L A T E S T      N E W S

Punjab minister Bibi Jagir Kaur gets 5-year jail
in daughter's murder case

Patiala: Senior Punjab minister Jagir Kaur was on Friday held guilty by a special CBI court of conspiracy in the death of her daughter, Harpreet Kaur, in April 2000 and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment. However, the court dropped murder charges against her.

She has been held guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code— Section 120-B (conspiracy), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 days or more) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent of secretly and wrongfully to confine person).

However, the court dropped the charges of murder (Section 302) against Jagir Kaur and other who had been accused by the CBI.

Three others — Dalwinder Dhesi, Paramjit Singh and Nishan Singh — have absolved of murder but convicted in the murder conspiracy. 

Harpreet Kaur had died under mysterious circumstances in April 2000.

The case has seen several witnesses turning hostile. Even the complainant Kamaljit Singh turned hostile, only to re-affirm the charges later.

While Harpreet's cremation happened hurriedly, a few days after her death, Kamaljit, a resident of Begowal, which is the ancestral village of Bibi Jagir Kaur, had claimed that he was Harpreet's husband and the father of Harpreet's still-born child.

When the police refused to register a complaint in this regard on April 27, 2000, Kamaljit approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On June 9, 2000, the High Court directed the CBI to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

After conducting the probe, on October 3, 2000, the CBI registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Bibi Jagir Kaur who was the SGPC president at that time. 

Bibi Jagir Kaur holds the portfolios of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation; Defence Services Welfare; and Pensioners’ Welfare. — Agencies

Tatra-BEML truck supply deal: CBI begins
searches in Delhi, Bangalore

New Delhi: The CBI on Friday began searches at four places in Delhi and Bangalore in connection the alleged irregularities in Tatra trucks deal. Earlier today, the CBI registered a case in connection with the supply of all-terrain Tatra trucks through state-owned BEML to the Army and called for questioning Vectra group Chairman Ravi Rishi who is a majority stake holder in Tatra.

CBI sources said British national Rishi, who is in the national Capital for the Defence Expo, has been called for questioning in the connection with the alleged irregularities in the deal.

CBI Director A P Singh had examined a report forwarded by one of the joint directors of the agency who had opined that a case could be made out and a thorough investigation was required, the sources said.

The deal came under scanner after Army Chief V K Singh had alleged that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe to clear a file related to purchase of trucks.

The Defence Ministry has sent a reference to the CBI seeking a probe in the allegations. However, the agency is waiting for a complaint from Gen Singh before initiating a probe into his allegations.

The sources said based on the reference, two separate cases could be registered by the agency -- one related to the deal and another to the alleged bribery offer.

Reacting to alleged involvement of agents and lobbyists in placement of orders for the Tatra trucks, state-owned BEML chief V R S Natarajan has said, "In last 26 years, from 1986 onwards, BEML assembled manufactured, supplied 7,000 Tatra trucks. All of them have been done on single nomination basis, single inquiry basis.

"This type of equipment nobody in world makes, because of its superior technological features. When I am the single vendor and there is no competition, there is no influence required," he said.

The name of Tatra and Bharat Earth Movers Limited was taken by the Army in a press release issued by it on March 5, alleging that retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh had offered a bribe on behalf of Tatra and Vectra Limited. — PTI

SC refuses to entertain clemency plea for Rajoana

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any order on a plea for clemency to Balwant Singh Rajoana, awarded death penalty for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

A bench of justices TS Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra said it cannot pass any direction as the convict has not filed any petition before it and the petitioner Abhinav Ramakrishna has no locus standi to plead on his behalf.

The apex court also allowed an NGO, Lawyers for Human Rights International, to withdraw its petition filed with a similar plea.

The bench told Abhinav Ramakrishna, an advocate, that since petition was filed under Article 32, it cannot be entertained as in no way any fundamental right of the petitioner was violated.

In other words, the bench said Article 32 provision could be invoked only by a person whose fundamental right is violated.