-The Times of India In a scathing indictment of the Bihar government, a Press Council report has leveled serious charges against the state establishment including attempts to censor the media, misuse its "monopolistic status" for giving advertisements and arm-twisting newspapers to publish positive stories. Comparing the situation to Emergency, the three-member team that recently submitted its report to PCI chief Markandey Katju said that the Nitish Kumar government was forcing the...

-PTI Pulling up the Maharashtra government for low conviction rate in atrocity cases against Dalits, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Tuesday asked the State to expedite trials and probe in such cases. “1,200 cases of atrocities against scheduled castes are reported each year in Maharashtra. Out of them, 500 cases are pending. There should be exclusive and fast-track courts under which priority should be to atrocity cases,” Commission’s Chairman Dr....

-The Telegraph Law minister Ashwani Kumar today said the government had an “open” mind on changes in the juvenile justice act and the recently introduced Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance to ensure a credible deterrent that wouldn’t lend itself to abuse. He said the “final shape” to the new criminal law would emerge after a “comprehensive debate” in Parliament but didn’t set a time frame for changes in the JJ Act, 2000. The minister’s...

-The Hindu Mr. Chidambaram has sought to blame the Army for the failure to repeal the draconian Act but the government is equally guilty as it has abdicated responsibility in the matter At an institute that is virtually owned, funded and run by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram did the unthinkable the other day. He virtually attacked the Army for refusing to review and amend the draconian...

-The Times of India Undertrials languishing in jails for long years because of their inability to secure bail may soon be released following the Centre directive to all states and Union Territories to review such cases. Saying only the poor and indigent continued to be in jails for long periods and that too for minor offences, the Centre has asked states to release all such undertrials who have completed half the maximum...