-The Hindu Shinde assures MPs that such courts will be set up to expedite trial Amid charges of "innocent" Muslims being falsely implicated in terror cases, the Union government is likely to set up fast track courts to expedite their trial. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde gave the assurance to a group of MPs and civil rights activists who met him to demand a "clear-cut time frame" for setting up such courts and freeing...

-The Hindu   When the Supreme Court has recognised the right to go on hunger strike, why is Irom Sharmila's protest against impunity of the armed forces a criminal act? Over the past 12 years, Irom Sharmila Chanu has carried on an inconceivable hunger strike, which has seen her body wither and her skin turn pale. During this period, she has emerged as the face of the civilian resistance to the immunity, and...

-The Hindu   "If we are going to be serious about supporting women's SHGs, then we need a development finance institution" Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's proposal to establish a bank exclusively for women - which he described as the highlight of this year's budget - may have garnered applause from across party lines in Parliament and could be set up as early as October; but that hasn't stopped his Cabinet colleague and Rural...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: Holding that no person should languish in jail just because no one was willing or available to stand surety for him, the Madras high court ordered the immediate release of 73 undertrial PRIsoners, who were in jail for long periods despite having got bail. They will all now be released on their own bond. While granting bail, a surety is insisted upon by courts because the person...

-The Hindu Disagreements within the government seem to have stalled any attempts at ensuring that the UPA regime’s flagship rural job guarantee scheme pays minimum wages in all States. While the Rural Development Ministry has made a deal with the activists who took the government to court over the matter, strong opposition from the Finance Ministry has reportedly stalled any move to amend the law. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,...