Documents on presidential immunity have been stolen from the home of an official of Pakistan's supreme court at a time when the judiciary is pressuring the government to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, the media here reported on Friday.
Two key legislations Lokpal Bill and Food Security Bill -- are expected to be taken up by the Union Cabinet on Sunday after which they will be brought to Parliament next week.
With pressure mounting on the Centre for enacting a strong anti-graft legislation, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the Lokpal Bill will "certainly" be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament.
A whopping $700 million (about Rs 3,700 crore) is paid annually as bribe in India for land administration services, a joint study by United Nation's body FAO and Transparency International has observed.
Facing a battle of prestige in the June 12 by-polls, the ruling Congress appears to be going all out to take credit for various welfare schemes launched by late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, while distancing itself from the graft allegations linked to his tenure as chief minister.
Government sources said that since the allegations were of a serious nature, the CBI has been asked to probe.
With Team Anna under attack for levelling allegations against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday asked Anna Hazare to leave the group, which is in the grip of "Naxalite minded crazies" and join him and Ramdev in the fight against graft.
Calling corruption a "plague", Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the government was committed to eradicating it and hoped that the opposition will help in passage of anti-graft measures including Lokpal.
Several slogan-shouting workers of Pawar's party reached the Yadav Baba temple, once the abode of Hazare, and demanded that the anti-graft campaigner apologise for his remark made on Thursday after a youth slapped the NCP supremo to protest corruption and price rise.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a government petition seeking a review of its order that struck down a controversial graft amnesty for politicians, setting the stage for possible reopening of corruption cases against top leaders like President Asif Ali Zardari.
Once formulated, this will be the fifth case against the ousted premier by the NAB.
Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will appear before supreme court on Monday to face contempt charges that could decide his fate and plunge the country into a fresh political turmoil over his refusal to reopen graft cases against the president.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday came under attack from Team Anna as he shared the stage with Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad and said he found no basis for allegations of corruption in Gujarat.
In a major blow to beleaguered Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the supreme court on Friday rejected his appeal, asking him to appear before it on February 13 to frame contempt charges for not reopening graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Citing precedents set by apex courts in countries like India, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court seeking suspension of its order summoning him for framing of contempt charges over his failure to reopen graft cases against the President.
Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) on Wednesday handed over the first batch of evidence to US authorities for its investigation into alleged bribery schemes for soccer marketing rights.
Strengthened by B S Yeddyurappa's resignation as Karnataka chief minister following graft charges, Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded the head of Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda for "illegal" denotification and lease of land in Gurgaon to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.
The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party's top leadership has decided to contest the Supreme Court's move to frame contempt charges against Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, according to a media report on Friday. Gilani's lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan is likely to file an appeal in a few days against the apex court's order summoning the premier on February 13 for the framing of contempt of court charges for failing to act on orders to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. T
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the issue of granting of sanction for prosecution of public servants, saying it has "simplified the issue" in graft cases lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Terming the ruling as a "victory for the Constitution and the war against corruption", Swamy said it has also "empowered all of us who are fighting against corruption."
On Thursday morning, Gilani appeared before a seven-judge bench that is hearing a contempt of court case initiated against the premier for refusing to act on orders to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Friday said though sacked CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, accused in a Games-related graft case, has been allowed by a Delhi Court to go to London for the upcoming Olympic Games, he should voluntarily desist from going to the mega event.
Sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, accused in a Games-related graft case, was on Friday allowed by a Delhi court to go to London for the 2012 Olympics.
The party's chances of winning two seats in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state in the March 26 Rajya Sabha polls has been severely dented.
Supporting a strong Lokpal, Infosys Technologies Chairman Emeritus N R Narayan Murthy said reduction in corruption leads to faster economic growth of a country and this could have been the case in India also if graft had been curbed.
Taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party on the corruption issue, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that the party was forced to change its chief minister in Uttarakhand following graft allegations and accused it of "creating a wedge" between the hills and the plains.
Pakistani media on Tuesday warned beleaguered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani-led government that it has been granted a "last lifeline" by the Supreme Court to end its confrontation with the judiciary as the nation can ill-afford another spell of military rule.
Under fire from the Congress over B S Yeddyurappa's arrest, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Tuesday admitted that 'small mistakes' were embarrassing the party leadership, which had cautioned the former Karnataka chief minister on the developments.
Pakistan's beleaguered Prime Minister on Sunday defiantly rejected the Army's demand that he retract his criticism of the military, a day ahead of the crucial Supreme Court hearing relating to graft cases which could have a decisive bearing on the current crisis gripping the nation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested Central Excise Commissioner Anup Kumar Srivastava after a court in New Delhi dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in connection with his alleged role in a graft case.
The Pakistan Army's top commanders have decided to throw their weight behind the Supreme Court in its standoff with the civilian government over the memo scandal and the revival of high-profile graft cases, according to a media report on Friday.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari returned home from Dubai early on Friday, hours before Parliament reconvenes for a special session to discuss SupremeCourt's warning that it could take action against him and the Prime Minister for failing to reopen high-profile graft cases.
Noting that there was no difference between Anna Hazare and the government on the need to fight corruption, Congress today welcomed Team Anna's decision not to campaign against any political party but against the issue of graft in five poll-bound states.
A day after a photograph of Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was published in a Hindi daily with the leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Javadekar mockingly advised the former to join the Sangh.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta recommended his dismissal on charges of owning disproportionate assets, Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday sacked Secondary Education Minister Rangnath Misra and Labour Minister Badshah Singh, who too is under the scanner of the anti-graft ombudsmen. Cracking the whip, the chief minister has also ordered a vigilance inquiry against the two ministers. Both the ministers have been asked to fight the graft cases in court.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur were today shown black flags by supporters of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare at the Golden Temple.
"BJP national general secretary Kirit Somaiya lodged a complaint against me with Lokayukta, but nothing was found. If I did not have personal relationship with Lokayukta I could have moved the Supreme Court and got him removed," Upadhyaya said while addressing a public meeting in Haathras on Friday evening.
The month-long winter session of the Lok Sabha, which witnessed turmoil on several issues including FDI in retail, was adjourned sine die on Thursday
Press Council Chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Saturday said anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare lacks the scientific ideas that are needed to solve the problem of graft.
Ahead of Anna Hazare's fast, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday accused him of playing into the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party to harm the party despite it fulfilling the commitment to bring the Lokpal Bill.
With the Bombay high court on Friday rejecting the petition seeking direction to Maharashtra government for waiving or reducing the rent for MMRDA ground for his fast, Anna Hazare said the volunteers should not have sought legal remedy. "Our volunteers shouldn't have approached court," he told the media Ralegan Siddhi.
