Internet businesses, including cybercafes, now stand protected because Section 79 classifies them as 'intermediaries' -- not holding them responsible for what people view and upload.
'India has seen that whenever dynastic politics has been powerful, institutions have taken a severe beating'
The government said if the apex court considers it necessary to lay down guidelines for mainstream electronic and print media, it is the 'need of the hour' that the exercise should start first with web based digital media.
Amid a slugfest over the issue of opinion polls, Law Minister Kapil Sibal hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, saying it has "turned turtle" after seeking a ban on such surveys earlier. He said the government has not taken any stand on the issue but mentioned that there is a "general impression" that opinion polls can be manipulated.
Here are various roles that a bigot can play, disproving that s/he is one-note and uni-dimensional, and is in fact a versatile, multitasking person.
India is the birthplace of four major world religions -- Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is home to the world's third largest Muslim population, a diverse community of sects that includes Sufis, Shia, and Bohra. Roughly three per cent of India's citizens are Christian, and notably, Christians are the religious majority in three of India's 29 states, she said.
Those who dare to slam hard on the foundations of the great wall of communism are treated with no mercy in the land of Chairman Mao.
If a minister does not have the freedom of expression, it is anything but democracy. It is a sad day for the very foundations of Indian democracy, former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi tells Neerja Chowdhury
'Facebook's act is a gross violation of its own policy'
'My request to Amit Shah would be "Please do not use archaic laws and muscle power against voices that have always stood by India.".'
The leaders were prodded by the Twitterati to defend the AIB's freedom of expression.
We had asked our readers for their opinion about the government's attempts to censor online content. While an overwhelming number of readers condemned such a move, some of our readers supported the move to regulate online content.
In a recent awards event, industrialist Rahul Bajaj said that India Inc was afraid of criticising the Narendra Modi government, The comment drew flak from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam who said spreading one's own impression "can hurt national interest".
'It has everything to do with TRPs.' 'It is a potboiler as Bollywood stars are involved.'
Indian-born Booker Prize winning author Salman Rushdie was on Friday named the winner of this year's prestigious Pen Pinter prize for his outstanding literary output and support for freedom of expression.
Will the latest development see a marked break from the way the case has been going?
The development comes after Bhandarkar had to cancel the promotional events of 'Indu Sarkar' in Pune and Nagpur fearing wrath of Congressmen who had gathered to protest the film's release without a green signal from senior party leaders.
Anti-Gaddafi caricatures and graffiti have sprung up across cities such as Benghazi, most of them portraying him in an unflattering light. Let's take a look at some of them.
"If slogans are raised on reputed campuses for fragmenting India, resolutions are made to destroy it, and if Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru is hailed as a martyr, it is shameful and disconcerting," an appeal which has the consent of 33 individuals, including intellectuals and artistes, says.
He also acted in movies like 'Junoon' and 'Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee'.
In the wake of tumultuous political events in Egypt, which brought about the downfall of embattled president Hosni Mubarak, United States has said that Iran should not restrict its people from the freedom of expression and assembly.
Police sources claimed that during investigations it was noted that allegations were "mischievous" and "lacked substance".
Tharoor said he had 'fully cooperated' with the police at every stage of the case.
In the list of 180 countries mapped, India stands at 136, down from last year's 133, colour-coded again in red to show the situation as "difficult".
Rejecting Bharatiya Janata Party's charge that he was shielding Tarun Tejpal, Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday said law must take its course in the sexual assault case against the Tehelka editor and if he is guilty, he should be punished.
'A pact was made between the government and 12 producers that I would be restrained from speaking on the Babri Masjid issue.' 'After Meryl spoke out she got the wholehearted support of the entire Hollywood fraternity.' 'In India no one will speak up in support of a celebrity's political stand for the fear of a backlash.'
"In a democracy, there is freedom of expression in Pakistan as in India. There are all sorts of people making all kinds of speeches. There are people with extremist views in both India and Pakistan... and there is nothing you can do about it. There are views being expressed in Pakistan that I can do nothing about," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told media persons in Islamabad on Saturday night.
'How can you say this is a test of my loyalty? I feel comfortable saying "Jai Hind." I feel comfortable saying "Hindustan Zindabad".'
Secularism as a principle and practice in India is in "danger", but "forces of hatred" cannot alter the country's secular character, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said during an interview on his new book 'The Battle of Belonging'. In the book, Tharoor makes a stinging critique of the Hindutva doctrine, asserting that it is a political doctrine, not a religious one.
'Stop using the censor board as a means to get publicity for films,' the censor chief warns filmmakers.
Maintaining that the United States and China are not 'predestined adversaries', President Barack Obama on Monday said his country does not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but subtly pushed for greater freedom of expression in the Communist country.
After cancelling the events in Nagpur, Bhandarkar tweeted to Rahul Gandhi's Office saying, "Dear @OfficeOfRG after Pune I have to cancel today's PressCon at Nagpur. Do you approve this hooliganism? Can I have my Freedom of Expression?"
Pakistan on Monday summoned the Indian High Commissioner to express serious concerns over the killings of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and many civilians in Kashmir and called for "fair and transparent" inquiry against individuals responsible for "blatant" violation of fundamental rights.
Chess player Soumya Swaminathan has been left a bit shaken by the storm triggered by her pullout from a tournament in Iran over the issue of compulsory headscarf but remains firm in her belief that religious diktats should not extend beyond places of worship.
In a letter to Secretary of Sahitya Akademi on Wednesday, Bhardwaj, also attached a cheque of Rs 50,000 which he got with the award in 2004.
The 91-year-old leader said, 'Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries.'
Over 200 noted authors, including Salman Rushdie and Neel Mukherjee, have asked British Prime Minister David Cameron to raise the issue of "rising climate of fear" and "growing intolerance" in India during his talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi.
"I have decided to return the award. The minorities in the country are feeling unsafe and threatened. They feel their future is bleak," Khayal said.
Nation Live editor Anshul Kaushik was arrested on Monday and remanded in 14-day judicial custody.
The controversy started a Twitter firestorm with many demanded the Ola to block his account. However, there were many who supported the man's 'right to choose'.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances