'No private citizen can be prevented from holding or propagating in India or abroad, a view contrary to that of the government of the day. The government, it seems is misreading the mandate in the Lok Sabha as being a mandate to crush dissent. In times when ruling parties have brute majorities in Parliament, the true test of safeguarding democracy is its ability to allow dissenting voices to be heard,' says Indira Jaising, the former additional solicitor general.
Senate and House negotiators from both parties did not comment on the details of the deal, saying the staff is still working on last-minute logistics.
'I don't care about how people are used to seeing me -- that is their problem. They make little compartments in their heads and they want to fit everybody into that, but I don't really abide by it.' Richa Chadha, in a candid chat.
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen activist shot in the head last year by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, has received the highest honour conferred by rights group Amnesty International.
Here looking at 10 of Bollywood's best-known crime movies.
Taliban failed to honour Doha accord, never renounced Al-Qaeda: US general Mark Milley
A sharp increase in police killings has cast "a shadow of death" over Rio de Janeiro as it prepares to host the Olympic Games, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
Religious leaders from various faiths assembled on Thursday for a prayer meeting to express support for and solidarity with a 71-year-old nun whose gang-rape at a convent school in West Bengal's Ranaghat sent ripples across the country.
Unless the Taliban goofs up in a big way, which seems highly unlikely, we are looking at a regime that will be around for quite a long while and present a level of governance that the puppets of the richest and most advanced countries failed to provide, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
China's desire to have India as part of its ambitious Maritime Silk Route makes strategic sense for both nations. However, it would involve substantive assurances from Beijing, says Dr Rahul Mishra
'I was very nervous working with Rani Mukerji in Mardaani initially because she is such a senior actor.' Meet Tahir Raj Bhasin.
India has said that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba do not "live on love and fresh air", expressing regret that they receive funds despite being slapped with sanctions by the United Nations, as the world body reaffirmed the need to cut the monetary lifeline of terrorists.
The two sides signed a maritime security agreement after extensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.
It was not clear why the Indian was not executed while four other convicts were put to death by the firing squad.
The UID number should have age, breed, sex, lactation, height, body, colour, horn type, tail switch and special marks details of the animal, the Centre said.
Asserting that "maritime muscle flexing" by some countries and other factors have made the Indo-Pacific region "more contested and more volatile," naval chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday said that the Indian Navy has its task cut out as it has been a major security provider in the region.
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I cannot agree with the sentiment that hanging rapists will make sexual harassment and assault, and other forms of violence against women, magically disappear. Misogyny has stained our culture for far too long for merely judicial recourse to be able to wash it away, says Paloma Sharma.
'I told the lady I was two months pregnant, but that did not seem to bother her.' A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com visits the infamous cages of Mumbai's oldest red light district, Kamathipura, to find out how human trafficking has given India the awful reputation of the nation with the highest slavery rates in the world.
As last minute efforts, India has reached out to Indonesia to save an Indian man from execution in a drug peddling case, requesting the country to exhaust all legal recourses before the death penalty was carried out.
On the sweeping plains at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, a group of female wildlife rangers is making history by defying patriarchal norms.
The Nobel Prizes were given away at a glittering ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Here is a look at this year's winners.
Pope's comment, which immediately drew sharp reaction from Trump, came in an interaction with reporters travelling on his plane on his way back to Vatican from Mexico where he visited this week.
Maitri, which provides free and confidential services to South Asian-American families facing domestic violence, at its 23rd annual gala raised half a million dollars. Ritu Jha reports
No theory would ever justify the public humiliation of the acting head of the consulate of a friendly country. Whatever be the eventual solution, grievous damage has been done to her personally and to the relations between the two countries, says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'It's scary to know that those arrested passed on sketches of warships etc to the ISI.' 'Who are the people behind the masks? Are they hiding in our various defence units?'
As German makes provisions to accept 800,000 refugees this year, the nation is split vertically on the crisis with refugee shelters attacked with Molotov cocktails and swastika signs painted outside many refugee homes.
From incredible landscapes to touching portraits to memorable wildlife photography, the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards showcase it all! Scroll down and prepared to be wowed...
Here are some little-known facts about Indian child activist Kailash Satyarthi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzay
'It is not about women today; it's about men.' 'We need to focus our energy on a war footing on men.' 'Let us start with a boy who is 10 years old.' 'If you don't concentrate on your son, the safe spaces for women will shrink further.'
Kidney scouts roam around the labour markets in the poorest districts of Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi in search of potential donors.
Rediff Labs analyzed the data on district wise child marriages in India by Census of India 2011.
Haley said her India visit aimed at solidifying partnership.
India, which has an Observer status for the past 10 years, will technically become the member by next year.
'It is for the first time the voices of the most deferred, the most neglected, the most ignored, the most abused, the most vulnerable - the children-- has been heard. It is a great moment.' 'I always wanted Pakistan and India to have good relationships because I believe that this is very important for the development of both the countries.' 'If children are taught hatred, if they are taught about sectarianism and prejudice, then we can see that there will be terrorism in society." Nobel Peace Prize winners Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai were given an ovation after they delivered their rousing speeches in front of a packed audience at a glittering ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday. A day later, they sit down for an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour and share their dreams, their hopes for the future. Read excerpts from the interview.
Indians all over the US are going beyond being human and are learning to be humanitarian and expand their philanthropy activities finds Ajailiu Niumai.
The apex court said the exception in the rape law was contrary to the philosophy of other statutes and violates the bodily integrity of a girl child.
Targeting parties who are opposing the note ban, he claimed some people are upset as his decision has struck the "ring leader of thieves".
Top security experts of India and the US met in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss various measures, including exchange of technologies, to help each other face challenges like terrorism, cyber crime and ensuring safety of major cities.
CAATSA was aimed at Moscow and not intended to damage the military capabilities of its 'allies and partners', US said.
Last year, the US assistance to Pakistan was $534 million.
