-PTI New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all states and Union Territories to upload first information reports (FIRs) on their websites within 24 hours of registration at police stations. A bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan, however, extended the time up to 72 hours for uploading of the FIRs for states that are located in difficult terrains where internet connectivity is poor. The apex court exempted the state police...

-The Indian Express While crimes against Dalits are increasing, the state has time and again let them down, with little action against the perpetrators. Atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are a regular feature of the caste-based Indian society and distressingly, of late, they have begun increasing. What is ironical is that only recently, the country commemorated the 125th birth anniversary of B .R. Ambedkar, the icon of the...

-The Hindu The findings point to corruption, politics as the adversaries of journalists working in small towns. Reporting in India can be a dangerous business as a report compiled by an independent watchdog, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), has observed. Twenty-seven journalists have died under unnatural circumstances since 1992; increasingly, the victims are from small towns. There have been zero convictions, raising questions about the governments’ intent to allow journalists...

-The Times of India Last week, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court passed an interesting order. It directed the HC registrar (administration) to "instruct" the media not to publish or broadcast names of lawyers while reporting court cases. It felt such publication was an indirect advertisement of their professional capabilities. Probably, it was based on the Bar Council of India rules, which say, "An advocate shall not solicit work...

-The Hindu When knowledge gained is not acknowledged, and the textbook is considered the sole source of answers, education becomes a foreign language. A critique of rote learning is an educational cliché. Much has been written about it and almost every educator will passionately argue against it. However, the textbook still continues to be the holy grail of learning. You can participate in activities, test yourself, memorise information and learn. But don’t...