The Rajasthan government has ordered a high-level inquiry into allegations against three legislators seeking commissions for the release of MLA funds, freezing their accounts pending the investigation.
All board members and staff of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will be required to declare their assets, liabilities, trading activities, and relevant relationships at multiple stages - at the time of appointment, annually, upon key events, and at exit. This is part of a series of recommendations by a high-level committee constituted by the markets regulator in a bid to overhaul conflict-of-interest and disclosure rules.
Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel was on Wednesday appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, a year after the post fell vacant.
Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas may quit the post in the wake of stinging observations from the Supreme Court on his capacity to supervise the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
Newly-appointed Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar, an IIT-Delhi alumni and Haryana cadre Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1972 batch, is a seasoned bureaucrat who has traversed the corridors of power in the capital having served in various key ministries.
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.
Sharad Kumar, former head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was named as the new chief of the BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit.
Over 6,900 corruption cases probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation were pending trials in different courts, 361 for more than 20 years, according to the latest annual report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). Besides, as many as 658 corruption cases were pending CBI investigation, 48 for more than five years.
At least 13 candidates are in the race for the position of managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of Punjab National Bank (PNB), the second-largest public sector bank (PSB), according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. "Among the candidates, some are executive directors (EDs) and managing directors in major PSBs. "Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) will conduct the interviews next month," said a source.
Ahead of the meeting of the prime minister-chaired high powered panel for selection of Election Commissioners, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to the Law Ministry seeking details of short-listed candidates along with their 'dossiers'.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the validity of two central laws and the corresponding rules that provide for a maximum tenure of five years for the directors of the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
Sources said the report of the law panel on simultaneous polls is not yet finalised. They said "some more things are required to be done", indicating that the law panel will be invited again by the high-level committee.
The post of the chief of the Central Vigilance Commission, the country's anti-corruption watchdog, was lying vacant since June last year after K V Chowdary completed his tenure.
CVC K V Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin completed their tenure at the anti-graft body on Sunday and Monday respectively.
"There are not sufficient number of applications received by the government. The extension in the last date has been given to allow more people to apply for the posts," a senior government official said.
Dominic Xavier highlights the CVC India needs.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the meetings of the committee as a special invitee, while legal affairs secretary Niten Chandra will be secretary to the panel.
The coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections -- the choice of candidates, the campaign strategies and the negotiations with other Opposition parties --0 represent the real test for Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge termed the high-level committee constituted by the Centre to examine the feasibility of 'One Nation, One Election' a 'gimmick' and alleged the Modi government wants to slowly replace democracy in India with dictatorship.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and some other MPs suspended from Parliament will not be able to attend the meetings of parliamentary committees of which they are a member or chairperson till their suspension is revoked.
A high-level committee to explore the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, held its first meeting in New Delhi on Saturday and decided to invite political parties and the Law Commission to seek their views on holding synchronised polls in the country, a statement said.
The chiefs of the central agencies currently have a two-year tenure.
'There is one negative thing which has happened very quietly. The position of the election commissioner has been downgraded.'
The Opposition on Thursday protested the government's move to extend the tenures of the directors of Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate up to a maximum of five years from the present two years, alleging it was 'arbitrary' and without any logic.
The bench said the petition has relied on a March 2 verdict of the apex court which had ruled that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs will be done by the President on the recommendation of a committee, comprising the prime minister, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and the CJI, to maintain the "purity of election".
Verma is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled by Asthana before the panel comprising Vigilance Commissioners T M Bhasin and Sharad Kumar, they said.
Another meeting will be called next week at a mutually-convenient date.
Former Central Board of Direct Taxes chief K V Chowdary and Information Commissioner Vijai Sharma were on Monday appointed Central Vigilance Commissioner and Chief Information Commissioner, posts which have remained vacant for over nine months on which the government drew some flak.
'This shows how casually these officials approached a dispute simmering for years which finally erupted into violence.'
Of the total complaints received in the last fiscal, 57 were against Group A or Group B central government officials, 44 against chairpersons, members and employees of different boards/corporations/autonomous bodies wholly or partially financed by the Centre, and five were in the "others" category, it said.
Sheela Bhatt analyses the implications of the Supreme Court's landmark verdict on Thursday, trashing the appointment of PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner
Verma came to the CVC office in the late afternoon and stayed there for about two hours, they said.
Senior most Information Commissioner Vijai Sharma is tipped to be new Chief Information Commissioner, while former Central Board of Direct Taxes chief K V Chowdary is understood to be in the running for the Central Vigilance Commissioner's post.
The pay scales of heads and members of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) have been revised.
'The government is doing away with crucial laws such as the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Protection Act which had helped safeguard our forests.' 'The President has to show that she will stand in favour of tribal rights.'
Prashant Bhushan has opposed the selection of K V Choudary as the next CVC, by a committee headed by PM Narendra Modi, alleging that he was "tainted" and not a proper choice for the post.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted its embargo and allowed the Centre to go ahead with the appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner and a Vigilance Commissioner from the list of candidates shortlisted by it.
The anti-corruption watchdog posts have been vacant for the last nine months.
Over 40,000 complaints and appeals are pending in the Central Information Commission which is working without its chief for more than nine months.
According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, President Kovind, along with the First Lady and other members of the family, joined the fellow citizens and expressed their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in spite of grave risk to them and their families. President Kovind also donated one-month salary to PM-CARES fund and has decided to forego 30 per cent of his salary for a year, it said in a series of slides mentioning various initiatives and work done during the third year of his presidency.
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