Is it the Supreme Court of India, or the Supreme Court for Indians?  The law must be equally open to the humblest, simplest and little member of the community A decentralised system of judicature is a paramount property for democracy to have élan A Supreme Court of India, and a Supreme Court for all Indians: these two versions can be radically different in terms of principle and content. The Preamble to...

Amnesty International has appointed Salil Shetty, an Indian who headed the UN Millennium Campaign, as its next secretary general. Shetty takes over the job in June 2010, succeeding Irene Khan who stepped down after eight years as Amnesty Secretary General on Dec 31, 2009. Amnesty - the global Human Rights watchdog - said Shetty, with a strong track record in the non-government and inter-government sectors, will lead its 50th anniversary...

Guwahati: The National Human Rights Commission has sought an explanation from the Manipur Chief Secretary as to why reports of 111 cases, which were reported as police encounter cases, were not forwarded to the Commission. The NHRC, in an order, stated that the Commission had not been receiving any report from the Manipur government. It also directed the Manipur government to pay Rs.5 lakh as relief to the next of...

Are the world and human society in general ready and willing to take action on critical issues that require a major change in the manner in which we produce and consume goods and services?  The science of climate change is now well established. This is the result of painstaking work of over two decades carried out by thousands of scientists drawn from across the globe to assess every aspect of...

Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal, is at the centre of a major controversy in India. Bt brinjal, a genetically modified strain created by India's number one seeds company Mahyco in collaboration with American multinational Monsanto, claims to improve yields and help the agriculture sector. However, the debate over the safety of Bt brinjal continues with mixed views from scientists working for the government, farmers and environment activists. Environment activists says...