Domestic news of the week

Saturday

New Delhi: The government-civil society discussions on a new Lokpal Bill get off to a fairly smooth start with the activists presenting a new draft legislation to deal with corruption.

New Delhi: Facing ED summons for his alleged links with Pune stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan, Puducherry Lt Governor Iqbal Singh writes to the Home Minister admitting that he had recommended expeditious issue of passport to him but claims he did not know him.

Sunday

New Delhi: The war over an alleged CD involving eminent lawyer Shanti Bhushan intensifies with his son Prashant claiming the disc was "doctored" using 2006 conversations of Mulayam Singh Yadav and says he will move Supreme Court on the ground it was intended to influence judgements in 2G and Amar Singh tape cases.

New Delhi: As West Bengal goes to polls on Apr 18, the Election Commission appeals to the voters to cast their ballot "without fear" and "inducement".

Monday

New Delhi: In escalation of the war over alleged fake CD, Prashant Bhushan files a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Amar Singh who hit back filing a police complaint against the father-son duo for distributing "tampered" conversations defying a legal stay.

Raipur: Celebrated rights activist Binayak Sen, who was behind bars for nearly four months serving a life term for sedition and Maoists links, is released from Chattisgarh's central prison, three days after Supreme Court granted him bail.

Tuesday

Itanagar/Shillong: A Mi17 helicopter of Pawan Hans crashes while landing in the mountainous region of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh killing 17 persons on board including three crew members but its pilot and five others miraculously survive with serious burn injuries.

New Delhi: As a crackdown begins to corner those involved in getting pilots' licences by fudging records, a top officer of aviation regulator DGCA is relieved of his duties following charges that he had influenced an airline to employ his daughter who had failed a pilot test.

Wednesday

Mumbai: In the wake of allegations that he misused his official position to allot government land to a company in which he had stakes, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar admits he had share holding in that firm but not at the time of allotment.

New Delhi: Responding to Anna Hazare's complaint against her "colleagues", Congress President Sonia Gandhi assures him that she does not support "politics of smear campaign" and she was strongly committed to the institution of Lokpal.

Thursday

New Delhi: India's 12th Five Year Plan will focus on policy and governance issues while it targets a sustainable economic growth of 9-9.5 per cent, giving priorities to the common man's needs of health, education and water.

New Delhi: "Was the government sleeping all these years on the issue of blackmoney," the Supreme Court says while criticising Centre's probe restricting to an individual and being evasive about the idea of an investigation by the Special Investigating Team.

Friday

Ahmedabad: The post-Godhra riots come to haunt Narendra Modi with a senior IPS officer alleging that the Gujarat Chief Minister had allowed Hindus to "vent their anger" during the 2002 clashes.

New Delhi: With Congress coming under attack over criticism of civil society members, Government says controversies will not affect working of the joint committee for drafting the Lokpal Bill.