Editorials

If we want to cut down on corruption, we will have to start working more seriously on reducing the huge chasm between the rich and the poor Transparency International, a global anti-corruption coalition, ranked India 81 out of 180 countries in its corruption index of 2017. The least corrupt nations …

Taxi rides can provide a few minutes of social intimacy among strangers. Occasionally, they can also be reminders of disappearing folk wisdom Taxis are mobile spaces that enable strangers to be physically proximate for a short duration. In an enclosed metallic 6×6 ft box on wheels, two individuals or a …

A new generation of devices aims to use perspiration to give a real-time snapshot of a person’s well-being or fitness Someday soon, perhaps within a year, you’ll be able to slap a soft, stretchy patch on to your arm that tells you if you’re dehydrated. Or that your electrolytes are …

China’s capacity to manage its economic transition has implications the world over The Chinese growth juggernaut is slowing down. The world’s second-largest economy has reported that its exports for December fell by 4.4%, the sharpest fall in two years amidst rising trade tensions with the United States and fears of …

It should have never come to this on the Lokpal. That it requires a Supreme Court order to nudge the government to make any progress towards establishing the anti-graft institution is a poor commentary on its functioning. The court has asked the eight-member Search Committee under the Lokpal Act to …

Independence, impartiality and fearlessness of judges are not private rights of judges but citizen’s rights. Ultimately judicial legitimacy/ power rests on people’s confidence in courts. We have yet another controversy surrounding the Supreme Court, with the collegium revisiting decisions made at an earlier meeting and recommending the elevation of two …

Sedition and conspiracy charges have been filed against three former students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and seven others. If these charges are established, 10 young Indians could be sentenced to life-term imprisonment. A great deal has been said and written about the need to banish a 19th century law, …

The recent discovery of a mass grave in Mannar town in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province has raised fresh questions about the island nation’s history of violence. It has also re-opened old wounds and triggered traumatic memories among the survivors of the deadly conflict that ended barely 10 years ago. Meera …

The Chief Minister, Mr. E.M.S. Nambudiripad today [January 9, Trivandrum] demanded the Union Government to conduct an enquiry into the sources responsible for making allegations against the Marxist Communist Party from 1962 onwards and also whether these sources had any connections with Pulpalli and Tellicherry incidents in Kerala. Mr. Nambudiripad …

Why the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is so contentious in the Northeast What is the Bill about? More than 33 years after an anti-foreigners’ agitation from 1979 to 1985, Assam is in turmoil again — this time because of the Modi government’s bid to get the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed …

Kim Jong-un’s visit to China is likely to force next steps after the Singapore summit The visit to China of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, is significant for two distinct reasons. It is evidence of the continuing calm in the Korean peninsula for …

The BJP is recklessly reinforcing ethnic and religious fault lines in the Northeast Protests in the Northeast, especially in Assam and Tripura, over the Centre’s move to push through the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament highlight the dangerous pre-election adventurism of the BJP. The Bill seeks to confer Indian citizenship …

Contrary to popular opinion, he was not a free market apologist The authority of Adam Smith is frequently invoked by supporters of the free market, who argue for extending the market forces to all conceivable goods and services and eliminating any kind of government intervention in markets. However, Smith’s The …

India and China can work together, bilaterally and in multilateral groupings, to build a secure Afghanistan There is an air of uncertainty about the U.S.’s intentions in Afghanistan. The likelihood of an American pullout raises the spectre of instability in Afghanistan, South and Central Asia. If this happens, security could …

In high stakes cases, the Supreme Court must ensure that judgments are timely and clear On October 26, 2018, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, was confronted with a straightforward legal question: whether the decision taken by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) …

The focus needs to shift from the entry of women to ecological destruction of the Western Ghats Public opinion on the question of women’s entry into Sabarimala is polarised. While some cite “age-old traditions” to explain why women aged 10 to 50 should not enter the temple, others believe that …

Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi to-day [January 8] told the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference that equality and freedom from racial discrimination were the corner-stones of this multi-racial group of countries with different points of view and problems. The Commonwealth would not only be a living association but dimensions would be …

Supreme Court rejects the Centre’s contention in the CBI Director’s case, but softens the blow In setting aside the orders divesting Alok Verma of his functions and duties as Director of the CBI, the Supreme Court has strengthened the principle that the head of the agency should be insulated against …

Moves for reservations on economic grounds are more about politics than social justice Rattled by the erosion in upper caste votes in the recent Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP government has attempted to recover this traditional vote base through an unapologetic political manoeuvre. It has …

The Modi government’s reservation gambit is neither sound policy nor smart politics India presents a classic case of proto-politics. Nothing that is institutional has an appeal and the insatiable clamour for quick surprises is a constant. While on Sunday at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) event as part of its …