Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Overriding Issues
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may have made the point that domestic consent cannot be taken for certain on international issues,but Cabinet Secretary A K Seth seems to have seen it coming. The Cabinet Secretariat has for the first time clarified in a note to all ministries that while the government can enter into agreements or give consent to international treaties or conventions,this will not amount to ratification. India is one country where this process has been blurred due to the Cabinets overriding powers on international matters. But in their August 23 note,the Cabinet Secretariat has made it clear that ratification of treaties or conventions can only be done once domestic laws have been amended or enabling legislation enacted. It has clarified that from now on,ministries moving notes on international agreements will have to specify the domestic legislative ramifications in order to avoid embarrassment.
Open Secrets
At a Cabinet meeting on Monday,ministers were cautioned by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on how secrecy norms were being uninhibitedly flouted and the entire proceedings of Cabinet meetings coming out in the media. Pranabdas dressing down comes in the wake of last weeks deliberations on the sports Bill at the Cabinet meeting which was marked by sharp differences on the proposed legislation spilling out into the open. It also comes in the backdrop of unrest among Cabinet members who felt that the media was unrestrained in its coverage of the Anna Hazare issue and needed to be regulated.
Courting Censure
High courts have a tendency to 8220;bypass8221; statutes or the written law,according to the Supreme Court. As an example,a bench,led by Justice G S Singhvi,referred to how the Delhi High Court had taken upon itself to challenge a decision by the State Consumer Commission to slap a total fine of Rs 75 lakh on certain cellular operators. The court asked why the High Court had to even entertain the challenge when the National Consumer Commission,the top consumer complaint body,was the statutory authority to do so.
Military Ties
The ice seems to have been broken when it comes to defence exchanges between India and China after the visit of an Indian Army delegation to Beijing in June. It is learnt that consultations are on to firm up the date of a high level visit by a Chinese military delegation to India. The two countries will shortly finalise the dates for the visit of Gen Chen Bingde,who is the Chief of General Staff of the Peoples Liberation Army of China.
