Greenpeace India gets civil society support

Condemning the government’s recent crackdown on Greenpeace India, civil society activists on Tuesday sent a protest letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, saying that in a country that has a history of standing up for social justice, ecological sustainability and the rights of the poor, such an act was “shameful”. The letter, endorsed by 182…

Section 66A judgment: A Pyrrhic victory?

The Supreme Court in its recent judgment struck down the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, bringing relief to millions using the virtual space on a daily basis. While the judges condemned Section 66A as a fetter to free speech, the judgment leaves a vacuum in the IT Act, leaving punishable offences…

‘E-Governance to bridge digital divide’

Jammu April 22 Describing e-Governance as the most effective tool in eliminating corruption and procedural delays from day-to-day administrative working, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today designated Information Technology (IT) Department as the servicing agency for rolling out online services in Housing, Power, Revenue, PHE and Transport departments for the benefit of the people in…

Preyashi presents Gaya model of e-PDS at Ahmedabad meet

Bandana Preyashi, IAS, on Friday presented the Gaya model of electronic public distribution system (e-PDS) at a conference of experts in best innovative practices in e-governance at Ahmedabad. The conference was organized at Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel Institute of Public Administration, Ahmedabad. Preyashi was selected for the presentation for her work during her tenure as…

Judge: FBI agents who exposed a World Cup gambling ring by pretending to be Internet repairmen acted unconstitutionally

The FBI ruse that uncovered an illegal gambling ring late last year and led to the arrest of a high-profile Malaysian businessman was unconstitutional and violated the man’s Fourth Amendment rights, a federal judge ruled on Friday. Suspecting that three Caesars Palace villas in Las Vegas were hosting an illicit World Cup gambling ring last…

Merely expressing dissent is not anti-national: 180 activists defend Greenpeace in letter to Rajnath

The government’s decision to block the accounts of environmental organisation Greenpeace India seems appears to be an attempt to signal that opposition to its developmental policies will not be accepted ‒ “even when these are proving to be ecologically unsustainable and socially unjust”. That is the gist of a letter submitted to Home Minister Rajnath…