Editorial
Amorphous politics: On rumblings in the JD(U)
The rumblings in the Janata Dal (United) over its alliance with the BJP puts the spotlight on the curious history and character of the regional party and its leader Nitish Kumar. Opportunism is easily forgiven, and often celebrated as pragmatism in politics, and the JD(U) has mastered it to perfection. The party has always been little more than a personal fiefdom of the Bihar Chief Minister but his upbringing as a socialist, social justice politician had occasionally given a redeeming allure to it. However, what has come to stick is his chequered association with the BJP and breathtaking political somersaults in the past that reflect the degrading absence of a moral compass. Nitish Kumar had remained a Minister in the Union Cabinet through the 2002 Gujarat riots, and became the CM in 2005 with the BJP’s support. In 2015, dusting up his social justice hat to stitch an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Mr. Kumar defeated the BJP. Within two years, he broke the alliance with the RJD
Editorial
Justice for Rohingya: On International Court of Justice ruling
The unanimous ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Thursday, on the prevention of alleged acts of genocide against Rohingya Muslims has finally pinned legal responsibility on Myanmar’s government for the military’s large-scale excesses of 2017. Crucial is the Hague court’s stipulation that the civilian government of Ms. Suu Kyi submit an update, within four months, of the steps it has taken to preserve evidence of the systemic brutalities. Yangon has also been asked to furnish six-monthly reports thereafter, until the conclusion of the case, which relates to genocide accusations. The court has further emphasised that an estimated 600,000 Rohingya resident in Myanmar still remained highly vulnerable to attacks from the security forces. The ruling vindicates findings by the UN and human rights groups on the prevalence of hate speech, mass atrocities of rape and extra-judicial killings, and torching of villages in Myanmar’s Rakhine province, leading to the forced
Editorial
Needless impatience: On Centre’s plea on death row convicts
The Centre’s application in the Supreme Court for additional guidelines regarding the execution of condemned prisoners betrays a needless impatience to hang the four convicts facing the gallows for the rape and murder of ‘Nirbhaya’ in 2012. The Ministry of Home Affairs essentially seeks the incorporation of measures aimed at reducing the scope for death row convicts to adopt dilatory tactics. Even though there may be some evidence to believe that convicts tend to file review petitions, mercy petitions and curative petitions in such a way that their execution is indefinitely delayed, it is difficult to attribute their conduct to the supposedly “accused-centric” nature of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in Shatrughan Chauhan (2014). These guidelines were undoubtedly aimed at protecting the constitutional rights of prisoners in the context of a sound body of jurisprudence that maintains that such rights extend right up to the moment of their execution. The court was anxious
Unprecedented step: On Wuhan lockdown
Shutdowns can limit the spread of the coronavirus outside affected cities, not within
Ending inaction: On Speakers and disqualification
The Supreme Court ends Speakers’ freedom to do nothing in disqualification cases
Playing with learning: On status of early childhood education
Government-supported schools with motivated and trained teachers are a must
Tragic trek: on unauthorised expeditions
Trekking clubs have exploited ignorance of regulations to lead adventurers to their deaths
Stay put: on Vladimir Putin's Cabinet reshuffle
Putin is manoeuvring to stay politically relevant at the end of his fourth term
Needless fracas: On Governors vs State governments
Governors must not push boundaries of their limited powers to check elected governments
