-The Times of India CHENNAI: The number of judges in high courts across the country is set to increase by about 25%, with the Centre writing to all chief justices and chief ministers informing them of the decision and seeking their views on additional infrastructure and support staff. As per a demi-official letter from union law minister Kapil Sibal dated January 16, the number of judges in the Allahabad high court will...

-The Business Standard Plan panel may skip annual meet with CMs in view of polls With general elections only a few months away, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia might skip the customary one-to-one meetings with some chief ministers, while finalising the annual Plans for states, for 2014-15. According to a senior official, chief ministers usually avoid coming personally to discuss their annual plan ahead of a general election. The commission has...

-Frontline DAVID SANDERS, Professor Emeritus and founding Director of the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa, is a specialist paediatrician with postgraduate qualifications in public health. One of the founders of the global public health movement, he has over 30 years' experience in health policy and programme development in Zimbabwe and South Africa, having advised governments as well as organisations such as...

The Supreme Court dismissed the government’s review petition in the Vodafone tax case on Tuesday, affirming its January ruling that put overseas transfers of shares outside the Indian tax net. The review petition and last week’s budget proposals seeking retrospective changes have revived the uncertainty over tax laws, according to government officials, the Planning Commission and businesses. If Parliament passes the budget in its current form, the judgement in the Vodafone case...

How much should workers under rural employment scheme be paid if minimum wage fixed by a state is more than that of the Centre? The Supreme Court has reiterated the Karnataka High Court order, directing the Centre to pay the minimum daily wage rate applicable in Karnataka to labourers employed in the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Centre had fixed the wage rate for...