Jyotirmoy Barua

A major weakness of the law is its inconsistency with the other existing laws.

What is academic freedom? Why is academic freedom a necessary condition for educational institutions?

They work in mills and factories, also under tin sheds in squalid conditions. They begin their long days commuting in crammed public transport vehicles or taking long walks, braving monsoon rain or summer heat.

As human beings, we enjoy the right to think and express ourselves.

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown major challenges to public policy framing. While responses of the states to the pandemic differed significantly,

So far they pursued their vocations with enthusiasm and passion, and enjoyed doing so. Now forced by the circumstances most can no longer be engaged in their professional activities and have to pass their days in intense uncertainty.

The law has repeatedly been side-lined in recent years by law enforcers, who have illegally abducted or “picked up” people and detained them secretly in custody, without following due legal process. Some were later released, while others remained indefinitely “disappeared” (or “goom”) in what are known as enforced disappearance cases.

The 11th parliamentary election has sparked some age-old questions which remain unanswered till today. It is said that vote is for change but what change are we talking about?

When we talk about cases filed under the ICT Act, 2006, Section 57 of the Act crosses our mind almost instantly. Since its enactment in 2006, there were no charges under Section 57 until April 2013 when four bloggers were arrested for alleged incitement of religious hatred. There wasn't even a tribunal to try the cases, as the government had never felt the need to establish one until the end of 2013.

Unless we can remain vigilant and ensure that a politics of hate does not seep into our everyday lives and politics, there are fears that the religious sentiments of people may be exploited—and communalism fuelled—by certain quarters looking to benefit at the local and national level.