काउंटरव्यू

By Fr. Cedric Prakash sj* The cry for social justice has become today loud, clear and very shrill! It is a cry that no longer seems to be the prerogative of only the poor and the marginalized as several from across the social strata want their voices to be heard; these include students from prestigious universities in India and abroad, academia and intellectuals, litterateurs and poets, film-makers, playwrights and other celebrities – the list is endless. The cry, the refrain is the same everywhere, “We want Justice!”; one is reminded of the uprising of workers led by trade union leaders of yesteryears. This time however, whilst the script remains the same- the ‘dramatis personae’ has changed. Those who cry out are not just crying out for themselves – they are crying out for the rights of others, for the sanctity enshrined in the Constitution, for democracy, for the children of tomorrow! So February 20th 2016, the ‘World Day of Social Justice’, comes to all of us as a grim reminder tha

By Venkatesh Nayak* Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where I spent a decade studying and researching history, is in the news all over again. I remember, in those days, a leading English language national daily would advertise itself as being an indispensable part of the breakfast served at JNU every morning. Today efforts are being made to tarnish the legacy and the image of this reputable university whose graduates are part of the rank and file of many a political party and also occupy the upper echelons of the public administration. While some have called for changing its name while others have called for its shut down. More specifically, a handful of students have been arrested by the Delhi Police on charges of ‘sedition’. The Police are reported to be conducting searches across the campus entering student’s hostels in what is primarily a residential University. The purpose of this email alert is not to conduct an investigation or a trial into the events that transpired on 09 Feb

By Venkatesh Nayak* On 08 January, 2016, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) issued a Proclamation under Section 92(1) of the Constitution of J&K taking over the reins of the State administration. The passing away of the then Chief Minister Jenaab Mufti Mohammad Sayeed a day earlier and the inability to find a successor to take over, precipitated this situation. While the print and the electronic media reported on the developments extensively, hardly any official document has been placed in the public domain except the Proclamation itself. Under Section 92(1) of the J&K Constitution, the Governor J&K is required to seek the concurrence of the President of India for issuing such a Proclamation. None of this correspondence has been placed officially in the public domain till date. Although the Proclamation is published in the Official Gazette, it is not uploaded on the Raj Bhavan website. it is available only on the official website of the General Administration Depa