The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

14-day police remand for Saradha chief, aides
Subhrangshu Gupta/TNS

Kolkata, April 25
Saradha chit fund owner Sudipta Sen, director Debjani Mukherjee and branch manager Arbind Singh Chowhan were denied bail and instead remanded in police custody for 14 days by the additional sub-divisional magistrate at Bidhannagar today.

The trio was arrested by the Srinagar police from a hotel in the Sonmarg area of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. They are accused of defrauding hundreds of depositors and agents through the Saradha chit fund company.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Kumar Mishra at the Calcutta High Court expressed its willingness to order a CBI probe into the scandal. The Bench, however, did not formally issue any order in that regard. It instead asked government lawyers to file an affidavit elaborating on steps taken against Sudipta Sen and others by May 2. Afterwards, it would formally order a CBI probe into the case.

The matter came up for hearing before the Division Bench following a PIL filed by advocate Subrata Mukherjee. The petitioner has demanded that the court should also ask the state government to make arrangements for returning money to the defrauded depositors.

Several defrauded depositors and agents have also filed separate PILs against Sudipta Sen and others.

Neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor any other TMC leaders has so far expressed regret for being attached to the Saradha group. Instead, both Mamata Banerjee and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee once again blamed the former Left Front government and the Centre for the present crisis.

Ponzi group has over 100 registered firms

New Delhi, April 25
The Saradha group, which is under fire for allegedly defrauding investors, has more than 100 firms registered with the Registrar of Companies for businesses across various sectors, including real estate, automobile, education and entertainment.

Most of these companies are registered with the starting name “Saradha” while the group also has firms having different names. Authorities are already looking into alleged ponzi or multi-level marketing schemes run by at least 10 Saradha entities.

There are over 110 companies of Kolkata-based Saradha group under the same name and most of them have their registered address at Diamond Harbour Road in Kolkata, according to an analysis of data available with Corporate Affairs Ministry. Saradha group is alleged to have duped thousands of investors, including poor people, through a multi-crore chit fund scam.

Majority of the group’s firms are into real estate. These include Saradha Build-Dev, Saradha Realty India, Saradha Infra Properties, Saradha Township, Saradha Villa and Saradha Housing.

The group also has registered companies related to education, exports, automobiles, shopping mall, agro development, tour and travels, among others. Other group companies include Saradha Education Enterprises, Saradha Exports, Saradha Automobiles India, Saradha Tours and Travels, Saradha Biogas Production and Saradha Printing & Publication. — PTI

Raise hand against women at your own peril, SC warns policemen
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, April 25
Taking a serious note of the continuing police excesses against women of all ages across the country, the Supreme Court today warned cops that from now on it would directly crack down on them for committing any such brutality.

“If any such incident is repeated, the culprits will have it directly from this court. We will go beyond the norms which we generally observe in such cases,” a three-member Bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi said while taking suo motu notice of police thrashing women in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The Bench, which included Justices Ranjana Desai and SA Bobde, was hearing a PIL case it has instituted following police assaults on women in Punjab’s Tarn Taran and Bihar’s Patna. It was reprehensible that police highhandedness in Delhi and UP had happened while the SC was already seized of such happenings.

The apex court directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to provide an explanation for a police officer beating a woman who was among those demonstrating against the gang rape of a five-year-old child. It also cited another recent incident in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, in which a DSP thrashed a 65-year-old lady who was demanding action in a similar child rape case.

The bench said it was stepping into these cases as the framers of the Constitution had not envisaged such developments. “If Mahatma Gandhi were to be born now, how many times he will have to die,” the bench wondered. It did not elaborate.

In Tarn Taran, cops had thrashed a 22-year-old woman on March 3 when she had approached them for lodging a complaint against some taxi drivers who had misbehaved with her. In Patna, the women victims were part of a demonstration by ad hoc teachers demanding regularisation of their jobs. The SC has enlarged the scope of its case relating to these two incidents to issue guidelines for preventing police brutality.

The Bench said it would go into the issue of the states setting up security commissions as part of the police reforms directed by the SC in the Prakash Singh case. To start with, the court would take up the status of implementation in Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. The Bench directed the chief secretaries of these six states to file affidavits within a week on the issue.

Taking note of the fact that most of the states had set up security commissions, meant for ensuring that police functioned free from unwarranted political interference, but conferring upon them only recommendatory powers, the Bench said this was not acceptable. The states should give the commissions adequate powers, it said.

It asked Punjab’s Advocate General Ashok Agarwal about the nature of commission the state had. The AG said the commission has been set up under a state law and that it had only recommendatory powers. “Why don’t you abolish it” if its recommendations were not binding on the government, it asked. The commission would need teeth to prevent police excesses, it pointed out.

The Bench directed Punjab, Haryana and other states to hand over within three days copies of their newly enacted laws relating to security commissions to senior counsel Harish Salve, who is helping the court as amicus curiae. The suo motu case would be taken up for next hearing on May 6.

Punjab snubbed
The top court asked the Punjab Advocate General about the nature of the security commission the state had. The AG said the commission had been set up under a state law and that it had only recommendatory powers. Why don't you abolish it if its recommendations are not binding on the government, it asked.

AICTE nod not needed for MBA, MCA courses, rules apex court
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, April 25
The Supreme Court today ruled that colleges need not get the approval of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for offering MBA and MCA courses to students.

“We hold that MBA course is not a technical course within the definition of the AICTE Act,” a Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and V Gopala Gowda ruled while allowing an appeal by the Association of Management of Private Colleges.

However, master of computer applications (MCA) fell under the technical education category, but for regulating the course, the role of AICTE must be advisory. “The relief sought for in the writ petitions is granted and there is no need to seek approval from the AICTE for MBA and MCA courses,” the Supreme Court held.

The apex court also ruled that the AICTE did not have any control and supervision over affiliated colleges of their respective universities. “The applicability of bringing the university as defined under clause 2(f) of the UGC Act includes the institution deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the said Act and therefore, the affiliated colleges are excluded from the purview of technical institution definition of the AICTE Act,” the Bench held.

The Supreme Court struck down the amendment made to the AICTE Act in 2000 inserting words “MBA and MCA” before Architecture and Hotel Management courses as the amended regulations were not placed on the floor of the Houses of Parliament as required under Section 24 of the AICTE Act.

Four women killed in blaze at Coimbatore building

Coimbatore, April 25
Four women were killed and seven persons injured in a fire that broke out on the third floor of a four-storeyed commercial complex here today.

The deceased have been identified as employees of a stock brokerage firm, including two aged house keeping staff, while seven others were injured when they jumped from the second and third floors of the building, the police said. Some 200 persons escaped unhurt as they moved out through the lone exit and also by jumping down with the help of locals, police and fire rescue personnel.

People thronged busy Avanashi road where the building is located when they saw smoke billowing from the third floor of the complex housing eight companies. The watchman sounded the alarm after which the employees exited to safety, the police said.

However, the four women were blinded by the smoke and got suffocated. The fire engulfed the office and burnt them partially, resulting in their deaths, a senior official from the Fire and Rescue Department said.

Nine fire tenders, including those from the Air Force and the Navy, fought for nearly two hours to douse the flames, only after which rescuers could bring down the bodies, initially identified as two men and two women, which were taken to the government hospital.

Two women employees of the brokerage firm,who jumped down, sustained fractures and were admitted to a nearby hospital.

Two firemen, who fell down during fire fighting operations, were also hospitalised with multiple injuries, police said, adding, three persons were treated as outpatients.

District Collector M Karunagaran, Police Commissioner A K Vishwanathan and other senior district and police officials supervised rescue operations. — PTI

Just one exit
The fire broke out on the third floor of a four-storeyed commercial complex
The deceased have been identified as employees of a stock brokerage firm, including two aged house keeping staff, while seven others were injured when they jumped from the second and third floors of the building
Nearly 200 persons escaped unhurt as they moved out through the lone exit and also by jumping down with the help of locals, police and fire rescue personnel

Parliamentary panel slams NCW’s role
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25
A parliamentary standing committee today came down heavily on the National Commission for Women for failing to play an active role in the wake of December 16 gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi and the subsequent public outrage.

The panel also questioned the role of NCW saying it needed to widen the expanse of its activities to prevent atrocities against women rather than simply reacting when crimes have been committed.

"The gruesome rape and eventual death of gang-rape victim in December 2012 jolted the entire nation about the safety and security of a woman, leading to mass protests across the country. In spite of all this, the committee fails to see any proactive role of the NCW with respect to safeguarding rights of women,” the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development said in its report tabled in Parliament today.

The panel also criticised the role of National Mission for Empowerment of Women and said the mission must work to achieve its stated goals.

Parliament washed out for third day
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25
Proceedings were washed out for the third consecutive day in the Rajya Sabha as the main Opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, continued to create uproar on the Coalgate issue demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and dismissal of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.

Left members protested against the multi-crore chit fund fraud in West Bengal and displayed posters that read “Protect interest of subscribers and agents of the Sarada Chit Fund scam”.

AGP members were protesting against proposed transfer of land to Bangladesh, while Samajwadi Party members trooped into the Well raising the issue of Chinese incursion soon after the House met for the day.

The Upper House was adjourned thrice over the issue of coal block allocation as members from the BJP repeatedly stormed the Well and shouted slogans against the government, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Due to adjournments, a short notice discussion on the atrocities on women and girl child in the country could not take place.

The Lok Sabha, which did not transact any business on Monday and Tuesday due to uproar over coal block allocation and 2G spectrum issues, was adjourned for the day today as a mark of respect to sitting Trinamool Congress member Ambica Banerjee who died this morning.

Sexual harassment at workplace Bill becomes law

New Delhi, April 25
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to a Bill under which cases of sexual harassment at workplace, including against domestic help, will have to be disposed of by in-house committees within 90 days failing which a penalty will be imposed.

Repeated non-compliance of the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) law, can lead to higher penalties and even cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business. The Bill was cleared by Parliament in February.

The new law brings in its ambit even domestic workers and agriculture labour, both organised and unorganised sectors. As per the act, sexual harassment includes any one or more of unwelcome acts or behaviour like physical contact and advances, demand or request for sexual favours or making sexually coloured remarks or showing porn.

Non-compliance with the provisions of the act shall be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 50,000. It has also provisions for safeguard against false or malicious charges.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee, which had examined the Bill, had held the firm view that preventive aspects reflected in it has to be strictly in line with the Supreme Court guidelines in the 1997 Vishaka case. The judgment in the case defines sexual harassment at workplace and lays down guidelines for its prevention and disciplinary action. — PTI

WORLD MALARIA DAY
WHO identifies anti-malarial resistance in four countries
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, April 25
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified anti- malarial resistance in four countries of South East Asia and launched an emergency response to prevent resistant strains of the malarial parasites from spreading further.

On the occasion of World Malaria Day today, the WHO has also cited concerns over resistance emerging to insecticides which countries like India and sub-Saharan Africa are using to treat mosquito nets for the purpose of vector control. The advice for such countries is — develop new insecticides.

Highlighting the threat from anti-malarial resistance reported from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in the Greater Mekong sub-region of South East, the WHO said the spread of resistance to other parts of the world could be catastrophic and could reverse the gains of malaria control.

Anti-malarial drug resistance — the ability of the malaria parasite to survive drugs — first became a global problem in the 1960s when the parasite developed resistance to chloroquine, the then widely-used anti-malarial. Resistance had even then first emerged in the Greater Mekong sub-region and later spread to Africa, triggering a dramatic increase in malaria-related illness and death - particularly among children.

The WHO has already launched an emergency response to the development urging all nations to remove poor-quality anti-malarial drugs and oral artemisinin-based monotherapies from circulation. Today, the treatment of choice for malaria is artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs).

Resistance is developing on account of people using artemisinin monotherapies, which provide quick relief and goad people into quitting the line of treatment before the mandated three days.

“At least 31 companies around the world are still marketing monotherapies. Globally, 44 countries have withdrawn marketing authorisation for these pills, but 14 countries continue to allow their marketing,” the WHO said today.

India has banned the production and sale of monotherapies already and the resistance of parasites to available treatments is being monitored.

MALARIAL BURDEN
21 crore malaria cases reported worldwide annually; 6.6 lakh die
Malarial mortality in India remains disputed. The Lancet had reported in 2011 that 2.75 lakh deaths occur every year as against the government claim of 1,023 deaths
The ICMR is now reviewing mortality burden; its report is awaited

Monsoon likely to be normal this year
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25
With just a month to go before the south-west monsoon hits the parched Indian mainland around the first week of June, the India Meteorological Department will present its first forecast of crucial rains tomorrow.

While independent observers have already predicted a normal monsoon on the basis of favourable weather indicators, sources in the IMD also say that “good” rains, toward the upper side in the normal range of 96 to 104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), can be expected this year.

This should come as music to the ears of farmers and administrators, struggling with the onslaught of drought-like situation in most parts of south and west India and sinking groundwater levels in irrigated regions of north India. Normal rains are something that the Congress-led UPA would too be earnestly praying for in the pre-election year, considering the overwhelming political impact that the monsoon holds for the government in power.

According to the Skymet weather services, the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) -- a factor that has a direct bearing on the south-west monsoon -- is neutral this year and in the past 112 years, only five times drought-like condition has prevailed despite this condition. The South Asian Climate Outlook Forum had recently also forecast normal rains for the entire South Asian region and IMD sources also say good rains amounting to more than 89 cm (LPA of monsoon rain for the country as a whole between the period 1951 and 2000) can be expected.

Last year, for the country on the whole, the rainfall was 92 per cent of the LPA. Of the total 36 meteorological subdivisions, 23 subdivisions constituting 67.3 per cent of the total area received excess/normal season rainfall and remaining 13 subdivisions (32.7 per cent of the total area) deficient precipitation.

Summer monsoon accounts for almost 78 per cent of the gross-cropped area in the country.

Gorakhpur Blasts
Akhilesh orders withdrawal of cases against accused
Shahira Naim/TNS

Lucknow, April 25
Fulfilling yet another poll promise, the Akhilesh Yadav government has ordered the withdrawal of terror cases lodged against Gorakhpur serial blasts accused Tariq Qasmi.

State Home Department has issued an order for the withdrawal of cases to Gorakhpur District Magistrate.

According to Home Secretary Sarvesh Chandra Mishra, the cases are being withdrawn following a report submitted by the DM and the SSP of Gorakhpur.

Qasmi, a Unani doctor from Azamgarh, faces charges under the Explosives Act, 7, Criminal Law Amendment Act, and attempt to murder in the May 22, 2007 Gorakhpur serial blasts which had seriously injured six persons.

Initial investigation had claimed that the blast was the joint handiwork of IM and HuJi terrorists and Qasmi had been arrested for his alleged links with the HuJi.

On December 20, 2007, the Special Task Force had arrested Qasmi and another alleged HuJi operative Khalid Mujahid of Jaunpur outside the Barabanki railway station. It had claimed to have seized 1.250 kg RDX, six detonators, three cell phones and two SIM cards.

Later, the police claimed Qasmi's involvement in the Gorakhpur blast and filed the chargesheet against him.

DSP’s murder: Raja Bhaiyya’s guard among seven held

Lucknow, April 25
Former food minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya’s private security guard was among the seven persons arrested by the CBI yesterday for their alleged involvement in the murder of Kunda DSP Ziaul Haq on March 2.

According to CBI sources, Bhulle Pal, the private security guard of the former minister, reportedly led the group that had provoked the mob to attack the DSP after the killing of the gram pradhan’s brother Suresh. Haq had arrived at Ballipur village along with his force after getting information about the murder of village head Nanhe Yadav on the evening of March 2.

Among the seven arrested after questioning by the CBI are four close associates of the gram pradhan. They are Ghanshyam Saroj, Ram Lakhan Gautam, Ram Asrey Saroj and Shivram Pasi. Two neighbors of the Yadav brothers have also been arrested. They are Chotey Lal Yadav and Munna Patel.

Earlier, on April 13, the CBI claimed to have arrested the main accused in the DSP murder — Babloo Yadav — who is the son of the slain gram pradhan. He had been arrested along with his two uncles Phoolchand and Pawan Yadav and his father’s private body guard Manjit Yadav. — TNS

Shifting Asiatic Lions to MP
Gujarat to file review petition in apex court
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, April 25
The Gujarat Government today decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Division Bench’s order for shifting a few pairs of the Asiatic Lions from the Gir Sanctuary for re-settling in the Kuno-Palpur forest in Madhya Pradesh.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the State Wildlife Board held in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The board discussed the implications of the Supreme Court’s order and decided to file a review petition after studying the order at length.

After the meeting, Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava said the decision to file a review petition was taken “unanimously” as all the members of the board were opposed to the idea of creating a second home for the Asiatic Lions. The board was of the view that the state’s case for opposing shifting of the Asiatic Lions from Gir to Kuno-Palpur had not been properly presented before the apex court and decided to plug all the loopholes for an effective representation in the review petition.

A noted environmentalist and member of the board, Shivraj Khachar, felt that the SC did not take into consideration the objections filed by the state wildlife board against a second home for the Asiatic Lions.

Two engines derail in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, April 25
Two engines of a goods train derailed in Maoist-hit Bastar district of Chhattisgarh after suspected Naxalites removed the fishplates from tracks on Jagdalpur-Vishakhapattam route today, a top police officer said.

According to preliminary information, two engines of a goods train going towards Visakhapatnam jumped off the track in the area, over 250km from here, which is a Naxal belt, Bastar Additional Superintendent of Police SR Salaamsaid. — PTI