In recent times, some clemency petitions concerning death row convicts have given rise to apprehensions that we may be subtly edging towards a de facto separate criminal law for minority communities, or persons covertly supported by minorities with a vested agenda. This bodes ill for a Republic already suffering from … Read More
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has trained his guns on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as a device to deflect public anger against the inertia and maladministration of his regime, his personal unpopularity having scaled unprecedented heights. Failed dynasty This much is clear: the bells are tolling for … Read More
It would be churlish to deny the merit of some scathing observations made about the print and electronic media by the new chairman of the Press Council of India, in a recent television interview. Justice Markandey Katju speaks for a large segment of readers and viewers when he expresses disappointment … Read More
Successive Governments at the Centre have tried to create the institution of Lokpal at the national level, after the idea was first mooted by late MP, Dr. L.M. Singhvi. These attempts did not meet with success and the issue was considered dead until, in recent times, it acquired a sudden … Read More
Two events over the last fortnight have uncovered the role of the Catholic Church in fostering Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka, with the aim of carving a separate Christian country out of India’s Tamil Nadu and the Tamil areas of the island-nation. The first was India’s deporting the Sri Lankan … Read More
Coinciding with advocate Prashant Bhushan’s explosive espousal of plebiscite-cum-azadi for Kashmir Muslims (the only section agitating for azadi being Sunni Muslim leaders of the valley, and their paid foot soldiers), comes news of a campaign to whip up support among Human Rights groups in the United States for re-instatement of … Read More
The concept of Human Rights is a political baton wielded by the West to keep former colonies and/or non-Christian nations in thrall. Yet Western regimes find the very human rights they peddle intolerable when invoked against themselves; hence the irresponsible liberalism of the post-World War II era is crumbling before … Read More
Having cut his own nose to spite his face in 2009, Narendra Modi is now doing what lesser men do at such frustrating moments – bash up somebody / something else. Usually the punching bag is a weaker person or entity that cannot / does not hit back. So, because … Read More
Several events have conspired to create apprehensions about the report the Union Home Ministry-appointed interlocutors will submit regarding Jammu and Kashmir. As some dangerous formulations can be argued to fall within the purview of the constitution, and the valley is excited over the recent ‘private’ visit of a former executive … Read More
As a political manoeuvre to outclass BJP veteran L.K. Advani, who on 8 September unilaterally announced a nation-wide yatra against corruption, which many viewed as a last ditch claim to premiership in the event of mid-term polls, the Gujarat chief minister’s 13 September declaration of a three-day fast can be … Read More
