The Assam Cabinet has decided to request the Gauhati High Court to establish a fast-track court to expedite the trial in the Zubeen Garg death case, following a request from the singer's family.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Income Tax Department to disclose 'generic details of the net taxable income/gross income' of an estranged husband to his wife for pursuing maintenance proceedings. The commission stated that such information cannot be denied on privacy grounds in matrimonial disputes.
The Central Information Commission, which is functioning at full strength for the first time after December 2016, will need to consider 31,000 appeals and complaints. It takes more than a year for a matter to be heard by the Commission.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on December 10 to select and recommend names for the post of Chief Information Commissioner and information commissioners of the Central Information Commission (CIC).
The Central Information Commission (CIC) attains its full strength after nine years with the appointment of Raj Kumar Goyal as chief and eight other information commissioners.
Dismissing Gandhi's claims, the sources said eight names were finalised for filling the vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC) by the three-member committee.
A panel headed by PM Modi and including Rahul Gandhi will meet to decide on the next Chief Information Commissioner and information commissioners for vacant positions at the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Musician Shakharjyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta were arrested in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg. The arrests follow an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Garg's death in Singapore.
The festival organiser, Garg's manager and two band members -- Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta -- have been arrested in the case and sent to 14 days of police remand.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) Department are likely to join the Assam Police in investigating alleged organised financial crimes and acquisition of benami properties by event manager Shyamkanu Mahanta, an accused in the death of Assam's cultural icon Zubeen Garg.
Assam Police have filed a murder charge against Zubeen Garg's manager and a festival organizer in connection with the singer's death in Singapore. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities seeking cooperation from Singaporean officials.
It has granted states and the Centre three weeks to furnish the information, and posted the plea filed by RTI activist Anjali Bhardwaj for hearing after that.
A businessman in Kerala has released CCTV footage allegedly showing police officers assaulting restaurant employees in custody. The businessman claims the incident occurred in May 2023 and that his attempts to seek justice have been met with resistance.
The Delhi High Court has set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that directed the disclosure of information related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bachelor's degree.
The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking an independent selection process for the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on March 17. The PIL, filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, argues that the current system of appointment solely by the executive and the prime minister violates the Constitution and undermines the CAG's independence. The petition calls for a transparent process involving the prime minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. The PIL contends that the CAG's role as a watchdog over government finances requires a fair and non-arbitrary appointment procedure.
The Supreme Court of India has sought the government's response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that challenges the appointment process of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), arguing it's unconstitutional. The PIL, filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, claims the current process, solely through executive appointment by the Prime Minister, undermines the CAG's independence and violates constitutional principles. The court, while acknowledging the importance of institutional trust, questioned the extent to which it should intervene in the appointment process and whether this would constitute rewriting constitutional provisions. The PIL suggests the CAG's appointment should be similar to other independent bodies, with a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. The case has implications for the independence and transparency of India's audit system.
University of Delhi on Monday said the purpose of Right to information (RTI) was not to satiate a third party's curiosity as it challenged the central information commission's order over disclosure of information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.
'The government does not want to be transparent or accountable. Therefore, they do not want to appoint information commissioners.'
Delhi University (DU) has informed the Delhi High Court that it is willing to show its records on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree to the court, but not disclose it to "strangers" under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The university's solicitor general, Tushar Mehta, argued that the "right to privacy" superseded the "right to know" in this case, and that allowing disclosure would expose the university to RTI applications for information about lakhs of its students. The court has reserved its verdict on the matter.
The high court said disclosing such information will not only compromise the functioning of the Special Branch of the Delhi police, but could also jeopardise ongoing and future investigations, adding that it falls within the scope of 'exempted information' under the RTI Act.
Disclosing an individual's income-tax returns is tantamount to violating the person's fundamental right to privacy as recognised by the Constitution.
The decision on Rahul Gandhi's appointment as the Leader of Opposition was made after a meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised Rahul Gandhi as the leader of opposition on Wednesday, a day after the Congress communicated its decision to name him for the position to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Samariya, the first Dalit to have been appointed to the post, was working as information commissioner in the transparency panel Central Information Commission (CIC). A 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Telangana cadre, Samariya retired after serving as the labour and employment secretary in the Government of India. He was sworn in as the information commissioner on November 7, 2020.
Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer M G Devasahayam, who was one of the signatories to the representation on the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) and the vote-counting process, had filed an application with the poll panel under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking details of the action taken on it.
Durve argued that the word 'secret' is nowhere in the exemption clause under which information could be denied to an applicant.
'The fraud is the electronic voting machine is being manipulated by humans, and not counting the votes that is shown on VVPAT.'
The apex court asked the Gujarat high court to decide within four weeks on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders seeking quashing of the summonses issued to them by the trial court.
The parliamentary panel, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party's Sushil Kumar Modi, has also decided to examine remote voting and e-postal ballots for Indians residing abroad.
The outfit suggested that the government amend the Information Technology Act to classify all such content as pornography, which people should only be able to access by punching in their Aadhaar details or their fingerprints. Archis Mohan reports
One of the key contentions raised by Kejriwal in his review plea is that contrary to Gujarat University's claim about Modi's degree being available online, no such degree is available on the university's website.
Chowdhury said the voice of the Opposition has been "ignored" and that is not good for democracy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Congress, saying it skipped the meeting convened to select the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) as he is a Dalit and this reflected the anti-Scheduled Castes mindset of the main opposition party.
The agency had received Rs 946.51 crore to manage its affairs in the Budget Estimates for 2023-24, which was later increased to Rs 968.86 crore in the Revised Estimates.
The Delhi high court said on Friday the purpose of Right to Information (RTI) Act is to bring in transparency, and if any information has been sought, it should be made public unless exempted from disclosure under the law.
Sharad Pawar's comments were at variance from ally Shiv Sena-UBT, whose leader Sanjay Raut had said PM Modi should come forward to inform about his academic qualification and that his degree should be displayed at the entrance of the Parliament building.
The matter came up before Justice Subramonium Prasad who listed it for hearing on October 16.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Gujarat high court seeking a review of its recent order setting aside the Central Information Commission's directive to the Gujarat University to provide information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree to the AAP national convener.
The prisons department had on Thursday issued an order for the premature release of Amarmani Tripathi, citing the state's 2018 policy on remission, since they have completed 16 years of imprisonment.
This is just another instance of the indifference with which the Commission has been treated by the government.