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This book deals with the important subject of human rights which has been crucial element of philosophical, social and political debates in the second half of the twentieth century and, will probably also constitute a dominant discourse of the twenty first century. While there is increasingly wide-spread concern for universal respect and observance of human rights, gross violation of internationally recognised norms continue unabated in almost all parts of the world. India is no exception to this. Though in large parts of the world we boast of a democratic set-up with a comprehensive charter of rights enshrined in the constitution, protected by an independent judiciary, yet large scale violation of peoples rights has become a routine affair. Cases of human rights violation in India are innumerable, repetitive, enduring and have almost become a permanent feature of the state system.

The present volume is a modest attempt to highlight some of these issues which deserve special attention and also offers suggestions for improving the existing conditions. The book covers a wide range of issues like human rights violation of women and child, of Dalits and minorities and of refugees. It also deals with human rights abuses in pre-trial detention and covers the issue of environmental degradation and human rights. It also gives insight into the human rights situation in north-east India. The book also provides a historical perspective of the conceptual evolution of human rights and endeavours to unfold the controversies gathering around its universality and its misuse by the west as a diplomatic tool for establishing their hegemony over the third world.