New Delhi, May 23
The Supreme Court today accepted for hearing two sets of writ petitions challenging the controversial legislation putting one year’s moratorium on demolition of illegal constructions and sealing of unauthorised commercial ventures in residential areas in the Capital but declined to grant interim stay on it without seeking the stand of the Union Government.

Issuing notice to the Union Government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on the two public interest litigations (PILs) as well as applications for interim stay on Delhi Laws (Special Provision) Act, 2006, notified on May 21, a Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice R V Raveendran said there was difficulty in granting stay as the Act has become a law now and such a relief could not be given until its constitutional validity was tested by the Court.

The Court, however, listed the stay applications for hearing for July 17 before the Bench, headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, which had ordered sealing of illegal commercial complexes in residential areas. The Government and MCD were directed to submit their replies by that date.

The Court told petitioners’ counsel Jasbir Singh Malik and R L Panjwani that there was difficulty in granting the stay because if on testing the vires of the new Act, it was found to be constitutionally valid, then the demolished structures and sealed commercial ventures could not be restored back to their original position.

When Malik said that the MCD would start the de-sealing process tomorrow that would “undo the good work done by the courts and legalise illegal activities”, the Court said if the Act was found to be unconstitutional and struck down, then the punitive action initiated by courts would be restored.

The Court clarified that as on today, the legal position was that there is a law in place and the demolition and sealing orders were as a result of interlocutory directions passed by courts and not a final judgement.

The PILs filed by Citizens’ Voice and Delhi Residents’ Welfare Association and Delhi Pradesh Citizen Council seeks immediate stay on the Act on the ground that the sealing and demolition process was initiated on the order of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court respectively in view of gross violations of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, which was sought to be “undone” by the new law passed by the UPA Government.

The petitioner said a very important question of law was involved in the case whether Parliament was right in passing the legislation which is contrary to the DMC Act passed by it earlier and was violated with impunity in the Capital by builder mafia and big business houses.

Such a move would be a serious blow to law abiding citizens and encourage the tendency among the people to “break the law” rather then abide by it, the PILs said, terming the new Act as “arbitrary, mala fide, unjust, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires of the Constitution.” 

New Delhi, May 23
Rejecting the interim bail application of suspended IPS officer R K Sharma, accused in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, the Delhi High Court today directed the trial judge to examine his request for supply of a gist of certain statements made by her husband Rakesh Bhatnagar.

Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed rejected the interim bail application of Sharma, sought on the ground that he was suffering from a serious spinal ailment.

The prime accused in the controversial murder case, former IG RK Sharma, has moved the High Court to allow access to the statements made by Rakesh Bhatnagar.

Both the defence and prosecution disagreed on the definition of statement and observations made in a case diary.

Public prosecutor S K Saxena submitted that the IO (Investigation Officer) had categorically described the contents of the case diary as his observations on the strength of Bhatnagar’s interrogations and cross-examinations. Therefore, the accused is not entitled access to the case diary, he added.

Citing a Supreme Court case, the defence team, however, submitted that they should be allowed access to the contents because Bhatnagar’s statements constituted the contents of the case diary. 

Gurgaon, May 23
Lawyers practising in the local Consumer Forum/Court today went on a flash strike in protest against the alleged arbitrary functioning of its Chairman, Mr G. S. Kotla.

The lawyers locked the main entrance of the court even while the Chairman was sitting in his chamber. The lockout continued for about one hour.

The lawyers’ grouse was that Mr Kotla was dismissing the cases without giving proper hearing and without following proper procedures.

The agitating lawyers relented only when Mr Kotla reasoned with them that only those case were being dismissed in which they were not appearing before the court on several dates.

The lawyers, however, announced that they would resort to an agitation if things did not improve in future.

New Delhi, May 23
The efforts put in by the Delhi Government to improve the quality of education in the schools run by it seem to have paid off, with the schools touching a pass percentage of 78.05 in the CBSE class XII results, which is the highest in almost a decade.

Acknowledging the contribution of the teaching staff and the principals, the Director of Education Vijay Kumar said all efforts were made to improve the quality of education in the government run schools.

“Not only do we have a high pass percentage, but we also have a higher enrolment rate this year. The total number of students who took the class XII examinations has increased by six percent. The reason for this improvement is the steps taken to reform the education system since the last four-five years,” he said.

“Introduction of unit tests, computerisation, workshops for teachers in almost all subjects and inspections have all contributed towards this,” the director added.

While independent schools in the city have a pass percentage of 88.68, the number of students who have scored above 90 percent is a whopping 1906. While Delhi stands fourth in the overall tally, it has the distinction of having 836 candidates who will receive merit certificates for being in the top 0.1 percent.

In the category for the differently-abled, 114 visually challenged students took the exams, while 7 hearing impaired, 196 handicapped, five spastics and 352 dyslexics took the exam.

Aastha Gupta, a student of Laxman Public School who took the examination under this category, scored 91 percent, while Rashmi Taneja of Apeejay Pitampura, who is visually challenged scored 88.2 percent.

Delhi has three highest number of cases registered under unfair means at 23 and 12.32 percent candidates have been placed under compartment.

While the pass percentage of girls stands at 83.51, boys have a pass percentage
of 75.12. 

Rashmi Taneja likes to spend endless hours on the computer. She uses it to listens to music, reads books and also to study. Nothing exceptional about it, except that Rashmi is visually challenged and needs the computer to read the textbooks prescribed by the curriculum.

Rashmi who has scored an impressive 88.2 percent in the CBSE Class XII says though she expected “above 90, she is happy with her score”.

A student of Apeejay School Pitampura, Rashmi says her mother has been a tremendous source of help. “She feeds the books into the computer and then I read them. I enjoy reading,” says Rashmi who opted to write her own answer scripts.

Instead of relying on the amanuensis, Rashmi used a typewriter to answer the questions.

Rashmi who also plays music on the casio is for now hoping to make it to a good college to study either English or a foreign tongue.

Like Rashmi, Aastha Gupta of Laxman Public School too cannot stop grinning. With a score of 91 percent, she is hoping to make it to St Stephens’ College for Economics Honours. Aastha, who is physically challenged, says “being consistent” was her key to success.

“ I used to study everyday for a few hours, I was pretty regular. And though I did expect 90 percent marks, I feel on top of the world today,” said Aastha who wants to make it to the IIMs later.

New Delhi, May 23
Jamia Millia Islmia University has been given a grant of Rs 165 crore and this is expected to be utilised over a period of five years. This grant brings in its wake a whirlwind of unprecedented changes and new developments in Jamia which could well change the university’s face over the next decade. For the current year, a commitment of Rs 30 crore has been made.

The Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islmia, Mr Mushirul Hasan, also announced that Jamia’s proposals for setting up five new centres had met with approval from the authorities. These included a Centre for Dental Studies which would be the second such centre in New Delhi, then the Centre for Basic Sciences, the Centre for Theoretical Physics, the Centre for Relief and Rehabilitation, the Centre for Media Governance and the Munshi Premchand Archives and Literary Centre. This last centre had already started its work but had been approved only now.

In addition, Jamia was starting many new courses beginning this July. This included an MA in photography, a master’s programme in journalism and a PhD, MPhil in media technology. Sanction had already been given for the creation of many new teaching positions.

However, perhaps the single most momentous development announced by the VC is the university’s decision to increase the intake of students by 699 to practically all courses. The existing intake to the prestigious Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia was 110 seats and the increase announced was by 40 seats, bringing the total to some 150 seats.

In diploma engineering, the increase was by 200 seats taking up the total to 600 seats. The Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Jamia also was seeing an increase by 216 seats, taking up the total numbers to 863 students. At the Faculty of Social Sciences an increase of 57 seats had been announced, taking up the total to 1049 seats.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences had seen an increase by 78 seats and the total is 740 and in the Faculty of Education seats had been increased by 83, taking the total to 630. Lastly, at the Faculty of Law, a modest increase of 25 seats had been announced, taking the total to 105.

The existing intake of students at Jamia was 3438 and with the newly announced increase plus the intake for the newly created centres, the numbers of students being taken into the university was expected to go up considerably.

A visibly pleased Mushirul Hasan announced at Jamia that “the creation of new departments and the admission of 699 more students should be a milestone in Jamia’s history. These are unprecedented and major developments. With this we have entered into a new phase in our history.” Mr Hasan also said that seats in Jamia had not been reviewed or increased in decades.

Side by side with new centres being created, new courses coming up and more students Jamia was going in for a massive recruitment drive for both teaching and non-teaching staff This week itself the university would be advertising for 283 positions for the new centres. This recruitment was expected to be completed by July.

In addition, Jamia is also gearing up for major work in infrastructure and facilities upgradation. 

New Delhi, May 23
The Delhi Cabinet in a meeting here today has given its nod for inclusion of the mother’s name in all documents and certificates to be henceforth issued by Government of Delhi. The Cabinet has also approved putting women empowerment programmes under its Mission Mode Fast Track mechanism, policy for partnership with NGOs in the management of Department of Social Welfare’s institutions and a comprehensive business model for the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences.

The Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit said that the decisions relating to inclusion of mother’s name in all certificates, application forms and documents would, in fact, be a befitting step towards empowerment of women. Henceforth, voters I-cards, driving licenses, ration cards, school certificates, birth certificates, death certificates and disability certificates cutting across all sectors and departments would also include mother’s name.

Particulars of both father and mother in the documents would help in establishing the identity of the person concerned in a more specific and pointed manner.

She said that her government is providing top priority to all women’s empowerment schemes including ‘Stree Shakti’ program. Expanding ‘Stree Shakti’ program under Mission Mode would revolutionise the entire concept of women empowerment and hence become instrumental in reaching the un-reached women and girl children.

The goals of the Mission Mode includes reduction in neo-natal and infant mortality rates, reduction in maternal mortality rate, reduction in practice of female foeticide, access to formal and non-formal education, completion of secondary and high school of all girls enrolled, better work conditions for women in the unorganized sector and livelihood opportunities and minimum wages. Every woman would be issued a Stree Shakti Card.

Ms Dikshit said that her government, while taking cue from the success of different government schemes being implemented with people’s participation under the ‘Bhagidari Yojna’, has now decided to encourage partnership with NGOs in management of institutions run by the Department of Social Welfare. The Government has also noticed appreciable achievements of partnership projects with NGOs in various institutions in the past.

The Department of Social Welfare is running 45 institutions relating to children, women, beggars, handicapped and aged persons.

She said that the inmates of such homes would be much benefited on account of such partnership. The Department would also be benefited on account of cost saving, better and flexible management, convergence of resources and prompt services to inmates in time.

The Cabinet has also approved a Business Model for the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Vasant Kunj, which is to be a world-class facility to provide a modern setup for dedicated research and advance training as well as diagnosis and treatment. A comprehensive business model has been developed on the basis of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared in October 2004. The institute would be self sufficient in nine years, the CM said. 

Gurgaon, May 23
Hundreds of persons belonging to different walks of life took out a procession and handed over a memorandum to the PM through the Deputy Commissioner asking him to abolish the caste-based reservation system of the government.

Persons belonging to the business community, industrialists, advocates, doctors, chartered accountants, office-bearers of various resident welfare associations and social organisations came under the banner of the All India Equality Forum and took out a 2 km-long procession holding candles in their hands in the main Sadar Bazar in the evening today. A number of women and children also took part in the procession.

The forum demanded that the government must defer the proposed hike in reservation in the central universities. An expert commission should be formed which would explore all the avenues of the affirmative actions. It should review the efficiency of reservations as an affirmative action considering both its benefits and drawbacks.

The commission should come up with a foolproof and timebound strategy to uplift and empower the backward sections of our country without interfering with the overall development and well-being of our nation, suggested the forum.

The national president of the forum, Mr Mange Ram Sharma, said that caste-based reservation divided society and weakened the nation.

Former president of the Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA) and leading industrialist Jagan Nath Mangla said that the government could implement reservation for economical weaker sections of society but not on the basis of caste.

The president of the District Bar Association, Mr R. S. Raghav, former general secretary of bar Arun Sharma, general secretary of the Chamber of Industries of Udyog Vihar, Col Raj Singla, senior local Congress leader Asha Sharma and a lot of RWA representatives also spoke on the occasion and demanded the immediate withdrawal of reservation hike.

Meanwhile, the pro-reservation movement has also started getting momentum in the city. Yesterday, a procession was taken out in the market to demand the implementation of the reservation hike as soon as possible.

New Delhi, May 23
With the Centre’s notification of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2006 bringing into force a one-year moratorium on the sealing and demolition process in the national Capital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today began de-sealing properties sealed by it during more than a month-long sealing drive.

“The MCD began the process of de-sealing in all the 12 zones in Delhi. Teams have been deputed in all the zones to de-seal the premises after government notified the new legislation,” an MCD spokesperson said.

No time frame has been fixed for completing the exercise. “We hope it will not take more than a week,” he said.

He, however, cautioned the traders not to break the seals of their units themselves. “The de-sealing of the commercial units will be as per the due procedure. In this context, the traders are advised not to open the seals of their shops themselves,” he said.

More than 20,000 properties were sealed by the MCD during its drive in the Capital as per orders of the apex court.

The Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2006 places a one-year moratorium, effective from January 1 this year, on the demolition and sealing drives undertaken at the instance of orders of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court respectively. The new law was notified on May 20 after the relevant Bill was passed hurriedly in the current session of Parliament that ended on Tuesday. Politicians cutting across the party lines supported the enactment of this law.

Officials in the Urban Development Ministry say that they are examining ways to amend the Capital’s Master Plan to legalise some commercial properties that are not causing any hardship to residents. 

Faridabad, May 23
With the steep escalation in the land prices in the region over the past couple of years, scams and frauds involving hundreds of acres have come into light.

While the land mafia appears to have become hyperactive, the involvement of influential persons close to the ruling party cannot be ruled out. This has not only increased the problems of the people genuinely interested in striking a proper deal but has also given rise to suspicion among the outsiders who want to invest here as they want to be doubly sure that the seller is not a cheat.

According to reports, agreements or deals related to over 100 acres of land in the district have reportedly been cancelled at the nick of time due to suspicion or the chances of a fraud in the process. The police had to intervene in one such deal that took place at Patli village in the district a few months ago when it was found that cheating was involved in the sale process of this land (35 acres) costing several crores. The seller was found to be fake.

Also, it was detected that the real owner of the land was unaware of the deal. When he came to know about it, he lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. It is stated that this land was owned by a person residing in Delhi, but it was being sold fraudulently by a person residing in the district, who posed as the real owner. He had claimed to have the original documents to the party interested in purchasing this land.

It is learnt that one of the persons who was interested in buying this land was a kin of a legislator from Haryana. While the police registered a case in this connection, it is not known how many persons were ultimately arrested in this case.

The second such fraud was detected recently when someone sold about 23 acres of agricultural land to a kin of an IPS officer on forged documents. This land had also been located in Palwal subdivision.

In yet another case of cheating, a deal was nearly finalised for the sale of about 14 acres of land near Barkan village of the district a couple of months ago. Here also, the seller tried to dispose it of on ‘bogus’ papers and one of the accused involved in this scam was reportedly a kin of a ruling party politician.

There have been several incidents when influential persons, especially close to those in power, were involved in selling of government land in an illegal manner to private individuals or builders.

The Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) had recently claimed to remove encroachment on several acres of land worth about Rs 150 crore in and around the city in the past several months. It was revealed that a large number of the encroachments had been done by influential persons. Despite a ban and notification by the Forest Department, sale of land and construction activity in Badkal and Surajkund area here had not stopped, claimed sources in the district administration. 

New Delhi, May 23
Delhi Police have apprehended two persons for allegedly threatening and extorting money from a businessman.

The accused have been identified as Kufran (24), a resident of Zakir Nagar, Okhla, and Preshant (28), a resident of servant quarters in Lodhi Complex. They had demanded Rs 1 crore from a businessman by pretending to be members of Dubai-based Fazloo gang.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police was approached by the businessman regarding an extortion call from Dubai.

After some time, a call was received from the accused claiming that they were Delhi based members of Fazloo gang. After two days, the complainant received another call from Bangladesh. The person from Bangladesh claimed he was Fazloo and asked him to pay the money to his Delhi based gang members.

The duo asked the complainant to reach Kalindi Kunj, where the police laid a trap and caught the duo.

During interrogation, Kufran said that his brother-in-law Miraz visited Dubai three years back. 

New Delhi, May 23
A city court has awarded life imprisonment to five persons and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for committing a dacoity-cum-murder in February 1999.

Additional Session Judge Ramesh Kumar gave the punishment to Satbir Singh, Gulamuddin, Kripa Shankar More, Juber Alam and Shiv Ram for knifing one Rekha Sharma to death while committing a dacoity in Bara Hindu Rao area of Old Delhi.

Singh had been arrested on February 4 along with the murder weapon. As many as 22 witnesses were examined by the court before reaching a verdict. 

Noida, May 23
A wheat straw trader murdered another trader near Ghori-Wachhera village in Dadri at around 10 pm yesterday and fled with an amount of Rs 3,500 the deceased was carrying on his person.

The victim’s sons raised the alarm which attracted a number of villagers who came running to the spot. Finding the trader in a pool of blood, they informed the police.

The police have sent the body of the victim for a post-mortem examination. Trader Shaukat Ali had brought two carts full of fodder and straw for selling in Kasna along with his two sons, Irshad and Dilshad.

After selling one cart of straw, Shaukat was on his way to Ghori-Wachhera village where his friend Abid had promised to help him in selling the second cart of fodder. 

Gurgaon, May 23
Gurgaon Gramin Bank (GGB) will open 21 more branches in Haryana this financial year, according to its Chairman, Mr U Ganesh Kamath.

The bank has 29 branches at present in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat, Mahendragarh, Rewari and Sonepat districts.

Mr Kamath said the GGB had envisaged an ambitious total business level of more than Rs 2,500 crore and a profit of Rs 50 crore for the current fiscal year.

Also, the bank had decided to install ATMs at about 10 strategic centres apart from 100 per cent computerisation of its business.

The GGB, sponsored by Syndicate Bank, had completed 30 years of operation. The bank’s total business crossed Rs 1,763 crore by registering growth of more than 36 per cent over the last financial year. On the deposit front, the bank had recorded 48 per cent growth and achieved a deposit level of about Rs 1312 crore, he added.

He further claimed that because of wholehearted involvement of all employees the employee productivity had increased to Rs 218 lakh from Rs 159 lakh in March 2005. The per branch business of the bank also increased to Rs 14 crore from Rs 10 crore. The net NPA level of the bank was down to 0.81 per cent.