As some members object to mention of certain media houses The Press Council of India (PCI) has decided not to forward the detailed report on ‘paid news,' prepared by its sub-committee, following divisions in the Council, with some members objecting to the fact that specific media houses had been identified as offenders in that document. Sources said 23 of the Council's 30 members turned up for Friday's meeting and, with...

In the summer of 2006, I travelled with a group of scholars and writers through the district of Dantewada, then (as now) the epicentre of the conflict between the Indian State and Maoist rebels. Writing about my experiences in a four-part series published in The Telegraph, I predicted that the conflict would intensify, because the Maoists would not give up their commitment to armed struggle, while the government would not...

A global human rights organisation Monday appealed to the central government to enact strict laws to check honour killings and ensure prosecution of those involved in caste-based violence. The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said murders to protect the 'honour' of a family or a community have increased in the recent months in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. This religion-based, caste-based violence should be stopped by taking stern action against local...

The Lokayukta is the “government’s conscience”, an anti-corruption ombudsman organised at the state-level and born out of a need felt among the country’s statesmen to instill a sense of public confidence in the transparency of the administrative machinery. Legal experts say that the “best and the worst” of the Lokayukta organisation is that the success of the entire mechanism depends solely on the “personal qualities such as the image, caliber, drive,...

In the absence of whole-hearted steps to implement the provisions effectively, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 is falling short of expectations.  The Delhi High Court ruled recently that a woman can also be held liable under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005. This the court did on the basis of the interpretation that ‘relatives' included not only male but also female members of...