Documenting the Northeast's tribal laws
Land is central to the tribal identity in the region too easily abbreviated 'northeast'. Jeuti baruah knows this too well. As director of the Law …
Green poetry
On October 15, 2003, the Prime Minister (PM) attended the first meeting of the new all-powerful Indian Wildlife Board. He gave a virtuoso …
Archaeology helps to unlearn too
Archaeology is the science that studies the remains of past cultures by investigating and analysing the objects people leave behind. It is a …
Cola major gets a taste of panchayat power
A multi-billion-dollar transnational corporation has had to blink first in an eyeball-to-eyeball dispute with an obscure panchayat of Kerala. On …
Is Internet really free?
The Internet, it is believed, is vital to democracy, a channel that makes possible a continuous worldwide conversation. Its a veritable global …
Real estate on water
Lakes were critical for Indian cities. They prevented floods and recharged groundwater. Today, these holes in the ground are either lucrative …
Short circuit
On the face of it, the ambitious Sethusamudram project to bridge the east coast with the west coast of the country seems a great idea. The …
Scorching salt
As the world celebrates yet another Environment Day, groups of marginalized people in some part of the globe or the other get evicted from their …
Goa must grow...but how?
On January 26, 2007, the government of Goa withdrew its newest blueprint for the development of the state, called the Regional Plan 2011. …
Lavasa exposed
By its looks, the place could be mistaken for Portofino, a fishing village-cum-resort in Italy—multi-coloured buildings crowd a waterfront …
Tribunal on trial
It has been four years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act was passed by Parliament for effective and expeditious disposal of cases …
Clash of the cyberworlds
In an increasingly digital world, the issue of Internet freedom and governance has become hugely contested. Censorship and denial of access occur …
Polavaram fraud
The Polavaram dam on the Godavari could displace 400,000 people and submerge nearly 4,000 hectares of forestland. Most of the people threatened …
On foot and pedal
The teeming millions on foot and pedal are powering mobility in Indian cities. Their numbers exceed those who use cars. Yet they are victims of …
Deafening Noise
Constant exposure to noise can make one deaf. The major culprit is road traffic. Can one avoid noise? It’s difficult. Checking it, however, …
Sand slips
Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …
Road to disaster
Fertile land is up for grabs in western Uttar Pradesh. Private developers are acquiring it to build apartments, industries, IT institutes, and …
EIA 2020: Public consultation without informing the public?
The government’s refusal to make the draft Environmental Impact Assessment accessible in regional languages is a violation of the …
Tricky issue of policing the Internet
Instead of bans, regulations may be a better way of dealing with the downside of digital technology
Kerala HC directs NDMA to formulate compensation policy for those dying due to COVID-19 vaccine
The order was passed September 1 and a time frame of three months has been set; the move sets a precedent since no such policy has been …
The truth behind the Muthanga incident
The People's Judicial Enquiry Commission probe into the Muthanga incident in Kerala sheds new light on this burning issue, which is causing …
EIA notification 2020 delayed till September 7
A petition had been filed in court, asking the notification be translated in all 22 regional languages of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
Assault on open access to science in India
Elsevier, Wiley and American Chemical Society have pleaded in front of Delhi High Court that ISPs block Sci-Hub and Libgen websites in India
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (July 3, 2019)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal