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BJP stalls House over Gujarat Lokayukta
LS drops impeachment motion against Sen
Ties with Dhaka vital, asserts Prime Minister |
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Mamata’s message to Centre: Don’t take me for granted
Bilateral trade priority for Dhaka-bound CMs
SC raps Jaya for trying to delay trial in graft case
Centre moves HC to recall notification
Ramdev ashram gets notice over missing B’desh inmates
Lt Col convicted for selling weapons illegally
Fall of mining czar
Cabinet clears Land Acquisition Bill
Ex-secy to LS Speaker amassed Rs 12.1m
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BJP stalls House over Gujarat Lokayukta
New Delhi, September 5 The BJP wants Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal to be recalled for appointing the Lokayukta without consulting Chief Minister Narendra Modi. As soon as the Lok Sabha met for the day, BJP members rushed to the well protesting the appointment. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha where BJP members rushed into the well even before Chairman Hamid Ansari could settle down. The scenes are expected to be repeated tomorrow and during what remains of the monsoon session, which ends on September 8. SP members also protested, agitated over the incident of firing on lawyers allegedly by revenue officials in Uttar Pradesh. Members from BSP, which is in power in UP, strongly opposed their SP and Congress colleagues. In the ongoing commotion, JD-U members tried to raise some issues related to Bihar but they could not heard. With a majority of the bills listed for consideration pending, the monsoon session is on the verge of being washed out even though the government has been trying to get official business transacted without the cooperation of the main Opposition. Today Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda, who was in the Chair, allowed papers to be laid while Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy managed to introduce the National Academic Depository Bill on behalf of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. A large part of the session was consumed by the fallout of the stand-off between the government and Anna Hazare. A slew of important legislations slated to be passed in this session could not be taken up due to repeated stalling of proceedings of the two Houses. Among the Bills passed by both Houses include the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill, The Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research Bill, Puducherry (Amendment) Bill, the Coinage Bill and the Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2011. While the Gujarat Lokayukta issue is again putting legislative agenda in jeopardy, the government, it seems, is in no mood to reach out to the Opposition. However, before the session ends the government will table the Land Acquisition Bill so that it can be sent to the Standing Committee for consultations. The BJP has been disrupting the House since August 30 accusing the Gujarat Governor of acting without the aid and advice of the state Cabinet while appointing R A Mehta as
Lokayukta.
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LS drops impeachment motion against Sen
New Delhi, September 5 When the House met at 2 pm today to take up the impeachment motion, Law Minister Salman Khursheed got up to state that Justice Sen had resigned with effect from September 1 as per the provisions of Article 217 of the Constitution which specify that a judge offering to resign must to do under his own hand. After the Law Minister shared with the House this development, Speaker Meira Kumar asked the House if was agreeable to give up the motion to remove the said judge. “Is the sense of the House that it may not proceed with the removal of Justice Soumitra Sen” she asked. The House agreed, putting an end to the two-year-long parliamentary process to impeach Sen who was found guilty of misappropriating Rs 33.23 lakh when he was a court-appointed receiver in a certain case. Later when he became the judge, he failed to place facts before the court, thereby attracting impeachment proceedings despite having deposited the said money with interest later. The impeachment process had begun in 2009 when 58 members of the Rajya Sabha gave a notice for the same to House chairman Hamid Ansari who set up a probe committee which declared Sen guilty.
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Ties with Dhaka vital, asserts Prime Minister
New Delhi, September 5 “Our relations with Bangladesh are rooted in history, culture and the struggle for freedom. Both our countries share common democratic values and development aspirations,” he said in a statement on the eve of his departure for Dhaka on a two-day State visit.
He said he would be accompanied on his visit by Chief Ministers of all the northeast states. “'This reflects our desire to have across the board engagement with Bangladesh, so that the fruits of our cooperation are available to people on both sides of the border,” he added. The PM said the two countries were today witnessing an extraordinary period of cooperation and friendship. “My visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress achieved in the implementation of the decisions taken during the historic visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in 2010,” said the PM. “It is a matter of satisfaction that we have made concrete progress in several areas such as security, boundary issues, water resources, power connectivity, improvement of border infrastructure, trade facilitation and economic cooperation. Our endeavour will be to sustain and build upon this positive momentum,” Manmohan Singh added. He said he expected his visit to lead to greater cooperation between India and Bangladesh in all these areas. “'We also expect to conclude concrete agreements which will help us to elevate the level of our cooperation in the traditional areas of cooperation and to develop cooperation in new areas.” During his visit, Manmohan Singh said he would call on Bangladesh President Bangladesh Mohammad Zillur Rahman and meet the leaders of other political parties in Bangladesh. “'I look forward to addressing a cross-section of Bangladeshi society at the Dhaka University.” As a close neighbour and friend, India was committed to extending its full support to Bangladesh in its development efforts, the Prime Minister said.
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Mamata’s message to Centre: Don’t take me for granted
New Delhi, September 5 Under pressure on the domestic front, the ruling coalition was hoping to shore up its sagging image by showcasing the PM’s two-day trip to Dhaka as a major achievement in its handling of foreign affairs. The strenuous efforts made over the past few months to resolve differences that have bedevilled relations between the two countries were to culminate in a series of key bilateral agreements during the PM’s visit. As it happens, the trip has got embroiled in controversy after Mamata Banerjee raised objections to the treaty that was all set to be signed on the sharing of waters of the Teesta and the Feni rivers. Furious that her apprehensions had not been addressed, she has used this treaty as an effective political weapon to remind the Congress-led UPA government not to take her for granted. At the same time, she has also addressed her domestic constituency to project herself as the saviour of West Bengal before her political opponents accuse her of bartering away the state’s interests. With 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is a valuable ally at the Centre and the Congress can ill-afford to displease her. It has been left with little choice but to put the agreement on hold. Describing the Trinamool Congress leader’s last-minute objections as an international humiliation, UPA sources said officials from the Water Resources Ministry in New Delhi had been in constant touch with their West Bengal counterparts and both were on the same page with regard to the river water sharing agreement that has, for long, been a contentious issue with Bangladesh. Mamata Banerjee first conveyed her reservations on the agreement last week through Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) when this issue came up for discussion. Trivedi, it is learnt, pointed out that the agreement had not factored in their party’s stand to keep a cap of 25 per cent as Bangladesh’s share in Teesta waters. Mamata has also objected to the provision to keep 450 cusecs of water for river sharing which is necessary for environmental reasons. National Security Adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon was immediately rushed to Kolkata to explain the fine print of the treaty and it appeared that the Chief Minister had been suitably placated. Earlier reports suggested that Mamata Banerjee would fly directly to Dhaka on her own as she was not happy at being in the same company as CPM’s Tripura Chief Minister, who is among the five Chief Ministers invited to travel with the PM. The Trinamool Congress leader’s Sunday night announcement, therefore, came as a shock for the UPA leadership. Stating that water is an emotive issue, Trinamool leaders said the agreement in its present form would do incalculable harm to North Bengal.
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Bilateral trade priority for Dhaka-bound CMs
Guwahati, September 5 The Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Sangma looks forward to improve ties with Bangladesh much beyond the coal export. “We have to convert our relationship with Bangladesh to that of a vibrant bilateral trade and commerce. Bangladesh is now a friendly neighbour, we need to explore possibilities of trading beyond Bangladesh by using the Chittagong port,” Dr Sangma told mediapersons. Facilities in the Chittagong port in Bangladesh will be a boon for the landlocked Meghalaya to import machinery and other products from India at a much cheaper cost. Dr Sangma also pointed out that it took only 45 minutes from Sylhet to Dawki (Meghalaya border) so tourists could be wooed through this route to come to Meghalaya, Assam and other north-eastern states. It is in tune with the concept of linking north-eastern states to Bangladesh, Thailand and Bhutan, using Buddhism as the core. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi too looks forward to the visit to usher in a new era of bilateral trade with Bangladesh through setting up of more trade points on both sides of the border. “Bangladesh territory was part of India before Independence and Assam was well connected to the mainland India through that area via rail, road and water ways. However, post independence all those communication routes were disrupted, giving a blow to Assam’s economy. Now, with an improvement in the India-Bangladesh relation, we want to revive some of those old communication routes so that bilateral trade and tourism flourish in an environment of mutual benefit,” Gogoi said. Both the Chief Ministers have apparently left it to the Central government to resolve the boundary row with the neighbouring country. Gogoi said, “We are looking forward to the exchange of the adversely possessed land by both India and Bangladesh for the settlement of the border dispute. India will get more land back than what Bangladesh will receive out of the exchange. It is the Central government that has the final say on the land dispute.”
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SC raps Jaya for trying to delay trial in graft case
New Delhi, September 5 Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma told senior counsel Harish Salve that his client’s plea for exemption from personal appearance was clearly aimed at delaying the trial. The Bench indicated that she could not avoid personal appearance for recording her statement under Section 313(5) CrPC meant for giving a final chance to the accused persons to defend themselves. If necessary, security could be provided to her at the trial court and the hearing could be completed in one day, the Bench said. Salve contended that the CrPC provision had been amended to enable the accused to submit the replies in writing. Since his client had now become Chief Minister it was difficult for her to go to the court, he said.
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Sehajdhari Issue
Chandigarh, September 5 Legally speaking, the affidavit has to be the mirror image of the application. In this case also, the affidavit is the replica of the application submitted under Section 151 of the CPC, but till the sixth paragraph. In the affidavit submitted by Under Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajeev Attri, the sixth paragraph says: “Senior advocate Harbhagwan Singh was never briefed by the Union of India/Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the Ministry of Law and Justice, but still this fact is in abeyance that on what basis Harbhagwan Singh has made the aforesaid statement….” Meanwhile, the application in paragraph six says: “Harbhagwan Singh was never briefed by the Union of India/Ministry of Home Affairs.” The reference to the Ministry of Law has strangely been dropped in the plea. The rest of the application can safely be put in the category of “mirror image”. The reason behind the variance is hard to comprehend as the affidavit is annexed along with an application to substantiate the contentions made in the plea. The contents of the affidavit and the application have to be the same. This is because the affidavit supports on oath what all has been otherwise contended in the plea. It is believed that the Centre may actually find itself explaining whether the out-of-the-ordinary omission was inadvertent. The plea, along with the affidavit, will come up for hearing tomorrow as the Full Bench of Justice MM Kumar, Justice Alok Singh and Justice Gurdev Singh convenes to take up the case, disposed on the basis of the statement made by Harbhagwan Singh. Senior advocate-cum-Punjab’s former Advocate-General Harbhagwan Singh had claimed that the notification debarring Sehajdhari Sikhs from exercising their voting rights had been withdrawn. Taking a note of this, the Full Bench of the High Court had disposed of the case. The next day, the Union of India had clarified that the notification had not been withdrawn.
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Ramdev ashram gets notice over missing B’desh inmates
Dehradun, September 5 Besides the police, the intelligence is also keeping a close eye on the whole episode. However, there is suspense over the missing mother and son. Even the family members of the missing are not able to find them. Assistant manager of Patanjali said the two had left from the ashram on August 6. — TNS
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Lt Col convicted for selling weapons illegally
Chandigarh, September 5 He has been awarded a severe reprimand and loss of one year’s seniority for the purpose of promotion, sources said. The court verdict is subject to confirmation by the convening authority. The trial, presided over by a brigadier, was held at Bikaner military station. The Army had ordered trial by court martial of close to 30 officers. Some of these trials are already underway at different military stations. Names of several senior officers, including those of major generals and brigadiers, figure in the case. Those facing court martial so far are of the rank of Colonel and below. Officers have challenged the proceedings against them before the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). A large number of officers and ex-servicemen had reportedly sold off their NSP weapons, procured from ordnance depots at concessional prices for personal use, to civilians at higher rates. The weapons include pistols, revolvers, shotguns and rifles of different calibres that are obsolete. A PIL filed in Rajasthan High Court had alleged these weapons were falling into hands of people with dubious credentials. Further, these officers had not taken prior permission from competent authorities before selling the weapons. In view of this, the Army had initiated a court of inquiry (COI) in the matter. It was conducted by Maj Gen B.S. Daulta, then General Officer Commanding, 16 Infantry Division. Investigations were carried out by military intelligence and it forwarded a four-volume 339-page report to the presiding officer of the COI. Documents attached with the petitions filed before the AFT reveal that the military intelligence had complied a list of 113 weapons that were disposed of. The persons “involved” in the sale of weapons include three major generals, six brigadiers and three women, presumably wives of officers. Some names figure several times in the list. In their petition before the tribunal, some of the accused officers have claimed the said weapons were sold on cash payments by the ordnance depot on basis of allotment by the director general ordnance services (DGOS). They have alleged that the particulars of all the officers and weapons are available with them, yet on pretext of non-identification, some officers have been left untouched, which appeared a deliberate attempt to hide their identity. Also, no action has apparently been initiated to identify them even after three years have elapsed.
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Fall of mining czar
Hyderabad, September 5 After the mandatory medical tests, they were produced before the special CBI court which remanded them to a 14-day judicial custody. The court will hear both the bail petitions and the plea for CBI custody on September 7. Following the court order, the CBI sleuths shifted the mining baron to the high security central prison as a swarm of media cameras chased the convoy. “Truth will prevail. I have done no wrong. Ultimately, truth will win,” Reddy told the media as he was being taken to the jail. Earlier, CBI Joint Director VV Lakshminarayana, who led the raids and arrested the mining czar, said the arrests were based on “strong evidence and documentary proof” regarding illegal mining activity and violation of the laws of the land by OMC, which owns mines in Anantapur district bordering Karnataka. Several IAS and IFS officers also likely to be questioned in connection with illegal mining at Obulapuram, the sources said. With today’s dramatic arrests, the focus has now turned to YSR Congress party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, considered a close family friend of Bellary Brothers. He is already facing investigations by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate into his alleged ill-gotten wealth. There is a speculation that he could be the next to face the arrest.
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Cabinet clears Land Acquisition Bill
New Delhi, September 5 Fast-tracked to place it before Parliament on Wednesday, the Bill aimed at defusing longstanding tensions over land purchases in many parts of the country.
INDUSTRY OBJECTIONS
According to the draft, R&R provisions would be applicable if a private party purchased more than 50 acres in urban areas and 100 acres in rural areas for the purpose of
urbanisation. CII voiced concern about the cost of R&R saying, “While CII is absolutely in favour of appropriate and adequate compensation for people who are affected by land acquisition, we believe that the costs have to be reasonable for industry to remain viable.”
The draft is understood to have a compensation offer four times higher than market rate for owners, not six times as proposed by Sonia Gandhi-led NAC. It also proposes government help for acquisition of 20 per cent of the land for a private project in case the company acquires 80 per cent of the land needed for a project. Other proposals include a subsistence allowance of Rs 3,000 per family per month for a year and an annuity of Rs 2, 000 per family per month for 20 years. However, states will be free to improve upon the Centre’s proposals and have their own laws. The former Chief Ministers in the Cabinet, including Veerappa Moily, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Virbhadra Singh, had strong views on certain aspects and favoured that they be ironed out in the Standing Committee. The Bill was cleared by the Cabinet after it was decided that the states would be free to have their own laws on land acquisition. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also called a National Development Council meeting on October 15 to get all states on board.There are different land acquisition norms for rural and urban areas in the law, which also governs resettlement and rehabilitation of those affected by land acquisition. Consent of at least 80 per cent of project affected people is needed, if land is acquired in public interest for private companies for production of goods for provision of public services.
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Ex-secy to LS Speaker amassed Rs 12.1m
New Delhi, September 5 Currently facing a CBI probe for acquiring properties disproportionate to his known sources of income, Pathak was removed from his position in the Speaker's office on September 2. He had been appointed only recently in June. Importantly, this was not Pathak's first stint in the coveted position. He had earlier served LS Speaker Manohar Joshi as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and subsequently as Secretary between May 2002 and June 2004. Prior to that, he was private secretary to Joshi during the latter's tenure as Cabinet minister at the Centre. Not only the phenomenal rise of this Central Engineering Services (CES) officer, originally recruited in the Ministry of Roads, Highways and Surface Transport, but also his list of plush properties, is currently under CBI's scanner. The Tribune has learnt about a list of immovable assets Pathak acquired during the period for which he is facing the corruption probe, from 1995 to 2005. The cumulative value of these seven residential properties when they were purchased over a decade ago stood at around Rs 121 lakh. Today, the value of these assets would run into several crores. Pathak owns two residential properties (C-56 and C-124) in Anand Niketan, South Delhi's most upmarket segment. Property dealers say average property price for apartments in this area is around Rs 15 crore and for ground floor houses, it is around Rs 28 crore. The cost of Pathak's properties in Anand Niketan is mentioned as Rs around 40 lakh and Rs 53 lakh when purchased. He holds three residential properties in Bihar too. These include a 1,200 square feet apartment in Vidyalankar Bhavan of Budha Colony valued at Rs 4.5 lakh when purchased, a 1,300 square feet flat in Asha apartments, Budha Colony valued at Rs 5.86 lakh when bought and a residential property on the posh Boring Road in Patna valued at Rs 5 lakh at the time of purchase. Two of his Gurgaon properties - in Sector 56 (a 445 square yard plot) and Kendriya Vihar - are valued at Rs 6.01 lakh and Rs 6.6 lakh at the time of purchase. Today, the individual value of these properties would be at least Rs 50 lakh each. CBI's inquiries point out Pathak, a cadre officer of Road Transport and Highways Ministry, had acquired assets worth Rs 6.5 lakh prior to 1995. As per preliminary investigations, Pathak, while working on deputation to the Department of Revenue in different capacities, amassed a lot of assets. Before being made secretary to Meira Kumar, he was Superintending engineer (Planning) in road transport ministry. The Speaker's office
has clarified he was appointed after due clearance from his parent ministry, adding any CVC probe pending against him should ideally have been intimated by
the ministry concerned before it relieved Pathak for the latest assignment. Pathak had reportedly failed in his efforts to make it to office of former speaker Somnath
Chatterjee.
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Parliament remained almost dysfunctional for the third consecutive day with BJP members persistently creating pandemonium over the “undemocratic” appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat, leading to repeated adjournments of both Houses.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India attached the highest importance to further developing and strengthening its ties with Bangladesh.
After lying low for several months, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has struck out at the UPA government when it is at its most vulnerable.
Under pressure on the domestic front, the ruling coalition was hoping to shore up its sagging image by showcasing the PM’s two-day trip to Dhaka as a major achievement in its handling of foreign affairs. The strenuous efforts made over the past few months to resolve differences that have bedevilled relations between the two countries were to culminate in a series of key bilateral agreements during the PM’s visit.
But Sen, a legal luminary, thwarted the move by sending his “due resignation” to President Pratibha Patil ahead of the motion. The President accepted the same, enabling the Law Ministry to notify it and thereby paving the way for the Lok Sabha to abandon the pending proceedings.
Both Gogoi and Sangma want to have better trade ties with Bangladesh for mutual gains, besides hoping for the resolution of age-old border rows with the neighbouring country.
The BJP leader, whose incredible wealth and clout is part of the political folklore in Bellary, will now have to sleep on a cold and hard floor at the Chanchalguda central prison here.