The Supreme Court on Monday sought a detailed status report from the Andhra Pradesh government on the investigations into the alleged fake encounter of senior Maoist leader Azad. A bench comprising Justice Aftab Alam and Justice R M Lodha told AP's counsel and senior advocate Altaf Ahmed that the court "does not want even an iota of doubt in this matter". It asked the state to place the probe status report...

Schools affiliated to international boards are on a collision course with the government over implementing the Right To Education (RTE) Act, which requires them to reserve 25 per cent of their seats for poor students. The schools, which are affiliated to boards such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), are governed by the rules of their own boards. The government is yet to frame any regulations to...

The Supreme Court has said that disparaging remarks made about a person’s caste in his absence and in close confines of a home or room will not amount to an offence under the SC/ST act. Under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, only an accused who intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place...

For a poor boy from the dark heart of tribal India, constable Kartam Surya has done well. An 8th class pass from the village of Misma in South Bastar’s Dantewada district — in the so-called Maoist 'liberated zone' in Chhattisgarh — 26-year-old Surya makes sure he gives his father, a marginal farmer scratching a living from the land, enough money to live in peace and comfort. "Surya is a good son...

The UPA-2 government had challenged the Comptroller and Auditor General's report that blew the lid off the 2G spectrum scam and its estimated loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore, but the Supreme Court virtually endorsed the auditor's findings and said they tally with those of Central Bureau of Investigation. ( Read: CBI told to get special prosecutor for 2G case ) Presenting details of the CBI investigation to a bench comprising...