-The Telegraph CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today backed Sitaram Yechury’s virtual endorsement of Afzal Guru’s execution but appeared to leave room for manoeuvre, saying that was his party’s stand “so far”. The hint of a possible review came as the party found itself isolated within the wider Left fraternity, with both the CPI and the CPI-ML (Liberation) taking a different stand. “Since many of us (politburo members) are out of Delhi, we...

-Express India Lucknow: An RTI activist, who was also the headmaster in a government primary school, was shot dead by unidentified men in Mohammadabad police station area of Farrukhabad district on Thursday. The victim, Anand Prakash Rajput (42), had used RTI to get information which he used to get three teachers dismissed from service for getting jobs on the basis of forged documents and the process of dismissal of three other teachers...

-The Hindu The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), whose funding of corporate warehousing projects on terms far softer than those offered to poor and often suicidal farmers was highlighted by The Hindu last month, has withdrawn its controversial scheme with retrospective effect under pressure from the Reserve Bank of India. The minutes of a meeting of the sub-committee of the NABARD Board held last month confirm that the RBI...

-DNA 1. The equality of women, being integral to the Constitution, its denial is a sacrilege and a constitutional violation. Sustained constitutional violations mean that governance is not in accordance with the Constitution. A fortiori, all limbs of the State - the executive, the legislature as well as the judiciary -must respect women’s rights and must treat them in a non-discriminatory manner. 2. As a primary recommendation, all marriages in India (irrespective...

-PTI INLD workers clash with police at Rohini court before and after sentencing In a judgement that could have electoral ramifications in Haryana, former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala were on Tuesday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for corruption amidst scenes of violence by his supporters in a Delhi court complex. Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar, who last week had convicted the Chautalas and 53 others, including two...