-PTI Four vagabond children, who were victims of trafficking, drug abuse and shocking sexual exploitation and violence, narrated their tales to J S Verma committee alleging that police personnel used to extort money and even indulge in sexual exploitation of women. The committee has annexed their interview in the report in which the children, whose names have been withheld, claimed that they saw police personnel of a Police Control Room van taking...

-The Hindu In the television newsroom, the promoter’s fancies and political preferences have taken precedence over editorial judgement The Zee “Extortion” case in which the news network is alleged to have demanded Rs.100 crore in return for rolling back its campaign against steel tycoon Navin Jindal’s “misdemeanours” in coal block allocations (for the family owned Jindal Steel & Power Limited or JSPL), is a deeply layered story that deserves a closer look...

-The Business Standard Reetika Khera Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi* “Aadhaar is being made de facto compulsory for welfare schemes. With two-thirds without Aadhaar, they are bound to be denied entitlements” There are three components of the government’s direct benefit transfer scheme — computerisation, extending banking services and linking the benefits with Aadhaar. The real game-changers are the first two, whereas Aadhaar-enabled transfers carry the risk of excluding current beneficiaries. The Central government has...

-Outlook In a significant development, a Delhi court today took cognisance of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary's criminal defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL). "The cognisance of offence under section 499 (defamation) read with 34 (common intention) of the IPC is taken... Keeping in view the law laid down in the provisions of CrPC and the judgement of the...

-Parda Phash A Delhi court, hearing the Delhi Police Crime Branch plea of performing a lie detector test on two arrested Zee journalists, gave its ruling in favour of the Zee group. Rejecting the police's appeal, court granted permission for only voice tests in Rs 100 crore alleged Extortion case filed by Congress MP Naveen Jindal. Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao permits Delhi Police Crime Branch to collect voice samples Zee News head...