The real story in the Mining Bill is not just the deferral of the Mining Bill or the debate between the National Council and National Assembly members, but it is something more complex and fundamental. When we talk of mines we are essentially talking of Dolomite, Gypsum and Coal. Despite …
Read More »Judiciary upholds Justice
The verdict of Bench 1 of the Thimphu district court dismissing the OAG’s sedition case against Penjore outlines four important reasons for the dismissal and each of them are important. The first point tackles the OAG’s wild swing of the case from a defamation case to that of sedition when …
Read More »A test for the Judiciary
So far, the focus of the ‘Penjore Penjore’ case has been on the OAG and to an extent the government, but as the case gets filed in court, the focus will shift to the judiciary. This case has put the judiciary in an unenviable position as the proclamations of the …
Read More »The issues in the Penjore case
The ‘Penjore Penjore’ case is not about Mr. Penjore, and nor is it about his facebook posts over the years. He has to be accountable for what he writes or says and any private citizen has the legal right to sue him if they feel defamed by him. The issue …
Read More »Freedom of Speech
The Penjore Penjore defamation case is not just about Penjore or the OAG but it has much wider ramifications for the freedom of speech and freedom of media enshrined in the Constitution. What is most troubling about the case is that the legal arm of the government in the form …
Read More »The B.1.617 variant challenge
Neighboring India saw a dramatic fall in cases after the first wave until it got hit by a massive second wave led by a new India origin variant called B.1.617. This variant is the predominant variant in India and is thought to be behind the surge in cases. It has …
Read More »The OAG Island
In 2010 the OAG engaged in a furious battle with the Anti Corruption Commission to not prosecute those accused in the Gyelpozhing Land allotment case. It later lost the case and a lot of its credibility with it. This was soon followed by the Trongsa land case where the OAG …
Read More »The Economic Impact of COVID
The Prime Minister recently said that the COVID-19 has not had much of an impact on the everyday economic lives of Bhutanese as they still carry on with their lives. He said the falling GDP rates are more to do with the big business houses that are in trouble. This …
Read More »The crucial few months
Complacency and COVID fatigue seems to be setting in as people abandon COVID-19 protocols and increasingly flout the very conditions laid down after the second lockdown. Archery played a major role in the spread of the virus during the second outbreak and so the government limited it to only 10 …
Read More »Gratitude
As the monthly income support scheme and the 50 percent interest waiver drew to a close in March many wondered what would happen in the coming months. However, in an unprecedented move His Majesty The King extended the Kidu for another 15 months this time pouring in precious funds painstakingly …
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The Bhutanese Leading the way.