The Supreme Court was strongly urged to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a former judge to investigate alleged police excesses against students protesting the NEET paper leak across various states. The court, while issuing interim directions, restrained states from coercive action against protesters and ordered the release of minors without criminal antecedents.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on AI-generated deepfake videos that purportedly show him praising Pakistan. The court has issued summons to social media platforms and the Centre, indicating it may pass an interim order in Tharoor's favour.
Through his commitment to democratic norms, debate, dissent and constitutionalism, Jawaharlal Nehru helped ensure that parliamentary democracy took deep root in independent India. Utkarsh Mishra evaluates Nehru's 17 years as India's first prime minister, examining his role in nation-building, democratic institution-building, economic planning, scientific advancement and foreign policy.
'In the (election) affidavit, he had declared Rs 1,400 crores as his assets. He has educational institutions, real estate, malls, etc.'
If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
'The most enduring part of Satheesan's personality is he is good at heart. That is the reason why everybody, from the old to small children, get attracted to him.'
The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the attack on the offices of a Pakistani television channel and called on authorities to immediately investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi of having a 'deeper connection' with a Pakistani national and violating FCRA rules, prompting calls for a national probe.
Whichever combination finally emerges, Malegaon could set a record for being a town run neither by Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti, nor by the Opposition MVA, but by a combination of two or three Muslim parties.
'Our problem is not a budget deficit but a trust deficit. We need to trust our institutions and industries to innovate and lead. That is the way forward for India.'
Security experts have warned that using Signal for discussions of this nature violates every established protocol for handling classified information.
Activist Manoj Jarange vows to intensify his hunger strike for Maratha reservation under OBC, while the Maharashtra government seeks legal opinion on the issue.
"We are deeply concerned about Tongam Rina's well-being and wish her a swift recovery," said Bob Dietz, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Asia programme coordinator.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
Iraq and Somalia are the most dangerous nations for journalists, according to the Impunity Index published by the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Supreme Court of India has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of non-compliance with laws and irregularities at Vantara, a Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat. The SIT will examine the acquisition of animals, compliance with wildlife protection laws, and other related issues.
A bench of Justices U U Lalit and Vineet Saran, however, declined the prayer of Dua that no FIR can be registered against any media personnel with 10 years' experience unless cleared by a committee.
Thapar had strong reservations about Project Cheetah, India's initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild. He argued that India does not have the necessary habitat or prey base to support free-ranging cheetahs and that the authorities lacked experience in managing spotted felines in the wild.
"China is challenging the notion that the Internet is impossible to control or censor, and if it succeeds there will be far-ranging implications, not only for the medium but for press freedom all over the world."
'The definitions in the Act are so wide and so vague that they can be easily misused to target individuals who may not be conducive to the present government in power.'
At least 48 journalists worldwide have been killed on the job in 2016 as the year winds down, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. That is down from 72 journalists in 2015.
Seven journalists were incarcerated in India in 2021 and 2022, the highest in three decades.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday questioned the issue of using "spyware against terrorists" and stated that any report touching upon the country's "security and sovereignty" won't be made public. The court indicated it might address individual concerns regarding privacy breaches, but the report of the technical committee would not be a document for public discussion. The court will examine the extent to which the report can be shared publicly. The court's statement came during a hearing on a petition related to the alleged use of Pegasus spyware for surveillance. The court also emphasized that "having spyware is not wrong, against whom you are using is the question" and that the security of the nation cannot be compromised. The hearing has been adjourned to July 30.
Nine Indian reporters were among 110 journalists killed around the world in 2015, a media watchdog group said, dubbing India as "Asia's deadliest country" for mediapersons.
The Supreme Court of India will hear a batch of pleas seeking a probe into the alleged unauthorised use of Pegasus spyware for the surveillance of journalists and others next week. The court had previously ordered a technical panel to investigate the matter but received no reports. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for some petitioners, urged the court to pass directions as the reports were not shared. The court has now listed the matter for hearing on April 29.
A journalist working for a private TV channel was killed on Sunday in Pakistan's Punjab province by unknown gunmen, the channel said. Yaqoob Shehzad, a news correspondent with the Express News was sitting with a friend inside an office in Gujranwala city when armed men came and opened fire.
The Supreme Court has sought the assistance of the solicitor general of India in a plea that seeks job security for members of internal complaint committees (ICC) for sexual harassment at workplaces. The court recognized the importance of the plea and expressed concern over the lack of response from the Central government, despite issuing notice. The petitioners, Janaki Chaudhry and Olga Tellis, argue that ICC members in the private sector face a serious conflict of interest as they can be terminated without reason if a decision goes against the senior management. The petition highlights the vulnerability of ICC members to retaliation and the lack of protection they have compared to their counterparts in the public sector.
A delegation of a Meitei civil society group from Manipur has conveyed its concerns to the Centre over an incident where the state's name written on a bus windshield was covered with white paper. The group, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), expressed its commitment to peace and its willingness to cooperate in efforts to restore normalcy. They also raised concerns over the growing threats posed by narco-terrorism, cross border illegal immigration, and widespread illegal opium cultivation in the state.
'Let's see how this love story shapes up in the run up to the municipal corporation election.'
The BJP had no option but to get Jagdeep Dhankhar out of its way for the sake of the Modi government's stability, reveals Sheela Bhatt, the legendary political journalist.
Given the possibilities that next year's assembly elections could throw up, Stalin told the state assembly that an interim report had to be submitted by January 2026. The outcomes may well find its way into the DMK's poll manifesto, thus seeking to keep the electoral focus still on the BJP-ruled Centre and Prime Minister Modi, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'No military offensive by Pakistan will end the insurgency in Balochistan without simultaneous, concerted efforts toward political dialogue to de-escalate tensions.'
Senior Pakistani TV journalist Hamid Mir, who faced threats from Taliban and other terror groups, was on Saturday shot at in Karachi by 4 unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen near a bridge on way to his office.
Mattoo had on Tuesday said she was stopped at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi from flying to the US to receive the prestigious award.
Can a culture survive as a way of life, even as the language and writing at its core, alter with time? Can we be rational and Malayalee or do we have to necessarily be religious and proudly cultural to be Malayalee? asks Shyam G Menon.
Dr Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, had to literally face a trial-by-fire to ensure widespread acceptance of his path-breaking Union Budget of 1991 that saw the nation rise from its darkest financial crises.
'Many of them are mutilated beyond recognition. Every day an encounter takes place.' 'Bastar has been burnt to ash.'
Journalists will be exempted from seeking consent of individuals before collecting and reviewing their personal data to be used in news reports.
If as critics point out, the environmental impact assessment study was commissioned only after the auction process got underway with not all the stakeholders getting to know of it, then the government has already compromised the trust it could have enjoyed with Kerala's public including its coastal communities, points out Shyam G Menon.
'Gyanendra back on the throne would be bad news for the Nepali people. He may not have learnt from his experience, but we have.'
