Volume 4 Issue 1 The Human Rights Magazine April - May 2005
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Witness Protection
New Law needed to Protect Witnesses. Supreme Court regretted that “no law has yet been enacted, not even a scheme has been framed by the Union of India or by the State Government for giving protection to the witnesses.”
Kerala - Following the Trend of Retractions
Best Bakery case and Kozhikode sex racket case (in Kerala) have two things in common. One is that of consistent efforts on the part of the NGO’s to highlight the matter and the other is that of the key witnesses turning against the activists.
Law Commission of India's Consultation Paper
We reproduce the summary of the Law Commission of India in its consultation - Witness Identity Protection and Witness Protection Programmes, August 2004.
Responses to the Law Commission
That the Commission took up the issue suo motu, based on recent judgments of the Supreme Court, is worth taking note of.
High Time to Enact Whistle Blowers Act
In less than a year after the gruesome murder of 31-year-old Satyendra Kumar Dubey by the contractor mafia in Gaya, the nation has forgotten the demand for a Whistle Blowers Act triggered by the incident.
International Experiences
Witnesses in India constitute a vulnerable class by themselves. In the recent past, there has been a spate of cases where the prosecution may have well been successful but for terrified witnesses changing stands or turning hostile.
State Repression
Andhra Pradesh - Is Peace Really on the Agenda?
Lakhimpur Khiri: Is Uttar Pradesh Drifting Towards Emergency Rule?
Other
issues:
Time for the King to Go
TIndia’s policy in Nepal is determined by the desire to neutralise the Maoists. In the process gruesome acts are condoned causing democracy incalculable harm.Nepal in Crisis: The Opinion of the Nepalese Legal Establishment
During a fact-finding visit to Nepal this March, it seemed that one lucid perspective on the legal and social turmoil that has engulfed the country could be usefully obtained from the judiciary and from prime movers within the legal establishment.
Nepal People's Struggle for a Genuine Republic
A scene out of Alice in Wonderland, with the King and his soldiers ordering his 'subjects' to celebrate 'Democracy Day' in Nepal Dalits
Atrocities Act- An Orphan Act
In Gujarat alone, around 95% cases under the Act have ultimately resulted in acquittal of the accused, mainly on account of defective investigations.
Housing
Damn the Poor, Mumbai is going Global!
Mumbai wants to get rid of its poor as fast as possible. Demolish their homes, throw them out, intimidate them and if they demonstrate against state atrocities, beat them up, arrest them and put them in jail.
Who is an Encroacher?
Since November 2004 Mumbai has witnessed the most brutal and violent demolitions and probably the most large scale demolitions in the world.
Indian People’s Tribunal on Mumbai Slum Demolitions
The recent slum demolition drive in Mumbai, which has rendered about 3.5 lakh people homeless in a span of just two months, constitutes a violation of basic human rights.
Judiciary & Polity
The Rule of Law?
The attitude of the government and the police in the Sankaracharya case shows the differential treatment in cases involving high profile accused.
A Right To Life – A Right To Die?
Euthanasia' is not just a big word that few can define, it is one with the biggest of concepts attached to it. If a person has a 'right to life', do they also have a 'right to die'…and can they be assisted in asserting their 'right'?
Labour
A Boon for Employers
Anomalies in the Industrial Disputes Act has led to industries being shut down without packages for workers.
Education
The Free and Compulsory Education Bill (2004)
Education is fundamental right of every child and not a privilege.
Human Rights Education -- The Challenges
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