-PTI Ensure that findings of the probe are kept in a sealed cover The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to proceed with its probe into the authenticity of the former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's spendings during the 2009 State Assembly elections, allegedly involving expenses on “paid news.” A Bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and J. Chelameshwar, however, asked the Commission's counsel Meenakshi Arora to ensure that findings of the...

-PTI Mayo College Ajmer, among the most reputable schools in the country, has said the 25 per cent quota for students from underprivileged families does not apply to it as it is a boarding school. Under the Right to Education Act, all schools barring unaided minority institutions have to reserve 25 per seats for students from the weaker sections. However, there is no clarity yet on boarding schools. Appearing for the Mayo College...

Rajasthan has emerged as the state with the highest incidence of registered atrocities against Dalits across the country. In 2010, the state recorded 51.4 cases of atrocities against Dalits per lakh population under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. It had registered a similar number of cases in 2009 too. The latest data from the ministry of social justice and empowerment show that five states – Uttar...

The exploitation of migrant construction workers has grown alongside the expansion of the industry. It's time the government got serious about upholding the law. A recent report in The Hindu on the violation of labour laws at a massive construction site belonging to the Army Welfare Housing Organisation in Bangalore raises yet again the repeated neglect of regulations relating to the employment and welfare of workers by construction companies in India. For...

-The Hindu The West Bengal government plans to bring in a bill on reservation in government jobs for those belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC). Announcing this after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said although the previous government essayed a similar initiative and tried to pass legislation, the effort fell through as the Governor declined to sign the bill. “As per a Supreme Court instruction on this matter, it is necessary...