Now that the juvenile accused in the December 16, 2012, gang-rape in Delhi has officially come of age (June 4, 2013), it may be pertinent to examine if it was always open to the authorities to try him as an adult in the crime. If so, the logical corollary would … Read More
The Central Information Commission (CIC) on Monday, June 3, 2013, stunned the entire political spectrum by extending the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to cover six major political parties, namely the Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP. The Congress which dominates the UPA coalition at the … Read More
Amidst confusing, even contradictory, reports coming out of Syria, it is clear that the world is poised on the brink of a greater conflagration than previously envisioned – a regional war distinct from the US-NATO action in Iraq and Libya, with wider ramifications. Major world capitals have decided their stand … Read More
But the problem of corruption in cricket lies elsewhere Legalizing betting in cricket, the standard panacea each time a scandal erupts over match-fixing, and currently spot-fixing, fails to address the central malady of corruption in the game. Instead of suggesting ways to curb the stinking malfeasance, the ‘legalise betting’ lobby … Read More
Embarrassed over revelations that the May 25 Maoist attack that virtually eliminated its top leadership in Chhattisgarh occurred after an inexplicable last minute change in the convoy’s route (suggesting sabotage), the Congress has retaliated by demanding Chief Minister Raman Singh’s resignation. Hoping to unseat the BJP in Chhattisgarh’s polls this … Read More
The Congress which dominates the UPA coalition at the Centre, the rootless human rights group peopled by the likes of Binayak Sen and Arundhati Roy, and the Supreme Court which decided that the Salwa Judum campaign against the Maoist menace in Chhattisgarh was illegal, are collectively responsible for the May … Read More
The hullabaloo over the appointment of recently retired Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as Comptroller & Auditor General of India, succeeding Vinod Rai who bestowed enormous prestige on the post with his fearless auditing of serial scams of the ruling UPA, could have been avoided if the Opposition had been … Read More
Amidst tensions over attempts to encroach land belonging to a temple in Balagarh, Hooghly, West Bengal, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed, even as the mainstream media abides by an informal diktat to blackout the news. Aggrieved Hindus say the trouble arose when members of one community sought … Read More
Nomads – yak, sheep, and cattle herders – are conventionally the silent sentinels of the borders. Living close to nature in remote fringes, their sensitivity to movement and change in their isolated terrain and the speed with which they raise the alarm can determine the outcome of a border skirmish. … Read More
As the Prime Minister tries to reassure the nation that he is taking up the sensitive border issue with the visiting Chinese premier Li Keqiang, it would be worth examining why Indian foreign policy often fails to robustly defend national interests against powerful nations. One reason is that we deploy … Read More
