Out of step with reality

At a recent meeting on internal security, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the state governments to "carry forward the police reforms and modernisation to their logical conclusion".

Opportunity knocks but once

Perhaps more than any government in recent history, the UPA has sought to project Indian power beyond its own shores.

OpEd - Impunity Reigns in India

Once again, it seems India’s pledge to uphold the tenets of human rights has come to nothing. In January this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) painted a damning picture of the state of human rights in its World Report.

OpEd - Heyns, The Final Straw For AFSPA?

Christof Heyns, the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings described India as “a living document … [of] human rights jurisprudence respected worldwide.

Official Secrets Act being amended, secretly

After learning that the government is planning to amend the Official Secrets Act I filed a request under the Right to Information Act with the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking inspection of all papers relating to the amendments proposals.

Not on the bodies of the condemned

Sarabjit Singh is dead. An Indian national has died after being attacked by inmates in a foreign jail that left him in a state of coma.

New Media Law stifles free expression in the Gambia

Legislators in The Gambia recently passed a bill that clamps down on free expression on the internet.

Missing the mark

AFTER a delay of almost two decades and a few false starts, the National Assembly and the Senate have both passed the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Bill, which, at the time of writing, was awaiting presidential assent. It is important that the president not rush into signing it.

Meghalaya Police Accountability Commission: Starting on the Wrong Foot

Shillong, March 22: The newly constituted Police Accountability Commission of Meghalaya not only contravenes existing legal standards but also defies common sense. This body was created as eyewash and given its flawed composition, will probably fail.

Making our secrets public

The Right to Information Act (RTIA), which turns seven tomorrow, is a remarkable piece of legislation. It is lauded regularly at the international level where India has to frequently deflect attacks on its human rights records, un-progressive voting patterns and appalling social indicators.