The current debate on the Lokpal Bill is split along two lines: the UPA’s draft and that of Team Anna Hazare. But now, not just the political establishment, other sections of “civil society” are standing up to call for a wider debate and cautioning against a rush to push any version through. So while the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council may have made it clear that it wouldn’t discuss the Lokpal...

With two rival versions of the Lokpal Bill already competing for public attention, the stage now seems to have been set for the emergence of a third alternative, courtesy the National CAMPAign for the People's Right to Information (NCPRI). On July 6, the NCPRI, whose working committee includes National Advisory Council (NAC) member Aruna Roy, will present an “alternative approach” to the rival Lokpal Bills, drafted separately after talks broke down...

-IBN   According to the findings of a CNN IBN-Hindustan Times Opinion poll, the public prefers Anna Hazare over the government to tackle corruption. Anna Hazare and his team have CAMPAigned relentlessly for the offices of the Prime Minister and the judiciary to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal Bill. Now, a poll conducted by CNN IBN in partnership with Hindustan Times shows that Anna Hazare inspires greater trust among Indians on...

-PTI   The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the authorities for taking advantage of the "colonial law" on land acquisition to divest farmers of their prime agricultural land benefitting the rich and paying "pittiance" to common men. The apex court said a "sinister CAMPAign" has been launched by various state governments to take adavantage of the law against the poor people for taking away the land and giving it to builders where...

What farmers get are lathis and litigation, observes Justice Ganguly The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over misuse of the Land Acquisition Act, a colonial law, by all States to acquire land from farmers for development in the guise of a ‘public purpose'. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly said that in the name of globalisation and land development the States had marginalised farmers by paying a pittance...