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High Court issues notices to editors of two newspapers
HC seeks plan to restore the pristine glory of Jama Masjid
Haryana Housing Board issues ultimatum to encroachers
BJP workers to gherao Delhi Assembly today |
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Capital may receive more rainfall
Dharna for better civic amenities
Three get life for kidnapping and ransom
DDA Vice Chairman held guilty of contempt
Senior cop, sister held for abetting colonel’s suicide
Two held for taking away TSR
Undertrial’s escape: Cops sent to jail
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High Court issues notices to editors of two newspapers
New Delhi, September 21 A bench of Justice Manmohan Sareen and Justice Manju Goel directed the newspaper editors and the correspondents who wrote the reports “Bikini Show has Tihar blushing, recreational event turns into sleaze party: Inquiry ordered” in the Hindustan Times and “For Pappu’s fans, all roads lead to Tihar” in the Times of India to file their replies by October 4. Taking suo motu cognisance of the news items, the court had issued notices to the Centre and the Tihar Jail authorities on September 18. Director General (Prison) R P Singh, in an affidavit, refuted the news reports, saying they were false, fabricated and malafide. Counsel Mukta Gupta, appearing for the government, submitted that the newspapers should produce the evidence on the reports. The High Court had issued notices to Delhi Government, Director General (Prisons), Secretary of Department of Justice and Secretary Home Affairs for allegedly showing special favours by the Tihar Jail authorities to Parliamentarian Pappu Yadav for allowing his guests to meet him in the jail after scheduled time. Yadav had been lodged in the high security jail on charges of killing CPM Legislator Ajit Sarkar. In a report titled “For Pappu’s fans, all roads lead to Tihar” on
September 16, Times of India said that special favours had been showed by the jail authorities to inmate Yadav by extending the visiting time during ‘mulakat’ and other favours. The Court also took objection to another item in Hindustan Times on August 15 titled “Bikini Show has Tihar blushing, recreational event turns into sleaze party: Inquiry ordered”. “‘We feel that these two news items are further revelation of the facts on the issue before us in the matter of security and administration in Tihar,” the Judges said in the order. The Court had earlier issued notices to the authorities taking suo moto cognisance of a news clipping ‘Ghoos Mahal and Tihar Saga’ aired on TV Channel Aaj Taj on May 6, 2005. The Judges had asked the authorities to file their replies addressing the question as to what improvements and controls, systematic and procedural, were proposed to be introduced in the functioning and administration of Tihar Jail to prevent repetition of such incidents. “We had observed in the order that the acts of the officials showing undue favour to prisoners were inextricably linked with the infraction and breach of rules under the Jail Manual, which had a direct bearing and affected adversely the due administration of criminal justice,” the Judges had said. The TV Channel had caught many Tihar officials allegedly accepting bribe to allow people to seek favour. By an order of the Supreme Court of India, Yadav, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, had been shifted to Tihar as he was forcing the Bihar jail officials to bend the rules to favour him. Meanwhile, a Delhi court today granted bail to eight officials of the high-security Tihar jail allegedly caught on camera accepting bribes in a sting operation by a TV channel. “No progress has been made in the investigations due to non-cooperative attitude of the persons who allegedly took the videos. In this circumstances the accused is granted bail,” Additional Sessions Judge Dinesh Dayal said providing relief to the accused who have been in custody since their arrest on August 2. Tihar jail Assistant Superintendent Devi Dayal and Head Wardens Jagannath, Ravi Singh, Virender Dutt, Anil Kumar, Kishan Kumar, Rajesh Kumar and Digambar Singh were granted bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the like amount. They were arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau after raids on their houses following the sting operation carried out by a TV channel on May 4 which showed them allegedly helping its reporters posing as persons wanting to smuggle in banned items to the jail inmates in lieu of bribe. The court of Additional Sessions Judge P K Bhasin had on August 10, after watching the CD of the sting operation, rejected their bail application accusing them of making the high-security prison a “money making mill”. Holding that the “kind of racket going on in the jail complex needs to be thoroughly probed”, the Judge said the investigations into it “will be severely hampered” if the accused are granted bail.
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HC seeks plan to restore the pristine glory of Jama Masjid
New Delhi, September 21 The direction came from a Division Bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma which also asked DDA, MCD and Delhi Wakf Board to decide among themselves who was the owner of the land adjoining the mosque where houses of the Imam and certain other persons were situated. About 12 structures including these houses were spared in the anti-encroachment drive launched in the area on the orders passed by the court on August 3. The Bench wondered why the authorities had not decided the ownership of the land for the last 50 years. It asked the authorities to remove the debris from Jama Masjid area cleared of encroachment in the recent drive and fortify the same to prevent squatters from occupying it again. The court asked the Imam to file an affidavit about his stand on its directions to furnish details of accounts of the masjid for the last 30 years and posted the matter for further hearing on November 16. The authorities submitted a joint status report stating that 661 illegal structures were demolished in the drive. It asked Wakf Board to seek ASI’s help in preservation of the monument, which it described as a cultural heritage.
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Haryana Housing Board issues ultimatum to encroachers
Faridabad, September 21 The board has also initiated a move to clear all encroachments in its colonies. As many as 819 notices to the individuals have been issued so far in various Housing Board colonies in the town. This is not the first time that such a notice has been served. A campaign launched by the department concerned against such activities had come a cropper a few years ago due to political interference. It is learnt that the Board would act tough and check such illegal developments this time as the violators had caused a lot of inconvenience to other residents. It is stated that running commercial activities from houses has rendered the official market useless and the Board has not been able to sell the official site of the market due to parallel markets running from the residential pockets. The shopkeepers in such areas encroach upon the roads and open spaces to keep their items, leaving a very little room for the people to move. The complaints against such activities go unheard despite the fact that it is a direct violation of the rights of the residents of the colony, says K.L. Gera, a social activist based here. He said that he had filed a PIL in the High Court against encroachments on a large scale in many areas of the city. He said though the move was a welcome step, there were doubts if the authorities concerned would be able to do much as such campaigns generally fail due to the intervention of politically influential persons. He alleged that certain people who claim to be close to the power that be take money from the shopkeepers and encroachers and get the move stalled. He said this had been done in the past also when a huge sum had been collected by the vested interests. He said removing the established markets such as in Sector-7 and 10 was tough as the shops had been running here for as many as 20 years. Encroachment in all the HUDA sectors and other residential areas had grown up sharply in the past few years, said a local resident.
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BJP workers to gherao Delhi Assembly today
New Delhi, September 21 The BJP Pradesh president has also called on the Congress legislators opposing the high-handedness of the private power companies to take part in the demonstration of the BJP so that people get to know that the Congress legislators were not shedding crocodile tears. The BJP demonstrators shall assemble at Master Chandgi Ram Akhara tomorrow and proceed towards the Delhi Legislative Assembly. They shall gherao the Chief Minister and compel her to sign a resignation letter. On the eve of the demonstration, Dr Harsh Vardhan has announced that if the people of Delhi give an opportunity to the BJP to serve them then it will order a high-level inquiry into the bunglings in the privatisation of power and connivance between the power companies and the Congress government. The guilty persons shall be sternly punished. The BJP demanded that the report of the PAC chaired by senior Congress legislator Dr S. C. Vats should be laid on the table of the House and an inquiry should be made against the guilty persons according to the report. He has alleged Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s supporting legislators, Ramesh Lamba, Kiran Walia, Baljor Singh, Veer Singh Dhigan and Dr Narendra Nath, deliberately did not accept the report of the PAC because Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit could have been entrapped in it.
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Capital may receive more rainfall
New Delhi, September 21 “There is a marked low pressure area over Vidarbha under the influence of which rains were creating havoc in Andhra Pradesh. This system was sending moisture to the North-West so we have to watch its movement before we can say the monsoon had withdrawn from the Capital,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director R. D. Singh said. The Capital and other parts of the North-West are getting south-easterly winds, which might bring in some more rain, enabling the city to complete its quota of rain for the season, he said. The city had so far received 58.6 cm rain as against its average quota of 64 cm, said Mr Singh. Last month had ended with 36 per cent rain deficiency in the Capital. The revived monsoon has made up for the loss not only in Delhi but almost all regions of the North West. The monsoon had this year arrived in the city two days ahead of time, but after some heavy showers, the current had waned. The monsoon revived this month when the city had lost all hope of its revival.
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Dharna for better civic amenities
Faridabad, September 21 Leaders and members of various employees’ organisations, including the
SKS, CITU, AITUC, HMS and the staff of several bank organisations took part in the dharna. According to the memorandum, the residents of the city have been facing inconvenience due to damaged roads, waterlogging, contaminated water supply, lack of cleanliness in residential areas, absence of streetlighting in many parts and improper upkeep of parks in various sectors. The council sought proper space for vendors and hawkers besides place for parking of auto rickshaws in the city. As there is no such system in practice, the police and the civic officials harass such self-employed persons. They are even forced to pay bribes to the police at times, it claimed. According to the council, the people would be left with no choice than to resort to agitation to get their due.
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Three get life for kidnapping and ransom
New Delhi, September 21 Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ved Prakash Vaish held Hazari, Bhajan Lal and Hansraj guilty of kidnapping Abhishek and demanding a ransom of Rs 3 lakh and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1000 on each of the convicted persons. The complainant Rakesh Kumar, father of Abhishek had employed Hazari to look after his buffaloes and cows while Rakesh Kumar got a compensation of Rs 70,000 from the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) four years ago as his mother had died in a motor accident. Hazari borrowed Rs 20,000 from Rakesh Kumar which he denied. Therefore he got annoyed and hatched a plan to kidnap his son. He took help from two of his friends Bhajan Lal and Hansraj. On May 29, 2000, they kidnapped Abhishek from his home at about
2430 hrs when he was playing, according to the prosecution. They took the child to Badawin in U P and demanded a ransom of Rs 3 lakh. On July 6, 2000 after getting a tip-off the police laid a trap and arrested Hazari from a jungle near Badawin. Bhajan Lal was arrested on January 10, 2000, the prosecution said. All the three persons were convicted under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 364-A (Kidnapping for ransom) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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DDA Vice Chairman held guilty of contempt
New Delhi, September 21 “The DDA Vice Chairman is in contempt of the court order and he is directed to answer the quantum of punishment,” a Division Bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma said. The court was angry to know that despite having filed an affidavit that he would remove the jhuggis on DDA land near Sahyoug Apartment and Anand Lok Cooperative Group Housing Society in Mayur Vihar Phase-I by January this year. Terming the DDA as a monopolistic organisation owning land in the capital, the Bench lamented DDA acquired land and paid compensation from the money of the tax payers and allowed its land to be illegally occupied by unscrupulous elements. It diretced DDA to remove all jhuggis on its land near the said two group housing societes within 15 days and asked the police authorities to extend all possible help to the agency.
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Senior cop, sister held for abetting colonel’s suicide
New Delhi, September 21 Assistant Commissioner of Police R. R. Sharma and his sister Neerja were arrested by the Crime Branch yesterday after a vigilance inquiry by the Delhi Police implicated them in the matter. Col H. S. Gill (retd), 58, had allegedly committed suicide in a room in Star Hotel in Mahipalpur in South-West Delhi on August 7. Gill, who was working as a security officer with the NDPL, had left a suicide note in which he wrote that Neerja was pressing him to marry her. Just a few days before he allegedly hanged himself, Gill had written to the Police Commissioner, Dr K. K. Paul, saying that he feared for his life. He alleged Neerja, her brother R. R. Sharma and a doctor, M. Khetrapal, were putting pressing him to marry her. Sharma was subsequently transferred to the Police Lines and later suspended. Efforts were on to arrest Khetrapal, the sources said.
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Two held for taking away TSR
New Delhi, September 21 The police said that on the night of September 13, the complainant Vikram was standing at the bus stand near Baljeet Nagar when the two accused came in a TSR and robbed him at knife- point. The West district police arrested the two accused from the Madi Pur area. The police also claimed to have recovered the purse, mobile phone and money of the complainant from the possession of the accused. The police further said the accused Satpal Bedi was earlier convicted for life imprisonment in a case of murder-cum-robbery in the area of Punjabi Bagh and was released on parole that he jumped.
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Undertrial’s escape: Cops sent to jail
Ghaziabad, September 21 The court Muharar (clerk), Pradeep Nagar, has also been arrested in the case. He had brought a fake order from Modi Nagar police station for producing Sandeep. Later, he was taken out of the jail on the basis of that talbi order (summons). Sandeep was taken to a lodge near the new railway station instead of the court by the two cops. Sandeep made his escape from the lodge after the two cops were served tea laced with intoxicant by
his companions. Sandeep is wanted in over half-a-dozen cases including murder, loot, waylaying, etc., in Delhi,
Loni, Saharanpur, Alwar and Modi Nagar. It may be recalled that Sandeep had kidnapped a youth and murdered him last year. The youth’s body was found in a gutter
in Sahibabad.
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Girl kidnapped
Bulandshahr, September 21 Moreover, they fired in the air to scare the neighbours and prevent them from intervening. The incident has come as a big set back to the police, particularly since the incident took place in broad daylight. According to reports, one of the abductors had been harassing the girl for the past few months.
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Gas agency raided, 6 cases filed
Noida, September 21
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Phool Walon Ki Sair from September 29
New Delhi, September 21 The festivities would be inaugurated by the Lt-Governor, Mr B.L. Joshi. Later, members of the Anjuman would gather at the Old Secretariat, where the Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, would be
felicitated. — TNS
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