-The Hindu Withdraw cases against villagers, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti: Civil society groups Several civil society groups have alleged abuse of human rights and registration of false cases by State government agencies in order to curb resistance against the land acquisition for the proposed Posco steel plant in Odisha. Highlighting instances of “biased and arbitrary” police action in the eight villages of Jagatsinghpur district affected by the plant, illustrated in the recently-released fact...

-The Hindu In a record of sorts, two convicts have been executed in less than 3 months The execution of two convicts on charges of terror in less than three months — a record of sorts in recent times — has unwittingly put the spotlight on President Pranab Mukherjee, who took office last July. His quick rejection of the mercy petitions of Ajmal Kasab, the only survivor among the perpetrators of 26/11,...

-Outlook Jammu: As many as 14 companies of BSF were rushed to Kashmir Valley to counter any law and order trouble even as the region remained under curfew for third day following hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Fourteen companies of Border Security Force have been rushed to Srinagar capital city for law and order duty and to ensure peace and tranquility, security officials told PTI. Five companies were withdrawn from...

-The Indian Express Soon after Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday, the Centre said two letters had been sent to his family by speed post — on February 7 and 8 — informing them about the rejection of his mercy petion and his hanging. But the postal department authorities in Baramulla, where Afzal's wife Tabassum lives, and in Sopore, where his brother Ajaz Ahmad Guru lives, confirmed that they were yet...

-The Economic Times The coal ministry, in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, has said that it has the sole legal right to allocate coal blocks even as the state governments own the blocks and eventually grant the mining leases. In response to the query of the apex court, which questioned the ministry's authority in this regard, the coal ministry said that though there was no express statutory provision, a combined reading...