-The Indian Express The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre, state governments and Union Territories on the status of police reforms till date. Citing its 2006 order on the issue that included enhanced police accountability, the court asked all chief and home secretaries and DGPs to file their responses on the extent of compliance within a week. A Bench led by G S Singhvi directed the Punjab DGP to file his own...

-The Hindu Doctors must avoid the word even in court depositions The Health Ministry has advised doctors not to use the word ‘rape’ in medical Reports on sexual assault victims, and even in court depositions. “Rape is not a medical diagnosis, it is a legal definition, hence the word should not be used while forwarding opinion,” says the latest Instruction Manual for Forensic Medical Examination Report of Sexual Assault (Victim) brought out by...

-The Hindu Though Bill on protection of women against sexual harassment at workplace has been passed in LS, activists are sceptical about its impact on MNCs They are powerful Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) which hold a clout in the market, but have flouted norms with impunity when it came to their own women staffers complaining of sexual harassment at workplace. Now, even as the country is set to welcome the first law for...

Introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, the UPA government’s Food Security Bill is finally going to be discussed in the current (Budget) Session of Parliament. The proposed legislation is now slated to see many additional amendments from the government, following criticism from the States, NGOs and diverse stake-holders working on access to food and child health. Attempt here is to summarise in a Q & A format the...

-The Times of India Almost five years after the UPA government allocated the lion's share of its Rs 52,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme to Andhra Pradesh, Reports are emerging from the state that distressed farmers are selling their organs to come out of the agricultural debt trap. Three states - Andhra Pradesh, UP and Maharashtra - had got almost 57% of the Rs 52,000 crore package meant for all 35 states...