The Union Government has prepared the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2001 (BRAI in brief) for the regulation of the biotechnology sector in India. While the need for strong and careful regulation certainly exists keeping in view the serious threats posed to health and environment by the genetically modified (GM) crops, the BRAI can actually increase this threat by paving the way for the rapid spread of GM crops...

Twenty five Indian states have favoured striking down IPC Sec 309 that criminalises attempt to commit suicide by making it punishable with imprisonment. Responding to a query by the Union home ministry, states recently sent their comments concurring with the recommendation of the 210th Report of the Law Commission which advocated repealing Sec 309. It had argued that attempting suicide was “manifestation of a diseased condition of mind” that called for...

-The Economic Times   The Central Vigilance Commissioner has reopened the debate on the mandate of the proposed Lokpal by suggesting that corporates should be brought under the purview of the proposed anti-corruption bill to check graft effectively. He also said that corruption in higher levels of bureaucracy, as also among political executives, should be dealt with by Lokpal, provided there was a proper demarcation of work to avoid overlapping of powers...

“It is only the legislature which can abolish the death penalty and not the courts. As long as the death penalty exists in the statute book, it has to be imposed in some cases, otherwise it will tantamount to repeal of the death penalty by the judiciary,” the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while confirming the death sentence on an accused for burning to death his wife and three children. A...

Lokpal provisions under consideration of the parliamentary standing committee could actually lead to significant delays in punishing erring bureaucrats, rather than speeding up the process. This would be among the key arguments from stakeholders who are expected to interact with the standing committee in the coming days. The constitution of the particular standing committee has been significantly delayed, forcing the presentations by CBI chief and central vigilance commissioner for the third...