-The Telegraph The Supreme Court today asked Gujarat to submit a list, if any, of religious structures damaged in the 2002 riots as the state dug in its heels and declared its intention not to pay for the repair of these structures. A two-judge bench, comprising Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Mishra, adjourned the matter for further hearing on July 30 but not before it declared its intention to examine whether a...

-The Indian Express An intriguing paradox of contemporary Indian politics has been insufficiently noted: corporate India finances India’s elections, substantially if not wholly, but it is unable to determine election outcomes. Money matters, but it is not always electorally decisive. The recent Uttar Pradesh elections provide the clearest illustration of this proposition. As is well known, the Congress, BJP and BSP were all better financed than the SP which, especially after the...

The NAC lies defanged; the markets leap for joy at Manmohan’s & Co’s charge of a ‘new’ economy How swiftly things change. Just a month ago, the great Indian growth story was being written off. Now, the “new economy”, run by the PM-cum-FM, will sift through the rubble of under-seven per cent growth, find the hidden springs of recovery and throw in some reforms for good measure. A top taxman says...

-The Economic Times The last time the taxman went after those with Swiss bank accounts, many said they had no clue how their names cropped up; quite a few escaped saying that they were non-residents, some simply ignored the missives, and only a few broke down and confessed. And there were the hard nuts who, without losing their equanimity, thought through the situation, invited their accountants and lawyers over for dinner, and...

-The Hindu Most people remain at the mercy of a venal administration that, encouraged by the absence of an independent watchdog, exploits them relentlessly   The state of affairs in the country is characterised by rampant corruption at all levels leading to a breakdown in the rule of law and lack of accountability all around. One can say that there is a complete collapse of governance in the country. Something drastic needs to...