M A I N   N E W S

Court rejects Gore’s plea on deadline

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (PTI) — In a major setback to US Democrat presidential hopeful Al Gore, the Florida State Court today rejected his demand for extending the 5 p.m. deadline for hand count of presidential votes in some Florida counties.

The Secretary of State of Florida, Ms Katherine Harris, has set the deadline for certification of the election except for the postal ballots.

However, in a somewhat confusing signal, Judge Terry Louis said if any certified returns were filed after the deadline, Secretary of State of Florida might accept them “in the proper exercise of her discretion after considering all appropriate facts and circumstances”.

In other words, she would decide.

The court ruling is a heavy blow to the Gore camp and Mr Gore’s lawyers are expected to appeal.

The ruling is viewed as a victory for Republican presidential candidate George Bush who currently leads by 435 votes.

Bibi Jagir Kaur moves HC
Nishan Singh remanded in judicial custody
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Nov 14 — Claiming to be innocent and falsely implicated in the Harpreet Kaur murder case, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court here for bail in the event of her arrest by the CBI.

The District and Sessions Judge, Patiala, yesterday dismissed Bibi Jagir Kaur’s pre-arrest bail plea ruling that her custodial interrogation in the case was needed.

The CBI had registered a case under Sections 302, 304, 313, 344 and 201 of the IPC on October 3 at New Delhi. A 26-page petition filed in the High Court by Bibi’s counsel is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow. An advance copy of the petition has been served on Rajan Gupta, Standing Counsel for the CBI, here. The petitioner pleaded that as SGPC President and a sitting MLA, she had been falsely implicated in the case. An FIR was registered after adverse publicity by a well-orchestrated political campaign and it was recorded after a long inquiry.

The SGPC chief further submitted that the FIR neither disclosed any reliable basis for perceiving a conspiracy “for abortion” nor is there any other conspiracy. The CBI, the petitioner alleged, had been trying to provide a basis for a case where some serious offences were mentioned. She further stated she was not claiming any special treatment and would readily accept the legal verdict. The matter should be examined in “most judicious and objective manner”, she pleaded.

Bibi Jagir Kaur contended that prosecution had no evidence to state that the tea served to Harpreet by Satya, a domestic help of Dalwinder Kaur (another accused in the case), was the cause of abortion. Therefore, an offence under Section 313 was not made out. The alleged miscarriage apparently was not the cause of death as she (Harpreet) lived for over a month after that.” Moreover, Harpreet was not at Phagwara on the night of April 19 and 20, when her death had reportedly taken place, she pleaded.

“Till date”, the petitioner contended “the CBI has no incriminating documents or evidence. As the election of the SGPC president was slated for November 30 and any apprehension of her arrest would deprive her from contesting the election which would cause an irreparable loss to her. Hence the order rejecting her bail plea by the Sessions Court was wholly “unconvincing”.

Tribune News Service add from Patiala: The Special CBI magistrate here today remanded Nishan Singh, the personal security officer (PSO) of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Jagir Kaur to judicial custody till November 21.

The PSO, who had surrendered to the CBI at Delhi on November 4, had been brought to the court of the Special CBI Magistrate, Mr Jaspinder Singh Heyer, on a transit remand after the completion of the period of his police remand for his role in the death of the SGPC chief ‘ s daughter Harpreet Kaur.

Nishan Singh, who is an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the Punjab Police, was bought in a gypsy to the court situated in Chhoti Baradari here. The CBI did not demand further police custody of the accused following which the magistrate decided to remand him in judicial custody till November 21. The other accused in the case, landlord Paramjit Singh, Jasdil Mansion owner Dalwinder Kaur, maid Satya Devi and servants Harwinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar were also remanded in judicial custody till November 21 by the court earlier.