CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat issued a statement on August 27, on the dismissal of the hate speech  case against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma, by the magistrate court. She termed the ruling as surprising and disappointing. She said, “We had filed a complaint  with Delhi police in January against the hate speeches made by BJP  leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma and asked for filing of a FIR under relevant provisions including Sec 153 of the IPC.

THE conviction of senior lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, of criminal contempt of court by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court has lowered the image of the institution. It shows the highest court of the land in a bad light as being intolerant of criticism and using the contempt law to punish dissent. The two tweets of Prashant Bhushan, which were found to be scandalising the court, do not warrant any such conclusion. There have been numerous criticisms and charges made by former judges of the Supreme Court on various judgments and aspects of the court’s functioning in recent times.

THE Left parties in Telangana marked Independence Day by pledging to save the constitution of India. In the programme held across the 34 districts, members of the parties raised slogans to save the Indian constitution and its secular fabric. They also raised slogans against communalism and resolved to drive away the disruptors of the constitution of the country.The members of the parties took an oath to protect the democratic and socialist and secular values.

Below we publish the letter addressed to Sunil Arora, chief election commissioner, Election Commission of India by CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, on August 17, on the proposal of digital election campaign and the election funding.AT the outset, we would like to acknowledge the fact that the ECI has put aside its earlier decision to the exercise of franchise through postal ballots to all voters above the age of 64 to abeyance in course of the Bihar assembly election.

ANY worthwhile policy making has to start with an objective assessment of the existing ground reality. Proceeding from this, discerning the challenges, the policy ought to set out a roadmap for overcoming them. However, despite the PM’s loud claims that NEP 2020 was preceded by intense study and research for last 3-4 years, no data or reference to these appear in the policy document! Therefore, the inescapable conclusion is, more than anything else, this is a vision statement.The PM is uncharacteristically pitching for NEP asserting that it faces no opposition.