A fresh public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s civil nuclear power programme. The PIL, filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan on behalf of many former public officials and eminent citizens, makes several demands of the Supreme Court, but most significantly asks it to cancel “clearances given to proposed nuclear power plants and staying all proposed nuclear power plants” till satisfactory...

The Supreme Court has asked the judiciary and statutory bodies to take into account objectives of industrial peace and economic justice while deciding on disputes related to unfair labour practices.  The issue of unfair labour practice has to be decided in the changed circumstances of economic liberalisation and economic reforms, the court said, setting aside the Bombay High Court order against Siemens.  "Today every state, which has to don the mantle of...

Amounts to violation of right to life, survival and development' Taking suo motu cognizance of a large number of children dying due to Japanese Encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the State Government to submit an action taken report on these deaths within 15 days. The Commission has cited a news report wherein it has been mentioned that “the deadly encephalitis, a water...

Any new system for the socio-economic progress of Dalits and other vulnerable sections must not lose sight of Special Component Plan goals. THE Planning Commission's “Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan” deals with the Scheduled Castes (S.C.s) briefly in a portion of Chapter 11 titled “Social and Regional Equity”. It, however, significantly mentions the need to devise a new system that can overcome the difficulties experienced with regard to the...

-The Indian Express   With corruption emerging as a national issue, the government on Wednesday unveiled a host of steps as part of its anti-graft drive, including setting up of 71 fast-track special CBI courts, fixing of a limit of three months to grant sanction for prosecution of “tainted” officials, and abolishment of discretionary powers enjoyed by ministers — as recommended by a Group of Ministers on corruption. Announcing that the government has...