Q.  Recently, a two-member bench of the Supreme Court asked the government of India what steps it was taking towards formulating a Uniform Civil Code.  Is this not a step in the right direction and what is the CPI(M)’s stand?A.  This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has raised this question.  It has done it on different occasions and under varying circumstances.  This time it was in response to a Christian gentleman who had appealed to the  court to reduce the ‘waiting period’ before a divorce could be granted to one year from two and who had cited the example that Hindu couples

FINANCE minister Arun Jaitley has characterised the expanding revolt by eminent award winning writers against the growing assault on constitutional fundamental rights by a neo-conservative regime, as a ‘paper rebellion’ and a manufactured revolt. Such a statement shows that the NDA government is either blissfully ignorant of history or has refused to learn its lessons from past experience. It also shows the brutal power and arrogance of a majoritarian regime that is determined to curb dissent and spread religious intolerance.

THE central executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India in a statement issued on October 20, has strongly condemned the latest move of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to scrap non-NET fellowships for the researchers. SFI has urged its units across the nation to be vigilant and be ready to resist any such anti-student moves. Such a move is coming at a juncture when the researchers from all the streams are demanding for an enhancement in non-NET fellowship so that they could pursue their academic endeavour and do quality research.

The following is the letter written to the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee by the creative and academic community of West Bengal, by all members of PEN International, India, West Bengal Branch, by the creative community of Gujarat and Maharashtra and by many eminent writers.AS citizens of a democratic country, we are deeply concerned about the growing culture of murderous intolerance and the brazen assault on the fundamental right to life of those who maintain the core values of diversity, plurality and tolerance of which you yourself have recently reminded us.

THE RSS and dozens of its so-called socio-cultural outfits have become very aggressive in unleashing violence during recent months since the BJP assumed power on its own under the leadership of Narender Modi. In spite of false tall promises and acute anti incumbency against the UPA-2 government, the BJP had got a mere 31 percent of the vote share.