Government looking to empanel 5 consultancies to implement Digital India

The Narendra Modi-led government is looking to empanel five consultancies to help it implement the prime minister’s ambitious ‘Digital India’ programme that was launched earlier this month, a tender issued by the National e-Governance Division shows. The consultancies will work on technology and programme management for the initiative at the national level. “To meet the…

Quashing will lead to anarchy: Centre

Setting aside the penal defamation laws would lead to “anarchy” and no “orderly society” can have a situation where anybody can say anything against anybody, the Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court, pitching for its retention in the statute book. “Does the freedom of speech and expression necessarily mean that one can say anything…

Extremism plan pushes the UK down a dangerously illiberal road

David Cameron has attacked British universities for failing to tackle extremism on their campuses. In a speech setting out a five-year plan to counter extreme views, the UK prime minister accused university leaders of “looking the other way” when Islamist extremists speak on campus. This, he said was “through a mixture of misguided liberalism and cultural sensitivity”.…

Defamation is not a crime

It is bad policy to use taxpayers’ money to settle private disputes. Propagating the fear of answering summons in distant locations to defend against alleged defamation has a chilling effect on free speech Self-litigating-non-lawyer-now-with-BJP politician Subramanian Swamy is on course to creating legal history again (after his litigation relating to 2G spectrum). The Supreme Court…