-Livemint.com A new study from India links the rise in mineral prices to the electoral success of politicians with violent crime records The mining sector in India has earned a bad name for itself due to its frequent links with corruption and crime. Bribes are often given away for licences and approvals, and whistleblowers risk violence. A new study has found that a boom in the mining sector can even be linked...
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Centre tells Supreme Court that convicted legislators cannot be barred for life from contesting polls
-The Hindu Affidavit says that legislators are not bound by specific service conditions like that of government employees. The Central government has told the Supreme Court that it rejected the idea of barring convicted legislators for life from contesting elections, forming or becoming an office-bearer of a political party. The Union Ministry of Law and Justice said an elected representative of the people cannot be equated with public servants who are banned for...
More »Telling numbers: Rising trend in number of MPs, MLAs and candidates who face cases of crime against women
-The Indian Express The BJP has 21 MPs/MLAs with cases relating to crimes against women, at 21, the ADR said. The BJP is followed by the Congress at 16, YSRCP at 7, BJD at 6 and Trinamool Congress at 5. Between 2009 and 2019, there has been an increase of 231% in the number of candidates with declared cases of crime against women contesting Lok Sabha elections. The number elected as MPs...
More »Social activist Aruna Roy speaks to Anindo Dey (The Times of India)
-The Times of India blog Last week, NDA government succeeded in getting contentious amendments to RTI Act passed by Parliament. Social activist Aruna Roy, who was at the forefront of the movement to persuade Parliament to enact the original law, speaks to Anindo Dey about the development: * The government said the RTI Act amendments set right the anomaly of the Information Commissions, which are statutory bodies, being treated on a par...
More »The tremor of unwelcome amendments to the RTI Act -Aruna Roy & Nikhil Dey
-The Hindu The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill is a twin attack on accountability and the idea of federalism “Amendments” have haunted the Right to Information (RTI) community ever since the RTI Act came into effect almost 14 years ago. Rarely has a law been so stoutly defended by activists. It is not possible to pass a perfect law. But it was a popular opinion strongly held by most RTI activists that...
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