-The Indian Express Amendments to the contentious land acquisition Bill not only seek to hasten the acquisition process through tight time-schedules but also contain a provision that virtually allows the law to be applied retrospectively to cases that witnessed protests in the past. The union cabinet is due to discuss the amendments to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill on Thursday. The changes suggest that the new law will be applicable to...

-The Times of India The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday rapped petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily for having violated the model code of conduct with his poll-eve announcement of plans to increase LPG subsidy cap from six to nine cylinders a year. Expressing its strong disapproval of the announcement made on Tuesday - adjudged by the poll watchdog as promise of a financial grant - the EC cautioned Moily to be...

-The Times of India As many as 477 convicts awarded death sentence are awaiting hanging in various jails across the country, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Maharashtra, which last month hanged LeT terrorist Ajmal Kasab in a secret operation after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition, has 50 convicts in its jails awaiting hanging, putting it third on the list of states with maximum number of convicts awaiting...

-Outlook The Election Commission has proposed putting up a ban on opinion polls in media but the issue needs to be discussed and deliberated upon before initiating any legislative measure, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said today. In written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, he said, "A proposal of the Election Commission for putting ban on opinion polls during election has been received." Since this issue has a direct bearing on the...

-Outlook The government has not made any assessment on presumptive losses following the CAG report on the 2G spectrum issue, parliament was informed today. "No assessment of the value of presumptive loss caused to the nation after the publication of CAG report in 2G spectrum matter has been made by the Government of India," Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. To a...