L A T E S T      N E W S

Army Chief names retired Lt Gen in his complaint to CBI

NEW DELHI: Army Chief Gen V.K. Singh has named retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh in his complaint to the CBI on the alleged Rs 14 crore bribe offered to him to clear tranche of nearly 600 Tatra trucks. CBI sources said Singh had assured them of providing more material about the alleged bribe offer very soon.

The agency has started examining the complaint received yesterday and may question Tejinder Singh in connection with the case, they said. Sources said a call on whether to proceed with a preliminary enquiry or a regular FIR would be taken soon.

Tejinder Singh has refuted the allegations. He has also filed a defamation case against the Army Chief and other officers. The agency was waiting for a formal complaint from the Army Chief regarding details of alleged bribe offer to initiate a formal probe into the matter referred to it by the Defence Ministry. CBI officers had met him on Monday evening.

The Army Chief had claimed in media interviews that an equipment lobbyist had offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore, a matter which he had reported to Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

The ministry had then recommended a CBI probe into the allegation made by the Army Chief.

After receiving reference from the ministry, the agency had asked it to make available a complaint from Singh besides other details such as list of witnesses and supporting documents after which it would initiate its probe in the case. — PTI

Rajoana's mercy petition to be examined
on merit: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry will examine on merit the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death for assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, and it will be submitted to the President for a final decision.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said Rajoana's mercy petition filed by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee had come to the Home Ministry two days ago and had been added to the list of mercy petitions of condemned prisoners.

"We will examine it on merit and submit to the President of India," he said.

Chidambaram said execution of a condemned prisoner had to be stayed once a mercy petition was filed before the President and it should be kept in abeyance till a decision was taken on the prayer. He said guidelines in this regard were very clear.

Once a mercy petition is filed on behalf of a sentenced prisoner, the sentence cannot be executed unless there is a decision on the mercy petition.

"So, when we got the copy of the mercy petition (of Rajoana) from the President's Secretariat, we immediately drew the attention of the government of Punjab to the standing guidelines and the instructions.

"By drawing the attention of government of Punjab to the standing guidelines and instructions, does not mean the Home Ministry is expressing any opinion on the merits of the mercy petition," he said.

The Home Minister refused to comment on alleged politics being played on Rajoana's mercy petition but said a mercy petition filed on behalf of a condemned prisoner should be treated equally like the mercy petition filed by a condemned prisoner.

Chidambaram said during his tenure as a Home Minister, he had received 33 mercy petitions and all but one had been submitted to the President for decisions. "I think all mercy petitions are submitted, re-submitted to the President. There is only one mercy petition that is pending in the ministry out of the total of 33, including what I got after I took over," he said.

He said 32 mercy petitions had been submitted or re-submitted to the President and the President had taken a decision in 15 cases. The Home Minister said mercy petition of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru was still pending before the President for a final decision. — PTI 

Chandigarh girl crowned Miss India

Mumbai: Chandigarh girl Vanya Mishra was Friday night crowned as the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012 in a glittering grand finale of the 49th edition of the beauty pageant.

The Miss India Earth title went to 24-year-old Prachi Mishra of Pune, while Chennai girl Rochelle Maria Rao, 23, was crowned as the Miss India International.

The trio, selected from 20 finalists, were crowned by last year`s winners Kanistha Dhankhar, Hasleen Kaur and Ankita Shorey. The event was hosted by Ayushman Khurana and Manish Paul.

While 19-year-old Vanya will represent India at the Miss World 2012 Pageant, Prachi and Rochelle shall represent the country at Miss Earth 2012 Pageant and Miss International 2012 Pageant, respectively.