The Ratnagiri police are allegedly tapping phones and scrutinising call records of leaders including those of political parties to gather crucial information related to the agitation against the proposed nuclear plant in Jaitapur. Senior leaders like B G Kolse-Patil, Justice P B Sawant and Vaishali Patil have alleged that since they are heading the protests, the police are monitoring their movements continuously through technical surveillance. Cops evasive When asked about phone tapping,...

Even as the formation of the 13-member regulatory body to monitor television content in channels is in its final stages, the government is keen to retain the final say as far as content goes. "The regulatory body, the Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC), will be ready by the first week of May. It will get 21 days to act on any complaint. The information  and broadcasting ministry will wait-and-watch over...

The RTI Act was envisaged as a potent weapon to fight corruption by ushering in an age of transparency. Yet powerful men in power have ganged up to throttle the law through deliberate delays and by arm-twisting applicants. A comprehensive look at the law. Aweapon in the hands of people. That was how the Right to Information (RTI) Act was envisaged, almost six years back. But the bureaucracy, in connivance with...

The National Litigation Policy (NLP) aimed at reducing the cases pending in various courts in India is nine months old, but the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which is supposed to implement the pro-citizen policy in the banking sector is unaware of it. The Department of Banking Operations and Development in the RBI's central office in Mumbai has told a Right to Information (RTI) activist that it does not have any...

In a major shift from its earlier position, the law ministry has decided to lift the veil of secrecy on complaints received against judges of the Supreme Court and high courts if a complainant has no objection making his or her name public. The ministry’s decision to provide complaints of corruption and misconduct against the members of higher judiciary under the Right to Information (RTI) Act follows a direction from...