I think they cannot be brushed under the carpet, saying you should not question them because then you are attacking freedom of speech. I think that's a cop-out. Obviously, it serves their interests, he said.
'Islam is the oldest religion among all religions. India is the best country for Hindi Muslims'
An interim order putting on hold the contentious sedition law and the consequential registration of FIRs will continue as the Supreme Court granted additional time to the Centre on Monday to take "appropriate steps" with regard to the reviewing of the colonial-era provision.
World over, pluralism is in retreat. Luckily for us, Indian pluralism and its consequent tolerance of diversity is rooted in our basic values. As long as we remain faithful to these values and keep our institutions in good health, the Indian miracle of last 75 years is likely to last centuries, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
"Unfortunately, while homage was paid to the photos of Bapu, and he found mention in speeches for many years, Khadi, handicrafts, use of swabhasha and swadeshi were forgotten. After becoming the prime minister, Narendra Modi gave a new lease of life to all these ideas of Bapu," Shah said.
Assange is wanted in the US on the charges of conspiring with Chelsea Manning, an American activist and whistleblower, to commit computer intrusion into the Department of Defence network to steal classified documents, namely Afghan and Iraq war logs and secret Department of State cables.
The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court it has not issued any order imposing a "shadow or implicit ban" on The Kerala Story, a multilingual film that has triggered a massive controversy over religious conversions.
Mounting pressure on embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, opposition leader Imran Khan on Sunday vowed to fight till death and asked Pakistanis to rebel against the illegal regime after two persons were killed and about 450 others injured in police crackdown on protesters.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday addressed the nation on the eve of the 68th Independence Day.
Observing that free citizens cannot exist when the news media is chained to adhere to one position, the court said journalistic freedom lies at 'the core' of the fundamental right to free speech and India's freedom will rest safe as long as journalists can speak to power without being 'chilled by a threat of reprisal'.
George Soros, who is in the eye of the storm over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Adani issue, is an Hungarian-born American financier, philanthropist, and activist whose success as an investor made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He is also known as a powerful and influential supporter of liberal social causes. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, the billionaire philanthropist said he believes the turmoil at Gautam Adani's business empire may weaken Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hold on the government, a statement which was strongly contested by the BJP as an attack on Indian democracy.
'Rushdie spent more than a decade of his life in hiding. And finally, he said, no more, I'm coming out. I'm coming out of the shadows. I will not be bowed by fear or a threat. And to those of us who go about our daily lives'
"The Delhi government will function on the principles of these two freedom fighters," Kejriwal said.
BJP's Maharashtra unit chief Chandrakant Patil on Friday asserted that his party did not play any role in the ongoing political crisis in the state.
'Is the idea of a committed judiciary once again being floated, though surreptitiously, unlike in the past when it was direct?'
Appealing with "folded hands" for an end to the three-month-long cycle of violence in Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged the warring Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks, even as the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of peace in the northeastern state.
Musk also said that there will be a vote for major policy changes on Twitter.
Rahul Khullar, Trai chairman beleives politicians and corporates who own media houses should give freedom to editors.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to file its response by the end of the week on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of sedition law.
US admiral's suggestion for a revival of a strategic maritime quadrilateral with Japan, Australia and India leaves China livid, says Rajeev Sharma.
Our government shows a benign mask to the world behind which its fangs are bared against its own citizens, observes Aakar Patel.
Prime Minister Modi gave President Biden the unique sandalwood box sourced from Mysore with intricately carved flora and fauna patterns and handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur during an intimate dinner at the White House on Wednesday.
Replying to an Opposition sponsored debate on various issues facing the state on the last day of the monsoon session, the chief minister said he has been often described as a "contract CM" by his opponents.
A students' march against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Saturday featured issues beyond free speech, with "simmering discontent" against the Narendra Modi government finding expression through colours, posters and poetry.
It said the Congress will infuse new blood in leadership roles without creating new fault lines and cementing its ideological moorings.
In a setback to jailed Bihar Youtuber Manish Kashyap, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain his plea challenging invocation of the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against him for allegedly circulating fake videos of migrant labourers being attacked in Tamil Nadu.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the agenda of the new political outfit would be to struggle for the restoration of J and K's statehood and to fight for the job and land rights of people.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged 'systematic interference' of Facebook and other social media giants in India's electoral politics.
The announcement came late Monday evening - and broke the internet. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, had bought microblogging site Twitter for a neat $44 billion. The little blue bird, which is known to take on many avatars depending on the mood, leanings and interests of who it is chirping for, went into overdrive. While some Twitter users flooded the site with memes and humorous takes on the move, the deal also had a fair share of critics.
The above map explains the freedom of expression index for each country. United States, Poland and Spain are in the first three places with 5.73, 5.66 and 5.62 as their scores respectively
Ruling and opposition members in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday sparred over 'foul' remarks made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajasthan's Alwar, with treasury bench members seeking an apology from him.
Zelenskyy requested that cinema must always be "on the side of freedom".
Former vice president Hamid Ansari and four US lawmakers have expressed concern over the current human rights situation in India. They were speaking at a virtual panel discussion organised by the Indian American Muslim Council on Wednesday.
Social media needs to be made more accountable and stricter rules in this regard could be brought in if there is political consensus on the matter, Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Rajya Sabha on Friday.
"In no case is violence a response to words spoken or written by others in their exercise of the freedoms of opinion and expression," Guterres said, conveying his wishes for Rushdie's early recovery.
'Everyone is entitled to their opinion because we live in a country like India and not a place where Shalini is taken, where forget having an opinion, women can't even talk to their family on the phone.'
Our pledge on this Republic Day must be to use those parts of the Constitution that are still on our side and take back our rights and liberties lawfully from the State, which has usurped them, asserts Aakar Patel.
Kharge said the BJP made all efforts to get him disqualified as he was speaking the truth.
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.
