-The Times of India Telecom minister Kapil Sibal says the Information Technology Act shouldn't be misused to "throttle dissent". But is he prepared to go the length to stop misuse? Consider the legal gloss Section 66A of the Act puts on assaults on free expression. Two incidents should suffice as examples. In April, a professor was arrested in Kolkata for forwarding a cartoon depicting Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. More recently, a...

-The Indian Express The debate about Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, is growing heated. As more cases of its abuse surface, even Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal has begun to mull changes to the act. The key question to be probed is whether individual actions booked under the provision are isolated instances of abuse or the section itself flawed. For that, we need to first explore how...

-The Telegraph A Youth Congress member handpicked by Rahul Gandhi today sought an explanation from the party-led government in Maharashtra why Bal Thackeray was cremated with state honours. In his plea filed under the Right to Information Act, Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, who shares his surname with the Congress leader, also wanted to know how the Shiv Sena was given permission to hold their late patriarch’s funeral at Shivaji Park, a public place. The...

-The Hoot The coverage given to Thackeray’s death by some television channels was overwhelmingly disproportionate to his contribution to people’s well-being. The comments made by the “experts” were toned by the fear of Sena reprisal, says KALPANA SHARMA. Can Indian news television plumb greater depths? The blanket coverage of Bal Thackeray’s death and funeral on some channels would make any self-respecting journalist hang her head in shame. What were they thinking?...

-The Times of India Congress faces an array of opponents keen to corner it over its decision to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail raising the possibility of raucous disruptions as the winter session of Parliament gets underway on Thursday. The bone of contention is the Opposition's demand that the FDI policy be discussed under a rule that entails a floor test and the government's determination not to accept such a...