-The Times of India   Wednesday's Supreme Court decision which upheld Allahabad High Court's order quashing acquisition of land by UP government at Shahberi village in Noida has come as a shot in the arm of the farmers agitating across the state against forcible land acquisition. While Opposition parties used it to sharpen their attack on the Maya government, farmer organisations said it's a warning to the Centre and state governments...

-The Telegraph   The Congress today restated the government’s position of being opposed to including the Prime Minister and the higher judiciary in the ambit of the Lokpal bill, a day before Sonia Gandhi’s scheduled meeting with Anna Hazare. Hazare and his team insist that the offices should come under the scrutiny of the ombudsman. The BJP, which heard out Hazare and his colleagues today, made it clear that it will not “compromise”...

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet Anna Hazare on Saturday, citing a “packed prior schedule” to turn down his request for an appointment today. The anti-graft activist has been parleying with leaders of major political parties in the capital for the past two days and met Bihar rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad. Sources said despite the Congress Working Committee in its meeting last week coming down strongly on Hazare and his...

The Joint Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee concludes its meetings without any agreement on major issues. ON June 21, as the five government representatives and the five civil society members of the Joint Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee ended their deliberations after exchanging their versions of the draft Lokpal Bill, the battle lines were clearly drawn. The government was in no mood to agree with the civil society members led by Anna...

-The Hindu   As auditor to a nation whose institutions of oversight are weak and underdeveloped, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India is more than just the keeper of our national accounts. It is, in many ways, a conscience-keeper and a watchdog, which may not bite but can bark and warn ordinary citizens that something is amiss in the wider affairs of state. Like the Election Commission and the Supreme...