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DCE case: HC clears another 11 candidates
Work on Badarpur flyover to start
DUTA factions slug it out over revised courses
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Gangsters cause panic in Gurgaon court complex
Govt asked to return mural to creator
Two criminals nabbed after encounter
Mayapuri gang rape case: reward announced
Licensed arms deposited ahead of polls
Eye care institute to treat poor patients
UP-Delhi commuters breathe easy
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DCE case: HC clears another 11 candidates
New Delhi, August 16 A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice B A Khan and Justice M B Lokur, which had earlier asked Delhi University to permit 11 students to participate in counselling, passed similar orders in favour of 11 more candidates. The candidates are: Prabhjeet Pal Singh, Vatsal Mittal, Ankit Gupta, Neha Mittal, Sunveer Maan, Saumya Jain, Nitin Maan, Sunderbah Kapoor, Praveen Duhan, Sajal Dahiya and Manav Singh. Earlier, the court had permitted Manik Bansal, Kartik Sharma, Pulkit Kaushik, Ankit Sharma, Rahul Thukral, Ashish Dalal, Ritvik Pandey, Shruti Gupta, Manoj Kumar, Amit Prakash and Pankaj Thakran to participate in counselling.
All these students have challenged the July 25 Single Bench order cancelling the admission of 33 candidates.
The court issued notices to the Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, Dean, Faculty of Technology, Directors of Delhi College of Engineering and Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Government of Delhi and Karan Mendiratta, on whose petition 33 candidates’ offer of admission was cancelled.
It asked the respondents to file their replies to the petitions by August 22, the next date of hearing. They complained that the Single Judge passed the order without giving them any opportunity to present their case. Meanwhile, Delhi University has deferred the date of counselling to August 31. Karan Mendiratta, who ranked 1459 in the Combined Engineering Examination (CEE) held in May this year, had filed a petition drawing the court’s attention to the media reports on the alleged irregularities in the examination and demanded that the counselling be stayed. Meanwhile, a Delhi court today extended the interim bail period of Himanshu Sharma, an accused in the sensational Delhi College of Engineering Entrance Exam scandal, to September 9 as he could not recover from illness. The court had granted him interim bail on August 5 on health grounds while other accused — Pankaj Dahiya, Lalit Hooda — are in judicial custody. Special Judge Pratibha Rani extended the bail period of the accused, arrested on July 27 from Bangalore, by 16 days after his counsel told the court that he "had not yet recovered from severe fever and would need atleast three more weeks time". The court had on August 8 remanded to judicial custody till August 22 the other accused after the CBI informed that it had completed their interrogation. The agency claimed before the court that they had disclosed details about their accomplices and details of how they secured the question booklets and the number of students who received their SMS. CBI says the accused, booked under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act, helped 21 students to indulge in malpractices during the Common Entrance Examinations for admission to the Delhi College of Engineering in May this year by sending them answers through SMS in lieu of Rs 4 lakh per candidate. Several parents and students had lodged complaints with the university in this regard.
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Work on Badarpur flyover to start by year-end
Faridabad, August 16 This announcement was made at the Independence Day celebrations at Sector 12 here yesterday by the Commissioner, Gurgaon Division, who was the chief guest at the Tricolour-hoisting ceremony. Though the authorities concerned did not tell give
details about the time taken for the flyover to be ready, but it was perhaps the first time that a state government official had spoken about the tentative date of the start of the project, which had been hanging fire for the past several years. “The demand for a flyover here had been at least 10 to 15 years old but neither the Haryana Government nor the National Highway Authority of India took the issue seriously and the matter kept languishing as such despite this being a main demand of the people in the region,” says Mr Sharad Bhasin, a resident here whose office is in Delhi. He said reports indicated the flow of traffic between Faridabad and Delhi had grown manifold in the past two decades. The road was an important highway connecting the national Capital with other states, especially those moving towards south. He said thousands of people, including a large number of tourists, had been using this highway to go to Agra and other important cities. Various social and industrial organisations had also been raising the demand of a flyover for the past many years. They had been claiming that such a facility was part of the infrastructure required by the city which had been a leading industrial township in the region. The state government has also announced that besides the elevated flyover, Faridabad is the only town of the state which has been included in the National Urban Renewal Scheme, under which special focus will be made on the development and upgradation of civic amenities. It is stated that besides the allocation of a light engineering cluster here for which total funds of Rs 80 crore will be spent in the near future, the government had given the green light for setting up a new gas-based power project of 1050 MW in the city, which was likely to be completed in the next two years. The proposal to set up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Faridabad district was also on the cards. A function was also held at Ballabhgarh where the speakers dwelt on various schemes of the state government.
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DUTA factions slug it out over revised courses
New Delhi, August 16 While the outgoing DUTA led by the AAD has been vociferous in its criticism, claiming that the new courses were “forced down the throat”, other factions are quick to point out that the implementation of these courses is a “tremendous failure on the part of the AAD”. AAD’s candidate for the president’s post, Dr Prakash Narayan, on his part, has called for a “review of the restructured courses”, which, he claims, are not “scientifically designed”. On the other hand, the DTF says, “If the AAD had not created a ruckus during the Academic Council meeting, where these courses were being discussed, the then Vice-Chancellor, Deepak Nayyar would not have gone ahead with their implementation”. Former DUTA president and DTF member, Dr Shashwati Majumdar, said, “The AAD-supported members in the AC sabotaged the meeting even as we were persuading the V-C to reconsider the design of the courses and allow us at least a year to prepare before they could be implemented. But the ruckus that they created gave the V-C the opportunity to go ahead without any discussions.” The blame game notwithstanding, the opposing factions are harping on the need to rethink on the issue. “We are not against the revised courses. We want to draw attention to the fact that these courses have been implemented in a hurry and that the required infrastructure is still not in place,” said Majumdar. The fact that the UGC too has not been forthcoming with the grants to set up the labs has added to the woes. “In our college, we have had to use the money that we collect from the students as development fees. Even then we are facing a crisis. Classroom teaching had begun, but the practical work is yet to start. Besides the labs, there are books that have been recommended that are going to burn a hole in the department’s pockets,” said Krishna Sengupta, who teaches in Miranda House. While Deepak Nayyar proclaimed curriculum revision and its speedy implementation a “challenge that brought about an academic renaissance”, the teachers disagree. “You cannot have colleges running to set up labs even one month after the academic session has begun. You need the infrastructure in place first,” they point out.
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Gangsters cause panic in Gurgaon court complex
Gurgaon, August 16 The police nabbed Surender, alias Sula, a member of the notorious Dharamveer gang, for firing on witnesses who had come to the court to depose in connection with a murder case against the gang. According to eyewitnesses, there were eight persons besides the one nabbed, but the others escaped in the melee. While some were on a motorcycle, the rest came in a Santro car. The hearing was listed in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge K. C. Sharma. Significantly, Mr Sharma was in the court when the incident took place, just outside the threshold of his courtroom. The witnesses had not been called in before the judge yet when the incident took place. Members of the Dharamveer gang have been charged with the murder of Krishan Kumar, a shop owner in the local Subzi Mandi. The incident had taken place in November 2003. Six persons, including Dharmveer and Surender, were charged in the case. Some of the accused were also summoned today by the court. According to police sources, Surender is facing charges in about a dozen cases. A few of them are murder cases. Out of the four witnesses who had been summoned to depose in the court, Aadesh and Arvind are relatives of Krishan Kumar. According to B. S. Bhatti, a relative of Krishan Kumar, who was present in the court along with the witnesses, Surender tried to fire thrice on Aadesh and Arvind. But the pistol developed some technical snag. Panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter. Later, the police and the public overpowered him. The courtroom of Mr Sharma was closed while the commotion was going on outside. Bhatti alleged that he and other relatives of Krishan Kumar had been receiving threats from the accused to depose against them in connection with the murder. According to him, there were earlier attempts also on their lives. He further said the relatives had already brought this to the notice of the police. With today’s development, Bhatti expressed satisfaction about the alertness which the police showed in nabbing the culprit. However, he charged that a member of the CIA staff tried to play a partisan role in support of the culprit. According to him, the staff member slapped one of his relatives in the melee and was prompting Surender to beat a hasty retreat. The incident also reflects on the inadequate security arrangements in the court premises.
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Govt asked to return mural to creator
New Delhi, August 16 The order came from a Division Bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma after the Centre challenged a Single Bench’s order to return the 140 feet by 40 feet mural to Sehgal and pay him Rs 5 lakh as compensation. The Centre’s counsel Siddharth Mridul submitted that the government was aggrieved by the Single Bench order and an appeal was filed against it on the advice of Additional Solicitor General. As the appeal was filed after expiry of the limitation period, the Court issued notice to Sehgal on Centre’s application for condonation of delay in filing the appeal. The Court observed that the mural was lying in the “cold storage” of Central Public Works Department where “no one knows the value” of the mural. On February 21 this year, the Single Bench of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog had ordered that the mural be returned to Sehgal within two weeks and he be paid a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the injury caused to his reputation by its removal from the Vigyan Bhavan in 1979. In his suit filed in 1992, Sehgal’s counsel Praveen Anand had submitted that his rights under the Copyright Act were violated and he had sought a decree of permanent injunction against the Government restraining it from further distorting, mutilating or damaging the mural installed in the Vigyan Bhawan in 1962.
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24x7 water scheme: CM meets PC chief
New Delhi, August 16 The controversial report prepared by the consultancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), which recommends the 24x7 scheme, has already been sent to the Planning Commission for its inputs. “Delhi Government made a presentation to us on the 24x7 scheme,” Ahluwalia told reporters. Top officials of Delhi Government and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) attended the meeting. The project, which has been criticised as opening up water supply to privatisation, has been put on hold by DJB till the PwC report is cleared by the Planning Commission. NGOs have alleged that PwC was engaged by DJB under pressure from World Bank. They have also alleged that by implementing the 24x7 scheme, to be handled by private parties, water supply was being privatised. The proposed 24x7 scheme, as the name suggests, is for ensuring non-stop water supply, and the plan is to initially launch it in South Delhi.
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Visually impaired take out rally
New Delhi, August 16 The protestors, who included scores of women, were stopped by the police at Parliament Street while they were proceeding to 7, Race Course Road. The protestors under the banners of National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) courted arrest when they were not allowed to go to the Prime Minister’s residence, NFB general secretary S K Rungta said. “We wanted to register our protests at the government’s indifferent attitude to our long-pending demands,” Mr Rungta said. Both NFB and AICB are demanding amendments to the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, review of the education policy to include people with disabilities and replacement of the current Director of the National Institute for Visually Handicapped in Dehradun with a new visually-impaired Director. The demands include reservation of three per cent Government jobs for the disabled, including one per cent for the visually challenged, and extension of reservation in private sector. An NFB-AICB delegation later met Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar and submitted a memorandum. The Minister assured that their demands would be “looked into seriously”, a release issued by NCB and AICB said. It also said the delegation was later called by officials from the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss their demands. They were also assured that a meeting with the Prime Minister would be fixed soon, the release said.
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Anwar acquitted in accident case
New Delhi, August 16 Metropolitan Magistrate Siddharth Sharma, while giving benefit of doubt to Anwar, observed that “as per record there is no eye-witness who had seen the accused driving the offending vehicle”. Of the two injured, SI V N Jha failed to identify the accused while constable Surender Kumar did not turn up in the court to depose. The court also did not rely upon the contention of the state Prosecutor N K Verma that the accused had made an extra judicial confession before the injured. The prosecution had summoned eight witnesses but only five could be examined. Anwar was allegedly driving his Ford Icon car along Akbar Road in Central Delhi on December 5, 1998 when it hit the motorcycle on which the two policemen were travelling. The MP was charged under section 279 (rash driving) 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life).
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Two criminals nabbed after encounter
Noida, August 16 Police circle officer Udey Shankar was leading the police team. The two criminals are being interrogated. SO Sector 39 Anil Pratap Singh was conducting a vehicle check in connection with Independence Day when two persons on a motorbike were signalled to stop. They opened fire on the cops and tried to flee. The police gave them a chase and nabbed them on the banks of the Yamuna. During interrogation, the duo identified themselves as Johney and Sohan Pal of Rabupura. There was a reward of Rs 2,000 on each of them and they had been evading arrest for the past eight years. The police was on the lookout for them in connection with abduction and robbery cases. The police seized two countrymade revolvers and cartridges from the duo.
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Mayapuri gang rape case: reward announced
New Delhi, August 16 The identity of any person who provided information about the accused would be kept confidential, a Delhi Police spokesman said. A 23-year-old deaf-and-dumb woman, who was three months pregnant, was abducted by three men near her house in Mayapuri in south-west Delhi on July 20. They then repeatedly gangraped her before dropping her about 10 kilometres away. Police said one of the accused was thinly built while the others were bulky. They were aged between 25 to 30 years. The portrait of one of the accused had been released by police earlier. The incident had sent shockwaves throughout the city as it came soon after a Delhi University student was similarly assaulted by four men in a car.
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Licensed arms deposited ahead of polls
Meerut, August 16 Police of Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Gautam Budhha Nagar, Baghpat, Saharanpur and Muzuffarnagar districts have been issued with “stringent directions” to take action against those who have not deposited their arms yet, Meerut-Sharanpur range Deputy Inspector-General of Police Rajkumar Vishwakarma said here today. Those found disrupting the free and fair conduct of panchayat polls would be booked under the UP Goonda Act and the National Security Act, he said. In Meerut district, 7,235 out of 13,674 arms licencees have deposited their arms in police stations, 4,083 out of 8,729 in Ghaziabad and 3,180 out of 3,966 in Gautam Budhha Nagar districts. So far, 200 people have been arrested in Meerut, 1,727 in Ghaziabad, and 828 in Gautum Budhha Nagar districts, the DIG said.
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Eye care institute to treat poor patients
New Delhi, August 16 The centre with its sophisticated equipment, infrastructure and human resource aims at providing super-specialised care in various eye disorders to the economically weaker sections of society at its two centres. The patients can consult the doctors throughout the day at the two centres to avail themselves of the subsidised charges. Centre for Sight has been an active participant of Motiabind Mukti Abhiyan, a charity cataract surgery programme of the Delhi Government. The hospital plans to adopt villages to accomplish its base camp approach. Incidentally, there are an estimated 15 million people who are blind, 80 per cent of whom suffer from curable blindness. And the majority of them come from the weaker sections of society. Centre for Sight will conduct free screening camp at its two centres from August 16 to 20.
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UP-Delhi commuters breathe easy
Noida, August 16 UP Transport Department officials, it is understood, had in a last-minute message told their Delhi counterparts that they would host the Delhi delegation on September 2 when an agreement could be signed resolving all bottlenecks. Recognising the importance of the festival of Rakshabandhan both the corporations seemed to have agreed to let the buses ply in the other state till September 2, thus giving a respite to commuters on both sides of the border.
— OC
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CBSE results out
New Delhi, August 16 The results are available on the Board website www.cbse.nic.in and
www.cbseresults.nic.in. — TNS
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