Encroaching RightsKhori Gaon Residents Left Homeless as Govt Rehabilitation Plan Excludes Most People The demolition drive began in Faridabad this week -- rendering more than one lakh people homeless without government rehabilitation. By Saumya Kalia
Not For DiscussionNew Anti‑Trafficking Bill Fails to Address Sex Workers’ Concerns, Activists Say Sex worker organizations argue the proposed legislation conflates trafficking and sex work. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
FabricationsBhima Koregaon Evidence Was Planted on 2 Activists’ Laptop, Others’ Mails Were Compromised: Report "By February 2016, the attacker had compromised not just [Surendra] Gadling's computer, but also the email accounts of multiple defendants in the Bhima Koregaon case," Arsenal said. By Saumya Kalia
Indignity in DeathActivist Stan Swamy Dies of Prolonged Illness In Custody After Months of State Neglect Swami had previously challenged in the Bombay High Court a provision of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) dealing with grant of bail. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Trial and Punishment“Delay in Trial Constitutes Denial of Justice,” Chhattisgarh HC Says The court was ruling in a case where the convicted person remained in jail for 18 months longer than his sentence. By Saumya Kalia
Let Dissent Breathe“It’s Time We Define Limits of Sedition” To Protect Media Freedom: SC The court refused to allow any coercive action against two Telugu news channels noting the FIRs were a way to “muzzle media freedom.” By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Ration-ality PrevailsProvide Ration to Sex Workers Impacted By Covid19, Gauhati HC Says The court responded to a petition noting the lack of ration cards and other civic entitlements prevent sex workers in Panpatty from availing government aid. By Devrupa Rakshit
The Most VulnerableSC Directs States To Look Into the Condition of Migrant Workers’ Children The court responded to a petition that said the pandemic has had a “discriminatory impact on migrant children and has aggravated their vulnerabilities." By Aditi Murti
The Extreme End of Not GoodAn Artist Photoshopped Smiles on Genocide Victims. When Do Attempts at Art Become Insults? The photographer says he wanted to "humanize" the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, but many call his work an affront to the dead. By Aditi Murti
Battle of WordsWhy We Need To Stop Calling People ‘Illegal Immigrants’ The phrase, currently in use to describe Rohingya refugees, dehumanizes people fleeing violence and frames them as a security threat. By Saumya Kalia
Atithi Devo Bhava?Manipur Government Withdraws Order To Deny Assistance To Myanmar Refugees The order, issued last week, asked border officials to "politely turn away" those seeking refuge in India. By Satviki Sanjay
Surveillance StateNew Govt Rules Require Tech Companies to Reveal Users Who Post ‘Unlawful, Inflammatory’ Content New IT rules also require OTT platforms to remove objectionable content within 36 hours once flagged by government authorities. By Satviki Sanjay
Scam CentralIllegal Amazon Rainforest Plots Are Being Offered For Sale on Facebook Marketplace Land grabbers are running a behind-the-scenes scam to rob indigenous people of their livelihood. By Rajvi Desai
Ethics ExerciseHow Do We Decide Who Has First Dibs on the Covid Vaccines? The question is uniquely important to India, where the government has agreed to subsidize only the first round of vaccine doses. By Rajvi Desai
Underreported and OverlookedMedia Covered PlayStation5 Launch More Than 10 Humanitarian Crises Combined in 2020 A new report calls out a media driven by what the public wants to know, rather than what it needs to know. By Rajvi Desai
Trans Women Are WomenBombay HC Rules Trans Woman Can Contest Election Under Women’s Reservation The ruling is a victory for trans people everywhere as it validates their right to a "self-perceived gender identity." By Devrupa Rakshit
Cleaning UpThe Centre Announced a Plan to Eliminate Manual Scavenging by 2021; Will It Work? If the new policies ignore caste, then manual scavenging will continue to wreak havoc on Dalit lives, experts say. By Rajvi Desai
Long Live The PopeWill the Pope’s Support for Same‑Sex Civil Unions Mean Greater Acceptance for LGBTQ+ People? "It is late but at least it happened. I think it will help our fight. ... I hope this is a new chapter that is beginning," a Polish activist says. By Devrupa Rakshit