The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

PIL can’t be used to settle political scores: High Court
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that public interest litigation (PIL) cannot be used for settling political scores. The assertion by the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice RN Raina came on a petition by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann’s petition against the Union of India and other respondents. The order was pronounced a couple of days back, but detailed judgment has now been made available.

Mann had approached the High Court in public interest with a prayer for issuance of directions to the Union of India and State of Punjab to hold an independent inquiry preferably by the CBI on “the status of Arvind Khanna, who has been contesting election for the office of MP and MLA from Sangrur constituency”.

The Bench asserted: “The allegation levelled against Arvind Khanna is that he, being a British citizen, cannot contest election.

The petitioner has political career like Arvind Khanna. The public interest litigation cannot be used for settling political scores.

Referring to the apex court judgments, the Bench added: “In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court has expressed the view that if there is element of personal interest, the forum of public interest litigation cannot be utilised - State of Uttaranchal versus Balwant Singh Chaufal and others.”

Before parting with the order, the Bench added: “Moreover, there is nothing on the record to suggest that the respondent, Arvind Khanna, is a British citizen, except some indirect evidence.

There is, thus, no merit in the writ petition and the same is accordingly dismissed.”

Punjab Roadways employees block road against police highhandedness
Bipin Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service

Punjab Roadways employees block traffic at Lama Pind Chowk in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Jalandhar, October 19
Traffic on the busy GT road was disrupted for nearly an hour as the employees of Punjab Roadways blocked the Highway near Lama Pind Chowk following the thrashing of their colleagues by traffic police personnel, late this evening.

The incident occurred at around 6.30 pm when certain officials of the Punjab police, who were travelling in an Amritsar bound Punjab Roadways bus, indulged in an argument with the driver and the conductor.

The problem, which started near Ropar, took an ugly turn in Jalandhar when the victim called their union leader who subsequently blocked the GT road at Lamba Pind Chowk. The agitators were demanding arrest of the cops.

Receiving information, the Station House Officer, Rama Mandi, and police station division no-8 reached the spot and pacified the roadway employees.

The sources said ASI Balwinder Singh and his colleagues were travelling in the bus and had entered into an argument with Gurdev Singh, driver, and Manjit Singh, conductor, of the bus.

The sources also said certain police personnel had sent certain goods to Jalandhar from Chandigarh by the bus. As the driver forget to deliver the goods at Jalandhar and was driving his way to Amritsar, certain cops, deployed to regular traffic at Lama Pind Chowk, stopped the bus and along with their colleagues travelling in the bus, gave a sound beating to the bus driver and the conductor.

The Station House Officer, Satinder Singh, said the cops who were travelling in the bus thrashed the bus driver and conductor. He, however, did not disclose identities of the assailants.

The police have registered a case against the errant cops on the complaint of the victims.

Punjabi Sahit Ratan Award for Mohinder, Khannvi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
The prestigious Punjabi Sahit Ratan Award for 2010 and 2011 has been bagged by litterateurs Dr Mohinder Kaur Gill and Prem Parkash Khannvi, respectively.

This was finalised in a meeting of the state-level Advisory Board of the Language Department held here today under the chairmanship of Punjab Education and Languages Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan. The Punjabi Sahit Ratan and Shiromani Awards for 15 different categories were also finalised.

Dr Gill, a former principal of Mata Sundri College, Delhi, has authored more than 100 books on Sikhism while Khannvi, a Sahitya Akademi award winner, is one of the major contemporary short story writers.

Other winners are Surjit Haans and Dr Tejwant Mann who bagged the Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar Award; Gurbachan Singh and Krishan Kumar Rattu - Shiromani Hindi Sahitkar Award; Sardar Anjum and Dr Rubina Shabnam - Shiromani Urdu Sahitkar Award; Shiv Parshad Bhardwaj and Dr Mahesh Chander Sharma Gautam - Shiromani Sanskrit Sahitkar Award; Surinder Gill and Surjit Judge - Shiromani Punjabi Poet Award; Harbhajan Singh Bhatia - Shiromani Punjabi Critics Award (2010); Saroop Singh Alag - Shiromani Gyan Sahitkar Award (2011); Veena Verma and Jarnail Singh Toronto - Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar (Foreigner) Award; Darshan Singh “Bhau” and Harbhajan Singh Komal - Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar (outside Punjab) Award, Sukhdev Singh Grewal and Kamaljit Nillon - Shiromani Punjabi Bal Sahit Writer Award; Hukam Chand Sharma - Shiromani Punjabi Patarkar Award; Gurwinder Singh Dhaliwal and Jagdish Singh Waryam - Shiromani Punjabi Sahitik Patarkar Award; Joga Singh Jogi and Nirmal Singh Khalsa - Shiromani Ragi/Dhadi/Kavishar Award; Jatinder Kaur and Kesar Singh - Shiromani Punjabi

Television/Radio/Theater Award; and Amarjeet Gurdaspuri and Kuldeep Manak - Shiromani Punjabi Singer/Musician Award for 2010 and 2011, respectively.

The Punjabi Sahit Ratan Award carries Rs 5 Lakh each, a shawl, medal and plaque while Shiromani awards winners will get Rs 2.5 each a shawl, medal and plaque.

It has also been decided to honour Kirpal Singh Badungar and Harvinder Singh Khalsa with Rs 1.5 lakh each and Gulzar Singh Shounki with Rs 1 lakh award money.

Gurdaspur’s gymnastic association in a shambles
The association had once produced top women gymnasts, but now cannot even take part in championships due to lack of funds
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, October 19
For long, this district has been known to be a conveyor belt for producing top women gymnasts who, over the years, have earned the sobriquet of being the ‘rubber dolls’ of the town.

However, things have changed. Now, the Gurdaspur District Gymnastics Association (GDGA), the body that governs the sport in the district, has fallen on bad days. Its coffers are empty following which the Association is unable to send its players to state or national level championships.

Silence prevails at the Parbodh Chander Memorial Hall, which had produced a record 13 international and more than 100 national-level women gymnasts, before the sub junior and junior state championships to be held at Fatehgarh Sahib on October 29 and 30. The participation of the Gurdaspur team hangs in the balance.

Earlier, when the team took part in the Punjab women festival held at Ludhiana the gymnasts were bailed out by Neelam Sethi, Principal of the local Mohan Lal SD College for Women, who provided the trainees with a mini bus and also arranged for some funds for the trip.

“The centre, often known as the factory which produces the magical elixir, has surely fallen on bad days as without money the Association is finding it difficult to sustain its day to day activities,” remarked Romesh Mahajan, the Vice President of GDGA.

Five trainees of the Centre’s-Monica, Gulvinder Kaur, Nagender Kaur, Varinder Kaur and Simran-were at the New Delhi Commonwealth games camp. Another top drawer gymnast produced by the centre is Samita Sharma who donned the India colours in the SAARC championship held in Allahabad in 1999. Other girls who have done the centre proud are Rohika, Jaswant Kaur and Neeru Jaiwal.

“We are perennially starved of funds. Whenever the media highlights our plight, politicians make tall claims of giving us money but seldom do they keep their promises,” said Coach Jagtar Singh.

“Two years ago, the then Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal gave a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the GDGA. However, due to a mistake the cheque was credited to the account of the District Olympic Association and nobody is willing to undo the gaffe,” said Mahajan. The connoisseurs of the sport are flummoxed at the way the sport, which once had brought international attention to the town, is being run.

Angry villagers block highway
Allege probe in money exchanger murder case moving at snail’s pace
Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, October 19
Alleging that investigation in the murder case of the money exchanger, Jasvir Singh, was going at snails pace, the angry villagers today held a protest on the National Highway-703 in Lambra near Jalandhar demanding immediate arrest of the remaining two accused.

The traffic on the Highway was disrupted for few hours due to the protest.

Protesters, including the deceased’s son, Mandeep Singh, and deceased’s brothers, Pinder and Kulwinder, alleged that the police had not yet achieved any headway in the investigation and was keeping the villagers in dark.

The protesters, also comprising the representatives of some political parties, alleged that the police had not been able to expose the reason behind the murder.

Two undertrials escape

Tarn Taran, October 19
Two undertrials who were on their way to Judicial Court ,Patti, escaped from the police custody today near Jandoke village, Sarhali, 10 km from here, by jumping from the police vehicle.

The accused have been identified as Pawar (30), alias Bakhtu, and Bela Nath (28), alias Nathi, residents Khadur Sahib road. Their third associate, Jeewa Ram, alias Karan, denied following them. According to the sources, all the three were being brought to be produced before the Judicial Court of JMIC SS Josan.

A four-member team of the Punjab police, led by the head constable Harwinder Singh, had brought them from the Amritsar Central Jail. The accused were booked by the Bhikhwind police in a looting case.

The district police after hearing the incident dispatched a heavy police force to trace them. Malwinder Singh Sidhu, SP (Detective) said police of Patti, Bhikhiwind, Chabal, Sadar, City and Reserve Force also reached the spot immediately to search them. However, the escaped accuseds were not found. The frustrated police beat up some migrated women working on the road side.

A case under Sections 223, 224 and 120B of the IPC has been registered against the accused as well as against the police team. It was said the under-trials jumped from the police vehicle when the vehicle speed was slow near the Jandoke village and managed to escape in the cover of trees on the road side. — OC

NH-703: Road or pool, hard to decide
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Shahkot, October 19
The National Highway-703 near Shahkot has been virtually turned into a pool of water due to the lack of drain out facility. Travelling on these roads poses great threat to the commuters for the past of many years.

Every department concerned has been shirking their responsibility and blaming each other for the mess. The Public Works Department (PWD) officials, under whose jurisdiction the highway falls, blamed the Municipal Committee of Shahkot for not providing the drainage facility to the town’s sewerage water. “It is not possible to construct or even repair the road, until, the Committee lays down proper drainage channel,” PWD officials said.

A few days ago, social groups of Shahkot came together and held a protest on the road.