-The Indian Express Questioning the government on giving 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities on the basis of religion, the Supreme Court today refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing the decision. "We are not inclined to grant stay," a Bench comprising Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar said while issuing notices to the petitioner on whose PIL the high court had quashed the 4.5 per cent...

-The Times of India The Central Bureau of Investigation will soon write to coal producing state governments seeking to know the basis of their recommendations given to private companies who were allocated coal blocks between 2006 and 2009. The agency in its prima facie investigation has found some material which shows that several ineligible companies had allegedly got the coal blocks during the period, CBI sources said.  The CBI is now trying...

-The Hindu Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights body, has urged the government of India to probe the fresh allegations of human rights violations by the personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh border and prosecute those responsible. According to HRW's latest report, despite assurances to Bangladesh and public orders to end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, evidence documented and published by Indian and Bangladeshi...

If the environment ministry's draft proposal for 'inviolate forest areas' is accepted, large swathes of healthy forests, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and wildlife corridors, would be out of bounds for all mining activities, and not just coal excavation. The ministry's draft lists criteria for identifying forest patches where mining should be banned following the GoM on coal's decision to junk the no-go policy of the environment ministry. The...

-Reuters Inflation may have accelerated at its fastest pace this year in May, driven by higher food and fuel prices, impeding chances of a rate cut by the central bank at its review next week, a Reuters poll showed. The wholesale price index, India's main inflation gauge, is expected to rise 7.60 percent in May versus a year ago, compared with April's 7.23 percent, the poll of 31 analysts showed. Forecasts ranged from...