The recent crisis rocking the Karnataka Assembly for the past few days has now acquired national focus, with governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj briefing President Pratibha Patil on these developments here Tuesday. The governor, who met the President over breakfast Tuesday morning, told reporters later that “no one had the licence to indulge in corruption” and that he would not “shirk his responsibilities”.

In two major orders, the Supreme Court on Tuesday virtually shed its 17-year-long rigid stance on the 50 per cent cap on reservations, and permitted states to revisit their reservation policy to “exceed” the quota limit provided they had got solid scientific data to justify the increase.

The civil aviation ministry will seek certification for body scanners — to be installed at Indian airports — from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) to ensure that there are no harmful effects due to any radiation, well-placed aviation sources have confirmed.

The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that India is not open to “political asylum” but could allow any foreigner to get its citizenship under the due process of law. Attorney-General G.E. Vahavati made the statement to this effect before a bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and A.R. Dave, which dealt with the petition of Vietnam war veteran, former US Naval officer Jeff Knaebel, who has turned a Gandhian and claimed to have renounced the American citizenship.

Nearly 16 lakh students of Maharashtra seeking admission in Class 11 got major relief from the Supreme Court with it allowing the state to continue with the “best-of-five” marking scheme in Class 10 as an interim measure.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to revisit the laws providing quota in excess of 50 per cent to reserved categories in government jobs and educational institutions.

In a major relief to the Opposition Telugu Desam Party, the Supreme Court on Tuesday justified the quashing of a case against its government in Andhra Pradesh, registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2003.

After a long absence from the capital as is her wont, Union railway minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is back in the capital. So on Tuesday she had a nearly hour-long meeting with President Pratibha Patil over dinner.

The transfer of Chief Justice of Karnataka high court P.D. Dinakaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament following allegations of land grabbing and corruption, to the Sikkim high court now appears certain.

For now, it may sound like a distant dream. But imagine a squeaky-clean railway station, with comfy chairs in a sprawling hall for passengers while they wait to board their trains. Shops tidily lined across the hall where one can pop in to while away time and escalators to help ease the walk to the train. And, of course, none of the hustle