As the land acquisition bill comes under a fresh cloud, experts point out that a little noticed clause has been introduced in the amended draft legislation to ostensibly protect land under Scheduled Areas, yet does not protect either the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes who are most vulnerable to … Read More
The appointment of Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda (Sam) as adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, and chairman, National Innovation Council, has come under a cloud with Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy alleging conflict of interest and breach of national security. Pitroda is a close friend of … Read More
The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011, shelved nearly two years after an unexpected multi-party resistance in Parliament, seems likely to resurface as part of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s desperate bid to sew up minority support in the event of unexpected elections. Should … Read More
Few cases in Indian judicial history are as iconic as the Kesavananda Bharati case where a 13-judge constitutional bench laid down the Doctrine of Basic Structure of the Constitution that Parliament has no power to tamper or alter. It set limits to the brute power of a ruling party to … Read More
Narendra Modi’s acceptability rather than unacceptability among ordinary and orthodox Muslims may have provoked his Bihar counterpart to go on the warpath. The merit of this proposition can be gauged from some facts in the public domain. Hence, the BJP should let this support from a growing national constituency crystallize … Read More
The J&K Hindu Shrines and Religious Places (Management and Regulation) Bill, a long- standing demand of the besieged Hindu community of Jammu & Kashmir, which was deferred to the House Select Committee in the Assembly session on April 5, has become an urgent imperative in view of the wanton destruction … Read More
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s calibrated move to defect from the NDA to scuttle the projection of the Gujarat Chief Minister as the alliance’s Prime Ministerial candidate, or ensure that the BJP falls short of the desired numbers whenever elections are held, has not come as a surprise to those … Read More
As Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju has joined Akali leaders in demanding mercy for Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, and others may join issue in the run up to the actual hanging of the Khalistani terrorist, it is relevant to understand the reasons behind the Supreme Court’s decision to reject … Read More
The Association for Democratic Reforms has observed a disproportionate increase in the assets of 42 MPs and MLAs between two elections, as per their declarations before the Election Commission of India. The watchdog body tried to reconcile these records with the income tax returns of the elected representatives, but was … Read More
The sudden, inexplicable return of former president Pervez Musharraf on March 24 to contest elections in Pakistan next month, particularly the manner in which his nomination papers were cleared only for Chitral Parliamentary Constituency which is officially part of India, raises suspicions that this may be part of a conspiracy … Read More
