Tag: Orwellian reminders

Constitutional principles go for a toss in the criminal law of search and seizure

Seizing electronic devices in the absence of proportionality checks violates the right against self-incrimination Soutik Banerjee On 6 December 2023, in the hearing of a petition filed by the Foundation of Media Professionals, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju told the Supreme Court that the central government will issue “some guidelines” for the seizure of electronic… Read More Constitutional principles go for a toss in the criminal law of search and seizure

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Gaza is the terrifying Dystopia sci-fi writers warned you about

RICKY Israel is doing all the terrifying shit that us science-fiction writers tried to warn you about. For years, we tried to explain we’re heading for a cyberpunk dystopia in which individuals are rendered completely powerless. Well, that dystopia’s now here, it’s called Gaza, and it’s even worse than many of us dreamt up. After… Read More Gaza is the terrifying Dystopia sci-fi writers warned you about

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University Grants Commission aiding the cult of personality

‘Selfie-points’ in universities: What purpose do they serve? Bharat Bhushan The selfie is no longer dismissed by behavioural analysts as symptomatic of self-obsession or narcissism. Experts believe that selfies are also a way to connect and communicate with others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for example, was a serious serial selfie-taker with world leaders during his… Read More University Grants Commission aiding the cult of personality

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Drowning Voices

How legal frameworks are being used to throttle free speech and the media…The dangerous beauty of this framework is that each bill touches upon only certain key aspects that may be crucial for freedom of speech, but, together, they constitute a gargantuan web that is difficult to escape. ANANT NATH On 10 November 2023, the… Read More Drowning Voices

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‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal

Fahad Shah, whose case was a symbol of harassment of region’s media, says he has different outlook after months behind bars Aakash Hassan During his more than 600 days behind bars, Fahad Shah, a Kashmiri journalist, had begun to lose hope that he would ever see freedom again. It was in February last year that… Read More ‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal

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The news has become intolerable and inhumane. Democracy’s vital feedback mechanism is broken

Julianne Schultz It is little wonder that people are turning off the news in record numbers. The images are often unwatchable, the descriptions beyond imagining, the scale incomprehensible. Everywhere you look the cruelty of the human spirit is on display. Newsreaders have adjusted their scripts. They used to say, “Some viewers might find the next… Read More The news has become intolerable and inhumane. Democracy’s vital feedback mechanism is broken

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Orwellian nightmares: What I learned about today’s rage culture from rewriting 1984

At the time I was reimagining this scene, I spent much of my day on Twitter. It was early 2021, and everyone there was chronically angry. People communicated by jeering, trading insults, hectoring, flinging accusations… It was like being in an abusive relationship with everyone in the world. Sandra Newman A few years ago, I… Read More Orwellian nightmares: What I learned about today’s rage culture from rewriting 1984

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