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PIL challenging appointment of next Army Chief dismissed

NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court Bench today dismissed a PIL filed by retired officers and bureaucrats, including former Naval chief Admiral L Ramdas and former CEC N Gopalaswamy, challenging the appointment of Bikram Singh as the next Army chief. Lt Gen Bikram Singh will succeed General V.K. Singh as the Army Chief when the latter demits office on May 31, 2012.

The apex court Bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice H.L. Gokhale, while dismissing the petition said: "We don't find any justifiable cause to invoke Article 32 of the Constitution. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed."

Before rejecting the petition, the court had perused the original files relating to the appointment of Lt General Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief.

Ealier on the day, a Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and H.L. Gokhale decided to go through the confidential document while hearing a PIL challenging the appointment of Bikram Singh and asked the government to place the file before it at 2 pm.

The SC Bench refused to hold an 'in-camera' proceeding in the case as pleaded by the petitioners, who alleged that it's a sensitive issue, which should not be discussed in the open court.

The Bench turned down the petitioners' plea, saying all the allegations levelled in the petition have already become well-known through media reports.

The Bench was hearing a PIL filed by retired officers and bureaucrats, including former Naval Chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas and former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy, challenging the appointment of Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief.

At the outset of the proceeding, when the petitioners referred to the age row of the current Army Chief, the Bench made it clear that it would not go into that controversy again as it has been settled by the apex court earlier.

The Centre, represented by its top lawyers, including Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati and Solicitor General Rohinton F. Nariman, vociferously opposed the PIL saying it has been filed with malafide intention and to rake up the age controversy again.

The government objected to the contentions made in the petition on the ground that it has tried to bring communal angle in the case by alleging that Sikh groups tried to lobby for Bikram Singh.

The apex court also wanted to know from the Centre if the allegations made against Bikram Singh in an alleged fake encounter case in Jammu and Kashmir and his questionable role during UN peacekeeping mission in Congo were placed before the Cabinet Committee on Appointments. — Agencies

Chhattisgarh govt forms sub-committee to
look into Collector’s abduction

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has decided to appoint a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Raman Singh to look into the abduction of Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon. Official sources said an emergency meeting was called by the Chief Minister at his residence on Sunday evening, following reports about the April 25 deadline set by the Naxals who demanded release of their eight colleagues in exchange of the IAS officer.

During the meeting, it was decided that a sub-committee would be appointed to look into the abduction case.

State Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar, Tribal Welfare Minister Kedar Kashyap, Water Resources Minister Ramvichar Netam and School Education Minister Brijmohan Agrawal would be part of the sub-committee, they said.

"The doctors haven't given me any medicine. They said the effect of chemo is completely out of my system. It's been about five weeks now and I feel stronger day by day," Yuvraj added.

No tour with Ramdev: Anna

New Delhi: Amid reports of a growing unease within his team over his tie-up with Baba Ramdev for a joint rally, veteran activist Anna Hazare today dismissed all talks of a rift over the issue. But, in a curious doublespeak of sorts, the 74-year-old Gandhian first said that he would not be touring the country with the yoga guru, only to follow it up by saying that he did not rule out sharing a stage with Ramdev at a later stage.

"There is no gap in the one-and-a-half-month tour that I am going on. I told you before that we are not going to be touring together. But we are fighting for the same purpose of getting back black money and the Lokpal and the Lokayukta bills. We shall stand together and there is no change on that. After my Maharashtra trip, when we go together, it is possible that we will be on the stage together," Hazare said.

Yuvi to begin training soon

New Delhi: Desperate to don his India jersey once again, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who recently returned to the country after undergoing three cycles of chemotherapy in the US for a rare germ cell cancer, says he is set to start training in a "week or two". "I'll start training in a week or two. I definitely want to get back on the field as soon as possible and wear my India cap again," Yuvraj said.

As far as getting back to serious cricket is concerned, the left-hander said he would take a call depending on the way his body responds to training. "I can't really give a time right now, because I'll have to see how my body responds to the training and the workouts," he was quoted as saying in IPL's official website.

Yuvraj, who was last year diagnosed with a malignant tumour between his lungs, returned to the country on April 9 after undergoing treatment in the US.