L A T E S T      N E W S

Naroda Patiya case: 28 years jail for Kodnani;
Bajrangi gets life term till death

Ahmedabad: A special Gujarat court on Friday sentenced Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani to 28 years in jail for her involvement in the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Naroda Patiya where 97 persons were killed.

Former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who was also convicted in the case, has been awarded life imprisonment till death, while the other 30 convicts were also awarded life terms.

More than 10 years after a mob hacked and burnt to death the 97 persons in Naroda Patiya here Feberuary 28, 2002, the special court had on Wednesday convicted 32 persons, including Kodnani and Bajrangi, for the massacre.

The special court in Ahmedabad also acquitted 29 persons. — IANS

‘Proper atmosphere’ needed for Pak visit: PM

On Board PM’s Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said he was keen to visit Pakistan but for this a “proper atmosphere” has to be created and a “crucial test” for Islamabad is to bring to book the perpetrators of the heinous Mumbai attack.

“I am very keen to visit Pakistan and I am grateful for the invitation. But I also mentioned to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari that we have to create a proper atmosphere,” he told reporters accompanying him on his way back home from Tehran.

His remarks came a day after he met President Zardari on the sidelines of the NAM Summit in the Iranian capital during which he pushed Pakistan to act against India-directed terrorism and said that expeditious conclusion of the Mumbai terror attack trial in that country will be a “major” Confidence Building Measure in bilateral relations.

Zardari also renewed his invitation to Singh to visit Pakistan.

During his on board interaction, the Prime Minister, who responded to a range of questions, said there has to be a “genuine feeling” that Pakistan was doing its best to stop terror acts against India from its soil.

“There must be a genuine feeling that Pakistan is doing all that it could do to deal with terrorism directed against India from Pakistani soil. And in this context the trial of those charged with the heinous crime of Mumbai massacre was a crucial test for the Pakistani society to bring to book the perpetrators.”

The Prime Minister noted that Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said his country was doing all it could in the realm of the court process.

“There are issues like Sir Creek which are doable as was said by him (Zardari) when he came last (to Delhi in April). I said let’s push this process.

“Meanwhile, Foreign Ministers will be meeting and they will explore the possibility of what can be achieved to facilitate a purposeful visit of mine to Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said.

The Singh-Zardari meeting on Thursday night came a day after the Indian Supreme Court upheld LeT terrorist Ajmal Kasab’s death sentence in the Mumbai terror attack case, strengthening India’s case for action against others involved in the 26/11 strike in which 166 persons were killed.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders this year.

Singh had earlier met Zardari in New Delhi in April when the Pakistani President made a private visit to India to pray at the Sufi shrine in Ajmer.

The Prime Minister had hosted a lunch for Zardari and conveyed to him that people of India would judge Pakistan by the actions taken to curb terrorism and against those responsible for Mumbai terror attack. — PTI

SC orders Sahara to refund Rs 17,400 crore to investors

NEW DELHI: In a major setback to the Sahara Group, the Supreme Court on Friday directed two of its companies to refund around Rs 17,400 crore to their investors within three months with 15 per cent interest.

A bench of justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and J.S. Khehar directed SEBI to take action against the companies, Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation, if they fail to refund the money.

The Supreme Court allowed the regulatory body to attach properties and freeze bank accounts of the two companies if they did not comply with its order.

The bench further directed SEBI to conduct investigation against the companies to find out their actual subscriber base besides getting other relevant information.

It directed the companies to furnish all their documents and account details before the regulatory body and appointed a former judge B.N. Aggarwal to oversee the probe by SEBI against the two Sahara firms. — PTI

Gawli gets life term for murdering Sena corporator

MUMBAI: Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment by a special MCOCA court in Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar murder case.

Special MCOCA court judge Prithviraj Chavan also imposed a fine of Rs. 17 lakh on Gawli, failing which he will have to undergo an additional three-year imprisonment.

Ten others were also awarded life imprisonment in the case while accused Sunil Ghate was convicted only under Arms Act and has been sent to three years’ rigorous imprisonment.

The court also sent Gawli to ten-year imprisonment each for being a member of the organised crime syndicate and extortion.

While pronouncing the sentence, justice Chavan said, “Instead of death I am giving you life imprisonment.”

During the arguments on sentencing, Gawli had told the judge that there was no reason for him to kill the Sena corporator for a “paltry” amount of Rs. 30 lakh.

“After 2007 BMC elections, when Shiv Sena was not in majority it was our Akhil Bharatiya Sena, who gave them support of four corporators (to attain majority). At that time each of our corporators commanded very high monetary value (for providing support) and there was no reason for me to kill Jamsandekar for Rs. 30 lakh,” Gawli argued.

On August 24, the former MLA and 11 others were found guilty of murdering Jamsandekar in 2008. Earlier, Gawli’s lawyer Sudeep Passbola had argued in the court that his client should not be given capital punishment, as demanded by the prosecution. “Give a dog a bad name and shoot it — that should not be the principle,” Passbola had said. — PTI

Passage of Lokpal Bill delayed further

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited Lokpal Bill is in for further delay with the term of a Parliamentary committee examining it being extended on Friday beyond September 3 to allow it to submit its report by the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament.

A motion seeking extension of time for presentation of the report of the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha on the Lokpal and the Lokayukta Bill, 2011 was adopted by the Upper House.

The motion sought extension of time for the committee up to the last day of the first week of the Winter Session this year.

The Rajya Select Committee on Lokpal/Lokayukta Bill which met yesterday decided to seek extension of its term to complete the examination of the measure.

The term of the panel otherwise ends on September 3.

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav, who moved the motion in this regard Rajya Sabha, told reporters outside Parliament that the tenure of the committee was extended because the committee members wanted to have further discussion on such an important bill.

“So many people have requested to put forth their views. We have to take suggestions from so many people and there has to be clause by clause discussion also. So it will take time,” he said.

The Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha, was referred to the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha in May as consensus eluded on its various provisions.

Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy, who had tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, had expressed the hope that the panel would finalise its recommendations by the last week of the Monsoon Session. The Bill that has failed to become a law since it was first introduced in 1968. — PTI

Madras HC gives go-ahead to Kudankulam N-plant

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday gave its go ahead to the operationalisation of the much-awaited Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP). 

Disposing off a petition, the Madras HC gave permission for the commissioning of the Unit-I and II of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. 

The court rejected argument that the project had environmental clearance issues. 

The court also ordered setting up of schools and hospital around the KNPP. 

Apart from seeking environmental clearance for the project, the PIL filed by G Sundarrajan had sought a ban on Russian reactors to be installed at the plant. 

On Wednesday, while disposing of a plea against the KNPP, the High Court had reserved its decision on Sundarrajan’s petition. 

The court had earlier accepted the revised consent order issued by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for the mega atomic power project in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here, senior Central government standing counsel representing the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) said.