Latest news with #CommonwealthHumanRightsInitiative
New Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Centre hiding data on unfilled posts meant for SC/STs, OBCs: RTI activist
BENGALURU: Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak, has claimed that the the Union government is deliberately attempting to conceal critical data on unfilled reserved posts for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Against the backdrop of a national debate on caste-based equity, Nayak points to systemic failures in transparency and inclusivity within the country's bureaucracy. Nayak posed RTI queries based on a December 2024 Parliamentary committee report on the welfare of SC/STs, which criticised the government for persistent backlog in vacancies and the near-total absence of SC/ST representation in decision-making roles across public sector undertakings (PSUs), ministries and banks. The report rejected claims of a "lack of suitable candidates" as baseless, attributing the issue to systemic exclusion and urging immediate corrective measures. Seeking data on backlog vacancies and the appointment of liaison officers to enforce reservation policies, Nayak had filed RTI requests with various departments. But central public information officers (CPIOs) gave him irrelevant recruitment statistics from earlier years and failed to address his specific queries, he said. "This is either a deliberate attempt to obscure politically sensitive data or evidence of a dysfunctional tracking system," Nayak said.
New Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
EC claims clean chit, but activists raise questions
BENGALURU: In an interesting twist that could reshape the narrative around electoral integrity, the chief electoral officer of the Election Commission of India has come out with a detailed clarification, claiming that all recognised political parties, including Congress, were handed over draft and final electoral rolls during the special summary revision, ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha. In all, 9,17,928 claims and objections were received during the process, the CEO revealed, asserting that no appeals were filed against any additions or deletions. But not everyone is buying the narrative. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Director Venkatesh Nayak calls it 'a half circle of transparency'. Welcoming the rare disclosure of district-wise data, Nayak demanded that the missing pieces — how many claims and objections were accepted or rejected — be released immediately. 'It's baffling that not a single appeal was filed. Are we to believe that nearly a million electoral modifications were flawless,' he wondered. Nayak hinted at a possible 'cover-up', stating that under current regulations, most original records — applications, claims and objections — would have already been destroyed at the district level because of the one-year retention rule. 'What is this data based on? Can it even be verified,' he asked.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
IJR: Tripura tops in judicial performance
Agartala: Tripura has secured the top position among India's small states in the judicial performance category, according to India Justice Report (IJR) 2025. It indicated that the state scored 5.32 out of 10, placing it ahead of Sikkim, which ranked second, followed by Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Goa. The IJR, supported by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, evaluates states based on key pillars of the justice system — judiciary, police, prisons, and legal aid. Tripura CM Manik Saha said, "This achievement is the result of the dedicated efforts of our respected judges, judicial officers, court staff, and members of the bar," he said.
