Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. Veteran actor-producer Shashi Kapoor was on Monday awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award.
2. The Supreme Court has given Sahara 90 days to raise Rs 1,200 crore to secure the release of its chief Subrata Roy from prison.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday launch a new public grievances portal, called Pragati.
The Big Story: Digital Freedom
The Supreme Court will on Tuesday deliver its verdict on a clutch of petitions seeking the quashing of several laws that have been used to silence dissenting voices and censor at will. The biggest decision centres on section 66A of the Information Technology Act, a provision that allows the police to arrest and prosecute anyone for posts online that cause offence or annoyance. In addition to 66A, the SC will also will also determine the validity of several other laws that gives the government power to take down pages on the internet.
The verdict comes in the aftermath of the ban on India's Daughter, a BBC documentary that included an interview of a convicted rapist, and the Priya Pillai incident, where the government arbitrarily decided it would prevent an Indian citizen from going abroad because she was going to talk about human rights concerns. If 66A and the other laws are upheld, it will make it clear that India is becoming a more draconian state, one that is more than willing to impinge on personal liberties for the sake of perceived national interest.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
It's not just 66A. A censorship ruling by the Supreme Court today could change the way the internet works for you.
Politicking and Policy-ing
1. A spat between the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP in Delhi could lead to a budget and civic crisis in the capital.
2. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reiterated the government's call to take a relook at an anti-conversion law. 3. The new Andhra Pradesh capital is likely to be in Amaravathi, the capital of a historical kingdom.
4. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has told the BJP that its it needs to pay more attention to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
5. Modi visited Punjab on Monday and brought up the Shiromani Akali Dal's land acquisition concerns, although he didn't touch any of the other issues hanging fire between the allies.
Giggle
Punditry
1. Ajit Balakrishnan in the Business Standard writes about the coming broadband wars and the need to keep the internet open to all.
2. India's political parties are still stuck in the mai-baap culture, write Pradeep Chhiber, Harsh Shah and Rahul Verma in the Hindu.
3. The Aam Aadmi Party's current conflict happened because it was drifting away from its promise, says Bharat Bhushan in the Business Standard.
4. Pratap Bhanu Mehta in the Indian Express explains just how much Lee Kuan Yew meant for modernity.
5. Before we get to mobile banking, what about considering TV banking, ask Charan Singh, Naman Jhawar and Advait Nagesh Alai in the Hindu Businessline.
Don't Miss
Dilip Hiro writes about modern India's first major communal riots, in the late 19th century.
1. Veteran actor-producer Shashi Kapoor was on Monday awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award.
2. The Supreme Court has given Sahara 90 days to raise Rs 1,200 crore to secure the release of its chief Subrata Roy from prison.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday launch a new public grievances portal, called Pragati.
The Big Story: Digital Freedom
The Supreme Court will on Tuesday deliver its verdict on a clutch of petitions seeking the quashing of several laws that have been used to silence dissenting voices and censor at will. The biggest decision centres on section 66A of the Information Technology Act, a provision that allows the police to arrest and prosecute anyone for posts online that cause offence or annoyance. In addition to 66A, the SC will also will also determine the validity of several other laws that gives the government power to take down pages on the internet.
The verdict comes in the aftermath of the ban on India's Daughter, a BBC documentary that included an interview of a convicted rapist, and the Priya Pillai incident, where the government arbitrarily decided it would prevent an Indian citizen from going abroad because she was going to talk about human rights concerns. If 66A and the other laws are upheld, it will make it clear that India is becoming a more draconian state, one that is more than willing to impinge on personal liberties for the sake of perceived national interest.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
It's not just 66A. A censorship ruling by the Supreme Court today could change the way the internet works for you.
Politicking and Policy-ing
1. A spat between the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP in Delhi could lead to a budget and civic crisis in the capital.
2. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reiterated the government's call to take a relook at an anti-conversion law. 3. The new Andhra Pradesh capital is likely to be in Amaravathi, the capital of a historical kingdom.
4. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has told the BJP that its it needs to pay more attention to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
5. Modi visited Punjab on Monday and brought up the Shiromani Akali Dal's land acquisition concerns, although he didn't touch any of the other issues hanging fire between the allies.
Giggle
my #cartoon in @mail_today #Modi #PDP #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/b1wj2BKvZ9
— Sandeep Adhwaryu (@CartoonistSan) March 23, 2015
Punditry
1. Ajit Balakrishnan in the Business Standard writes about the coming broadband wars and the need to keep the internet open to all.
2. India's political parties are still stuck in the mai-baap culture, write Pradeep Chhiber, Harsh Shah and Rahul Verma in the Hindu.
3. The Aam Aadmi Party's current conflict happened because it was drifting away from its promise, says Bharat Bhushan in the Business Standard.
4. Pratap Bhanu Mehta in the Indian Express explains just how much Lee Kuan Yew meant for modernity.
5. Before we get to mobile banking, what about considering TV banking, ask Charan Singh, Naman Jhawar and Advait Nagesh Alai in the Hindu Businessline.
Don't Miss
Dilip Hiro writes about modern India's first major communal riots, in the late 19th century.
More is known about the communal riot in Bombay (later Mumbai) in August 1893. It erupted against the background of the rise of a militant cow protection movement – Gaorakshak Mandali – that many Muslims regarded as provocative and was launched in Bombay Presidency in late 1892. Muslim worshippers leaving the Juma Masjid, a striking mosque in South Bombay, after Friday prayers attacked a nearby temple on Hanuman Lane. In a predominantly illiterate society in a pre-broadcasting era, wild rumours spread rapidly over the next two days. The army was drafted to restore control. All together seventy-five people lost their lives.
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