Chhattisgarh High Court today denied bail to rights activist Binayak Sen, who is serving a life sentence for alleged links with Maoists. One of Sen’s lawyers, Mahendra Dubey, said the court believed there was a prima facie case against Sen and Piyush Guha, a Calcutta-based businessman who is a co-accused in the case and is serving a life term. Guha’s bail plea was rejected, too. Sen’s lawyers now have their hopes pinned...

Tensions run high within the Christian community in Thachur village, and the government has adopted a hands-off approach for now. THE wrinkles on S. Royappan's face are a result of advancing age, but the ridges and furrows in them tell a story of humiliation of this Dalit Christian, as also others like him. Royappan, 82, was a bonded labourer, or padiyaal, in Thachur village in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram district, but...

The Supreme Court today hauled up the government for including soft drink industry representatives on food standard panels intended to act on complaints against them and asked it to immediately reconstitute the committees with independent experts. The top court has since 2004 been hearing a PIL filed by the NGO CPIL, which demanded that soft drink companies reveal the contents of their products, including pesticide and chemical contents, if any. In 2006,...

The Environment Ministry's clearance of projects such as Posco, Jaitapur and Lavasa will cause havoc in our gravely endangered environment. EVEN the worst pessimist could not have imagined that the January 31 order of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) approving the South Korean-origin company Posco's steel project in Orissa would be as bad as it actually is. Construction of the Rs.54,000-crore steel plant, its captive power unit and private...

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has asked the Centre to make an institutionalised audit system for job guarantee scheme with a key role for it. CAG said MGNREGA accounts should be audited in every district annually by Local Fund Audit or chartered accountants appointed by state governments, and they should be empowered to give orders on how to audit. CAG has demanded the right to audit MGNREGA accounts at the frequency...