-The Indian Express Sahara India, which is already being investigated by market regulator Sebi, has now also come under the scanner of the provident fund department and is amongst the top defaulters of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in the country. Five of the group firms including Sahara India Financial Corporation and the former Sahara Airlines are part of the top 50 companies in the country that have defaulted on depositing...

-The Hindu   One candidate asked to withdraw nomination, two others reprimanded Bangalore: The Loksatta Party, which is set to make its debut in the coming Karnataka Assembly elections promising "clean" politics, has run into trouble with three of its candidates taking public positions that appear to run counter to the party's stated ideological vision and standpoint. Phanisai Bhardwaj, the party's candidate for Bangalore South, has said on his facebook page: "Apolish [abolish] reservation...

-The Times of India President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the tougher anti-rape bill, bringing into force the new legislation which provides for stringent punishment for rapists and repeat offenders and makes provisions of strict punishment for offences like stalking, voyeurism, disrobing and acid attacks. Presidential assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, came on Tuesday - just two days before the February 3 Ordinance on the issue was...

-CNN-IBN President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday signed the Criminal Law Amendment Bill which gives India a strong anti-rape law. The Criminal Law Amendment Bill was earlier passed by the two Houses of Parliament. The massive public anger and uproars following the December 16 gangrape of the Delhi braveheart forced the drafting and eventual passing of this new Bill. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was moved in the Rajya Sabha by Home Minister...

-The Hindu   When the Supreme Court has recognised the right to go on hunger strike, why is Irom Sharmila's protest against impunity of the armed forces a criminal act? Over the past 12 years, Irom Sharmila Chanu has carried on an inconceivable hunger strike, which has seen her body wither and her skin turn pale. During this period, she has emerged as the face of the civilian resistance to the immunity, and...