Abhishek Manu Singhvi has resigned as Congress spokesperson and head of a key parliamentary panel over the CD row. The much talked about CD allegedly has sexual acts involving Singhvi. The senior lawyer trashes the CD’s content as pure imagination. While the BJP has sought a forensic test of the CD, Singhvi says the matter in no way raises any public interest issue. And in case it disclos
The flick ‘The Dirty Picture’ was at the last moment stopped from being aired by a television channel during prime time. It is surprising and reflects indecision on part of the government that decided against screening the movie as its lead character, Vidya Balan, was honoured with the national award by the same government. The film had been given the U/A certificate for screening.
The central government has shied from taking any stand on the plea by Janta party president Subramanium Swamy that the mythological Ram Setu in the Palk Strait be declared a national monument. An apex court bench of justices HL Dattu and Anil R Dave on Thursday recorded that the central government does not intend to file its response to the petition of Swamy. The case relating to
Pakistan chief of the army staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has called for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier for the development of Pakistan and environmental concerns. He wants the military and civil leaderships of India and Pakistan to discuss the issue for peaceful coexistence. Kayani suggested that this would also bring down the defence expenditures of the two countries. The
Political experts see the MCD election fallout as a continuation of the Congress’s losing streak. The BJP has won majority seats in the north and east corporations. It has bagged 138 of the 272 wards (of the total three). Sheila Dikshit’s efforts to trifurcate the civic body failed to sway votes in her favour. Perhaps, even her campaign against the BJP couldn’t counter the lat
The chief justice of India has expressed concern about ‘misuse’ of RTI Act by certain individuals seeking unnecessary information about judicial system. It has been observed that a large number of RTI petitions are burdening not only the supreme court registry but also the central information commis
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the provision of 25 percent free seats for children from the economically weaker sections (EWS) even in private unaided schools uniformly across the country. The supreme court validated the law on Thursday. However, the court also conceded that the primary obligation to provide free and compulsory education lay wit
If the cabinet approves the proposal of the law ministry, couples won’t have to mention their religions during marriage registration. This would also speed up the registration process as civic authorities would also be able to do it. The ministry has suggested that registration would become easier if a clause on marriage and registration is added to the Births and Deaths Registration Act,
The supreme court has granted bail to Mohammad Khalil Chishty, an 80-year-old Karachi resident serving a life term for murder in a jail in Rajasthan. The court found no reason for Chishty’s continued incarceration given his age and poor health. It welcomed the “good tidings” over Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to India. This kind act from India bring
After the Odisha government agreed to release 15 activists and eight Maoists in exchange for the abducted MLA Jhina Hikaka, a fresh audio tape released by his abductors demands release of five more Maoists. Maoists are dictating terms as the government has no clear-cut policy in case of hostage crisis. Such incidents when governments agree to release Maoists to save hostages may set a precedent
For the record, both the defence establishment and the government have denied the report of troop movements that ‘spooked the Raisina Hill’. However, not all the questions raised by the Indian Express news report have been answered. Both sides (and a majority of people too) have rubbished any suggestion of the C word – coup, yet nobody denies there was a scare on the Raisina H
HRD minister Kapil Sibal has advocated a uniform semester-based system of examination in universities across the country. This, according to him, would facilitate mobility and choice available to students. He said if some universities offer three-year degree courses while others have their own system of examination, then students` mobility and choice are limited. At present, most
To check child marriages, Bharatpur district administration in Rajasthan has made it mandatory to print dates of birth of the bride and groom on invitation cards. All press owners have been directed to print cards only after taking age proof of bride and groom. Legal action will be taken against the press and their registration would be cancelled if they fail to do it. The initia
Former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra has attacked army chief general VK Singh for his stand on bribery allegations. Fearing other problems may crop up if General Singh is sacked, the NSA has suggested that he must be sent on ‘forced leave’, where he can enjoy a paid vacation of two months. This statement from the former NSA has come at a time when the army
The hanging of the convicted killer of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh has become a poltical issue in the state with almost every party backing sparing him . However, the supreme court hearing a different appeal, said "If the decision was taken at an appropriate stage, then the exchequer could have been saved crores of rupees." Criticising the parties for politicising the iss
Parliamentarians across party lines have flayed Arvind Kejriwal over his labelling them "rapists and murderers". In fact, they have called for action against the activist. But Kejriwal says that the sheer number of members with criminal charges against them (162) is evidence enough that it is the MPs themselves who are an insult to Parliament. He said that if people are losing faith i
Army chief, V K Singh said in an interview with The Hindu that the Army was no longer keeping up with the high standards that gave it a place of pride. He claimed that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe by a lobbyist and rued that the Army had allowed the latter to conceive approaching him with the offer. The Army has always been seen as an institution that was above graft and unsullied
The planning commission`s poverty estimates, drawn up using methodology suggested by the Suresh Tendulkar committee, were roundly criticised. Therefore, the government has dropped it like a hot potato and is blaming late Suresh tendulkar himself! While the government has consistently framed policy for the poor using the Tendulkar poverty bar, it has now scrapped the same and has announc
One of our readers argues that private news channels should compulsorily carry Parliamentary news, sharing Doordarshan content if they are not allowed to get it on their own. She does make a point — after all, the events in the apex law making body are definitely some
