-The Hindustan Times Thousands of tribals living in forests across will now be able to claim land as Tribal Affairs ministry on Thursday relaxed norms in a bid to thwart attempt of forest department official to reject the claims.   As per the new rules notified under the Forest Rights Act, the ministry had allowed tribal and forest dwellers to submit all available evidence to claim land in forest areas. The forest department...

-The Times of India More than 17 lakh lawyers will strike work on Wednesday and Thursday, paralyzing judicial work across the country to protest against the Higher Education and Research Bill piloted by the HRD ministry, alleging that it would take away important academic regulatory powers from the Bar Council of India (BCI).  After exhausting its representations opposing the HER Bill, the regulatory body BCI on Monday said it had no option...

-The Hindustan Times Had the proposed amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act been in place, the hostel warden who forced a 10-yr-old residential student of Santiniketan’s Patha Bhavan to drink her own urine last week could have found herself behind bars for five years.  The Women & Child Development ministry, which has proposed the changes to the Juvenile Justice Act, being renamed as the Child Justice (Care, Protection and Rehabilitation of...

-The Telegraph Acquiring land for special economic zones may become tougher. The rural development ministry has redrafted the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill with a provision that says the proposed law would apply to land acquisition under the Special Economic Zone Act, 2005. This means if the redrafted bill is passed, landlosers will have to be consulted and their consent taken before their land can be acquired under the SEZ Act,...

-The Economic Times Special Economic Zones will need to fulfill provisions of the proposed Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, if the rural development ministry has its way.  The draft bill, currently being circulated for inter-ministerial consultation, does not exempt land acquired under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, Works of Defence Act, 1903, and Cantonments Act, 2006, from adhering to the acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement provisions of the proposed legislation.  Acquisition...