Chances of a single answer to two opposing questions on the RTI Act means there is something to it which the rule-books don’t tell you about—but you can bowl googlies to them, too, when the system expects you to hold a straight bat to their bouncers Here is a single answer to two diametrically opposite questions—“Yes, you can file an application under the Right to Information Act of India 2005 (RTI...

-The Hindu   The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Union Government and the Central Information Commission (CIC) on a public interest litigation by two RTI activists seeking a direction to fill vacant posts of Information Commissioners and the subordinate staff in the CIC. Issuing the notices, a Division Bench of the Court comprising Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the respondents to file replies...

Bills aimed at making judges, public utilities more accountable, and protecting whistleblowers The Union Cabinet on Tuesday cleared three crucial anti-graft Bills aimed at making judges and public utilities more accountable and protecting whistleblowers. The Bills come at a time when the government is being attacked by both the opposition and anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare​ and his team. Analysts are doubtful about the intentions of the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The...

-Live Mint The news that a parliamentary committee has rejected its proposed Bill must come as a jolt to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Reports say that the committee was concerned about duplication with the National Population Register (NPR), the technology, data protection, and the cost. This comes closely on the heels of the home ministry’s contention that UIDAI does not meet the “degree of assurance” required for NPR,...

-PTI The West Bengal government said AMRI hospital authorities did not make effort to rescue trapped patients and that action against them where over 30 patients suffocated to death after a fire broke out in its premises on Friday. "It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients," public health engineering minister Subrata Mukherjee told reporters after visiting the hospital. "Senior hospital authorities ran away after...