-PTI Urgency clause can be invoked by the government only in exceptional cases after "applying its mind", the Supreme Court has ruled while quashing acquisition of land by the Delhi administration for a housing project in Rohini.  The apex court said the burden of justifying acquisition by invoking the urgency clause under Section 17(1)(4) of Land Acquisition Act solely rests on the government as otherwise it amounts to depriving a person of...

-The Times of India   KENDRAPADA: Farmers of seaside villages of Jagatsinghpur are jubiliant after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the environment clearance for Posco. "Last year, the authorities acquired my 16 decimals of betel vine for only Rs 65,000 at Noliasahi village in Nuagaon gram panchayat," said Ranjan Jena (45) of Noliasahi, adding that he wished that he got his land back. He was also very curious if the government will...

-The United Nations While commending India's generally high level of commitment to human rights, a United Nations expert today urged the Government to continue to fight impunity for extrajudicial executions, and communal and traditional killings. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, said he recognized the size, complexity, security concerns and diversity of India – however, he remains concerned that the challenges with respect to the protection...

Sunday marked the completion of two years since the landmark Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force. Although Tamil Nadu initially took time to come out with its draft rules before it notified them in November 2011, the School Education Department, over the last couple of months, has taken up a number of initiatives to raise awareness of the RTE Act. One such attempt was setting up...

-IANS The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government will soon move the central government to increase Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) wages to Rs.200 from Rs.136. Unhappy with the central government hiking the wage for the 100-day rural job guarantee programme from Rs.130 to Rs.136 in the state, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress is planning to take up the issue with New Delhi. "We will soon demand that the central government...