-The Hindustan Times The government has decided to give the Election Commission the powers to make changes in seats reserved for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, where fresh changes have been detected during the last one decade in the population percentage of any caste.   The law ministry is ready to seek the cabinet's approval for an ordinance soon, which will empower the EC to determine the...

-Jagran Post Jabalpur (MP): Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Friday released a report on Gujarat polls which claimed that the malpractice of paid news was noticed on a large-scale in the recently held elections.      Releasing the report before the media here, Katju said that the team has found large-scale practice of paid news, both in print and electronic media, in the recent Gujarat Assembly elections.      The...

-The Hindu Difficulty in implementing schemes, owing to conceptual confusion at multiple levels: Khurshid External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday attributed the difficulty in administering and implementing welfare programmes for Muslims to conceptual confusion evident at multiple levels — from courts through policymakers and social scientists and experts. Mr. Khurshid, who previously held charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, said a Supreme Court interim stay had facilitated the implementation of four...

-NDTV Allegations of fake encounters by security forces in Manipur will be investigated by a three-member commission, the Supreme Court said today. The top court said former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, former chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh and a senior police officer will be in the commission. After they give consent, the court will pass formal orders next week. A petition in the court had alleged more than 1,500 fake encounters in...

-The Hindu When a political party puts up candidates with criminal charges, it results in the alienation of large sections of people from the political class and politics itself When the Election Commission of India turned 60 on January 25, 2010, The Hindu opened its lead editorial of January 29 with the words, “After overseeing 15 General Elections to the Lok Sabha, the ECI, in its diamond jubilee year, can with justifiable...