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SC refuses to order FIRs in Kargil purchases
A lot more needs to be done, says Vajpayee
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Opposition ready to take on government
Bihar jails overcrowded
Maxi, blouse give way to churidaars in TN
Left to discuss Pension Bill
Lalthanhawla faces challenges from within
Commanders discuss operational challenges
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SC refuses to order FIRs in Kargil purchases
New Delhi, April 18 “We will examine the matter after the summer vacation. It is for the government to decide what action they want to take. Either they (government) do it on their own or we will pass appropriate order,” a Bench of Chief Justice R. C. Lahoti and Mr Justice G. P. Mathur told amicus curiae Rakesh Dwivedi, who wanted a direction today itself to the government and the CBI for registering the FIRs in the five cases of “serious” charges listed in the additional affidavit. The additional affidavit was filed after some controversy started by the earlier affidavit, filed last month, in which it had been stated that while modifying the procedure for expeditious purchases during the war, there was no “violation of the financial rules of the government or the Defence Procurement Procedure, 1992.” This was seen as a “clean chit” to former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who was under the attack of the Congress and other UPA allies on the Kargil and other defence procurement matters. Mr Dwivedi, who has been appointed amicus curiae by the court to assist it in adjudicating a public interest litigation (PIL) by Mr K. G. Dhananjay Chauthan on the issue, stated since the ministry in its fresh affidavit had stated that the government was “exploring” whether a “prima facie” criminal case was made out under law against officials and others, there should be a direction to the CBI for registering FIRs in at least five cases within next three months, whereas a total of 25 cases had been referred to it. The five cases referred in the affidavit are - the purchases of Hand Held Thermal Imagers (HHTIs), Terminally Guided Munitions (TGMs), Ammunition for T-72 Tanks, other Ammunition and the Aluminium caskets. Mr Dwivedi wanted issuance of a direction today, contending that the government had “failed” to take appropriate action during past four years on the CAG report. “There is so much delay in the matter. The government should consider in three month period whether they are going to lodge the FIRs when they say there are serious charges in the five cases,” he said adding at least departmental action could be initiated against the guilty officers. Attorney-General Milon Banerjee, who appeared for the government, did not make any comment. . Meanwhile, Mr Dhananjay Chauhan’s counsel Mr D. K. Garg sought a direction for summoning of the central vigilance (CVC) report on the defence purchases made since 1989, which had been submitted to the government. But the Bench pointed out that his application regarding this had not come on record. Besides, the five cases mentioned in the fresh affidavit, the ministry had submitted to the court a list of 20 other cases, in which the CBI probe had been sought in the wake of the recent controversy over the purported “clean chit” to Mr Fernades in the first affidavit. Of these, seven cases involved transactions over Rs 50 crore each, supposed to have been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), three between Rs 20 and 30 crore, sanctioned concurrently by the Defence Minister and Finance Minister and the remaining 10 below Rs 10 crore, sanctioned by the Defence Secretary. Of the five cases, regarding which the FIRs were sought to be registered, included casket purchase involving Rs 6.55 crore cleared by the Defence Secretary, ammunition of Rs 402.76 crore, T-72 Tank ammunition of Rs 116.83 crore, TGMs of Rs 151 crore and HHTIs involving Rs 41.95 crore. As per the rules the Defence Secretary was competent to order purchases up to Rs 10 crore, Defence Minister up to Rs 20 crore, the Defence Minister and Finance Minister concurrently up to Rs 50 crore and the CCS above Rs 50 crore. |
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A lot more needs to be done, says Vajpayee
New Delhi, April 18 During the meeting lasting 30 minutes, General Musharraf told Mr Vajpayee that “Indo-Pak cricketing ties restarted during your time (as Prime Minister) which have improved and I respect you a lot.” He had no doubt that Mr Vajpayee will support all contentious issues being discussed with the specific intent of finding solutions to them. He noted that Mr Vajpayee, who started the peace process, had extended full support to the ongoing peace process. Mr Vajpayee, who was assisted by former External Affairs Minister and former National Security Adviser, told mediapersons that “Jo naya adyaya shuru hua hai woh agay bhi jari rehna chahiye (the new chapter that has begun should be carried forward).” He said General Musharraf had sought his support for taking forward the Indo-Pak peace process. Mr Vajpayee observed that a lot more needs to be done. Mr Vajpayee said he presented the Pakistan leader a silver tray and a silk saree for Begum Sehba and did not know what General Musharraf had gifted him as he was yet to open the gift.
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Sidelights The reading out of the Indo-Pak joint statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a dapper Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf by his side in the regal Hyderabad House was a crisp, affair. The ground rules had been set by to Prime Minister’s information adviser Sanjaya Baru that the leaders will not take any questions. Nevertheless after the joint statement was read, the two leaders posed for a battery of cameramen, shaking hands for at least three minutes. Just as they turned to leave the room, mediapersons pleaded for comments from the two leaders and Gen Musharraf tongue in cheek, fell back a step and pointed towards his host Prime Minister that it was for him to decide and quickly got in step with Dr Singh. The scribes had a hearty laugh. Naya Dil Laya Hoon
The 2001 Agra fiasco continues to rankle Gen Musharraf as evidenced by an observation when he met the members of the Editors Guild of India. Leaving behind the acrimony and bitterness evidenced four years back, he stressed that he had come with a new heart. Referring to a particular channel which ran a programme titled “Phir woh hi dil laya hoon (I have brought the same heart),” he insisted it was not correct. On the contrary, he suggested that the programme should have been captioned “Naya dil laya hoon (I have brought a new heart).” He admitted that his changed approach was due to a combination of factors like outside pressure (read USA), changing public sentiment and realisation that relations between the two neighbours should improve. Sherwanis for Pervez
Gen Musharraf was presented with two exquisite Sherwanis specially stitched
in Hyderabad and a 1942 photograph of Mohammad Ali Jinnah before he emplaned for Manila. His departure was delayed by at least two hours. Begum Sehba was presented with several pair of bangles brought straight from the city of the famed
Charminar. |
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Nankana Sahib bus proposal hailed
New Delhi, April 18 |
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Opposition ready to take on government
New Delhi, April 18 The NDA, which met this evening to finalise its strategy for the post-recess Budget session, is going to raise a host of issues, including the fresh affidavit filed by the government in the Supreme Court against former Defence Minister George Fernandes in connection with arms deals concluded during his term. BJP leaders said the Opposition would demand the tabling of the Phukan Commission’s report on the Tehelka website’s expose of irregularities in defence deals in the wake of the move to file fresh affidavit in the highest court. The new affidavit was filed after an earlier affidavit had given a clean chit to Mr Fernandes in the defence deals probed by the Phukan Commission and the Opposition would attack the UPA government pointing out to double standards being followed by the Manmohan Singh government. Justice S. N. Phukan, who headed the Commission, provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition when he said last week that nothing was found against the former Defence Minister during the inquiry. In the affidavit filed last week, the government said it was referring 23 more arms deals for a fresh probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It also said Mr Fernandes would be punished if he was found guilty. The BJP had already demanded that the Central Vigilance Commission’s report on defence deals be tabled in Parliament though the Congress ministers had claimed that the BJP could not make such a demand because the previous government had refused the same report public. The NDA would train its guns on Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the Fernandes issue as the former Defence Minister was being framed in the defence purchase scam at her behest, sources in the BJP said. The BJP would also demand rolling back of a proposed tax on withdrawal of Rs 10,000 from bank ATMs and move amendments to the Finance Bill to provide more tax concessions to senior citizens, women, government servants and poor allocation to the agriculture sector. The Opposition would also try to embarrass the Congress by demanding the tabling of the Nanavati Commission report on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which was submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil in February this year. BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha V. K. Malhotra said his party would seek details of Sundays talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf from the government. The Left, which supports the UPA government from outside, would also try to corner the treasury benches on the economic issue like the Pension Fund Development Authority Bill which was currently with a parliamentary standing committee.
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Bihar jails overcrowded
Patna, April 18 Against a capacity to house nearly 21,750 prisoners across the state, over 38,000 inmates are currently lodged in the jails causing food and lodging problems, the Director, Jails, Mr B.C.P. Singh said. In speedy compliance of the Patna High Court order to arrest persons absconding for the past many years despite arrest warrants and property attachment orders against them, over 15,000, out of an estimated 20,000 such people, were either arrested or surrendered, as per the affidavit filed by the state government in the court on March 30. The influx of new inmates in different jails added to the problems of the jails already facing space crunch and infrastructural shortcomings. In Beur-Model Jail in the state capital, against a sanctioned capacity of lodging 1608 prisoners, about 2600 were already living before another 300 caught during the special drive were put in there, its Superintendent Dilip Kumar said. The condition in prisons of Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Motihari, Madhepura and other districts was no better. B.C.P. Singh said, though accommodating thousands of new entrants was a problem, there had been no report so far of the situation going out of hands anywhere. The Beur Jail Superintendent said the new entrants had to make do with the existing facilities. “In place of one prisoner sleeping on one bed, now we have to accommodate two of them besides placing additional beds in the empty space in the wards,” he said. Many inmates said they had to take turns to sleep during night. When half of the inmates sleep in the night, another half waits for their turn to catch sleep, they added. Arun Kumar Singh, Jailor of Madhepura Divisional Jail, said the prison authorities had written to the department about the food and lodging problems but so far nothing had been done to ease the pressure. Admitting over-crowding to be a big problem in Bihar jails, Inspector General of Prisons Deepak Kumar Singh said construction of five new jails at Aurangabad, Gopalganj, Madhubani, Jehanabad and Jamui was in progress and another two at Arwal and Bhabua were in the pipeline. “This will substantially ease the problem,” he said. Home Commissioner Girish Shankar said with a view to reducing cramming, Lok Adalats were being held in jails for the speedy disposal of cases under petty crimes. Besides, the remission board was reviewing the cases for the release of old inmates, he added.
— PTI |
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Maxi, blouse give way to churidaars in TN
Chennai, April 18 The traditional Tamil girls' costume 'pavadai davani' (maxi and blouse) is making way for churidaar , so much so that a 'pavadai davani' -clad girl in Tamil Nadu has become a rare sight. Churidaars seem to have mesmerised the Tamil youth who were seen mostly in ‘pavadai davani’ till the early ‘80s. The mushrooming of TV channels and the advent of cable TV in the ‘90s have played a major role in promoting the churidaar in the state, says a social commentator. There were only a handful of people, including North Indians, wearing churidaars in those days. Nobody would have foreseen such a major change in the dress preference of the women in Tamil Nadu, a state which had witnessed prolonged violent protests led by Dravidian leader Anna Durai against the imposition of Hindi, feels an elderly woman. Interestingly, government schools made churidars the uniform for girls in higher secondary classes a few years back. The uniform till then was 'pavadai davani'. The apparel has equally charmed the young women of remote villages of the state. Churidars have not only quietly captivated the youth but equally influenced middle-aged women who find it more comfortable than sarees. Major textile shops in the southern metropolis are vying with each other to increase their topline by offering varieties of churidaars, especially during major festivals like Divali and Pongal (Tamil harvest season). Sales of churidaar have picked up manifold in a few years, says a source in a leading textile shop. Besides churidaar, ghagra choli and other North Indian costumes also seem to be attracting the younger generation in Tamil Nadu. It appears to be catching the fancy of mainly college going girls, feels a housewife. About two decades back minor girls could be seen in 'pavadai'. As they approached adolescence, they used a dupatta kind of cloth known as 'davani'. After marriage, a woman preferred only sarees, says an elderly man. Elderly orthodox brahmins wore 'madisar', a nine-yard saree. In course of time, the preferences of women have changed. Be it young or old, it is churidars and only churidars, he says. While travelling by bus and two-wheelers, churidars are the most comfortable outfit for women, feels an employed woman. Wearing a saree for pillion riding can be very dangerous and churidars are the right dress to be worn while riding pillion, says a married woman. — PTI
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Left to discuss Pension Bill
New Delhi, April 18 Both Houses would resume after recess tomorrow and the contentious Pension Bill could give the Left parties the weapon to counter the UPA government's anti-worker policy on the pension issue. This would be the first major issue, which the newly elected CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat would have to tackle, and it would also reflect his style of handing contentious issues. Although the UPA government could get the Bill passed with the support of the BJP-led NDA, it is to be seen whether the Manmohan Singh government would antagonise the supporting Left allies. After successful passage of the Patent's Bill, the UPA government decided to refer the Pension Bill to the standing committee as it did not want to antagonise the Left parties, who are supporting the government from outside. The Left had threatened to vote against the Bill and the government was forced to refer it to a standing committee. Defeat of the Bill would have led to the fall of the government because it is a money bill. CPI national secretary D. Raja told The Tribune that in the meeting they would discuss the strategy to be adopted in light of the standing committee report. The Left parties have categorically stated that they would oppose the Pension Bill in the present form, as they are opposed to the investment of pension fund in equity market. |
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Lalthanhawla faces challenges from within Aizawl, April18 Now having failed to make a mark commensurate with his former clout and influence in the last two Mizoran Assembly poll, Mr Lalthanhawla faces a challenge from within. The man of the moment is none other than his enduring comrade for the past 30 years - Mr J. Lalsangzuala. No greenhorn in Mizoram politics himself, Mr Lalsangzuala has announced that he will contest for the post of the PCC president in the coming party elections slated for April 28. This comes as a major windfall for the rival ruling MNF, which is gleefully getting ready to sit on the sidelines and watch the internal bickering grown in the camp of their principal opponents. The ensuing PCC elections are likely to be, as one political analyst put it succinctly, “mystifying to say the least”.
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Commanders discuss operational challenges
New Delhi, April 18 The five-day Commander’s Conference of the IAF was inaugurated here by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee
where the top brass of the force would focus on operational situation and dwell on flight safety, besides maintenance, logistic challenges and administrative measures in detail, an official
note said. They would also discuss the acquisition of the 126 multi-role combat aircraft to fill
the operational gap caused by phasing out of the vintage MIG-21 aircraft. In the race for a multi-billion-dollar contract are America’s F-16 fighting falcons, upgraded Mirage-2000 of France, Grippen of Sweden and Russian fighters. The conference would also finalise the 15-year perspective-training plan of the Air Force. Mr Mukherjee interacted with the Commanders on various issues and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash, who is an aviator, addressed the
conference. Besides, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi, the Commanders-in-Chief of various Air Force Commands and principal staff officers at the Air Headquarters were present. |
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Jaya pulled up for not appearing
in court
Bangalore, April 18 The defence advocates submitted that Mr N. Jothi, key counsel for Ms Jayalalithaa, was not well, and had been hospitalised and was not in a position to give "instructions', a contention rejected by Judge A.S. Pachchpure.
— PTI |
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Lakhs take holy dip in Saryu
Ayodhya, April 18 |
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Hooda calls on
Bhajan Lal New Delhi, April 18
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