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'To selectively look at the operation of certain laws -- in a manner that ignores the realities of caste and gender injustice in India -- and conclude that they are being particularly misused, is plain wrong,' says Aakar Patel. IMAGE: Dalits block a highway in Mumbai during a bandh to protest the violence at an event to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Photograph: Rajesh Alva/ Rediff.com Our Supreme Court's campaign against the 'misuse' of special laws continues. A few days ago, a two-judge bench of Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit issued new directions to prevent what they say is the 'rampant misuse' of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. What these directions are actually likely to do is gut a law crucial to protecting Dalit and Adivasi rights. On the face of it, much of the judgment aims to uphold the fair trial rights of criminal suspects. The Court rightly observes that wrongful arrests and ... » Learn More about Supreme Court verdict is a blow to Dalit, Adivasi rights

Voting for five assembly elections will begin on March 27, with West Bengal conducting the maximum eight phases continuing till April 29, and votes for the polls in the four states and one Union territory will be counted on May 2, the Election Commission said on Friday. IMAGE: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, centre, with Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra, left, and Rajiv Kumar addresses a press conference in New Delhi, February 26, 2021. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo. As many as 18.68 crore voters will be eligible to cast their votes at 2.7 lakh polling stations for 824 assembly seats across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The elections for the five assemblies are expected to witness a determined attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to put up a strong show, including in Assam where it is already in power, as well as in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the saffron party has been pushing hard in recent years. ... » Learn More about One phase poll in TN, Kerala, Puducherry; 3 in Assam; 8 in Bengal; Counting on May 2

IMAGE: Dalits enforce the closure of markets during a protest in Ahmedabad July 20 against the assault by cow protectors in Rajkot. Photograph: PTI 'Only the smoke is coming out now. Let us prevent the lava from coming out by taking proper measures.' T hough P S Krishnan , 84, retired after three decades of service as an IAS officer in 1990, as the secretary to the Government of India, he continues his work for the socially deprived classes in India. Krishnan, below, left , has been on numerous government committees after retirement, and is currently the advisor to the government of Telangana on backward classes, and the government of Andhra Pradesh on identification of and reservation for socially and educationally backward classes among Muslims. He is also a member of the National Monitoring Committee for Education of SCs, STs and Persons with Disabilities, and a member of the Central Monitoring Committee of the National Mission for Empowering Women. One of the ... » Learn More about ‘You are sitting on a volcano of Dalit anger’

'Investigating agencies are not acting as independent authorities; they have stopped being neutral.' IMAGE: Protesters at Bhima Koregaon near Pune in Maharashtra. Photograph: PTI Photo Senior counsel and advocate of the Bombay high court and Supreme Court of India, Mihir Desai is advising lawyers representing the 13 accused in a case that has charged them with hatching a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi The charge of hatching this conspiracy -- known infamously as the Bhima Koregaon case -- has been pressed by the National Investigation Agency, and the Pune police before the NIA in 2018, against Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut, Sudha Bharadwaj, Professor Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Rona Jacob Wilson, Professor Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap, Anand Teltumbde and Professor Hanybabu Tarayil is based on a piece of electronic evidence, a typed letter, ... » Learn More about ‘Democracy in India is being killed very fast’