Forest dept. can now declare an area wildlife habitat without gram sabha's nod “A mockery of the Forest Rights Act” Claims of 5 lakh acres rejected in A.P. alone Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and MP Brinda Karat came down heavily on the Centre, accusing it of issuing an illegal circular that defeated the very spirit of the Forest Rights Act and jeopardised tribals' interests. Ms. Karat, who is also the...

The former Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, who is currently the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission has objected to disclosing his income in the past five years as sought by an applicant under the Right to Information Act. Following his objection, the Income Tax Department has rejected the application made by T. Balachandran of Kochi. Dr. Balachandran had sought from the department certified copies of the income returns...

India’s rulers have found a new vocation – maligning environmentalists and questioning the very idea of regulating industry for pollution. Thus, faced with criticism of Lavasa, an artificial gated city of the super-rich near Pune, in which his family has invested crores, Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, lashed out at well-known activist Medha Patkar and other “vested interests” for obstructing this “pioneering” project. Lavasa’s promoters built the project without seeking environmental clearance...

Activists say the rules undermine the spirit of the law The proposed draft Right to Information (RTI) rules, prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, have invited more criticism than praise. RTI activists say the rules dilute the very spirit of the RTI Act 2005, instead of strengthening it. The new rules aim to amend the existing ones. DoPT uploaded the rules on its website inviting comments...

With the number of non-governmental organisations growing in the country, the government is planning to bring them under a regulatory mechanism to make them accountable. As of now, there are no specific laws or regulations to regulate volunteerism in India. A task force, constituted to examine the issues related to the evolution of an independent, national level, self-regulatory agency for the voluntary organisations and develop accreditation methodologies by the Planning Commission,...