Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 26 August 2014

Coal block allocations since 1993 illegal: SC

The Supreme Court pulled up the Centre on coal block allocations and declared all 218 allocations made from 1993 to 2011 illegal and arbitrary.
A Bench of Chief Justice R.M. Lodha and Justices Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph said the entire allocation of coal blocks as recommended by the Screening Committee from July 14, 1993, in 36 meetings and the allocation made through the government dispensation route suffered from the vice of arbitrariness and legal flaws.
In February 2012, the court ordered the cancellation of spectrum allocations and directed fresh auction.
The Bench said the consequences of declaring the allocations illegal would be considered on September 1 taking into account the investments made by companies for various projects and the procedure to be adopted for cancellation.

The Supreme Court has said it is “premature” to interrupt the ongoing legislative process and examine the constitutionality of the Constitution amendment and National Judicial Appointments Commission Bills before they were made law.
The Court refused to entertain a bunch of public interest litigation pleas.

The ‘right to travel abroad’ is a fundamental right, but it is “not an absolute one,” and it is subject to certain limitations, the Madras High Court has said.
Justice M. Venugopal made the observation in response to a contention by an accused, charge-sheeted by the CBI in a serious crime, that no one could be deprived of his or her right to travel abroad under Article 21 of the Constitution, except according to the procedure established by law.
Dismissing the petition, Mr. Justice Venugopal said the right to go abroad was an individual’s personal liberty. There was no order to impound the petitioner’s passport.

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that his country was “ready and able” to help India achieve its ambitious growth plans.
Mr. Clegg held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The discussions included retrospective tax amendments concerning Vodafone and Cairn Energy.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) may soon issue a notification regarding amendments to the mandate of the Lokpal Search Committee for recommendations of candidates for the appointment of the Lokpal.
Following allegations of a flawed selection procedure, the government had earlier decided to amend the selection rules framed under the Lokpal Act.
The amendments were to be carried out in consonance with the report of a three-member committee set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau Special Director R.N. Ravi as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee for a period of three years.
The Joint Intelligence Committee functions under the National Security Council Secretariat.
Mr. Ravi, a 1976-batch Indian Police Service officer from Kerala, has been appointed in the pay and rank of Secretary to the Government of India. He retired as IB Special Director in 2012.