-The Times of India Taking strong cognizance of sexual offences committed by armed forces personnel in conflict zones, Justice J S Verma committee report has not only recommended amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) but even questioned its continuance in such areas. The report has recommended that the Act's provision of seeking sanction from the central government before initiating any legal action against an armed forces personnel should be...

-The Hindu “Personnel guilty of sexual offences in conflict areas should be tried under ordinary criminal law” The Justice J.S. Verma Committee, set up to suggest amendments to laws relating to crimes against women, has recommended review of the continuance of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the context of extending legal protection to women in conflict areas. “There is an imminent need to review the continuance of the AFSPA and...

-The Indian Express The Delhi gangrape that set off waves of determined protest may now be on the way to bringing enduring change. The government-appointed committee, headed by Justice J.S. Verma, to consider ways in which women’s safety and freedoms were at risk, and how they could be strengthened, has submitted its report within a month. Now, it is up to the political class to assess and implement these suggestions with...

-The Times of India The Centre on Tuesday rubbished the charges made in the CAG report-based petitions alleging huge scam in coal block allocations and said it had put in place four sets of regulatory mechanism which had functioned well to monitor and take corrective measures. Responding to six questions the court had asked on a PIL filed by M L Sharma who had sought quashing of all 194 blocks of coal,...

-The Hindu The government must allow the online filing of first information reports in rape cases as that alone will ensure mandatory and automatic registration of complaints On January 18, 2013, Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar announced that Zero First Information Reports (FIRs) may be registered on the basis of a woman’s statement at any police station irrespective of jurisdiction. This means women can file an FIR at any police station and...