Former media advisor to Prime Minister Deepak Sandhu and former secretary in the Union government Sushma Singh were sworn in, on Wednesday, as new information commissioners at the Central Information Commission.
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.
The Central Information Commission has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to disclose proposals sent to Union home ministry seeking permission for tapping telephones.
The CIC, which was hearing the RTI appeal of one Uma Jayaram, expressed its anguish over the 'apathetic attitude' of RPO Gloria Kumar, who in an earlier order was penalised with Rs 16,000 for failing to provide information on time.
A delegation from the National Commission for Women (NCW) visited a relief camp in Malda, West Bengal, and reported that women were being harassed and threatened by police. The NCW team, led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, met with those displaced by riots in Murshidabad and alleged that the women were being coerced to return home without proper safety measures. The team is scheduled to travel to Murshidabad and Kolkata to continue their investigation.
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.
Shakti Dubey has topped the civil services examination 2024, with Harshita Goyal and Dongre Archit Parag getting the second and third ranks, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Tuesday. The top five successful candidates comprise three women and two men. The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others. A total of 1,009 candidates -- 725 men and 284 women -- have been recommended by the UPSC for appointment to various services.
The order is is contrary to the Central Information Commission's directive bringing six national parties under the transparency law.
Disclosing an individual's income-tax returns is tantamount to violating the person's fundamental right to privacy as recognised by the Constitution.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, the chief minister also announced a one-man judicial probe, headed by Justice Michael D'Cunha, a retired high court judge of Karnataka, into the tragic incident.
'What does Indira Gandhi want from me? At this age, what will I do to her?'
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved IndusInd Bank's request to form an executive committee to discharge the duties and responsibilities of the chief executive officer (CEO) for a period of maximum three months or till a new CEO takes charge, whichever is earlier.
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 next Census' findings will help identify the extent of India's ageing population and vulnerability levels.
The development assumes significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month announced 10 lakh government recruitments in the next 1.5 years.
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.
'For the first time in this country, perhaps the first time anywhere, we are going to use backwardness index.' 'It is a fundamental shift in the discourse in the country's social justice.'
Mellowing down its earlier stand that no information with the Chief Justice of India could be revealed under RTI Act, the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to disclose information on what action the CJI has taken on a complaint filed against a sitting Allahabad High Court Judge.
The BJP received the highest amount in large donations among national parties in the financial year 2023-24, with over Rs 2,243 crore declared from 8,358 donations, according to a report by poll rights body the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The report, based on data submitted to the Election Commission, highlighted trends in political donations above Rs 20,000. The total declared donations to national parties stood at Rs 2,544.28 crore from 12,547 contributions - a sharp 199 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
The West Bengal government has assured the Calcutta High Court that the law and order situation in violence-hit Murshidabad district is under control. The court was hearing a petition by the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, who alleged bomb blasts during communal riots and sought an NIA investigation. The state government claims adequate steps have been taken to quell the violence, while the Centre has requested an extension of CAPF deployment in the district. The violence erupted during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad, displacing several families. The state government has reported that some families have returned to their homes.
A fake cardiologist operating at a missionary hospital in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, has been linked to the deaths of seven patients. Police have filed an FIR against the accused, identified as Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, who allegedly used the name of a renowned UK cardiologist. The incident came to light after a complaint was filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which is investigating the case. The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including forgery and criminal liability. The incident has sparked political controversy, with the Congress accusing the BJP of protecting the accused.
The case lodged against him by one of the Customs officials is pending before the special judge, Thiruvananthapuram.
'When one air force (India's) hits the other's airbases with impunity and that air force (Pakistan's) is not able to respond, then the air force, which has put the other's airbases out of commission, has won.'
The Supreme Court of India has formed a National Task Force (NTF) to address the growing concern of student suicides in higher educational institutions. The court took note of the recurring cases and directed Delhi Police to register FIRs on the complaints of families of two students who died by suicide at IIT Delhi in 2023. The NTF, chaired by former apex court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat, will prepare a comprehensive report, including the identification of causes leading to suicides, analysis of existing regulations, and recommendations for strengthening protections. The NTF will also have the authority to conduct surprise inspections of higher educational institutions and make further recommendations to ensure a holistic approach to addressing mental health concerns and eliminating suicides.
If as critics point out, the environmental impact assessment study was commissioned only after the auction process got underway with not all the stakeholders getting to know of it, then the government has already compromised the trust it could have enjoyed with Kerala's public including its coastal communities, points out Shyam G Menon.
In a letter to Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu, Kejriwal said he does not object to government records about him being made public and wondered why the commission wants to "hide" information on Modi's educational degree.
China has announced a 7.2 percent increase in its national defence budget, bringing the total to USD 249 billion for the year. This rise comes amidst China's ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces, including the development of new warships and fighter jets. The budget increase, exceeding last year's 7.2 percent rise, reflects China's commitment to bolstering its military capabilities. Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the importance of the Communist Party's leadership in guiding the military, with President Xi Jinping at the helm of the Central Military Commission. China's defence spending is now three times that of India's and is viewed by critics as a sign of the country's growing military ambitions.
Students from de-notified tribes, nomadic tribes and semi-nomadic tribes will receive coaching fees of up to 1,20,000 and additional benefits for preparing for entrance examinations such as JEE, NEET, CLAT and the NDA.
'In a world which is full of categories, hatred and ideologies, there was this basic decency.'
George stated that a girl should be married off by the time she is 22 or 23 and that such decency should be maintained.
The Kerala Police are investigating the mysterious deaths of an IRS officer, his sister, and their mother in Kochi. The officer, Maneesh Vijay, and his sister, Shalini Vijay, were found hanging inside their house, while their mother, Shakuntala Agarwal, was discovered dead on her bed. Police have not yet established a direct link between the deaths and a CBI case in which Shalini was summoned as an accused. Preliminary findings suggest the siblings died by suicide, but the cause of their mother's death is still under investigation. The family had been residing in the quarters for the past year and a half but reportedly kept to themselves, maintaining limited interaction with neighbours, police added.
President Droupadi Murmu has approved the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools. The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms at an inflated cost, according to a report by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government. The ACB report alleged that the classrooms were constructed at a rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas the average construction cost was around Rs 1,500 per square feet. The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Temperatures in 17 locations breached 45 degrees Celsius on Monday, with the punishing heat affecting health and livelihoods.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun questioning Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the deadly strikes. Rana, who was extradited from the US, is being held at the NIA headquarters in New Delhi. The interrogation is focused on his possible connection with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and his suspected links with the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
'It won't be a V-shaped recovery. It'll be consolidation.' 'Investors might exit during that grind. It'll be painful.'
There is a great need to introduce a transparent process to select information commissioners, who are expected to oversee transparency, says former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi.
Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha was appointed as the chief information commissioner on Saturday, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement.
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.
The Supreme Court of India has assured the creation of a robust mechanism to address the alarming number of suicides occurring in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The court was informed that 18 suicides had taken place in these institutions over the past 14 months. The court has also directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to finalize draft regulations aimed at combating caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.
A loud sound was heard at around 1 am outside Kalia's residence near Shastri Market in Jalandhar, police said, adding that no one was hurt in the incident.
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