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Tuesday,
September 30, 2003, Chandigarh, India
  
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Karisma ties nuptial knot with
Vajpayee
government pseudo patriotic, says Sonia Defence air space may be de-reserved Bofors case |
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Amarmani undergoes lie detector
test
Geelani backs acts of Jaish,
Lashkar Plan to double food production Sukhbir meets
Kanshi Ram in hospital 7 tea labourers killed in police firing No rallies on
working days: HC Shahabuddin’s bail rejected Bajaj awards for
Ravindranath, Vinayak
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Karisma ties nuptial knot with
Sunjay Kapoor Mumbai, September 29 Mumbai’s prominent citizens were there outside the wrought iron doors of the historic villa where Karisma’s grandfather Raj Kapoor established the RK banner. Her grand uncle Shashi Kapoor in a light pink traditional turban and uncle Rajiv Kapoor were at the gate, welcoming the visitors. Outside the gate, Mumbai’s police force and private security personnel were present in big numbers, keeping the media and gate-crashers out. As expected thousands of onlookers crowded outside the premises to take a good look at the proceedings inside. Among those who arrived at the wedding included Union Minister and actor Vinod Khanna, Govinda, Sridevi, industrialist Rahul Bajaj, lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, former Indian cricket team captain Azharuddin and his actress wife Sangeeta. The politicos included Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Mr Vijay Goel, said to be representing the Prime Minister. Karisma Kapoor came dressed in a Manish Malhotra creation in gold, silver, pastels, silk, chiffons, diamonds, sequins and intricate tapestries. There was an element of drama outside the venue with actors like Jackie Shroff mingling with the security guards in presence of the television crews. After the ceremony, the actor jumped onto a courier boy’s motorcycle to escape the media eager for
soundbytes. Similarly, actor Salman Khan was mobbed by people outside. One unidentified man dressed in a driver’s uniform hugged Khan before being led away by the cops. The Bachchans were, however, conspicuous by their absence. The road opposite RK Villa was chock-a-block with onlookers, fans and mediapersons, who spilled into the streets, bringing traffic to a standstill. Though the wedding was supposed to be a close family affair, the guest-list far exceeded the expectations. Those who were cheered as they made it to the wedding venue included a ravishing looking Sridevi, dressed in a heavily embroidered alluring saree, accompanied by her two daughters bedecked for the occasion. Directors J.P. Dutta, Rakesh Roshan, David Dhawan, producers Bharat Shah, Bonnie Kapoor, actors Vivek Oberoi, Akshay Kumar and actress Poonam Dhillon also made to the venue after jostling with mediapersons and onlookers. The wedding feast — a multi-cuisine menu of over 120 dishes, included Swiss cheese, French breads, Italian Pastas, Thai curries, Chinese soups and a mix fare from the traditional Indian
thali, including hot malpuas. As the guests dug into succulent prawns, the sweet strains of shehnai filled the garden converted into a ‘sheesh mahal’ adding an ostentatious colour to the offscreen wedding. |
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Vajpayee government
pseudo patriotic, says Sonia Birsinghpur (MP), September 29 Alleging that the NDA government’s policies were “responsible for the plight of farmers, workers, youths, tribesmen and other weaker sections of society”, she said the Congress alone, was capable of governing the country “due to its commitment to social unity and far-sightedness”. “Corruption is rampant under the BJP-led government. It has leaders indulging only in fulfilling their self-interests and they can never be regarded as true patriots,” Ms Gandhi said at a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for a 500 MW Thermal Power plant here to be built at a cost of Rs 2,066 crore. The Congress President alleged that the country’s security was being threatened frequently under the government which made tall claims about patriotism and good governance. Stating that a ‘Mahabharata’ was on between the BJP and the Sangh Parivar organisations, Ms Gandhi claimed that many persons were dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister. In her 16-minute speech, Ms Gandhi further said: “So far only ‘Vikas Purush’ and ‘Loh Purush’ were being projected in the country but after the Rae Bareli special court’s order on framing of charges in the Ayodhya case, another ‘Purush’ has descended on the scene requiring a new nomenclature.” Commending the achievements made by the Digvijay Singh government in Madhya Pradesh, she said the state had set an example for others by strengthening former Prime Minister and late Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi’s dreams about Panchayati Raj. On power crisis in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress Chief said it was primarily because of carving out of Chhattisgarh and recurrent drought. The gathering was also addressed by Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Radhakishan Malviya and state Energy Minister Bisahulal Singh. —
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Cong seeks PM’s
clarification on remarks of George New Delhi, September 29 Referring to remarks of Mr Fernandes at a seminar in Chandigarh, Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said the LoC was finalised after exhaustive surveys and examination of maps in conceivable details by representatives of India and Pakistan. The document was signed in 1972 by Lt-Gen P.S. Bhagwat and Lt-Gen Abdul Hamid Khan, he said. Mr Reddy said Mr Fernandes took the same position during the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha when Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar contradicted him. “Almost all experts who participated in the seminar have contradicted Mr Fernandes. His stand lends strength to Pakistan’s position. No Defence Minister has made such statements. It damages the country’s interests,” Mr Reddy said. Condemning the remarks of Mr Fernandes, the Congress spokesman said the Prime Minister should clarify the matter in categorical terms. |
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George threatens Sonia with sedition case Bhopal, September 29 He told reporters here today that the Congress, particularly its president, had been demoralising the armed forces since Kargil by spreading falsehood. She (Ms Gandhi) had made the allegations during the debate on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha also but she had not been able to prove any of the allegations. Mr Fernandes said: “Agar us mahila ne apana muhn band nahin kiya to kanooni karayavahi
karenge” (if that woman does not shut her mouth, we'll take legal action against her). Asked if he intended to file a defamation case against her, the Defence Minister replied: “it will not be limited to defamation, but may be sedition also”. He had a dig at Ms Sonia Gandhi's speech writers who did not know the difference between “coffin” and “casket”. |
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Defence air space may be de-reserved New Delhi, September 29 Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy said here today that with the civil aviation sector in the country set for a major growth, the government was working towards de-reserving some of the defence air space. A committee comprising of officials from the services and civil aviation sector had also been formed to work out the modalities of bringing about flexibility of air space management. Speaking on the sidelines of the media interaction organised for announcing the Air Race India, which would be held in November to commemorate the 100 of the first flight made by Wright brothers, the air chief said that the air space was being de-reserved to enable the civil aviation sector to handle greater volumes. The start would be made at the beginning of the next year from Hyderabad and then Bangalore, where the first private airport is also coming up, would be next in the number. Keeping in view the defence requirements the committee would suggest the extent of de-reservation and in which sector. The Air Chief Marshal said that efforts were also underway in bringing about a synergy in the defence aviation and civil aviation assets where even the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) from the two could be able to work together. Meanwhile, in the first bid to bring about synergy in the defence and civil aviation, the Aeronautical Society of India is organising Air Race India 2003 from November 20 to 23. The Indian Air Force (IAF) would be participating in the event in a big way with as many as 14 of its aircrafts participating. Giving details of the race, Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that till now a total of 57 aircraft, not only from the IAF but also from the various aero clubs spread across the country had confirmed their participation. The concluding function of the race is likely to be presided over by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nagpur on November 23. The race would commence simultaneously on November 20 from Bangalore, Goa, Chandigarh and Barrackpore. There are four categories of aircraft which can participate with any registration fee. The categories are light aircraft, including micolights and powered hang gliders, medium aircrafts, heavy aircrafts and helicopters. |
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Bofors case New Delhi, September 29 There was nothing to suggest that the Hindujas contacted former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi or his Defence Secretary S.K. Bhatnagar to secure the deal for Bofors nor did they make any misrepresentation to the government in this connection, Hindujas counsel Ram Jethmalani told Mr Justice J.D. Kapoor. Mr Justice Kapoor is hearing appeals filed by accused Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — and the Bofors company challenging the November, 2002 order of Special Judge Prem Kumar framing charges against them in the Rs 64-crore pay-off case. Regarding the payments received by the Hindujas from Bofors, he said it was under the 1979 counter-trade agreement with the Swedish company which did not relate to the gun deal. Mr Jethmalani submitted that the alleged conspiracy to get the Howitzer gun deal awarded to Bofors concluded in March 1986 and the post-conspiracy conduct of deceased public servants- Gandhi and Bhatnagar — in allegedly scuttling probe by Sweden could not be read against Hindujas as it was not admissible under the Indian Evidence Act. Under Section 8 of the Act, the conduct of only a person who was a party to the proceedings was relevant and not the same of those who were not party thereto, he said. In his submissions before the court, Additional Solicitor-General Mukul Rohatagi had said pre and post-contract conduct of Gandhi and Bhatnagar showed that there was a conspiracy between them and the Hinduja brothers, Bofors and other accused. However, citing Supreme Court judgments as also those of Privy Council and the US Supreme Court, Jethmalani tried to convince Mr Justice Kapoor that post-conspiracy conduct of a co-accused was irrelevant and not admissible in evidence. —
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Amarmani undergoes lie detector test New Delhi, September 29 Tripathi was first explained the significance of the polygraphy test and the method with which it works before the hours long quizzing by senior officials of the CBI began, the sources said. Lucknow: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court today fixed tomorrow for hearing the writ petition filed on Saturday by Madhumani, wife Amarmani Tripathi, to grant stay on her arrest in the Madhumita Shukla murder case. A Bench comprising Justice Vishnu Sahai and Justice K S Rakhra passed the order on the petition filed by Madhumani through her counsel Arun Sinha. In her petition, she had also challenged the validity of the FIR lodged in the controversial case under section 302 (murder), 201 (concealing evidence) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) at the Mahanagar police station here. —
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Main accused in murder of Tripathi’s kin held Gorakhpur, September 29 SSP
K.S. Pratap Kumar told newspersons that the murder of Amarmani’s relatives had nothing to do with poetess Madhumita Shukla case, in which the former minister is the main accused, and the motive behind it was simply burglary. He said Chauhan had confessed to that he, along with two others, had stabbed to death Amarmani’s uncle Yashodanand
Mishra, a retired workshop superintendent of Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College, and aunt Kamla Devi while committing a burglary in their house here on Tuesday night. —
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Geelani backs acts of Jaish, Lashkar New Delhi, September 29 In an interview to a Pakistani weekly, The Friday Times, Mr Geelani said: ‘‘Lashkar and Jaish are our friends. They are our benefactors. They have been sacrificing their lives for us. And they have never acted in a manner that is against humanity or morality’’. The answer came from Mr Geelani in reply to a question whether non-Kashmiri militant outfits such as Lashkar and Jaish had hijacked the struggle of Kashmiris. The statement of Mr Geelani has raised eyebrows as it was just short of saying that the suicide attacks carried out by these militant outfits in which innocent women and children fell prey to their bullets were within the framework of ‘‘humanity and morality’’. Taking a dig at present Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nazir Ahmed Kashani’s announcement of retiring him, Mr Geelani said: ‘‘The retirement philosophy is un-Islamic’’. —
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Plan to double food production New Delhi, September 29 Opening the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2003-04 here, Agriculture Secretary R.C.A. Jain asked states, which experienced the worst drought of 2002, to prepare the documentation of drought management efforts in their respective states. He said the farm income insurance programme had been prepared after brainstorming session with states. He promised that the programme would be a powerful medium aimed at reaching the benefits of the minimum support price to all farmers and would radically change the agriculture in the country. He said the Indian farmer must have advantage of choosing best of various insurance packages available in this sector. Mr Jain said the conference would focus on various initiatives by the Agriculture Ministry in the areas of market reforms, use of mass media for agriculture extension, farm income protection programme and land policy reform concepts. The Secretary said the new initiatives like contract farming, land leasing and land share companies would ensure that the largest share in the final price of agriculture produce reach the producer, an official press note said. |
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Sukhbir meets
Kanshi Ram in hospital New Delhi, September 29 Much political importance is being attached to the meeting as the SAD is planning to contest the Assembly elections in Rajasthan and Delhi. Political observers said the meeting was the initiation of an understanding between the BSP and the SAD as both parties are venturing outside their stronghold. A tacit understanding between the two parties, they said, would help the two widen their area of influence and prepare the grounds for long-term relations at the national level. Rajasthan and Delhi are two of the five states going to the poll in November where two regional players, the SAD and the INLD, are planning to take the electoral plunge in a big way. |
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7 tea labourers killed in police firing Guwahati, September 29 The police said about 300 tea garden labourers attacked the tea estate office demanding traditional 20 per cent puja bonus after a meeting failed to resolve the issue, leading to police firing killing five on the spot and critically injuring several others. Two others died later. Puja bonus has become a very sensitive issue in the tea gardens of the state for the past one month. While the tea garden owners refused to pay 20 per cent bonus on the plea that tea industry had been hit hard by bad economy, the tea labourers were insisting on the same amount of bonus. —
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No rallies on
working days: HC Kolkata, September 29 The judgement was delivered by Justice Amitava Lala, a sitting judge, who along with another judge, Justice K.J. Sengupta had been stranded inside their cars in the streets for over an hour on their way to high court on September 24 following traffic jam due to a political procession. |
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Shahabuddin’s bail rejected Siwan (Bihar), September 29 Additional District and Sessions Judge B.N. Mishra rejected the bail plea after hearing the petitioner’s counsel Ishtdeo Tiwari and Additional Public Prosecutor Ramnath Prasad. —
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Bajaj awards for Ravindranath, Vinayak Mumbai, September 29 Each of these awards will carry a citation, a trophy, a cash prize of Rs five lakh while in case of the international award, Rs 5 lakh or its equivalent in foreign exchange would be awarded. —
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