Central government officials will not be empanelled for promotions if they fail to meet the deadline for submitting their annual property returns to the government. The Centre, in an office memorandum issued today, has instructed central secretariat service officers to submit annual immovable property returns for the calendar year 2011 by the end of this month. Officers, particularly class ‘A’ officers, “who do not submit the property returns by the prescribed time...

-The Hindustan Times   Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Wednesday produced a fax message, which he claimed he had sent to certain officials on February 27, 2002 immediately after the meeting held by chief minister Narendra Modi at his residence. The message alerted police about an anticipated communal violence in the state soon after the Godhara train carnage.   Bhatt has annexed the fax message in a letter to the SC-appointed SIT,...

The number of journalists in prison worldwide has spiked to its highest level in 15 years. Of them, nearly half worked online, raising larger questions about Internet freedom for more than just reporters, but average citizens as well. Eighty-six out of 179 journalists who were in prison worldwide as of Dec. 1, 2011 were reporters or bloggers whose work appeared online, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect...

Justice B H Marlapalle, one of the most outspoken and distinguished judges of the Bombay high court, has set a new benchmark not only for members of the judiciary but even for high-ranking bureaucrats. A day after retirement, he vacated his official quarters and surrendered his vehicle too.  As per the norms, a judge can retain his official accommodation and vehicle for three months after retirement. During his career spanning over...

After pushing for financing adaptation at the just-concluded United Nations climate talks at Durban, India is hitting every button for aid in executing its low-carbon growth plans. This despite India (and China) refusing to sign new climate agreements at the U.N. Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s 17th conference of the parties (COP 17) in the South African city.  India, in fact, has a well-drawn out policy and action plan for climate...