Close on the heals of RTI activists Satish Shetty and Datta Patil being brutally murdered in Maharashtra, another RTI activist Anwar Shaikh has approached the Bombay High Court, saying he has received death threats and has demanded protection. The court has admitted his plea for hearing. Shaikh said: "I got a threat saying forget about the cemetery otherwise you will be shot, I said do what you want so he said wait,...

11 postmen held for taking unauthorised commission Money involved is huge, says official The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday unearthed a major Scam in the disbursement of Old Age Pension (OAP) to senior citizens. Besides irregularities in the payout, investigators found that a majority of postmen took Rs. 20 as unauthorised commission from the beneficiaries. After a surprise check, special teams of the Anti-Corruption Branch arrested eleven postmen, including a woman, agency...

Next month, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, one of the most powerful laws enacted in independent India, completes half a decade in the cause of transparent and accountable administration. It enables, on demand, access to information the State and Central governments have in their possession. It empowers Indian citizens to ask for and get specific information, subject to certain norms, from a Public Authority, “thus making its functionaries...

In an apparent reference to former Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha’s recent comment regarding his “thankless” job, Union Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday said senior officers weren’t expected to make such statements. Sinha had observed at an interview last week that the worst part of his “thankless” job was observing how corruption had increased as people became more materialistic. “I don’t want to name anyone, he...

Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang has been remanded to judicial custody for two days by a special sessions court in connection with the multi-crore PDS Scam case. Apang, who ruled the state for 23 years in two phases as Congress leader, was arrested on August 24 for his alleged involvement in the Scam. He was remanded in police custody for 14 days which expired yesterday. The additional judge of the...