As we await further developments on the Goa Government’s decision to scrap SEZs in the state, two prominent dailies have issued contrasting editorials. Yesterday, the Hindu’s editorial team weighed in, speaking out in favour of …
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SEZ Troubles … Again
On Monday, the government of Goa decided to scrap all SEZ projects in the state, as reported in the Hindu. Today’s Hindustan Times has an editorial which provides more details: The decision was taken after …
Continue readingRandom thoughts on Defending the Indefensible
Today’s Hindu carries an op-ed by Vishnu V. Shankar on the subject mentioned in the title. Here is how he begins: What connects Captain Preston, Kehar Singh, Saddam Hussein, Manu Sharma, and Salim Hamdan? Besides …
Continue readingFocus on Nandigram
Events in Nandigram and Kolkata over the past year (and especially the last fortnight) reveal much about conflicting conceptions about the rule of law and governance in contemporary India. It is impossible to provide the …
Continue readingHarish Khare on what constitutional actors within India can learn from recent events in Pakistan
This post continues the theme addressed in the previous one. Harish Khare , the political editor of the Hindu, has a stimulating and provocative piece in today’s issue where he begins by commenting on the …
Continue readingThe status of Election Commissioners vis-a-vis the Chief Election Commissioner
As we near Independence Day, the papers are full of retrospective pieces, and the talking heads are holding forth on what makes India tick. One institution which is now credited with playing a significant part …
Continue readingImportant Achievements of the RTI and the NREGA Acts for rural Indians
Today’s Indian Express features an op-ed by Sandeep Pandey who explains the significant practical achievements of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Generation Act for rural India in particular: “Take the …
Continue readingThe Naxalite/Maoist Movement in India: Facts, Current State and Analysis
Revisiting the online edition of The Nation (which describes itself as “the flagship of the left” in America) after a long time, I was pleasantly surprised to find in its current issue an article on …
Continue readingReflecting on Sorabjee’s response to the Speaker’s public lecture
The previous post focused on Somnath Chatterjee’s recent public lecture where he seemed to be providing a theoretical and intellectual framework to the current struggles between the Legislature/Executive and the Judiciary, and also counselled the …
Continue readingContentious issues beyond quotas: The Forests case
For now, debates on OBC quotas are on hold, as we wait for the Supreme Court’s next move on May 08. But it is becoming clear that the quota issue is but one among many …
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