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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
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  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
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  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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Will The Lokpal Make A Difference?

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2019-03-22 07:49:55

Although none of the political parties had the will to have a Lokpal in place, the country is going to have its first anti-corruption ombudsman in Justice (Retd) Pinaki Chandra Ghose. The need for having Lokayuktas in the states and Lokpal at the centre was first espoused by The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Morarji Desai which submitted a special interim report on "Problems of Redressal of Citizen's Grievances" in 1966. In this report, the ARC recommended the setting up of two special authorities designated as 'Lokpal' and 'Lokayukta' for the redressal of citizens' grievances. Although many states subsequently enacted Lokayukta Acts and Lokayuktas were appointed, no perceived benefit has been felt barring stray cases. The Lokpal movement gathered speed after Anna Hazare started his campaign under the “India Against Corruption” banner.

Hence it is that there has been a muted response to the announcement of the Lokpal. That the Modi government tried to delay the appointment till the fag end of its term shows that the seriousness was not there despite its overtly anti-corruption image. In the end, it was the verbal lashing and the deadline set by the Supreme Court that did the trick. Any anti-corruption ombudsman can be effective only if complete support is provided by the government of the day and the legislation gives power and authority to the body. It is seen from the working of the state Lokayuktas that some state Acts do not allow the Lokayukta to move against the chief minister in certain cases. Also, the necessary support in terms of funding and infrastructure is not provided. This weakens the institution and makes it ineffective.

It remains to be seen whether the Lokpal will be able to do what the Lokayuktas in various states have not been able to. The Lokpal Act as it exists does not inspire much confidence. Further, for a Lokpal to be truly effective, the institution should not be dependent on the government for anything. Unless that happens we can never hope to see a reduction in corruption, let alone its disappearance altogether.

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