-Down to Earth States exploit the delay in the drafting of rules for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act to assert rights over land claimed by communities under the Forest Rights Act More than a year after Parliament passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016 (CAF), the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is yet to roll out the mandatory rules to implement it. In fact, the ministry in November...

-PTI New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought the responses of the government and the Election Commission on a plea seeking to restrain convicted politicians from running and holding posts in political parties. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud agreed to examine the validity and contours of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Registration of associations and bodies as political...

-The Hindu Coastal people allege the storm has exposed basic flaws in the system Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Cyclone Ockhi not only left a trail of destruction across South Kerala, but also raised questions over the State’s preparedness to deal with major natural calamities affecting tens of thousands of families. Even as the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force began efforts to rescue over 150 fishermen reported missing at sea, coastal communities allege that the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the loss of lives and public property during agitations, which have continued despite Guidelines framed by it, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to bring a law to fix liability on people who could be prosecuted and made to pay compensation for indulging in and abetting mob violence. A bench of Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit said a...

-Hindustan Times/ Livemint.com TRAI in its new recommendations has backed the core principles of Net Neutrality. India’s telecom regulator has backed the basic principles of an open and free internet in its recommendations on net neutrality, a term which means people should get equal access to the internet and broadband providers should not favour any apps and services. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s Guidelines released on Tuesday say that no internet access...