Interview: Vinesh, Sakshi, Bajrang have disrupted culture of subservience entrenched in Indian sport

The onus is on the probe committee not to be impacted by the structures of power, says athlete rights activist Payoshni Mitra.

Smitha Nair

· Jan 26, 2023 · 11:30 am

Interview: The flawed collegium system is still some kind of check on a majoritarian government

But the collegium failed in insulating judges appointments too as in case of Justice Kureshi who had ruled against Amit Shah, says Senior Advocate Sanjoy Ghose.

Smitha Nair

· Jan 18, 2023 · 03:00 pm

Interview: It’s irresponsible to place the burden of resistance to a terrorist group on Afghan women

The Taliban have tortured, imprisoned women protesting peacefully. The international community needs to do more, says policy researcher Mariam Safi.

Smitha Nair

· Jan 11, 2023 · 09:00 am

Interview: ‘Child marriage law has been weaponised by parents of girls who marry men they choose’

Case law analysis shows very few parentally-arranged child marriages attract prosecution, says Madhu Mehra, founder of PLD, a legal resource group.

Smitha Nair

· Dec 28, 2022 · 07:30 am

Interview: ‘There is no data that shows large-scale religious conversions in India’

Claim of forcible conversions is fictitious, says senior lawyer Colin Gonsalves. The Supreme Court recently described conversions as ‘a serious issue’.

Smitha Nair

· Dec 08, 2022 · 11:30 am

Interview: How China’s propaganda machine kept criticism of harsh Covid measures at bay – until now

The carefully built narrative has now hit a wall, says Manoj Kewalramani, author of ‘Smokeless War’, a book that documented China’s Covid-19 response.

Smitha Nair

· Nov 29, 2022 · 05:00 pm

Interview: ‘Police officers who dithered over Shraddha Walkar letter about Aftab must be prosecuted’

Intimate partner violence is dealt with casually by the police, says Supreme Court lawyer Shobha Gupta. In most cases, women are persuaded to settle the matter.

Smitha Nair

· Nov 25, 2022 · 11:30 am

Video: Will Imran Khan’s showdown with the army change civil-military relations in Pakistan?

The army’s hold over Pakistan’s polity will remain, but can’t underestimate the import of questioning the army, says Sharat Sabharwal, former envoy to Pakistan.

Smitha Nair

· Nov 12, 2022 · 07:30 am

Video: Mallikarjun Kharge is the new Congress president. What role will Rahul Gandhi play?

He is the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24 years, but Kharge, a loyalist, will maintain status quo, says political commentator Radhika Ramaseshan.

Smitha Nair

· Oct 19, 2022 · 05:00 pm

Interview: Why Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians should be included among the Scheduled Castes

Their lived reality, enduring violence, daily humiliations, is well documented, says Khalid Anis Ansari, Associate Professor, Sociology, Azim Premji University.

Smitha Nair

· Oct 16, 2022 · 06:00 pm

Interview: ‘Despite SC judgement, access to abortion will not be at the will of the pregnant woman’

Discretion of doctors, who operate under the fear of criminal law, will continue to impede abortion access, says Gauri Pillai, reproductive rights expert.

Smitha Nair

· Oct 01, 2022 · 03:30 pm

Interview: Indian doctors are driving drug resistance with tendency to prescribe antibiotics

A growing number of infections are becoming harder to treat as antibiotics become less effective, says ICMR scientist Kamini Walia

Smitha Nair

· Sep 23, 2022 · 11:30 am