BREAKING NEWS

We can’t breathe in Delhi. It is a public health emergency as pollutants in the air have spiked to extremely toxic levels. Officially, the air quality is in the severe+ zone, which means that it is bad for even the healthy, forget about what it will do to our children, aged and the already vulnerable. But what I want to discuss is why and what can we do — without the clamour and the politics that in its own way is contaminating the airs today. So, what has happened in end October and early November? Until the afternoon of Diwali (October 27, 2019), the air in Delhi was bad, but still somewhat breathable. But with the weather turning adverse — colder nights, less wind and so no dispersion — pollution was steadily rising. Also, the stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab a...

Present Chief Central Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargav is going to retire on 11.01.2020. But still there is no clarity on new Chief Central Information Commissioner. It may be recalled that once this important post remained vacant for months before Vijay Sharma was appointed on the post. System may be formulated whereby normally senior-most Information Commissioner may be appointed as Chief Information Commissioner. Such a system will not only ensure the important post being always occupied, but will also auto-care for the peculiar situation developed due to recent amendment in RTI Act whereby service-rules for Information Commissioners are downgraded. No present Information Commissioner will like to apply for post of Chief Information Commissioner under new rules because of down...

International Trade Fair (IITF) at New Delhi is an annual event from 14th November to 27th November. There are extra long queues of visitors first outside the gate for purchasing entry-tickets, at entry gates, and thereafter there are very long queues outside pavilions of participants. Most visitors especially children, youngsters and students want to visit as many pavilions as possible. But in such short duration with heavy rush of people on each day, it is absolutely impossible that a desiring person may be able to visit all the pavilions even if he or she visits IITF on all the days. Rather such a heavy rush prevents many desiring ones to visit IITF even for one single day. Otherwise also participants including public-authorities comprising of states, ministries and other government-...

Largest-selling foreign company Hewlett-Packard (HP) marketing computer-printers in Indian market has Maximum-Retail-Price printed on ink-cartridges exorbitantly high even though its original cartridges available in wholesale markets of Nehru place and Nai Sarak in Delhi at much-much less than printed MRP. Even wholesale price for its ink-cartridges remains much higher around rupees 3000 making some Indian manufacturers marketing re-filled cartridges at around rupees 700 or so. Even re-fill can be done at just rupees 200 or so. But using re-filled ink-cartridges result in termination of warranty. Condition should be imposed to allow manufacture of ink-cartridges in India by desiring Indian companies. Indian companies should also be authorised refill ink-cartridges without affecting warr...

Subsidy on food in Railway-run Parliamentary canteens was abolished in the year 2015 after heavy public-criticism subsequent to disclosure of an RTI response. But later it was revealed that again heavy subsidy is being provided now in Parliamentary canteens. This is despite the fact that food-items are precured for meetings from reputed private shops at full market-price. In case of prolonged Parliamentary session for some day, it is more economical to provide food free-of-cost to attending Parliamentarians rather than burdening public-exchequer with subsidy which was once abolished after strong public-criticism. Tariff-chart for Railway-run Parliamentary canteens should be equivalent to that of food provided in second-class railway-coaches. Furthermore system of procuring lavish dishes...

Our courts including Supreme Court are prompt in giving stay-orders as a normal practice when at times such stay-orders are even injurious to Justice Delivery System. But when such a stay-order was of utmost importance on the issue of Sabrimala Temple not only considering highly disturbed sentiments of majority Hindu community but also for maintaining law and order problem, Constitution Bench of Supreme Court on 14.11.2019 while referring the matter to a larger seven-member bench did not stay its earlier order. Logically also, Constitution Bench must have found at least some substance in review-petition that the matter was referred to larger seven-member bench. Such a stay-order was otherwise also necessary to maintain dignity of its own order which had posed great difficulty to authoritie...

Alliance-politics is gradually sinking in Indian politics with BJP-Shivsena pre-poll alliance not having able to form government in Maharashtra. Supreme Court has allowed 17 ousted Karnatak MLAs to contest by-polls. Also NDA ally LJP deciding to go alone in forthcoming elections to Jharkhand state-assembly. JDU also at times speaks in different tone from its main ally BJP in Bihar government. Massive and consolidated poll-reforms are only remedy for such volatile politics inducing money-game in making and breaking of governments. It is time  that BJP persuades its smaller allies to join BJP mainstream rather than giving them disproportionate share in ticket-distribution or share in power. A sitting MLA, MLC or MP must resign first from earlier seat before filing nomination for other. An...

Five-member Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on 13.11.2019 gave a land-mark verdict dismissing appeal by its own CPIO thus holding office of Chief Justice of India under RTI Act, thus adding yet other mile-stone in an era requiring transparency. Verdict coupled with another recent Supreme Court verdict dated 17.09.2019 declaring DAV College Trust and Management Society public-authority under RTI Act because of substantial government-funding, will have far reaching positive implications where it has set an example for bodies resisting to be under purview of RTI Act by challenging CIC-verdicts declaring them as public-authorities in the courts also succeeding to get easy stay-orders. Apex Court in other two cases has also delivered verdict totally in frame-work of R...

Supreme Court in its historic verdict on Ram-Janmbhoomi has referred and endorsed to a 1991-legislation which prohibits any further restoration of such temples built before 15.08.1947 where mosques were built after breaking of temples. But Vishwanath Temple at Kashi and Krishna-Janmbhoomi Temple at Mathura are two such more important temples which have greater significance for Hindus similar to that of Ram-Janmbhoomi Temple at Ayodhya. It is significant that non-political organizations continuously included demand for restoration of temples at Kashi and Mathura as well together with that at Ayodhya, assuring that no further demand for restoration of any other temple other than these three major ones would ever be raised. Facts made as base for Ayodhya verdict by Supreme Court are more t...