Guwahati, May 13
It is a hat-trick for the Congress in Assam and that too in the form of a landslide victory, thanks to leadership of Tarun Gogoi who is all set to become the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term at the age of 75.

Even as leaders of the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are scurrying to find an explanation for their dismal performance in the polls, the Congress is taking heart that the people have voted it to power for the third occasion in a row for the ‘good work’ its government has done since 2001 under the leadership of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

The Congress government’s policy to take the party closer to the common people, especially those from rural areas and from the lower income bracket, has apparently paid rich dividends to the party in the election though the opposition parties had sounded skeptical about those schemes, terming those as “sops only meant for Congress members”.

Some of these included laptops to all students who have passed Class X Board exams in the first division, bicycles for girl students, cash incentives against every girl child born in government hospitals, cash incentives to pregnant women, working capital to unmarried women and young widows, free thread to BPL weavers, mosquito nets and blankets to BPL families and umbrellas to students from BPL families.

Moreover, massive improvement in healthcare system in the state during the last 10 years, successful implementation of mobile health clinics to take health care to far flung areas and introduction of emergency healthcare scheme, 108-Mrityunjoy ambulances have been instrumental in endearing the Congress to the common man.

The Gogoi government’s achievement in tackling insurgency in the state by bringing in many insurgents groups to the negotiation table, coupled with firm initiatives in improving infrastructure development in the state during the last 10 years have also paid dividends for the party.

The poll results have reflected that the people of Assam haven’t pardoned the regional AGP’s misrule during 1996-2001 when the economy of the state was in the doldrums with the government even failing to pay salaries to its employees while the law and order situation was at its worst during that time.

"Economic development and peace initiatives with various militants groups have won us the election. People have rewarded us for the good work," Tarun Gogoi said. The Congress has benefitted from the wisdom of this experienced leader, who was MP for six times, Union minister during 1991 to 1995 besides being Chief Minister of Assam for two consecutive terms since 2001.

About the corruption charges leveled against his government, Gogoi said the people obviously had not believed in those baseless charges brought by the opposition parties. “My government is probably the only government in the country to refer 9-10 corruption cases to the CBI,” he said.

The AGP and the BJP have failed to make any impact in the election because the entire Opposition failed to forge an alliance to present a viable alternative before the people. To make matters worse for the Opposition, the regional AGP was dogged by internal squabbles. The regional party instead of giving chances to young leaders preferred to field old horses, who had already been rejected by the people in the 2001 and 2006 elections.

Puducherry, May 13
Making a spectacular electoral debut, the All India NR Congress in alliance with AIADMK today secured a two-third majority in the 30-member Puducherry Assembly, ending the DMK-supported Congress rule.

Former chief minister N Rangasamy led the AINRC he formed on the eve of the polls to power with the party winning 15 seats and its ally AIADMK five.

The Congress ended with a tally of seven and DMK two. DMK rebel VMC Shivakumar won the Neravi TR Pattinam segment.

It was a sweet revenge for Rangasamy who floated his own outfit after resigning from the Congress about two years after he was removed as chief minister in the face of revolt against his leadership.

Rangasamy, named the chief ministerial candidate of the AINRC-AIADMK front, emerged victorious from both Kadirgamam and Indira Nagar constituencies that he contested from.

Chief Minister V Vaithilingam, who succeeded Rangasamy, won but Welfare Minister M Kandasamy and PWD Minister MOHF Shajahan lost as also Assembly Speaker R Radhakrishnan.

A jubilant Rangasamy said the outcome was a verdict by people and he would soon decide when to meet the Lt Governor and stake claim for forming the government.

The CPI, the CPM and the DMDK, which were part of the AINRC-led alliance, however, drew a blank contesting one seat each.

In the Congress front, the PMK lost both the seats it contested and VCK tasted defeat in the lone seat it was allocated. — PTI 

New Delhi, May 13
IIT Kharagpur today suspended Rajeev Kumar, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him.

The suspension of Kumar comes in the wake of cudgels he had taken up with the powerful IIT Directors, exposing irregularities in the Joint Entrance Examination system used to select candidates for the premiere technical institutions.

It was through a sustained Right to Information campaign (several of his petitions are still pending with the Chief Information Commissioner) that Kumar brought to light the discrepancies in cut off marks in the JEE system. It was after Kumar’s efforts that the IITs agreed to become transparent in the conduct of JEE and publish results of the entrance exam early - something they never did earlier, thus giving a free run to coaching institutes which would publish the results on the day of test, thereby attracting students.

The whistle blower today got a letter from IIT Kharagpur administration, putting him under suspension and barring him from leaving the campus without permission.

New Delhi, May 13
A team of CBI officers would be leaving for Mauritius next week to track the trail of money invested in various telecom companies involved in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the CBI told the Supreme Court today.

Senior advocate KK Venugopal appearing for the investigating agency said the team would be leaving on May 16 and will file its report before the court on the investigation done by it.

A Bench of justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly directed the agency to file its report on the probe into the money trail by May 31 and posted the matter for further hearing on July 6.

The Bench also directed the CBI to expedite its enquiry against a journalist who had allegedly tried to bribe an Enforcement Directorate official, who was inquiring into 2G scam.

Venugopal also informed the court that teams of ED officials would also be going to five foreign countries in tracking the money trail involved in 2G scam.

The Bench also wanted to know from him about the progress into the probe based on the status report filed by the CBI relating to 10 destinations abroad. — PTI

New Delhi, May 13
A complete ban on production, sale and use of pesticide Endosulfan for eight weeks was today ordered by the Supreme Court, which held that human life is more important than anything else and “we don't want a single child to suffer”.

The court's interim order came on a petition seeking a ban on Endolsulfan on the ground that it was causing health hazards, including genetic disorders, in Kerala where it is widely used.

“We don't want a single child to suffer... It is the risk which is bothering us. What is bothering us is that not a single child should suffer. Even if one child is suffering we would not like that situation,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice SH Kapadia and Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar said while passing the interim order.

The Bench said it was concerned about right to life of of the citizen guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and even the companies involved in the manufacturing of the controversial pesticide could not ignore corporate and social responsibility by ignoring the hazards posed to human lives.

The Bench said it was strictly going by Article 21 and the law laid down by the apex court in this regard where the state laws can be kept aside. “Keeping in mind various judgements of this court under Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution and particularly keeping in mind the precautionary principle we, hereby, direct and pass ad-interim order for immediate ban on production and use of Endosulfan all over India,” the Bench said.

It also directed the statutory authorities to freeze the production licences granted to the manufacturers of the pesticide till its further order and said a detailed study from all aspect needs to be done by an expert committee and directed the government to form it by amalgamating the two committees - one headed by the Director General of Indian Counsel for Medical Research and another by Agricultural Commissioner of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Bench also asked the committee to give its preliminary report within eight weeks whether the pesticide should be banned or its existing stock should be eliminated in phases and if there is any alternative to the controversial pesticide.

“If the expert committee on detail study comes to the conclusion that there is no harmful affect of the Endosulfan, the preliminary report will be considered for vacating the interim stay. So, till the expert committee gives its preliminary report by eight weeks, the complete ban on the production and sale of Endosulfan will be in operation,” the Bench said.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, apprised the judges about reports of various committees on Endosulfan and stressed that human lives was above everything.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the makers of Endosulfan, submitted that it was the most cost effective pesticide available at Rs 300 per litre compared to others which are priced at Rs 4,000 per litre. — PTI

New Delhi, May 13
The Supreme Court today issued a stern warning to policemen that they would be sent to the gallows for killing people in fake encounters.

“We warned policemen that they will not be excused for committing murder in the name of encounter on the pretext that they were carrying out the orders of their superior officers or politicians, however high,” a Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra said in a judgment.

“If a policeman is given an illegal order by any superior to do a fake encounter, it is his duty to refuse to carry out such an order, otherwise he will be charged for murder, and if found guilty sentenced to death,” the Bench said.

The apex court said the “encounter philosophy is a criminal philosophy, and all policemen must know this. Policemen who think they can kill people in the name of encounter and get away with it should know that the gallows await them.” The court made the observations while dismissing an appeal by policemen from Greater Mumbai, challenging the cancellation of their bail by the Bombay High Court. The policemen were accused of a contract killing.

Holding that fake encounters were nothing but cold blooded murder, the SC said, in its opinion, if crimes were committed by ordinary people, ordinary punishment should be given, but if the offence was committed by policemen much harsher punishment should be given to them because “they do an act totally contrary to their duties”.

“In our opinion, this is a very serious case wherein prima facie some police officers and staff were engaged by some private persons to kill their opponent,” the Bench said.

The SC pointed out that “our ancient thinkers” were of the view that the worst state of affairs possible in a society was a state of lawlessness.

New Delhi, May 13
The last time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejigged his ministerial team earlier this year, he had publicly declared that this was only a stop-gap arrangement and that a more expansive exercise would follow after the May assembly elections. Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee will be relinquishing her portfolio at the Centre now that she is all set to head the new West Bengal government, giving up her portfolio at the Centre.

Since the rail ministry is earmarked for the Trinamool Congress as per the arrangement worked out during government formation in 2009, it will now be up to Mamata Bannerjee to name her successor in New Delhi. Two names are doing the rounds. Minister of state for health and long-time confidant Dinesh Trivedi and Mukul Roy, known for his proximity to the TMC chief, are said to be the frontrunners.

However, the guessing game is on as Mamata Banerjee is known to spring surprises. The ministerial shake-up is expected to take place in the beginning of June after all the state governments are sworn in and PM Manmohan Singh returns from his trip to Ethiopia where he is to attend the Indo-African summit. The reshuffle has to take place well before the Monsoon Session of Parliament which is slated to commence by July 11.Now that the DMK has been weakened in this election, it is unlikely to ask for the telecom portfolio which was taken by the Congress after A.Raja was forced to quit following allegations of corruption in the allocation of 2G spectrum. It will have to be seen if the DMK will be compensated with another portfolio as it has 22 MPs in the LS. Since the election results today have not helped wipe out the stigma of corruption, the Congress will use the ministerial reshuffle to salvage its reputation which has been badly hit by a series of scams.

The PM will, however, have to undertake drastic changes if he wants to send out a message that the Congress will not tolerate incompetence or financial impropriety. This is particularly important as the party will now start planning for another round of crucial assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and UP, all due within the next one year. However, it has to be seen if the Congress is ready for such an overhaul as caste and regional compulsions invariably come into play.

New Delhi, May 13
In a major overhaul of the Medical Council of India (MCI) Board of Governors this evening, the government announced an all-new panel, retaining not even one doctor from the original eight-member panel put in lace on May 14 last year, after the erstwhile MCI was dissolved on charges of corruption.

Dr KK Talwar, former head of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Chandigarh, has been handpicked by the Health Ministry to chair the prestigious Board of Governors (BOG), tasked with the job of revising both the undergraduate and postgraduate medical curriculum with future needs in mind.

Talwar, who retired as Director of the PGI on April 30, succeeds Dr SK Sarin as chairman of the MCI Board of Governors. Talwar, a renowned cardiologist, headed the cardiology department at AIIMS before taking over as Director, PGI, Chandigarh, where he served seven years.

The other members of the freshly appointed five-member MCI panel are Dr Purushottam Lal, Dr KS Sharma, Dr Harbhajan Singh Rassam and Dr Rajiv Chintamani Yeravdekar. All the former members of BOG, including Ranjit Roy Chaudhary, RS Salhan, Sita Naik, Devi Shetty and Gautam Sen, have been dropped from the new board.

The new team assumes office from May 14 when the term of the old BOG ends.