L A T E S T      N E W S

HC order not a setback for me, says Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday ruled out his resignation in the wake of Madras high court decision in the election petition against him saying the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival. 

He ridiculed the demand for his resignation by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa saying he was astonished by their "monumental ignorance". 

Reacting to the demands of the opponents, the minister said those who make the demand for his resignation "do not have criminal case, do not have charges and have not been questioned under Criminal Procedure Code". 

"I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha," Chidambaram told PTI. 

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court today declined Chidambaram's plea for dismissal of the election petition against him by the losing AIADMK candidate R S Rajakannappan in Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu in 2009 Lok Sabha polls. 

But the court struck down two paras in Rajakannappan's petition containing allegations against returning officer, government and bank officials. 

Chidambaram said in the election petition against him, there were only allegations. 

"Issues have not yet been framed. Trial has not yet started. Not one witness has been examined. At the threshold an application was filed to strike out pleadings. 

"That application has been partly allowed and para 4 and 5 which contain allegations against returning officer, police officers, other government servants and bank officials have been struck out," he said. 

The home minister said he sincerely hoped that political leaders will read Order 6, Rule 16 of the Civil Procedure Code and understand what is the meaning of 'strike out the pleadings'. 

"If pleadings are struck out, it is a setback to the election petitioner and not to me," he said. 

Asked about the claim of the lawyer for Rajakannappan that except para 4 and 5, all other charges in the petition have been accepted by the court, Chidambaram said "pleadings have not been accepted. Now the trial is to start". 

Replying to Jayalalitha's charge, the home minister said "they (rivals) have not sought adjournments to the trial dozens of times. 

"They have not approached high court or Supreme Court dozens of times. Therefore, they are entitled to make these demands," he said. — PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by dentist Nupur Talwar seeking bail and review of its order of allowing her criminal prosecution in the twin murder case of her daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. 

A bench of Justices AK Patnaik and JS Khehar in a short order said that it finds “no merit” in the review petition.

Nupur had claimed that she was not asking for a clean chit in the murder case but wanted a direction to the CBI to re-investigate the case. The CBI had strongly opposed her pleas.

Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit at her Noida residence on the intervening night of May 15 and 16, 2008, while Hemraj's body was recovered from the terrace of the house the next day.

Nupur is now in judicial custody while her husband Rajesh Talwar, also a dentist, is out on bail. The case for their trial in the twin murder case is pending at a Ghaziabad sessions court. 

Kabul: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in the Afghan capital on an unannounced trip Thursday, a day after a suicide bombing attack and an alleged errant Nato air strike. Before his arrival, Panetta told reporters that he wanted to hear an assessment from commanders about a recent rise in insurgent attacks and plans for troop withdrawals. 

Panetta said an insurgent assault on Wednesday "was much more organised than we've seen before", with a suicide bomber on a motorcycle and a suicide bomber on foot striking a vehicle park outside a Nato base.

Panetta, who flew to Kabul from New Delhi, said he wanted "to get a sense of just exactly what are the Taliban doing".

"There's been an increase in the attacks," he said, adding that the overall level of violence in the country was still down compared to previous years.

The Pentagon chief said he would confer with the top commander of Nato-led forces, General John Allen, to hear how he planned to maintain security despite Taliban attempts to undermine a gradual transfer of authority from alliance troops to Afghan government forces.

In a brief visit of several hours, he was also due to meet US ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker, before speaking to American troops and holding talks with his Afghan counterpart, Abdul Rahim Wardak, officials said.

Govt defers decision on pension reforms Bill

NEW DELHI: Amid differences among allies, the government on Thursday deferred a decision on the changes in the crucial Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, 2011.

"It (the PFRDA Bill) was taken up and deferred", said a minister after the Cabinet meeting here.

Among the UPA allies, Trinamool Congress has been quite vociferous in opposing the pension and insurance reforms.

Railway Minister Mukul Roy, who represents TMC in the UPA government, did not speak on the issue during the Cabinet meeting, sources said.

The Cabinet, as per the agenda, was scheduled to approve changes in the PFRDA Bill in light of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance, to pave way for passage of the Bill in monsoon session of Parliament next month.

The Cabinet, sources said, was required to take a view on the proposal of ensuring assured returns to pension fund subscribers, as suggested by the committee, headed by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.

The PFRDA Bill, which has been pending for several years, seeks to open the pension sector to private sector and foreign investment.

The proposed legislation was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 24, 2011.

The PFRDA Bill provides for establishment of a statutory authority to undertake promotional, developmental and regulatory functions in respect to pension funds.

Interim PFRDA is functioning since 2003 through an executive order.

PFRDA, set up as a regulatory body for pension sector, is yet to get statutory powers as the Bill pertaining to that effect lapsed in Parliament with the expiry of last Lok Sabha in 2009. — PTI