Earlier, they appealed to the Calcutta High Court. The High Court, on May 8, directed the West Bengal State Election Commission to accept nominations submitted in the electronic form in order to ensure free and fair elections. The Commission, in turn, moved the Supreme Court, arguing that there was no …

Technology has a flip-side but live-streaming of Supreme Court proceedings is a true representation of the “open courtroom” system where courts are accessible to one and all, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said on Friday. The remark countered arguments that live-streaming of court proceedings would be misused, and verbal comments made by …

In a major effort to improve emergency medical support to soldiers posted in high-altitude areas, especially Siachen, the Integrated Defence Staff of the Defence Ministry and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to set up telemedicine nodes in critical places across the country. …

At a time when the Opposition is using the dipping employment data as a stick to beat the government with, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has brought out a special issue of its annual journal, Yojana , on “Employment and self-employment”. The issue reportedly aims at clearing the air on …

An analysis of 14 cities in India, including six mega cities and eight metropolises, on how they fare when it comes to pollution and energy consumption from urban commuting, places Kolkata as the top-performing megacity. Bhopal leads the list on the lowest overall emissions. Delhi and Hyderabad are the two …

In the times of social media and phased elections, how can campaign silence be maintained during the last 48 hours before the elections? The Election Commission will be debating this and seven other issues, including limiting of expenditure and increasing participation of women, at a multi-party meeting on Monday. All …

People are dying in building collapses and fires because corruption has eaten into town planning and grant of building permits across the country, the Supreme Court said in Friday. Referring to the recent fire which engulfed Crystal Tower in Parel, Mumbai, Justice Madan B. Lokur said thousands of buildings in …

A study on air and travel-related pollution loads caused by urban transport has ranked Kochi as the 5th cleanest among the 14 Indian cities. The study carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, looked at the quantum of toxic emissions of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen …

Tamil Nadu warned Kerala when the water level rose in the Mullaperiyar dam during the critical days of the devastating floods, the State said in a counter-affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Friday. The Tamil Nadu government denied allegations it waited too long until the water storage level crossed …

After an interval of three years the quadrangular cricket fixtures are again to be played in Poona. There are many who consider that these matches should always be played in Bombay and never in Poona and for many reasons this might be desirable. On the other hand the climatic conditions …

Reuters Correspondent at American Headquarters says: The enemy is feeling the effects of our [American] prolonged bombardment. Our aeroplanes are meeting less opposition owing to urgent demands on enemy aircraft elsewhere. Our machines are effectively assisting gunners in keeping the Aisne bridges and their approaches under constant fire. All supplies …

Over 110 Central and State laws discriminate against leprosy patients. The biased provisions in these statutes were introduced prior to medical advancements; now, modern medicine (specifically, multi-drug therapy) completely cures the disease. These laws stigmatise and isolate leprosy patients and, coupled with age-old beliefs about leprosy, cause the patients untold …

In 2017, there was a heated debate on whether khichdi should become the country’s national dish. While some believed that its simplicity and nutritious qualities were good reasons for its elevation, for others the assumption that the dish is cooked in the same manner everywhere was reason enough to push …

The long-term survivability of the Donald Trump administration fell into doubt this week after two of the U.S. President’s former associates came under the shadow of guilt for eight separate felonies each, all serious political and financial crimes. First, Mr. Trump’s former attorney and self-declared “fix-it guy”, Michael Cohen, pleaded …

The clearest indication so far that India would turn down offers of financial assistance from foreign governments for relief and rehabilitation work in Kerala came on Wednesday. And yet, it only added to the confusion. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said that “in line with the existing policy”, the …

The current debate on whether foreign assistance should be accepted for relief and reconstruction work following the devastating floods in Kerala is an unnecessary distraction for the Central and State governments at a time of a grave crisis. The need now is to use all assistance, Indian and foreign, to …

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was an integral part of the Dominion of India, according to the Instrument of Accession which was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947 and subsequently ratified by the Constituent Assembly of J&K. Article 35A of the Constitution is now being vigorously contested with …

Why is history such an important school subject? And why does it not receive the importance it deserves? These two were among the major questions debated at a conference recently held in Kolkata. A brief answer to the second question is that history cannot compete with science subjects in the …

Microfinance lender CreditAccess Grameen made a tepid debut on the bourses on Thursday with the shares falling below the issue price even as the benchmark indices posted marginal gains. On BSE, the shares listed at Rs. 385, much lower than the issue price of Rs. 422 before closing at Rs. …

The Indian economy is expected to grow by about 7.5% in 2018 and 2019 as it is largely resilient to external pressures like those from higher oil prices, Moody’s Investors Service said. In its Global Macro Outlook for 2018-19, Moody’s said the run-up in energy prices over the last few …