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Degree of confusion
Irked over slow procurement, farmers block traffic
Mystery shrouds driver’s murder
Train drivers protest on track
Notice issued on former Home Secretary's petition
Eight injured in farmers’ clash
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MDU counselling from April 15
PIL against refinery withdrawn
Cleaner burnt to death in truck
SD College holds alumni meet
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Degree of confusion
Rohtak, April 7 Though nobody is questioning the credentials of Dr R. L. Mashelkar, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Director-General of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, for being bestowed with this honour, questions are being raised over the legal validity of the degree and the power of the university to award it. Dr Mashelkar is also scheduled to deliver the convocation address. The university is empowered to award honoris causa degrees under Statute 40 of the MDU Act, 1975. The relevant statute says that “an honorary degree“ can be conferred on a person if he or she is recommended by the academic council with a two-thirds majority. The proposal has to be cleared by the executive council and the chancellor. There can be no discussion on the person on whom the honoris causa degree is to be conferred. This legally means that the university can confer an honoris causa degree but only from among the degrees mentioned in its schedule of degrees for which ordinances have been issued separately. Though the MDU Calendar does not contain a schedule of degrees as such, it does mention all the degrees for which the university has issued ordinances. No ordinance has ever been issued for the award of a DSc degree whether regular after qualifying the examination for the same or honoris causa without undergoing the relevant examination. The only doctoral degrees for which ordinances exist are doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) in various disciplines and doctor of medicine (MD). The DSc degree does not figure anywhere in the MDU Calendar. Academicians say the award of any other degree would be meaningless and patently illegal exercise since the MDU never created such a degree in the first place. Most universities the worldover maintain a schedule of degrees that it can award whether after qualifying for admission to these degrees or honoris causa in recognition of the individual’s eminence in any field. Many other universities have included in their schedule of degrees several degrees which can only be awarded honoris causa and the university neither runs such a course nor holds any examination for this degree. The Registrar of the MDU, Mr K.C. Dadwal, however, said the issue had been debated and the words “such degree” mentioned in Statute 40 had been interpreted as any degree recommended by the academic council. He said the MDU had in the past awarded honoris causa D. Litt degrees to different eminent personalities. Veteran academicians nevertheless maintained non-existent degrees could not be conferred. A senior professor said, “Awarding a non-existent degree is like gifting someone a piece of land that does not even exist. The MDU is making a mockery of academic niceties”. At the MDU’s last convocation two years ago, the then Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, had politely declined to accept an honoris causa degree after a controversy arose that the proposal had not been cleared by the academic council by the required majority. |
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Irked over slow procurement, farmers block traffic
Jind, April 7 The agitating farmers demanded that the whole of the mustard crop brought by the farmers in the grain market be purchased by the agencies at the support price fixed by the government. They alleged that due to non-purchase of the crop by government agencies, they had to sell the same at much lower rates than fixed by the government. They, hence, suffered huge losses due to the distress sale of the crop. The government had fixed support price of mustard at Rs 1700 per quantal, but due to non-purchase of the crop, they were selling their crop at Rs 1300 per quantal, the farmers said. Due to the road blockade, there were long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road. The people faced much inconvenience. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jind, Mr Sahib Ram Nehra, rushed to the site and assured the farmers that he would being the problems of the farmers to the notice of the authorities concerned. On his persuasion, the farmers lifted the blockade. It may be recalled that during the past three days, the farmers have twice blocked the Jind-Rohtak road in protest against the non-purchase of mustard crop. At the Local Market, the work of procuring mustard crop has been assigned to the Jind Cooperative cum Processing Society. According to employees of the society, the Cooperative Department has started the purchase of the crop without making proper arrangements. They allege that there is a shortage of gunny bags, staff and money due to which procurement is suffering. They also allege that farmers are responsible for the slow and selective purchase as the crop has a high content of moisture. They say according to norms, any government agency cannot buy mustard crop with more than 8 percent moisture |
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Mystery shrouds driver’s murder
Gurgaon, April 7 The SHO, Manesar, Mr Jeetender Rana, said the vehicle was recovered yesterday from Gurgaon. He said the search was on to nab the culprits. He denied that the vehicle was stolen from the police station. On April 4, Mr Sukhvir Jaunapuria, Independent MLA from Sohana, in which the villages concerned and Manesar police station fall, also met the district police chief, Mr Yogender Nehra, and alleged that the police personnel were trying to harass innocent people of the villages in connection with the theft of the vehicle from Manesar police station, about 20 km from here. Mr Jaunapuria confirmed to The Tribune about his meeting the district police chief and raising the theft issues. He justified that the police raids in the villages, but said the way these were conducted was improper. The villagers were ready to assist the police. The police personnel are silent on the entire issue, especially the theft of vehicle. While the district police chief could not be contacted, the DSP, Mr Subey Singh, expressed ignorance about the details of the case. The DSP also alleged that the residents of the villages were trying to influence the police investigation. The incident occurred about three weeks ago. The vehicle was hired by a doctor of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Pruti Daler, from Barailley and brought to Sita Resorts in Manesar. According to the police, the doctor had come to the resort to attend a three-day meeting. The driver of vehicle, Dharmender, was a local man. Sources said the vehicle was later found near the Aravalli hills in Manesar after the body was found. When the doctor was not able to locate the vehicle or the driver for his return journey, he brought the matter to the notice of Manesar police. According to the SHO, Manesar, the body of the driver was found near Dabodha village. |
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Train drivers protest on track
Ambala, April 7 The Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Mr Dayal Dogra, said that the train drivers were demanding action against a GRP constable. “Train traffic was marginally affected. While Shaan-e-Punjab got delayed by about 40 minutes, three goods trains were held up for 15 minutes,” he said. At about 10 am, an altercation took place between GRP constable Gurmukh Singh and Assistant Driver Mr Balbir Singh in Shaan-e-Punjab train which was coming from New Delhi. Mr Balbir Singh claimed that he was assaulted by the GRP constable after a verbal altercation. He said that constable Gurmukh Singh hit him with the butt of his rifle and he sustained injury. However, constable Gurmukh Singh alleged that Mr Balbir Singh was not vacating the seat which had been allocated to the GRP and he had been assaulted by Mr Balbir Singh. After the fracas took place in Shaan-e-Punjab train, assistant driver Balbir Singh alighted at Ambala Cantt railway station and informed other train drivers. Soon, a number of train drivers, including those at the running room, arrived at the station. The train drivers went to the GRP police post and demanded that action should be taken against constable Gurmukh Singh. They demanded that he should be arrested after a case is registered. Thereafter, the train drivers proceeded to the railway tracks. They raised slogans demanding the arrest of constable Gurmukh Singh. The train drivers cleared the tracks after an FIR was lodged against the GRP constable. |
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high court Our High Court Correspondent
Chandigarh, April 7 Mr Jain and one K.B. Goel, the then Superintendent of UT Secretariat, were booked by the CBI on April 6, 2000, under the Prevention of Corruption Act for misusing their official position and accepting illegal gratification. Among those named by the CBI as those who paid bribes to Mr Jain through Mr Goel for getting their work done are Amarjit Singh, driver in the UT Department of Weights and Measures, who was promoted as Inspector after he promised to pay Rs 1 lakh bribe. He was later reverted to his post as he could not pay the remaining amount of bribe. The other such bribe givers include dismissed bus conductor Balbir Singh, who was reinstated after he paid the bribe. Today, Mr Jain's counsel told the court that these persons and many more claimed to have paid bribes were not booked by the CBI. "Giving bribe to get work done is as much a crime as accepting bribe," he stated, adding, that these persons never approached the CBI and continued to enjoy the fruits of bribes paid by them. Counsel said while statements implicating his client were wrong, the persons who willfully and admittedly paid bribes should be prosecuted. Affidavit sought: The High Court on Thursday directed the Haryana Home Secretary to file a detailed affidavit within eight weeks about the receipt of applications for parole.The affidavit will also state the date of disposal of such affidavits as also the pending applications from prisoners in various jails in the past six months. Taking up a petition filed by one Sohrab, who is currently undergoing life imprisonment in Gurgaon district jail, the Bench of Chief Justice Mr Justice D.K. Jain and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta passed this direction. In his petition, Sohrab has stated that he moved an application in December, 2003, for grant of parole but no reply has been given to him so far. Similar applications of 15 other inmates of the same jail also did not get any response, he claimed. In its reply, the Government of Haryana informed the Bench that it had turned down the request for grant of parole to Sohrab. But, not satisfied with the government response, the Bench asked the Home Secretary to file a detailed affidavit after obtaining reports from all district jails of the State.
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Eight injured in farmers’ clash
Karnal, April 7 The trouble started when a group of farmers from Kutana village in UP tried to stop Mul Chand of Pabnera village from harvesting wheat crop from his field in the Yamuna basin. When he resisted they attacked him with sharpedged weapons and sticks. A few villagers came to Mul Chand’s rescue. In the clash eight persons were injured, confirmed police sources. Two of the injured persons were from Pabnera village in Sonepat district while the remaining six belonged to Kutana village of UP, police sources said. The Sonepat police has registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident. However, no one has been arrested so far. |
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MDU counselling from April 15
Rohtak, April 7 Counselling for MD, MS and postgraduate diplomas will be held from 9 a. m. inwards in the Directorate of Distance Education here on April 15. For open seats, candidates up to rank 183 in the entrance test will be able to appear for counselling. For reserved seats of the HCMS candidates the cut-off mark is 67. For the MDS course, counselling will take place on April 18 at the same venue and the same time. The cut-off marks for open and reserved seats are 62 and 10 respectively. |
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PIL against refinery withdrawn
Panipat, April 7 The convener of the NGO, Mr Surender Hooda, told mediapersons here yesterday that the NGO believed that the new Haryana Government would help them in proper rehabilitation of displaced families. The PIL was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court four years ago. |
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Cleaner burnt to death in truck
Karnal, April 7 As per the report available from the district police headquarters, the truck was loaded with coal. The deceased cleaner has been identified as Arun Kumar, a migrant from Bihar. The driver of the truck, Raj Pal, slept outside the truck at few yards and escaped. The partially burnt body of the cleaner was later recovered by the police from the truck and brought to the Civil Hospital here for a post-mortem examination. The police has initiated inquest proceedings into the incident.
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SD College holds alumni meet
Ambala, April 7 The programme was inaugurated by seniormost alumni of the college K.B. Sharma. Mr Sharma presented old photographs of the college, then located in Lahore, to Principal Desh Bandhu. A cultural programme was preceded by fellowship in which college alumni met their old friends. The highlight of the event was the participation of those graduates who had passed out from the college more than 60 years ago. — TNS
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