Freefall In India’s Academic Freedom Ranking Is Reflected In Cancelled Lectures At IIT Bombay & Elsewhere https://article-14.com/post/freefall-in-india-s-academic-freedom-ranking-is-reflected-in-cancelled-lectures-at-iit-bombay-elsewhere-670749ce2fd0f Since November 2023, IIT-Bombay has prohibited teachers and students from organising events that “may be viewed as political” without permission. Talk by at least four prominent intellectuals and experts, including environmentalist and historian Ramachandra Guha and cultural activist Ganesh Devy. In three cases, the events were called off at the last minute.
The Academic Freedom Index , released by the FAU Institute of Political Science in Germany and the V-Dem Institute in Sweden, placed India in the “completely restricted” category—countries where restrictions on academic freedom are consistently applied across all academic disciplines. From 2013 to 2023, India’s AFI ranking slipped from 0.6 to 0.2 on a scale of 0 to 1. India was in the bottom 30% of 179 countries, lower than Pakistan, Congo, and Russia.
Recording Conversation With Officer In Police Station Is Not An Offence Under Official Secrets Act: Bombay High Court https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/bombay-high-court-recording-conversation-in-police-station-official-secrets-act-271880 A division bench of Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Santosh Chapalgaonkar, sitting in Aurangabad, quashed an FIR lodged against two brothers, one of whom works as a Constable with the Mumbai Police
Narsi Benwal
https://www.the420.in/bombay-high-court-official-secrets-act-recording-police-station/ According to the court, a police station does not qualify as a “prohibited place” under Section 2(8) of the Act, which defines where breaches of official secrecy can be charged. Additionally, the court emphasized that Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act deals with “Penalties for spying,” and the activities conducted in a police station do not fall under its purview.
The court quashed the spying charges but declined to interfere with the charges under the IPC, allowing the criminal conspiracy charges to be further examined in a lower court.
https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2024/10/08/making-audio-recording-of-conversation-in-police-station-no-offence-u-s-3-official-secrets-act-bomhc/ Counsel for respondents opposed the application and submitted that Applicant 1 was unnecessarily making video and Applicant 2, who was also in police service, was threatening the informant and other police persons present in the police station.... The Court opined that contents of FIR did speak about insult or intimidation and thus, it was left open to the Court concerned to see whether charge needs to be framed under Section 120-B or Section 34 of IPC....
Why the Vote For Democracy report was important https://indjournals.in/why-the-vote-for-democracy-report-was-important/
by Vinod Chand October 8, 2024
https://votefordemocracy.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FINAL-VFD-Report-July-30-2024.pdf BJP got away with murder of democracy via a allegedly compromised Election Commission. The opposition did not raise a hue and cry and did not even go to court with this report. It accepted the verdict and allowed Narendra Modi to form a government and that emboldened him and the EC to do what it has done in Haryana. there is a lesson for the opposition, especially Congress, in this. They should not any opportunity go by to expose the EC and the BJP. If they let go of such opportunities, then they will face the same fate as they are now doing in Haryana.
Maharashtra and Jharkhand are next. In both these states too, journalists and commentators are painting a sorry figure for BJP.
With the help of EC and with the sops that are being handed out, BJP may well pull a rabbit out of the hat and surprise the opposition.