Making far reaching recommendations, the Justice Verma Committee favoured comprehensive amendments to criminal laws seeking minimum 20 years imprisonment for gang rape and life term for rape and murder but refrained from prescribing death penalty.

Trial proceedings in the 16th December Delhi gangrape case will be held in-camera before a fast track court, which has decided to hear arguments on framing of charges against five accused on 24th January.

In order to maintain a high standard of efficiency in governance, the Centre is reviewing the performance of all-India service officers and has asked the state governments to carry out similar exercises so that non-performing officials could be retired from services.

The government rejected the CAG report estimating a huge gain of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to private firms in allocation of 57 coal blocks, asserting the calculations were faulty and the gain notional.