The poor are left to themselves
The benefits being projected in Aadhaar’s name are not backed by the data
By: Reetika Khera The first death anniversary of Santoshi Kumar, a Dalit girl from Simdega, Jharkhand, was this week. She died of hunger, at the age of 11, a few weeks after her family’s ration card was cancelled by the State government because they failed to link it to Aadhaar. The Aadhaar judgment of September […]
Why We Need to Repeal More Criminal Laws
Out of all the central statutes now in force, 351 statutes stipulate imprisonment for one purpose or another. The Law Commission has recommended 19 out of these for repeal.
By: Vagda Galhotra It is the season of decriminalisation. First the Delhi high court decriminalised beggary in Harsh Mander v. Union of India by declaring unconstitutional some 25 provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959. This was followed by the Supreme Court’s historic judgment decriminalising homosexuality in Navtej Singh Johar and others v. […]
ADHAAR VERDICT brings relief to the common man
By: RAYEES MASROOR In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and made it clear in its judgment that no private company, no banks, schools, airlines can ask for Aadhaar card as it isn’t mandatory in such sectors. Only those offices dispensing government schemes in which subsidies are given can […]
The Kashmir challenge
By: Ashraf Jehangir Qazi INDIA cancelled talks with Pakistan blaming it for ‘acts of terror’, along with a vicious attack on the newly elected prime minister. Pakistanis and Indians back their own versions regarding an alleged atrocity. Tragically, the truth is rendered irrelevant. The prime minister, however, must ensure he gets to know the unvarnished […]
Why can’t our leaders joke without humiliating others?
They deal out insults like 'urban Naxal', 'Pappu', and 'presstitute', but lack the humility to laugh at themselves
By: Samantak Das In the cornucopia of riches that the magic of the internet has brought to our fingertips, few things are as delight-giving as comparing YouTube videos of the present president of the United States of America with those of his predecessor. When doing this, one thing that never ceases to give your humble […]
Cutting through the white noise
Despite the cancellation of Foreign Minister talks, movement in India-Pakistan ties is possible
By: Suhasini Haidar After a sudden and brief moment of clear signal, the ‘India-Pakistan channel’ has gone back to static, with the cancellation of talks between the two Foreign Ministers in New York this week. The Foreign Ministers will, no doubt, spar at the UN General Assembly, with a host of diplomats backing them up […]
Course correction
Apex court has upheld constitutionality of Aadhaar. But it has also struck down its ubiquitous deployment
By: ARVIND P. DATAR By a majority of 4:1, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the validity of the architecture of the Aadhaar ecosystem. At the same time, the majority has struck down the requirement of insisting on Aadhaar for several activities, which had nothing to do with obtaining subsidies, benefits or services. For example, […]
Indo-Pak thaw: what went wrong?
By: Imtiaz Alam What has so abruptly reversed the Modi government’s consent to a meeting sans the resumption of the dialogue process between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UNGA? With few exceptions, there is much more than what is being played out in the pliant and hostile media in […]
The run-up to elections in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is lobbying hard with Western countries and India to ensure a ‘free and fair poll’
By: Subir Bhaumik With the Bangladesh Parliament elections around three months away and much at stake for India, there seems to be a concerted effort by the Islamist Opposition in the country to project that the ruling Awami League’s defeat is imminent and it would rig the polls to stay in power. The Bangladesh Nationalist […]
India-Pakistan: Politics Stumps Strategy
Another about-turn
By: ALI AHMED An earlier contribution to The Citizen very rightly brings out the political rationale for the government calling off the meeting of the foreign minister with her Pakistani counterpart set to have taken place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York this month. Here his point is reinforced […]
