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Chidambaram’s assurance to
NDA for scrapping Scorpene deal
Political drama in JD(S) comes full circle
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EC notice to Amar Singh
SC for right to privacy in phone-tapping case
Zahira moves SC to reduce sentence
SC breather to cola makers
HC rejects Railways’ plea on Banerjee report
Cop killing brings drag races in open
Kalam gives away sangeet akademi awards
Adoor, Nirmala Deshpande among Padma awardees
Khurana accuses Rajnath of being controlled by
Jaya not to challenge RS disqualification
Govt revokes passport of Natwar’s kin
RJD MP gets bail
SC rejects plea against UP minister
Curfew lifted in Navi Mumbai
CM, Bose to look after Biswas’ work: Karat
Bina Ramani meets Delhi Police chief
Ramdev in fresh legal wrangle
Bringing youth into mainstream
Bus driver takes on govt for wrong HIV test
On-board training: Vikrant to be used
Ex-HPSC Chairman’s bail plea rejected
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Chidambaram’s assurance to contain inflation
New Delhi, March 20 Earlier, replying to the two-day debate on the Finance Bill, Mr Chidambaram corrected certain inverted duty structures by reducing customs duty on polyester chips and carbon black feedstock from 12.5 to 10 per cent. The Finance Minister asserted that though current rate of inflation at around 4 per cent was a tolerable limit for a developing country and the government would continue to take steps to contain it. In the Rajya Sabha, he said the government would make all efforts to nab the tax evaders and banks were asked to furnish the names of people undertaking high transactions. Allaying aside apprehensions, the Finance Minister ruled out any cut in food and fertiliser subsidy, but exempted stents to be used in coronary ailments from 5 per cent customs duty and 4 per cent countervailing duty as it being a life-saving item. On inflation, he said, the current wholesale price index was 4.02 per cent, while the consumer price index which was at 4.37 per cent in January 2005 continued to be the same in January 2006. Mr Chidambaram said those toilet and laundry soaps manufactured by small-scale units up to Rs 1 crore turnover, cooperative, khadi and village industries and by self-help groups would continue to get tax exemption. Regarding the demand for withdrawing 8 per cent excise duty on packaged software, he said customised software continued to get tax exemption and, hence, it would not affect the growing software industry. He also clarified that no excise duty on coir and coir products had been levelled. Turning to direct taxes, the Finance Minister justified the decision to remove tax exemption to infrastructure companies under Section 23 (G) of the Income Tax Act which provides no taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest cost. As most of the capital gains and dividends on infrastructure companies are already exempt, it would apply only on interest costs and the tax incidence would only be 0.2 to 0.3 per cent, he said, adding the withdrawal of this exemption was “logical and relevant”. Regarding the withdrawal of exemption to cooperatives under Section 80 (P) of the Income Tax Act, Mr Chidambaram said as it was of the 1,08791 institutions, 1,05735 would continue to get exemption as they being agriculture cooperatives. He said only 2,288 urban cooperatives, state cooperatives, central cooperatives and state cooperative agricultural rural development banks would now be liable for tax. Meanwhile, addressing business delegates at CII, Finance Minister said the Reserve Bank of India would announce steps on rupee convertibility in a few days. But this evoked reaction from the Left on the plea that it would allow foreign investors to take away Indian funds and would be disastrous for the Indian economy. |
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NDA for scrapping Scorpene deal
New Delhi, March 20 Claiming to have conducted its own study and investigation into the major weapons contract and in possession of “highly incriminating” evidence, the BJP-led NDA alliance alleged that four per cent commission on the contract amount, estimated between Rs 500-700 crore made it “by far the biggest defence scandal so far, one that is far bigger than Bofors”. At a joint press conference here backed by a power point presentation and flanked by former Defence Ministers George Fernandes and Jaswant Singh, Leader of Opposition L. K Advani demanded immediate detention of the alleged middlemen—Abhishek Verma and his associates—besides action against foreigners involved in the ‘Naval War Room Leak’. Mr Advani said though a news weekly, which carried a series on the deal had alleged that Verma was working as a middle man for the Congress, “there was neither any refutation from the party nor did it take the magazine to the court’’. Making public several “eloquent” e-mails between Verma and his “foreign contacts, including Jean-Paul Perrier, CEO of Thales, the French supplier of Scorpene, the NDA leaders demanded institution of a credible Commission of Inquiry involving appropriate investigative agencies, to pinpoint political responsibility and wrongdoing by others”. “This convergence of so many disturbing elements in a major defence supply contract further establishes the corrupt character of the UPA government,” Mr Advani said. Elaborating on the “disturbing elements”, Mr Jaswant Singh asked “how the illegal entry of middlemen in the deal, and the passing of highly sensitive national security information to foreigners, including such information which is available only with the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Chief of Naval Staff and a few others.” He said Mr Verma, the middleman allegedly acting on behalf of the Congress, already faced investigations, in 12 cases of financial fraud. The French company Thales, the supplier of Scorpene, was a company black-listed by the World Bank and had a history of bribing political leaders around the globe, the NDA leaders said. Mr Advani said it had been a tendency of the UPA government to find a scapegoat, be it the Volcker revelations or defreezing of Ottavio Quattrocchi’s London Bank accounts. In Volcker, the UPA had found Mr Natwar Singh the scapegoat where as in the defreezing of the bank accounts, it was the CBI which was made to own responsibility. Meanwhile, the Congress said it had not examined the details as yet of the Scorpene submarine deal regarding the allegation made by the Leader of the Opposition, but if there were facts worth looking into, the Defence Ministry The government would not adopt an irresponsible attitude of the type displayed by the then NDA Government in the case of Tehelka probe, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said adding if there are facts in the allegation made by the BJP leader, Mr Advani, it would look into it with a sense of responsibility. Briefing mediapersons here, he said the BJP had not come out with the facts regarding the Scorpene deal and was just trying to fish in troubled waters. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today dismissed allegations of a scam in the purchase of French submarine Scorpene and said action would be taken against parties if there was any violation of the agreement like appointment of middlemen. Shortly after the NDA leaders spoke of a scam and demanded the termination of the contract and institution of an inquiry commission, the Defence Minister told newspersons that he would make a comprehensive statement in Parliament tomorrow on the issue. |
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Political drama in JD(S) comes full circle
Bangalore, March 20 Mr Deve Gowda had suspended Mr Kumaraswamy as well as 36 other party legislators around seven weeks back for leading a political coup which had overthrown a Congress-led government in the state in favour of a rump JD(S) group - BJP arrangement. The former Prime Minister has not only stopped at recognising Mr Kumaraswamy as the JD(S) group leader in the State Assembly but he has also given positions to senior JD(S) leaders who had aligned with him in his war against his son. This indicated Mr Deve Gowda's return to active politics in the state after a two-month long "vanvas" during which he had even refused to share the same stage with his son. Mr Deve Gowda today announced that senior JD(S) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash would be the state JD(S) president. He also appointed senior leader D. Manjunath as chairman of the party's Parliamentary Board and Mr Meerajuddin Patel as the chairman of its Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti would lead the legislative wing of MLCs. Mr Deve Gowda told mediaperons that he had taken this decision because he did not want a split in the JD(S) during his life time. When asked to explain the reason behind his actions further, he said "I am punishing myself. I am taking the pain". He also said he would "reveal" everything at an appropriate time but did not specify any time frame for the same. Today's developments have led to a sense of relief amongst senior leaders of the JD(S) who had taken the side of Mr Deve Gowda in the battle of nerves between father and son and had seen power passing away from their hands to young leaders of the party who were aligned with Mr Kumaraswamy. These young leaders had prevented Mr Kumaraswamy from inducting any of the veterans into the Cabinet during the first expansion. Party sources said the way had been cleared for a second expansion of the Cabinet which would see legislators who had aligned with Mr Deve Gowda also being adjusted. However, senior party leader and former minister P.G.R. Scindia was the only leader conspicuous by his absence at the JD(S) party headquarters today. Mr Scindia had criticised the revolt led by Mr Kumaraswamy and had even voted against the rump JD(S) - BJP Motion of Confidence in the state Assembly. |
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Khaleda assuages Indian
concerns on terrorism
New Delhi, March 20 The assurance came when the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr E. Ahamed, called on her this evening at Hotel Maurya Sheraton where she is staying. During the 25-minute courtesy call, Mr Ahamed raised the issue of terrorism. Since October 2001 when Ms Zia came to power, New Delhi’s constant grouse has been that anti-India terrorist outfits are being sanctuary in Bangladesh. Dhaka has always rubbished the charge. Diplomatic observers here do not attach much significance to Ms Zia’s assurances on the issue of terrorism which the Bangladeshi leadership has professed several times earlier. She is likely to make a similar assurance to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, tomorrow. Mr Ahamed told The Tribune that he called on Ms Zia as a representative of the Ministry of External Affairs and during the meeting an overall review of Indo-Bangla relations was conducted. He said apart from Indian concerns on terrorism, he pointedly raised the issues of invigorating the economic aspects of the bilateral relationship and India’s oft-repeated demand from Dhaka for transit rights. On her part, Ms Zia raised river water-related issues on which Mr Ahamed said the Indian Ministry of Water Resources would look into Dhaka’s point of view. Interestingly, apart from Mr Ahamed, two more Union Ministers are scheduled to call on Ms Zia — the Commerce and Industry Minister, Ms Kamal Nath, and the Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr P.R.D. Munshi. However, the Water Resources Minister, Mr Saifuddin Soz, is not scheduled to meet Ms Zia. Formal talks between the two principals — Dr Manmohan Singh and Ms Zia — are scheduled for tomorrow evening. After delegation-level talks, the two sides will sign several agreements in the presence of the two Prime Ministers. In a statement on her arrival, Ms Zia said: “During my visit, I look forward to very candid and constructive discussions with our friends in India. I hope that as a result of our discussions it would be possible for us to create conditions for perceptible improvement in the content of our cooperative relations.” The Ministry of External Affairs said: “The visit may be seen in the context of the policy of sustained and continuous high-level engagement that the Government of India has instituted with Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a close and friendly neighbour and the visit is testimony to the importance that both countries attach to bilateral relations.” |
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EC notice to Amar Singh
New Delhi, March 20 Talking to reporters, the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr B.B. Tandon, said the poll panel had received a copy of the petition from the NDA, which it was “considering.” The CEC clarified that they have not yet received any communication from the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to whom the NDA leaders during their meeting had submitted a memorandum signed by 205 MPs demanding Chawla’s immediate removal from the constitutional post. Mr Chawla, who was appointed as Election Commissioner last year, is accused of having received funding for his family trusts from Congress politicians. The issue of appointment of 12 Congress MLAs as Parliamentary Secretaries to circumvent the restrictions on the number of members who could be made ministers would be heard by the Election Commission soon. “We have given notices to them and their replies have also come. We have to fix a date for their hearings,” the CEC said. The issue has rocked Himachal Pradesh resulting in the reference of the issue to the poll panel by the state Governor as a sequel to the high court orders. Meanwhile, Mr Tandon said he has received a petition seeking disqualification of UP Minister Mohd Azam Khan on the charges of holding office of profit. On a similar complaint against Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, the CEC said notice has been sent to him to respond to the complaint by March 31. Mr Tandon said the state Governor had forwarded the petition against Azam Khan, which alleged that he as a Chairman of UP Jal Nigam was holding an office of profit. Mr Tandon said the full Commission would visit the poll- bound West Bengal tomorrow on a two-day visit to the state to oversee the poll preparation. He said over 350 poll observers have been appointed for the state with specific instructions to the poll officials that not a single eligible voters should be left out of the rolls. He said as many as 21 lakh new names have also been added to the rolls in a massive exercise. The observers have been asked to ensure that they would constantly review execution of non-bailable warrants, recovery of illegal arms and collection of licensed arms from undesirable elements. |
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SC for right to privacy in phone-tapping case
New Delhi, March 20 Directing all telecom companies to file affidavits within three weeks specifically stating whether they have ever "indulged" in tapping of telephones on any request coming from a private party other than the government authorities, a Bench of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice A.R. Lakshmanan and Mr Justice C.K. Thakker said "in private cases comes the question of sting operation, in which the issue of public interest is attached to." The court said the telecom companies in their affidavit will have to "show the authority of law under which they tap the phones of other person on the request on another person." The telecom companies would state if interception like this was ever done by them with or without the knowledge of their officers concerned, the Bench said, telling their counsel in uncertain terms that they have to assist the court "how to check the unauthorised tapping." The direction came during the hearing of a petition by Smajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's petition highlighting tapping of his Reliance mobile phone on a forged letters from the Delhi Police's Joint Commissioner and the NCT government's Home Secretary. When specifically asked whether private operators could not intercept the phone of someone at the request of a private person, senior advocate Soli Sorabjee, appearing for Reliance, said "no such request can be entertained by any service provider." |
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Zahira moves SC to reduce sentence
New Delhi, March 20 Seeking to tender “unconditional apology” for any “inadvertent” action of her or any of her family member, Zahira said “neither she, nor her family members committed the mistake knowingly. Unfortunate omissions on her part and her family have occurred on account of illiteracy as well as poor, sympathetic condition of the family.” While seeking modification of the March 8 judgement of the Court convicting her for contempt and imposing one-year simple sentence on her, apart from Rs 50,000 fine, Zahira pleaded that it may be reduced to the period she had already undergone in jail since her surrender on March 10. The Court had said if she failed to deposit the fine within two months, she would have to undergo further imprisonment of one year.
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New Delhi, March 20 "It is not appropriate for inquiry into the matter placed before us," a Bench comprising Justice Ruma Pal and Justice Dalveer Bhandari said. The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which contended that chemical contents like phosphoric acid, caffeine and aspartame in softdrinks were harmful for human consumption. The court's observation came after softdrink majors Pepsi and Coca Cola opposed the PIL asserting that how a parallel proceeding could take place before the court when the matter was pending in Parliament. Senior advocates, including K.K. Venugopal, Harish Salve and Arun Jaitley, appearing for the softdrink majors submitted that a Bill in this regard has been moved in Parliament and referred to a Select Committee. "If the matter is indeed before Parliament why should we direct a parallel process," the Bench observed. — PTI
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HC rejects Railways’ plea on Banerjee report
Ahmedabad, March 20 The Railway Ministry had challenged the stay ordered by a single- judge Bench of Justice M.R. Shah (of the same court) on March 7, while hearing a petition filed by a survivor — Nilkanth Bhatia. Bhatia had questioned the validity of the Committee, appointed by the Railway Ministry, to probe certain aspects of the fire in S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train, when a Commission appointed by the state government was already in place. ''Now the report cannot be acted upon. It cannot be presented in Parliament or relied upon in any way,'' said the petitioner's counsel. Stating that there was a strong prima facie case in favour of the petitioner, the Bench comprising Justices M.S. Shah and S.D. Dave observed that the Committee should not have been appointed, citing Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act and Section 119 of the Railway Act. This point will be taken up by a single-judge Bench next month when the pending petition of Mr Bhatia will come up for hearing. — UNI
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Cop killing brings drag races in open
Bangalore, March 20 The incident occurred within three days of a crackdown on drag races which have become a favourite for aspiring F1 drivers who have turned a part of central Bangalore into a nighttime racing track. The “circuit” is at its busiest on weekends when hundreds of people gather to watch drag races. A typical drag race sees 20 to 25 brightly emblazoned cars vying for top honours on the 400m straight stretch on the MG road. Aspiring F1 drivers, however, try out their racing skills individually on bikes or even race bikes on this stretch as well as other stretches in central Bangalore. SI Arun Kumar was on duty at the BRV junction and got a message to intercept a black coloured Scorpio which had sneaked through a barricade near the Manipal Centre junction. Accordingly, the SI started stopping vehicles coming towards his post. As he was removing a barricade for two vehicles to pass through the Scorpio which had halted a short distance away accelerated to cross the barricade. Arun Kumar came in the way and was knocked down with sever head injuries. He succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards. The Scorpio vehicle driver is still at large as the police personnel could not record the registration number of the vehicle. The traffic police has released the computer sketch of the driver in order to nab him. |
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Kalam gives away sangeet akademi awards
New Delhi, March 20 Speaking at the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards function, Dr Kalam favoured prime-time telecast of musical programmes. He urged TV channels to popularise musical instruments like Rudra Veena by airing recorded programmes. Punjabi playwriter Ajmer Singh Aulakh, Haryanvi folk theatre artiste Daryao Singh Malik, kathakali exponent Mathoor Govindankutty, violin maestro V.V. Subramaniyam and nadaswaram player Ongole N. Rangaiah were given awards, among others. Maharashtra-based puppeteer Ganpat Sakharam M. Masge shared the award for overall contribution in performing arts with Pratibha Agarwal. Those who received awards in various categories include: Dance: R. Rhadha (bharatanatyam); Tirath Ram Azad (kathak); Mathoor Govindan Kutty (kathakali); K. Radhamohan Sharma (Manipuri); Korada Narasimha Rao (kuchipudi); Durga Charan Ranbir (Odissi); Chaotombi Singh (creative and experimental dance); and Josyula Krishna Murthy (kuchipudi yakshagana-mridangam). Music: S.C.R. Bhat (Hindustani music vocal); Ramashrey Jha (Hindustani music vocal; Brijbhushanlal Kabra (Hindustani instrumental music guitar); Tulsidas Vasant Borkar (Hindustani instrumental music harmonium): S.V. Parthasarathy (Carnatic music vocal); P.S. Narayanaswamy (Carnatic music vocal): Ongole N. Rangaiah (Carnatic instrumental music nadaswaram); and V.V. Subrahmanyam (Carnatic instrumental music violin). |
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Adoor, Nirmala Deshpande among Padma awardees
New Delhi, March 20 Adoor, social activist Krishnaswamy Rao Sahib and Deshpande were bestowed with Padma Vibushan honour. Eminent cardiologist Uprendra Kaul, aviator Vijaypat Sighania (Padma Bhushan), leading banker Deepak Parekh of HDFC, (Padmashri), Tata Consultancy Services chief Ramadorai (Padma Bhushan), acclaimed filmmaker Sai Paranjape (Padma Bhushan) and veteran actor A. K. Hangal (Padma Vibhushan) were also conferred the honours. Tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who was chosen for Padmashri, was among eight awardees who were not present to receive the honour. The awards were presented by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at a function at the Ashoka hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan which was also attended by Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Besides three Padma Vibushan, 16 personalities were conferred Padma Bhushan and 23 others were presented Padmashri awards.
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Khurana accuses Rajnath of being controlled by Advani’s ‘coterie’
New Delhi, March 20 Mr Khurana was yesterday suspended from the primary membership of the party for his alleged anti-party activities and statements made against leaders. The former Delhi Chief Minister, who had invited the party’s wrath by declaring his plans to join Ms Bharati’s ‘Janadesh’ rally here tomorrow, this morning joined her in offering prayers at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib here and vowed to fight for their cause. Maintaining that he would not join Ms Bharati’s proposed new party, Ms Khurana said his decision to participate in her rally was to fight against the demolitions in Delhi.
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Jaya not to challenge RS disqualification
New Delhi, March 20 Mr P.H. Parekh, counsel for Jaya said whenever by-elections would be held in the Council of States, she would be brought back to the Upper House by her party. His client was not inclined to challenge her disqualification under article 102(1)(a) of the Constitution of India for holding an office of profit in the court, he said. Ms Bachchan has already filed an application seeking that the apex court define the term "office of profit." She was disqualified on the complaint of Madan Mohan, a defeated Congress candidate, who alleged she was enjoying Cabinet rank as chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Corporation (UPFDC) while being a member of the Upper House. — UNI
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Govt revokes passport of Natwar’s kin New Delhi, March 20 The External Affairs Ministry revoked Khanna’s passport two days ago after the Enforcement Directorate, probing the scam, alleged funds to all beneficiaries had been transferred from his London bank account, according to official sources. In a related development, Justice R.S. Pathak, Inquiry Authority, looking into the UN Volcker Committee report on the scam, has issued notices to Natwar Singh and 17 others in connection with the probe. Khanna, who is the brother of Congress MLA from Sangrur Arvind Khanna, is alleged to have received the payments from Masefields, the company which got contracts in the food-for-oil scam from Iraq. The funds were transferred to Indian beneficiaries, the ED alleged. — PTI
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RJD MP gets bail
Patna, March 20 Yadav is charged with helping his brother and RJD candidate from Jamui, Vijay Prakash, to escape from police custody during the October-November Assembly elections. Almost 20 days after he was remanded in judicial custody by a Jamui court following his surrender, Justice Mridula Mishra today accepted Yadav’s bail plea. The judge also allowed the bail plea of Ashok Ram, an independent candidate from Jamui seat, who was also arrested for his alleged involvement in the escape of Vijay Prakash. The former union minister was charged with misuing his ministerial power to secure the release of his brother who was arrested while moving around in the constituency with a rifle, huge amount of cash and liquor bottles on election
day. — TNS |
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SC rejects plea against UP minister
New Delhi, March 20 A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice C.K. Thakker and Mr Justice A.R. Lakshmanan while dismissing the petition told petitioner V.K. Tiwari to file a criminal complaint against the minister in the concerned district court. The court also observed that it could not entertain petitions against controversial statements made by an individual. — UNI
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Curfew lifted in Navi Mumbai
Mumbai, March 20 According to the police, the curfew was relaxed from 6am to 3pm in Koparkhairane as the area remained peaceful for the past 48 hours. The curfew was clamped on Friday when villagers and migrant porters turned on each other. However, the night curfew would be in force in Koparkhairane and Ghansoli village for the next few days. Meanwhile, the number of persons arrested for rioting has risen to 250. |
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CM, Bose to look after Biswas’ work: Karat
Kolkata, March 20 Doctors attending on Mr Biswas said his condition had not improved and he was under artificial respiratory system. He had undergone brain surgery twice during the past 24 hours for removal of blood clots.
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Bina Ramani meets Delhi Police chief
New Delhi, March 20 Ms Ramani was accompanied by her daughter Malini, who is also a key witness in the case. The meeting comes after the city police issued look-out notices against all nine accused and witnesses in the case to prevent them from leaving the country without prior permission. Ms Ramani had expressed concern that the police had issued look-out notice in her name, pointing out that she had always cooperated with the police. She added that by issuing the notice to her and the accused together, the authorities have created, “confusion”.
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Ramdev in fresh legal wrangle
Patna, March 20 The complaint against Baba Ramdev was lodged by Dev Kumar Singh, mukhiya (a village body head) of Bali Panchayat in Bihar. He had accused him of violating the Act and cheating the people. According to a court official, three of Ramdev’s ‘vaidyas’ (ayurvedic doctors) of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust were also named in the case. The case against Ramdev was filed at a time when he was visiting Patna as a state guest. He was holding yoga camp here beginning Sunday morning. The camp would end on March 25. In his petition, Dev Kumar Singh alleged that large-scale advertisement and propaganda in Patna about magical treatment by Ramdev’s yoga was in violation of the Drugs and Magical Remedies Act. The court fixed March 28 for hearing of the case. |
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Bringing youth into mainstream
Lucknow, March 20 Organised by the state police as part of their effort to wean away the local youth from Naxal activities and engage them in healthy behavior, the three-day mahostav attracted a large number of young people. More than 40 teams from all over the district participated in events that included cricket matches, volleyball competition and 100, 200 and 400-metre races. Describing the sports festival as part of the state government’s effort to bring the youth of the area into the mainstream of national life, Home Secretary Alok Sinha said the festival there was a five-kilometre ‘Run for Naugarh’ event which gave the local people a chance to express solidarity with the state government’s development agenda for the region. |
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Bus driver takes on govt for wrong HIV test
Chennai, March 20 But a driver in this state has taken on the government as he is being threatened for a faulty pathological test and the mental trauma he went through. The driver of a Tamil Nadu State Express Transport Corporation (TNSETC) bus, Mr S.V. Ramakrishnan, has submitted a petition to the city police seeking protection for him and his family. He alleged that a group of hooligans came to his bus stand and asked him to withdraw his complaint failing which he would be killed. He had filed a petition claiming damages against a diagnostic laboratory that said he tested HIV positive. |
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On-board training: Vikrant to be used
Mumbai, March 20 According to naval sources here, cadets from the Naval Maritime Academy will receive hands-on training on board the Vikrant. Some 400 cadets will be trained here in phases, sources say. Training cadets on board is one of the many activities the Navy is thinking of for the Vikrant. Late last year, the ship turned into an offshore party zone for Mumbai’s beautiful people when a fashion show was held on board. During fair weather, the Vikrant is thrown open to tourists who are ferried on board the ship. At present the Navy does not receive any funds to maintain the ship. |
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Ex-HPSC Chairman’s bail plea rejected
New Delhi, March 20 Bangar, whose bail petition was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had moved the apex court for pre-arrest bail, claiming that he was being “falsely framed for political reasons”. |
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Video: Terror, trade to top Bangladesh PM's visit. (
