Most states now levy greater tax on petrol than the central government, without having to share the subsidy burden. After last week’s increase in prices, state sales tax/VAT on petrol is more than central excise in most cases. The central government levies a fixed excise duty of Rs 14.78 on every litre of petrol. But, states levy an ad valorem tax which, in absolute terms, increases with every price increase of...

A local court on Wednesday directed Luknow police to register a case of fraud and cheating against Delhi based self proclaimed godman Nirmal Baba alias Nirmaljeet Singh Nerula. Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Upadhyaya further directed Gomitnagar police to probe the matter and submit the report in the court. The Judge cited a 1999 Supreme Court ruling and said that if a person present himself as godman capable of treating the disease...

A survey of 71 cities across the country conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that officially 82 per cent of all the water that municipalities of these cities supply comes from surface water resources, and the rest comes from groundwater resources. But of these 71 cities, 11 depend almost completely on groundwater for public water supply. In the remaining, agencies supply water from surface sources by...

The Supreme Court has taken steps to lay down a code for media reporting. This attempt at prior restraint on the media is a dangerous move with precedent from authoritarian polities. In a context where the judiciary has been lax in defending the media from attacks which seek to curb its freedom, such unilateral moves will not remedy bad reporting but rather make conditions worse for the media to play...

-The Hindustan Times Killing of women for dowry is no longer a rural phenomenon. The menace is fast catching up with the metropolitan elite - those who are considered educated, civil and well to do. Also, it is no more confined to the arranged marriages but afflicting matrimonial bonds that emerge out of years of courtship and love. The fact that 12 women are either killed or forced to die for dowry each...