Homosexuality is no longer a crime in India

I cannot really express how thrilled I am with this decision. The High Court, through its judgment, has given millions of Indians the right to be the way they are without facing harassment or prosecution. This is the biggest blow in favor of individual liberty that has happened in India for many, many years. In [...]

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Can’t we defend liberty for liberty’s sake?

I get plenty of junk in my Facebook feed every day most of which I barely give a second glance; today however, one particular item caught my eye. Titled “Vigil for Binayak Sen”, this particular Facebook event was in support of Dr. Binayak Sen, whose continued detainment by the Chhattisgarh government violates every principle of [...]

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Don’t insult my Padmashree

Honestly. Can this be real?
A criminal case was filed in a court on Thursday accusing Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh with ‘hurting’ fans by staying away from the Padma awards function.
Dhoni and Bhajji were to be honoured with the Padma Shree by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Senior [...]

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Discrimination against Islamic fanatics in India!

The Crapola network has the scoop.

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“Talibanization” is now a banned word

They say rightly that truth is stranger than fiction.
So Muthalik and his gang of goons beat up women at pubs because they deem the activity is against Indian culture. This sets off similar acts of violence and vandalism by other Hindu right-wing groups. One of their victims, a fifteen year old girl, is so traumatized [...]

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Something those south Indian superstars should do (but won’t)

A thought just struck me. All those dashing moustachioed South Indian actors, yeah the ones who beat up the bad guys and gyrate with the voluptuous ladies with equal panache, should write a letter to their adoring fans. They should tell those young fellas that they can do something really great this Valentine’s day; form [...]

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Why banning communications infrastructure is a terrible response to terrorism

In this excellent piece, security guru Bruce Schneier comments on efforts by the Indian government to ban Google Earth in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Let’s all stop and take a deep breath. By its very nature, communications infrastructure is general. It can be used to plan both legal and illegal activities, and it’s [...]

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Where are the demonstrations for liberty?

The Mumbai terror attacks were remarkable, not just for their audacity and horrifying elements, but also for the spontaneous reaction it elicited from the public. Citizens across India demonstrated in massive numbers and expressed their outrage against terrorists and politicians. There were posters and sloguns and an atmosphere of common purpose. The numbers were massive, [...]

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We Indians are an emotional lot

I fully agree with all those people who think captured terrorist Ajmal Amir should not be have the right to a lawyer or a proper trial.
Rights like these might make sense in countries with an excess of freedom but they have no place in our nation. There may be some people who believe that the [...]

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The kneejerk reactions have begun

A PIL has been filed in India asking to get Google Earth banned. Apparently the terrorists used Google images to plot their attacks.
Considering that the terrorists also used buses, trains, cellphones and a fishing boat, perhaps we should ban those as well.
And while we are at it, we should make sure that there are no [...]

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The Mumbai terror attack

The terrorists killed over a hundred innocent people yesterday. This wasn’t an act that took place in some distant part of the world. It happened in a city I care about, one that I have spent four summers in and where many of my friends live or have family. The attack was astounding in its [...]

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The slippery slope effect of hate-speech laws

David Bernstein has a fine post where he explains the perils of having ‘reasonable restriction on free speech’ such as hate speech laws:
When I was in law school, advocates of weakening First Amendment protections to restrict “hate speech” pointed to Canada as a shining example of how egregious expression could be banned without threatening freedom [...]

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Paternalism, Ramadoss style

After successfully combating the menace of smoking, he is now on a mission to eradicate the other great vice — alcohol.
Sometimes I wonder where we Indians would be without Ramadoss. It is abundantly clear now that we are simply incapable of taking good decisions for ourselves. We masturbate, smoke, drink, maintain poor personal hygiene and [...]

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Bhajji dragged to court for Ravana act

Here’s the link.
The following sequence occured in an alternate universe that I would love to belong to:
Judge: Before I ask for the other evidence I would like to ask you a question that I always do; what was, in summary fashion, the intent and purpose of the Ravana dance that you did with Mona Singh?
Bhajji: [...]

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Jailed for collecting insects

The Telegraph reports:

Czech scientist Petr Svacha, accused of illegally collecting insects from Singalila National Park, was let off with a fine of Rs 20,000 today after the chief judicial magistrate of Darjeeling took note of his reputation as a renowned entomologist and said he was a “victim of circumstances”.
However, his associate Emil [...]

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