-The Hindu The West Bengal government plans to bring in a bill on reservation in government jobs for those belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC). Announcing this after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said although the previous government essayed a similar initiative and tried to pass Legislation, the effort fell through as the Governor declined to sign the bill. “As per a Supreme Court instruction on this matter, it is necessary...

-The Economic Times Objections by the Opposition and even treasury benches to the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill - which seeks to make divorce easier - has forced the government to review the Legislation. The government appears set to accept the demand for a cooling off period before divorce. It will now be left to the discretion of the judge to determine the time between the petition and granting of divorce. The government...

-The Business Standard The Ministry of Rural Development has rejected the demand of a parliamentary standing committee to include the works of artisans, weavers and leather workers in the list of permissible works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The Central Employment Guarantee Council, constituted under the Legislation establishing the rural jobs scheme to oversee it, had earlier turned down this recommendation of the standing committee on urban and...

-The Economic Times   A bill seeking to make 'irretrievable breakdown of marriage' as a ground for divorce appeared to be in trouble with MPs from within the ruling side as well as the Opposition attacking the changes.  The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, which was taken up passage in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, was seen to be loaded against women by a significant section of the House. In the face of concerns...

The Supreme Court has taken steps to lay down a code for media reporting. This attempt at prior restraint on the media is a dangerous move with precedent from authoritarian polities. In a context where the judiciary has been lax in defending the media from attacks which seek to curb its freedom, such unilateral moves will not remedy bad reporting but rather make conditions worse for the media to play...