Chandigarh, July 1
Behind bars for over a month in the Ruchika molestation case, Haryana’s former Director-General of Police SPS Rathore is in no hurry to come out, apparently.

His wife-cum-counsel Abha Rathore told the Punjab and Haryana High Court this morning that they were not pressing the bail plea and going ahead with arguments in the main case-revision petition challenging the orders convicting and sentencing him to one-and-a-half-years imprisonment.

It is clear that Rathore wants the case to be decided once and for all, and will remain behind bars till the HC delivers the final verdict on his revision plea.

The entire process is expected to take days, even weeks.

Taking into consideration Rathore’s stand, Justice Jitendra Chauhan made it clear that the HC would hear the matter on a day-to-day basis till the conclusion. Justice Chauhan also marked down an hour, while asserting the court would not like to relegate other cases into the background.

At the very onset, Abha threw a challenge to Madhu Parkash’s plea to become a party in the case, a contention strongly opposed by Madhu’s counsel Pankaj Bhardwaj, whose argument was that Rathore’s sentence had been enhanced from six months on their plea.

Madhu is the mother of Aradhana, Ruchika’s friend and an eyewitness to the molestation. Abha repeatedly described her as “a complete stranger” in an obvious effort to establish that Madhu had no right to become party to the case.

The hour-long hearing in the presence of CBI counsel Anmol Rattan Sidhu and Ajay Kaushik saw Abha make attempts to demolish brick by brick the prosecution case, and explain non-registration of the FIR.

She was accompanied by her daughter Priyanjali Rathore and sister Neeraj during the hearing in a relatively less crowded courtroom. Madhu’s husband Anand Parkash and Ruchika’s father SC Girhotra were also present.

Abha claimed the defence version was not given enough weightage by the courts below. Even inquiry officer RR Singh did not pay heed.

He was specifically asked through two applications to visit the incident site and record the statement of the witnesses at the time of the alleged incident. Both prayers remained unanswered.

She added that his one-sided report was not accepted by the government and in 1994, the charge sheet too was dropped. Referring to the memorandum submitted after the incident, she said Ruchika’s signature was different. Ruchika’s father and brother Ashu were not among the signatories, she added.

Abha claimed the Station House Officer concerned asked for their statements, but none came forward and now a hue and cry was being raised on non-registration of the FIR in the matter.

In an attempt to establish motive, she said the accused named in a criminal defamation case filed by Rathore, decided to get back at him. Girhotra, emboldened by the registration of the FIR, was lured in by money, she held.

She said Rathore’s bona fides could be gauged from the fact that he had demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Hisar, July 1
Hundreds of pensioners of Haryana Agricultural University will stage a demonstration here tomorrow in protest against delayed payment of pension. The retirees received the pension for April in the first week of the current month.

However, the university still does not have the finances to pay pension for May and June.

Not only that, the pensioners have yet to get the arrears of pay following the revision of the pay scales, the LTC and revised dearness allowance with effect from January this year.

Yashwant Singh Badal, a former president of the HAU Non-Teaching Employees Association, is leading the retirees fight for pension. He led a dharna by pensioners here recently.

He alleged that the administration had not been taking concrete steps to ensure the timely payment of pension.

In fact, the government had last month announced to give HAU Rs 46 crore for paying pension.

But, the catch is that this grant will be received in the next financial year. The university currently does not have funds to give pension till then.

The problem of pension arose as it was revised twice in 1996 and then in 2006. However, the interest rates on pension funds kept decreasing. In the interregnum, the number of pensioners rose steadily as hundreds of employees superannuated.

University officials said the pension for May and June would be paid in July.

They admitted that the university was facing some problems due to lack of funds, but added that the problem would be resolved soon.

The retirees say they will knock at the doors of the high court if the payment of pension is not regularised.

Sirsa, July 1
Deputy Commissioner CG Rajini Kaanthan has ordered an inquiry by the ADC even as the INLD claimed to have succeeded in getting party men elected to the posts of president and vice-president of the Ellenabad Municipal Committee in an election held today.

Balraj Jakhar, City Magistrate, Sirsa, and officiating SDM of Ellenabad, allegedly went ahead with the election, despite written fax orders from the DC, ordering the cancellation of the meeting after receiving complaints from some Congress councillors.

The INLD had won in six of the 17 municipal wards of Ellenabad town in the election held on May 20.

However, when the election for the post of president and vice-president was held today, six INLD councillors, two of the Congress and an Independent, besides INLD MLA Abhey Singh Chautala unanimously elected Raghubir Singh Jangra and Dharampal Gumber as president and vice-president, respectively.

Eight other councillors - seven of the Congress and an Independent - were absent when the election was held. Jakhar conducted the proceedings.

“Radhey Sham and Naresh, both councillors, called me up and complained that Congress councillors were being intimidated by some armed INLD workers and were not being allowed to attend the meeting. I told them to lodge an FIR with the police. However, they later complained that they were not able to come out of their hiding due to the fear of the INLD workers,” Rajini Kaanthan said.

“I immediately ordered the cancellation of the meeting in view of the threat to the life of councillors and informed Jakhar by a fax message, which was received at his end at 11 am. The municipal secretary, who received the fax, confirmed that the letter was delivered to the SDM. However, Jakhar went ahead with the proceedings,” the DC added.

He said ADC Pankaj Chaudhary had been asked to conduct an inquiry into the whole episode and submit her report by July 5.

The DC said that the newly elected office-bearers would not be given any financial powers till the inquiry was completed.

SDM Balraj Jakhar could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Abhey Singh Chautala termed the allegations as false and said the election was held in presence of a strong police force and even the DSP, who was present there, signed the proceedings register.

“When hundreds of people reached the meeting venue, who stopped the Congress councillors,” he asked and claimed that the Congress councillors were sitting at the residence of a former Congress MLA.

“I am surprised how the DC could make out that the persons calling him were councillors. Before issuing any such orders, he should have at least tried to establish the identity of the callers,” Abhey Singh reasoned.

He said had the Congress councillors been intimidated or even forced to remain in confinement, their kin would have definitely lodged a complaint.

He claimed that the election, in any case, was over before the fax message of the DC could reach the meeting venue. 

Sirsa, July 1
Simpa Jain, president, and Harnek Singh, vice-president, respectively, of the Dabwali Municipal Committee were today removed from their posts through a no-confidence motion.

Fifteen councillors in the 19-member House, besides Dabwali MLA Ajay Singh Chautala participated in today’s meeting convened by SDM Munish Nagpal.

Four councillors, perceived to be supporters of Jain and Harnek Singh, absented themselves from the meeting.

MP Ashok Tanwar, who also has the right to vote, did not attend the meeting.

Fourteen members, including Ajay Singh, raised their hands in support of the no-confidence motion, while Simpa Jain and Harnek Singh voted against the motion.

With this, the Congress has lost control over the Dabwali Municipal Committee, though the party has 10 councillors in the House of 19.

Four councillors owing allegiance to the Congress today voted in favour of the no-confidence move brought by the INLD.

Although these members have been maintaining that they are still with the ruling party, the INLD now has an opportunity to establish its hold over the municipal committee despite lagging slightly behind the Congress in numbers.

The INLD has nine councillors and a vote of Ajay Singh, while the Congress has 10 councillors and a vote of Ashok Tanwar. 

Sonepat, July 1
Hundreds of BJP activists led by former MP Kishan Singh Sangwan, MLA Kavita Jain and state media in charge Rajiv Jain today organised a protest march in the town against the hike in the prices of petroleum products and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President to the DRO at the mini secretariat here.

The memorandum alleged that during the past three years, the prices of diesel and petrol had been increased by 32 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. As a result, the prices of essential commodities had increased by 150 per cent.

Demanding dismissal of the Congress-led UPA government, the memorandum alleged that the government was playing in to the hands of capitalists and the interests of the common man were being harmed.

Rohtak: Units of the CPI and the CPM have launched preparations for ensuring the success of the nationwide strike against the hike in petroleum products on July 5.

Workers have been asked to spread out in urban and rural areas, campaign and garner support for the proposed strike in their respective areas.

CPI(M) state secretary Inderjit Singh and CPI state council secretary Raghubir Singh Chaudhary termed the hike as a ‘cruel attack’ on the common man.

Karnal, July 1
The Haryana police today yet again failed to produce in court Kuldeep Singh, caretaker of the Karnal toll plaza and key witness in the Manoj-Babli honour killing case, who had later turned hostile.

Additional Sessions Judge, Karnal, Vani Gopal Sharma had while pronouncing the judgment in the Manoj-Babli honour killing on March 30, awarded the death sentence to five convicts and life imprisonment to another and taken strong notice of a “false” statement given by Kuldeep Singh in the court.

“Kuldeep Singh is liable for deposing falsely before the court after taking solemn oath and an appropriate action is called for against him under Section 344 of CrPC,” she said in her order.

Kuldeep Singh had seen some people dragging the couple (Manoj and Babli) out of the bus and pushing them into a Scorpio and even noted the registration number (HR 08G 3689) of the vehicle. The police did succeed in tracing the vehicle but it was found to be stolen by the abductors.

He immediately informed the police but turned hostile in the court and even verified the photos of Manoj and Babli shown by Manoj’s brother Narender. However, the information furnished by him was corroborated by other witnesses and the guilty were punished but Kuldeep Singh’s conduct came under the scanner.

Kuldeep Singh was asked to appear in the court on April 10 and was summoned twice but did not turn up and finally the court directed the police to produce him in the court today.

The court today directed the police to produce him on July 28. The SP, Karnal, Rakesh Arya, said the police had launched a massive manhunt to apprehend him and produce him in the court.

Jind, July 1
At least five officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), including an executive engineer and an SDO, were held captive by residents of Kurad village of Narwana subdivision here for 14 hours in protest against the poor supply of electricity.

The officials were set free this morning after intervention of the police and senior officials. The team of the officials comprising XEN S Bansal, SDO Rameshwar Dass, SDO Shri Pal, Naresh Dhillon and JE Sardara Singh had gone to the village last night to supervise the work of replacing the transformer which had got burnt in the village. However, the villagers reached the spot and reportedly gheraoed the officials. Sources said when the officials could not answer the villagers’ queries and the cause of the alleged delay in the work of replacement of the transformer, the officials were taken in a house and locked inside.

The villagers did not allow them to come out till the work was over. It is reported there had been an altercation over the work on transformer’s replacement to be done on the same night.

While the employees and workers’ union of the power department staged a dharna in protest against the incident and threatened to stall work of power distribution and repairs till the safe release of all officials, the latter were set free this morning at 10.30 am following talks between the villagers and the district administration. 

Karnal, July 1
Her hometown is yet to give her a befitting tribute. The birth anniversary of Kalpana Chawla, Indo-US astronaut who was killed in the Columbia space shuttle explosion, was a mere ritual today.

The Kalpana Chawla Memorial Medical College announced by the state government eight years after her death is in a state of infancy.

The college was announced after a long struggle by over 50 organisations that got together under the banner of Kalpana Chawla Memorial Medical College Sangharsh Samiti under the aegis of NIFAA.

As a mark of respect to Kalpana’s belief that “The road towards the destination is more beautiful than the destination itself,” an important street in New York has been named after her.

A hall with a seating capacity of 400 students named after her was inaugurated by her father in Texas University in September 2004. A super computer in America has also been named after her.

The US has named stars after the names of its seven crew members, including Kalpana Chawla (No. 51826).

India has opened Kalpana Chawla Taramandal and the National Science Museum in Kurukshetra, which was inaugurated on July 24, 2007. Former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee named the first weather satellite as Met Set Kalpana 1.

The Kalpana Chawla Memorial Foundation (KCMF) formed by students and teachers of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) Chandigarh, from where Kalpana did aeronautic engineering, has made a model of a plane, to remind students of Kalpana. But in her hometown, a park named after her is the sole tribute to the gritty astronaut.

Gurgaon, July 1
Five counters have been set up at the local tehsil office to facilitate the residents in registering the sale deeds of immovable property. For making this system practicable, powers to register sale deeds have been given to three more naib tehsildars in addition to the tehsildar and naib tehsildar posted here.

Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria said now five sub-registrars had got the powers to register sale deeds and separate counters had been set up for them. “At least three of these counters will remain operational daily, where the residents can get their sale deeds registered,” he said, adding that the applicants would get the copy of the registered sale deed on the same day.

He said powers of sub-registrar had been conferred to naib tehsildar (surplus), naib tehsildar (accounts) and naib tehsildar (agrarian or ligh-migh) in addition to the two serving sub-registrars.

The step has been taken to check the corrupt practices prevalent in the tehsil office in compliance with a recent order of Haryana Financial Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary (Revenue) Naresh Gulati.

Gulati had pointed out that the rampant corruption and suvidha-shulk regime in the tehsil offices brought a bad name to the state authorities and must be curbed.

In compliance with his orders, a chart depicting registration fee for various categories had also been displayed at the tehsil office. The DC appealed to the people not to pay any bribe and if somebody demanded money, they could bring the matter to the notice of the SDM or the DC.

At a division-level meeting here recently, Gulati had also directed the Deputy Commissioners that no employee should remain on the post of registry clerk or computer operator performing the job at tehsil office for more than six months. In addition, an employee who has ever been caught red-handed taking bribe or against whom any case under the Prevention of Corruption Act is pending cannot be appointed as registry clerk. The employee deputed as registry clerk should also be qualified enough to handle the work. 

Hisar, July 1
The district administration has identified 153 villages as ‘sensitive’ in view of the forthcoming panchayat poll in the district.

Of these, 78 villages have been categorised as ‘very sensitive’. Of these, five villages fall in the Adampur block. These are Sadalpur, Bhodia Bishnoian, Ladwi, Telanwali, Kohli and Mandi Adampur.

The Agroha block has seven such villages, namely Kalirawan, Durjanpur, Nangthla, Shamsukh, Agroha, Landhri and Kuleri.

In the Barwala block, Chhaan, Balak, Dhand, Juglan, Matloda, Kharkada, Baghawar, Khedar, Sirsana, Banbhori, Rajli and Kharak Poonia have been listed as ‘very sensitive’.

The district panchayat office has forwarded the list to the police. 

Chandigarh, July 1
Birender Singh of the Congress and Ranbir Singh Gangua of the Indian National Lok Dal are set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana after their nomination papers were found to be in order after scrutiny by the returning officer.

However, they would be formally declared elected only after the last date of withdrawal on July 3.