BHOPAL: The state government move to appoint chief information commissioner (CIC) by the end of April may hit a roadblock with the Supreme Court stating Friday that it would lay down guidelines to ensure that posts of information commissioners at the centre and state commissions do not become "property of a political set-up". The post of state's CIC is lying vacant following the retirement of P P Tiwari on March 26...

-The Times of India   The Press Council of India, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Markandey Katju, has dismissed a complaint filed against The Times of India by a senior Haryana IPS officer, Anil Dawra, who is presently posted as state ADGP (TRAIning).  The TOI on January 28, 2010 had published a story "IG let off easily in Sarita case," on the basis of an RTI query. Sarita was allegedly raped by...

-The Times of India NAGPUR: The recent attacks on the security forces interspersed with a spate of civilian killings in eastern Vidarbha's most dreaded Naxal bastion Gadchiroli has set a TRAIl of fear in the tribal district. With the rebels' annual 'Tactical counter offensive campaign' (TCOC) already underway in their strongholds nationwide, the Naxal violence is expected to escalate in the affected hinterlands. Security sources stated that Naxals generally conduct TCOC in...

Not a single case has been registered under a 19-year-old law that prohibits hiring of manual scavengers and building dry latrines. The revelations come weeks after the latest census data showed 25 lakh households across the country depend on manual scavengers to remove night soil from latrines. Union social justice minister Mukul Wasnik conceded implementing the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrine (Prohibition) Act, 1993, had been “weak”. “The implementation...

A classroom reflecting life's diversity will benefit children of all strata while enriching teaching experience. Now that the Supreme Court has validated the Right to Education (RTE), its success will depend on teachers. When I said this to a friend who teaches in a primary school, she said, “you are being unfair.” I was startled to hear this response because what I had said was common sense. When I pointed this...