THE NEWS IN
PROPORTION
26 January 2020
26 January 2020
CHILD ABUSE IN KERALA
Legislation to safeguard children fails to protect them
Legislation to safeguard children fails to protect them
Post-POCSO Act, reporting of child sexual abuse cases have rocketed in Kerala, but conviction rates remain dismal. State government and judiciary lack the infrastructure to ensure justice for victims, finds Navya P K.
CASTE CRIMES
Why do these ghastly stories rarely make news headlines?Crime and atrocities against Dalits is on rise, while support and justice in these cases are long delayed and the coverage of these crimes is inept, biased or voyeuristic. Pushpa Achanta finds out why media, the fourth pillar of our democracy, is falling short in its duty.
DNA BILL
The DNA Bill is a recipe for disasterThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) registers its dissent over the new Human DNA Profiling Bill draft. Sunil Abraham, Executive Director of CIS, explains how the Bill does not address the privacy concerns despite a seemingly powerful language.
PROFILE: Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike
Casting out caste crimePushpa Achanta describes the unrelenting efforts of the Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike (KDMV) in educating members of the Dalit and Adivasi communities in the state about their legal entitlements and helping them wage battles for justice in cases involving caste atrocity and discrimination.
JUDICIAL REFORMS
Judicial delays: Understanding the system before fixing itOn 18 March, at a discussion organised by Daksh India, Nick Robinson from the Harvard Law School explored in detail the phenomenon of judicial delays, sharing insights from his work in both India and the US. Pavan Kulkarni summarises the important points raised.
EXPEDITING JUSTICE
The role of data in judicial reformIt is commonplace to cite the number of cases pending in Indian courts as evidence of a judicial crisis and suggest reforms based on the same. Aparna Chandra highlights why the numbers themselves need to be questioned and understood better for effective reform.
MUZZLING ACTIVISM
What’s ‘fashionable’ about protesting human rights violations?A recent observation of the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by a filmmaker challenging censorship of his documentary, has left human rights advocates in the country anguished and puzzled. Shoma A Chatterji explains why.
BLOG: RESISTANCE & RECONSTRUCTION
Will 2015 be a year of hope?Will the synergies between the politics of resistance and grassroots initiatives towards reconstruction of the damages wrought by ‘development’ be reaped effectively enough in the year ahead? That is what Ashish Kothari will track in his new blog.
THE POLITICS OF JUSTICE
Is the army court’s verdict on the Machhil killings enough?The recent award of life sentences to the army personnel involved in the 2010 Macchil killings in J&K sends out a positive message, but there are deeper layers in the justice system that need introspection and overhaul in the pursuit of reconciliation. Firdaus Ahmed explains.
RELIGION & JUSTICE
Muslim women fight patriarchal Sharia lawsSeveral women’s groups are now fighting the age-old gender bias perpetuated by Sharia law and finding ways to help Muslim women who have suffered due to its patriarchal dispensations. Pushpa Achanta reports on some of these, including one which proposes a codification of such law, reinterpreted.
CAMPUS VIOLENCE
A trend highlighted in the Jadavpur University momentAn alleged incident of molestation within campus premises at one of Calcutta’s most prestigious universities and the events following it have led to one of the largest student mobilisations that the state has witnessed in recent times. But does the entire episode also signify a continuation of a disturbing trend? Shoma A Chatterji reports.
STATE SECURITY COMMISSIONS
Why a depoliticised police force is a distant dreamWith only 14 functional State Security Commissions in the country, and those too with flawed compositions and diluted roles, the efforts towards minimising government interference in police functioning have naturally been lax. Navya PK cites critical findings of a CHRI Report that shows the present sad state of our SSCs.
BANGALORE BLASTS CASE
In conversation with an alleged terroristAbdul Nasser Madani, a key accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts, waits in vain for his trial to be speeded up after countless adjourned sessions of court. PN Venugopal recounts the circumstances of the case and talks to Madani himself to discover how rules become exceptions in such cases.
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Amitabha Basu
- Retired Scientist
- National Physical
- Laboratory
- India Together reader
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From Aug 2013, published with support from Oorvani Foundation, a champion of public-funded media for the new India.
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