Its founder president, Ashok Chauhan, was charged with fraud in the 1990s by authorities in Germany, where he ran a network of companies. He returned to India and was never extradited. A plastics company in the U.S. also sued Chauhan in 1995 for failing to pay $20 million in debts. "They are a subsidiary of a conglomerate of companies," said Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of State College and Universities. "This is by no means reassuring, if you ask me."   read more

‘Her Majesty’ and ‘East India Company’ are still mentioned in some obsolete laws in India’s statute books, 67 years after independence from British colonial rule. The NDA government has come up with a simple solution: a clean-up of obscure laws that no longer serve any purpose. The Law Ministry is leading the drive, by digging out 287 outdated laws that will be repealed in the next session of parliament in November.   read more

The Congress state government in Haryana has officially legitimised the controversial land deal between party chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and real-estate giant DLF Universal Ltd. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Election Commission on Monday to look into the state administration’s decision taken prior to a crucial election, where the ruling Congress party is fighting a tough battle to win votes.   read more

“What should be covered must be covered. Women should not trouble others by wearing jeans,” KJ Yesudas declared in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, setting off a storm of protests from political leaders, women’s groups and the public. His comments were also criticised on social media, with some users posting photographs of the singer’s daughters-in-law wearing jeans as evidence of his “hypocrisy”.   read more

According to a media report, India could run out of an important medicine in the country’s free HIV/AIDS drugs programme by October 21 due to bureaucratic bungling, leaving more than 150,000 patients without life-saving drugs for about a month. Missed dosages for long durations could increase drug resistance and result in a faster spread of the virus.   read more

It’s not every day that the prime minister picks up a broom and begins sweeping the street. But October 2 is no ordinary day. It’s the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and Narendra Modi chose this national holiday to launch the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign, the most ambitious attempt ever made in India to clean the country and provide sanitation to every household within five years.   read more

While rejuvenating the sluggish Indian economy is the main mission of the new NDA administration, a growing area of cooperation with the U.S. will be in defence and security. This partnership is expected to address the threat of terrorism, including from Pakistan-based groups, and heightened defence and space cooperation, including a joint mission to Mars.   read more

Whoever scheduled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit in 14 years to the U.S. did a splendid job of keeping his public events at the start, before his formal meeting with President Barack Obama. The result was that Modi got a rock star reception in New York for three days that swept him on a wave of popularity to Washington to begin the serious work of repairing the Indo-US bilateral ties that have languished for the past 4 years.   read more

J Jayalalithaa, the chief of the AIADMK, has become the first chief minister to be forced from office after being convicted of corruption. The 66-year-old politician has been sentenced to 4 years in jail and fined Rs. 100 crore ($16.7 million), after a Bangalore court found her guilty of corruption during her first term as chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 1991 to 1996.   read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in New York on Friday on a hectic visit that will see him make a speech at the UN General Assembly, meet President Barack Obama at the White House, speak to a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, and have several one-to-one meetings with American business leaders. Yet none of this would have appeared possible even a year ago.   read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his ‘Make in India’ campaign on Thursday, inviting both foreign and domestic manufacturers to invest in the country, while promising to make it easier to do business.   read more

The Supreme Court has scrapped 214 of the 218 coal blocks allocated by different administrations over the past two decades, in a tough ruling that hit the shares of companies that invested in the blocks. Yet no mention has been made of any action against the previous ministers who had allocated these coal blocks in an unfair, arbitrary and non-transparent manner in the first place.   read more

India has made history by becoming the first country to enter the orbit of Mars on its maiden attempt. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully inserted the Mangalyaan spacecraft into the red planet's orbit on Wednesday, following its 11-month journey from Earth.   read more

Last week’s high-handed police action against a peaceful protest by students of Jadavpur University in Kolkata have now taken on a political hue, with the ruling Trinamool Congress under pressure for reportedly cracking down on democratic dissent. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, created a furore on Monday by alleging on Facebook that students were unhappy with the banning of alcohol and drugs on campus.   read more

India’s landmark Mars mission is about to reach its destination, with the Mangalyaan spacecraft expected to enter the atmosphere of Mars in the next few days. On Monday, scientists of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will begin 'waking' up its liquid apogee motor that has been silent for nearly 300 days. Designed and developed at a cost of just $69 million, Mangalyaan marks India’s maiden foray into interplanetary flight.   read more

India and China have signed 12 agreements during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s maiden visit to New Delhi, including one which will see China investing $20 billion in India's infrastructure over the next five years. Yet the talks came as India accused China of fresh territorial incursions in Ladakh leading to a standoff between troops of both countries. At a joint news conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "peace on the border" was important for mutual trust and progress.   read more

Border tensions have flared up between India and China ahead of President Xi Jinping’s maiden visit to India this week. India said on Tuesday it would firmly defend its 3,500-km-long border with China after the Hindustan Times reported an incursion by 200 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army into Ladakh last week. Both countries are expected to ramp up commercial ties with Xi's visit, but their contested border remains a stumbling block to better political ties.   read more