India had a total of 1,319 prisons housing 5,54,034 prisoners as of that year end. The actual capacity was 4,25,609, which means that Indian prisons were overcrowded by 30.2 percent in 2021. ## • In 2020 India had a total of 1,306 prisons housing 4,88,511 prisoners as of that year end. The actual capacity was 4,14,033. The over crowding in Indian prisons in 2020 was 18 percent. ## • In 2019 India had...
More »