Facing a petition for “mercy killing” of a former nurse of Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital reduced to vegetable existence for the past 36 years following a brutal sexual assault, the Supreme Court on Monday appointed a team of three expert doctors to examine her before any such plea could be considered.

The Central probe agencies, including the CBI, have taken serious note of the appointment of 35 advisers by the top brass of the Organising Committee (OC) in different fields in connection with the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and are investigating further to ascertain the circumstances under which they were appointed. The probe has revealed that the advisors, though being paid a hefty sum every month or on every visit, did not even submit monthly reports to the OC. The OC has already been facing several allegations of irregularities regarding appointments of foreign consultants and paying them at a heavy price.

Chairman of the scandal-ridden Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC), Suresh Kalmadi, had been adamant that he would not step down from his post as the OC chairman and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president until he got a letter in this regard from the sports ministry.

President Pratibha Patil, vice-president Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Union ministers and chief ministers of different states on Monday condoled the demise of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and said his loss has created a huge void in the world of music.

The intractable environment minister Jairam Ramesh has softened his stand towards industry and admits to be working overtime to arrive at a workable compromise on the Lavasa hill city.

Chief Vigilance Commissioner P.J. Thomas finally broke his silence on inclusion of his name in the decades-old palmolein import scam of Kerala, claiming that he had been a “victim” of political rivalry between the UDF and LDF alliances in the state.

Lashing out at main Opposition BJP for undertaking Rashtriya Ekta Yatra to Srinagar to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk, the ruling Congress claimed the move to be the “most naked manifestation of political opportunism”. It also asked the main Opposition as to why the party did not undertake any such march when NDA was in power for six years.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a petition seeking to make public entire text of the “Radia tapes” recorded by the Income-Tax department’s investigation wing in the public interest as a portion of it had revealed how the government decisions were sought to be affected by corporate lobby.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday held deliberations with senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee, A.K. Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad against the backdrop of developments in Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka.

The Election Commission of India on Monday termed the paid news phenomenon a complex problem and suggested that it could be dispensed with if “self-regulation” is observed by the media and political parties.