The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Bengal chit fund firm chief, 2 directors arrested in J&K
Tribune News Service

Kolkata/Srinagar, April 23
Sarada Group chairman Sudipta Sen, directors Debjani Mukherjee and Arabinada Singh Chowhan were arrested today from Golmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. They had been arrested by the CID team of the West Bengal police following a tip-off from locals in Kashmir.

“A car registered in West Bengal was also seized from their possession,” Deputy Commissioner (Detective Department) Arnab Roy told mediapersons. He added that another team of police officials would reach Gulmarg tomorrow.

He said Sen, Mukherjee and Chowhan would be brought back to Kolkata by tomorrow evening.

Chief Minister Mamata reviewed the situation at today’s Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet gave its approval to the setting up of a high-level inquiry into the closure of Sarada Group which has left thousands of investors in the lurch.

Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee told mediapersons that the inquiry committee would be suggesting the ways and means of returning the dues to the depositors.

Meanwhile, the defrauded aggrieved agents and depositors participated in large-scale protests and demonstration in different parts of the city and the district for the fourth day today, demanding immediate arrest of Sen, TMC ministers, MPs and other leaders connected with the Sarada group.

They also demanded that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should make immediate arrangement for returning their dues since they had deposited money to the chit fund on the advice and assurance of the TMC leaders.

There were attempts of suicide by poor depositors at three places and burning of Mamata’s effigies in several areas during the agitations today.

The WBPCC, which organised a demonstration in front of the DM’s office at Alipore, demanded a CBI probe into the chit fund scandal as the decision of instituting a SIT inquiry had been an eye-wash. Several Congress leaders and workers, including president Pradip Bhattacharyya were arrested.

Talwar found Aarushi, Hemraj in objectionable position: CBI

Ghaziabad, April 23
The CBI today said dentist Rajesh Talwar had found his daughter and domestic servant in "objectionable position" and killed them using his golf stick and a sharp-edged weapon.

Deposing during cross examination in a special court here, CBI Additional SP AGL Kaul, who led the second probe team, went into the motive behind the sensational double murder of 14-year-old Aarushi and domestic servant Hemraj at the Noida residence of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008.

Kaul said according to his investigation Rajesh Talwar was awake in his room at 12 midnight whereas the time of murders, according to postmortem report, is between 12-1 am.

The officer claimed that according to his probe, Hemraj was attacked in Aarushi's room on her bed, taken to the roof and dragged to a corner where his throat was slit.

Explaining the sequence of events which took place on the fateful night, Kaul said Rajesh heard some noise and went to Hemraj's room but did not find him there.

"There were two golf sticks lying in Hemraj's room, one of which Rajesh Talwar picked up. He heard a noise from the room of Aarushi. The room door was not locked and was just shut. He opened the door and found Aarushi and Hemraj in objectionable position on the bed of Aarushi," Kaul said in his testimony.

Kaul said finding them in such a position, Rajesh Talwar hit on Hemraj's head with golf stick. By the time he gave a second blow the servant's head moved, from the position and the stick hit Aarushi on her forehead.

He said when golf sticks were seized, the stick heads were not sealed separately.

"The V or U shaped injury on Aarushi's forehead could have been caused by the use of golf stick head," he said.

The officer said the noise generated in the process awoke Nupur Talwar who rushed to Aarushi's room.

"By the time the injured Hemraj had fallen from the bed. Both checked the pulse of Aarushi and found her near-dead which scared them and planned that the servant should be executed so that no one comes to know about the incident," Kaul said before the court.

He said both decided to hide the body of Hemraj and dispose it off on getting suitable opportunity.

The duo wrapped Hemraj's body in a bed-sheet and dragged him to terrace where they slit his throat, covering the body with a cooler panel, Kaul said. He said after coming to the room, they dressed up the crime scene by arranging the bedsheet and toys. — PTI

3 held in Bangalore blast case

Chennai, April 23
Chennai Police have arrested three persons in connection with last week's blast near the BJP office in Bangalore that left 16 persons injured. The Karnataka Police was assisted by its Tamil Nadu counterpart in a late night operation, in which two persons - Peer Mohideen and Basheer hailing from Tirunelveli were arrested from a lodge here, said official sources.

The third person was arrested from Madurai, they said, adding the trio facilitated the blast while the main culprits were still at large. Four men were recently detained in Kerala for their alleged involvement in the case.

The arrested are being taken to Bangalore for further investigation, sources said. The Karnataka Government had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to those who provide information on the culprits responsible for the April 17 blast. — PTI

181 women bus conductors appointed

Ahmedabad, April 23
The Gujarat Government has opened up the state transport sector for providing employment to women. In Gandhinagar today, Finance and State Transport Minister Nitin Patel handed over appointment letters to 181 women to work as bus conductors.

Patel hoped that the presence of women conductors would help improve management-customer relationship and services. — OC

BJP will lose, we can hear it in Delhi: Rahul

Sindhanoor, April 23
In a major offensive against the ruling BJP in Karnataka, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today accused the party of "looting" the state and claimed it would lose the May 5 Assembly polls.

Launching the Congress’ campaign here in northern Karnataka, Rahul said the BJP broke electoral promises and "the only thing they remembered was how to loot public money in the state. They are past masters in this".

Seeking to strike a chord with the public, he tried to make the campaign interactive, posing questions on the poll promises made by the BJP and whether they have been fulfilled, to which the crowd responded with a vociferous 'no'.

The BJP government had hurt the people and "betrayed" the faith reposed by them, Rahul told the gathering before whom he apologised for making people wait in the scorching sun. He was about one-and-a-half hours behind schedule.

"The BJP will lose here. We can hear it in Delhi,” Rahul said, as he commenced his party's poll campaign with a brief speech, losing no time in taking on the ruling BJP for "doing nothing but looting the state". — PTI

Re-contesting MLAs’ average assets up Rs 10 cr

Bangalore, April 23
The average assets of re-contesting MLAs in the May 5 Assembly elections has nearly doubled and rose by about Rs 10 crore compared to five years ago in Karnataka, according to two NGOs tracking the trend.

Based on candidates' affidavit filed with nomination papers, the Karnataka Election Watch (KEW) and the Association for Democratic Reforms analysed 179 outgoing MLAs who are contesting again in the poll.

The average asset of the 179 re-contesting MLAs fielded by various parties in 2008 was Rs 10.59 crore, which has now zoomed to Rs 19.87 crore, up Rs 9.27 crore in the past five years, or a growth of 88 per cent. — PTI

EC reprimands dy Chief minister

The Election Commission on Tuesday reprimanded Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister KS Eshwarappa for violating the Model Code of Conduct in connection with his alleged hate speech and asked him to be cautious.

2G: No mention of Vajpayee in JPC draft report, says Chacko

Congress MP and chairman of the JPC probing the 2G spectrum case PC Chacko speaks in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI

New Delhi, April 23
Apparently seeking to pacify an angry BJP, JPC chief PC Chacko today dismissed reports that the panel has named former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in its draft report in the 2G scam.

"We have the highest regard for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This report has not mentioned the name of Vajpayee. We have not made any reference to the former Prime Minister," Chacko, who is also the Congress spokesperson, told reporters at the AICC briefing.

His remarks have come at a time when moves are afoot to bring all non-Congress members on the JPC together as part of plans to defeat the report, which has given a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the whole issue.

There were also reports that the committee's draft has named Vajpayee, which was strongly contested by Chacko. The clarification by Chacko from the party podium was made on a day, when the Opposition upped the ante for the resignation of the Prime Minister on the coalgate issue, which was summarily dismissed by Sonia Gandhi.

Amid Opposition closing in the ranks against him on the JPC report, Chacko denied that JPC reports are decided by the game of numbers saying there has been a precedents of adopting the reports with dissenting notes. "I am sure that some dissenting notes will come and I welcome that," he said.

Ahead of the April 25 meeting of the panel, when the report is to be adopted, Chacko said there is "nothing new" in the latest written submission made by former Telecom Minister A Raja and that "there is nothing that we have to re-examine".

To a question on whether he apprehends that his fate would be that of PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi, who had found himself in minority on the 2G report issue, Chacko said, "I wish it should not happen to me. I have been very cooperative and courteous to everybody. I have full faith that the members in my committee will have a full discussion." — PTI

Cancel coal blocks allotted since 1993: House panel
Girja Shankar Kaura/TNS

New Delhi, April 23
In what could spell further trouble for the already “under pressure” Congress-led UPA government, parliamentary standing committee on coal and steel has said the coal mine allocations made during 1993 to 2010 were “unauthorised and illegal” and suggested scrapping of those allocations where the production has not started so far.

THE OBSERVATIONS
The coal mine allocations made during 1993 to 2010 were “unauthorised and illegal”
Natural resources were distributed to “few fortunates” through “abuse of power” by the then ruling dispensation
All such mines where production has not started should be scrapped

The report, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha, could also mean trouble for the previous NDA government as the BJP-led coalition was in power during that period.

The report said the mines were allocated in the “most non-transparent” manner and natural resources were distributed to a “few fortunates” through “abuse of power” by the then ruling dispensation.

“Distribution of mines was done in the most unauthorised manner,” said the panel Chairman Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, seeking scrapping of mines where production was yet to start. Banerjee also sought investigation into the role of officials involved in the allotment process.

The report observes that no bidding process was held for coal mine allocations. Though it is not binding on the government, the report recommends that those involved directly or indirectly ínto the allocation process should be investigated against.

“Most non-transparent procedure was adopted from 1993 to 2010 for allocation of coal blocks. Natural resources and state largesse were distributed to a few fortunates for their own benefit without following any transparent system, in a total abuse of power by the government,” the report said.

It also says that all coal mine allocations where production is yet to begin should be cancelled. The report does not mention any presumptive loss figure. “The entire allocation needs investigation. The entire distribution (of coal blocks) was unauthorised. It should be cancelled,” Banerjee said.

Incidentally, the CBI, in an affidavit, is also set to tell the Supreme Court that the probe agency’s report on coal block allocations was shared with the Law Ministry on its request and that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar had vetted the report, a charge the Congress has been rejecting.

The affidavit will also include the original status report on the coal block allocation scam. The role of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the government in coal block allocations is also part of the CBI report.

Noting that “the government cannot give largesse on its arbitrary discretion or its sweet will,” it said the allocations were illegal and resulted in huge losses to the state exchequer.

On the quantum of losses, Banerjee said, “Despite our repeated queries, the Coal Ministry could not give us information on the quantity of coal or its value. We are not an investigating agency and thus not in a position to assess the losses.”

The report said such an allocation of natural resources benefited private players and resulted in loss to the state governments concerned. “The commencement of production only at 30 blocks out of the total allocated 218 puts a question mark on the process,” the report said.

Sub-standard material used in Kudankulam plant: Petition in SC
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, April 23
Citing the collapse of an under-construction nuclear plant in Russia, a fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for restraining the government from commissioning the first phase of the 2,000-MW Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSS) had arrested a top official of the Russian atomic energy corporation Rosatom, which had supplied steel blanks and other key components to the Kudankulam plant following the accident at the Leningrad NPP-2, petitioner G Sundarrajan contended.

Accused Sergei Shutov, who was the procurement director with Rosatom’s subsidiary Zio-Podolsk, had been charged with corruption and fraud for sourcing sub-standard steel blanks from Ukraine instead of the prescribed quality of steel, the petition said.

The petitioner, an anti-nuclear activist, said he was moving the Supreme Court afresh to bring on record the “disturbing developments and disclosures that have a huge bearing on the safety of the Kudankulam plant”. The apex court has already heard his arguments on the alleged lack of safety measures at the plant and reserved its verdict on December 6, 2012.

Since the Supreme Court reserved its verdict which was awaited, “revelations have come out in public domain that have unfortunately put a serious question mark on the safety of the KNPP. The issue concerns the use of sub-standard equipment imported by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) from corrupt Russian nuclear suppliers,” Sundarrajan said in the petition filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan.

The government, NPCIL and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had refused to share any information with the public on these developments despite the fact it involved the safety of millions of people living near the plant, he said.

‘Halt commissioning’

The fresh petition cited collapse of an under-construction nuclear plant, Leningrad NPP-2, in Russia

Russia's Federal Security Service had arrested a top official of Russian atomic energy corporation 'Rosatom' that had supplied steel blanks and other key components to the plant following accident

Accused Sergei Shutov, the procurement director with Rosatom's subsidiary Zio-Podolsk, was charged with graft and fraud for sourcing sub-standard steel blanks from Ukraine instead of the prescribed quality of steel