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A down-to-earth Rahul seeks to redefine priorities
Roll out plan to achieve 9% growth: Jaitley
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Congress vice-prez unveils vision for economic growth
Post-1980, President has turned down 74% mercy petitions
Apex court slams use of beacon as status symbol
6 encounters in Manipur were fake: SC panel
India, Azerbaijan sign
extradition treaty
Maoists kill five policemen in Jharkhand
Cash for votes: Houses of 11 Jharkhand MLAs raided
Gujarat immolation toll reaches three
‘84 riots: Orders reserved for April 10 in Tytler case
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A down-to-earth Rahul seeks to redefine priorities
New Delhi, April 4 Terming as irrelevant, the speculation of whether or not he would be the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi told a gathering of top corporate honchos who assembled at the CII annual general meeting: “These are irrelevant questions. It is all smoke. The only relevant question is how to give voice to one billion people that would solve all problems.” Commenting on the breathless debate in the media over the inevitability or inability or probability of him taking on the top political job
with a sense of underlying disdain, he likened its conclusion to pollsters’ prediction in the United States. “It is like the American polling charts - 47.3 per cent of possibility that he might be Prime Minister.” Reiterating his oft-repeated view that his entry into politics was more an accident of fate and the DNA linking him to one of the most prominent political families in the country, the 42-year-old Congress leader said, “It is an accident of fate. I happen to come from a chain of people...it is my DNA. I have been put in this situation and told - boss, you are here,” gesticulating by moving a bottle of water on the table to demonstrate it. Continuing with his plain speak on politics, policy and problem-solving, Rahul was of the view that the magnitude of the task cannot be set right by any one individual but would come when people are heard. Holding a contrasting viewpoint to the current-day leadership-driven strategy, he said, “Give all the powers to me...give all the powers to one individual you want, he cannot solve the problems of a billion people. Give the power to the billion people, the problems will be solved,” and in the same breath added that expecting either Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or somebody else to do so was not the right approach.
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Roll out plan to achieve 9% growth: Jaitley
New Delhi, April 4 While delivering the valedictory address at the CII AGM and national conference today, Jaitley said quality of governance was a key factor in achieving the set target. At the end of the day, he said, what make difference was how well people had benefited from the dispensation and not the policies that were being announced from time to time. Reposing faith in the parliamentary democracy, he observed that the opposition had a defining role in formulating policy framework. He said there should be consultations across party affiliations to hammer out consensus on various issues. “It is the duty of the government to create an enabling environment for extended and frequent consultations,” he added. He said security threats in Kashmir, Maoist-infested areas in central India and North East were grave. “We should not give the impression that we are a soft state while dealing with these issues. Our national sovereignty has to be upheld at any cost,” he added. |
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Congress vice-prez unveils vision for economic growth
New Delhi, April 4 As he spoke about the imperatives of inclusive growth, a bottom-up approach to development and opening up “clogged political structures”, it was evident that this narrative would dominate his speeches in projecting the Congress as the only party believing in taking everybody along as against its chief political rival, the BJP. The 75-minute interaction indicated how the Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular would counter Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has endeared himself to corporate leaders and is being looked upon admirably by the youth and urban middle classes. While the BJP is itching to convert the next General Election into a “Rahul vs Modi” battle, the Congress vice-president does not want to go down that road. Rahul did not name the BJP or Modi in his speech, but the reference to them was clear when he spoke about the perils of exclusion and alienating communities. “When you play the politics of alienating communities, you stop the movement of people and ideas. When that happens, we all suffer. Businesses suffer and the seeds of disharmony are sown and the dreams of our people are severely disrupted,” he underlined. This damage would take a very long time to reverse, he added. “The biggest danger is excluding people, including the poor, minorities and Dalits... Anger, hatred and prejudice do not help growth. If you alienate communities we all suffer,” he said, comments which were obviously an attack on Modi’s attitude towards minorities. The Congress heir-apparent also took a swipe at Modi’s penchant for projecting himself as the only leader who has the vision and the capabilities to fix India’s problems. No single individual can do so, he said while striking a warning note against centralisation of power. “Don’t give power to one person, give it to a billion,” Rahul said. If the high-powered gathering of India’s top business leaders expected the Congress heir-apparent to go into specifics, they were disappointed as Rahul Gandhi spoke in generalities, without articulating his views on burning issues like reforms, subsidies or inflation.
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Post-1980, President has turned down 74% mercy petitions
Since 1980 - when the Supreme Court laid down the “rarest of rare doctrine” in the Bachan Singh versus state of Punjab case - as many as 112 mercy pleas have been filed with the President who has powers under Article 72 of the Constitution to pardon the convict or commute the death sentence. Of these, 83 (74 per cent) have been rejected by the President and only 31 death sentence cases have been commuted to life. “The trend is horrible. Judicially ordered executions will now be the highest in India after the US. This is unbecoming of a nation that prides itself in advancing social welfare and human dignity objectives,” Anand Grover, a senior Supreme Court lawyer told The Tribune today. In five of the seven mercy petitions referred to the President in February (after he rejected the petitions of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru), the government advised rejection while in two it said the death sentence could be commuted to life with a clarification that life would mean the rest of natural life of the convict. These cases together involve nine persons. Among these new cases is also the mercy petition case of Sonia and her husband Sanjeev from Haryana. Daughter of a former Haryana legislator, Sonia along with her husband had killed eight of her family members including children and her parents in Hisar in 2001 over a property matter. If her case is one among the rejected mercy cases, Sonia could well be the first woman ever to be hanged in India. The other death row convict in India - Nalini - who killed former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi - was pardoned by the slain PM’s wife Sonia Gandhi and remains incarcerated for life. The only case of rejection of mercy petition confirmed by this evening is of Dharampal, a rape convict, who was sentenced for the crime in 1991 after he sexually assaulted a girl in Sonepat. He was, however, sentenced to death after he killed five members of the girl’s family while on parole in 1993. Haryana DGP today confirmed that Dharampal would be hanged in Ambala jail after the government decides on the date of hanging. “We are now headed towards times when women will be hanged in India. The initial reports indicate that the mercy petition of Sonia and Sanjeev has been rejected. This is an unfortunate development. Moreover, we are worried over how the state is proceeding with the executions at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a petition challenging delay in decision making on mercy petitions. What would happen if the court was to tomorrow rule that in all cases of delay, the death sentence should be commuted to life. What would we do then?” asked Vrinda Grover, member, Working Group on Human Rights in India and the UN. One of the mercy petitions on which the President has taken a decision involves Gurmeet Singh of Uttar Pradesh who was convicted for killing 13 members of a family on August 17, 1986. He has been awaiting a decision on his mercy petition since then. Meanwhile, it is learnt that as of March 28, nine mercy petitions were pending before the President, including those of death row convicts Jafar Ali (Uttar Pradesh), Dharam Pal (Haryana) Praveen Kumar (Karnataka), Sonia and Sanjeev (Haryana), Sunder Singh (Uttarakhand), Shivu and Jadeswamy (Karnataka) and B A Umesh (Karnataka), Balwant Singh Rajoana (Chandigarh) and Manganlal (Madhya Pradesh). “The matters of life and death cannot be decided arbitrarily by the government. There has to be a criterion to determine who deserves a pardon and who does not,” said Suhas Chakma of Asian Centre of Human Rights who recently got the information on rejection of 83 mercy petitions through a Right to Information query. latest cases
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Dubai boat with banned satellite phone
seized off Mumbai; crew in custody
Mumbai, April 4 On seeing the patrol vessel approach it, crew members of the dhow threw the satellite phone into the sea, the police officer said. A search was on to retrieve the device, he added. Coast Guard officials who boarded the dhow found 28 goats, foreign cigarettes, mobile phones and a television set on board. Coast Guard and customs officials were on alert for the past two days after intelligence reports spoke of the vessel heading towards Mumbai. The crew members of the boat were said to be in touch with people in Dubai as well as Mumbai using the satellite phone. One Usman from the UAE is said to have sent a consignment of goods on board the dhow, according to Coast Guard officials. "We suspect that the crew members could be using the dhow to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the country," a Coast Guard officer told reporters here. The interrogation of the crew members is on. This is the second such incident reported in the past 48 hours, officials said. On Wednesday, customs authorities investigated a cargo ship, Bruno Schulte, in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, suspected to be transporting "hazardous" goods. Some hazardous chemicals carried by the ship were reportedly unloaded in China before it was allowed to resume its onward voyage. (With agency inputs) intel input
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Apex court slams use of beacon as status symbol
A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and Kurian Joseph passed an order to this effect clarifying that this would effectively set aside orders passed to the contrary by various high courts. The other categories which could be allowed to use beacons were the constitutional heads of the political executive, legislatures and the judiciary. However, the siren/hooter should be banned except for ambulances, fire tenders, police and army personnel, the apex court clarified. The SC also suggested a “substantial increase” in the fine for unauthorised use of beacons and sirens, particularly by the wards of VIPs. Further, the Bench sought the response of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to a complaint by senior counsel Harish Salve, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the PIL case, that politicians and other dignitaries from these states were bringing their gun-toting personal securitymen and police convoys to Delhi during their visits to the capital, causing hardship to the residents here. Salve said VIPs from Punjab had brought along their personal securitymen during the recent elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC) which had contributed to the violent incidents witnessed at that time. The SC asked the states to file their responses within a week. During the two days of hearing, the Bench said people had a feeling that they were being treated differently and minimising the use of the beacon and siren, which had become a sort of “status symbol”, would address their grievance to a great extent. The apex court is hearing PILs questioning the need for providing personal security to VIPs, including those facing criminal charges, at government cost despite the fact that the actual number of police personnel in several states was barely 50 per cent of the sanctioned strength. In an affidavit filed in the SC, Punjab said it was spending Rs 15.69 crore on personal security to VIPs, including 29 high court judges. At this, the Bench wanted to know as to whether the state government was providing security to judges in addition to such cover being offered by the Chandigarh Administration. It also took note of the fact that 65 persons with criminal backgrounds were enjoying this facility. The Bench is also going into the legal and constitutional validity of police stopping traffic on the roads to facilitate the movement of VIPs and the logic behind the government beefing up the security arrangements only for such people whenever there was a heightened threat perception in any particular city or town. More equal than others?
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6 encounters in Manipur were fake: SC panel
New Delhi, April 4 After going through the report, a Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai said it was clear that the security personnel had violated the SC guidelines on encounters laid down in the Naga People’s Movement case. It would issue fresh directions on April 9 in the light of the report, the Bench said. The Bench told the panel on January 4 to conduct a probe after hearing a PIL filed by an association of the families of alleged victims, contending that more than 2,000 extra-judicial killings had taken place in Manipur, but no policemen had been held guilty so far.
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Modi chant echoes at Vasundhara’s rally Charbhuja, April 4 The event launched from the Charbhujaji temple, 90 km from Udaipur, saw an impressive turnout with BJP president Rajnath Singh reaffirming Vasundhara’s status as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the next Assembly poll. The grand BJP affair also meant to showcase that all was well in the till-now-bitterly-divided state party unit. Vasundhara and her perennial detractor Gulab Chand Kataria used to be at daggers drawn till recently. The event may, however, go down as another show of strength of Gujarat Chief Minister Narandra Modi, who was not even present at the rally. His supporters, however, ensured that he emerged as the most talked about personality at the event. Soon after BJP president Rajnath Singh started speaking (after Kataria and Vasundhara had finished with their addresses), Modi’s supporters began chanting his name. As the rally venue reverberated with the Modi chant, a visibly perturbed Singh ticked them off firmly, saying: “I have heard you”. Clearly the “Namo” chant is something that senior BJP leaders will now have to learn to live with. Singh’s speech was, however, devoid of any reference to Modi. He broadly referred to good governance in all BJP-ruled states and talked of the country’s progress under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Hitting out at the Congress, he said it was for the first time that the grand old party was being forced to contest elections in the name of two leaders (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi). “You all know the result if a person rides on two boats at the same time,” he said. Sources say the person responsible for Modi chant could very well be Gulab Chand Kataria, who once used to be at daggers drawn with former CM over the leadership issue even to the extent of provoking her to issue a resignation threat. Soon after the party’s central leadership declared that the 2013 Assembly poll would be fought under the leadership of Raje, Kataria bought peace with her saying he never had any differences with her and was also never in the race for the Chief Minister’s post. The fault lines in the BJP’s provincial unit may not be visible at present, but these have certainly not been completely wiped off, sources say. Sources said Kataria was keen that Modi should attend the Charbhujaji rally, but the party leadership thought otherwise. His proposal was rejected because it was thought that Modi’s presence might irk minorities that had been sympathetic towards the party because of Vasundhara’s secular credentials. Though another line of thought is that the “Namo” chanters were genuine supporters of Modi and the response was absolutely spontaneous. Charbhujaji Temple Charbhujaji Temple holds special significance for Vasundhara. Her Pariwartan Yatra in 2003, which played a key role in bringing the BJP to power, was kicked off from the temple only. There was no such rally during the last Assembly poll which the party lost. Charbhujaji, an ancient temple located in the Rajsamand district, was built in the fifteenth century. Charbhuja is another name for Lord Vishnu Suraj Sankalp Yatra The yatra from Charbhujaji in Rajsamand district was flagged off by Rajnath Singh. The yatra will go on till July-end during which Vasundhara Raje will cover all 33 districts in the rath previously used by party patriarch LK Advani and Modi
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Mamata says no to judicial probe into student leader’s death
Kolkata, April 4 “It is just an accident, a small and petty matter for which a police inquiry is enough. There is no need for a judicial or CBI probe,” Mamata said. She denied Sudipta died due to police torture. Student unions linked to Left parties observed a strike in schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the state. Barring a few minor incidents, the strike remained peaceful. A departmental inquiry by the police had been already initiated. Students in some other states like Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore also observed strike. Congress student union Chhatra Parisad supported the strike, but did not participate in it. TMC leader Subhojit Das resigned from the post of the president of the Midnapore district TMC students union at the instance of the TMC leader after he condemned the death of Sudipta on Facebook. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien defended Mamata’s decision of ordering a departmental inquiry saying Sudipta’s death was “just an accident, only an unfortunate accident”. He said the CM was deeply moved and grieved at the unfortunate death and she acted like a “didi and the mother” of the young victim and accordingly she wanted to remain by their side and offered all help and assistance to the bereaved family. Brien alleged the CPM and other parties were trying to politicise the issue. Meanwhile, Sudipta’s father reiterated that he did not want any help either from the Chief Minister or any other party. He only wanted that the police personnel responsible for his son’s death were brought to book and punished, he said. The father of Joseph Hussain, another injured, said he would once again ask his son to take part in political activities and protest against injustice and ill-doings by corrupt people. CPM leader Biman Bose and WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacharya have demanded a CBI probe since their demand for a judicial inquiry has been turned down.
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India, Azerbaijan sign
extradition treaty
The Azerbaijan minister is here on an official visit at the invitation of Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar. Indian officials said the pacts would provide the necessary legal framework for facilitating contacts and interaction between the two countries in the areas of extradition of citizens of one nation to the other, whenever required, and for extending any legal assistance sought by one country from the other in the investigation of criminal as well as civil cases. The extradition treaty was signed between the visiting dignitary and Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed. The treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matter was inked by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on behalf of India and the Azerbaijan minister on behalf of his country. The treaty on mutual legal assistance in civil matters was signed by the two Law Ministers. For Better ties
The pacts will provide legal framework for facilitating contacts and interaction between the two nations in the areas of extradition of citizens and for extending legal assistance sought by one country from the other in the investigation of criminal and civil cases
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Maoists kill five policemen in Jharkhand
Ranchi/Nagpur, April 4 They also took away three service rifles of the slain policemen. Four police personnel were killed on the spot while the fifth died at a hospital, an official said. In a separate incident, the police killed seven Naxalites after it raided Bhatpar jungle in Gadchiroli district bordering Chhattisgarh where over 100 armed Naxalites had assembled to hold a meeting. Three companies of anti-Naxal squad C-60 cordoned off the area leading to a two-hour gun battle. Bharat Thakur, sub-divisional police officer of Aheri, who led the operation, said the police team found four bodies at the scene while “the Naxalites took away three bodies during the battle”. “We have intensified combing operation in the area and the toll may rise,” he added. The Naxalites killed in the encounter were yet to be identified. Three policemen sustained minor injuries in the gun battle. The Gadchiroli police had killed six Naxalites, including a divisional committee member and a dalam commander, in January this year near Govindgaon in the district.
— Agencies
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Unauthorised building collapses in Thane; 6 die
Thane, April 4 A massive rescue operation was under way and bodies of five men and a pregnant woman had been recovered from the debris by late evening, they said. The seven-storey building in Shil Dhaigar locality was unauthorised, civic officials said, adding that it was occupied up to the fourth floor. The incident took place around 6.30 pm. Deputy collector Manoj Gohad said several persons could still be trapped under the debris. The injured have been shifted to various hospitals in the city. Municipal Commissioner RA Rajeev and District Collector P Velarasu were supervising the relief
operations. — PTI
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Cash for votes: Houses of 11 Jharkhand MLAs raided
Ranchi, April 4 According to CBI sources, some vital documents were seized during the raids. The CBI has till now conducted searches at more than 15 places in the state. At a directive of the Jharkhand High Court, the 2010 Rajya Sabha cash-for-vote case was handed over to the CBI from the state vigilance department, which was earlier investigating the case. The Jharkhand High Court is monitoring the case, and the court had expressed unhappiness
over slow pace of investigations into the horse-trading cases. An arrest warrant is pending against Sita
Soren, JMM legislator and daughter-in-law of party chief Shibu Soren. She is accused of threatening her former personal secretary in the case. The CBI is also investigating the 2012 Rajya Sabha cash-for-vote case. The 2012 polls to the upper house of Parliament were countermanded after more than Rs 2 crore in cash was recovered from the vehicle of an Independent candidate.— IANS
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Gujarat immolation toll reaches three
Ahmedabad, April 4 Rajkot city observed a total “bandh” against the gruesome incident, but the day passed off without any untoward incident under heavy police bandobast. The state Human Rights Commission suo motu decided to inquire into the incident to fix responsibilities for the incident.
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‘84 riots: Orders reserved for April 10 in Tytler case
New Delhi, April 4 Additional Sessions Judge Anuradha Shukla reserved the order after hearing the final arguments of the CBI and the victim’s counsel. "Arguments concluded. Fix it for order on April 10," the court said. During the arguments, CBI prosecutor Sanjay Kumar sought dismissal of the plea filed by the victim, saying the probe has made it clear that Tytler was not present on November 1, 1984 at the Gurdwara Pulbangash in North Delhi where three persons were killed during the riots. At the time of the incident, Tytler was at the Teen Murti Bhawan, the residence of then late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sanjay said. The prosecutor said, “The CBI has already re-investigated the case on the order of the trial court but there was no sufficient evidence against
Tytler.” |
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New Delhi, April 4
New Delhi, April 4
New Delhi, April 4