A lawyer today petitioned the Supreme Court to scrap the government notification on the joint committee for drawing up the Lok Pal Bill, saying the long-pending legislation couldn’t be “handed over to five people for redrafting”. The public interest petition came nine days after the government issued the April 9 notification announcing the panel of five ministers and five Activists in a tactical compromise in the face of mushrooming support for...

Indian public health expert and human rights Activist Dr Binayak Sen has been freed, after the Supreme Court granted him bail last week. Dr Sen was released from a prison in the central state of Chhattisgarh on the condition that he would surrender his passport and attend court whenever he was summoned. In December a court in Chhattisgarh sentenced him to life in prison for helping Maoist rebels. Mr Sen has denied the...

Asks whether she personally approves of Digvijay's statement Even as the war over a controversial CD purportedly featuring the co-chairman of the joint committee on the Lokpal Bill intensified, social Activist Anna Hazare on Monday wrote to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi urging her to rein in some of her colleagues who, he said, were trying to derail the process of drafting the legislation. He pointed an accusing finger at Congress...

Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil said on Monday that the situation was tense in Jaitapur after Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh's statement that there was no going back on the proposed nuclear project. One person was killed in police firing and several were injured as the protest against the nuclear power plant turned violent. Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena told the Maharashtra Assembly that the incident was shocking and...

Even as senior advocate Shanti Bhushan moved the Supreme Court on Monday for initiating contempt proceedings against the former Samajwadi Party leader, Amar Singh, on the CD issue, a counter petition has been filed to open contempt action against Mr. Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan. The petition, filed by advocate M.L. Sharma, also questioned the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, of which both are members. He said the panel comprising...