L A T E S T      N E W S

PMO denies information on 2G

New Delhi: Mired in controversies, the Prime Minister's Office has declined to disclose information related to 2G spectrum allocation issue citing breach of parliamentary privilege.

Replying to an RTI query by advocate Vivek Garg, the PMO said since the issues relating to the allocation of second generation spectrum is being looked into by Parliamentary Committees, the information cannot be made public.

The surfacing of a 2G note of the Finance Ministry on the basis of an RTI query filed by Garg had caused crises in the government in September. The Finance Ministry note written on March 25, 2011 had said that the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram could have avoided the scam had he insisted on auctioning of spectrum.

"Papers and records on the issue have been requisitioned by these committees. Under Section 8 (1) (C) of the Right to Information Act, such information, the disclosure in terms of Rule 275 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha evidence given before a Parliamentary Committee shall not be published until it has been laid on the Table in Parliament.

"Therefore, papers constituting evidence given to a Parliamentary Committee whose report is yet to be tabled are exempt from the disclosure," the Central Public Information Officer of the PMO said in reply to an RTI application filed by Garg.

Maoist bandh fails to evoke response in Jharkhand

Ranchi: Barring Maoist pockets on the borders with Orissa, the 24-hour shutdown in two states called by the CPI (Maoist) on Thursday failed to evoke response in Jharkhand.

The shutdown partially affected only in the villages adjoining Saranda forest while there was mixed response in rural areas of Gumla district, according to police sources.

Life in all other districts was normal, the sources said. The shutdown was called reportedly by the CPI (Maoist’s) Jharkhand Regional Committee spokesman Samarjee against the proposed visit by Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and the CRPF’s director general of Saranda forest this month.

Ramesh had visited a couple of districts, including Gumla, last month and told the media that extremism could be controlled through development of rural areas.
After a special joint anti-Maoist operation in Saranda forest from July 31, the Jharkhand and the CRPF personnel had smashed several rebel bunkers and 'disturbed' the Eastern Regional Bureau Headquarters of the CPI (Maoist), which was guiding the Maoist movement in all the eastern states, according to a police communique issued in August.

The police had also destroyed the rebels supply lines and information network during that operation.

Sonia, Manmohan in top 20; Obama on top of Forbes power list 

New York: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh figure among the top 20 most powerful people on earth in the latest Forbes list that is topped by US President Barack Obama, who claimed back the spot in the glow of American successes against Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi.

Gandhi has been placed at the 11th place in the list and comes out as the most powerful Indian, and Forbes described her as a politician who has "twice refused to serve as Prime Minister, delegating that job to Manmohan Singh".

Singh himself is placed at the 19th place and is described by the influential magazine as an "incorruptible" Cambridge, Oxford educated economist.

Despite a poor popularity run at home, Obama, who was last year toppled by Chinese President Hu Jintao as the most powerful person in the world is again at the helm of the list, while Hu has slipped to the third spot behind Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

The magazine said Hu's diminishing influence as he gives up political office was part of the reason why Obama was able to reach up even while falling down in popularity charts at home, so was America's continued supremacy in the world. "Despite faddish American declinism, the US remains, indisputably, the most powerful nation in the world, with the largest, most innovative economy and the deadliest military," it said.

The US forces' success in eliminating its enemy number one Osama bin Laden and the US-led NATO forces' success in Libya are indicators of America's continued might in the world.

2G case: Court dismisses bail pleas of Kanimozhi, 7 others

New Delhi: In a setback to DMK MP Kanimozhi and seven others, a Delhi court on Thursday dismissed their bail pleas in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Special Judge O P Saini dismissed the bail pleas, including that of former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, saying the charges levelled against them were of "very serious nature." The others whose bail petitions were dismissed were former Telecom Minister A Raja's erstwhile Private Secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Kusegaon Fruits & Vegetables directors Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal and Bollywood filmmaker Karim Morani.

"The facts of the case as well as the charges levelled against the accused are of very serious nature having grave implications for the economy of the country," the court said. "I am satisfied that no case for bail is made out for any of the applicants/accused," it said.

While dismissing the bail application of Kanimozhi, daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the court said, "By no stretch of imagination she can be said to be suffering from any discrimination on ground of being a woman.

Karuna upset over denial of bail to daughter 

Chennai: DMK chief M Karunanidhi is "very upset" over rejection of bail to his daughter and party MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case. "Karunanidhi was hoping that Kanimozhi would be given bail as the CBI has not opposed her bail plea. He is very upset and had not spoken to anybody, including family members after he came to know of the dismissal of the bail application today," sources close to Karunanidhi said here.

Noting that the charges levelled against Kanimozhi and seven others in the case were of "very serious nature", a Delhi court dismissed their bail pleas.

The others whose bail petitions were dismissed were former Telecom Minister A Raja's erstwhile Private Secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Kusegaon Fruits & Vegetables directors Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal and Bollywood filmmaker Karim Morani.

Yeddyurappa gets bail in one case 

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted conditional bail to former Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in a corruption case relating to alleged irregularities in denotifying lands.

Yeddyurappa has been given bail in the third private complaint against him and his bail application in the fourth private complaint has been posted for orders in the afternoon.

In the event of the court also allowing his bail plea in the fourth complaint, Yeddyurappa may walk free out of the jail. While allowing him bail in the third private complaint, Justice B V Pinto directed him to furnish a surety for Rs five lakh and not to tamper with evidence.

Yeddyurappa is in judicial custody for the last 20 days which was granted by a Lokayukta court before which the case is pending. The Lokayukta court had earlier dismissed the bail application of Yeddyurappa, against whom it had issued summons in two private complaints regarding alleged irregularities in denotification of government land for pecuniary gains.

Facing arrest, Yeddyurappa had surrended before the Lokyukta court, where advocate Sirajin Basha had filed the complaints. Yeddyurappa, his two sons-- B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha memebr and B Y Vijendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar have also moved applications seeking anticipatory bail in three other private complaints in which they have been named as accused by Basha. Their pleas are being heard by Justice Billiappa on Thursday.