NEWS

NEW DELHI: The Law Commission of India, which is working on a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC), will steer clear of most personal laws relating to Muslim marriage and divorce so as to avoid a conflict with the Supreme Court. The commission firmed up its stand days after the Supreme Court admitted pleas to examine the practices of polygamy, nikahhalala, nikahmutta and nikahmisyar . The last three are different types of temporary contractual marriages.
Law Commission of India chairman Balbir Singh SinghChauhan said on Thursday, “How can we touch what is sub judice? The effect of the Supreme Court’s decision will be binding upon us,” Chauhan, a former judge of the top court, explained. He said the commission would, however, still examine Muslim personal laws “relating to adoption and succession”.

NEW DELHI: Amid news reports pouring in about the tax collection deficit, the government has started a crackdown on goods and services tax (GST) evaders ahead of the end of the fiscal year. The government indicated that tax dodgers will not be spared.
The Directorate General of GST Intelligence, the apex intelligence unit under the Central Board of Excise and Customs, has in an all-India operation that began on Tuesday detected tax evasion to the tune of Rs 440 crore, a person privy to the development said on condition of anonymity.
The nature of evasion includes non-payment of tax, wrongful claim of tax rebates and failure to remit to the government taxes collected from customers. Most of the firms under investigation are medium-sized.

NEW DELHI: Looking at the lukewarm response, Social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare on Thursday ended his fast at RamlilaMaidan in New Delhi after six days. He said that he had been assured by the government that appointments of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states would be made soon.
Hazare said that he is giving the government six months time till August to come good on its assurance and warned that his protest will again begin in September if the demands were not met. The 80-year-old anti-corruption activist’s demands include appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states, and giving better prices to the farmers for their yield.

NEW DELHI: In another case of private firms duping the public sector bank, the CBI has registered cases against directors of two Punjab-based private agro companies for allegedly cheating Bank of India to the tune of over Rs 89 crore.
ARs 61.01-crore fraud case has been registered against Sri Nangli Rice Mills Private Limited. Another company, Sri Nangli Agro Tech Private Limited, has been booked for an alleged Rs 28.30-crore loan fraud, they said.
Vijay Kumar, Satish Kumar, Anil Kumar and Manoj Kumar are the directors of both the companies. Two chartered accountancy firms have also been booked in connection with the cheating cases.