-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has rapped the ministry of home affairs after the latter admitted that it did not have data on mercy petitions considered by the President since 1970. The Commission has asked the ministry to disclose the information within four weeks in larger public interest. The order came in response to an application by an under trial lodged in Agra's Central Jail. In...
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Assam tops 2012 list of custodial deaths in India -Pranjal Baruah
-The Times of India GUWAHATI: In a major embarrassment for the state, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures for last year have listed Assam as having the highest numbers of police custodial deaths. "Last year, 11 persons who were in police remand died in lock-ups in Assam. Though autopsy, case registration and magisterial enquiries were conducted in all the cases, no policemen were chargesheeted or convicted in these cases in...
More »Politics in the time of sunshine -Ruchi Gupta
-The Hindu While the legitimacy of political parties depends on their acceptance of financial transparency under the RTI Act, their internal decision-making processes should be left alone The Central Information Commission (CIC) decision declaring political parties as public authorities under the Right to Information Act has again pit the political class against the people. Political parties have increasingly lost legitimacy due to opaque financing, cultivation of individuals with a criminal background, subversion of...
More »Important to keep practical control of RTI objectives, Khurshid says
-PTI NEW DELHI: With the CIC holding that political parties are answerable to citizens under RTI, Union minister Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday it is important to keep a practical control of RTI objectives as they cannot be allowed to "run riot". He said said RTI is still an evolving process in the country and its reach and ambit are being tested. "There is a logic of RTI and this is reflected in...
More »Another PIL on Sashi Kant Sharma as CAG
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswamy and ex-Admirals R H Tahiliani and L Ramdas along with six other eminent persons on Monday petitioned the Supreme Court challenging appointment of former defence secretary Sashi Kant Sharma as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). This is the second PIL within a fortnight, and follows one filed by advocate M L Sharma, who, too, had challenged the discretion vested...
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