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NDA leaders seek sack of Navin Chawla
Hindu leaders meet Kalam, Patil
Russian PM arrives
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EC announces bypoll to 6 Assembly seats
Highest medical negligence compensation case hearing today
Raids on cops yield 68 crore
Curfew after 3 die in Holi riots
2 gastro deaths in Mumbai,
101 hospitalised
2 shot dead by Army jawans
Fee waiver for single girlchild
6 AIIMS-like institutes to be set up
Volte-face by Zahira, wants to go to Gujarat
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NDA leaders seek sack of Navin Chawla
New Delhi, March 16 “The Election Commission must be absolutely impartial. It must also appear to be impartial,” the 12-page memorandum signed by 205 members from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha said demanding Mr Chawla’s removal under various constitutional provisions. “We expect that the President will discuss the issue with the Chief Election Commissioner and make a decision on the basis of the discussions”, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L.K. Advani told reporters after the 30-minute long meeting. NDA convener George Fernandes, SAD leader S S Dhindsa besides BJP President Rajnath Singh and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and V K Malhotra were among those who met President Kalam. The memorendum said it was the NDA’s view that the CEC was the key person aware of the facts about the functioning of Mr Chawla who was perceived to be an ‘’extremely close family friend’’ of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The petition has a detailed reference about Mr Chawla’s role during the Emergency days an annexe with an extract of Justice J.C. Shah Commission’s report saying the Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLAD funds from Congress MPs — A.A. Khan, R.P. Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A.R. Kidwai. The trust was allotted six acres of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister. When the NDA raised the issue, the petition said, Mr Chawla claimed that former Union Minister in the NDA government, Sahib Singh Verma, had offered to pay Rs 5,00,000 from his MPLAD fund but the donation was not accepted because he was not the area MP although the trust had activities in Jasola in Badarpur. Mr Chawla’s claim that he did not accept Mr Verma’s offer was also false since Mr Verma was the area MP and none else was approached. The MPs said they had information that the original file which granted permission to Mr Chawla to set up the trust had gone ‘’missing’’. Mr Advani said the delegation told the President about the important role played by the EC in holding fair and objective elections in Bihar and Jharkhand and it was overwhelmingly felt that Mr Chawla’s presence in the constitutional body would hinder its effective functioning at a time when election have been scheduled in four states and Pondicherry, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The petition casts doubts about the conduct of Mr Chawla in the EC saying the suggestions made by him were ‘’excessively partisan’’ in nature and were moves to help the Congress party. “We are not going into the details of these issues and since we believe that the CEC should have first hand information on Mr Chawla’s conduct in the EC, he must take into consideration all facts regarding this in the course of proceedings of the Commission and its functioning.’’ Mr Advani, a former Home Minister, said an EC member can be removed by President on the recommendations of the CEC and the Cabinet did not come into picture. The NDA was of the opinion that the CEC’s recommendations were binding on the President, he said. |
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Hindu leaders meet Kalam, Patil
New Delhi, March 16 They also demanded the setting up of a task force by the Union Home Ministry to draw a blue print for the security of important Hindu religious places across the country. In a three-page memorandum to Dr Kalam and Mr Patil, they also demanded acquistion of the land on the western side of the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex in Ayodhya by the government and provision of alternative accommodation to the people staying there at present. “In July last year, the terrorists had tried to storm the complex from the western side,” it said. While demanding adequate security arrangements in all Hindu temples and mutts, the memorandum demanded the reenactment of POTA to deal sternly with terrorists. Meanwhile, the VHP today virtually ruled out its support to BJP leader L. K. Advani’s proposed “national integration yatra” scheduled to begin on April 6, despite RSS endorsement of the yatra. “The ‘sants’ have decided not to support any particular party. I don't know anything about Advani’s yatra,” Mr Singhal said. Hansdas Maharaj of Hardwar, a religious leader who accompanied Mr Singhal to the President said the VHP “sants” have decided not to support the BJP’s twin yatras by Mr Advani and party chief Rajnath Singh. |
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Russian PM arrives
New Delhi, March 16 Supply of nuclear equipment by Russia for construction of Kudankulam plant besides uranium to Tarapur reactor are expected to be high on agenda of the talks Fradkov will have with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here tomorrow. The Russian Prime Minister, who is accompanied by his wife Elina, was warmly received at the Palam Technical Airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma. Taking place in the backdrop of Russia’s decision to provide uranium to Tarapur plant, the visit is also likely to see the two countries sign a deal with regard to supply of the fuel.
— PTI |
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EC announces bypoll to 6 Assembly seats
New Delhi, March 16 Sangrama, Rafiabad, Bhaderwah and Pattan Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir, Patna West in Bihar and Budhni in Madhya Pradesh would go to polls, an EC statement said. The notification would be issued on March 30 for the seat in Bihar and on the next day, for the five other seats. The counting of votes would take place on April 27 and the election process would be completed by May 2. The poll panel said the model code of conduct would come into immediate effect and would be applicable in the districts in which the whole or any part of the Assembly constituency is included. Meanwhile, the Commission today rejected Tamil Nadu Government’s plea for reconsideration of its order tranferring Chennai Police Commissioner R. Nataraj, who is in the eye of a storm over his praising of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Acting tough, the EC had yesterday ordered the transfer of Nataraj on the charge of violating the model code of conduct by openly praising Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The state administration has been told keep the top city police official away from poll duty. The Commission has sought a fresh panel of names to select a replacement for Nataraj by tomorrow. The Commission took the suo motu action following an interview given by Nataraj to a daily in which he praised the Chief Minister. |
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Highest medical negligence compensation case hearing today
New Delhi, March 16 For not only does he want to bring justice to his dead wife who, he says, "became a victim of a deadly combination of extreme arrogance and blatant ignorance of some eminent doctors, but also show hope to millions of hapless patients and relatives in the country in a similar situation". Several PILs challenging the flawed system of punishment to errant medicos have been filed in India, says US-based Dr Kunal Saha, while clarifying that his fight was not against all doctors "but only a certain league of errant medicos who think they are above the law". "I am a doctor, my father was a doctor, but it is also a fact that my wife Anuradha Saha, who was suffering from a common skin allergy, became a blatant victim of malpractice at the hands of five eminent doctors of a Kolkata-based hospital," says Dr Saha, an AIDS specialist at Ohio State University . Dr Saha has filed for a compensation of Rs 77.7 crore, an amount that he has calculated based on Anuradha's young age ( she was only 36 at the time of death), loss of future income in the USA (Anuradha was a qualified child psychologist) and punitive damages. For the record, even though Dr Saha says he has spent close to Rs 2 crore preparing the case and gathering expert witnesses, he does not want a single rupee if and when he wins the case. " I have already testified in the court that the entire money will be donated in India and spent for the promotion of health and betterment of Indian children. Anuradha was a child psychologist and she loved children and India," he told The Tribune today. Dr Saha has visited India at least "hundreds of times" in the past eight years since his wife Anuradha Saha died on May 26, 1998, allegedly due to overdose of steroid depomedrol prescribed by a doctor from the Kolkota-based hospital, and complications further compounded by four other doctors from the same hospital. "I have lost count. My entire family is settled in the US. But the only reason I feel compelled to come back each time is the feeling that the case might bring hope to millions of hapless patients in India. Everyday hundreds of Anuradhas become victim of malpractice in this country," he adds. The multi-crore compensation case is pending before the National Consumers Dispute Redressal Council (NCDRC) here. "Hopefully the case will come up for final hearing and judgement tomorrow, Dr Saha says, hoping that the case he has been pursuing for years will finally see some logical ending." Otherwise I'll be back," he promises, adding that his mission in life was to see that guilty are punished and ensure such episodes are not repeated. "We were in India on a social visit in 1998 when Anuradha developed a minor skin allergy. It happened when 10 years after a continous struggle as young immigrants in a foreign land that things were beginning to fall in place and we were planning ahead." Incidentally two doctors against whom he lodged a criminal case in Kolkata were his teachers in the medical college when he was studying medicine in Kolkata. "I told the doctor that prescribing 80 mg of depomedrol twice everyday was extremely erroneous. About 40 mg of the steroid is permitted for chronic conditions like asthma once a week. What Anuradha was receiving was a mammoth overdose. But the doctor told me, Kunal don't worry, everything will be all right". |
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Raids on cops yield 68 crore
Bangalore, March 16 The raid by Lok Ayukta officials had its filmy side also. One Inspector,
Shivanna, of the Yeshwanthpur police station made a dramatic escape when he was being escorted to the office of Lok Ayukta Justice
N.Venkatachala. Shivanna pushed two policemen aside and scaled a 7-foot wall to gain entry into the high-profile State Kumara Krupa guesthouse, from where he disappeared only to surrender late in the night. The haul, however, was well worth the effort. City Crime Branch (Fraud and Misappropriation Cell) Inspector Shami-ur-Rehman took the cake. Sleuths discovered registries pertaining to 45 plots in various localities of the city besides 2.5 acres on the outskirts of the city, 1.5 kg of gold, share certificates of Rs 40 lakh and copies of 10 bank accounts. Others were no less. Koramangala Inspector Mir Arif Ali's residence yielded documents pertaining to 10 plots in the city, four houses, 11 acres, 13 bank pass books with a savings of Rs 24 lakh and share certificates worth Rs 8 lakh. Inspector Shivanna's residence yielded registries of two plots in the city, gold ornaments and share certificates. Inspector Narayan Swamy was caught with documents of a five- storeyed building in the city, a house, 700 gm of gold and 8 acres on the outskirts of the city. DSP S. N. Krishnappa was found with Rs 25 lakh in cash, registries of two houses, 11 acres, and near the upcoming international airport, an Innova car, gold ornaments worth Rs 1.5 lakh and household and electronic items worth Rs 24 lakh. Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy today ordered the suspension of all five officials. |
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Curfew after 3 die in Holi riots
Mumbai, March 16 The state police control room said the situation in the area was tense since Wednesday when an unruly group of revellers from the Simplex Mathadi Colony teased a girl from the village nearby. The situation worsened today when residents of the village armed with sticks and stones attacked the residents of the colony inhabited mainly by porters employed at industrial units in the vicinity. In the resultant free-for-all several residents from the colony suffered serious injuries, police said. Police officials who tried to bring about peace were also attacked. Deputy Commissioner of Police Amar Jadav who was nearly set afire by the mob received serious injuries. Narendra Patil, leader of the Mathadi community who tried to bring about peace in the colony was badly bashed up and is in a critical condition, the police said. The police said rioting crowds from both sides set vehicles and shops on fire. After the crowds refused to disperse after a lathi charge, the police opened fire to disperse the mob. Two rioters died in the firing. Another person was lynched in the process. |
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2 gastro deaths in Mumbai,
101 hospitalised
Mumbai, March 16 Two children had died after consuming contaminated water on Wednesday, according to health officials. Five others are in hospital in a serious condition. With the infrastructure being stretched, victims of gastro have been shifted to different hospitals in South Mumbai. So far 88 persons have been admitted at the Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital in South Mumbai alone. All of them are residents of the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar and Saboo Siddik Nagar chawls near Crawford Market, police said. According to civic officials, the probable cause of gastro is the contamination of drinking water with sewage. Officials said pipelines passing through these neighborhoods are more than a century old. In most places water and sewage lines have been laid side by side thereby increasing the cause of contamination especially if the pipes have been corroded with age. The authorities have shut off water supply to the areas and is supplying water in tankers, officials said. |
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2 shot dead by Army jawans
Ballia, March 16 Police Superintendent Prakash D said here today that Lallan Mishra, Lal Mohar Mishra and Mukesh Mishra, all army jawans, presently on leave in their village Mishraulia here, along with their relatives Gupteshwar and Manohar Mishra, shot dead Ashok Upadhyaya (35) and Abhay Upadhyaya (45) over a petty dispute pertaining to Holi celebrations last evening. As many as seven other people, including five women, were injured in the firing. The injured included Pratap Narayan, Arjun, Rubi, Baby, Pallo, Prabha Devi and Priti. Out of these, Pratap Narayan and Pallo have been admitted in critical state at the district hospital, while the remaining were being treated at the Community Health Centre, Mr Prakash added. A case has been registered and Lallan, Manohar and Gupteshwar have been arrested alongwith one rifle, a double-barrelled gun, a countrymade
revolver. — UNI |
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Fee waiver for single girlchild
New Delhi, March 16 As many as 10,300 girls of Kendriya Vidyalayas have benefited from this decision. The Minister for Human Resource Development has also decided to give special consideration to single girl children in admissions to the KVS. Single girl children who do not qualify for admission from Class VI onwards based on their rank in admission test or qualifying examination but who obtain the minimum qualifying marks will be admitted in Kendriya Vidyalayas up to a maximum of two girls per class, over and above the sanctioned strength. For admission in Class I, after admitting the candidates up to the full strength, if there are single girl children left among the unsuccessful applicants, up to two candidates will be admitted over and above the sanctioned intake in each section of Class I. In making selections from among such cases, preference will be given to applicants as per priority categories laid down in admission guidelines. |
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6 AIIMS-like institutes to be set up New Delhi, March 16 This will fill the gap in territory healthcare infrastructure, as well as facilities for quality medical education in the under-served states, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting. He said the scheme was likely to be implemented within three years. Briefing reporters after the Cabinet Committee on Prices (CCP) reviewed the situation, Mr Chidambaram said prices of wheat had been moderate in the North, while in South 5 lakh tonnes of imported wheat was about to reach the market and this should check the hardening prices of the commodity. He said the Cabinet approved issuing of special securities totalling about Rs 16,000 crore to the Food Corporation of India in lieu of the grains supplied by it for food-for-work programme.
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Volte-face by Zahira, wants to go to Gujarat
Mumbai, March 16 Appearing before judge Abhay Thipsay of the special court here, Zahira said she was being ill-treated in the Mumbai jail. She alleged that the Mumbai police was not providing her food and she was not allowed to perform namaz. The court ordered the police to let Zahira perform namaz. She has also been allowed home food till March 20 when her case will be heard next. The special court has already sought directions from the Supreme Court about Zahira plea for being sentenced to a jail in Maharashtra. |
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Mishra, Katiyar file nominations
Lucknow, March 16 Principal Secretary (Vidhan Sabha) R.P. Pandey, who is the returning officer, received the nomination papers of both leaders this morning.
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IT employees go on strike
New Delhi, March 16 |
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