Gandhi resorted to some 30 fasts, of which one-third were directed at himself, for ‘atonement’ or self-purification, one-third were directed against the raj and one-third at India’s social mores. A more honest trinity cannot be imagined. The latter two kinds of fasts were meant to make an impact on the ‘other side’; they were part-fasts and part- hunger strikes, part anashan and part bhukh-hartal, though he derived from each a sense...

The Supreme Court will on Friday granted bail to civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of sedition and for having links with the naxalites. Earlier, Sen, 61, has challenged a Chhattisgarh high court order that rejected his bail plea on February 10. He sought bail contending that the trial court had erred in convicting him without substantial evidence. Sen had filed a petition in the...

While mass predilections in Bihar are still veering towards the male child, the Nitish Kumar government will be pleased with the provisional Census 2011 data for the State, which has indicated a 20 per cent jump in the State's female literacy rate. As per the report, literacy rates for women in Bihar have soared from 33.12 per cent in 2001 to 53.33 per cent this census year. The State's overall literacy rate...

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred hearing rightsactivist Dr. Binayak Sen's petition seeking bail and suspension of the life sentence awarded to him by a trial court and confirmed by the Chhattisgarh High Court on charges of conspiracy to commit sedition and providing assistance to those said to be naxalites. A Bench of Justices H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad posted the petition for hearing to April 18 on a request for...

The Supeme Court on Monday adjourned civil liberties activist Binayak Sen's bail plea till Friday on the Chhattisgarh government's request. The Chattisgarh government standing councel said he would need two days time to brief a senior advocate on opposing the bail plea of Binayak Sen. Binayak Sen has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of sedition and links with naxalites. Sen, 61, has challenged the order of the Chhattisgarh high court, which...