Volume 28 – Issue 24 : Nov. 19-Dec. 02, 2011 | Frontline

A.G. NOORANI
The new Chairman of the Press Council of India, Markandey Katju, wants to make it an instrument of mediation in addition to adjudication.

THE appointment of Justice Markandey Katju, a former judge of the Supreme Court, as Chairman of the Press Council of India is about the best thing that has happened to that body in a long while. It is no exaggeration to say that the PCI commands little prestige today and less relevance. It is not representative of the press at all. What Justice Katju has done, in a few days after his appointment, is to infuse life into it and involve the press in its work. This is a good step towards making the media feel that it is their institution.

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Reforming the Press CouncilRead More »

28 August 2007 | Telegraph

Shocking pictures of a thief being beaten by a mob in Bhagalpur, Bihar are all over the Indian TV today.

Mob rule: a still from the video shows the stricken man

What has caught everyone’s attention is the involvement of the police who, far from protecting the thief from the mob, joined in with gusto, eventually tying the man to their motorbike and dragging him through the street until he was unconscious.

I have an Indian friend who gave me a very good piece of advice when I arrived here, which was ‘don’t mess’ with the police, they can do whatever they like. They really can ruin your life.

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Brutal police beating aired on Indian TVRead More »

11 September 2012 | blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime

When Shaani Das left Pakistan, she didn’t imagine having to shelter from the Indian monsoon under a damp and cramped plastic tent with her husband and children.

But Kurup Das, her husband, says that their new life is still better than living like the “lowest” in Pakistan. “Here we have the freedom to breathe without fear,” he said.

The Hindu couple from Pakistan came to India on a tourist visa almost a year ago and never returned. Last month, the Indian media reported that hundreds of Hindus were flocking across the border. Over the weekend, more than 170 Hindus arrived in India from Pakistan seeking refugee status, the Press Trust of India reported.

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Pakistani Hindu Couple Torn Over India MoveRead More »

December 2005 | The Hindu

• Call for unified civil liberties movement [ PDF ]

October 2001 | The Times of India

• Home Ministry hampering NHRC work, says Report [ PDF ]