-The Hindu The State Information Commission agreed to consider some of the demands of the RTI Kerala Federation and other organisations that staged a dharna before the commission here on Tuesday. In talks with leaders of the organisations, Chief Information Commissioner Siby Mathews said the commission would consider their representation against delegation of its powers regarding disposal of petitions to officials. The commission had been returning complaints recently, on grounds that first appeals...

-PTI A Delhi court today framed charges against seven accused, including four MCD officials, for their alleged role in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) street lighting scam case. Special CBI Judge Pradeep Chaddah framed charges against MCD Superintendent Engineer D K Sugan, Executive Engineer O P Mahla, Accountant Raju V and the civic body's tender clerk Gurcharan Singh.   The court also framed charges against private firm Sweska Powertech Engineering Pvt Ltd, its Managing...

Parliament must use budget session to discuss key pending bills The budget session of Parliament begins today. The last few sessions have been characterised by disruptions and consequent loss of productive time. To see one indicator, the 15th Lok Sabha, half-way through its term, has lost 30 per cent of scheduled time — the worst ever. As a result, many important bills have been pending. It is to be seen whether...

The results for the assembly elections held across five Indian states, announced yesterday, threw up some surprises. But a welcome surprise in these elections was the high voter turn out. Voters, and particularly women voters, went to the polls in unexpectedly high numbers. Voter turnout jumped nearly 50 percent in one state, Uttar Pradesh, and women voted at higher rates than men in all five states that had elections. Activists credit...

A young IPS officer who stood in the path of a tractor-trolley carrying illegally mined stones after the driver ignored his calls to stop was crushed to death under the vehicle in Madhya Pradesh yesterday. The death of Narendra Kumar, 30, has blown the lid off entrenched syndicates that cart off natural resources after carving up the mineral-rich regions of the state among themselves with alleged patronage from players belonging to...