-Live Mint   Despite its importance, reform of India's legal institutions has been seen as a ‘second order' issue India is a young nation long ruled by old laws-its police, for example, are governed by such colonial-era statutes as the Police Act of 1861, which predates independence by nearly a century. And its expanding economy requires forward-looking regulatory mechanisms to foster markets while curbing crony capitalism. India is also a nation that must...

-The Hindu Monthly season tickets and passengers in suburban trains exempted from hike While exempting almost half of its passengers from additional burden, the railways have increased fares by roughly 2 per cent to offset increased fuel expenditure. However, those travelling in Duronto will have to pay as much as Rajdhani passengers with effect from Monday. The railways have also increased freight charges by 1.7 per cent across the board from next Thursday. With...

-The Hindu In a rather unusual move, the Railway Minister, P.K. Bansal, on Wednesday announced an across the board hike in passenger fares less than two months before he would be presenting the Railway Budget for 2013-14. The hike comes into effect from January 21. However, Mr. Bansal declared that there will be no further fare increase in the ensuing budget. The new hike will range from two paise per km on basic...

-The Times of India Get ready to shell out more for your train journey and several other services provided by the government — from parcels to patents. Pawan Kumar Bansal, the new railway minister, on Monday hinted at an increase in passenger fares with a caveat that it was not meant to earn a profit for the state-run transporter. "Fares will not be increased for the sake of increasing fare. If fare...

-The Hindu The Delhi High Court order dismissing a challenge to the Bus Rapid Transit System in the national capital is praiseworthy for its assertion that the urban commons, represented by road space, is a public good. The judgment correctly observes that governments pursue the principal purpose of promoting welfare of the maximum number of people, rather than distributing public goods in a restrictive manner. Delightfully, the court makes short work...