-The Telegraph The Supreme Court today refused to stay field trials of genetically modified food crops for now despite a court-appointed panel recommending a 10-year moratorium, after the Centre said such a freeze would hit food security for a growing population. The five-member technical expert committee’s (TEC) interim report had advocated the moratorium till the country improved its regulatory system for GM field trials to ensure proper evaluation of these crops’ health,...

-Outlook The Supreme Court today granted two more months to the Income Tax department to transcribe the entire intercepted telephone conversations of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. A Bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya said that the department must place the transcript of entire 5,800 conversations, running into more than hundred hours, on January 8. "Complete the exercise in two months. Not possible to give you more time," the bench...

-Outlook Bombay High Court today ticked off Maharashtra Government for not complying with its order to form a multi-member panel to look into recent hike in fares of autorickshaw and taxi saying the state is being held hostage by pressure groups. "We are thoroughly dissatisfied with the government," a division bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and R G Ketkar observed while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO 'Mumbai Grahak...

-NDTV Bhopal: Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir said today he was concerned about the persisting smog cover over Delhi and hinted that the courts might look into the issue. "We are concerned. With each passing day, the smog level is rising.  We will deal with the matter," the chief justice said in Bhopal. He made the observations during a hearing on disposal of the Bhopal gas tragedy waste at the Union Carbide...

-The Hindu Violations of Coastal Regulation Zone and Environmental Impact Assessment notifications make official claims questionable The debate over nuclear energy will go on, but the issue with the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is one of the several illegalities on which it is founded. In 1988, India inked the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant deal with the former Soviet Union. Two key elements in it were: the highly dangerous and toxic “Spent Nuclear...