Seeks two weeks to decide on collegium recommendation on his elevation The Union government on Monday sought from the Supreme Court two weeks to decide on the collegium recommendation to appoint Bombay High Court’s Justice Akil Kureshi as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta …

Amit Shah counters opposition charge that amendments will pack NHRC with ‘yes men’ The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha amid criticism from the Opposition that the legislation will ensure that only the government’s nominees are appointed to the …

Lok Sabha clears amendments, MPs of various parties call it the ‘RTI Elimination Bill’ The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 three days after it was introduced. It seeks to amend the landmark transparency law and bring in changes involving the salaries and tenures …

The Delhi zoo on Monday got a male white tiger in an exchange programme with Lucknow zoo. The Delhi zoo will now initiate the process to transfer a female white tiger, Geeta, to Lucknow. The white tiger, Vijay, about three years old, reached the zoo on Monday night. Before the …

India’s second lunar journey and its first-ever interplanetary mission to be spearheaded by two women, Project Director M. Vanitha and Mission Director Ritu Kharidhal, got a boost after the ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission, headed to the moon’s South Pole region, and achieved an orbit 6,000 km more than what was targeted. …

Collector takes action to undo wrong A 15-year-old HIV-positive boy, allegedly denied admission to the Government Higher Secondary School at Kolakanatham in Perambalur district, was on Monday enrolled in another school after senior officials intervened. Though the authorities had offered to admit the boy to the school at Kolakanatham, his …

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer asked to submit report today The Delhi Commission for Women on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission over a Punjab district poll panel allegedly putting the photograph of a death row convict in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case on a hoarding. An …

Single document detailing deaths to be prepared for more effective corrective measures The National Zoological Park, better known as Delhi zoo, has undertaken an analysis into deaths of 245 animals over 14 months from April 2018 to June 2019. “We were also surprised by the high number of deaths and …

Speaker sets 6 p.m. Tuesday deadline for vote after debates go on till close to midnight Five days after the motion of confidence was moved by Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a vote in the Assembly was yet again deferred by a day after a heated debate continued till close …

GRP registers 16 accidental deaths on July 18; majority of deaths due to trespassing On July 18, the Government Railway Police (GRP) registered 16 accidental deaths, among the highest in recent years. However, overall accidental deaths on the suburban railway network in the city have seen a dip of around …

Congress, JD(S) Ministers block trust vote citing SC hearing on petitions Five days after the motion of confidence was moved in the Karnataka Assembly by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a heated debate continued till late on Monday with the ruling coalition partners — the Congress and the JD(S) — locked …

U.S. President says PM Modi sought his help during their recent meeting in Japan U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday offered to be a “mediator” between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House. “If I can help, I would …

Two men walked on the moon to-day [July 21]. They were U.S. astronauts, Neil Armstrong (38) and Edwin Aldrin (39), the first men to leave their footprints on the dusty, rocky surface of the moon where they landed in the Lunar Module Eagle at 1-47 a.m. (I.S.T.) to-day [July 21]. …

The pact between the military and civilian protesters may help Sudan turn a democracy Sudan’s ruling military council and representatives of the pro-democracy movement have signed a power-sharing agreement, signalling that its disputed transition to civilian rule is on track. Ever since President Omar al-Bashir’s fall in April amid anti-regime …

SEBI needs financial autonomy to remain effective as the chief markets regulator The Centre’s decision to clip the wings of the Securities and Exchange Board of India has not gone down too well with its members. Yet, the Centre is refusing to budge. In a letter dated July 10, SEBI …

Use of facial recognition technology in law enforcement can have disastrous consequences The Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) recently proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs is geared towards modernising the police force, identifying criminals, and enhancing information sharing between police units across the country. The AFRS will use images …

To save the hard-won press freedoms, there is a need to form a vibrant covenant between journalism and citizens Commemorative columns can be an occasion to celebrate a body of work. They have a tone of pride and professional satisfaction. But, I reside in a borderless terrain between personal satisfaction …

There are major differences but also similarities in the U.S.’s response to Russia’s S-400 deals with Turkey and India The decision by the United States to terminate Turkey’s participation in the F-35 joint strike fighter project and its threat to impose economic sanctions on Ankara under Countering America’s Adversaries Through …

The High Court’s verdict in theShakti Millsrape case disregards several judicial standards & precedents The Bombay High Court last month handed down a judgment upholding the validity of Section 376E of the Indian Penal Code, which authorises the award of either a life sentence or the death penalty to perpetrators …

The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill is a twin attack on accountability and the idea of federalism “Amendments” have haunted the Right to Information (RTI) community ever since the RTI Act came into effect almost 14 years ago. Rarely has a law been so stoutly defended by activists. It is …