The Gujarat government had sacked an employee in connection with the riot case that LED to 31 life terms yesterday — not the three among the accused but one who became a key prosecution witness. It was police constable Munsaf Khan, who had not only identified several key accused in the Sardarpura massacre of 33 Muslims but exposed the rioter-police collusion. Khan’s victimisation partly mirrors that of another whistleblower policeman, IPS officer...

Residents overcome an age-old bastion of discrimination The Dalits of Uthapuram village near here, where the ‘untouchability' wall was demolished in 2008, on Thursday entered a temple under the control of the upper caste Hindus, with police protection. Although scores of upper caste Hindus received the 11 Dalit persons outside the temple with folded hands, the scene was marred by the loud wails of women from the nearby streets who were opposed...

-The Pioneer   The imprisonment of top CPI(M) leader MV Jayarajan for six months by the Kerala High Court the other day for calling two judges nincompoops has LED to reopening of debates in the State on the limits of the Judiciary’s authority to use the sword of contempt of court provisions against those who criticize it and its verdicts. A large section of lawyers in Kerala now wants the judges to stop...

-The Times of India   With barely a few months left for the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls, the state government is reading motive in all initiatives unveiLED by the Congress-LED government at the Centre. UP, which is among the worst performing states in elementary education, will be the only state to miss out on sensitizing the massive countrywide year-long campaign on the Right to Education (RTE), which starts on Friday - the...

-PTI   More than 114.91 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured by government agencies and private millers in Punjab during the ongoing kharif season till last evening, as against 120.81 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year. An official spokesman here today said that out of the total procurement of 114.91 lakh tonnes of paddy, government agencies have procured 110.93 lakh tonnes (96.5 per cent) and private traders have...