Public Consultation Must in Planning and Building Metro or any Infrastructure Project. Unprecedented Decision by High Court of Karnataka holds Officials directly accountable for any lapse.

Yoginder Sikand writes about the implications of the Allahabad High Court verdict on the contest space in Ayodhya. He points to what possibilities might exist while also bemoaning the unfortunate logic that informed the decision.

Social groups believe that Mr. Uma Shankar, a well known IAS officer known to proactively follow through on corruption, is being targetted unfairly by political forces in Tamil Nadu. A campaign is on to support him.

A dalit human rights activist was allegedly murdered in the chamber of the Speaker of the Rajasthan Assembly. Police refused to take action. Resignation of the speaker sought by dalit groups.

A panel discussion on atrocities on dalits and the silence of legal system and civil society.

On 27 December 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was assassinated as she left a campaign event at Liaquat Bagh, in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. In the attack on Ms Bhutto, 24 other people were killed and 91 injured. The complete UN report.

After several years, a land mark judgment has come in favor of slum dwellers. A pro poor judgment has been delivered by the judiciary on the basis of existing legislation and policies, which were denied to them earlier in several cases. A note my Ramendra from Delhi Shramik Sangathan.

A resolution with specific demands for greater accountability and transparency in judicial processes and actions of judges was passed by the campaign at the 3rd convention held at Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi.

Prashant Bhushan, practicing lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and human rights activist argues that there has been a change in the philosophy of court decisions that is affecting justice for the poor.

Hussain Bux Mallah writes about the recent rulings by the democratically restored judiciary in Pakistan and wonders whether the rulings abet and strengthen the growing non-democratic forces.

CBI's report (and its selective media leaks) about the Shopian rape cases have not only been viewed skeptically in Kashmir but has also strengthened feelings among residents that justice cannot be expected. Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal reports.

New Age, Bangladesh, in an editorial, argues that despite demand for explanation by the high court, the government has not taken any action; thus it is upto Bangladeshi society to pressure the government to ensure that encounters come to an end.

New Age, Bangladesh, in an editorial, argues that despite demand for explanation by the high court, the government has not taken any action; thus it is upto Bangladeshi society to pressure the government to ensure that encounters come to an end.

Bangladesh High Court responds to public interest litigations and asks the government to explain why 'crossfire killings' should not be illegal.

Despite constitutional direction and rights of arestees, torture by security agencies in Bangladesh is a reality. With a private member bill at the Bangladesh Parliament to guarantee rights of those arrested, citizens are appealing for due process by security agencies. An ACHR report.

A report prepared by Asian Center for Human Rights lists at least 1184 people killed in police custody in India during an 8 year period  between April 2001 to Mar 2009 with police not following court guidelines.

Sandip Dasverma comments on reported statements by a Supreme Court Chief Justice of India that "terrorists have no human rights' - and the implications of this.

Yogi Sikand writes from the conference on Islamic family law in Tehran, on family law reforms within the Muslim world.

The administration seems to harrass and oppress anyone who questions its actions or policies. The case of Shamim Modi is another example of such an attitude.

Human rights groups have acted with the support of the local courts to ensure the freedom of 188 more individuals enslaved by brick kiln owners in Sindh. The courts, however, did not press any charges against the kiln owners.

‘Low-cost Housing’ for High Ranking IAS-IPS Officials: Affordable Housing, Mumbai Style.

For several months now, almost no week passes without the media reporting about 'dreaded Muslim fundamentalists' being picked up by the police and allegedly confessing to being involved in bomb blasts or plots to engineer violence across India. Yogi Sikand writes.

In a development of far-reaching and frightening implications for the stature of the Indian judiciary, Bar Associations in several parts of the country are effectively banning advocates from defending Muslim youth branded as 'terrorists', many of them who may well be wrongly accused. A chilling indicator of how deeply-rooted anti-Muslim prejudice has now become. Yogi Sikand writes

The AHRC has received information from the National Council for Human Rights, Faisalabad that a 17-year-old girl was abducted by police officials and kept for almost 16 days in private custody where she was raped and tortured to confess her involvement in the murder of her fiancée. Her elder sister was also brought in police lock up and held, naked for three days naked to pressure the sister to confess to the charges.

We are shocked to learn of the gruesome murder of senior activist and campaigner for prohibition of liquor, Mr. A.D. Babu, one of the state convenors of NAPM in Karnataka.

Many legal experts in Bangladesh are opposed to the anti-terror ordinance fearing that it will be used vindictively and victimize innocent people. Ashutosh Sarkar writes in the Daily Star.

A ten day fast has commenced to protest against draconian laws and demand release of Dr. Binayar Sen, Ajay TG and others. More than 60 organizations from more than 25 states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, USA, and other nations have endorsed the campaign. Some of these organizations are listed below:

The Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners has called for immediate repatriation of sick and mentally disabled prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

Manas Ghosh writes in the Doinik Statesman, revisiting the massacre of 8 in Shuchpur by CPI(M) cadre and the continued intervention by the CPI(M) led government that has continued to subvert and slow down the process of justice, despite orders from the courts.

The lawyers begin their protest movement against emergency laws and the Supreme Court judgment on the issue of bail

A conference on release of political prisoners was organized in Delhi - families of political prisoners presented their stories and the plight of these prisoners, often held without legal processes was discussed.

Asian Center for Human Rights points to irregularities in the process of arrest and justice for Sheikh Hasina.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India Rajinder Sachar writes about the role of the judiciary and the need for its independence in a review for ACHR.

Chengara speaks to India through the Chengara Pledge (given below), which thousands of people, in struggle for the last 120 days in Chengara Harrison Malayalam Estate, (also called as Laha Estate) seeking ownership of cultivable land to all 5,000 struggling families. Land struggle in Chengara, Pathnamtitta district, Kerala by landless Dalits and Adviasis (as well as scores of families from OBC communities, Muslims etc) from all parts of Kerala, started on 4 August 2007.

Reports coming from Orissa tell us of police and goons of the state government attacking a non-violent demostration against POSCO takeover with bombs and further intimidation of the demosntrators.

While the Prime Minister very honourably lost sleep over the case of Dr Mohammed Haneef, a Bangalore doctor, who was framed in Australia during the month of July 2007 as having been involved in the blast case at Glasgow Airport, we have not heard of him losing sleep over Dr Binayak Sen (an acclaimed doctor and general secretary of PUCL who is being framed and is under arrest since summer of 07).

Md Habibur Rehman, convener of a Kolkata based organization on minority rights believes that there is enough legal reason for the Supreme Court to prevent Modi from running for elections. (He also thinks that ironically, the Gujarat Congress is unwilling to go down that path.)

No, if you are a gender sensitive man, you don't have to worry at all. Yes, but those who are not sensitive, inconsiderate, unsupportive or inhuman towards the female members of their family, have to worry.

A young man married a young woman in Kolkata. He happened to be middle class Muslim; she a very rich Hindu. Days later they intimidated by senior officers of the Kolkata police on multiple occasions. And then, days after he wrote to the human rights commission claiming intimidation, he was found dead - the Kolkata police claiming a suicide.

Amna Mirza reviews the book Indian Judiciary and Politics - a Changing Landscape. Edited by B. D. Dua, M. P. Singh and Rekha Saxena, the book presents the attempt by the judiciary to address the incompetencies of the legislative and executive and the reaction by the executive and the legislative bracnhes of the Indian state.

Fatwas for the death of any individual are nothing but calls for murder – and irrespective of the religious sentiment within which they are couched; being calls for extra-judicial killings must be treated as such. The state must take action against such calls.

Video footage seems to implicate UP police in a fake encounter and extra-judicial killing of a petty criminal. Other similar cases and pleas from these cases suggest that fake encounters by UP police, with involvement of senior officers, may be more prevalent. Article by Shahira Naim from Lucknow.

The issue of accountability of the higher judiciary has long been troubling all sections of society so at a press conference held in Press Club of India the former Law minister Shanti Bhushan and sr. advocate Supreme court Prashant Bhushan among others highlighted a grave case of judicial misconduct at the Apex of Indian Judiciary on behalf of campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms.

The CID (Crime) on 17th July filed a chargesheet in the metropolitan court against 13 police officials accused in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi.

The 37 day fast for rehabilitation of the displaced by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects ended with promises to continue to monitor the rehabilitation process.

S Mohammed Irshad writes from Kerala describing the erosion of credibility of the state judiciary owing to a series of questionable and what seem like unjust verdicts.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is being tested again as it reviews the legality of a fresh round of measures by the Pakistani General/President aimed at restricting the media, and limiting criticism of the dictatorship that is facing immense opposition following the suspension of the Chief Justice. A report by the Asian Center for Human Rights.

Rohtas Singh from Haryana dared to question the high-handedness of police officials. He was later arrested, beaten up and jailed. He was found dead in the lock up. Asian Center for Human Rights presents evidence of torture. Police claims suicide. The complete report can be read at the ACHR Website

Prof Hoodbhoy hold Musharraf responsible for the carnage in Karachi - and while protestors were being killed, the General was presenting a show of strength. Is he a President of the people of Pakistan?

As a blogger, you don't often to write to a specific audience and to the tight requirements of an editor. But when the current crisis (or are there now two, no, three of them?) in Pakistan started about the Chief Justice being dismissed, I had done a post about the situation. Here is a blog from iFaqeer.

Following the judicial crisin in Pakistan, Pak|Cast convened a roundtable of Seattle-based Pakistanis, representing a range of views as diverse as Pakistani society itself. The roundtable participants were Terry Minhas, Sam Chughtai, and Shahab Ahmed. Terry Minhas called the current crisis a turning point in Pakistani history and the beginning of the end of President Musharraf's rule; Sam Chughtai asserted his hope that Musharraf will remain in power another 10 years.
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दवा बह�राष�ट�रीय कंपनी ने भारत पेटेन�ट कानून के भाग(ड) को च�नौती देते ह�� मद�रास उच�च न�यायालय मे थोडे से बदलाव के साथ �क �से दवा को पेटेन�ट करने की अर�जी दी है जिसको यह पहले ही १९९३ में पेटेन�ट कर च�की है. यह दवा ग�लीवाक रक�त कैंसर ल�यूकेमिया के इलाज मे काम आती है.
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पिप�ल�स न�यूज़ नेट�वर�क द�वारा संपादित

Mumbai’s Urdu Times Daily report alleges police conspiracy to trap Muslims through planting weapons

Nasir Aziz, Ethan Casey and Asad Faizi discuss a challenge in the Supreme Court to MMA MNAs' educational qualifications, the US military's attempts to recruit Muslim soldiers, President Musharraf's annoyance at US claims that Pakistan is doing too little about a Taliban resurgence, and flak Jimmy Carter is catching for using the word "apartheid" in his new book about Palestine. In a new "Readings" feature, Ethan Casey recommends a forthrightly critical article critiquing US smugness by the venerable American political columnist William Pfaff.
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A discussion by Nausherwan Lahori, Khalid R Hasan and Haroon Rashid, as well as an extended comment from Islamabad-based law lecturer Ghazala Minallah, whose father, Safdar Shah, went into exile after refusing to vote with the Supreme Court majority that sentenced Z.A. Bhutto to hang. "Today I am reminded of that black period in our judicial history," she says. "Once again our Constitution has been abused and so has our judiciary, and we as a nation are at a cross-roads just as our judiciary is.". For more Pakcast discussions, click here.
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While farmers continue to commit suicide owing to crop failure and debts, the government refuses to take an action against Dow even while it is discovered by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the company made improper payments to regulatory officials in India, introducing numerous pesticides that fall outside Indian regulations.

The government – and the Supreme Court case vis-à-vis foreign funds of NBA – has raised an important issue. What are the implications of foreign funds and how does the Indian State see this?

Zulfiqar Halepoto writes about Jirgas conducted by political leaders inspite of courts declaring it illegal and requests people to write to Chief Justice of Pakistan.

A brutal demolition drive was undertaken in which local authorities have destroyed 5,000 houses in Mandala, Mankurd in Mumbai, and set fire to an entire slum on 9 May 2006.

Chandar Kolhi alias Javed Shaikh was recently rescued from bonded labour by rights activists in district Thatta Sindh. He was bonded by a landlord named Luqman Palari for Rs. 200 (about 3 US $). He worked for two years without any payment.

The murder of Manjunath Shanmugam who canceled a petrol pump licence to a dealer engaging in corrupt practices has drawn the ire of various civic society groups. Pressure is being built to have the administration proactive root corruption through increased transparency.

Gopal Krishnan writes about the Supreme Court order on the effect of subsidies to Waste to Energy units and their effect on waste management.

Members of a group working to rescue under-aged sex workers, a group with local and international credibility built over years of action, is now hiding from police, after leading a raid that rescued over 17 under-aged girls from a prostitution ring. What happened?

Prof Roop Rekha Verma, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and Nasiruddin Haider Khan Senior Journalist, Hindustan Dainik (Hindustan Times) present their perspectives on the recent communal riots in Mau, UP.

In late September Nandlal Prasad, a community activist from Mehdiganj, near Varansi, who has been raising community issues regarding the depletion of water in the area owing to the bottling plant of Coke and toxic dumping in the area by the plant, was denied renewal of his passport.

“What about the women regularly abused in the countryside by landlords and powerful elements of the rural bureaucracy? What about the small girls brought to a Karachi hospital recently who were found to have been brutally assaulted? Did they go through rape to get a Canadian visa or Canadian citizenship? And if conditions in the country are so bad that to leave it, women are ready to go to the extent of concocting stories of being dishonored, then too we should be prepared to shed tears if we have any”, an editorial in Dawn asked off its readers.

India has reinstated a ban on non-iodized salt in the country as of this past May of 2005. There seems to be enough evidence presented by both sides of this debate suggesting that the ban – and advocacy against it – may be politically driven and not just based on data.

IOC recently communicated to Dow that the technology purchase deal has been cancelled after IOC found that critical submissions made by Dow as part of contract negotiations were false. In their response to IOC, Dow officials have alleged that the cancellation of the deal has caused a loss of 1.5 million US dollars. The Indian government is yet to communicate its final decision on this matter.

While the governments in South Asia have largely turned a blind eye to dumping of waste – and have even encouraged the process for short term gains – it is the courts that have been proactively involved in protecting the people.

The turnaround of justice in the rape of Mukhtaran Mai has forced its government and its citizens to ask tough questions of themselves. The future will wait to see if they choose to acknowledge those questions or whether they will ignore them.

With a new Amendment on decentralization of power being planned, one has to ask what happened to the old plans made through the 73rd and 74th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

The maelstrom surrounding Mr. Narendra Modi’s trip to the USA has finally subsided and the vehemence at the visa being refused, as well as the jubilation over the same, have lost some of their edge.

In addition to domestic laws, India is a party to numerous international human rights conventions and is thus legally bound by them. An extensive review is presented by the Human Rights Watch report on bonded labor in India.

It is quite simple to create slum dwellers. Governments and policy makers have known the recipe for quite a few centuries now.

The central government in India is approving construction projects in areas where the adivasi and other indigenous people live.

Slums.

We city dwellers have quite strong opinions about them.

There is no one way in which children are bonded, no one story that includes the pain, the suffering and the exploitation. Each community, each family that is tied to bonded labor has its own problems.

In a state with large number of landless people and very low indices of literacy, health, or gender equality, it is noteworthy that large scale land grabbing by the local land mafia has gone virtually unchallenged by the state government. Magsasay Award winner, Sandeep Pandey, describes the situation.

Justice (Retd.) Nasir Aslam Zahid is the Dean, Faculty of Law at Hamdard University in Karachi. He speaks on the rape of Dr. Shazia.

In India.

Really.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This seventh piece of the series presents the problems with the trickle down theory and the efficiency of free markets.

Following the stories of slum demolitions, Dilip D’Souza invites those with who think that is the best to meet those whose house were demolished.

A Global Day of Action is being organized on Feb 26, 2005 to protest the Patents Amendment bill that is currently under consideration by Indian parliament. Please support and participate!

Major human rights violations continue with the declaration of emergency in Nepal. Various governments as well as international agencies have said that the democracy must be re-established in Nepal.

The assault and rape of a medical doctor associated with Pakistan Petroleum Limited in Sui, Balochistan has created an uproar among the Balochi community and anger among the Pakistani Medical community. The Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America has also condemned the event and demanded justice for the doctor.

This is the last of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

“Is this the future of 'Moderate' Islam in Asia?”, asks Farish A. Noor.

This is the third of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

This is a first of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

This is a first of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

As per the requirements of the World Trade Organization treaties on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights, commonly called TRIPS, as of January 1st, India is required to amend its Patent Laws to provide for a TRIPS compliant regime. The final amendment of the Patents Laws, as per the provisions of TRIPS, will be promulgated in India through an ordinance starting January 26th, 2005.

Children in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul talk about the victims of the gas disaster in Bhopal and the responsibilities of Dow.

Months after the Supreme Court passed a verdict levying 17 crore fine against Hema Chemicals for Chromium dumping, another case gathers momentum.

Reports in the British press say that Britain is throwing out more than a million tonnes of electronic "e-waste" such as broken computer monitors and discarded mobile phones every year. A Guardian report said that last year, 23,000 tonnes of IT and other electronic equipment was shipped out illegally, mostly to China, West Africa, Pakistan and India.

December 3 is observed as Global Day of Action against Corporate Crime. This year let's take a look at what happened in Kodaikanal.

Corporate Accountability International, along with numerous other local organizations cited Coke for its unethical practices in India

Etoxic, an environmental group based in India, lists drugs that have been banned in the EU and/or USA, but continue to be sold in India.

Sixteen tribals, mostly women, critically injured. Massive lathicharge on adivasis.
Tense standoff between agitated tribals and police in Kashipur.

Events are being organized around the world to remember those tens of thousands who have died owing to the gas disaster in Bhopal caused by negligence by Union Carbide on the night of December 3rd, 2004 as well as in solidarity with thousands whose life has been living hell since.

On this 20th anniversary of Bhopal, there is another kind of destruction that we must turn our attention to � the extensive pumping out of millions of liters of water from hundreds of sites around the world, primarily by Coca Cola and Pepsi.

On the morning of 23rd November, 2004, at the city hall, Minneapolis, Corporate Accountability International (CAI) held a press conference highlighting the unethical behavior of the Atlanta based Coca Cola. It cited numerous instances where Coke has been draining out the water table in communities that are having trouble accessing clean drinking water.

The arrest of the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Muth on 12th November has become a controversial issue – perhaps it was always going to be one.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen, invariably straying into each others territorial waters are regularly arrested and imprisoned. While this issue has constantly been raised in so called confidence building talks between the two countries, it has yet to be resolved.

Bhopal. Say it one more time, Bho-pal. A mere two-syllable word has come to symbolize unjust globalization, corporate exploitation and endemic corruption.