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ASI case: Farmers hit protest track again
Commuters a harried lot
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Regularising illegal colonies retards planned progress
American Sikhs join Obama in calling for gun control
Panchayat
Elections
Sukhbir has failed on Home front: Cong
Akal Takht chief, hardliners skip Gurdaspur function
Services in co-op banks to be upgraded
High power tariff on pisciculturists belies govt’s diversification claims
10 months on, Bar unions call off ‘Saturday strike’
Mayoral race: Panel finalises 3 names
Probe yet to be marked in SHO extortion case
Bus owners to boycott work if PRTC doesn’t clear dues
Role of police in Rs 130-crore drug haul to be investigated
Govt to consult High Court over VAT Tribunal posts
Board, corp staff entitled to benefit of age relaxation: HC
Sanskrit teachers’ plea for equal pay dismissed
5 held for molesting student
Youth kills sister for honour
Minor raped in Patiala, accused on the run
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ASI case: Farmers hit protest track again
Terming the case registered against the farmer leaders as “false”, the protesters warned of intensifying their agitation against the state government’s “oppressive regime” in the coming days. Addressing the gathering, farmer leaders Satnam Singh Pannu and Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged that by registering a criminal case, the state government wanted to “curb the public outrage against its policies of privatisation and liberalisation”.
The conference passed a resolution seeking a judicial probe into the mysterious death of the police officer and immediate release of the farmers arrested in the case. The farmer organisations also demanded implementation of various demands agreed upon by the state government in the past. They also sought remunerative prices for their agricultural produce and tough measures to rein in drug abuse and the rising crime against women. The conference, which was organised to commemorate “martyrs” like Angrez Singh Bakipur, Jagtar Singh and Jagir Singh Dhotia, witnessed a strong presence of women as well. The relatives of those arrested in the ASI case were also felicitated on the occasion. The police was on alert in view of the conference and had also conducted a flag march prior to it. The police had booked over 20 farmers, including farmer leader Sawinder Singh Chutala, in the ASI case and arrested 11 of them.
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Commuters a harried lot
Amritsar, March 29 Members of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee gathered near Manawala railway station, 10 km from here, around 1:30 pm and sat on the Amritsar-Delhi track for over three hours. The arrival and departure timings of a number of trains were affected. Bakipur was killed at Manawala after the police had opened fire to disperse protesting farmers on March 29, 2004. Among the delayed trains were the Jaipur Express, Delhi-Pathankot train, Shan-e-Punjab and Dadar Express trains. Kisan Sangharsh Committee convener Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu alleged that the rising debt due to the “anti-farmer” policies of the state government was the main reason behind the increasing number of suicides by farmers. Pannu alleged that a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and drug smugglers was to blame for the easy availability and rising use of habit-forming drugs among the rural youth.
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ASI attacked by tipper driver, dies
Sidhuwal (Patiala), March 29 The accused, Amandeep Singh, who was reportedly drunk when the incident occurred, has been arrested. Some narcotics were also seized from his possession. The police said Mangat was on duty in Bhadson where the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, AK Sikri, was to attend a function. "Minutes before the Chief Justice was to leave, traffic was stopped from one side to make way for his exit. The tipper driver, however, did not adhere to the traffic restrictions and rushed his vehicle inside the university campus," the police said. After the traffic was cleared, the ASI along with Head Constable Kuldeep Singh reportedly rounded up the accused. The police claimed the accused allegedly attacked Mangat while catching the latter unawares. Patiala Inspector General Paramjit Gill, who inspected the crime spot, said during the scuffle that ensued, both the ASI and the accused fell into a pit. “By the time the Head Constable could come to the victim’s rescue, he had fallen unconscious," he said. The ASI was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him “brought dead”.
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Online system at ICP from April 1
Amritsar, March 29 Sources said the EDI would not only facilitate quick duty drawback for traders but also enable them to electronically file their documents. At present, one needs to queue up at the ICP counters to file documents meant for export/import of goods. The new system will also help traders keep a track of their consignment while sitting in their offices or homes. Besides, it will also aid in curbing malpractices. The sources said the system would initially be implemented only for exports. CII Zonal Council chairman Rajdeep Uppal said it would benefit the trade as everything would move faster while ensuring that there was complete transparency. “However, having a swift and smooth system in place doesn’t necessarily mean that we will be able to export more to Pakistan as any boost in exports primarily depends on the intake capacity of the neighbouring country. We can be sure of a surge in exports only if Pakistan augments its infrastructure to facilitate the same,” he said. While the ICP at Attari is spread over 120 acres of land, the check-post on the Pakistan side covers an area of just 9 acres. Jaspal Singh, a clearing agent, said physical filing of documents was full of hassles. With the online system, the entire process would be simplified, he added. Manav Taneja, a trader, said they had started making entries as part of the EDI’s trial run. The time for duty drawback would come down drastically with the EDI system, he said. The EDI is expected to bring relief for traders who were earlier complaining of lengthy paper work due to involvement of multiple agencies at the ICP, which started functioning in April last year. Meanwhile, the export of onions to Pakistan has started through the Attari-Wagah border. The sources said around 30 to 40 truckloads of onion were crossing over to Pakistan on a daily basis. However, the traders term it as a temporary phase on account of onion shortage in the neighbouring country.
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Regularising illegal colonies retards planned progress
Chandigarh, March 29 Colonisers had raised these colonies in violation of the master plan of the respective cities and towns. These colonies have no adequate infrastructure such as drinking water facility, sewerage and power supply system. While realtors have made a quick buck by selling plots and apartments to gullible buyers, it has been now left to the government to undo the damage done by such haphazardly planned colonies. “Instead of regularising these colonies, the government should have taken to task the erring colonisers for violations and made them return the money with interest to the buyers,” said a senior official associated with the urban development. A provision has been made in the Bill to keep in abeyance the enforcement of various Acts such as the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 and the Punjab Town Planning Improvement Act, 1922 in case of illegal colonies which are to be regularised in a year. “It is the responsibility of the municipal committees, improvement trusts and urban development authorities to ensure the development of colonies as per the master plans. Yet a large number of illegal colonies came up. The guilty officials should be taken to task by government,” said a senior leader of the BJP. As per the Bill, all notices issued by any local authority for initiating action against the unauthorised development shall be deemed to have been suspended and no punitive action shall be taken during the said period of one year. Those interested in getting unauthorised colonies or apartments regularised under the new provision will have to apply to the competent authority and fulfill certain conditions such as payment of development charges etc. The government expects to earn Rs 400 crore by regularising these colonies, it is learnt.
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American Sikhs join Obama in calling for gun control
Washington, March 29 "We need everybody to remember how we felt 100 days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn't just a bunch of platitudes, that we meant it," Obama said at a White House event on National Day of Action by supporters of tougher gun laws. "We've cried enough and it is time now for Americans to pressure their elected leaders to pass a package of laws proposed by Senate Democrats," a sombre and angry Obama told the audience, which included family members of Newtown victims. Also invited were four prominent members of the Sikh community to represent the families of the victims of the gurdwara shootout at Oak Creek, Wisconsin, last August when six worshippers were killed. Proposals ranging from expanded background checks to tougher laws against gun trafficking and improving safety at schools have been recommended in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy. But these have all come to naught in the face of fierce opposition led by the influential National Rifle Association and conservative politicians. Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), who was among the invitees, said in a statement: "People inspired by our faith must work towards making our society safe for all people, and especially for our children." Prabhjot Singh Kohli, Chairman of Guru Nanak Foundation of America (GNFA), said the Sikh community was "actively supporting the control of guns going in the wrong hands" as it feared more tragedies similar to the one at the Wisconsin gurdwara. — IANS
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Panchayat Elections
Bhaini Sahib, March 29 The newly appointed PPCC chief, whose priority, apart from leading a united Congress in the state, is to shore up support among the masses, seems to be taking his job in right earnestness, say observers. Talking on the sidelines of Hola Mohalla organised at Bhaini Sahib, Bajwa said the Congress would move the court on the “violations” in the delimitation of wards for the panchayat poll. “This time, the Congress will not let the ruling party subvert a free and fair poll. We will fight injustice tooth and nail. I will lead from the front,” he said. He charged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with “throttling the voice of democracy” and “browbeating” his opponents. “I urge the CM not to destroy democratic institutions and not to take the poeple for granted,” he said. He defended the Congress MLAs’ boycott of the Vidhan Sabha session. However, on the issue of PPCC appointments, a rather defensive Bajwa said these were an interim arrangement and had been cancelled on the directions of the High Command that did not favour a piecemeal arrangement. He hit out at SAD general secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa who had mocked at “the humiliating treatment meted out to him by the party high command” on the issue of appointments. Bajwa said he felt sorry for Dhindsa who, despite years of political experience, was at the tail-end of the Akali Dal hierarchy. Claiming that zonal heads had been appointed by the high command after taking him into confidence, he said political parties at the national level had to consider regional balances and caste equations. “Unlike the regional parties that take important decisions at the breakfast table only to retract these the next morning, national parties follow a chain of command. But this does not mean that state leaders have no say.” The PPCC chief claimed that the Congress would sweep the coming parliamentary elections. Bajwa paid respects to Satguru Uday Singh, head of the Namdhari sect. He was accompanied by Congress leader HS Hanspal, Sukhdev Singh Libra, MP, Ludhiana District Congress Committee (Rural) president Malkiat Singh Dakha, Ludhiana District Congress Committee (Urban) chief Pawan Dewan, MLAs Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Rakesh Pandey, former MLAs Sukhpal Khaira and Malkit Singh Birmi and PPCC legal cell member Harpreet Sandhu.
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Sukhbir has failed on Home front: Cong
Chandiagrh, March 29 “The man, who goes about claiming a mega success by organising politicised kabbadi matches, has failed to honour his commitments as Sports Minister. “Although a whopping Rs 11 crore of tax payers' money was spent on the flamboyant Bollywood star-studded opening and closing ceremonies of the Kabbadi World Cup, he has no time, interest or money to promote sports in Punjab,”
Bajwa alleged. The SAD-BJP Government had failed to confer awards, including Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, on outstanding sportspersons since 2006, he said. “Badal Junior organised Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh State Games in April 2011, promising to make these games an annual feature. He conveniently forgot his promise after the 2012 poll,” Bajwa added.
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ASI, family facing threats from goons approach SC/ST panel
Amritsar, March 29 The family is receiving threats from the other accused who are roaming free without fear. The policeman, ASI Manohar Lal, today approached Rajkumar Verka, Vice-Chairman, National SC/ST Commission, who directed the Batala Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to arrest the remaining accused within three days and submit a report to the commission. “Karnail Singh, one of those named in the FIR, regularly meets the SHO and senior police authorities. This shows that the officials are least bothered about arresting the culprits,” said the ASI, who is reportedly under depression because of the department's attitude. His wife told Verka that the family was being pressured into getting the girl married to the key accused. The commission had today summoned senior police officials of Batala, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Amritsar (Rural) in connection with four cases regarding crime against women. A rape victim, who used to work as a cook at Government Primary School, Ramgarh Nangal, alleged that the police was dragging
feet on arresting the accused, who belonged to Bojeyawali village. The commission asked the Batala police to submit a report. In yet another case, the commission asked the police to explain why it had not arrested the uncle of a 12-year-old Class V student for selling her to an aged farmer for a sum of Rs 70,000.
No breakthrough in rape case
Amritsar:Three days after a girl was allegedly gangraped by four youths in a moving car here, Harjit Singh Brar, Additional DCP, Crime, who is investigating the case, said they were yet to identify the accused. He said several persons had been taken into the custody. But there was no breakthrough in the case so far. — TNS
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Akal Takht chief, hardliners skip Gurdaspur function
Chaur Sidhwan (Gurdaspur), March 29 At least 3,000 policemen were brought in from the adjoining police districts of Batala, Pathankot and Amritsar. All roads leading to the village were virtually sealed and every commuter was thoroughly frisked. Senior officers, including four Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), were stationed at the Kahnuwan Chowk. Riot vehicles were stationed at the city’s vantage points. Paramraj Singh Umranangal, Deputy Inspector-General (DIG), Border Range, and Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Jit Singh Hundal could be seen personally monitoring the movement of people. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, who had brokered a truce between the police and the deceased’s family last year, did not make it to the venue. Police sources claimed that Sikh hardliner Simranjit Singh Mann was persuaded by senior officers to keep away even as his son Imaan Singh tired to whip up frenzy. The presence of Sikh radical Baljit Singh Daduwal unnerved the police who delivered a speech low on substance and high on emotion. Posters of Jaspal Singh and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale adorned the venue. “ We had no option except to overlook the provocative posters as we did not want to come into a confrontation with the hardliners,” said a top police official.
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Services in co-op banks to be upgraded
Chandigarh, March 29 Approving a slew of reforms for the upgradation of services in this sector to the advantage of farmers in particular, the step is aimed at bringing more efficiency in the delivery system of the banks on the one hand and enhancing profitability on the other. The process of appointing professionals with expertise in the banking sector would be implemented gradually. The Chief Minister ordered the computerisation of all 805 co-op bank branches in the state along with implementing core banking service. All banks will install the ATM facility at the earliest. Dwelling on issues pertaining to Milkfed and Markfed, the Chief Minister laid thrust on increasing business by further popularising their products. To check the sale of spurious cattlefeed, the Chief Minister agreed in principal to enact an Act to check the malpractice. He said the sale of poor quality cattlefeed was not in the interest of the farmers and effective steps were needed to check the same so as to benefit diary farmers in the state.
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High power tariff on pisciculturists belies govt’s diversification claims
Amritsar, March 29 Kanwaljit Singh Sidhu, president, Punjab Fish Farmers Association, said: “This belies government’s claims of promoting fisheries in the state. If it is not possible to provide free power, at least subsidised rates should be charged.” The state has around 7,500 fishery units covering an area of 11,000 hectares. However, the vocation has still not caught the fancy of individual farmers as two-third of these ponds are on panchayat land. The fish farmers are also facing problems in getting tubewell connections. BK Sood, Director and Warden, Fisheries, Punjab, said: “We have asked the government to allow fish farmers to use tubewells meant for agriculture. Fisheries should be considered as an allied agricultural activity as water from the ponds is also used for irrigating fields”. However, the government considers fishery units equivalent to small-scale industrial units. Harjit Singh Kooner, a fish farmer from Neelon said: “If we are part of the small-scale industry then why are we not given the benefits extended to such units? Value addition activities like de-boning or fish processing can be considered as an industrial activity, but not fish rearing”. Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who was here recently to attend a function to promote fish farming, said: “I will take up the matter of electricity rates with the Chief Minister. The government is keen to promote fisheries on the state. We are setting up an ultra modern fish market in Ludhiana while there is a proposal to open two such markets in
Amritsar”.
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Vocational training centres planned at Adarsh schools
Chandigarh, March 29 The decision was taken at a meeting here today. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the Chief Secretary to draft a policy for setting up the centres in these schools so that quality technical training could be imparted to the rural youth. Permission was also granted to the Adarsh School being run by the Bharti Foundation to open one such centre on its premises. Board member Rakesh Mittal said these centres would be opened in two out of the five schools being run by the foundation as a pilot project. The board also gave its approval for handing over the management of Adarsh Senior Secondary School at Ucha village (Kapurthala) to the Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society. The meeting also decided to open another Adarsh School with private partnership at Dialpura Bhai ke village in Bathinda. The school would be established with the help of Sant Mahesh Muni Bhorewale Welfare Society.
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10 months on, Bar unions call off ‘Saturday strike’
Chandigarh, March 29 The decision came soon after a delegation of presidents of all districts and sub-divisional courts met Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri. Available information suggests they have been assured of “light work” on Saturdays. The hour-long meeting and discussions took place between the delegation headed by Moga Bar Association president Sunil Garg and a panel of Judges headed by the Chief Justice. Garg said the High Court was convinced about their demand for a day off on a Saturday as it was a holiday in the whole of Punjab and Haryana. He said the High Court would soon be issuing a circular to all the districts and sub-divisional courts of Punjab and Haryana that the work load should be less on Saturdays. In fact, only execution and miscellaneous work would be fixed, so that advocates could prepare their cases for next week and “give quality justice to the litigants”.
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Mayoral race: Panel finalises 3 names
Patiala, March 29 Officials confirmed that the final list of the top three contenders had been prepared and Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka would convey the committee’s decision to the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday evening. Sukhbir will now take a final call on the matter. The next Patiala Mayor will be announced on April 2. Sources said the 33 councillors were today interviewed one at a time. “We asked them about the choice of their candidate for the next Mayor,” they said. A senior committee member confirmed that over a dozen councillors supported Jaspal Singh Bittu Chattha while some backed former Mayor Ajitpal Singh Kohli and Amarinder Bajaj for the post. “There were many who did not support anyone,” he said. The three-member screening committee is comprised of MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, party general secretary and MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka. Confirming that a final decision had been taken, Balwinder Singh Bhunder said, “Our aim is to select a candidate who is not controversial.” The post fell vacant after former Patiala Mayor Jaspal Pardhan had to resign in February due to his involvement in the murder case of his alleged 29-year old daughter-in-law Parampreet Kaur. Pardhan’s son Preetinder Singh was seen at the party head office today, garnering support for his father.
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Probe yet to be marked in SHO extortion case
Patiala, March 29 The SHO had allegedly asked for the money on the pretext of helping a local Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) halqa in charge Tejinder Pal Sandhu observe the death anniversary of his father on April 11. Congress leaders have demanded an independent probe into the matter to ascertain how much money was collected by the police. Chief spokesperson of the state Congress, Sukhpal Khaira said an independent probe was required as the state police was incompetent to probe its own officers. The district police had yesterday, sent the SHO concerned on leave after a businessman complained that the SHO had tried to extort Rs 70,000 from him. The complainant alleged he was now being pressured by the police to withdraw his complaint. Tejinderpal Singh Sandhu has rubbished the claims as totally false.
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Bus owners to boycott work if PRTC doesn’t clear dues
Patiala, March 29 The bus owners have decided to boycott work on April 2 if the management doesn’t make the payment by then. There are over 250 km-scheme buses running throughout the state, generating almost half of the revenue for PRTC. For every day that employees strike work, PRTC will lose around Rs 30 lakh. Malwinder Singh Sandhu, state president of the Km-Scheme Bus Owners Union, said the owners were making huge interest payments on their loans because the PRTC management hadn’t paid them their dues. He said the owners had financed most of their buses and were paying Rs 15 lakh in interest to banks. “It is unfortunate that the PRTC has not met the conditions stipulated in the contract which stated they would clear our payments every fortnight. The management recently received several crore rupees from the government but still has not cleared our payment,” he said. However, DPS Kharbanda, PRTC chairman-cum-Managing Director maintained the pending payment was Rs 6 crore. He said, “Though there is no provision that we make daily payments, we are paying them Rs 5 lakh everyday. This means that bus owners were getting Rs 1.5 crore out of their total monthly payment of Rs 2 crore. Now, we have increased their daily payment to Rs 6.25 crore which means that the current liability has become zero.” “As far as their pending payment is concerned, we have agreed that I will make the payment as soon as I receive the funds from the government. If they are still adamant on boycotting work, all of us stand to incur huge losses,” he added.
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Role of police in Rs 130-crore drug haul to be investigated
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 29 The police had also raided the house of Sarabjit Singh, Sub Inspector (SI) at Naya Gaon in Mohali district. But he had eloped by the time the police reached there. Sarabjit Singh was yesterday dismissed by the Punjab Police for having links with drug traffickers. The police had also recovered 10 empty shells of AK 47, a .12 bore gun and 11 mobile handsets from the SI’s house. The police now suspects that the SI may have been tipped about the police raid. Sarabjit had helped Jagdish Bhola by arranging hideouts for him on March 11, four days after the police had raided the latter’s house in phase 10, Mohali. Meanwhile, the district police had sought legal opinion to summon international boxer Vijender Singh in order to get his blood and hair samples for testing. Vijender’s name had come up in the Rs 130-crore drug haul after his sparring partner Ram Singh revealed that the former had also met international drug trafficker Anup Singh Kahlon.
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Govt to consult High Court over VAT Tribunal posts
Chandigarh, March 29 The assertion came in an affidavit filed in response to a petition filed in public interest by advocate HC Arora in the High Court. He was seeking directions to the Punjab Government to fill up the posts vacant in the Punjab VAT Tribunal after holding consultations with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in accordance with judgments of Supreme Court of India. The affidavit filed by Special Secretary (VAT) to Punjab Government, Excise and Taxation Department, Givandeep Singh Khalon, categorically stated the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court would be followed, as and when the State Government felt the necessity of appointing VAT Tribunal members. Similarly, VAT Tribunal chairman’s appointment would also be carried out in consultation with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, after the completion of present chairman Justice Harbans Lal’s tenure on February 14, 2014.
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Board, corp staff entitled to benefit of age relaxation: HC
Chandigarh, March 29 The ruling by Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain came on a petition filed by Sukhwinder Singh against the State of Punjab and another respondent. Sukhwinder Singh had sought directions to the respondents to allow him to appear in the Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination-2012. He had told the court that 60 posts were to be filled as per an advertisement issued on September 14, 2012. Referring to clause 3 of the Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination-2012 as contained in the advertisement, the petitioner had contended that the age limit of a candidate was between 21 and 37. The upper age limit was 47 if the candidate was an employee of the Punjab Government, other state governments or the Central Government. Challenging the validity of these provisions as discriminatory, the petitioner had contended that the benefit was extended only to the employees of state governments or the Central Government and not to employees of government corporations or boards. Aged above 37 but less than 47, the petitioner had argued that he too could have applied for the post had the benefit of age relaxation been extended to government corporations. Counsel for the petitioner had argued that the objective of age relaxation for state and Central Government employees was to select the best available candidates. “There was no reason to deny the same benefit to employees of boards and corporations who were also serving in connection with the affairs of the state,” he had said. The Bench ruled: “Non-extension of provision of age relaxation to the employees of corporations, boards, and public sector undertakings, which are State under Article 12, is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.
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Sanskrit teachers’ plea for equal pay dismissed
Chandigarh, March 29 Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain also ruled the benefit of “equal pay for equal work” principle could not be extended to the school cadre teachers, seeking parity of salary with college lecturers. The development is significant as the institutes are of historic significance. Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Patiala, came into existence for imparting education in the classical language of Sanskrit in 1860. A decade later, the Maharaja of Patiala created an education department and the institute was affiliated to the Calcutta University
in 1874. The classes in Sanskrit and Punjabi were separated from the rest and moved to separate institutions “Sanskrit Vidyalaya” and “Gurmukhi Vidyalaya” in Patiala in 1912. These were amalgamated in 1963 and a “Government Institute of Classical & Modern Indian Language” was established. In 1975, the two leading institutes at Patiala and Nabha were brought under newly established institute of oriental language. During the course of hearing, the State admitted that the institute of oriental languages in Patiala was created as a “special institute taking within its fold the Mahavidyalayas at Patiala and Nabha”. It was brought under the administrative control of the Director, Public Instruction (Colleges). Taking up the matter, the Single Judge ruled it was not possible to accord lecturer’s pay scales automatically “merely because some of them had obtained higher qualification”. Dismissing the appeals filed by Hari Dutt Sharma and other appellants, the Division Bench asserted: “It is rightly held by the Single Judge that merely because the appellants were made to teach in a college, would not mean that they are to be equated with the college lecturers and the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ would apply”. The Bench ruled: “The contention of the appellants that they fulfil all the qualifications laid down for appointment to the post of lecturers is not correct. Even otherwise, that cannot be a ground for extending the benefit of equal pay for equal work, as the appellants were appointed in school cadre on the basis of the qualifications meant for school cadres and the procedure for appointment of school cadres is totally different from the lecturers”. The appellants had earlier contended that they were teaching in the two Sanskrit institutes, which were “equivalent to a college”. Yet, they were transferred to Sanskrit schools, which was not permissible and they had the right to be retained in these two
institutes.
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5 held for molesting student
Amritsar, March 29 Those arrested were identified as Kulwant Singh and Sawinder Singh, both residents of Indira Colony, Verka, Rahul of Tandon Nagar, Batala Road, Kamal Kapoor of Jagdambe Colony, Batala Road and Gaurav Arora of Moon Avenue, Majitha Road. Dr Kaustubh Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said all of them were auto drivers. Raids were on to nab their accomplices, he said. The police had yesterday registered a case under Sections 354, 452, 427, 323, 148, 149 of the IPC against 12 youths, including Ravi and his brother Ankit of Gokal Vihar, Kunwar and Mohit of Vishal Vihar and eight others. Father of the victim, a BCom student of Guru Nanak Dev University College, Verka, had told the police that his daughter was returning home with her brother from a coaching centre when she was stalked and molested.
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Youth kills sister for honour
Amritsar, March 29 He has been arrested. His accomplices, identified as Nachhatar Singh and Sukha Singh, have fled. The crime came to light when Bawa Singh, paternal uncle of the deceased, questioned Malkeet on her whereabouts but failed to get a satisfactory answer. He then informed village sarpanch Harbhajan Singh who called the police. The police today exhumed the girl’s body in the presence of district officials for a post-mortem examination. Tilak Raj, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Ajnala, said the muder weapon had been recovered from Malkeet Singh who had confessed to the crime. A case had been registered.
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Minor raped in Patiala, accused on the run
Patiala, March 29 The girl has been sent for a medical examination. “We have registered a case under Sections 3/4/5 of protection of children from sexual abuse against the accused Ramji,” said Karnail Singh, Station House Officer, division number 2. “The victim was a relative of the accused and was staying with him. He is on the run and we are making efforts to nab him,”
he added.
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Bhaini Sahib, March 29
Chaur Sidhwan (Gurdaspur), March 29
Tarn Taran, March 29