-The Hindu Kochi: The State government's ambitious project for an Aadhaar validation-based public distribution system (PDS) would have to address critical technical issues before it could be rolled out. The system put to trial, which the civil supplies department would like to call a pre-pilot phase, in six ration shops in Thiruvananthapuram more than a month back has thrown up technical challenges, which took the department through a steep learning curve. "Based on...

-The Hindu The pressure to furnish proof, the fear of fighting a superior, the likely impact on career, and adverse publicity prevent women from reporting sexual harassment An employee of Tehelka accuses Tarun Tejpal, founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine, of sexually assaulting her during an event organised in Goa, and the police file a first information report. A law intern claims she was sexually harassed by a retired judge of...

-The Indian Express Pune: Even as the Supreme Court had directed that Aadhaar cards are not compulsory to avail LPG subsidy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has asked oil companies to make it mandatory and has set February 1 as deadline for customers to link their Aadhaar cards with banks. With Pune among the districts being covered under Direct Benefit Transfer scheme to avail LPG subsidy, oil companies have made...

-Economic and Political Weekly Public interest litigation has value as a tool for enhancing road safety. But it is unlikely to succeed if it asks courts to give directions to the government on a wide range of road safety policies, or if it asks for amendments to the law, or if it asks the judges to direct the government on desired legislation. It has a fair likelihood of success in a...

-The Hindu "Tehelka" tried to conceal the gravity of its Editor-in-Chief's alleged sexual assault, which is rape under the amended IPC. It tried to divert attention to an inquiry by an in-house committee mandated by a 2013 law meant to protect women in workplaces. This Act deals with sexual harassment of a lesser degree, the offences under it are non-cognisable, and it is in limbo since the government has failed to...