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Security personnel take steam off Maoist bandh
Confusion over Army marching into Naxal areas
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Cabinet to discuss law against honour killing
Why not have judges for life: Allahabad HC
Financial bungling by BJP office secy alleged
Lawrence School staff remember Jamwal
Glitches in online JEE counselling, high rankers fail to get seats in first round
Centre apathy disappoints Women’s Commission
Permanent Commission to Women Officers
Tagore’s abode in Shillong demolished
A FATHER MOURNS
PCPA chief’s brother behind Gyaneshwari mishap: CBI
Assam MLAs to get hefty hike
Court frames charges against Sajjan, others
Special SC Bench for lower courts’ problems
‘Ishrat wasn’t an LeT fidayeen’
Detained ship released
Party-less local body poll
No early poll in West Bengal
Notice to DU on Ramayana piece in its syllabus
US woman raped
Presidency College is now varsity
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Security personnel take steam off Maoist bandh
Kolkata/Bhubaneswar/Raipur, July 7 No untoward incident has so far been reported from any part of the states where the situation remained peaceful, according to reports reaching various state capitals. The bandh had little impact in urban areas. Security personnel were on high alert following the call given for the 'Bharat bandh' by Maoists in protest against the killing of a top Naxal leader Azad alias Cherukuri Raj Kumar on July 1 in Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh. Strict vigil was maintained in Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra, the regions worst affected by Naxal violence. With trains becoming a soft target for the Maoists, security was tightened at stations and patrolling of tracks intensified in Maoist-hit areas. Arrangements were made to ensure safety of train passengers and rail property since there was a "credible threat" from the Maoists to Railway assets. Special task forces were kept on stand-by to meet any eventuality while some trains were being bunched escorted by pilot engines, a Railway official said. Speed restrictions have also been put in place. In Orissa, government bus services were suspended in Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Gajapati as a precautionary measure leaving passengers stranded at many places, police said. Private buses also stopped plying in some areas in the fear of a naxal attack. Trains passing through Maoist-hit areas were cancelled and short terminated on the East Coast Railways (ECoR). But trains on the main Howrah-Mumbai line were running as usual, sources said, adding wherever necessary the trains are running with pilot engine. Passenger bus services were affected particularly on NH-215 passing through Maoist prone areas in Sundargarh and Keonjhar district. Very few trucks were plying, police said. In West Bengal, life in the Maoist-hit areas of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura districts was paralysed. Though all police stations and CRPF camps in the three districts were on high alert, life was crippled in rural areas, while it was normal in urban areas, district police officials said. Life was unaffected in Midnapore town as also in Bankura and Purulia towns, with government offices, courts, shops and markets open with the joint security forces on patrol, the officials said. The picture was just the reverse in rural areas, with roads deserted and shops and markets closed and people staying indoors, the sources said. South Eastern Railway has deployed Quick Response teams of the GRP, RPF and CRPF on trains and tracks on the Kharagpur-Rourkela and Kharagpur-Adra sections. Normal life was paralysed and transportation disrupted in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-hit regions. Vehicles were off the roads in the interior parts and the roads wore a deserted look. The bandh, however, did not impact life in urban areas, officials said.
— PTI
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Confusion over Army marching into Naxal areas
Raipur, July 7 Should they believe Defence Minister AK Antony or Union Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai on the issue? The arrival of the Army will make it a different ball game. Media reports from Bangalore on Tuesday quoted Antony as saying that Army units would be deployed in Chhattisgarh to help the police and paramilitary personnel in their fight against the Maoists. Pillai yesterday ruled out the use of Army at this stage in any manner. Pillai spent Monday and Tuesday in Chhattisgarh to assess security situation and development issues. Meanwhile, Maoist-sponsored 48-hour bandh began today. The call has been given in protest against the killing of their top leader Cherkuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, in a police encounter in Adilabad of Andhra Pradesh on July 2. The Maoists have alleged that Azad was “murdered” by a joint intelligence team of Andhra Pradesh and the Centre. As the Maoists have taken a pledge to take revenge, Chhattisgarh, like other Naxal-infested states, is on high alert. Till late evening, no incident was reported from any part of the state. However, markets were closed and public and private transport off the roads. The life in Raipur was normal. Maoist violence has claimed over 100 lives of CRPF men in several ambushes this year. Antony had said that short of directly participating in the operations against Naxalites, the Army would do everything possible to help the state police and the central paramilitary forces to tackle guerrillas effectively. “We shall give the police and the paramilitary forces full logistic support. We shall give them more training. We shall give them aircraft,” Antony said. He, however, acknowledged that calling the Army for internal law and order problem should be the “last resort,” and “I am confident that the state police and paramilitary forces would be able to put an end to the Naxalite challenge.” Ruling out the use of the Army, Pillai said the Cabinet had only cleared the plan to deploy IAF helicopters in inhospitable Naxal-dominated areas for quick response to reinforcement of central paramilitary forces and rescue missions “and they won’t be available for offensive operations”. “I do not think that the Army is required at this stage to fight Naxals,” Pillai told The Tribune while flying back to New Delhi on Tuesday night. He reached this conclusion after getting first-hand reports from top officers of the paramilitary forces, which include the BSF and the CRPF, and the state police.
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Cabinet to discuss law against honour killing
New Delhi, July 7 Although the Law Ministry had sent a draft law to the Home Ministry for its comments several months ago, the Centre has speeded up work on the legislation in view of the alarming number of cases of honour killings being reported virtually everyday. The proposed amendments in the Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act and Special Marriages Act, which are to be taken up by the Cabinet, provides for strictest penal action against members of a family, community or a caste panchayat if their decision or action leads to the death of any person. The Home Ministry has proposed an addition of another clause to Section 300 of the IPC, according to which, all members of the khap panchayat will be punishable with the sentence of death or life imprisonment, if their action results in the death of the person or persons. This clause lays down strict punishment in cases of death which are done by any persons “acting in concert with, or, at the behest of, a member of the family” or a member of a group, or clan or caste panchayat in the belief that “the victim has brought dishonour” upon them. The term “dishonour” shall include cases of persons “choosing to marry within or outside the gotra or caste or clan’ against the wishes of his or her family or clan or caste panchayat. The term also covers acts of persons adopting a dress code. In other words, the proposed amendments will allow the police to act against leaders and members of khap panchayats if they take any action against those who are perceived to have brought dishonour to a clan or caste panchayat. In addition, the Home Ministry’s proposed amendment to the Evidence Act puts the burden of proving their innocence in such cases on the accused. who are charged under the “new clause” of Section 300 of the IPC. In order to provide a safety net to the couples, the Centre has proposed that the Special Marriages Act, 1954, be amended to do away with the provision of the mandatory 30 days notice period for marriages registered in courts.
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Why not have judges for life: Allahabad HC
Chandigarh, July 7 He was seeking directions to the Union of India and other respondents “to reconsider the prevailing policy of retirement of judges and introduce a Constitutional amendment bill in Parliament for providing the concept of the ‘judge for life’ on the pattern of developed democracies of the world”. Speaking for the Bench, Justice Uma Nath Singh asserted: “On a careful consideration of rival submissions, we do not find the contentions of petitioner in person being totally devoid of substance. “The age limit for retirement of the Judges of Supreme Court and high courts has not increased since the introduction/adoption of our Constitution, whereas for other services including the occupants of quasi-judicial posts like tribunals, it has increased considerably.” Justice Uma Nath Singh added: “It is not understandable as to how the age limit for retirement of presiding officers and members of tribunals, who exercise quasi-judicial powers and are subject to the powers of superintendence as also the jurisdiction of high courts, can be higher than the age limit prescribed for the retirement of Chief Justices and Judges of high courts… “The Framers of Indian Constitution have borrowed the Parliamentary Form of Democracy and concept of Rule of Law from Great Britain, and the Fundamental Rights and role of higher judiciary as the custodian of these rights and of the Supreme Court as the guardian of Indian Constitution from the Constitution of the USA. “Thus, it may not appear to be an act of transgressing the Constitutional scheme, if the age limit for retirement of judges in the United Kingdom or the concept of no age limit for the retirement of judges of the Supreme Court of the US are adopted in our country. “In the UK, the age limit prescribed for retirement of British Judges and Supreme Court Justices, has been fixed at 70, if first appointed to a judicial office after March 31, 1995, or at 75 otherwise. “As regards the tenure of judges of the Supreme Court of the US, they hold their office during good behaviour, meaning thereby that they may serve for the remainder of their life, although they can voluntarily resign or retire. “The submissions of petitioner in person that there should be no age limit for retirement of the Judges of Supreme Court and high courts, prima facie, deserve to be considered. “On the request of Assistant Solicitor-General, Union of India is granted 2 weeks’ time to file a counter affidavit within the premises set out, and rejoinder, if any, may be filed within a week thereafter”.
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Financial bungling by BJP office secy alleged
New Delhi, July 7 The complaint itself is fallout of a case Jaju registered with the Parliament Street police station on January 28 against a person named Chandan Kumar Jha, alleging that with photocopies of fake PAN cards of Shyam Jaju, he had tried to obtain details about the amount deposited in his account in the Andhra Bhawan Branch of the Andhra Bank. The issue had created quite a stir in the BJP then, with Jha being brought over to the BJP office, roughed up by strongmen and then handed over to the police. However, he is currently on bail. This case is now in the Patiala House Court of New Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Pandey. Legally, a person is obliged to keep only one PAN card and obtaining more than one is a legal offence. Meanwhile, people in the BJP started getting curious about Shyam Jaju’s finances soon after a sum of Rs 2 crore was reported missing from a safe locker in the office room of the BJP president on December 26, 2008. The party had instituted an enquiry, but did not disclose its outcome, except saying, “The amount was much smaller”. However, Jha too was reported to be an insider. He was reportedly living next to the BJP office at 11-A, Ashoka Road, currently allotted to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. He was then working for a TV channel Sadhna TV. The latest complaint against Jaju mentioned three PAN cards being maintained by Jaju as well as some bank accounts being operated by him both in Delhi and Maharashtra. The BJP tried to cut all queries on this issue today. Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said here today, “The party has conducted an enquiry and found all allegations totally baseless”. Jaju later denied the allegations in the said letter and produced a printout of the PAN verification. He added that no cards other than the one he claimed to be his existed. He also denied any enquiry by the BJP into the allegations.
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Sodhi Haravtar Singh dead Chandigarh, July 7 Sodhi Haravtar Singh lived in an ancestral haveli, which is over 350 years old, and had been, because of the family, a venue of many significant political and religious events. He studied at Aitchison College and Government College, Lahore, and Royal Indian Military Academy, where his batchmate was Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh DFC. He did not join the Army, but came back to Anandpur Sahib to take care of his ancestral property. He was president of the Municipal Committee of Anandpur Sahib, which is among the oldest municipal bodies in the region. Sodhi Haravtar Singh was featured in these pages as the oldest litigant in Punjab a few years ago. He is survived by his wife, Parmindar Kaur, his sons, Justice RS Sodhi, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, and Vikram Sodhi, a businessman and polo player, and daughters Rimlu Giani and Indira Maini. The bhog will be held in Anandpur Sahib on July 11.
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Lawrence School staff remember Jamwal
Sanawar, July 7 Headmaster Praveen Vashisht, who was his friend and batchmate, recalling his recent visit to his Naval camp at Kochi, said SS Jamwal believed: “No one knows the future and when we attain success, nature takes away something and this was its way of maintaining a balance.” His belief seems to have come true as Vashisht recalled how they had completed their higher secondary from Sanawar in 1976. While old students were looking forward to his elevation to the top post in the next few years, the tragedy had shocked them. “It was a visit to Kochi in January where our families met for the last time and Jonga, as he was popularly called in the school, asked me to send some students to Kochi during the annual summer camps. The idea was to inspire the students to join the forces, a trend which had taken a backseat for the past few years. I decided to send a group of 12 school prefects along with two teachers in April this year.” Believing in inculcating high moral values, SS Jamwal believed that these core values should be protected as they were the essence of good life. With yoga and meditation being an integral part of his daily routine, Vashisht remembers him as a soft spoken, polite, well-built student with a good academic record. He was a boxer and also pursued swimming as a sport while in school. “It was a telephonic call from old Sanawarians, Brig IS Cheema and Jerry Bains, that I got to know about this tragic incident. Son
of a former Major General, SS Jamwal leaves behind his wife Geeta, a son and
a daughter” disclosed Vashisht. Ashima Bath, a house mistress, who had accompanied students, said, “It was extremely shocking to come to know that he is no more. An extremely gracious personality, who had excelled in his career, his hospitality was impeccable and he was a personality to reckon with.” The children were awe-struck with his persona and at least three of them decided to join the forces among a batch of 12, added Bath. Ravi Kumar, another teacher, who had visited Kochi, reminisced about the absolute control he had and how his personality had left an indelible imprint on the children. AJ Singh, headmaster, Pinegrove, who was a year junior to SS Jamwal in the school, described him as an athlete who was a keen sportsman and an upcoming officer who had joined the NDA after school.
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Glitches in online JEE counselling, high rankers fail to get seats in first round
New Delhi, July 7 News is that several general category candidates, having cracked the exam and scored good all-India ranks (AIRs) in the range of 5000 to 6000 (out of the common merit list comprising over 9000 students) did not get any engineering or science courses allocated in the IITs in the first round of admission; this despite the students having submitted a few hundred course options online. More worrying is the fact that in the present online counselling system of JEE, candidates are clueless about the cutoff ranks for seats allotted and have no idea about how many ranks they have lost so as to lose placement in a preferred seat. Students would now have to wait until the second round of admission (to be announced in July) to know their actual status. Due to lack of the said information, these candidates can’t also decide on joining the courses they have been offered through AIEEE or through other admission counsellings, like state boards. It may be noted that IITs announced online counselling this year and candidates were required to submit preferred course options through the Internet between June 9 and 12. What happened, however, was disturbing. When the final course allocation was done by IITs on June 28, 16 days after the candidates gave their online choices, a JEE qualified student could not find on the net the status of all other filled seats along with AIRs on which these were filled. The system has naturally left thousands of successful students in confusion. Online counseling of JEE is a complete rollback of what was practiced until the last year when a student was called to one of the IITs, given a tentative list of vacant seats on his turn so he had a fair idea of what he could expect. The old process was hence transparent to an extent. Incidentally, although IIT-JEE doesn’t have smart online features in the counselling (other than feeding the course choices online) and have completely black-boxed the system of course allotment, CBSE’s AIEEE offers much better transparency of seat allotment to give the candidate an idea of sliding to be done in the next level of counselling to improve his seat allotment. In AIEEE counselling, all filled-in seats are shown on the website along with the corresponding ranks and category.
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Centre apathy disappoints Women’s Commission
New Delhi, July 7 “We are now writing to the chairpersons of both the Houses of Parliament and the presidents of state legislatures to make it mandatory for the Government to place out reports on the table of the House, so that they can be discussed if needed,” Vyas said on Monday. She was speaking after a meeting with the representatives of chairpersons of state women’s commissions. A number legal initiatives taken by the NCW including the law for sexual harassment at workplace (for enhanced compensation in the event of harm), scheme for rehabilitation of rape and acid victims, uniformity in the legal age of marriage (Prevention of Child Marriage Act and Juvenile Justice Act are not in conformity with the issue), are yet to see light of the day. NCW hopes the law to prevent sexual harassment at workplace will be introduced in the parliament in the forthcoming session. Asking the state commissions to work seriously to prevent rapes, sex determination and honour killings, Vyas said the Government should take Commission’s recommendations seriously.
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Permanent Commission to Women Officers
New Delhi, July 7 The appeal was filed yesterday after a single Bench of the high court issued contempt notice to Army chief General VK Singh and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar for not complying with its directions. The Centre, in its petition, has sought stay of the operation of the high court judgment and its review. It has been argued that there is no government policy to grant permanent commission to women other than in two streams, i.e. judge advocate general (JAG) and Army education corps (AEC). This was allowed in September 2008, and will be applicable to those women who joined after March 2009. Sources in the Army yesterday said providing permanent commission with retrospective affect, that too in all streams, will offset the functioning of the force. Moreover, there is no policy decision to take in women in other streams. The high court, in its judgment, on March 12 directed that Permanent Commission (PC) be offered within two months to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers of the Air Force and the Army at par with male SSC officers. The IAF, which was also asked to do so, has decided to offer permanent commission to the 22 petitioners. The IAF had an error in is advertisement seeking applications as it had promised possibility of permanent commission to women, whereas the Army had made no such promise. The court had turned down the plea of women of being allowed in combat operations. The high court had also rejected the plea of the government that permanent commission can be allowed only for future recruitment and the benefit cannot be given retrospectively for the serving and retired lady officers who had approached the court.
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Tagore’s abode in Shillong demolished
The demolition of Sidhli House, where the bard stayed during his last visit to Shillong in 1927, comes at a time when the country is celebrating his 150th birth anniversary. The structure has been demolished over last few days by owner of the house Philip Pala, a sibling of Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Shillong MP Vincent Pala. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma when contacted claimed he was unaware of the existence of such a historical building, saying "usually there is a process of identifying buildings with historical connection which are then declared as heritage structures." Sangma said he would try to find out if the government, previous or present, had ever taken steps to identify such significant structures. The Chief Minister added that usually prior to demolition of a structure, agencies such as the urban affairs department are consulted to ascertain the value of the structure and that he would find out if any exercise in this regard was indeed conducted prior to the demolition. The poet laureate had visited Shillong thrice. He had visited the hill station for the last time in May-June 1927 when he resided at Sidhli House located on Upland Road in Laitumkhrah area of the city. "Here lived Rabindranath Tagore in May and June, 1927. His famous novel 'Yogayug' and poems 'Susamay' and
'Debdaru' were written here," reads a plaque that still stands at the lawn of the demolished house. As per records, the house originally belonged to an Italian, Louis Joseph Dalingrad, who had played host to the poet during his two-month stay in Shillong. The house was later purchased by the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Sidhli in Goalpara district of Assam. The queen of Sidhli, Rani Manjula Devi, wife of Raja Ajit Narayan later resided in the house where she had set up the Jayanta Academy of Indian classical music, dance and art in the memory of her son.
— PTI
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A FATHER MOURNS
Jammu, July 7 “He would call up every evening to ask about my well-being. He used to worry about me a lot since I have been living alone here after his mother’s death two years ago. There will be no evening phone calls now…” says Major General Jamwal, who lives in Trikuta Nagar. Outwardly poised even after hearing the “most shocking news of my life”, the senior Jamwal says, “We spoke yesterday; he was calm and composed as usual. I don’t think there could be foul play. Accidents happen...” says the Major General, putting up a brave face like a true soldier. The father has accepted the death of his elder son as destiny. However, he is bitter that he heard the tragic news on TV. “No one from the Indian Navy or Ministry of Defence contacted me,” he says. “I have heard an inquiry is on. But what use is it? It won’t bring back my son.” Major General Jamwal commanded a division during Operation Bluestar and played a vital role in restoring peace after the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. As soon as the news of his death spread, people started coming in large numbers to the Jamwal home. The cremation is likely to take place in Delhi tomorrow. Elder of two siblings, the Admiral is a nephew of former Himachal Congress minister Vijay Singh Mankotia. “It’s a great loss for the family and country. He still had a lot to contribute to the country’s naval defence,” says Mankotia. Besides being adjudicated the ‘Best Cadet’ at NDA, the Admiral also topped in a management course from IIM-Ahmedabad. His brother RS Jamwal works for a Tata company at a senior position and is based in Mumbai.
(With inputs from Lalit Mohan in Dharamsala)
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PCPA chief’s brother behind Gyaneshwari mishap: CBI
Kolkata, July 7 The police said that Sashadhar was the area commander of the Maoists in the vast Lalghar-Jangalmahal-Salboni areas in west Midnapore. He was wanted for several crimes in Purulia, Bankura and Midnapore and Jharkhand. So far, police have no clue about his whereabouts. After the May 27 operation, Sashadhar has been spotted only once, with his wife, at Binpur village, said the CBI. The CBI said that the operation was executed by Bapi Mahato and 20-odd PCPA activists. Bapi and seven other accused have already been arrested, but Sashardhar and two other prime accused — Ashit Mahato and Umakanto Mahato — are still at large. Today, two more PCPA activists, Bijoy Mahato and Manick Mahato, were arrested from Baripada and Mayurbhanj in Orissa. According to CBI findings, the PCPA was mainly behind the train sabotage near Jhargram. Director General of Police Bhupender Singh said that the CBI report had corroborated the CID’s report, which had been already sent to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
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Assam MLAs to get hefty hike
Guwahati, July 7 State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Chandra Narah today said the basic salary of legislators would be hiked on the basis of recommendation made by an Assembly committee comprising legislators of all political parties. He said the state government would table a Bill in the House in the next session with proposals to revise the monthly salary of MLAs from Rs 12,000 to Rs 40,000. Ministers’ salary is proposed to be raised to Rs 55,000 from Rs 14,000 while that of the chief minister will be raised to Rs 65,000 from Rs 16,000. The Speaker’s salary will be increased to Rs 60,000 from existing Rs 16,000 per month and that of deputy Speaker will be raised to Rs 56,000 from Rs 14,000 per month. The government also proposes to revise the monthly pension of former legislators from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000. The minister said the revised salary structure for the state legislators would come into effect as soon as the Bill was passed by the state Assembly in the coming Monsoon Session.
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Court frames charges against Sajjan, others
Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta ordered the framing of charges in connection with a case registered at the Sultanpuri police station against Sajjan Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash, after finding enough prima facie evidence against them. The accused have been charged under Sections 120-B (conspiracy), 302 (murder), 436 (mischief by fire or explosives), 295 (defiling a place of worship), 153A (promoting enmity among different communities), 109 (Punishment of abetment) and Sections 147, 148 and 149 (relating to rioting) of the IPC. All accused were present in the court and pleaded “not guilty” and said they would contest the charges. The framing of charges has paved the way for the beginning of trial in the case. The court is already recording statement of witnesses against Kumar in another case relating to the anti-Sikh riots. On July 1, the court had ordered framing of charges in the case. The directive came two months after charges were framed against Sajjan in a separate case related to riots in Delhi Cantonment area where he allegedly instigated a mob. On January 13, the CBI had filed two chargesheets against the former Congress MP and others in the court in two separate cases of allegedly making provocative speeches, leading to the killing of 12 persons in 1984 riots.
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Special SC Bench for lower courts’ problems
New Delhi, July 7 A Bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia said it would seek reports from the Chief Secretaries and high court registrars on the lack of facilities in the subordinate judiciary that was hampering their functioning. The proposed Bench would have three Judges and function on the lines of the existing Forest Bench that considered proposals for development projects in forest areas, the CJI clarified. The requirement of funds by the lower judiciary would also be addressed. The Bench, which included Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, was hearing a PIL on the working of the Consumer Protection Act. The Bar associations and lawyers would be involved while dealing with the inadequacies of the lower judiciary, it was clarified.
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‘Ishrat wasn’t an LeT fidayeen’
Alappuzha (Kerala), July 7 Gopinath Pillai today said that the Pakistani-American’s reported claim made to National Investigative Agency (NIA) personnel about 19-year-old Ishrat during his questioning in the US was an attempt to derail his struggle to bring to light the “whole truth” about the controversial encounter. Headley has confessed to his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack and is presently in custody in Chicago. “This can only be seen as an attempt to create a smoke-screen when the hearing on the petition filed by me in the Gujarat court seeking justice is slated to begin this month,” Pillai, said. — PTI
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Detained ship released
Kolkata, July 7 The ship was held up at the sand head at Diamond Harbour and later brought to Kolkata port since it did not have necessary legal documents. Customs officials and the police found that there was no mention in the list of consignments about six boxes of modern war-equipment meant for the Pakistani army. After a through investigation, it was found that the ship was carrying UN consignments for Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan meant for utilisation during war-like situations. The private shipping company regretted that by mistake they did not furnish the detailed list of documents to the Kolkata port authorities and the police.
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Party-less local body poll
Lucknow, July 7 A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice FI Rebello and Justice AP Shahi has also asked the petitioners, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Mathura-based Congress leader Abdul Jabbar, to file their rejoinders within a week of the filing of the counter affidavit by the state government. The next hearing in the case will be on August 3. The petitioners have challenged a clause in the UP Municipalities (Election of Corporators, Chairmen and Mayors), Rules-2010, whereby it has been laid that election symbols of political parties would not be used in the civic body elections. Arguing on behalf of the petitioners, advocates Ravi Kiran Jain and Shamim Ahmad argued that this provision that was published in the official gazette of June 18 was ultra virus of the Constitution.
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No early poll in West Bengal
Kolkata, July 7 “We will come into picture only prior to six months of the election date”, adding that it will be a political decision if the elections will be held earlier. A two-member EC team was in Kolkata for scrutinising the state’s electoral rolls and supervising other works relating to the elections as a route matter and their visit had nothing to do with the decision of the advancement of elections in the state, Kureshi said.
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Notice to DU on Ramayana piece in its syllabus
New Delhi, July 7 According to the petitioners, the SC had directed the vice-chancellor in September 2008 to pass on their views to the Academic Council along with the report of a committee set up to consider the article by late Prof AK Ramanujan for inclusion in the syllabus. However, the varsity allowed the article “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation” without following the court’s directives, the petition contended.
— TNS
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Hyderabad, July 7 Later, the assailant took away Rs 5 lakh cash from the house. She has been staying alone in the penthouse for the last one-and-a-half years. The penthouse has a separate staircase and there was no watchman for the building, the police said. — TNS
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Presidency College is now varsity
Kolkata, July 7 The Congress, Trinamool Congress and the SUCI had boycotted the Assembly when the Bill was placed, which was then passed with voice votes. The college, formerly known as Hindu College, was built in 1817 as a private institution and renamed in 1855 as Presidency College when it was brought under the direct control of the government. — TNS
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Shillong, July 7
New Delhi, July 7