The Supreme Court dismissed the government’s review petition in the Vodafone tax case on Tuesday, affirming its January ruling that put overseas transfers of shares outside the Indian tax net. The review petition and last week’s budget proposals seeking retrospective changes have revived the uncertainty over tax laws, according to government officials, the Planning Commission and businesses. If Parliament passes the budget in its current form, the judgement in the Vodafone case...
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Kudankulam stalemate over, what next for the protestors? by G Pramod Kumar
Almost a month ago, when the Jayalalithaa-appointed state expert panel gave a clean chit to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), Firstpost had stated that the agitation was practically over. It was only a matter of time before the protesters were either asked to vacate the plant site or were forcibly removed. Since then, the PMANE (People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy) and the local struggle committee were essentially waging a losing...
More »State Information Commission to help harassed RTI activists-Faizan Ahmad
To make the RTI Act more effective and meaningful, the State Information Commission(SIC) has come out with a mechanism to help the activists being harassed and tortured for seeking information and take action against their tormentors. Working at the suggestion of CM Nitish Kumar, the SIC has decided to create a monitoring cell and deploy officials in its office and provide a helpline number for filing their complaints which will...
More »SC slams govt's 'casual' approach on gay sex
-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized the Centre's "casual approach" during the hearing on appeals challenging a Delhi High Court verdict diluting Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to decriminalize consensual gay sex between consenting adults in private. The ministries of home affairs and health had opposed dilution of Section 377 before the HC but accepted the verdict and did not appeal against it in the apex...
More »3 years of RTI in J&K-Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat
Today is 20th March and it was this day in 2009 when the new form of Right to Information Act (RTI Act) was enacted in J&K by Omar Abdullah led Government soon after coming to power. Prior to 2009 we had an RTI law passed by PDP Congress coalition Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Syeed in 2004 (J&K RTI Act 2004). The 2004 version of RTI Act was much weaker...
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