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Dear Reader,
As we debate and discuss the discernible diminishing of the stature and the powers of the Indian judiciary and seek remedies, we can look back to one of the darkest chapters of our democracy – the Emergency of 1975 – for answers.
The Emergency, which deeply scorched many of our institutions -- who crawled when asked to bend -- was also paradoxically the Indian judiciary’s finest hour. A plethora of judges, lawyers, and the institution of the bar, with exceptions, stood firm and resolute against draconian orders and rampant authoritarianism. Does this era hold lessons for the judiciary today? ThePrint looks back.
The recent probe by the Delhi Police into the funding of fact-checking site Alt News and the realisation that the government has almost unbridled powers to access details of donors, in this case from a digital payment platform, has raised alarm on the almost negligible protection of user’s data from the state’s scrutiny. MediaNama examines the issues raised by the events.
Despite tall promises and announcements, the state of schools in Bihar remains abysmal. As part of its series - ‘Vikas Tum Kahan Ho?’ मैं मीडिया reports from Teosa panchayat in Kishanganj district, where 120 students, mostly tribal, have been studying within the four walls of a dilapidated structure without basic facilities for the past 12 years.
And, the position of journalists in the Kashmir Valley has taken a dangerous and troubling turn for the worse with the media now seemingly turning on their fellow travellers. In a disturbing story, Article 14 reports how independent journalists, including Sana Irshad Mattoo, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, were called out as “terrorist sympathisers” by a prominent local daily ‘Rising Kashmir’ in its op-ed. An event that has worsened an already precarious situation for journalists in Kashmir.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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