SRINAGAR: Court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in Srinagar has allowed the Indian army authorities to try its five officers for the Pathribal fake encounter case in year 2000. In March 2000, following the Chittisinghpura massacre of 36 Sikhs, according to a CBI probe, the Indian Army killed five innocent Kashmiri civilians in a fake encounter at Pathribal in Anantnag district. Rajeev Gupta, CJM in his order on Wednesday, allowed the army...

The army is bristling at a fresh move in the government to dilute or revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. The AFSPA gives the army extraordinary powers in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast to enforce law and order in aid of the civilian authority. The army is particularly concerned about proposals floated from the Union home ministry to make it mandatory for soldiers to seek permission from a civilian authority...

The government's attempt to bring transparency in top bureaucracy does not seem to be working with the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. Almost one-fifth of them failed to declare details of their immovable property before expiry of the deadline on Monday, despite repeated reminders issued by the home ministry.  The revised list of officers, who did not submit their Annual Immovable Property Return (AIPR) for the year 2011 by June...

-The Telegraph Rainfall over India has been 42 per cent below normal during the first 13 days of the 120-day monsoon season, with vast tracts of the peninsular region still waiting for rains, but scientists today predicted a fresh surge within the next three days. The India Meteorological Department said today it expects atmospheric conditions to “become favourable” for a further advance of the monsoon over parts of Bengal and Odisha over...

-The Telegraph An “urban-rural divide” seemed to unfold within the government today as rural development minister Jairam Ramesh appeared to take on his urban development counterpart Kamal Nath after the Centre included Chhindwara under the Integrated Action Plan for Maoist-affected areas. According to the home ministry, Chhindwara, Kamal Nath’s constituency in Madhya Pradesh, is not under Maoist influence. Ramesh said some districts not affected by the Maoist menace had been brought under the...