National
Approved strength of judges enough to end backlog: Law panel head – Law Commission of India Chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan said “working judges”, and not increasing sanctioned strength of judges, may be a solution to modern-day demands of judicial workload caused by the heightened legal awareness among the public about their liberties.
Editorials
A first step to wholesome reform – Last week the Supreme Court of India made it mandatory for the police to upload within 48 hours a First Information Report (FIR) drawn up by it suo motu or on a complaint.
Sharing without caring – The Cauvery water dispute is turning out to be less about water and irrigation and more about linguistic chauvinism and regional identity.
Involve the States more in higher education – State universities produce over 95 per cent of the nation’s graduates, including from the private college system through the affiliation route. Yet they have little presence in bodies that frame policies and decisions regarding regulation or funding.
In trade, three is not a crowd – India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are moving at a furious pace to cut one another out of the trade equation.
International
India hardsells NSG bid to China – Starting a phase of direct bilateral negotiation, India discussed its bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) with China on Tuesday. The talks, which officials on both sides described as “pragmatic”, were the first since India’s failed bid for membership at the NSG’s June plenary in Seoul.
Economy
Urjit Patel stares at half-empty RBI board – The central board of the RBI, which provides broad direction to the central bank, currently has eight of the 16 director positions nominated by the Centre lying vacant, with the terms of two more sitting members due to end over the next couple of months.
Indian Express
Poor account – It is unfortunate to see bank officials in many parts of the country making one-rupee deposits in Jan-Dhan accounts simply with a view to hide their “zero-balance” status, as an investigation by this newspaper has revealed.
Accountability of justice – The framers of our Constitution did not intend the judiciary to be “superior” to Parliament and the executive, but intended it to be the sentinel on the qui vive should the other two wings overstep the boundaries of their jurisdiction or omit to discharge their duty as public trustees.
Chimera of choice – Surrogate mothers are caught in a vortex of exploitation which the new bill does not address.
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