-The Hindu Taking a serious view of the inordinate delay in disbursal of the amount that led to the suicide of the parents of one of the engineers of a ship ‘Pratibha Cauvery,' the National Human Rights Commission has asked the acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court to take appropriate action against Registrar General G. Chockalingam for his failure to perform his duty. In early March, the National Commission for...

-The Hindu Considering the knowledge of English as a mark of social advancement and that of the vernacular as backwardness disenfranchises significant sections of society In a village in Ghazipur district that borders Varanasi, there is a young man who teaches English and "personality development" to the sons and daughters of local shopkeepers, farmers and truck drivers. The classes are held from 6 to 8 in the morning and again in the...

-The Hindu The Justice Verma Committee report acts as a blueprint for the radical transformation of gender relations within the framework of constitutional guarantees and gender equality. However, the adoption of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 by Parliament on March 19, 2013, does not go beyond legal change. Prof. Hasan argues that if political parties are serious about the rights of women, the Women's Representation Bill must be passed...

-Tehelka A public issue is not truly public unless Markandey Katju has passed judgement. Rahul Kotiyal and Ajachi Chakrabarti stand downwind "Journalists" writes Markandey Katju, with little sense of irony, "comment on everything under the sun." He goes on to say that when the shoe is on the other foot, when someone comments on journalism, it is misconstrued as an attack on press freedom. That when he announces he is appointing a...

-The Times of India BJP-led Madhya Pradesh dislodges champion Bihar from its numerouno position in terms of highest growth of gross state domestic product. The provisional data released by the Central Statistical Organisation for 2012-13 for states shows Bihar's growth has slowed, slipping from an impressive 13.26% last year to a single digit 9.48% this year as against 10% clocked by MP. Other Backward states have maintained their upward trajectory, with Jharkhand...