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HP gets SC notice on age for judicial service exams
NDA parades 135 ex-MLAs
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SC seeks Centre’s affidavit on Bihar
IOC, GAIL sponsor scribes’ trip for Aiyar
Foreign defence units to invest 30 pc amount in India
Modi desperate for recognition: Cong
Governors to discuss security
Jail inmates begin 78-hr fast
AICTE sets deadline for colleges
Australia for closer ties
Buddhists seek fresh Census
Summit from tomorrow
Stop Kala Garh demolitions: Sikhs
12 artistes likely to return
to Akademi
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HP gets SC notice on age for judicial service exams
New Delhi, June 10 A vacation Bench comprising Mr Justice P.V. Reddi and Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat also issued notice to the HP High Court Administration through its Registrar-General, seeking their replies to a special leave petition (SLP) by various law graduates, whose petition challenging the reduction of the age limit, was rejected by the high court. The apex court, however, declined to pass any interim stay on the high court order, or issue a direction for permitting the candidates to sit in the judicial service exams, scheduled for tomorrow. The state government had notified the amended Himachal Pradesh Judicial Service Rules on March 20 in consultation with the high court, fixing the minimum age for eligibility to appear in the state judicial service exams at 22 years and the maximum at 30 years. By this order, the maximum age limit was reduced by five years, which was challenged in the high court by 43 law graduates, on the ground that it violated Article 14 of the Constitution and was done by the government in an “arbitrary” manner. The SLP was filed in the apex court by some of the 43 law graduates, through their advocate Anil Nag, who contended that the high court had overlooked the fact that earlier when the age was fixed at 35 years, a lawyer with three years of compulsory practice was eligible to appear in the judicial service exams, which, was done away with by an order of the apex court enabling even fresh law graduates to appear in it. Since the reduction of age limit had denied enough opportunities to those law graduates on whom the three years’ compulsory practice condition applied earlier, to appear in the exams for more than one chance, their rights were discriminated with the state government order, Mr Nag contended. Besides, the judicial service exams in the state were advertised in “each consecutive year”, which also had denied the law graduates to avail themselves of more than one chance to sit in the examination, the SLP said. “Between the years 2000 and 2004, vacancies were advertised only in 2001 and 2003 and as such most of the petitioners could avail themselves of only two chances before becoming ineligible under the new rules. In fact, in some cases some petitioners had to be content with just one chance before being rendered ineligible by the 2004 rules,” the petitioners contended. |
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NDA parades 135 ex-MLAs
New Delhi, June 10 Led by BJP President L.K. Advani, the former legislators raised slogans against Bihar Governor Buta Singh while protesting against the dissolution of the State Assembly. Senior NDA leaders including NDA Convener and JD(U) President George Fernandes, JD(U) leaders Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav , JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushil Kumar Modi appealed to the President to restore the popular government in the State. Rebel Lok Janshakti Party leader Narindra Singh along with dissident colleagues Ramashray Prasad, Anil Kumar Singh joined the demonstrators. Devi Nath Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Riaz-ul Hasan Raju of the Bahujan Samaj Party also joined the demonstrators. The delegation handed over a memorandum to Dr Kalam to seek his “indulgence to protest against the imposition of President’s Rule in Bihar and the dissolution of the Assembly.’’ Briefing mediapersons on the 30-minute meeting with the President Dr Kalam, BJP General Secretary in charge of Bihar Arun Jailtley said, “It is our obligation to point out to the President the colossal fraud on the Constitution.’’ Mr Jaitley said that while 126 members of the dissolved House were present before the President, six others could not come as four were in jail and two were not well. He circulated copies of letters by the four MLAs supporting Nitish Kumar’s candidature as Bihar Chief Minister. Accusing the Bihar Governor of not making efforts for installing a popular government, Mr Jaitley said it was the first time that an Assembly had been dissolved within 80 days of the announcement of the results. The NDA leaders said that the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly was a “midnight adventure and an anti-democratic step of the UPA government to prevent Mr Nitish Kumar from forming the government in the “State.” In its memorandum, the NDA has criticised the role of the Bihar Governor Buta Singh, in particular, and the political report he submitted to the Centre. The NDA has appealed to the President as the custodian of the Constitution to examine the “unconstitutional action of the government” and see how the
unconstitutional action can be undone. The memorandum has summed up the developments after April 9 when all 17 Independent MLAs supported the installation of the NDA government, led by Nitish Kumar. It states that the NDA strength in the Bihar Assembly increased to 115 following support from the Bahujan Sanaj Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party. The memorandum further describes how 22 MLAs broke away from the Lok Janshakti Party to merge with the Janata Dal (United) due to ideological contradictions. “The Governor later admitted that he had no evidence of horse-trading and not a shred of credible evidence has been furnished till date,” the memorandum reads. |
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Poll gimmick, says Cong
New Delhi, June 10 Responding to queries, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said the move was aimed at the coming Assembly polls in Bihar. “It was a delegation without a leader as the Assembly is dissolved. The move has no legal standing,” he said. He said the matter regarding the dissolution of the Assembly was with the Supreme Court and it alone could take a decision on the issue. Responding to questions on the NCP blaming the Congress of not observing coalition dharma in Goa in the expansion of the ministry, Mr Singhvi said “legitimate concerns” of all allies would be addressed. |
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SC seeks Centre’s affidavit on Bihar
New Delhi, June 10 While hearing a joint writ petition of four MLAs of the dissolved Assembly, challenging the May 22 midnight decision dissolving the House when political groups in the state had initiated a move of realignment to form a “viable government”, a vacation Bench comprising Mr Justice P.V. Reddi and Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat directed Union Government counsel Gopal Subramaniam to submit the affidavit within two weeks. The court also directed senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the four former MLAs, to file a rejoinder to the government affidavit within one week of its filing to enable it to have further hearing on the petition. The Bench clarified that the affidavit was sought by it without issuing notice to the government. Mr Rohtagi said the stand of the Centre was strange in the light of Union Home Minister’s speech in Parliament during the discussion on the imposition of President’s rule and keeping the Assembly in suspended animation on March 7 after the political parties could not form a government following the February elections. Mr Rohtagi said the Home Minister had categorically stated that it was for the elected representatives to talk to one another and take steps to form a government, but when such a move was initiated by them, “the Union Government had chosen to dissolve the House on a report of the Governor, which on the face of it was mala fide”. Referring to the famous Bomai case judgement, he said, “If the action of the Governor is mala fide, then the Presidential proclamation is also tainted with mala fide”. While Mr Subramaniam said the Governor had sent two reports — on April 27 and May 22 — about the developments in Bihar, Mr Rohtagi claimed that the latest report, which is in question, was in fact sent on May 21 and not on May 22 as claimed by the government counsel. It reached the Centre on the evening of May 22 and within hours of its receipt, the Union Government in a “midnight haste decided to dissolved the House because it was certain that the next day a claim for forming the government will be made by the NDA, which had garnered the support of more than 132 MLAs.” Giving a break-up of the support available to NDA leader Nitish Kumar, he said apart from 92 MLAs of the BJP-JDU combine, 14 Independents, 22 from LJP and some members from other parties like the SJP and BSP had also pledged their support to him. As the court asked whether the MLAs were aligning with a “real intention of forming a viable government or were driven by some exterior motives”, apparantly referring to “horse trading”, counsel for the petitioner MLAs said, “The Governor himself had made a statement before the media that he did not have any evidence of the horse-trading.” Mr Rohtagi said neither the report of the Governor, nor the action of the Union Government stood the test of the guidelines laid down in the Bomai case by the apex court, which had said the only place for test of the majority was the floor of the House. “The Governor neither tried to interview the MLAs, nor called them to ascertain the facts, nor was there any evidence of horse-trading in the present case as the MLAs who were elected just three months ago and had not even taken oath, had a genuine desire to form a popular government”, Mr Rohtagi said. |
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IOC, GAIL sponsor scribes’ trip for Aiyar
New Delhi, June 10 In ensuring “positive publicity” for the erstwhile career diplomat-turned-politician and much to the chagrin of IOC and GAIL, the two companies had to fall in line with the ministry’s diktat and fork out several lakhs of rupees in foreign exchange even if it only amounted to minuscule expenditure. Sources in the two state-owned companies, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, insisted that the loud talk of functional autonomy is virtually non-existent and there is no question of side-stepping the parent ministry’s directive. The journalists were put up in star hotels both in Lahore and Islamabad. Mr Aiyar’s visit to Pakistan in pursuit of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline has also opened other vistas for energy cooperation with the neighbouring country, thanks to the directive of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf when the latter visited this country in April. The joint statement issued at the end of General Musharraf’s three-day sojourn on April 18 observed that “the ministers of Petroleum and Natural Gas would meet in May (which got pushed to June) to explore cooperation in the
sector, including on the issue of pipelines.” The consternation in IOC is palpable because the state-owned company might post a loss of Rs 6 billion in the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal if the UPA government continues to maintain a freeze on the retail price of auto and cooking fuels. If the prices of cooking gas, kerosene, diesel and petrol are not hiked in tune with global crude oil prices, IOC’s under-recovery is likely to be around Rs 30 billion by the end of this month. The company has made a representation to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and much as the UPA government is in favour of hiking the prices, there is stout opposition to this proposal by the Left parties as it will further burden the masses, coupled with fuelling a price spiral all around. IOC has desired an increase in retail prices of petrol and diesel by around Rs 4.50 a litre, cooking gas cylinger by Rs 106 and kerosene sold through the public distribution system by Rs 11 per litre. While auto fuel prices have not been changed since November last year, cooking gas prices were raised by about Rs 40 last year. Interestingly, IOC Chairman S. Behuria who had accompanied Mr Aiyar on the Pakistan leg of the trip, is proceeding to Geneva for an ILO-related conference, it is learnt. While Mr Behuria had sought the necessary clearance for 10 days, the government has given the green signal but pruned the visit to one week. The gas infrastructure major, GAIL, which has been hit by the kerosene and cooking gas subsidy burden, managed only a 4 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 19.47 billion in 2004-05 in spite of higher gas and polymer sales. The company’s net profit in fiscal 2003-04 was Rs 18.69 billion. Mr Aiyar is at present in
Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of his oil hunt in Central Asia before he proceeds to Iran where his programme is more substantive. In Teheran he is expected to sign an agreement for the purchase of 5 million tonnes of gas from that country and explore possibilities if this quantity can be raised to 7.5 million tonnes. |
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Foreign defence units to invest 30 pc amount in India
New Delhi, June 10 This was made clear in the Defence Capital Procurement Procedure manual released by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee here. Under the new procedure, foreign arms companies will also have to sign an integrity pact to ensure that no “unfair and unethical” means were used for winning the contracts. The government has also outlined the qualitative requirements needed to win the contract. Besides, to overcome the recent trends of single-vendor situations, specially in major platforms and systems acquisitions, the government in the new revised manual has inserted a standard contract document to make procurement speedy. Mr Mukherjee, who only yesterday had expressed confidence that his ministry would be able to spend over Rs 34,000 crore earmarked for capital expenditure in the Budget, said the new manual had been released as the government “wanted to leverage our high purchasing power to help the domestic defence industry.” While pointing out that massive armament deals like purchase of Six Scorpene Submarines under technology transfer from France had not yet been finalised, the Defence Minister pointed out the ministry might actually seek more funds. “We may have to ask for supplementary grants under this head as we need to speed up the modernisation drive”, he said. On the plans of Indian Air Force to purchase 126 Medium Range Combat Aircraft, Mr Mukherjee said the project had not yet reached the request-for-proposal stage in view of some new dimensions emerging with the US offering to sell high-technology aircraft to India. But the Defence Minister made it clear that he was not “going with a shopping list” during his coming visit to that country. Incidentally, France has offered India not only the facility of technology transfer if it goes in for the purchase of Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft but has also indicated the possibility of allowing India to export the aircraft in the Asian region. Decision makers in the ministry and service headquarters had been given definite time frames for armament acquisitions, so that contracts, when signed, also identified delivery schedules. |
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Modi desperate for recognition: Cong
New Delhi, June 10 Referring to advertisements in a section of the press which hail Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership by citing the findings of a study on economic freedom of states done by a think-tank within the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Congress spokesman Abhishek Shingvi said it showed the desperation of Mr Modi to seek a certificate of good conduct. Mr Singhvi said the foundation had already clarified that that the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies was an independent think-tank within the foundation. What happened in Gujarat would remain inexcusable, notwithstanding any economic achievement, he said. He said Gujarat’s achievements in the economic sphere were not because of, but in spite of Mr Modi. “It is a tribute both to the entrepreneurship of the Gujaratis as also the foundation laid by the earlier non-BJP governments”, he said. Accusing Mr Modi of indulging in gimmicks, Mr Singhvi said the Gujarat Chief Minister was desperate to seek recognition. The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation said the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies was an independent ‘think tank’ within the foundation which publishes a range of studies on diverse subjects for public debate and discussion. |
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Governors to discuss security
New Delhi, June 10 Further, the conference will take up perspective development planning under the Tenth Five-Year Plan as well as the concept and economic implications of VAT (Value-Added Tax), effective and gainful utilisation of Governors as Chancellors of universities and elevating the mind of youth. Law and order, development programmes and other issues special to individual states and union territories will also be discussed and action plans evolved, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan
communique. In all 28 Governors and three Lt-Governors are scheduled to attend the conference. Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the ministers of Defence, HRD, Home, Finance, External Affairs and the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission will be taking part in the conference. |
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Jail inmates begin 78-hr fast
Kolkata, June 10 Many of them had surrendered their arms in response to Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee’s call to begin their normal lives. According to a report reaching the state government in the evening, all prisoners refused to take food today supplied to them, alleging that they were being treated like ordinary criminals. The jail authorities tried to persuade them to call off the fast but they refused. Mr Bhattacharjee, who had appealed to the KLO and other extremists operating in North Bengal during his recent visit in the Jalpaiguri-Duars areas to surrender their arms, however, made it clear that they could not be treated like political prisoners since the KLO was not a political organisation. |
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AICTE sets deadline for colleges
New Delhi, June 10 The order comes in after the AICTE asked colleges not meeting the required faculty criteria to refrain from admitting students. Following protests from colleges, the AICTE has now asked institutions to recruit against the vacant positions before July 7, 2005. “In institutions where there is an acute shortage of faculty, certain reductions in intake have been effected in accordance with the policy framework separately announced and posted on the website. As indicated therein also, the council would be happy to consider proportionate restoration of intake in case the concerned institutions are able to recruit faculty under intimation to the council by July 7, 2005”, said an official release. For the convenience of such institutions, the format in which the institutions are required to fill the information with regard to faculty recruited in the concerned courses is also available on the website. The institutions would also receive letters indicating deficiencies found including the faculty shortage. Deficiencies other than the faculty are required to be rectified under intimation to the council by August 31, 2005. The AICTE will also put out a list of technical colleges that will be barred from admitting students after July 7. The admission process starts usually around July 15-20, and 98 technical colleges nationwide would be forbidden from admitting students unless they rectify deficiencies in their faculty by July 7. The decision may mean 38,101 fewer seats to fill in engineering, management, pharmacy, computer applications courses would come down to 598,198 from 636,299 last year. The AICTE had conducted a survey in engineering, management, pharmacy, computer applications, hotel management, catering technology and fine arts institutions to compile a list of deficiencies including shortage of qualified principals, adequate laboratories and libraries, and even such basics as drinking water and toilets. |
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Australia for closer ties
New Delhi, June 10 Addressing industry leaders at a function organised by the CII, Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Downer, said, “Australia has so much to offer in terms of its expertise in developing the infrastructure and services related to the staging and management of major sporting events.” Australia has identified IT, finance, telecommunications, health, education, environmental services, biotechnology and media and entertainment as the main areas of economic cooperation with India. He pointed out that in 2004, India overtook the UK to become the sixth largest market for Australian merchandise exports. The five-year trend in growth in exports is 24.6 per cent per annum and by the end of the same year total trade with India grew by over 62 per cent. "I would also like to note the critical part played by energy and resources in our economic relationship and acknowledge the important meeting of the joint working group on energy and minerals which has taken place in India over the past two days," he said. Education is another crucial sector as India is Australia’s top offshore source of postgraduate students, he added. Australian Ambassador to India John Mc Carthy said it was in the mutual benefit of both countries to join hands and work together. Earlier, Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, immediate past chairman, CII Northern Region, said the CII believed that Australia and India had not been fully exploiting their commonalities and must move faster in the direction of greater trade and investment. |
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Buddhists seek fresh Census
New Delhi, June 10 The total population of Buddhists in the country in 2001 was 79.5 lakh or 0.8 per cent of India’s total population. The Buddhist leaders also pressed for recognition of Boti language at a meeting held at the National
Commission for Minorities here yesterday to analyse the 2001 Census report. Prominent Buddhist leaders present at the meeting were Ven. Bhante Arya, member, NCM, Lama Lobzang, member, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Kiren Rajiju, Lok Sabha MP, P.T. Gyamtos, Raja Sabha MP, Tashi Wangdi, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama bureau, Delhi and Lama Doboom Talku, Director, Tibet House, Delhi. The NCM chairperson, Mr Tarlochan Singh, assured them that he would convey their demands to the Census Commissioner and the Home Ministry. Professor Ashish Bose, chairman of expert committee set up by the NCM to analyse statistics of religious minorities, presented his findings at the meeting. He said the Buddhist population had increased in all states and Union Territories except Assam, Tripura and Uttaranchal. He said the growth rate of Buddhist population during 1991-2001 was 24.5 per cent as against the growth rate of 21.5 per cent of the country’s population during the same period. Professor Bose said that the economic condition of the Buddhists in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh necessitates special attention of the government. He said the literacy rate among the Buddhists is 72.7 per cent compared to the national average of 64. 8 per cent. |
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Summit from tomorrow
New Delhi, June 10 A meeting of NAM Foreign Ministers will also be held on the sidelines of the summit on June 13. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has nominated Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed to lead the delegation.
— TNS |
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Stop Kala Garh demolitions: Sikhs
New Delhi, June 10 In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, the Sikh forum’s president Amir Singh Virk said nearly 200 houses in Kala Garh had been demolished and people who had been living here for the past 50 years were now living on the roadside. Mr Virk told mediapersons that most of them belonged to the Sikh families who had migrated there after the Partition. He urged the Prime Minister to direct the state government to stop the
demolition of Kala Garh, provide ownership rights to its citizens and constitute the capital of the state in vacant buildings in Kala Garh city. |
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12 artistes likely to return
to Akademi
New Delhi, June 10 Sources said that Mr Mirdha had spoken to the artistes, requesting them to withdraw their resignation. Yesterday, he had said that his priority was to tackle this issue. Mr Mirdha is understood to have talked to veteran musician Balamuralikrishna and Akademi Vice-Chairman Kavalam Narayana Panicker who, along with 10 others, resigned . |
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