My thoughts, haikus and freelance musings
Here’s some great news. Apparently, the Government will not be issuing any National ID card at all, but rather a stand alone number. Even better, it will not be compulsory. So that rules out stopping people on the road and asking them for their card randomly. Image Credit: Elliot Moore This removes the teeth from … Read more
It’s a disturbing trend these days that governments and regulation bodies think that safety concerns can override an individual’s freedom. Whether it is censoring the Internet, surveillance, or the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) new “whereabout” clause, the underlying idea is the same – individual’s rights come secondary to “public safety”. Or so they say. Image … Read more
It’s heartening to note, that while the Indian Govt. still has to lay it’s position before the Supreme Court, a preliminary panel of the three involved ministries (Home, Health, and Law) have said that the Delhi High Court’s judgment legalizing gay sex followed the Indian Constitution – specifically Articles 14, 15, and 21. The law … Read more
There have been a spate of news articles recently about how various Indian quasi legal and governmental bodies are trying to force children to learn a particular language at school. Such policies apart from being grossly illegal and in violation of the liberal Constitution of India smacks of extreme presumptuousness by the government. By making … Read more
For the second time, the SC refused to stay the High Court’s historic verdict decriminalizing gay sex. This is as it should be. The bench which had the Chief Justice of India on it, said that since there was no danger of any penal consequences, there was no reason to put a stay on the … Read more
For those unable to believe how anyone could possibly not welcome Identity cards with open arms, here’s a story for you. After the war, fed up with the constant intrusions of privacy and government tracking, the British Housewives League burnt their compulsory ID cards in frying pans and dry cleaners. In 1950 in London, when … Read more
A previous blog post of mine had opined that giving the Government too much power was dangerous – even in the interests of “National Security”. This is because any such power which is meant to be used only in extreme circumstances ends up being used in frivolous ways leading to a serious impingement on the … Read more
Over the years, an idea seems to have ingrained itself into the Indian mindset – that Democracy is all about doing what the majority of the people want. To exemplify this, just recently the BJP said that it was not apologetic about the demolition of the Babri Masjid since it “was the outburst of sentiments … Read more
How do YOU think the Supreme Court will rule on Gay sex? Take the poll… Outraged at the verdict from the Delhi HC decriminalizing gay sex, an astrologer has objected to the ruling in the Supreme Court saying that it will “ruin Indian values.” He is supported by various religious groups. Ah well, it had … Read more