Musings on India, the law, and policy
Posted in Uncategorized on May 30th, 2011
With the President rejecting the mercy petitions of two convicts on death row, time has again come for the debates surrounding the death penalty to be revived. The issue in the present cases seem to be rather political though. One of those convicted was a member of the Khalistan movement and the political parties from [...]
I sat in front of the computer today to read the judgment of the Supreme Court in Amar Singh v. Union of India. The expectation of reading a landmark judgment on the right to privacy of public figures turned out to be a disappointment. In this case, Amar Singh had challenged the ‘authorised’ tapping of [...]
Posted in Court, Democracy, Politics, Speeches on Mar 7th, 2011
Ever heard politicians saying one thing in private (or a private gathering) and saying another in a public forum? Politicians are always under scrutiny and their statements are time and again matched up to the party line. That may be good for party politics but surely not for good democracy and free speech. If one [...]
Posted in Democracy, Human Rights, india on Dec 10th, 2009
Much of this post has been the result of sudden and unsettling change – but I’ve tried to abandon my confessed status-quoism in discussing the future of a territory where I have spent a lion’s share of the last 5 years. It was rather unfortunate to be stuck in a train, far from live coverage, [...]
Posted in Foreign Affairs, india, Politics, Terrorism on Jun 5th, 2009
Two historic speeches were delivered yesterday; one by Barack Obama on America’s new and renewed MidEast policy, in a keynote address at Cairo University – and the other by Pratibha Patil, in her inaugural address to the Indian Parliament. Both are of immense significance; while the former indicates a tectonic, and inevitable, shift in US [...]
Posted in Democracy, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, india, Politics, Racism on Jun 2nd, 2009
The recent spate of attacks against members of the Indian community in Australia has spawned numerous allegations of racial abuse and discriminatory practice; the Australian Government is currently under immense pressure to bring such perpetrators to justice. The Indian media has whipped up a storm, devoting several hours of airtime to the matter; quite understandably, [...]